How to help everyday people affected by the Iran war

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In less than two weeks since The United States and Israel began to attack Iran at the end of February, the war is already killed more than 1,900 people in 11 countries and moving up to 3.2 million people. It has destroyed school, hospitaland important infrastructure across the region, and threatens to engulf countries near and far – many of which rely on currently troubled shipping lanes. fat and fertilizer – in economic and humanitarian crises.

If the escalating conflict feels to you like one more in a long line of painful and complex international conflicts, then you are not wrong. They really are more wars and armed conflicts today than at any time since the end of World War II. More one fifth of the world’s children now they live in areas contaminated by conflict, which it promotes poverty and hunger. And conflict doesn’t just make things worse – it makes humanitarian aid flow to those who need it most. incredibly difficult and dangerous work.

But difficult does not mean impossible. Local aid workers across the region have been working non-stop to get civilians fed and kept safe, while new ways to tackle the crisis mean the world can soon transfer money faster to the people and places that need it the most. And although how long this war will last can only be known to President Donald Trump, these organizations will need help to increase the long-term recovery for all those directly and. indirectly affected with violence. The fight has been effective closed the Strait of Hormuza narrow shipping lane between Iran and Oman that supplies about a quarter of the world marine oil business and more than one third of the world fertilizer. Prolonged confinement can quickly turn into a the biggest food crisis in the worldincluding increasing hunger in the most vulnerable countries.

For the average person, figuring out how to help in a crisis like this can be exhausting, to say the least. It may even seem useless against the sheer speed of battle. If you can not solve everything – if the war has there is no end ahead – so why bother with Band-Aid solutions at all?

But people the need help now, so they can arrive the next day. And the reduction of international aid absorb support for humanitarian aid organizations even as conflicts escalate, your donations are more important than ever. Here’s how to help.

Give to organizations that already exist

One way to think about the difficulty of getting aid in a conflict zone is to think of a natural disaster that lasts not for hours or days, but for weeks, months, or years on end. “With a hurricane or a flood, the danger has passed” by the time aid starts coming in, said Patricia McIlreavy, executive director of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy.

But when it comes to complex humanitarian disasters like war, “the risk is ongoing,” he said, implying that the damage and logistical challenges of coordinating aid in the fog of war can increase rapidly over time.

If you’re in the US, giving directly to organizations based in Iran is difficult due to US sanctions on the country, though humanitarian projects they are generally exempted. But you can donate to international charities, such as International Committee of the Red Cross and Norwegian Refugee Councilmost of them work in Iran and throughout the region.

Other groups, like The HOPE Projectthey are actively monitoring the needs of the many Iranian refugees, while focusing their relief efforts on the collapse of the many Iranian refugees. vulnerable neighbors.

In Lebanon, home to the world the highest number of refugees per capitaThe escalation of hostilities has led to a major humanitarian crisis in a country still reeling from its last war with Israel, which technically finished in 2024. Even before the new war, Lebanon was facing a severe economic collapse, and about 70 percent of a country in need of humanitarian aid.

Many of these organizations are doing their best to actively deploy resources where they anticipate the greatest demand will be. “They don’t know how things are going to work out,” McIlreavy said. “They don’t know where they’re going to get access. And so they’re going to need to adapt.”

That goes for their followers too.

What about sending money directly to people?

Much of the humanitarian aid still goes through aid agencies and organizations such as the United Nations. But there is also the increasingly popular idea of ​​sending money directly to people, which has been done informal for centuries through foreign funds and mutual aid.

A increasing body of research shows that even in weak conflict areas, people often strongly prefer receiving money – which they can spend however they need – over aid items such as food parcels, hygiene kits, or blankets. A non-profit organization Give Directly has pioneered the use of technology to get cash to people faster, and is actively exploring how to help those affected by this crisis through a newly launched program. emergency fund.

Historically, most of GiveDirectly’s work has focused on people living in extreme poverty, rather than specifically targeting those living in conflict zones. But the organization has also recently expanded to offer emergency aid for affected families such conflicts Yemen’s civil war and armed conflict there Democratic Republic of the Congo.

One way the group works is through cellphone metadata, which can help identify people who might need it. In this case, that could include people displaced in Lebanon, Iranian refugees entering Turkey, or Malawians affected by rising fertilizer costs. GiveDirectly then screens those people for eligibility via text, and sends them cash via mobile payment systems.

The process tends to be “cleaner, faster, more targeted, and cheaper” than more traditional outreach methods like door-to-door knocking, said Leith Baker, who runs GiveDirectly’s emergency cash strategy. It’s a “secure and respectful way to receive money” that “gives the recipient a lot of choice and protection.”

Once a group mobilization system is in place, it also works very quickly, which makes it a promising option for people in rapidly changing conflict zones. You can support GiveDirectly with its programs to send cash to those affected by the crisis contribute here.

For other direct remittances, many local advocates in Lebanon and across the region have also begun to create and participate. mutual aid funds for families and local organizations, like National Centera volunteer-run community kitchen in Beirut, Lebanon.

Helping people for a long time

While those who live in the range of the bombs are at great risk, many of those most affected include people who do not live in the region at all. Those in countries that are already poorer will be more vulnerable to the effects of the economic crisis, which are already encompassing. price rise in food, fertilizer and oil. There are many groups working to help communities in crisis now and long after the news cycle has faded.

Even before this escalating conflict, the world was already in dire straits. For the first time in decades, the number of people living in extreme poverty is is expected to start increasing by 2030with most concentrated in the poorest – and often most conflict-affected – countries.

Cuts in international aid have been making the situation worse even worse. And now, for the most vulnerable countries, a war with Iran could cause more than just that high prices at the grocery storebut also for a long time, common food scarcity. It is more important than ever to dig deep now to support those suffering the worst outcomes.

“Even if the conflict were to end tomorrow,” McIlreavy said, “recovery will take a long time.”

Update, March 12, 1:00 PM ET: This story has been updated with information about the number of Iranians who have been displaced by the bombings.