October 13, 2008
Creating Attention For War-Torn Nations
How can aid groups help the public understand the world’s often-overlooked humanitarian crises, asks writers on AlertNet, a Web site created by the Reuters news wire.
According to a recent survey by the British Red Cross, when asked to name countries with ongoing conflicts, most respondents identified Iraq and Afghanistan, but fewer than 1 percent failed to identify Sudan, Somalia, or other war-torn African nations.
“What’s most frustrating is that despite years of effort by the aid community to shine the spotlight on forgotten crises — with lists of top 10s, celebrity visits, and the like — they still rumble on pretty much in the darkness,” says AlertNet’s blog writers, who were not named.
“Bearing in mind the global credit crunch is hogging all the headlines, how would you force the world to start taking more notice of places like eastern Congo? Is the level of awareness in your country as low as in Britain? If so, why?” the writers ask.
What do you think? How can charities gain attention for humanitarian problems?
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Non profits, especially those involved in international humanitarian aid, have the responsibility today to encourage public discourse on what it means to be and act as “global citizens”. The outpouring of aid for tsunami relief was in part due to our awareness that we are all vulnerable to the increasing number of disasters brought on by ecological change. That awareness needs to be deepened by more public discussion of our role as individuals living in a wealthy democracy on “lifeboat earth” today.
— Doug Smith, Church World Service Oct 13, 04:07 PM #