Stories about Humanitarian Response from November, 2010
Venezuela: LluviasVe.com Uses Crowdsourcing to Report on Heavy Rains
LluviasVe.com [es] uses crowdsourcing to map events caused by the heavy rains in Venezuela. Users can report on floods, landslides, victims, road blocks, shelters, places to make donations and more.
Cambodia: Lessons from the Water Festival stampede
Cambodians are still mourning the death of 347 people in the stampede tragedy which happened last week at Koh Pich Bridge in Phnom Penh. Cambodian netizens share their reactions and recommendations on how to improve disaster management in the country
Haiti: Election Results?
“So the big election day in Haiti happened. However, the whole process seemed horribly dysfunctional to me. How many voters were left out just due to logistics? And what about fraud and intimidation?”: Dying in Haiti is convinced that “the results of the election, whenever they will be determined, will...
Brazil: Bloggers react to wave of violence in Rio de Janeiro
A recent wave of violence has frightened residents of Rio de Janeiro and reignited a familiar public debate on security in the city. A great wave of panic, in part brought on by the mainstream media, also brings to the fore a new problem: the great proliferation of false rumors on the internet.
Laos and the Convention on Cluster Munitions
The first meeting of state parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions which gathered 101 countries as well as numerous NGOs was held early this month in Laos, which is incidentally "the most bombed country" in the world. GV author Gael Brassac summarizes the keys issues discussed during the convention
Haiti: Football Funds to Help Earthquake Recovery
Repeating Islands reports that Haiti's earthquake recovery effort will benefit from proceeds of the 8th Annual [Football] Match Against Poverty, to be held on December 15 in Greece.
Pakistan: The Beggar Mafia
Saad Hirani at Chowrangi writes about the beggar-Mafia ring in Pakistan “that ‘employs’ children and sometimes adults to work for them”.
Serbia: Abuse of Stray Animals Continues
The Serbian President is willing to adopt a severely mutilated dog called Mila, which became a symbol of the suffering of Serbia's stray animals. However, despite all the publicity, horrifying animal abuse cases continue to be reported in the Serbian mainstream and citizen media. Sasa Milosevic reviews some of them.
China: Messages behind the flowers to the Shanghai fire victims
Yesterday, thousands of mourners in Shanghai flocked to the 28-storey apartment block that was gutted by a tragic fire on November 15 to pay their respects for the 58 residents who perished. Much of China's headlines today focus on the collective mourning, but few have highlighted the messages behind citizens' insistence in offering flowers at the disaster site.
Haiti: Saving Lives
“The current count of patients treated in 10 days is 227″: real hope for haiti shares some of their experiences as they help to battle the cholera epidemic.
Gambia: Climbing Kilimanjaro to build a school in Gambia
Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to build a school in Gambia: “In August 2010 Hannah Braye climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in memory of her friend Lucy raising over £1,000. This will go to help build a school in Dairuharu in Brikama and the first classroom being built will be dedicated to...
China: Shanghai fire claims 53, local coverage criticised
53 lives were claimed and 43 others remain missing as a result of the tragic fire that ripped through a high-rise apartment block in Shanghai yesterday afternoon. The 28-storey building was undergoing renovations when welding sparks caused the scaffolding to catch fire, eventually spreading to the building itself. City blog Shanghaiist...
Nigeria: Remembering an Activist, Fifteen Years After his Execution
In 1995 Ken Saro-Wiwa, a prominent activist and outspoken critic of the oil industry in Nigeria, was executed along with eight of his associates. Saro-Wiwa was a hero for many Nigerians, and his execution inflamed the international community against the notoriously authoritarian regime of Sani Abacha and the practices of Royal Dutch Shell. Fifteen years after his death, bloggers reflect on his legacy.
Haiti: Cholera Challenge
The Livesay Haiti Weblog is “praying for mercy and miracles” with the country's cholera epidemic.
Haiti: Tweets on Cholera Outbreak
Twitter updates on the cholera outbreak: @carelpedre gets news that the disease is spreading, while @MissionMANNA tweets a quote from the director of Haiti's health ministry suggesting that the situation is “now a matter of national security.”
Haiti: Cash for Work
“Is it a good thing that the sidewalks are jammed with people selling mostly imported goods and cast-off clothing and shoes from overseas?”: Haiti Grassroots Watch investigates whether cash-for-work programs help or hinder the country's recovery from the January 12 earthquake.
South Korea: Unicef T-shirt Guy Blocked From Entering G20 Venue
As G 20 Summit kicks off tomorrow, the summit venue is under maximum security. The government's ‘too much security’, though understandable, has drawn public annoyance online. Twitterer @michaelPARK83 tweeted that he had been blocked [ko]from entering the summit venue only because he was wearing a T-shirt with certain words on, which was ‘Unicef’.
Serbia: Netizens and Media Report on the Kraljevo Earthquake
Sasa Milosevic reports on the online and citizen media coverage of the earthquake that hit Serbia last week.
Lebanon: Jismi, One Day, One Struggle
Lebanon-based groups Nasawiya, Helem and Meem launched a new website named “Jismi” (Ar) (My Body) dedicated to the annual “One Day, One Struggle” campaign, a unique effort to underscore the joint struggle against the violation of sexual and bodily rights in Muslim societies.
St. Lucia: Hurricane Relief Efforts
“There are people who are very much still marooned by the metres of mud that descended from the mountains, swept away and buried their homes, vehicles, farms and kitchen gardens”: Sun, Rain, Or… does not want complacency to set in when it comes to hurricane relief for St. Lucia.
St. Lucia: Today's Tomas Update
From the water situation to a list of urgently needed items, Sun, Rain, Or… posts a hurricane update from St. Lucia.
