Timeline of events in humanitarian relief and development

The following is a timeline of mainly American events in the history of humanitarian aid, international relief and development aid.

1705– Bhai Kanhaiya Ji (1648-1718), Founder of the Sewa Panthi or Addenshahi sect of the Sikhs. He establishd a Dharamsala at Kavha village in the Attock district of Punjab, now in Pakistan, which he turned into a preaching centre. His special mission was selfless service of humanity with no distinction of caste creed or nationality. In 1705, Bhai Kanhaiya Ji was on a visit to Anandpur Sahib when the Fort of Anandpur Sahib was invested by a combination of hill troops and the imperial army. During the frequent sallies and skirmishes, Bhai Kanahaiya Ji used to roam around serving water to the wounded and dying without distinction of friend and foe. Some Sikhs complained to Guru Gobind Singh that Kanaihya had been resurrecting the fallen enemy. Guru Gobind Singh Ji summoned him and told him of the Sikhs’ complaint. Bhai Kanaihya Ji replied: “Yes my lord, what they said is true in a sense but I saw no Mughals or Sikhs in the battlefield. I only saw the Guru in everyone. Guru Gobind Singh Ji was pleased with his reply and blessed him and told his Sikhs that Bhai Kanaihya Ji had understood his teaching correctly. After the evacuation of Anandpur Sahib, Bhai Kanaihya Ji retired to Sodhara where He died in 1718.

24 June 1859 – Battle of Solferino: Henry Dunant (who went on to found the International Committee of the Red Cross) is inspired to organise to assist the victims of war.

1877 – Famine Relief Fund set up in the United Kingdom for people suffering in the 1876-78 Bengal Famine in British India. By the end of October, £426,000 had been raised.

1937 – Tan Kah Kee presides over fundraising efforts in which overseas Chinese, especially Singaporean Chinese, contribute millions of Straits dollars worth of humanitarian aid in response to the Second Sino-Japanese War.

June 28, 1948 – the United States government flew supplies into the Western-held sectors of Berlin over the blockade during 1948-49, known as the Berlin Airlift.

1968 – Biafran War: disagreement about how to deal with gross human rights abuses cause a split that will result in a group of Red Cross doctors forming Médecins Sans Frontières.

1978-Massive number of refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos fleed to neighboring countries where they are received by UN agencies like the UNHCR, and private non-governmental agencies. The largest numbers flee to Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and China.

1985-Ethiopian Famine leads to massive relief response by the United States and other countries.

1992 – Operation Provide Relief, humanitarian relief for Somalia, was led by the United States. After looting of the aid, it was reorganized as Operation Restore Hope, an American military operation with the support of the United Nations to deliver humanitarian aid and restore order to Somalia, that eventually lead to the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993.

1993 – Workers' Aid for Bosnia is typical of many community-level voluntary organizations formed in the United Kingdom to directly support the victims of the violence in Yugoslavia, as a direct result of public outrage.

1994-Great Lakes Refugee Crisis in Central Africa. Humanitarian relief to refugees fleeing Rwanda was distributed primarily in Congo/Zaire, and Tanzania.

1995 – responsing to a flood in North Korea which had caused a famine, the United States government initially provided over $8 million in general humanitarian aid (the People's Republic of China was the only country to initially contribute more aid). However, eight years later, the United States government has provided $644 million in aid to the country which comprises nearly 50% of the aid going to North Korea.^{[citation needed]}

1999-Kosovo War and Refugee Crisis. Serb military action led to the flight of refugees to Albania and other neighboring countries where they were received by UNHCR and other agencies. NATO responded with a bombing campaign against Serbia.