World Humanitarian Day, August 19,&nbsp;is a global celebration of people helping people. It is intended to raise public awareness regarding humanitarian assistance worldwide and today we acknowledge some do-gooders in the Hindi film industry who did their best to alleviate gloom during the worst phase of the pandemic:

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Sonu Sood: The actor&nbsp;turned into a virtual superman for legions of vulnerable migrants when he mobilised resources and goodwill during the first lockdown to ferry them to their homes. Be it arranging chartered flights or buses, providing safe places for isolation, oxygen stocks, critical medical assistance or connecting directly with people in distress, he became a one-man army as he rescued, healed and helped countless people who needed a helping hand. His charity foundation is a force of good today and demonstrates the power of one in changing the lives of many. &nbsp;He has also launched 'Sanjeevani - A Shot of Life,' an initiative to encourage people to get vaccinated.

<h2>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/world-humanitarian-day-2021-history-significance-challenges-and-all-you-need-to-know-406840">World Humanitarian Day 2021: History, significance, challenges and all you need to know</a></h2>

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Anand Pandit: During the pandemic, veteran producer and real estate magnet Anand Pandit not only &nbsp;sponsored a vaccination drive to help all workers associated with IFTDA (Indian Film &amp; Television Directors' Association) but also took care of the daily wagers working on his building and film projects. He also provided medical kits and funded medical check-ups for those who could not afford it. He&nbsp;gave around 250 apartments to the BMC (The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai) to accommodate over 1000 patients. &nbsp;He was also in news recently for &nbsp;collaborating with Amitabh Bachchan and Ajay Devgn to open COVID relief centres, complete with beds and oxygen support in Dadar and Juhu areas of Mumbai.&nbsp;

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Shah Rukh Khan: From donating 20,000 N-95 masks to Kerala, 2,000 PPE kits to health workers in Chhattisgarh to providing 500 Remdesivir injections for &nbsp;COVID-19 positive patients in Delhi, Shah Rukh Khan has been quietly helping out in various capacities during the pandemic. His Meer Foundation has been spearheading many relief activities. He and wife Gauri Khan, also offered their four-storey personal office space for treating COVID-19 patients and the actor has also taken the help of his other companies - Kolkata Knight Riders, Red Chillies Entertainment, and Red Chillies VFX - to help &nbsp;central and state agencies. Meer Foundation also tied up with Ek Saath - The Earth Foundation to meet the daily food requirements of over 5500 families for at least a month in Mumbai.

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Rohit Shetty: Bollywood’s hit machine Rohit Shetty also did his bit during the worst months of the pandemic by contributing towards 250 hospital beds including additional medical facilities at the Guru Tegh Bahadur COVID Care Centre in Delhi. The Mumbai Police Commissioner also thanked filmmaker Shetty for his help towards &nbsp;facilitating unlimited occupancy in 11 hotels &nbsp;for &nbsp;on-duty personnel who were working day and night during the early months of the pandemic.&nbsp;

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Aditya Chopra: This reclusive head of Yash Raj Films, stayed as always out of limelight as he helmed major relief efforts during the pandemic. He opened up the kitchen at YRF Studios to provide meals to thousands of frontline workers in Goregaon and to people in Andheri’s quarantine centres. He&nbsp;diverted the funds meant for the golden jubilee celebrations of Yash Raj Films to help the industry’s daily wage earners. He also&nbsp;launched the Yash Chopra Saathi Initiative to provide financial support to thousands of film industry workers. During the lockdown, he also helped thousands of daily wage earners, women and senior citizens of the film industry by crediting Rs 5000 directly into their bank accounts. His team also led the distribution of ration kits to distressed families of industry workers for an entire month through their NGO partners Youth Feed India.

World Humanitarian Day, August 19, is a global celebration of people helping people. It is intended to raise public awareness regarding humanitarian assistance worldwide and today we acknowledge some do-gooders in the Hindi film industry who did their best to alleviate gloom during the worst phase of the pandemic: Sonu Sood: The actor turned into a virtual superman for legions of vulnerable migrants when he mobilised resources and goodwill during the first lockdown to ferry them to their homes.

