Protecting those in need in humanitarian and development work is complex and multifaceted. At its heart, protection is about safeguarding people and preventing, reducing, and responding to harm. Although protection is often associated with the risk of harm or abuse or with responding to violence or abuse after it has happened, this is only part of the picture. 

In humanitarian and development contexts, protection is about safeguarding people from threats that affect their safety, dignity, rights and wellbeing. These threats may include violence, abuse, exploitation, neglect, discrimination, exclusion, or other forms of harm that prevent people from living safely and with dignity. 

Responding to risk of harm is essential, but it is just one element of a much broader approach. Effective protection also involves preventing and anticipating potential harm, supporting recovery, and addressing the underlying causes that put people at risk. This article explores the four dimensions of protection and explains how they work together in practice. These dimensions can apply across different contexts, including conflict, displacement, natural disasters, poverty, exclusion and other situations where people may face increased vulnerability. 

Looking through a protection lens 

Protection is not a single activity or intervention. It is a way of working that helps humanitarian and development organisations recognise risks, reduce harm, and strengthen the conditions that enable people to live – or in certain cases to migrate or evacuate – safely. It means looking beyond the immediate task to understand whether someone may be at risk of violence, abuse, exploitation, neglect, or exclusion. 

Pamela Hajal, Humanitarian Assistance and Protection Expert at Dorcas, describes this as putting on a pair of ‘protection glasses’. With these glasses on, staff focus not only on delivering project activities. They are also trained to recognise protection risks and respond appropriately. 

Pamela explains:

‘For example, Dorcas Ukraine staff may be repairing damaged houses near the front line. They arrive at a home to replace broken windows and notice that the woman living there has visible bruising and a broken wrist. With your ‘protection glasses’ on, you wouldn’t just repair the windows and leave. You would recognise that she may need protection support and take the appropriate steps to assist her.’ 

This example illustrates how protection goes beyond delivering services. It is about recognising when people are at risk and ensuring they receive the support they need. To guide this work, Dorcas uses four interconnected dimensions of protection: preventive, responsive, promotive and remedial, and transformative protection. 

Preventive protection 

Preventive protection aims to reduce the likelihood of harm before it occurs. This means identifying risks, reducing people’s exposure to threats, and addressing the factors that make their circumstances more vulnerable. Prevention is about creating environments where people’s rights are respected and where violence, exploitation, abuse, and exclusion are less likely to occur. Rather than focusing only on preventing individual incidents, it also considers the wider conditions that influence people’s safety. 

For example, preventive protection can involve strengthening community awareness, social connections and access to support before harm occurs. This may include identifying people at risk of isolation or exclusion and creating opportunities for participation and support. 

Responsive protection 

Responsive protection focuses on stopping harm that is already happening or has recently occurred. It includes actions taken when people experience violence, abuse, exclusion or other protection violations. The priority is to support people to reach safety and access appropriate support as quickly as possible. This may include referrals to healthcare, legal assistance, psychosocial support or other specialised services. 

Responsive protection also includes supporting people who experience the psychological and social effects of crises. For example, due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, many Ukrainians have experienced increased anxiety and worsened psychological wellbeing. Nadiia is one of them. After her husband passed away and her grandson left to defend the country, she was overcome with fear and needed support. With the MHPSS support she received from Dorcas Ukraine, Nadiia was able to regain her sense of security. 

Although this is often the most visible aspect of protection work, it is only one part of a wider system that also includes prevention, recovery, and long-term change. 

Promotive protection 

Promotive and remedial protection focuses on supporting people to recover from harm and rebuild their lives. It addresses the consequences of past or ongoing violations by supporting individuals and communities through healthcare, psychosocial support and other essential services. 

This dimension recognises that protection does not end when the immediate danger has passed. Recovery also means restoring people’s wellbeing, relationships, dignity, and sense of safety. 

For example, Maria (78) lives in rural Tanzania and is solely responsible for caring for her seven-year-old granddaughter, Queenie. For years, they faced significant challenges. Since joining the Community Safety Net programme of Dorcas Tanzania, Maria has gained access to support that has strengthened her wellbeing, resilience and ability to care for her granddaughter. 

Through the programme, Maria received essential items, support from volunteers with household tasks, and opportunities to connect with other older people in her community. Taking part in activities at a local older people’s centre helped reduce isolation, strengthen social connections and restore her sense of belonging. Maria’s story illustrates how promotive and remedial protection supports people not only after harm has occurred, but also in rebuilding dignity, confidence and resilience. 

Transformative protection 

Transformative protection focuses on addressing the root causes of protection risks. Rather than responding to individual cases alone, it seeks to change the structural, social, and institutional factors that allow harm to continue. This may involve advocacy, changing harmful social norms, strengthening accountability mechanisms, and supporting systems that promote equal rights and reduce exclusion over the long term. 

