News on the delivery of 50 Better Shelters by IKEA Foundation to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and donation pledges of $3bn to rebuild Nepal after the country was hit by the devastating earthquake two month ago – and a second one on May 12th – made me want to know more about the current situation in the country. As a result I came across the website of UNOCHA, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Here I was struck both by the figures of devastation and humanitarian need in Nepal and the clear, informative and impactful design of the site.
The dedicated page on UNOCHA’s website describes the situation in Nepal in key figures, maps, infographics, imagery, and links to general information, top stories, updates and press releases. There is also a crystal clear Guide to Giving, meant to help raise the $250 million or so still needed to meet immediate humanitarian needs of 2.8 million people.
The State of Aid
Even more impressive and appealing – which is a strange but appropriate word in this context – is a fresh interactive report by UNOCHA entitled ‘The State of Humanitarian Aid’. The slide show uses powerful imagery as a carrier for a confusing message. It reads:
‘At the beginning of 2015 we were aiming to assist 57.5 million people in 22 countries needing assistance. Six months later, we are calling for help to support an astounding 82.5 million people. We need $19.7 billion to help them.’
Only 26 % funded
Humanitarian crises last longer, the report says – ‘Protracted is the new normal’ – and while donors have been generous ‘the global humanitarian appeal remains just 26 per cent funded half-way through the year.’
An interactive map shows what is needed and what is already done everywhere in the world. The need for food, shelter, healthcare, education and much more concentrates in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Designers may be able to do a lot in these fields, but in the end it’s money that is needed. And that is made impressively clear by the design of this report.