The São Paulo State is home 45 million people ranging from very vulnerable communities to well structure urban and rural areas. From the beginning of the pandemic, it is the epicentre of the COVID-19 in Brazil, with around 1.5 million cases and 47,768 deaths until this day. By December 2020, the summer storms season started, bringing great damage to the poorest areas of São Paulo. From 2016 to 2020, more than 75 people died from floods, 35 only in 2020. In the São Paulo Municipality, the most affected districts are in the East, the Northwest and the South. The Jacuí and Jardim Santa Helena neighbourhoods are in an area that follows the river course of the Rio Tietê. The Grajaú district has many poor communities living in the shore of the city’s larger reservoir in informal settlements. Outside of the metropolitan area, in the coastal area known as Baixada Santista, there are urgent situations in the municipality of Cubatão, by the Pilões River. In this year, an area greatly damaged by the floods is the Vale do Ribeira the poorest region in the state, home of large quilombola1 and indigenous communities, and many conservation units (protection areas).02 RRF 2021 Sao Paulo Floods FV

In early November 2020, the Ethiopia region (Tigray) was affected by incidents of armed conflicts due to the military and political confrontation between federal and regional forces in Tigray region. Eastern Sudan has received many refugees through various border points. Sudan has received over 52,200 new Ethiopian refugees as of December 20^th. Act Alliance in joint collaboration with Caritas Internationalis, with respectively the Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) and CAFOD acting as lead agencies, is launching the Humanitarian Response to Ethiopian Refugees in East Sudan, aiming to reach a total of 30 000 individuals (12,900 females and 17,100 males) with a total budget of € 1,579,578, targeting WASH, Energy and Environment, Integrated GBV and psychosocial support sectors. ACT-Caritas Appeal-SDN201

A long-standing political disagreement between Ethiopia Federal government and the northern regional state of Tigray’s regional government led to an outbreak of hostilities on 4^th November 2020. This was characterized by military action resulting in general insecurity in the region, internal and external displacements, and a disruption of livelihoods. In Tigray region at least 855,000 persons are currently in need of humanitarian assistance of which include non-displaced persons, Internally Displaced persons, returnees, and over 96,000 Eritrean refugees. Three ACT Ethiopia members, Ethiopia Orthodox Church Development Inter-Church Aid Commission (EOC-DICAC), Ethiopia Evangelical Mekane Yesus Church (EECMY-DASSC) and Lutheran World Federation (LWF) are planning to respond to this crisis. Ethiopia_Tigray Conflict response  

It is estimated that 1.3 million Syrian refugees live in Jordan today. Approximately 85 per cent of them lives in the host communities, while more than 139,000 lives in two main  camps, Za’atari and Azraq. According to UNICEF, 86% of Syrian refugees outside camps in Jordan live below the poverty line. While poverty and unemployment rates were already high prior to the onset of COVID-19, Syrian refugees and vulnerable Jordanians face even greater challenges in earning a livelihood, covering basic needs such as food, protection and accessing key services as healthcare. Jordan ACT forum members DSPR, ELCJHL, LWF and MECC  will respond to the humanitarian crisis with an appeal to raise USD 1,849,233, to build the resilience of the affected communities and continue addressing the most pressing basic needs of the health, food security, NFI’s, protection and livelihood sectors. JOR211 Appeal_Multi-sectorial Response

