· October, 2009

Stories about Humanitarian Response from October, 2009

Ukraine: Charity

  29 October 2009

Scenes From the Sidewalk writes about an encounter with one of Kyiv's many homeless children – and posts photos from actress Olga Kurilenko's visit to a CrossRoads Foundation/ChildRescue's rehabilitation center. Wild World of Sean's Blog reports on a charity visit to a Kyiv hospital for children affected by the Chernobyl...

Japan: Latest survey on poverty destroys the prosperity myth

  25 October 2009

One Japanese in six is living in poverty says the latest Welfare Ministry report [en]. According to OECD figures [en], Japan has one of the highest poverty rates in the developed world and is 4th after only Mexico, Turkey and the U.S. In September, Makoto Yuasa, Secretary-general of Anti Poverty...

Philippines: Relief Goods Rotting in Government Warehouses

  25 October 2009

Ella's Blog from the Philippines posts photos of donated goods intended for typhoon victims rotting in government warehouses. The expose has sparked fears that the goods might be misused to support administration candidates in next year's elections. The original site shows a “404 Not Found error” when it is accessed...

Pregnancy and Prisons: Women's Health and Rights Behind Bars

  24 October 2009

It is still a struggle to ensure human rights for pregnant women worldwide, and it seems that in the process, pregnant women in prison are many times overlooked. What have been some of the steps made to ensure that they are also treated humanely, with respect to the life they carry?

Kenya: Waiting for El Niño

  8 October 2009

Kenyans are waiting for the El Niño rains anticipated between now and December with mixed feelings. Although in it's ‘moderate' form El Niño is expected to displace at least 100,000 people, most Kenyans actually want this El Niño.

China: Stopping people's grievances from visiting Beijing

  7 October 2009

The letter and visit petition system (xinfang) is an administrative system for hearing complaints and grievances from individuals in China. The state and local bureaus of letters and visits are in charge of receiving letters, calls and visits from individuals or groups. The officers then channel the issues to respective...

Indonesia: Thousands still trapped under rubble

  3 October 2009

More than 3,000 people are still trapped under rubble days after a 7.6-magnitude quake struck Indonesia. Indonesian bloggers are reacting to the latest earthquake disaster which killed at least 1,000 people in the country.

Typhoon Ketsana batters Southeast Asia

  2 October 2009

Typhoon Ketsana struck several Southeast Asian countries leaving hundreds dead and millions homeless. It triggered the worst flooding in the Philippines which affected 3 million people as of this writing. It displaced hundreds of thousands of villagers in central Vietnam, Cambodia and southern Laos.

Indonesia: Post quake death toll worsens

  2 October 2009

The earthquake death toll in Indonesia surged past 1,000 while thousands more are feared dead or missing. Indonesian microbloggers are using the internet to help in the relief and rescue efforts.

Philippines: 2.5 million persons affected by flooding

  1 October 2009

The number of flood casualties continues to rise in the Philippines: Almost 300 dead bodies. More than half a million individuals living in evacuation centers. And at least 2.5 million Filipinos affected by the flooding caused by Typhoon Ondoy. Bloggers are sharing their "typhoon" stories.