Archive for the ‘Crisis’ Category
Posted on September 2, 2008 - by Frank
TEAR Fund Commits Aid to India Flood Victims
TEAR Fund is committing $80,000 to bring relief to the displaced millions following the worst flooding in 50 years, in India’s state of Bihar.
TEAR Fund’s partner in India, the Evangelical Fellowship of India Commission on Relief (EFICOR) is experienced in disaster relief, having responded to most of the worst disasters to hit India over the past three decades. A team is already assessing the situation and will provide much needed water, shelter, medicines and food as families flock to relief camps across one of poorest states in India.
TEAR Fund senior programmes officer, Bernard Gomes says while the death toll is not high at present, it is a huge disaster in terms of displacing more than 2 million people.
“These people have an uncertain future as their hopes and dreams have been swept away. It is now a race against time to make sure others don’t die from secondary killers such as waterborne diseases. The floods have also destroyed vital crops and killed livestock, adding to the pain, and this will have a ripple effect across India given the current global food crisis. “
TEAR Fund’s partner is co-ordinating its efforts with other aid agencies and the Indian Government to ensure an effective response and that there is no duplication of aid.
Posted on September 2, 2008 - by Frank
Meat for the Poor
The present meat situation in Cambodia highlights some of the less spoken consequences of food access for the poor being squeezed by economic circumstances.
Cambodia’s inflation has sky rocketed, pushing food prices up. With beef being pushed beyond the reach of the poor, other meat sources have been accessed - namely rat. The price of a kg of rat has more than quadrupled since last year.
The problem is heightened by the fact that Cambodia is supplying a large demand for live rats in Vietnam as the poor in Vietnam who live on the border of Cambodia take up rat meat as a food source as well.
Around the world, rat is fast becoming the choice of food for the poor with officials in Eastern India encouraging poorer people to eat rat as a source of sustenance in order to save grain stocks and give people access to a cheaper food source.
As it becomes an increasingly viable option, commercial catching and selling begins to take over where the poor would have once simply caught it themselves - thus it begins to be driven outside of their ability to access it.
The increased desire and need to use rat as a food source is a clear indicator of problems and the longer the global food crisis continues and local economies get squeezed, the less even this will be a viable option for the poor as demand for rat increases. Cambodia is a case in point for this particular issue.
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Image: CC - Some rights reserved. Original by
Posted on August 30, 2008 - by Frank
Zimbabwe Ban on NGO’s Lifted
Just prior to the second round of presidential voting in Zimbabwe, NGO’s (Non Governmental Organisations - aid organisations) were banned from the country with anti government bias being cited as the reason for the ban. This and the nation’s dire economic situation has resulted in around two million people being in critical need of food assistance.
Thankfully, just hours ago that ban was lifted and relevant organisations were able to begin assessing the situation and they have been able to begin plans to provide assistance to those most in need.
The approach of agencies allowed back into the country seems to be cautious at this point though as the ban still seems to apply to those organisations involved in human rights issues, transitional justice, along with governance and democracy.
Clearly the government recognises the need of the people at this point and its on need to call on outside assistance. It is a tricky situation with the government needing to recognise the part it is playing in the economic downfall that has lead to such assistance being required. Unless the government is willing to recognise the justice and governance issues feeding into the current crisis, no long term answers can be addressed.
Posted on August 30, 2008 - by Frank
The Palestinian Water Situation
With the ongoing tensions and conflict between Israeli authorities and Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank that has continued since the establishment of the state of Israel, there are many factors of burden that never receive any sort of publicity. The tensions often noticed are militant in nature - direct acts and reactions of force. It’s not often we here about things such as water.
It may come as a surprise to many that the areas of Gaza and the West Bank do not have complete management of their own water supplies - ultimately the Palestinian water supplies are governed by Israeli authorities, thus in order to move forward with any supply projects such as drilling or laying pipes, the Palestinian Water Authority must approach the Israeli authorities and go through a complex process to see things through. This system has seen some projects stalled for over a decade.