  Response and recovery due to impacts of the Hurricanes ETA & IOTA in Honduras and Nicaragua   Honduras and Nicaragua have been hit by 2 consecutive Hurricanes  in a 15 days period starting in November 1^st and ending by the 18TH of November. The hurricanes were named Eta and Iota.   Nicaragua,was the entry point for both hurricanes. On November 3, Hurricane Eta hits between Bilwi and Haulover in the northern Caribbean, as a category 4 hurricane. On November 16^th Iota made landfall, affecting areas that remained flooded due to the first event.     In Honduras  Hurricanes ETA & IOTA affected the north-western and Atlantic coast between the first and third week of November 2020 .750,000 families in the most vulnerable areas have been affected. The Valley of Sula was highly affected and remained isolated. This is the economic core of the country.   In a region already hit by protracted crisis such a migration and the recent economic and health impact of Covid 19; this Appeal aims at the response and recovery in both countries and will focus on  the following sectors: Shelter, Non-food items, Food Security, WASH, protection and Psychosocial wellness, Cash transfer.   The requesting Members are: CASM ,OCDIH, ASONOG (Honduras), ILFE, CIEETS, CEPAD, Federación Luterana Mundial (Nicaragua). The Appeal Target is :$ 1,172,360   Appeal Honduras and Nicaragua Hurricanes Eta and Iota CAM201

The protracted humanitarian crisis in Iraq remains one of the largest and most volatile in the world. The COVID-19 outbreak hit a country already facing a humanitarian crisis, further deepening vulnerabilities and disrupting on-going efforts to deliver aid to the most vulnerable people in acute need of humanitarian assistance. More than 1.77 million people  have acute humanitarian and development needs according to the Iraq Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO, 2020). IDPs in and out of camps, returnees, and Refugees experienced partial or full collapse of living standards and disrupted access to basic goods and services, exhausting their capacities to cope and frequently resorting to negative coping strategies. ACT Iraq Forum members LWF and CA will respond to the prolonged crisis with an appeal to raise USD4,977,126 over two years. IRQ211_ Iraq Appeal

As a result of the intense rainfall caused by the last 2 hurricanes (ETA and IOTA) that hit the Colombian Caribbean and the La Niña phenomenon from the Pacific Ocean: The rural area of the Antioqueño municipality of Dabeiba, in 4 of its villages: Dabeiba Vieja, Botón, Mohán and El Cajón,suffered a landslide of large proportions leaving more than 200 families without their homes, their belongings, their crops and their farmyard animals. On the morning of Sunday, November 15, DAPARD (Administrative Department of the System for the Prevention, Attention and Recovery of Disasters) reported that of the 16 people who were missing, eight were found alive "and they are in the five shelters that the municipality has set up for the affected people." Thus, the current tally of casualties of the torrential rains according to the Unified Command Post (PMU), is of 3 deceased and eight missing persons. Likewise, there are 497 affected people from 201 families, 20 injured, 67 homes destroyed and 104 damaged, 3 educational centers affected, as well as 5.5 kilometers of road affected.RRF14 2020 COL Dabeiba LandSlide

The armed conflict has put Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh in a state of crisis. According to the preliminary assessment of needs 100,000 spontaneously arrived people need food, shelter, clothing, including for cold season, footwear, blankets, pillows, bedding, sanitation and hygiene items, stationery for schoolchildren, technical means for on-line classes, cash for payment for utilities, medicament, and other essentials. Spontaneous arrivals are staying with hosts, guest houses, hotels, resorts, in public buildings such as schools, kindergartens, community halls. The onset of cold winter weather makes the provision of suitable shelter and NFIs, such as blankets and warm clothes crucial. Pre-existing economic and food security vulnerabilities in Armenia limit coping capacity in areas currently receiving high numbers of spontaneous arrivals. ART, a national member of ACT Alliance will assist the most vulnerable 2,000 individuals for 3 months to meet their essential needs: food, hygiene and sanitary items, bedding, household appliances, payment for utilities. ART is currently developing ACT Appeal to scale up the response. RRF_132020_Armenia_Armed conflicts in Nagorno Karabagh

