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Summary
On World Humanitarian Day, women like Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Aisha Yesufu, Hajo Sani, and Hauwa Liman show that humanitarian work is led and shaped by women.
Today is World Humanitarian Day, a moment to reflect on the tireless work of women who not only receive aid but also lead humanitarian efforts across communities. Too often, the narrative of humanitarianism presents women as victims of conflict, displacement, and poverty. While these realities exist, they are only one side of the story. Women are not passive recipients of assistance. They are organisers, advocates, and leaders who redefine what humanitarianism looks like in practice.
Across Nigeria and beyond, women have been at the forefront of providing relief, championing rights, and speaking against injustice. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, now Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, has spent much of her career advocating for economic reforms that placed people at the centre. She worked with international organisations to promote debt relief that gave countries fiscal space to fund health, education, and humanitarian responses. Her efforts showed that humanitarianism is not limited to emergency relief but also tied to long-term structural change.
Aisha Yesufu represents another face of humanitarian commitment. She rose to prominence during the Bring Back Our Girls movement, which demanded the safe return of schoolgirls abducted in Chibok. Through relentless advocacy, she shifted attention to the rights of women and children in conflict, challenging both government inaction and global indifference. Her activism reminds us that humanitarian work is not only about distributing aid but also about demanding accountability for those who suffer.
The contributions of Hajo Sani also reflect this tradition of women reshaping humanitarianism. As a policy advocate and former ambassador, she has promoted education and empowerment for women and girls, especially in communities where conflict and poverty limit opportunities. By pushing for access to education, she addressed one of the most urgent humanitarian needs: giving young people the tools to rebuild their societies.
The story of Hauwa Liman, a young aid worker with the International Committee of the Red Cross, illustrates the risks women take in this field. She worked in conflict-affected areas of Borno State, providing medical care to displaced families and communities under siege. Her tragic death at the hands of insurgents was not only a personal loss but also a reminder of the dangers faced by women on the frontlines of humanitarian work. Her legacy continues to inspire others who refuse to abandon vulnerable populations even in the most hostile environments.
What ties these women together is their rejection of the idea that women exist only as recipients of help. They show, through different paths, that women are central to designing, implementing, and sustaining humanitarian action. They prove that aid is not only about food distribution or temporary shelter but also about education, advocacy, reform, and dignity.
On this World Humanitarian Day, the spotlight belongs to women who turn their personal conviction into collective good. Their lives remind us that humanitarianism is not complete without women at its centre, shaping solutions and carrying communities forward.
