· September, 2009

Stories about Humanitarian Response from September, 2009

Philippines: Helping flood victims through social media

  28 September 2009

A tropical storm hit many parts of Metro Manila and nearby provinces in the Philippines last Saturday. Social networking sites were flooded with personal stories, photos and videos of the typhoon's aftermath. The stream of information soon became a “hub” for coordinating rescue and relief efforts for those who had access to the internet

Philippines: Worst Flooding in 40 Years

  27 September 2009

Tropical Storm "Ondoy" hit the Philippines last Saturday triggering the worst flooding in 40 years which left 50 people dead and 280,000 residents displaced. Social media sites were maximized to share updates about the storm and to assist flood victims

Tunisia: Severe Flooding Kills 15

  26 September 2009

Flash floods hit Tunisia this week, killing at least 15 people and damaging property in the town of Redeyef in southern Tunisia. Bloggers declare two day of mourning and speak out against a media apparatus which trades on people's miseries to trump up the government.

Floods in West Africa Displace Hundreds of Thousands

  26 September 2009

The ReliefWeb, quoting the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), reports that recent floods in West Africa have displaced or made homeless 600 000 persons, destroyed schools, roads, hospitals in Burkina Faso,Senegal, Niger,Guinea, and Ghana. Guinea alone account for 40.000 people in need of help.

Egypt: A Marginalized Middle Class

  15 September 2009

Mohamed, from Traveller Within, analyzes the Egyptian Middle class, and acknowledges the presence of a parallel middle class that is being deliberately marginalized. In his post he stressed the importance of inter-class reconciliation in order not to lose such an influential societal category.

Video: Caring about Congo

  12 September 2009

Videos showing different ways in which people are trying to make a difference in the situation faced by those living in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Myanmar: New policy requires HIV groups to register

  10 September 2009

Myanmar's Ministry of Health is now requiring HIV advocacy groups to register if the latter want to operate in the country. Some are worried that this new policy could be used to “control” or undermine the independence of volunteer groups in Myanmar.