the aid library

Psychosocial Issues for Children and Adolescents in Disasters

Speier, A.H. DHHS Publication (2005) CC

This manual provides information and guidance for individuals concerned with the mental health needs of children who experience major disasters. This background, training, and experience will vary and may include health and mental health professionals, professional and paraprofessional ... more

Protecting Persons with Diverse Sexual Orientations and Gender Identities

UNHCR (2015) CC

The document at hand presents key findings from a project undertaken globally between July 2014 and May 2015 to assess progress made by UNHCR country and regional operations to effectively protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) asylum-seekers and refugees. Globally, 10 ... more

Spiritual Care Education of Health Care Professionals

Baldacchino, D. University of Malta (2015) CC

The International Council of Nurses (ICN) Code of Ethics ([1], p. 5) specifies the nurse’s role of promoting “an environment in which the human rights, values, customs and spiritual beliefs of the individual, family and community are respected”. The Malta Code of Ethics supports this for nurse ... more

Mental, Neurological, and Substance Use Disorders

Vikram Patel, Dan Chisholm, Tarun Dua et al. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development The World Bank (2016) CC

Disease Control Priorities, 3rdEdition: Volume 4. Mental, neurological, and substance use disorders are common, highly disabling, and associated with significant premature mortality. The impact of these disorders on the social and economic well-be ... more

Integrating palliative care and symptom relief into responses to humanitarian emergencies and crises: a WHO guide

World Health Organization WHO (2018) C_WHO

Humanitarian emergencies and crises (Humanitarian emergencies and crises) are large-scale events that may result in the breakdown of health care systems and society, forced displacement, death, and physical, psychological, social and spiritual suffe ... more

Situational Brief: Transit Migration in Mexico during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Sedas A. C., M. Aguerrebere, L. A. Martinez Juarez, et al. Lancet Migration (2020) CC

Aligned to the Lancet Migration Global Statement to include migrants and refugees incountries’response to COVID-19, this update focuses on Mexico’s challenges and opportunities to build an inclusive response that is based on a contextualized adaptation of there commendations published by th ... more

Caring for child survivors of sexual abuse guidelines

International Rescue Committee; UN Children's Fund (2024) CC

Sexual abuse perpetrated against children is one of the most significant crises of our time. Child sexual abuse is a significant risk factor for children, in common with other forms of child maltreatment. Sexual abuse can have severe short- and long-term consequences on the physical, mental, ... more

Ebola virus disease preparedness strengthening team Guinea-Bissau country visit 12–20 November 2014

World Health Organization (2014)

The main objective of this mission was to assess the level of preparedness of Guinea-Bissau in respect of the WHO consolidated checklist. The checklist helps countries to assess and test their level of readiness it is being used to identify concrete action to be taken and where countries will requir ... more

Female Genital Mutilation Among Cross-Border Communities in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda Empty heading

UNFPA ESARO UNFPA ESARO (2022) CC

Despite the existence of criminal law, which is an important aspect of anti-FGM policies and programmes, there is not much research on the effects of cross-border practices that invalidate the law as a deterrent. Much remains unknown about the practice of cross-border FGM, specifically about gaps in ... more

Population Size Estimation of Female Sex Workers In Tbilisi and Batumi, Georgia 2014

Dr. I. Chikovani; Dr. N. Shengelia; L. Sulaberidze; N. Tsereteli; et al. The Global Fund To fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; Curatio International Foundation; Tanadgoma (2014) C2

Study Report August 2014 Curatio International Foundation (CIF) and the Association Tanadgoma would like to acknowledge the financial support provided by GFATM under the project “Establishment of evidence base for national HIV/AIDS program by strengthening of HIV/AIDS surveillance system in t ... more

Africa’s Health Financing in a New Era

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) (2025) CC

Africa’s health sector is facing an unprecedented financing crisis, driven by a sharp decline of 70% in Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 2021 to 2025 and deep-rooted structural vulnerabilities. This collapse is placing immense pressure on Africa’s already fragile health systems as ODA ... is seen as the backbone of critical health programs: pandemic preparedness, maternal and child health services, disease control programs are all at risk, threatening Sustainable Development Goal 3 and Universal Health Coverage. Compounding this is Africa’s spiraling debt, with countries expected to service USD 81 billion by 2025—surpassing anticipated external financing inflows—further eroding fiscal space for health investments. Level of domestic resources is low. TThe Abuja Declaration of 2001, a pivotal commitment made by African Union (AU) member states, aimed to reverse this trend by pledging to allocate at least 15% of national budgets to the health sector. However, more than two decades later, only three countries—Rwanda, Botswana, and Cabo Verde—have consistently met or exceeded this target (WHO, 2023). In contrast, over 30 AU member states remain well below the 10% benchmark, with some allocating as little as 5–7% of their national budgets to health. In addition, only 16 (29%) of African countries currently have updated versions of National Health Development Plan (NHDP) supported by a National Health Financing Plan (NHFP). These two documents play a critical role in driving internal resource mobilisation. At the same time, public health emergencies are surging, rising 41%—from 152 in 2022 to 213 in 2024—exposing severe under-resourcing of health infrastructure and workforce. Recurring outbreaks (Mpox, Ebola, cholera, measles, Marburg…) alongside effects of climate change and humanitarian crises in Eastern DRC, the Sahel, and Sudan, are overwhelming systems stretched by chronic underfunding. The situation is worsened by Africa’s heavy dependency with over 90% of vaccines, medicines, and diagnostics being externally sourced—leaving countries vulnerable to global supply chain shocks. Health worker shortages persist, with only 2.3 professionals per 1,000 people (below the WHO’s recommended 4.45), and fewer than 30% of systems are digitized, undermining disease surveillance and early warning. Without decisive action, Africa CDC projects the continent could reverse two decades of health progress, face 2 to 4 million additional preventable deaths annually, and a heightened risk of a pandemic emerging from within. Furthermore, 39 million more Africans could be pushed into poverty by 2030 due to intertwined health and economic shocks. This is not just a sectoral crisis—it is an existential threat to Africa’s political, social, and economic resilience, and global stability. In response, African leaders, under Africa CDC’s stewardship, are advancing a comprehensive three-pillar strategy centered on domestic resource mobilization, innovative financing, and blended finance. more

Option for the Poor and Vulnerable - Country Spotlight Philippines

Catholic Relief Services (2015) C1

Lesson Plans Grades 1-8

A Pastoral Paradigm of Catholic Health Care

Shaw M. University of Notre Dame Australia (2008) C1

Catholic hospitals and other health services provide invaluable care to many in the community. This article accentuates the pastoral nature of Catholic health care, which is definitive to its Catholic identity. Discussing contemporary Catholic health care in conjunction with the works of Henri Nouwe ... more

It’s better together! European perspective on benefits and challenges associated with cross-border health communication campaigns

Rodrigues R., S. Ilinca, K. Schulmann PLOS ONE (2018) C1

PLOSONE| https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0204882October17,2018

Solidarity - Country Spotlight Democratic Republic of Congo

Catholic Relief Services CRS (2015) C1

Lesson Plans grades 1–8

Bringing the crucified down from the cross

Buffel, O. Missionalia (2015) C1

Preferential option for the poor in the South African context of poverty Missionalia 43:3 (349–364)

Preferential option for the poor! Handout

Edmund Rice Education (2020) C1

accessed 16 July 2020

Cultural representations of dementia

Hillman; A.; and J. Latimer PloS Medicine (2017) CC

March 28, 2017https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002274 PLoS Med 14(3): e1002274. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002274