Stories about Humanitarian Response from October, 2010
Haiti: Cholera Outbreak
Dying in Haiti says: “Port-au-Prince and its slums do not need a cholera epidemic. I can't hardly think of a worse nightmare. Haiti is beyond fragile at this point and the people are suffering more than I have ever seen.”
Indonesia: Earthquake, Tsunami, Volcanic Eruption in 48 hours
Indonesia was caught unprepared this week when an earthquake, tsunami and volcanic eruption battered the islands in less than 48 hours. Casualties are expected to exceed 500 and thousands of families need immediate relief.
China: Blood house map
A google map that marks social conflicts related with force demolition and land acquisition.
Myanmar: Cyclone Giri death toll rises
More than 30 died or have been declared missing when Cyclone Giri struck the western coast of Myanmar. The state media claimed that government officials visited the affected region but other reports also mentioned the failure of the government to respond to the relief offer of the international community.
Benin: How to help flood victims
How to help flood victims in Benin: “So people are homeless, kids aren’t going to school, and disease is rampant. What can we do from our armchairs? I checked with the USAID director and several other international donors to find out what they’re doing. The relief effort is being lead...
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Online campaigns for the return of casualties of war
A campaign represented as being organized by ‘Armenian bloggers’ has been established to demand the return of the body of Manvel Sarinbekyan, an Armenian who reportedly hung himself while in detention after crossing the border with Azerbaijan.The campaign has been launched in both Russian and English. Meanwhile, and as the...
Russia: Post-Emergency Sustainability of Crowdsourcing Projects
Gregory Asmolov analyzes the fate of the Ushahidi-based Help Map project after the wildfires have ended. What is the future of emergency projects and how can we make them more sustainable?
Haiti: Cholera!
As a cholera outbreak hits Haiti, bloggers discuss this latest assault on the already besieged country.
A journey through the unheard voices of Haiti’s reconstruction
Solidar'IT in Haiti is a journey through the unheard voices of Haiti’s reconstruction, organized as a web-documentary in progress.
Benin: One of the Most Affected by the Floods in Western Africa
Blaise Aplogan posts a photo of floods in Benin [fr]. He adds a table that summarizes the number of casualties and people affected by the floods in several western African countries, noting that Benin was one of the most severely hit [RFI report in French].
Taiwan:Typhoon Megi Breaks Rainfall Record
Zhong Sheng-siung (鐘聖雄) on citizen media “88news.org” is now reporting and uploading first-hand photos from Su-ao in Yilan county where Typhoon Megi has brought more than 1400 mm in just two days. In his post are photos of flooded Su-ao town and rescuers trying to find missing people in a...
China: My father is Li Gang!
The son of a deputy police director in Hebei province killed a young woman in a traffic accident on October 16 and reportedly shouted to an angry crowd, "Go ahead and sue me, my father is Li Gang". Now hundreds of people have been writing and sharing songs and poetry online in protest against bad behavior by offspring of government officials
South Korea: North Korean Defector's Struggling Life In Big Cities
A North Korean defector's life in South Korea is tough. Even after hundreds hours of study in Hanawon, the state-run resettlement facility, the defector's first encounter with the real world outside North is full of bewilderment and frustration. Korea’s Joongang took a snapshot of a defector's daily life.
Haiti: Camp Conditions
Nine months after the January 12 earthquake, Haiti Grassroots Watch examines the conditions in the country's “1,354 squalid refugee camps”.
China: Life at the bottom of the society
Annie Lee writes a feature on the daily life (and pain) of the bottom of the society in China (via China Hush).
El Salvador: ‘There's no water’
For Blog Action Day, Linda writes: “Usually, no hay agua [meaning, “there is no water”] is a temporary condition, and the water returns. Yet as more and more demands are placed on our water systems, and less and less care is taken to preserve and recycle water well, no hay...
Honduras: The Lack of Clean Water
Laurie says that statistics on water conditions are “too big to grasp! But here in the elbow of Central America, I get it. Water, or the lack of clean water, kills people. They get diarrhea, cholera or hepatitis. They lose their kids. Their hope. They stay in poverty.” Laurie knows...
Hungary: Chemical Waste Reservoir Still Dangerous
Marietta Le translates a firsthand account from the area affected by the the caustic red sludge spill in Western Hungary and provides information on how to help the victims.
Brazil: Twitter raises awareness of plight of São Paulo squatters
Around two thousand people, many of whom are slum dwellers who face the threat of eviction, occupied four abandoned buildings in central São Paulo early Monday morning, calling for improved housing projects. The organisers, Frente de Luta por Moradia (Front for the Struggle for Housing, FLM), have been using Twitter to cover...
Nigeria: Government was warned of bomb blasts in Abuja
Nigerian Curiosity gives her take on Friday's bomb blasts in Abuja: “Nigeria's security forces were warned of an impending attack at least five days before October 1st… Given such information, it is unacceptable that the government did not do more to anticipate and prepare for the attack.”
Bangladesh: The Joy Of Feeding The Poor
Sadiq Alam at Inspirations And Creative Thoughts shares the experience of feeding the hungry and the malnourished in own neighborhood and hopes that others will follow suit.