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The bridge from crisis to recovery

REVIVE

February 5^th, 2026

In many parts of the world, communities are working to get back on their feet amid disasters, displacement and conflict. UNDP is standing with them, rehabilitating infrastructure and homes, creating jobs and livelihoods, and expanding services that allow people to stay, return and rebuild.

Supported by the Republic of Korea, REVIVE is one of the ways UNDP responds in some of the world’s most fragile settings. Launched in June 2025, the initiative supports communities in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gaza, Myanmar, Syria and Ukraine to quickly move toward recovery, stability and renewed livelihoods, even while crises and conflict continue.

By restoring basic services, creating income and reducing risks early, REVIVE helps prevent short-term shocks from becoming long-term fragility, lowering future humanitarian need while laying foundations for long-term development and peace.

Afghanistan: Rebuilding after the earthquake

“The building collapsed and my two sons who were inside lost their lives,”

says Ahmadullah. When an earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan in August 2025, it devastated families and left communities racing to rebuild before winter.

“At first, UNDP gave us hot meals,” says Haji Mahbob, a community elder. Through REVIVE, community kitchens provided meals for hundreds of people, easing the immediate burden on families who had lost everything.

“People can eat, and now they are working to rebuild.”

Mawiza and Farida prepare food in a Community Kitchen. They wear head coverings and masks, and chop tomatoes and potatoes. — Mawiza and Farida cooks meal at the Community Kitchen, chopping tomatoes and cleaning potatoes as they get ready to serve families affected by the earthquake.

Emergency assistance was the starting point, but recovery followed quickly. Through cash-for-work activities, men and women are earning wages while repairing irrigation canals, roads and protective structures. Women make up 40 percent of community mobilizers, who are helping to guide recovery efforts. Some are earning an income for the first time.

“I’m the only one who works in my family,” says Rahiba, who makes gabion nets to protect against floods and landslides. “I’m happy with this job and hope it becomes permanent.”

So far, 75,000 tonnes of rubble have been cleared, reopening neighbourhoods and farmland. Communities have begun rebuilding 80 priority infrastructure projects including irrigation canals, access roads and flood protection structures. More than 1,000 people have earned income through cash-for-work, helping families meet basic needs while accelerating recovery.

To strengthen food security, REVIVE is also supporting 60 emergency greenhouses and 30 food preservation units, benefiting more than 300,000 people.

An elderly man smiles, holding bags of food in front of a

A smiling boy walks toward the camera carrying food. In the background are other people, a building, and a banner that reads,

Man clears rubble from collapsed building, viewed from dark interior. He wears loose blue clothing, sunlight streams through roof, dust motes float in air.

Women in Suttan village prepare gabion nets. Wearing yellow hard hats and orange vests, they twist wire together. Pliers and coils of wire sit nearby. — The women in Suttan village work to prepare gabion nets, which will later be filled with stones and used as retaining walls. Through this initiative, they gain professional skills and generate income for their households. UNDPâs engineering team in Nangarhar closely monitors the progress of the womenâs work.

Myanmar: Restoring homes and water access

When an earthquake struck central Myanmar in March 2025, it damaged homes, blocked roads and disrupted water systems. Recovery began with clearing debris and restoring essential services.

Through REVIVE, more than 136,000 people have benefited from the removal of over 13,000 tonnes of rubble, reopening neighbourhoods and reducing health risks. In Mandalay and near the epicentre in Sagaing the most vulnerable families have been able to repair or rebuild their homes using safer, earthquake-resilient designs.

Orange excavator sits amid rubble of a demolished building. Two people stand near the excavator. Bamboo scaffolding surrounds adjacent buildings in a daytime scene.

“We wanted to rebuild ourselves, but it was not possible to do it quickly,” says one resident. “It became possible because of the support.”

Villagers say they feel safer, are able to go back to work, earn an income and return to normal life.

Access to clean water was equally urgent. In Htee Taw Moe Village, where families had long lacked reliable freshwater, the community identified a drilling site and worked together to make it happen.

“Soon, we will have water within easy reach,” says a resident. “Easy access to clean water will make life much better for our family.”

Across affected areas, REVIVE has restored water access for nearly 10,000 people, distributed water purification tablets to tens of thousands more and trained communities on safe water use.

A white UNDP truck arrives in a village, delivering supplies to residents under a green awning. People in traditional clothing stand nearby, some barefoot, in a dirt clearing with scattered debris.

Man in blue UNDP vest lifts a large white package in a warehouse. Packages are stacked high, ready for distribution. Shelves with helmets are visible in the background.

A woman and two children sit together outdoors, looking at the camera. The woman is in the middle, with her arms around the children. They are seated on a brick structure in front of a woven bamboo fence. The setting appears to be a village.

Two people sit in a small bamboo structure with a

A young girl fills an orange cup with water from a blue pipe attached to a concrete structure. She wears a jacket, green skirt, and striped leggings. The setting is outdoors, with foliage and a small wooden structure visible.

