Local humanitarians are beacons of light in the darkness of war, says humanitarian aid entrepreneur and TED Fellow Rola Hallam. She's working to help responders on the ground in devastated communities like Syria, where the destruction of health care is being used as a weapon of war. One of her campaigns achieved a global first: a crowdfunded hospital. Since it opened in 2017, the aptly named Hope Hospital has treated thousands of children. "Local humanitarians have the courage to persist, to dust themselves off from the wreckage and to start again, risking their lives to save others," Hallam says. "We can match their courage by not looking away or turning our backs."

Rola Hallam: The doctors, nurses and aid workers rebuilding Syria

The doctors, nurses and aid workers rebuilding Syria

Syrian organizations carry out 75% of humanitarian work in Syria but receive only 0.3% of the aid budget, spotlighting a systemic imbalance.

The first-ever crowdfunded hospital, Hope Hospital, treated over 15,000 children in its first year, symbolizing a beacon of hope amid war.

Empowering local humanitarians, who persist despite risks, could revolutionize aid delivery, making every hospital safer worldwide.