World Humanitarian Day, August 19, is a global celebration of people helping people. It is intended to raise public awareness regarding humanitarian assistance worldwide and today we acknowledge some do-gooders in the Hindi film industry who did their best to alleviate gloom during the worst phase of the pandemic: Sonu Sood: The actor turned into a virtual superman for legions of vulnerable migrants when he mobilised resources and goodwill during the first lockdown to ferry them to their homes. Be it arranging chartered flights or buses, providing safe places for isolation, oxygen stocks, critical medical assistance or connecting directly with people in distress, he became a one-man army as he rescued, healed and helped countless people who needed a helping hand. His charity foundation is a force of good today and demonstrates the power of one in changing the lives of many. He has also launched 'Sanjeevani - A Shot of Life,' an initiative to encourage people to get vaccinated. Also read: World Humanitarian Day 2021: History, significance, challenges and all you need to know Anand Pandit: During the pandemic, veteran producer and real estate magnet Anand Pandit not only sponsored a vaccination drive to help all workers associated with IFTDA (Indian Film & Television Directors' Association) but also took care of the daily wagers working on his building and film projects. He also provided medical kits and funded medical check-ups for those who could not afford it. He gave around 250 apartments to the BMC (The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai) to accommodate over 1000 patients. He was also in news recently for collaborating with Amitabh Bachchan and Ajay Devgn to open COVID relief centres, complete with beds and oxygen support in Dadar and Juhu areas of Mumbai. Shah Rukh Khan: From donating 20,000 N-95 masks to Kerala, 2,000 PPE kits to health workers in Chhattisgarh to providing 500 Remdesivir injections for COVID-19 positive patients in Delhi, Shah Rukh Khan has been quietly helping out in various capacities during the pandemic. His Meer Foundation has been spearheading many relief activities. He and wife Gauri Khan, also offered their four-storey personal office space for treating COVID-19 patients and the actor has also taken the help of his other companies - Kolkata Knight Riders, Red Chillies Entertainment, and Red Chillies VFX - to help central and state agencies. Meer Foundation also tied up with Ek Saath - The Earth Foundation to meet the daily food requirements of over 5500 families for at least a month in Mumbai. Rohit Shetty: Bollywood’s hit machine Rohit Shetty also did his bit during the worst months of the pandemic by contributing towards 250 hospital beds including additional medical facilities at the Guru Tegh Bahadur COVID Care Centre in Delhi. The Mumbai Police Commissioner also thanked filmmaker Shetty for his help towards facilitating unlimited occupancy in 11 hotels for on-duty personnel who were working day and night during the early months of the pandemic. Aditya Chopra: This reclusive head of Yash Raj Films, stayed as always out of limelight as he helmed major relief efforts during the pandemic. He opened up the kitchen at YRF Studios to provide meals to thousands of frontline workers in Goregaon and to people in Andheri’s quarantine centres. He diverted the funds meant for the golden jubilee celebrations of Yash Raj Films to help the industry’s daily wage earners. He also launched the Yash Chopra Saathi Initiative to provide financial support to thousands of film industry workers. During the lockdown, he also helped thousands of daily wage earners, women and senior citizens of the film industry by crediting Rs 5000 directly into their bank accounts. His team also led the distribution of ration kits to distressed families of industry workers for an entire month through their NGO partners Youth Feed India.

On World Humanitarian Day, 5 celebs who extended Covid relief when it mattered most

World Humanitarian Day is celebrated annually on August 19 to pay tribute to humanitarian workers killed and injured in the course of their work, and to honour all aid and health workers who continue, despite the odds, to provide life-saving support and protection to people most in need.

Background

The UN General Assembly in 2008 declared August&nbsp;19 World Humanitarian Day as a way to mark the 22 UN&nbsp;and aid agency workers, including Special Representative of the Secretary-General to Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, who died during a 2003 bombing of the organization’s Baghdad headquarters.

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Every day, brave humanitarians around the world step up to help others &amp; save lives despite multiple challenges and threats. 
 
On Thursday's <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldHumanitarianDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldHumanitarianDay</a>, we pay tribute to those real life heroes. <a href="https://t.co/sWSwTPP0gR">pic.twitter.com/sWSwTPP0gR</a>
— United Nations (@UN) <a href="https://twitter.com/UN/status/1428296934679224320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2021</a></blockquote>
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This year's theme

This year's World Humanitarian Day (19 August 2021) is devoted to dealing with the climate crisis, the single biggest health threat facing humanity. This day is a crucial milestone in the lead-up to the COP26 summit in November when leaders from 196 countries will meet to agree action to get climate change under control.&nbsp;

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The most vulnerable communities are at the greatest risk from climate change, and they have done the least to cause it. 
 