Syria: Clearing explosive hazards

“Rubble is an obstacle to recovery and a serious risk to communities,” says Rawhi Afaghani, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative. “It blocks streets, schools, hospitals, businesses, and homes.”

The danger grows as people return. In 2025 alone, over 1.2 million refugees and 2 million internally displaced people returned, trying to farm, repair homes, and reopen businesses, often unaware of the hazards beneath the rubble. Since December 2024, at least 348 people, including 95 children, have been killed by unexploded ordnance.

Through REVIVE, UNDP has completed explosive hazard assessments at 119 high-priority sites. This is a critical first step that makes debris clearance, service resumption and safe return of displaced people possible. Each assessment unlocks follow-on clearance and reconstruction, turning areas that were too dangerous to enter into places where schools, clinics and markets can reopen.

Workers in yellow hard hats clear rubble with shovels and a pickaxe, as part of UNDP recovery efforts. A man in a white hard hat stands observing. — Within the efforts of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and with the generous support of the Republic of Korea (ROK), the Debris Removal and Recycling Project has been launched in Aleppo. So far, the project has achieved: ðï¸ Removal of 4,500 tons of debris â»ï¸ Recycling of 1,200 mÂ³ into usable materials for roads and public facilities The project continues its work in Qadi Askar â Bab al-Nairab â Old Aleppo to achieve its goals: ðï¸ Removal of 150,000 tons of de

In Aleppo, 22,000 tonnes of debris have been cleared from public areas, reopening streets, schools and shared spaces. Mine risk education reached over 1,000 community members, helping families protect themselves.

Cash-for-work at debris recycling sites also provides income while turning rubble into building materials, supporting local economies.

“We must scale up this effort,” says Afaghani, “to help communities recover and give families a chance to live safely.”

UNDP worker oversees debris removal in Aleppo. A backhoe loads rubble into a dump truck near a stone building. — DI-P2-BS-01-25 Debris Collection and Removal in Aleppo â KFW9 Collection and removal of 5,000 cubic meters of debris in the sectors of Al-Ansari, Qadi Askar, Bab Al-Nairab, and the Old City. Provision of 60 emergency job opportunities. Supplying the municipal service directorates with 50 pieces of debris removal equipment to enhance their operational capacity. The number of direct beneficiaries is estimated at 50,000 people. This project comes as a continuation of our previous efforts, th

Workers clear rubble in Aleppo, seen through a stone archway. Debris piles high on either side of a path, with damaged buildings visible in the background. — DI-P2-BS-01-25 Debris Collection and Removal in Aleppo â KFW9 Collection and removal of 5,000 cubic meters of debris in the sectors of Al-Ansari, Qadi Askar, Bab Al-Nairab, and the Old City. Provision of 60 emergency job opportunities. Supplying the municipal service directorates with 50 pieces of debris removal equipment to enhance their operational capacity. The number of direct beneficiaries is estimated at 50,000 people. This project comes as a continuation of our previous efforts, th

Within the efforts of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and with the generous support of the Republic of Korea (ROK), the Debris Removal and Recycling Project has been launched in Aleppo. So far, the project has achieved: ðï¸ Removal of 4,500 tons of debris â»ï¸ Recycling of 1,200 mÂ³ into usable materials for roads and public facilities The project continues its work in Qadi Askar â Bab al-Nairab â Old Aleppo to achieve its goals: ðï¸ Removal of 150,000 tons of de

A worker wearing a UNDP jacket and a red hard hat pushes a wheelbarrow through a debris-filled area. Other workers with wheelbarrows and hard hats follow, as do other people. The sky is overcast, and buildings are visible in the background. — Within the efforts of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and with the generous support of the Republic of Korea (ROK), the Debris Removal and Recycling Project has been launched in Aleppo. So far, the project has achieved: ðï¸ Removal of 4,500 tons of debris â»ï¸ Recycling of 1,200 mÂ³ into usable materials for roads and public facilities The project continues its work in Qadi Askar â Bab al-Nairab â Old Aleppo to achieve its goals: ðï¸ Removal of 150,000 tons of de

A group of children sit on a bench as a man points to a poster held by a woman in front of them. The poster contains Arabic text and images related to bridge repair. In the background are palm trees and a damaged building.

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Returning to safe homes

In eastern DRC, conflict has repeatedly torn families from their homes. For Ndimurwango Ciza, a widower and father of six from Rugari, fighting destroyed his house and forced his family to flee to the Kanyaruchinya displacement site near Goma, where daily survival became his only focus.

Returning home did not mean returning to normal life. His house was gone, and everything he had built was lost. Today, Ndimurwango stands in front of a three-bedroom home with a living room, built with REVIVE support.

Beyond housing, REVIVE is restoring livelihoods. In North Kivu, 1,600 people, most of them women, received training in entrepreneurship and basic bookkeeping, enabling hundreds to restart small businesses. Cash-for-work activities rehabilitate roads, markets, and shared spaces, strengthening both incomes and social ties.