Barely recovering from Typhoon Goni that made landfall on 1st November,  2020 and displaced more than 500,000 people, Bicol region and CALABARZON in the eastern part of Luzon braced for another typhoon Vamco (Ulysses) on 11 November which brought violent winds, massive flooding in the eight regions within Luzon, and torrential rain-triggered landslides. Typhoon Vamco was the deadliest cyclone to hit the country this year with 67 confirmed casualties and several people missing. Tens of thousands of homes in low-lying areas in the NCR were submerged in roof-level floods. In Northern Luzon, Cagayan and Isabela provinces experienced the worst flooding in decades as the Cagayan River overflowed, partly due to the release of water from Magat Dam, and inundated low-lying municipalities. It exacerbated the already dire situation of those severely affected families by Typhoon Goni and affected another 1,110,910 persons, of which, 306,340 persons temporarily residing in evacuation centers. On top of all these, the COVID-19 pandemic still poses serious public health risks and caused the Philippine economy to contract by 7.3% further worsening the impoverished situation of the most vulnerable and poorest Filipino families. ACT Philippines Forum will respond to the disaster with an appeal to raise USD1,154,820. APPEAL Philippines Typhoon Goni and Vamco PHL202  

As per assessment report conducted by the One UN Provincial Program Team Sindh, 2.2 million people have been directly or indirectly affected by the monsoon rains with 77,337 houses fully damaged and 137,007 partially damaged. An estimate 1.9 million acres of crops have been affected and 45,961 of livestock were lost. Mirpurkhas is among one of the worst affected districts in the province where huge loss to standing crops, property, livestock and infrastructure has been reported. People have taken refuge on the elevated places due to their damaged or flooded houses. They have reportedly lost food stock, savings and other precious household assets. The areas remained under the impact of drought, locust, COVID-19 which has already weaken their economic and livelihood situation while the recent floods will add up to their miseries. Community World Service Asia will respond through ACT Alliance's Rapid Response Fund. RRF 092020 Pakistan Sindh Floods  

UN OCHA estimated 2 million people were affected by the typhoon Goni as it traversed across northern and southern Philippines, of which 1.1 million are poor. The Philippines’ National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) reported about 517,172 people are staying in government evacuation centers or with friends and family and estimates 27,750 houses damaged. Several municipalities still do not have power and water supply as supply lines have been destroyed by the typhoon. Photos from the affected areas particularly Catanduanes, Albay, and Camarines Sur show that houses have been destroyed by strong winds or flooded. Typhoon Goni affected the same area as typhoon Molave (local name: Quinta) a week before. Some areas will also be affected by tropical storm Atsani (local name: Siony) that entered the Philippine area of responsibility right behind Goni. Philippines has also one of the highest cases of COVID-19 infection in the world with more than a thousand new cases daily that containment measures are still in effect. ACT Philippines Forum plans to respond to the disaster. RRF 082020 Philippines Typhoon Goni  

Since September 1, 2020, news of a migrant caravan (which refers to a considerable number of migrants who take refuge in the protection offered by traveling in a group in their journey to the United States) circulated on social networks, the caravan left from San Pedro Sula Bus Station the 30th of  September.   The local press did not mention the event, but this event was highlighted by the international press. According to OCHA reports, between 3,500-4,000 people were in this group.   On the same day, the Guatemalan government deported 50 people. Despite the efforts of civil society organizations[1]to demand respect for the human rights of migrants in this new exodus, Guatemala issued a new “Early Warning in Border Zones” protocol, which empowers the civilian population to monitor and report migrants, exacerbating xenophobia, discrimination, and abuses. In addition, on October 1, the president of Guatemala decreed a State of Prevention in all border departments from the Petén to the Pacific and ordered security forces to detain the Honduran migrants, return them to the border, and turn them over to the authorities in Honduras. Guatemala justifies these measures due to the current health emergency of COVID-19; however, behind this is its alignment with the anti-immigration policy of the United States, in part expressed in the Safe Third Country agreements, which included the immediate militarization, repression, and criminalization of the migrant caravan.   [1]Such as the Franciscan Network of Migrants, Pop Noj and Volunteers of Casa Peregrina de Guatemala, Pastoral de Movilidad Humana (PMH), FONAMIH and Radio Progreso de Honduras in Central America and Mexico RRF 07 2020 HND Migrant Caravan