The situation has seen organisations like the Red Cross, step in and supply needed water to regions that have not been able to move forward because of the lengthy processes required to undertake projects. There are an abundance of homes not connected to any form of water grid and the situation is being described by many as a crisis.
Any peace negotiations seeking the wellbeing, safety and protection of both Israelis and Palestinians must include the ability for Palestinian authorities to govern their own water supplies especially as the region copes with drought. Surely each people group has the right to govern it’s own ability to provide for its citizens.
To read comment from Shaddad Attili, the head of the Palestinian Water Authority, see the story at IRIN discussing this issue.
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Photo: Shabtai Gold/IRIN.
Posted on July 17, 2008 - by Frank
Rape as a Method of Warfare
Often in war times, woman, children and the elderly are abused and mistreated. Seen as the weakest in society, they make easy targets and the crimes committed against them amount to crimes against humanity.
Sexual violence against females, both young and old, is a dark and often unspoken method used in many current war situations. Darfur has helped to highlight this situation, being the biggest case of rape being used as a systematic weapon of warfare, ever.
Posted on July 16, 2008 - by Frank
The World Food Crisis and Agricultural Protectionism
A recent leaked report from the World Bank shows that the reason for the sharp increase in global food prices that has lead to an escalating world food crisis is biofuels and the redirection of needed wheat and maize stocks from the European Union and the U.S towards the production of such fuels.
One thing not being addressed is the clear centrality the EU and US have in supplying such an essential food group to large parts of the world and the dependence of developing nations on these two powerhouses to supply such food needs.
Posted on July 15, 2008 - by Frank
The ICC Seeks the Arrest of the Sudanese President
Three years ago, the UN Security Council requested that International Criminal Court Prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, investigate the situation in Darfur. He has undertaken that request thoroughly and based on his research he has just brought the evidence for genocide and crimes against humanity to the judges of Pre-Trial Chamber 1.
The case clearly points to Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir being the mastermind behind the genocide. The statements are strong:
(more…)
Posted on July 15, 2008 - by Frank
Darfur: A Call to Action - Video
This is a challenge to faith groups, to act in the Darfur crisis.
Posted on July 13, 2008 - by Frank
Darfur and the ICC
This in from the International Criminal Court:
On Monday 14 July, Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo will submit to the Judges of Pre-Trial Chamber I his evidence on crimes committed in the whole of Darfur over the last five years. The filing will be public and a summary there of will be made available. After submitting the filing to the Judges the Prosecutor will brief the press together with Deputy Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda.
This case has been building for some time and Reliefweb reports that this update could include the release of an arrest warrant for the Sudanese President, Omar Hassan al-Bashir with charges of genocide and crimes against humanity.
Humanitarian organisations are being cautioned because of possible outbreaks of violence should this occur.
Posted on July 12, 2008 - by Frank
Darfur - A Summary
The crisis in Darfur is a problem many have heard of but have failed to grasp. This article is designed to be a quick summary rather than an exhaustive explanation. It is designed to give people a quick understanding of the crisis.
To see a visual/video summary, go to the end of the post.
To understand the history that feeds into the situation and to see the most organised current humanitarian efforts see the Wikipedia article on the situation and visit www.savedarfur.org, an alliance of over 100 faith based, humanitarian and human rights organisations.
Posted on May 22, 2008 - by Frank
Burma / Myanmar Update - Word from the Field
First hand Report Ayerayawaddy District
We were invited to visit the affected area, an area that we had been to in the past, with a leader who was returning to his native village. He had been visiting his home village with his eleven year old son on the night of the storm.
As the wind and rain increased he had realised that there was going to be a lot of damage so he went from house to house in his community and persuaded people to move from their bamboo and wooden houses into the brick church building, The next morning he went with his son intoYangon for help, travelling by boat, motorbike and foot, arriving cold, wet and exhausted in the evening.
Posted on May 15, 2008 - by Frank
Slave Labour - India
Six young fashion heads from the U.K experience the labour in India used to make the clothes they love:
Filmed by BBC3.
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