Stories about Humanitarian Response from October, 2011
South Asia: A Fundraising Drive Across Three Countries
Journeys To Democracy writes about a fundraising drive in VW Beetles across three countries in SouthAsia (Nepal/India/Pakistan) to help launch a spinal injury rehabilitation center in Nepal.
Egypt: A Class Project That Became One of Egypt's Biggest Charities
From a class discussion after a lecture at Cairo University, to the building one of the biggest charity and volunteer organizations in Egypt. Here's the story of how university professor Sherif Abdel-Azim helped create Resala.
Armenia: Earthquake in Turkey felt in Yerevan
On Sunday, the earthquake that struck Van, a city in South Eastern Turkey, was felt in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, and other parts of the small South Caucasus country. Onnik Krikorian reports.
El Salvador: A Look at Relief Efforts as Water Recedes
The rain has stopped and water is starting to recede in El Salvador; Tim's El Salvador Blog now looks at relief efforts after torrential rains hit El Salvador and other...
Cambodia: Worst Flooding in a Decade
Cambodia is experiencing the worst flooding in a decade. The government reports that almost a half a million hectares of rice paddies were destroyed by the floods, which could affect food security in the region. Here are more reports about the disaster.
Turkey: Online Relief Efforts for Van's Earthquake Victims
Eastern Turkey was hit by a large earthquake of magnitude 7.2 yesterday. Kubra sums up some of relief efforts that were spearheaded online, pushing for humanitarian and rescue efforts on the ground.
Turkey: 1,000 People Feared Dead in Van Quake
A massive earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 hit eastern Turkey a few hours ago. Up to 1,000 people are feared dead. The quake hit Ercis, in the mountainous province of Van close to the Iranian border, the hardest. On Twitter, users are checking on loved ones and exchanging updates on the death toll and rescue efforts.
Central America: Bloggers Attempt to Raise Awareness as Heavy Rains Continue
Mike from Central American Politics links to English language blogs covering the damage caused by the heavy rains that have been falling on Central America for over one week.
Videos: Central America Under Water
The tropical depression 12-E over Central America has brought torrential downpours and rains for days on end, causing flooding, closing roads and highways and displacing people. This post shows the effects of the rainfall through several Central American countries.
Thailand: Flood Maps and Disaster Monitoring Tools
In an earlier post, Global Voices featured some of the online maps which were created to monitor the floods in Thailand. The flood disaster is already the worst that ever hit the country. Here are other useful online maps, twitter reports, and disaster monitoring tools that provide information about the floods
Russia: Networked Volunteers Save Lives of Missing Children

In September 2010, 4-year-old Liza and her aunt went missing in the forest and were found dead. Liza's volunteer rescuers decided to establish a network called "Liza Alert" whose members would engage immediately once a child was lost.
El Salvador: Communities Severely Affected by Flooding
Voices from El Salvador is reporting on the consequences of severe weather in El Salvador: “Over 4000 people have been evacuated from their homes in San Salvador, La Paz, San...
Russia: Deceased Yukos Lawyer's Last Interview

The New Times publishes the last interview [ru] with Vasily Aleksanyan, former Vice President of Yukos oil company, who died on October 3, 2011 due to AIDS complications after his release...
Bahrain: Teen Protester Shot Dead
Protests erupted in Bahrain this weekend as angry mourners buried 16-year-old Ahmed Al-Qattan, who was allegedly 'killed by birdshot' according to the Ministry of Interior Affairs. Netizens dispute this - Mona Kareem reports.
Yemen: Celebrating Tawakkol Karman
Tawakkol Karman, an outspoken journalist and human rights activist, described in the Guardian as a "thorn in [Yemeni President Ali Abdullah] Saleh's back", was today named as Yemen's first Noble Peace Prize winner. She has been a prime example of courage and bravery in Yemen since 2007. The reactions continue on Twitter.
Yemen: Congrats to Tawakkol Karman
Congratulations have been pouring in from all corners since the winners of this year's much anticipated Nobel Peace Prize winners were announced. Yemeni journalist and activist Tawakkol Karman joins Liberian President Ellen Sirleaf and Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee as their year's winners.
Africa: Famine is Man-made but…
Famine is man-made but….:”21st century solutions should be founded on collective responsibility. Describing famine as “man-made” is a step in the right direction, but let's not just look to foreign...
Madagascar: 164 homes burnt down in Fort Dauphin
The second serious fire in the region within the last 3 weeks burned down 164 homes in the the fokontany of Amparihy in Fort Dauphin, Azafady reports. The fires have...