Stories about Humanitarian Response from March, 2011
Communities in Limbo on Honduran-Salvadoran Border
Voices from El Salvador's Weblog writes about the communities affected by an ongoing dispute on the Honduran-Salvadoran border, and argues that the governments from both countries “must take immediate action to ensure that those residents in limbo are granted citizenship so that they may have the rights that everyone else...
Cote d'Ivoire: Open letter to Not on Our Watch
Eliza writes an open letter to Not on Our Watch, a charity founded by George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Jerry Weintraub and David Pressman about the political situation in Cote d'Ivoire.
Haiti: Not Like Japan
Toussaint on Haiti has been avoiding news of the Japan earthquake for fear of “triggering sad memories”, noting that stories of recovery there “really b[ring] home…the dysfunction that exists in Haiti.”
Lebanon: Claim your Parking Spot
Dutch Blogger Sietske asked the Lebanese people in her latest post to claim what's rightfully theirs: “their parking spots.”
Tanzania: Help wanted for injured donkeys
Tanzania Animals Protection Organisation is looking for donation in order to buy drugs for injured donkeys in Kahama District.
Russia: Life With Autism
At OpenDemocracy.net, Dmitry Golubovsky and Svetlana Reiter write about the lives of autistic people in Russia.
Myanmar: Photos of Earthquake Disaster
A 6.8 earthquake hit northeast Myanmar on the evening of Thursday 24 March, 2011, which was felt in nearby Thailand and as far away as Vietnam and China. The quake killed at least 70 people and destroyed more than 240 buildings in Myanmar alone but casualties could be higher. In Tachilek town, coffins were sold out hours after the quake.
Palestine: Biggest Escalation of Violence in Gaza since Cast Lead
The Gaza Strip is lately experiencing the largest escalation of violence since Cast Lead operation in 2008-2009 that claimed lives of more than 1,400 Palestinians, among them over 350 children. On the night of March 22, 2010, Israel started military operations that led to the bloodiest day in Gaza in two years. Palestinian bloggers and tweeps react to the clashes.
Macedonia: QR Campaign to Aid Japan
It.com.mk noted [MKD] that Kalina Zografska, Kristijan Ivanovski and Iva Dujak started an independent campaign using QR codes containing Japanese proverbs, quotes and links, to promote the humanitarian concert “Heart for Japan” [MKD] (#srcejp) and remind Skopje's citizens of the legacy of Kenzo Tange, a Japanese architect who helped rebuild...
Syria: Horror Mounts as 150 Protesters Reportedly Dead in Daraa
Alarming news from Syria has dominated my Twitter timeline, with reports of up to 150 people allegedly killed by security forces in Daraa, in southern Syria, where anti-regime protests continue. Earlier estimates of six people killed as Syrian police attacked Al Omari mosque to disperse protesters are now being questioned, as reports of more doom and gloom start to seep out of the town, where communications, including phone and Internet, have been cut off.
Haiti: Developing Aid
“The agenda of development aid should not be set by people so far removed from the uncertainty of life that has dominated human existence for the majority of time”: Throwing Down the Water wants to get everyone speaking the same language.
Serbia: Returning Gratitude for the Japanese Donations
Sasa Milosevic reports on Serbian initiatives to help Japanese victims of the recent earthquake and tsunami disaster, in a grateful return of the aid donated by Japan to Serbia.
France: Worry and Hope in the Japanese Community
In France as elsewhere, the terrifying pictures of the tsunami and earthquake have had Japanese expatriates worried by the magnitude of the disaster. Many of them spent all day on Friday, March 11, 2011, trying to contact their loved ones through the Internet, and since then have been working to bring their compatriots some emotional relief.
China: Gaddafi Has to Go
China's official stance is that Libya's Colonel Gaddafi should be reasoned with through dialogue and other peaceful means; not everyone in China agrees. "Annihiliate him," writes China's most widely-read blogger.
Bahrain: A Video Timeline of Police Brutality
As international media focus shifts toward Libya and the rapidly unfolding events there, Bahrain government is unleashing a violent assault on pro-democracy protesters. Amid the media blackout, citizens are taking their cameras out and capturing the violence the state-run media is carefully concealing.
Bulgaria: Offering Shelter to Japanese Earthquake Victims
The earthquake in Japan has become a tragedy for the entire world. This is evident from the willingness of people from different countries and continents to help the victims of the quake, which took the lives of thousands of people. Ruslan Trad reports on the Bulgarian online initiative.
Japan: YouTube to Reunite Earthquake Victims through Video
YouTube has opened the shousoku channel to help reunite people missing or lost after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan with their loved ones. In the channel, videos recorded at shelters show people inquiring for information of friends and family.
Bhutan: A Helping Hand For Japan
A Helping Hand is an initiative taken up by individuals, both Bhutanese and the Japanese community working and residing in Bhutan to build a platform for people from wall walks of life to help donate whatever they can for the earthquake and tsunami victims of Japan. More details are at...
Taiwan: Curating Japan Disaster Situation
The Association of Digital Culture, Taiwan(ADCT) starts to curate and translate latest information from Japanese and English into Chinese[zht] in order to provide worried Taiwanese netizens a trustworthy source of information upon the media turbulence. They have done the same effort in 2009 when Typhoon Morakot hit Taiwan. (Disclosure: I...
Libya: All Eyes on Benghazi (Video)
Benghazi is the Libya's second-largest city and the political heart and rebellious soul of the movement against Libyan dictator Colonel Muammar Al Gaddafi. With once fast-charging rebel forces now under considerable attacks by Gaddafi forces, however, Benghazi could become a last stand for Libyan freedom.
Côte d'Ivoire: When Ethnic Hate Shadows Politics
Abobo and Yopougon are two districts of Abidjan, the economic capital city of Côte d'Ivoire. Different ethnic and religious groups have mixed peacefully in the areas, until the recent Ivorian political crisis began. For the last ten days, they have witnessed incidents of ethnic violence, crystallising political disputes and the threat of civil war.
