By Wallace Mawire
Eighty years after the first CARE PACKAGE® boxes delivered urgent relief to families suffering in the aftermath of World War II, CARE is marking its anniversary by launching the next generation of its most iconic innovation. Designed for today’s global crises, the new CARE PACKAGE® for Emergencies will reach one million people facing disaster and displacement worldwide by 2030.
On May 11, 1946, the first 15,000 CARE PACKAGE boxes arrived in Le Havre, France, providing essential food and supplies to families rebuilding their lives after the war. The CARE PACKAGE was not only the organization’s first initiative; it was the foundation of CARE itself. From that moment, the CARE PACKAGE became a universal symbol of generosity and the organization grew, evolving into a global humanitarian and development network now working in more than 120 countries.
As humanitarian needs reach unprecedented levels, CARE is renewing that legacy with a modern, scalable tool to its emergency response work.
The new CARE PACKAGE® for Emergencies is designed as a lightweight, portable, and customizable kit, each housed in three durable, waterproof packs and containing nearly 40 different essential items. These include supplies for shelter, water, cooking, hygiene, and basic household needs—enough to support a family of four for up to one month in the critical early days following a crisis.
This next-generation package is built to address a persistent gap in humanitarian response: the first phase after disaster strikes, when families face the greatest risks, but aid systems are still mobilizing. Inspired in part by the stacked, modular containers used by India’s dabbawalas to carry food, the CARE PACKAGE® for Emergencies is engineered for compactness, portability, and efficient last-mile delivery. To that end, it is designed to be carried by one person, even in the most challenging conditions. The three-bag system distributes the bag’s weight around the waist and leaves the hands free, allowing the recipient — often a woman — to carry a child as well. By pre-positioning and, when needed, rapidly deploying these kits, CARE can deliver critical support, often reaching communities within 36 to 72 hours of a disaster.
While grounded in a common global design, the packages are adapted to local contexts. Each includes core items—such as tarpaulins, solar lights, cooking equipment, water containers, and hygiene supplies—alongside locally appropriate additions tailored to climate and culture. These may include specific cookware, personal care items, mosquito nets, water-treatment products, insect repellent, or blankets, depending on the setting. This balance ensures both quality and relevance across diverse emergency contexts.
The CARE PACKAGE® for Emergencies has already been piloted in multiple countries, including the Philippines, Bangladesh, Nepal, Mozambique and Malawi following typhoons, floods, earthquakes, and other emergencies. With these early mobilizations, more than 1,200 kits have reached nearly 6,000 people. Families report improved access to safe shelter, clean water, and basic household functionality, as well as increased dignity and stability during crisis.
“Every disaster is different, which is exactly why this package matters,” said Mona Sherpa, CARE Country Director in Nepal, where the CARE PACKAGE for Emergencies was among the first countries where it was piloted and tested. “Designed with direct input from communities,” said Sherpa, “it is flexible, practical, and deeply human. Inside, families find not just shelter, cooking supplies, hygiene items, solar lighting and other items—but the tools to regain a sense of stability and humanity.”
CARE aims to deliver at least 250,000 CARE PACKAGE for Emergencies by 2030, reaching one million people globally. Priority areas for the initial phase of scaled deployment include disaster-prone parts of Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Caribbean, where
