While there is no question that there are near-overwhelming needs emerging in Florida and the Caribbean as the damage from Irma slowly becomes clear, it's important to remember that there are multiple disasters throughout the world that are impacting large numbers of people and can use our aid. I'm going to talk about a couple of them, and also add some new links related to Harvey and/or Irma. Please feel free to add good resources for any of these humanitarian crises in the comments.
Famine (and Cholera) in Yemen
The current level of hunger in Yemen is unprecedented and causing severe hardship for millions of people. Now, 17 million people in the country are food insecure, meaning they do not have enough food. Of these, 6.8 million - that is almost one in four people - are severely food insecure and rely entirely on external assistance. The rate of child malnutrition is one of the highest in the world.
The nutrition situation continues to deteriorate. A recent survey showed that almost one third of families have gaps in their diets, and hardly ever consume foods like pulses, vegetables, fruit, dairy products or meat. More than 3 million pregnant and nursing women and children under 5 need support to prevent or cure malnutrition.
Who is responding:
- World Food Programme - UN affiliated and global in its reach. It is working in 17 governorates (near as I can figure, equivalent of a state) and is trying to scale to country-wide.
- Oxfam International - Since July 2015 Oxfam has reached more than one million people in eight governorates of Yemen with water and sanitation services, cash assistance, and food vouchers. In response to a 2017 outbreak of cholera, Oxfam is delivering water, sanitation, and hygiene to help prevent the spread of the disease.
- Mercy Corps - links to a very good discussion of how famines develop, and what factors exacerbate and contribute to famine.
- Doctors without Borders (MSF)- I remain a big fan of MSF.
Rohingya Refugee Crisis
Rohingyans are a Muslim minority within Myanmar (Burma) that are systematically persecuted by the Buddhist majority. They are denied citizenship within Myanmar, and access to education, jobs, etc. See this article for detailed background. In recent years, there has been a mass migration/fleeing by the Rohingyans, but few countries will accept them, and many are now in refugee camps under dire conditions.
Who is responding
Irma/Harvey updates
- The Miami Foundation has compiled a great set of links to local relief funds for Irma response and recovery.
- UNICEF is responding to Antigua and Barbuda, arguably two of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Irma
- United Methodist Committee on Relief is responding to both Hurricane Harvey and Irma.
- Mennonite Disaster Service is gearing up for long-term recovery work after Harvey and Irma. See this article for a good description of how they work
- The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands has set up a fund for recovery and rebuilding.
- Good article from ColorLines about ways to help people of color after Irma.
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