Volunteers construct a wooden house frame. A man on a ladder attaches planks, as a woman in a blue vest points and directs. The house is in a rural area with trees and vegetation.

A humanitarian worker stands facing a makeshift shelter where a child peeks out from the doorway. The shelter is constructed of sticks, mud, and a white tarp, in a tropical area. The worker wears a blue vest with

Two women sit outside a wooden building; one writes on paper. The woman on the left wears a patterned shawl and looks on as the other, draped in a red shawl, fills out a form. The weathered wall is green and blue.

Woman and four children stand in front of a small blue and white house. The woman holds a small object in her hand. The house has a corrugated metal roof. The ground in front of the house is dirt and rocks.

Gaza: Supporting families through crisis

Gaza has endured war, displacement and the destruction of most homes. Families live in overcrowded camps and makeshift shelters, exposed to rain, cold and flooding. While a ceasefire in October 2025 offered hope, sporadic violence persists, and over half of the territory remains inaccessible.

Against this backdrop, REVIVE is helping families stay safe and maintain dignity. The project installed 950 tents and distributed 1,600 tarpaulins, providing urgent winter shelter for thousands.

“We came to check on the camp during its construction,” says Mohammed Al Masri, a displaced resident. “The tents will protect us from rain, wind and harsh cold.”

Restoring critical services has been equally critical. In Jabalia, UNDP rehabilitated a municipal water well, providing safe water to around 20,000 people. Additional water tanks and sanitation facilities are being installed to support transitional neighbourhoods, ensuring families have access to clean water even while displacement continues.

Children play in water spraying from a pipe near building rubble. The kids smile as water splashes over them in bright daylight. A white bucket sits nearby.

A man walks down a road through a city devastated by war. Buildings are destroyed and rubble is piled high on either side of the road. Other people walk in the distance.

Tents fill a sandy landscape, representing a transition from crisis to recovery. A large beige tent dominates the foreground, with shoes outside. Other tents stretch into the background under a clear sky. A blue flag flies in the distance.

Ukraine: Making neighbourhoods safer

In Ukraine, missile and drone attacks continue to damage homes, disrupt services and force families to flee. In frontline cities like Kharkiv, unsafe buildings pose serious risks.

Through REVIVE, UNDP supported the demolition of four severely damaged residential buildings and removed over 50,000 tonnes of debris, helping make neighbourhoods safer and preparing for future reconstruction.

Aerial view of a building demolition site with heavy machinery. Yellow excavator clears rubble, while another stands by. Debris and materials are piled on the side. Orange water truck is parked nearby.

For Anastasiia Ovcharenko, whose apartment building was destroyed in a missile strike, the loss was devastating. “The war took more than our home. It took our memories,” she says. Today, Anastasiia volunteers to support others affected by the war, while UNDP works with local authorities to strengthen emergency response and restore essential services. Mechanical demining equipment is being prepared to address land contamination and improve community safety.

A woman with pink and orange braids stands in the snow in front of a damaged building. The building is multi-storied with broken windows and peeling pink paint. The woman wears a dark jacket and pants and has her hands in her pockets.

A woman with a joyful expression hugs a person with colorful braided hair at an outdoor market. The sign above reads

A man wearing a hard hat and mask stands in a debris field, looking towards an excavator. The man wears a blue vest with a South Korean flag. The scene conveys recovery efforts.

Construction crew clears debris from a partially collapsed apartment building. An excavator loads rubble into a blue dump truck, while workers in safety vests oversee the cleanup. Overcast sky.

Two aid workers stand in front of a damaged building. The man holds a hardhat, both wear blue vests. A crane is visible, suggesting ongoing recovery efforts.

Two construction workers look upwards. One uses binoculars; the other wears a hard hat. Both wear blue and orange safety vests. Overcast sky and trees in background.

Recovery cannot wait

Across six countries, early investments in shelter, water, livelihoods and safety reduce long-term humanitarian need, support stability and help communities withstand future shocks.

Through REVIVE, UNDP and the Republic of Korea are turning crisis response into a bridge toward resilience, prosperity and peace, proving that early investment addresses fragility even in some of the most intractable crises.

Local workers, supported by UNDP, clear debris from a home destroyed in the recent earthquake in Dare-e Noor, Nangarhar.

A boy stands near a wood-frame structure under construction. He wears a red shirt, dark pants, and tan boots. The structure is raised off the ground, which is covered in dark rocks. Other buildings are visible in the background.

A young girl walks away, carrying a white container, through a camp of white tents. Two people stand in the background. The ground is sandy. The tents are close together, creating a narrow path.

A woman pumps water from a well as a child watches, rural setting. The well has a blue pipe and a sign that says

A woman speaks to a group of people seated in a circle on rocks in a debris-filled lot. The group wears matching blue jackets with white writing. A minaret rises in the background.

Excavator demolishes damaged building, spraying water. The brick building is partially destroyed, exposing interior walls and doorways. Blue sky is visible above.

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