The Alliance for Empowering Partnership (A4EP) celebrates with pride the achievements of local heroes. On World Humanitarian Day 2020, we pay tribute to the many local heroes in the many local organisations that responded quickly, and often at great personal risk, to the impacts of COVID-19 and the lockdown measures to control its spread. These unknown and sometimes unpaid individuals raised awareness, provided information and a lifeline to a rapidly expanding number of people who were impacted in one or multiple ways. In many countries, they have been the ‘essential’ people alongside health workers, sanitary workers, drivers, shopkeepers and others. They have and continue to work with the local authorities to upscale the response with limited local resources, while the international aid system was largely paralysed. They stepped up and stepped in and took responsibility to lobby on behalf of communities, provided information, food, essential items, raised alarm about gender-based violence and overcame the obstacles of lockdowns through innovation. We recognize and acknowledge the resilience of local organisations in this pandemic showing capacity and using the nexus approach. Real-time heroes are in our midst all the time – the living souls that sustain humanity in us. We celebrate their diversity, commitment and adaptability. Details Report [English] [Arabic] [French] [Bangla]