Transformative protection therefore operates at the level of communities, institutions, and society as a whole. For example, advocating for stronger child protection legislation can reduce protection risks for future generations. 

How the four dimensions work together 

The four dimensions of protection are closely connected. They are not separate stages or a fixed sequence. In practice, several dimensions often come together within a single programme or intervention. 

For example, raising community awareness can help prevent future harm, enable earlier identification of protection risks, and contribute to longer-term changes in attitudes and behaviour. 

The examples of Nadiia and Maria show how protection can address different forms of harm and vulnerability. While Nadiia received responsive support after experiencing the effects of conflict and loss, Maria’s support focused on rebuilding wellbeing, dignity and inclusion. Both demonstrate that effective protection requires understanding people’s specific circumstances and responding in ways that address both immediate needs and longer-term wellbeing. 

Understanding protection in this way shifts the focus from individual activities to a coordinated system of action that addresses risks at different levels. Ultimately, effective protection depends on how these four dimensions reinforce one another. Together, they enable protection to address both immediate needs and long-term change, supporting individuals while also strengthening the systems and communities around them.

‘I am grateful my windows survived. I don’t know what I would have done otherwise,’ recalls Vira, thinking back to yet another shell landing near her home. Vira, (80), lives by herself in Zaporizhzhia, in the area worst affected by shelling in the ongoing conflict. Following one of the attacks, the ceiling in one of the rooms of her house collapsed due to the blast wave: ‘I saw a bright white glow, and I was very frightened. People died that day, it was horrific.’

People feel most vulnerable during explosions, especially those who are lonely. That’s because the realisation of the unknown and fear quickly creep into one’s thoughts. Vira says that only prayer helps her during such difficult moments.

It is important for Vira to have someone nearby who will listen to her and support her in coping with the anxiety that follows the attacks. Thanks to support from EO Metterdaad, Vira receives psychological support from Dorcas specialist Hanna as part of a home visit programme. During these sessions, the psychologist incorporates elements of art therapy to support Vira in managing the effects of stress. ‘I enjoy our meetings with Hanna. After talking to her, I feel only positive emotions,’ Vira says, smiling. A Dorcas volunteer also visited her to assist with grocery shopping, as this is difficult for Vira due to her advanced age.

Although Vira lives in the city, she has still faced many challenges this winter. Due to pressure fluctuations caused by power cuts, her gas heating was unreliable and poor quality, not to mention expensive. ‘When the electricity came back on, I tried to heat the flat with an infrared heater,’ she explains. To support her during this time of crisis, the Dorcas Ukraine team provided Vira with an emergency response kit to keep her home warm and lit during blackouts. This support has made a real difference to the lives of older people like Vira.

Last February, the Dorcas Ukraine team sounded the alarm about the deepening energy crisis in Ukraine, caused by systematic attacks on the country’s electricity infrastructure. As the situation continued to deteriorate, Dorcas launched a rapid response effort to support those in need, as well as a fundraising campaign in the Netherlands. The campaign focused on raising funds to provide emergency kits and alternative power sources for those affected by the crisis in Zaporizhzhia.

Thanks to the funds raised, Dorcas was able to provide around 250 alternative power sources over the following months. These were delivered to locations supporting those affected by the ongoing crisis. These locations included churches, humanitarian assistance centres, temporary accommodation facilities, social institutions, resilience centres, and other social infrastructure.

The devices were distributed to institutions in fifteen local communities in the Zaporizhzhia region, close to the front line. Recipients included the Regional Transit Centre for Evacuees, the Zaporizhzhia City Council’s Department of Education and Science, the Department of Social Protection, and other public institutions. 

Through this project, Dorcas supports community members in the most vulnerable circumstances and ensures they have uninterrupted access to electricity in areas where this is vital during emergencies. The charging stations provide electricity during prolonged power cuts, which is crucial for communication, receiving assistance, and meeting basic living needs.

Dorcas Ukraine has taken significant steps forward with its psychosocial support programme for internally displaced persons and others affected by the ongoing conflict in the Zakarpattia region. Around 6,800 people have participated in various programme activities, receiving support in the form of group meetings, individual consultations, training events and other assistance depending on their needs.

The Connect programme

A total of 1,216 participants completed the Dorcas Connect programme, which was designed to provide a space for people to reconnect with themselves and others. To ensure that the knowledge and tools acquired through the programme continue to be available to communities, providing sustainable support, training was also conducted for 1,107 Connect facilitators.

Psychosocial support through creativity and music

Sounds of Change training sessions were delivered to 60 facilitators and 23 trainers through the collaborative efforts of Dorcas, the ‘How Are You?’ mental health support programme, the NGO Sol Diez, and the Sounds of Change team of trainers.

