Tamara Zibin, a Protection and humanitarian advisor and Sphere member, has spent her career working in Jordan, Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, the UK, and beyond. She was recently nominated by Sphere for Humanitarian Hero of the Year. In this conversation, she reflects on her journey, the challenges of working in…

Enos Bonny, humanitarian innovator Summary RoofWash is a simple yet effective innovation for improving household-level rainwater harvesting. This article outlines how RoofWash works, provides step-by-step operation and maintenance guidance, and highlights key rainwater treatment protocols. It also identifies contexts where RoofWash can be an appropriate humanitarian WASH/Shelter intervention. RoofWash addresses…

Zunaira Shams, Communications Manager, Sphere Day 1 – Arriving in the desert heartland The journey to Umerkot started early in the morning. Four and a half hours on the road, deep into Sindh’s interior, to a place that still feels untouched by development. The roads grew quieter as…

A people-centred approach to recovery and safety. Mohammad Shazed, Pongkaj Moy Tripura and Risat Ara Meem, Plan International Bangladesh “The cyclone destroyed everything. Our house and our old toilet got flooded and became unusable. We could not rebuild another one and went into the open spaces.” – Bibi Bibi lives…

Hamna Chohan, Olivia Bornyi, and Maria San Miguel Vidal – Applied Research Project Team, Geneva Graduate Institute (IHEID) Understanding the need Sphere’s Theory of Change (ToC) outlines its mid-term vision across four priority areas: Policy and advocacy; Strategic partnerships; the Sphere Handbook; and the Champions…

By Tristan Hale, Operations Director, Sphere In today’s digital age, humanitarian organisations and other aid agencies require information to be accessible, adaptable, and cost-effective. XML[1]-first publishing, where content is authored and managed as structured XML and made available via multiple formats, delivers exactly that. Not only does this…

In response to growing demand from the sector, Sphere and RedR UK launched a new training workshop ‘AI literacy for humanitarians’ in June 2025. Tristan Hale, Director of Operations, explains how and why Sphere engaged in this worksteam, and invites all humanitarian organisations to get involved. Background In 2024,…

In the second quarter of 2025, Sphere continued to strengthen its impact and presence globally through training, partnerships, communication and advocacy. Highlights include new research; new grants; newly translated and localised resources; AI literacy workshops in Romania; publication of our 2024 Annual Report; two new focal points; and…

The Sphere Association unequivocally disassociates itself from a recent public letter addressed to the UN Secretary-General António Guterres by Rev. Johnnie Moore, Executive Chairman of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), in which GHF claims to be “delivering…

Sphere, host of the Humanitarian Standards Partnership, expresses grave concern over the escalating conflict in Iran. The intensification of military action in the region, including recent strikes on Iranian territory, poses a growing threat to thousands of civilians…