This <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldHumanitarianDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldHumanitarianDay</a>, join the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheHumanRace?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheHumanRace</a>: a global challenge for climate action in solidarity with those who need it the most.<a href="https://twitter.com/UNOCHA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UNOCHA</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COP26?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COP26</a>
— COP26 (@COP26) <a href="https://twitter.com/COP26/status/1428235284152348672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2021</a></blockquote>
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As the world witnesses record-breaking heatwaves, catastrophic storms, and changing weather patterns,&nbsp;it is fitting that the theme of World Humanitarian Day should be the climate crisis.&nbsp;

Climate change is a health emergency, impacting food systems, disease dispersion, health systems, and societies at large.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan

Since the Taliban entered Kabul over the weekend, scenes of chaos have unfolded as thousands seek to leave, fearing a return to the austere interpretation of Islamic law imposed during the previous Taliban rule that ended 20 years ago.

Under the Taliban's 1996-2001 rule,&nbsp;women&nbsp;were prevented from working, girls were not allowed to go to school and&nbsp;women&nbsp;had to wear all-enveloping burqas to go out.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has said Afghanistan is experiencing&nbsp;a humanitarian crisis due to&nbsp;the escalating conflict brings increased human suffering and civilian displacement.

An estimated 270,000 Afghans have been newly displaced inside the country since January 2021, primarily due to insecurity and violence,&nbsp;bringing the total uprooted population to over 3.5 million.

Global humanitarian overview

In 2021, 235 million people will need humanitarian assistance and protection.

This number has risen to 1 in 33 people worldwide, a significant increase from 1 in 45 at the launch of the Global Humanitarian Overview 2020, which was already the highest figure in decades. The UN and partner organizations aim to assist 160 million people most in need across 56 countries and will require a total of $35 billion to do so.

Families forced to flee their homes in recent weeks cite the worsening security situation as the predominant reason for their flight.

In addition to ongoing fighting, displaced civilians have told UNHCR and partners of incidents of extortion by non-state armed groups and the presence of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on major roads. Many have reported interruptions to social services and a loss of income due to rising insecurity.

The number of civilian casualties has risen 29 per cent during the first quarter of this year compared to 2020, according to UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. An increasing proportion of women and children were among those targeted. &nbsp;

World Humanitarian Day is celebrated annually on August 19 to pay tribute to humanitarian workers killed and injured in the course of their work, and to honour all aid and health workers who continue, despite the odds, to provide life-saving support and protection to people most in need.

World Humanitarian Day is celebrated annually on August 19 to pay tribute to humanitarian workers killed and injured in the course of their work, and to honour all aid and health workers who continue, despite the odds, to provide life-saving support and protection to people most in need. Background The UN General Assembly in 2008 declared August 19 World Humanitarian Day as a way to mark the 22 UN and aid agency workers, including Special Representative of the Secretary-General to Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, who died during a 2003 bombing of the organization’s Baghdad headquarters. Every day, brave humanitarians around the world step up to help others & save lives despite multiple challenges and threats. On Thursday's #WorldHumanitarianDay, we pay tribute to those real life heroes. pic.twitter.com/sWSwTPP0gR — United Nations (@UN) August 19, 2021 × This year's theme This year's World Humanitarian Day (19 August 2021) is devoted to dealing with the climate crisis, the single biggest health threat facing humanity. This day is a crucial milestone in the lead-up to the COP26 summit in November when leaders from 196 countries will meet to agree action to get climate change under control. The most vulnerable communities are at the greatest risk from climate change, and they have done the least to cause it. This #WorldHumanitarianDay, join the #TheHumanRace: a global challenge for climate action in solidarity with those who need it the most.@UNOCHA | #COP26 — COP26 (@COP26) August 19, 2021 × As the world witnesses record-breaking heatwaves, catastrophic storms, and changing weather patterns, it is fitting that the theme of World Humanitarian Day should be the climate crisis. Climate change is a health emergency, impacting food systems, disease dispersion, health systems, and societies at large. The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan Since the Taliban entered Kabul over the weekend, scenes of chaos have unfolded as thousands seek to leave, fearing a return to the austere interpretation of Islamic law imposed during the previous Taliban rule that ended 20 years ago. Under the Taliban's 1996-2001 rule, women were prevented from working, girls were not allowed to go to school and women had to wear all-enveloping burqas to go out. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has said Afghanistan is experiencing a humanitarian crisis due to the escalating conflict brings increased human suffering and civilian displacement. An estimated 270,000 Afghans have been newly displaced inside the country since January 2021, primarily due to insecurity and violence, bringing the total uprooted population to over 3.5 million. Global humanitarian overview In 2021, 235 million people will need humanitarian assistance and protection. This number has risen to 1 in 33 people worldwide, a significant increase from 1 in 45 at the launch of the Global Humanitarian Overview 2020, which was already the highest figure in decades. The UN and partner organizations aim to assist 160 million people most in need across 56 countries and will require a total of $35 billion to do so. Families forced to flee their homes in recent weeks cite the worsening security situation as the predominant reason for their flight. In addition to ongoing fighting, displaced civilians have told UNHCR and partners of incidents of extortion by non-state armed groups and the presence of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on major roads. Many have reported interruptions to social services and a loss of income due to rising insecurity. The number of civilian casualties has risen 29 per cent during the first quarter of this year compared to 2020, according to UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. An increasing proportion of women and children were among those targeted.

