Beyond Boxes: Reinventing Emergency Response for a Faster, Greener Future

Behind every box is a story of survival. Here’s how World Vision ensures those boxes reach families when it matters most.

When disaster strikes, speed saves lives. Yet for decades, humanitarian logistics relied on static stockpiles—warehouses filled with supplies waiting for the next emergency. In FY25, World Vision decided that wasn’t good enough. The organisation launched a sweeping transformation of its emergency preparedness and response model, shifting from traditional prepositioned stocks to a virtual inventory system backed by centralised warehousing in strategic locations.

The change is more than operational—it’s strategic. By closing four global stock sites (Accra, Panama, Tororo, and GCLA) and consolidating resources in the Middle East, with contingency hubs in Asia and Africa, World Vision has created a system that is faster, smarter, and greener. The new approach enhances visibility, accelerates mobilization through pre-approved protocols, and slashes environmental and financial costs.

“Some might say logistics is just about moving boxes… but for us, every box we move carries hope,” says Micheline A. Ekmekjian, Technical Director, Emergency Logistics and Prepositioning, World Vision International. “It might look like a tarp or a water filter to the outside world—but to a mother who lost her home or a child in need of clean water, it means dignity, safety, and survival.”

This future-ready model also reintroduces Gift-in-Kind (GIK) for emergencies, diversifying resource streams and strengthening partnerships. In FY25 alone, World Vision dispatched over US$455,000 worth of relief supplies to crises in Myanmar, Chad, Honduras, Laos, and beyond—proof that logistics, though invisible when it works, is the engine that turns aid into impact.

For World Vision, this isn’t just about efficiency. It’s about preparedness, localisation and resilience—ensuring that when the next disaster hits, help arrives not in weeks, but in days.