· June, 2011

Stories about Humanitarian Response from June, 2011

Palestine: Two Boats Sabotaged as Flotilla Floats Onwards

The Freedom Flotilla 2 to Gaza will be missing an Irish ship, it emerged today. The MV Saoirse has been reportedly sabotaged while at berth in the Turkish coastal town of Göcek and will now not be able to take part in the flotilla, aimed at breaking the Israeli blockade on Gaza and presenting humanitarian aid to the Palestinians.

Haiti: BBBC Benefits in Question

  27 June 2011

An interesting post on Bill Clinton's housing initiative, Building Back Better Communities (BBBC), which “seeks to construct housing projects across the nation of Haiti”, but upon closer examination, “seems as though the initiative won't live up to its name and in fact will build worse communities than even before the...

Mauritania: Ending Slavery in Mauritania

  27 June 2011

Beyond abolition: Ending Slavery in Mauritania: “Slaves in Mauritania do not have a legal right to own property, let alone have a surname. Nor do they have a right to custody of their children. The 2007 law criminalizing the ownership of slaves was received with resistance and scoffing. The director...

Russia: Deciphering Covert “Bath Salt” Drug Advertisements

LJ-user re3 writes [ru] about covert drug graffiti (e.g. “Aromatic salt – call center 24 hours”). Graffiti look like regular guerrilla ads air sprayed on the building walls. They, however, advertise fast delivery of the so called “Bath Salt” drug. The blogger claims whole Urals region is filled with such ads, some of which, might be...

Kuwait: Flip Your Avatar, Show Support to the Bidun!

Kuwait has around 100,000 stateless people or Bidun - meaning without nationality. They have no papers, ID cards, access to government education and health care, birth or death certificates. With Arabs rising this year, the Bidun of Kuwait are making their voices heard, both on the ground and via social media, asking people to "flip their avatars" in support.

India: Feed A Kid Every Saturday

  23 June 2011

Debolina Raja Gupta shares her experience of creating a Facebook group called Feed A Kid Every Saturday which encourages citizens of Mumbai to feed poor and hungry children.

Guatemala: Families in Quiché Benefit from ‘Maya Food Security Programme’

  22 June 2011

Mike, in Central American Politics, writes about the Maya Food Security Programme, “an initiative designed to combat chronic malnutrition through the distribution of monthly food rations and the sponsorship of workshops, fairs and street theater on nutritional education.” He says that “over ten thousand Guatemalan families in [the] Quiché [department] benefit from this program.”

Cannibalism In North Korea, Smuggled Documents Reveal

  22 June 2011

GI Korea from the ROK Drop blog commented on local news report claiming that they have obtained smuggled documents confirming cannibalism in North Korea. Acts of cannibalism have long been reported by North Korean defectors, especially during the mass famine in the mid-90′s.

North Korea: Women Forced into Prostitution

  20 June 2011

A Seoul-based aid organization, Good Friends, released an English version of its weekly report. According to North Korean defectors’ testimonies, not a few North Korean women are forced into prostitution in order to make ends meet.

Senegal: University women's group helps the needy

  17 June 2011

On the blog dakar.bondyblog.fr, Mamadou Sané presented the initiative of a group of female students from the University Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar. “The association called ‘Regard de femme [A Woman's Look]’ is aiming to collect as many foodstuffs as possible to distribute to those in greatest need through a...

Africa: Bloggers Remember the International Day of the African Child

  16 June 2011

June 16 marks the International Day of the African Child. The day was initiated by the Organisation of African Unity on June 16, 1991. The day honors those who participated in the Soweto Uprising in 1976 on that day and raises awareness of the continuing need for improvement of quality of life for African children. Bloggers remember...

Ghana: Donate Books to Support Education

  12 June 2011

Help to create change in Africa; “Donate books, T-shirt and educational marterials to support education in rural communities, located in Africa.Support passionate for change, an NGO that want the best for all African children. The objective is to inculcate the habbit of reading in young Africans.

China: Panda Diplomacy

  8 June 2011

Olivia from China Hush translated a local news story from Netease on the fate of giant panda under the Panda diplomacy in China.