The 10 most-read CARE News & Stories features from 2025

By Hillol Sobhan & CARE Staff January 2, 2026

A Zambian woman farmer gazes directly at the camera with a confident expression.

The CARE’s Crisis Report 2024 reveals 10 humanitarian crises impacting nearly 35 million lives that the media largely overlooked last year. Photo: CARE

Behind every headline and every statistic is a face, a name, and a journey. CARE believes that upholding the dignity of women and girls is the spark that transforms entire communities. It is their voices that lead the way, and each one has a story to share.

At CARE, we don’t just tell these stories; we are part of them. Since 2019, CARE News & Stories has featured voices from communities around the world.

For us, storytelling is more than sharing information. Through the lens of our storytellers and frontline workers in 121 countries, we bring the world’s most pressing challenges and the human voices behind them directly to your fingertips.

When readers engage with these narratives, they aren’t just spectators — they are part of a global mission to defeat poverty and achieve social justice.

Below are the ten stories that resonated most deeply with our readers in 2025 — from silent crises and devastating earthquakes in Myanmar and Afghanistan, to women’s home gardens creating food security in Yemen, famine in Gaza, and girls’ education triumphs in Somaliland. These narratives span the year’s most compelling challenges: the voices you heard, the triumphs you celebrated, and the moments of transformation that reminded us of our shared humanity.

1. 10 crises to look out for in 2025

A child gazes at the camera while leaning against a corrugated iron (CI-sheet) wall.

In Madagascar, over 80% of the population lives in poverty, and a staggering one in four young children are chronically malnourished. Photo: Andrey André/CARE

Every year, natural disasters and conflicts dominate the headlines around the world, but many equally devastating crises unfold in silence. For the ninth year in a row, CARE’s Crisis Report 2024 highlights ten of the world’s most underreported crises, focusing on situations where nearly 35 million people are fighting for survival. Full story

2. Myanmar earthquake: CARE delivers aid as death toll climbs

A woman wearing a facemask sorts through materials while a small group watches.

CARE Myanmar’s emergency response teams were some of the first aid workers on the ground in Mandalay. Photo: CARE Myanmar

Mandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city, was once known for golden temples, sprawling palaces, and stunning pagodas. But after the recent 7.7 magnitude earthquake, the historic royal capital is in ruins. With over 35 million people affected, CARE teams are racing to provide relief to those most impacted by the ongoing crisis. Full story

3. Seeds of change: Women farmers in Yemen grow food, income, and confidence

A veiled woman in a CARE hat and vest shows off the harvest from her garden in Yemen.

“Our neighbors come to ask how we grew our gardens,” Bushra says with pride. “We share seeds and advice. We are closer as a community now.” Photo: Albra’a/CARE

In Yemen’s Taiz Governorate, where conflict and displacement have left millions food insecure, a simple but powerful solution is taking root: home gardens. For Bushra, a mother-of-six, what once seemed impossible is now flourishing in her own backyard: food for her family, income for her children’s school supplies, and a deep sense of pride. With support from CARE and the WFP, 200 women farmers like Bushra received seeds, tools, irrigation systems, and training to grow their own food. Full story

4. The human cost of funding cuts: Lives and futures at risk in Somalia

A Somali woman wearing a green shawl and patterned dress sits on the ground in a dry, sparse area surrounded by leafless branches, with an empty cooking pot and metal cup in front of her and dome-shaped tents in the background.

Nearly 3.5 million people in Somalia had to leave their homes due to a deadly mix of prolonged conflict, worsening droughts, floods, and severe food shortages. Photo: Saddam Mohamed/CARE

Somalia is plunged into a devastating humanitarian catastrophe as critical funding cuts slash food aid and close health clinics. Families are starving, children are wasting away from severe malnutrition, and mothers are forced to walk miles just to find water. Without urgent support, millions face death, displacement, and shattered futures. Full story

5. Sudan conflict: Lifesaving healthcare and nutrition for women and children

CARE provides lifesaving health and nutrition support to displaced children and women in Sudan. Photo: Mohamed Abdelmajid/CARE

The ongoing conflict has hit the health sector particularly hard. About 70%–80% of all health services in areas most affected by conflict are now barely operational or closed entirely. About 4.5 million children under the age of five and pregnant women with severe malnutrition face heightened threat of death due to lack of healthcare services. CARE in Sudan is providing lifesaving health, nutrition, and psychosocial care to displaced people. Full story

6. In Somaliland, a bowl of food opens school doors for girls

A woman distributing school mean among children in Somaliland.

School meals have the power to transform entire communities in Somaliland. Photo: Sarah Easter/CARE

In drought-affected Somaliland, daily meals eaten at school are nourishing more than bodies and minds. With food on the table, children — especially girls — are returning to school, families are breathing easier, and entire communities are growing stronger. Full story

7. Afghanistan earthquake 2025: What CARE is doing

Aerial view of damaged mud-brick homes scattered across hillside terrain in Afghan village after earthquake.

The Afghanistan earthquake killed at least 1,400 people and devastated over 5,400 homes. Photo: COAR (CARE partner)

A devastating 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan on August 31, 2025, killing at least 1,411 people, injuring over 3,000 others, and destroying over 5,400 homes. CARE responded with emergency assistance including food, shelter, medical supplies, and protection programs for women and girls in the affected provinces of Nangarhar, Kunar, Laghman, and Nuristan. Full story

8. Famine in Gaza: What you need to know now

A healthcare worker in a CARE vest uses a color-coded measuring tape to check a young girl for malnutrition while she sits on her mother's lap.

Since January 2025, CARE’s primary healthcare center in Deir Al-Balah has screened thousands of women and children for acute malnutrition. Rates for both groups are rising fast. Photo: Ahmed Younis/CARE

Famine is no longer a looming threat in Gaza — it is a deadly reality. Children are dying from hunger. As malnutrition rates grow and humanitarian access remains blocked, aid groups are calling for a full ceasefire and unrestricted delivery of food and medical supplies to save lives. Full story

9. Meet the women leading Syria’s fight for survival and recovery

A woman in hijab heads to work as a neonatal nurse at the Al-Amal Maternity Hospital in Aleppo.

“My greatest wish is for everyone to finally have access to the healthcare they need without barriers,” says Samah, 45. She fled violence in her hometown and now works as an incubator nurse at the Neonatal Unit at the Al-Amal hospital in Aleppo. Photo: 4K Productions/CARE

After years of war, natural disasters, and hardship, Syrians face immense challenges. More than 16.7 million Syrians — over 70% of the population — depend on aid. Nearly 12 million had to flee their homes. Yet women are at the forefront of rebuilding their communities, proving that hope and resilience can light the path to recovery. Full story

10. Reflections on a day in Honduras

A young man in a CARE t-shirt shows a drawing in a sketchbook to a woman and a young child sitting on a porch in Honduras.

Huck Paisley visiting with local farmers in Honduras. Photo: Kimberly Williams-Paisley

CARE Youth Advocate Huck Paisley visits Honduras with CARE to see firsthand how local farmers and communities are staving off hunger through empowerment and sustainable solutions. Full story

Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond

Whether longtime supporter or new reader, thank you for sharing these stories in 2025. Together, we’re defeating poverty and championing dignity amid rising crises. As we begin a new year, we will continue to bring you breaking news and inspiring stories of real change.

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