Stories about Humanitarian Response from July, 2010
Lebanon: Felesteen 2.0
Felesteen 2.0 is setting up a series of new blogs as part of their social media project. The new bloggers are residents of the Shatila camp, ranging from 14 –...
Haiti: Displaced Women and Girls Victims of Gender Violence
In the aftermath of the devastating Haiti earthquake, women and girls are still facing gender violence, as some of them not only experience rape, but then have to face an absent judicial system and less than adequate medical care.
Niger: Niger's silent crisis
Watch a video of Niger's silent crisis where 7.1 million people face hunger.
Bangladesh: One Child to Rebuild a School
All it took was one child to talk about his destroyed school in front of a camera: through the following months, thanks to Shawn Ahmed of the Uncultured Project and Nerdfighters, the world rallied through YouTube and raised enough money to rebuild the school.
Chile: Controversy Over Pardon Proposal by Catholic Church
The Chilean Catholic Church has announced a proposal regarding the need to pardon certain people convicted of crimes on humanitarian grounds. The proposal has sparked debate on the Chilean blogosphere, as the original request could have included a pardon for those convicted of human rights abuses during Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship.
Niger: Offering choices to unheard voices
Niall Tierney writes Concern Worldwide and hunger in Niger: “Concern launched an early, groundbreaking response using “short-harvest” seed varieties, mobile phone technology and cash, and emergency nutrition programs to reach...
Egypt: Liberals mourn the death of Dr. Nasr Hamed Abu Zeid
Dr. Nasr Hamed Abu Zeid, a prominent Egyptian scholar once accused of apostasy for his contemporary interpretation of Islam, has died on July 5, 2010. He was 66. Officials at the Cairo hospital where Abu Zeid had been receiving treatment for the past two weeks said he died Monday from a brain infection. Liberal Egyptian bloggers mourn his death.
Kyrgyzstan: Divergent discourses suggest more is yet to come
“Forgive one another, we’re all guilty”, begs a sticker and poster campaign doing the rounds in Kyrgyzstan following recent tragic events in the south which have claimed over 1,000 lives. The campaign's website, which seeks grounds for a common approach to the problem, has been largely eschewed by local internet users in favour of partisan efforts such as Osh Reality.
Guatemala: Foundation Talita Kumi Helping Women in Rural Communities
Cobán Galería Fotográfica posts [es] images and information about a foundation called Talita Kumi. The blogger highlights how the foundation teaches young women technical skills they will later use to...
Lebanon: The Plight of Palestinian Refugees
“We can work in any field or industry, they can’t. We can learn for free, they aren’t allowed. We have access to free healthcare, they don’t. We enjoy our dignity...
USA and Congo: Nicholas Kristof and Western coverage of Africa
Bunmi joins the debate over New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof's admission that he tends to focus on the ‘white foreigner as savior, black African as victim’ story in his...
Nigeria: More violence in Maza, near Jos
Carmen McCain reports fresh killings near Jos, a city still recovering from deadly riots earlier in the year. “It is with a sick feeling in my stomach that I post...
South Africa: 67 Minutes of Change – Mandela Day
Nelson Mandela spent 27 years of his life in a prison on Robben Island in South Africa. What most people don’t know is that Madiba (as he is affectionately known in South Africa) spent 67 years in the fight against racism and poverty. Sunday 18 July 2010 marks his 92nd birthday and also Mandela Day - a day in which people around the world dedicate 67 minutes of their time to making the world a better place for all.
Sri Lanka: A Caring Home For Old Priests Needs Support
Dee at Ranting in Colombo highlights a 150 year old Buddhist temple at Kurunegala (Wellawa) which cares for a number of aged, debilitated, desolate and destitute monks and needs support.
North Korea: Beauty Plays In the Psychological Warfare
A North Korean waitress who looks much alike South Korean actress has become a new celebrity in South Korea. A YouTube video of a North Korean college girl praising its...
North Korea: Amnesty International Reveals Crumbling Health Care
A bleak picture of North Korea's disastrous health care system has revealed in Amnesty International's new a report “The Crumbling State of Health Care in North Korea” [Ko] disclosing a...
Kyrgyzstan: Young people promoting peace in the aftermath of clashes
Akylai Karimova writes about the youth campaign “Let’s plant Peace in Osh!” in Osh, Kyrgyzstan. It started on 10 July with hundreds of young men and women of various ethnicities...
Russia: New Election Codex Project Discussed Online
Last month, a Russian non-governmental election-monitoring organization, Golos (A Voice), published an alternative Election Codex on the internet, that is designed to provide free, fair and transparent elections in Russia. It is one of a few recent examples of publicly developed draft bills that are promoted online.
Bosnia Herzegovina: History of a bridge
The Daily Seyahatname reflects upon the Mehmed Pasha Sokolovic Bridge – immortalized by Ivo Andric's novel “Bridge on the Drina” – and its history in a broader perspective.
Iraq: Falluja's contamination is worse than Hiroshima
Iraqi blogger Layla Anwar writes a detailed post about the contamination in Falluja resulting from depleted uranium and white phosphorous used in the war on Iraq – and the cover...
India: Selective About Denouncing Violence?
On 4th of July, 2010 a group of unidentified assailants attacked and hacked off the right hand of Mr. T. J. Joseph, a college lecturer from Kerala. He was earlier suspended after accusations by Muslim groups for making some derogatory references to the Prophet in a question paper set by him and had apologized publicly. Bloggers react.
