Stories about Humanitarian Response from October, 2009
Ukraine: Charity
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....
Turkmenistan: Trafficking in human beings
Annasoltan writes about the problem of human trafficking in Turkmenistan against the background of persistent economic hardship, porous borders and the regime's attempts to demur and defer the issue.
Turkmenistan: Government Puts Obstacles to Peace Corp
Vlad reports that Turkmenistan has taken to barring entry to Peace Corps volunteers, for reasons that remain utterly baffling.
Japan: Latest survey on poverty destroys the prosperity myth
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...
Philippines: Relief Goods Rotting in Government Warehouses
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...
Pregnancy and Prisons: Women's Health and Rights Behind Bars
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?
ICT4D: When mobile phones link with computers
In the second of three posts, we ask: How are new technologies changing the field of ICT4D? Will linking computers to portable phones benefit human development in the developing world?
Israel: Charitable Giving at Every Level
“The difference between being charitable and being a philanthropist is having a strategy,” writes Richard Marker in eJewish Philanthropy, explaining why “You Don't Need to Be Rich to be a...
Somalia: Is government recruiting young Kenyans for war?
This is the first wrap up of Somali blogs in 2009. Yes, it's been more than a year since I took leave a long leave from blogging but now I'm back, for good. This is the first post and expect more posts about Somali blogosphere.
Arab-American Blogger Leila Abu-Saba Mourned
Lebanese-American blogger Leila Abu-Saba has died after a long battle with cancer. Bloggers who have interacted with her over the years recall her merits and endless quest for peace.
Kenya: Waiting for El Niño
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.
Kyrgyzstan: UNESCO against fountains in Osh
Arawanski writes that UNESCO is against building of two fountains on the foothills of the Sulaiman Mountain (the southern part of Kyrgyzstan), as it considers they pose a threat to...
Kyrgyzstan: Gypsies community
Elena presents a photo-post about her visit to the community of Luli (or Gypsies, or Roma) on the outskirts of Osh, a town in southern Kyrgyzstan.
Bangladesh: Fair Trade Empowers Indigenous People
Safia's Blog tells how People Tree, a global fair trade group has worked with tribal and indigenous people of Bangladesh to “help support them and provide markets for their traditional...
China: Stopping people's grievances from visiting Beijing
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...
Philippines: Soup kitchens for flood victims
Soup kitchens were set-up in different parts of Metro Manila to serve thousands of flood victims.
Indonesia: Thousands still trapped under rubble
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
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
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
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.
