Stories about Humanitarian Response from September, 2010
Iraq: The Endless Suffering of Iraqis
Iraqi Faiza Al Arji describes the situation in Iraq, from health to agriculture, to education and the destroyed infrastructure.
Colombia: Rainy Season Especially Strong This Year
Albeiro Rodas writes that this year's rainy season”has been especially strong, according to the authorities.” He also writes about a landslide that took place yesterday and “covered the Medellín – Urabá Road in Manglar county, municipality of Giraldo. Thirty persons were reported missing when tons of mud and stones fall...
Haiti: Slow Going
“Nine months after the devastating earthquake, many are criticizing the slow pace of relief for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in Haiti”: The Haitian Blogger reports.
The Invisible Border Between Ecuador and Colombia
The Colombia-Ecuador border is once again a contentious issue. Both countries have a border of 586 km and with it a long history of conflict, mutual accusations and reports of armed conflict and displacement.
China: Girl Committed Suicide After Being Molested by Police Officers
China Hush translated a local news story about a 16-year-old girl leaped to her death from hotel after being molested in Fenghuang city of Hunan province. Among the five suspects, two policemen are involved.
Haiti: A Reminder
How Can They Hear? posts recent photos of Haiti, saying: ” To many people, Haiti is forgotten already. But I hope these few pics show you that she may be forgotten, but she is not gone. Life goes on like this every day for these people who have suffered so...
China: Yihuang Self-Immolation Incident and the Power of Microblogging
Chinese online public opinion has once again changed the course of an event, this time regarding a forced demolition and consequent self-immolation protest in Yihuang county, Jiangxi. On September 10, the Zhong family were confronted by 40 local police officers and urban administrators seeking to carry out the forced demolition...
Pakistan: Do You Care About The Plights Of The Flood Victims?
While some countries of the world came forward to donate for the victims of the recent Pakistan Floods, most international responses were slow. Cindy Yang looks for the answers in the blogosphere.
Lebanon: Civil War Missing Revisited
Twenty years have passed since Lebanon's warring factions called it quits. Not soon after, all grievances and memories of the bloody Lebanese Civil War were swept under the carpet. But for some with missing relatives and loved ones, the wounds are still bleeding, according to bloggers.
Ukraine: “Let's Make Kyiv Clean!”
Info on the upcoming Let's Make Kyiv Clean! volunteer initiative, scheduled for Sept. 25 – at letsdoit.org.ua (UKR). During the previous clean-up event, held on June 5, some 500 volunteers worked in 18 Kyiv's parks and gathered 2,280 kg of glass and 371 kg of plastic bottles.
Pakistan: Facebook And The Flood
Sonya Rehman describes the use of Facebook and other social media tools in fund-raising and for coordination of relief for the victims of Pakistan floods.
South Korea: The Family Reunion Deal May Lower the Inter-Korean Tension.
A South Korean Red Cross delegation departed to North Korea today to discuss the reunions of families separated by the Korean War ,South Korea’s Yonhap reported. It was a rare suggestion made by North Korea and some experts read this as a sign of improvement on InterKorean relationship.
China: A Law Professor for Sale…
"My name is Yang Zhizhu and I was originally an assistant professor at the China Youth University for Political Sciences. My wife got pregnant by accident and did not have the heart to get an abortion. On December 21, 2009 she gave birth to our second daughter."
North Korea: South May Send Microwavable Rice to North.
According to Chosun report[kr],South Korea may send rice aid to North Korea in the form of microwavable rice. The hermetically sealed, microwavable rice [photos], which also works under boiling water, can be a new way of preventing the aid rice from being traded and used for a military purpose.
Vietnam: Living in a garbage dump
VietNamNet Bridge has a feature article about Ho Chi Minh City residents who are working and living in a garbage dump.
Africa: HIV Positive Women Sterilized, Discriminated Against and Stigmatized
Forced sterilization of HIV positive women is alas still a reality in many African countries. Recent testimonies were shared by many through personal experiences and a few African bloggers weighed in on the issue.
Guatemala: Children's Organization Los Patojos Celebrates IV Anniversary
Rafael Romero blogs [es] commemorating the 4th anniversary of organization Los Patojos, “an educational program […] [that] promotes popular education in social values, culture of peace, art and critical thinking in order to improve the quality of life of all the members of this program.” Los Patojos also keeps a...
Pakistan: Abdul Sattar Edhi, The Hope Of The Nation
Usman Gulfaraz pays tribute to the Pakistani humanitarian Abdul Sattar Edhi of the Edhi foundation: “for those unaware of who this man is, let me put it in a very simple way: Hollywood has Batman, Superman, The Hulk, and Spiderman. Pakistan has Edhi”.
D.R of Congo: Why are peacekeepers so bad at protecting civilians?
Jason wonders why UN peacekeepers are so bad at protecting civilians in the Democratic Republic of Congo: “There had been an uproar about MONUSCO’s lack of response to the rapes – the peacekeepers had a base 30km away – so the Secretary General had sent his assistant in charge of...
South Korea: Number One Suicide Country
Suicide is South Korea's chronic disease- celebrities, businessmen and even the former President is believed to have committed suicide. A study by Korea Statistics shows that the suicide rate has increased by almost 20 percent, placing Korea as the top suicide country between the age 20 to 30, Korea's YTN[kr]...
South Africa: South Africa's Strike Season
Prisha blogs about South Africa's public sector strike: “It is a well known fact that South Africa has a strike season. That’s right, you heard me: a strike “season” -just as we have winter, spring, summer and autumn – so too, do we have the public sector strike! The last...