These sessions equipped specialists to implement musical and creative approaches in psychosocial support, thereby enhancing the variety and accessibility of the available assistance.

Evidence-based psychological support (PM+)

In collaboration with WHO and the ‘How Are You?’ programme, Dorcas Ukraine continued to promote evidence-based assistance methods. In particular, it focused on the short-term psychological intervention “Problem Management Plus” (PM+).

Training was conducted for four groups, reaching 61 community representatives. The PM+ programme provides people experiencing high levels of distress and reduced functioning with access to quality psychological support at the community level.

This was made possible thanks to the collaboration of Dorcas Ukraine, the NGO ‘Nehemiah’, the ‘How Are You?’ programme, the Zakarpattia Oblast Centre for Social Services and the Zakarpattia Oblast State Administration.

To prevent specialists from facing challenging cases alone, the project team organised 54 hours of group supervision and 572 hours of one-to-one supervision. Supporting those who support others is an essential part of maintaining a high-quality support system.

Amid the hostilities in Ukraine, there has been a significant decline in the purchasing power of people in the most vulnerable circumstances. These include older people and people with disabilities who have been severely affected by the ongoing conflict.

Dorcas provides hygiene kits containing basic essentials to residents of Zaporizhzhia. Thanks to funding from EO Metterdaad, the Dorcas Ukraine team has distributed 210 kits to people with disabilities over the past five months.

Through this joint contribution, hundreds of people have received high-quality care that will prevent complications associated with prolonged bed rest, ease the burden on family members or caregivers, and uphold a sense of dignity in everyday life.

Written by: Agnes Kroese, CEO of Dorcas.

The conflict in Ukraine has now been ongoing for nearly four years. For four years, people on the front line have tried to carry on with their lives while facing an ever-present threat. Sometimes, it seems impossible that things could get any worse.

During my visit to Ukraine in 2023, I witnessed the conditions on the front line up close. I was deeply affected by it. Explosions could be heard everywhere, alarms went off at night making sleep almost impossible, and you could not let your guard down for a single moment. At the same time, life goes on: people go to work, do the shopping, cook and live in their homes, even though any building could become a target. As a visitor, it felt surreal to me. But I can return to my safe home in the Netherlands. For those who live there, this is their home and their life.

The team in Ukraine

During my visit, I became even more impressed by the Dorcas Ukraine team. Our colleagues work under constant pressure. They care for the people we support, as well as for themselves and their loved ones. The mental strain they endure is enormous, and their dedication is admirable.

It also became clear to me that destroyed buildings are not just piles of rubble. We see images on TV and feel no connection to those places. However, if you live there and have put down roots, then that is the school where you played as a child, the office where you had your first job interview and the church where you and your children were baptised and married. Everything that shapes your life is suddenly affected.

It did get worse…

This winter has been extreme. For those living on the front line, electricity can be cut off for over seventeen hours a day, while temperatures regularly plummet well below zero. The cold is exhausting and has a profound physical and mental impact. If your phone battery dies during shelling or drone attacks, it becomes almost impossible to stay in touch with loved ones, keep up to date with the news or monitor the threat level in your area.

This is where Dorcas steps in. Our emergency kits, which include a sleeping bag, a portable gas stove and a power bank, provide people on the front line with warmth and practical support in these impossible circumstances. These things may seem small, but they make a real difference.

Alongside these kits, Dorcas’s work continues: our colleagues support people every day with groceries, hygiene kits, psychosocial care and all other forms of assistance. Together with the support of everyone contributing, we can support older people and others in vulnerable situations to get through the winter feeling supported and connected.

I would like to sincerely thank everyone who contributes to this assistance. Thanks to your overwhelming support, we can offer hope to those living in extreme circumstances and show them that they are not forgotten.

Donate now to support our urgent humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

Millions of people in Ukraine currently have no electricity, light or heating, and winter is bringing temperatures well below freezing. ‘The situation is critical due to ongoing drone and shell attacks,’ says Bohdan, Security Officer at Dorcas Ukraine.

The situation in the city of Zaporizhzhia is particularly severe. ‘There are many damaged houses and apartment buildings that have become uninhabitable due to the shelling,’ explains Bohdan. The entire eastern region around Zaporizhzhia is close to the increasingly volatile front line. ‘The attacks make it unsafe to go outside. Essential services, such as electricity, frequently fail, often for more than ten hours a day.’

Bohdan and his colleagues have been visiting the city to assess where assistance is required. Life in these freezing temperatures is extremely tough. He explains: ‘Older people are finding it particularly hard to cope with the icy conditions, due to constant insecurity and their limited mobility.’

Emergency kits

The extreme cold can quickly become a ruthless enemy, particularly for young children, people with disabilities and older people. To support those in need, Dorcas provides portable emergency kits that enable people to cook, keep warm and maintain contact with family and emergency services.

