Homes around the world
What does home mean to you?
The first place you got on your very own? A house with your whole family gathered around the dinner table? The seaside by your hometown, or the skyline of the big city?
From harm to home: After living in a refugee camp for a decade, the Welo family are now rebuilding their lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with assistance from the IRC.
Around the world, home can look very different on the surface. But what it has — or should have — in common is a sense of safety.
The photos below are all vastly different. Mountains and coastlines, nature and highrises, all in different parts of the world. But each is loved as someone’s home.
Can you identify the homes pictured?
1. At an elevation of 1,790 metres (5,873 ft), this city is one of the highest national capitals in the world. What city is this?
Over 6 million people live in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital. After decades of violent conflict, natural disasters and an economic collapse, Afghans make up one of the largest refugee populations in the world. Over half the population — 23.3 million people — need some form of humanitarian assistance.
The IRC has been working in Afghanistan since 1988, and provides humanitarian relief and recovery assistance to Afghans affected by crises at home and abroad. Since 2021, we’ve significantly improved the healthcare landscape, upgrading the capacity of existing healthcare facilities and establishing 35 mobile health teams to reach remote and underserved areas with primary healthcare, malnutrition screening and treatment and other essential medical services.
2. This valley is home to dozens of small towns, several historic monasteries, and trees believed to be over 1,000 years old. In which country can it be found?
This is Lebanon’s Kadisha Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Lebanon hosts the highest number of refugees per capita in the world, most of whom have fled from Syria and the occupied Palestinian territory. The conflict in Gaza and now in Lebanon has caused mass displacement and increased protection risks for civilians.
The IRC provides emergency and long-term support to people affected by, and recovering from, overlapping crises. We support communities in need of assistance in Lebanon, including Syrian refugees who were forced to flee their homes in search of safety and the Lebanese communities hosting them.
3. This is one of the oldest cities in Eastern Europe, founded as early as the 5th century CE. Where is it?
Correct answer: Kyiv, Ukraine
Since 2022, millions of Ukrainians have been uprooted from their homes. Over 6 million have fled to neighbouring countries as refugees, and millions more displaced within Ukraine are also in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.
Together with our local partners, we are providing cash support to vulnerable families so they can cover their most basic needs. The IRC is supporting overwhelmed health facilities with much needed supplies and mobile health teams. We’re also working to support Ukrainian refugees who have been displaced to neighbouring countries and to the UK.
4. This World Heritage Site is known for its breathtaking views and unusual geology. While the country it is in includes desert and tropical forest, these mountains receive regular snowfall. Where is it?
Correct answer: Simien Mountains, Ethiopia
Ethiopians are seeking to recover and rebuild their lives in the wake of an unprecedented drought from 2020-2023. Conflict in neighbouring Sudan has also displaced many, contributing to a humanitarian crisis in both countries.
Since 2000, the IRC has been aiding Ethiopians in crisis-affected and underserved communities, as well as refugees from neighboring countries. We have expanded to provide a wide range of services for refugees living in camps and for vulnerable Ethiopian communities throughout the country. In 2013, the IRC opened the largest water system for any refugee camp in the world.
Around the world, people love their homes. But home isn’t always safe, and it isn’t always possible to stay there.
You can help us support people impacted by conflict and natural disaster, and bring us closer to a future where a safe home is more possible for all, no matter where you live.
When you donate now, your donation will be tripled, so your support can go three times as far.