World Humanitarian Day 2021: History, significance, challenges and all you need to know

August 19 is marked as the World Humanitarian Day to honour aid workers. This year, they are fighting not one but two wars - pandemic & armed attacks. The number of atrocities against aid workers has surpassed all records

Gravitas: Saluting Unsung Heroes: World Humanitarian Day

In 2019, the number of attacks against aid workers surpassed all previous records. 277 separate incidents took place around the world.

483 relief workers were attacked. An additional 125 were killed, 234 wounded and 124 kidnapped, inducting&nbsp;an 18 per cent increase in the number of victims compared to 2018.

Aid workers not only provide food and medicine to people in need around the world, but also perform their duties in environments not conducive for work.

Each year, the United Nations marks August 19 in their honour. It's called the World Humanitarian Day.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/a-record-number-of-aid-workers-were-murdered-in-2019-across-the-globe-321193" hreflang="en">A record number of aid workers were murdered in 2019 across the globe</a>

2020 has forced humanitarian workers into a war-like situation. The pandemic continues to rage, and conflict areas are not cooling down.

Red Cross has reported more than 600 attacks on health workers during the pandemic. There were reported mostly in Syria followed by South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, and the Central African Republic, which are all facing political and economic crisis with armed groups locked in a civil war.

The militants attack aid convoys to exercise control over the local population, by deciding who gets what.&nbsp;They also capture vehicles, relief material, and cash.&nbsp;Additionally, they also hold aid workers to ransom.

In the recent weeks, aid workers have been killed in Niger and Cameroon.&nbsp;Over the last decade, 100 aid workers have been killed every year.

In 2019, the number of attacks against aid workers surpassed all previous records. 277 separate incidents took place around the world. 483 relief workers were attacked.

In 2019, the number of attacks against aid workers surpassed all previous records. 277 separate incidents took place around the world. 483 relief workers were attacked. An additional 125 were killed, 234 wounded and 124 kidnapped, inducting an 18 per cent increase in the number of victims compared to 2018. Aid workers not only provide food and medicine to people in need around the world, but also perform their duties in environments not conducive for work. Each year, the United Nations marks August 19 in their honour. It's called the World Humanitarian Day. Also read: A record number of aid workers were murdered in 2019 across the globe 2020 has forced humanitarian workers into a war-like situation. The pandemic continues to rage, and conflict areas are not cooling down. Red Cross has reported more than 600 attacks on health workers during the pandemic. There were reported mostly in Syria followed by South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, and the Central African Republic, which are all facing political and economic crisis with armed groups locked in a civil war. The militants attack aid convoys to exercise control over the local population, by deciding who gets what. They also capture vehicles, relief material, and cash. Additionally, they also hold aid workers to ransom. In the recent weeks, aid workers have been killed in Niger and Cameroon. Over the last decade, 100 aid workers have been killed every year.

World Humanitarian Day: 2020 and the war-like situation for aid workers

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On World Humanitarian Day, 5 celebs who extended Covid relief when it mattered most

World Humanitarian Day 2021: History, significance, challenges and all you need to know

Gravitas: Saluting Unsung Heroes: World Humanitarian Day

World Humanitarian Day: 2020 and the war-like situation for aid workers