Helping people to help themselves
UNRRA information sheet in yellow, white and black: a large photomontage of refugees and ruined buildings, six round photographs labelled 'Food for the starving', 'Seeds for farming', 'Tools for essential work', 'Repatriation of the displaced', 'Medical aid' and 'Clothing for the destitute', a block of text, and a closing band 'Foundation for peace - United Nations'. Photographs of need and relief are paired with broad peace slogans (glittering generalities).
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1945
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration
- Region
- Transnational or online
- Country
- Transnational
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- Mixed
- Regime
- No single regime or leader
- Leader
- No single regime or leader
- Audience
- Mixed
- Purpose
- Persuade or win support
- Themes
- War and the military, Economy and finance
- Event
- World War II
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 44, World War II Posters, retrieved October 4, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (U.S. government work)
United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-965 (NAID 514472).
Text on the object
UNRRA UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND REHABILITATION ADMINISTRATION HELPING PEOPLE TO HELP THEMSELVES UNRRA IS AN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION consisting of 48 governments organized to provide relief and rehabilitation to the people of liberated territories in Europe and the Far East. UNRRA IS A SHORT-TERM SERVICE AGENCY, acting on behalf of the United Nations, and designed to meet immediate relief needs and also to rehabilitate war-shattered economies so that they can, once more, take part in the world economy. UNRRA PROVIDES Relief supplies: Food, clothing, fuel, medicines, household supplies, etc. Relief services: Health and welfare services, epidemic control, repatriation of displaced persons, etc. Rehabilitation Supplies and Services: Seeds, fertilizer, raw materials, machinery, transportation and other public utilities, technical service, etc. UNRRA IS DIRECTED to carry out its relief and rehabilitation program among those United Nations needing assistance, without any discrimination on account of race, creed, color or political belief. Food for the starving Seeds for farming Tools for essential work Repatriation of the displaced Medical aid Clothing for the destitute [imprint: ISSUED BY UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND REHABILITATION ADMINISTRATION, WASHINGTON, D. C.] FOUNDATION FOR PEACE - UNITED NATIONS [imprint: Litho'd in U. S. A.]