Each kit contains:

• 1 × mini portable gas stove with gas cartridges for 3 months.
• 1 × rechargeable torch.
• 1 × thermal blanket.
• 1 × sleeping bag suitable for extreme cold.
• 1 × power bank.
• 1 × thermos flask.

Bohdan emphasises: ‘This support is urgently needed to ensure the safety and health of those on the front line.’

Donate to our emergency support

Jochem Duinhof, political advisor at Dorcas, responds to the Dutch coalition agreement of D66, VVD and CDA.
‘Dorcas is cautiously optimistic about the additional funding for development cooperation. This decision partially reverses the previous government’s harsh budget cuts, directly benefiting people worldwide who live in poverty, crisis, and exclusion. Moreover, these investments serve the interests of the Netherlands itself; our country is not an island. When the world surrounding us prospers, so do we.

The agreement highlights the importance of investing in human rights and a robust diplomatic network. This signifies a necessary break from the previous administration’s approach: the Netherlands is no longer retreating itself but is choosing international engagement based on equal partnerships, with a focus on human rights and climate.

However, there are concerns. The resources allocated for the reconstruction of Ukraine come at the expense of poverty alleviation in the Global South. This creates a painful contradiction: support for one should never come at the expense of another.’

Distributing food in blue buckets to older people and families in vulnerable situations is at the heart of Dorcas’ Blue Bucket Campaign in Eastern Europe. However, the initiative is about more than just providing food: it also focuses on offering personal attention, restoring self-confidence and fostering stronger communities.

In addition to the annual Dorcas Food Campaign in the Netherlands, Dorcas runs a separate food initiative called the Blue Bucket Campaign. This campaign takes place each year in Moldova, Romania, Ukraine and Albania – countries where Dorcas operates in Eastern Europe.

Volunteers, churches and schools collect food in blue buckets for older people and families in vulnerable circumstances. The buckets primarily contain non-perishable items such as oil, flour, and beans, though local fresh produce is often included too.

Attention and appreciation

For many of those who receive the buckets, the food provides a welcome addition to what little they have. However, distributing food involves much more than just handing over supplies. Volunteers who deliver the buckets take the time to chat, offering personal attention that makes older people feel seen and valued. These interactions restore dignity and offer renewed hope for the days ahead.

A snowball effect

The Blue Bucket Campaign has been running in Romania since 2009. Food and monetary donations are collected from supermarkets and other locations.

‘Our campaign grows every year. It truly has a snowball effect. Last year, we almost doubled our efforts, collecting an impressive 5,860 buckets of food,’ explains Mihai Coste, Programme Coordinator at Dorcas Romania.

‘This year, we aim to expand the campaign further. We are seeking to engage more partners and have established a volunteer committee to coordinate the initiative here in Cluj, where our office is located. By involving additional stakeholders, we can reach and assist even more people.’

A social safety net

The Blue Bucket Campaign has a significant impact on communities. It raises awareness of the difficult living conditions often faced by the older generation. It encourages people to look out for one another and offer support to those in need.

Mihai adds: ‘We strive to involve as many community members as possible. We collaborate with churches, volunteers, local development organisations and businesses. Through this approach, we aim to build stronger communities. Ultimately, this creates a social safety net within the community itself, reducing long-term dependency on our assistance.’

> Find out more about the Blue Bucket Campaign <

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Vitalii and Alona are raising four children, including foster children, in a village in the Zaporizhzhia region, 27 kilometres from the front line. When their apartment in Zaporizhzhia became too small for the family and the ongoing conflict made staying in the city dangerous, they decided to move to the village.

Following the move, Vitalii began farming and selling his produce at the market. Thanks to a grant from Dorcas this year, he was able to install a greenhouse and equip it with heating and irrigation systems, as well as conduct soil and water analysis. ‘I don’t have much experience yet, so also receiving a consultation from a laboratory was helpful. We didn’t know we had fungus in the soil, but now we are working to solve the problem,’ he shares. They plan to grow cucumbers, salad vegetables, and strawberries in the new greenhouse. This will improve the well-being of this large family by establishing a continuous cycle of growing produce for sale.

In 2025, Dorcas expanded its support for farmers in eastern Ukraine, providing grants totalling €16,000 to five households in the Zaporizhzhia region. Despite the constant threat to their lives and livelihoods, farmers remain because, to them, land is not only a source of income, but also a source of dignity, hope and connection between generations. However, mined fields, land damaged by attacks and destroyed equipment remain a challenge for Ukrainian agriculture.

The Zaporizhzhia region has particularly suffered ecosystem disruption due to the destruction of the Kakhovka Reservoir, which has led to a locust invasion this season and threatened the productivity of small orchards. Supporting entrepreneurs in frontline regions gives them the confidence to develop their businesses.