AlertNet Newsblogs
Why do Bangladesh's fishermen dice with death?
By Emma Batha
Many of the people who died in Cyclone Sidr were fishermen. Ships and boats were called to shore days ago, so why did some stay out at sea? Part of the problem is that this time of year is potentially quite lucrative for fishermen. ... Full article
By Emma Batha
Many of the people who died in Cyclone Sidr were fishermen. Ships and boats were called to shore days ago, so why did some stay out at sea? Part of the problem is that this time of year is potentially quite lucrative for fishermen. ... Full article
Cyclone Sidr would have killed 100,000 not long ago
By Emma Batha
The death toll from the monster cyclone that has struck Bangladesh is already in the hundreds. But just 16 years ago a similar cyclone killed over 140,000 people. And another one in 1970 killedaround 500,000. Bangladesh has made huge strides in reducing death tolls in the cyclones that bash its coastline every year. ... Full article
By Emma Batha
The death toll from the monster cyclone that has struck Bangladesh is already in the hundreds. But just 16 years ago a similar cyclone killed over 140,000 people. And another one in 1970 killedaround 500,000. Bangladesh has made huge strides in reducing death tolls in the cyclones that bash its coastline every year. ... Full article
Losing everything in Congo's violent North Kivu
By Kate Thomas
The only thing Manga Mutaka thought he would lose at the Mugunga camp for internally displaced people was his eyesight. In the end, he lost everything.
Mutaka and his family are Twa, or Pygmies, from the volatile Ngongo region of North Kivu province in war-torn eastern Congo. When they tired of a life on the run from escalating rebel clashes, they gave in and came to Mugunga, a camp that houses nearly 30,000 people, 15 km (9 miles) from North Kivu's capital Goma.
... Full article
By Kate Thomas
The only thing Manga Mutaka thought he would lose at the Mugunga camp for internally displaced people was his eyesight. In the end, he lost everything.
Mutaka and his family are Twa, or Pygmies, from the volatile Ngongo region of North Kivu province in war-torn eastern Congo. When they tired of a life on the run from escalating rebel clashes, they gave in and came to Mugunga, a camp that houses nearly 30,000 people, 15 km (9 miles) from North Kivu's capital Goma.
... Full article
Mexico floods: Lives saved, but what about livelihoods?
By Nina Brenjo
The response to last month's flooding in Mexico shows disaster preparedness has come a long way in Latin America. But mitigating the economic damage that natural disasters leave in their wake has proven to be much harder, writes Britain's Economist .
Almost a decade ago, 11,000 people died when Hurricane Mitch hit Central America. Compared with Mitch, the death toll of 25 from flooding and landslides in Mexico's Tabasco and Chiapas state has been "relatively light", according to the magazine. The main difference is that these days people are more likely to be evacuated well in advance.
... Full article
By Nina Brenjo
The response to last month's flooding in Mexico shows disaster preparedness has come a long way in Latin America. But mitigating the economic damage that natural disasters leave in their wake has proven to be much harder, writes Britain's Economist .
Almost a decade ago, 11,000 people died when Hurricane Mitch hit Central America. Compared with Mitch, the death toll of 25 from flooding and landslides in Mexico's Tabasco and Chiapas state has been "relatively light", according to the magazine. The main difference is that these days people are more likely to be evacuated well in advance.
... Full article
Chad child scandal strikes ethical chord in Sri Lanka
By Amjad Mohamed-Saleem
It feels as though the last couple of weeks have been a particularly rough ride for the humanitarian community. Here in Sri Lanka, we feared the worst as news broke on Nov. 2 that the leader of the Tamil Tiger's political wing had been killed in an airforce attack. Further afield, aid groups were trying to limit contagion from the widely criticised attempt by a French volunteer group to fly 103 African children out of Chad.
Whatever the legal outcome of the Chad scandal, the repercussions will be felt for a long time to come. First, it won't improve one bit the negative perception of humanitarian organisations in some quarters, reinforcing the suspicion that aid agencies (particularly those based in Europe and the United States) have a hidden agenda for the developing world.
... Full article
Next entries
By Amjad Mohamed-Saleem
It feels as though the last couple of weeks have been a particularly rough ride for the humanitarian community. Here in Sri Lanka, we feared the worst as news broke on Nov. 2 that the leader of the Tamil Tiger's political wing had been killed in an airforce attack. Further afield, aid groups were trying to limit contagion from the widely criticised attempt by a French volunteer group to fly 103 African children out of Chad.
Whatever the legal outcome of the Chad scandal, the repercussions will be felt for a long time to come. First, it won't improve one bit the negative perception of humanitarian organisations in some quarters, reinforcing the suspicion that aid agencies (particularly those based in Europe and the United States) have a hidden agenda for the developing world.
... Full article
