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The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021 drove millions into poverty and hunger after foreign aid stopped almost overnight. “Women and girls have been disproportionately affected by the healthcare crisis, particularly because of Taliban abuses,” said the report. “The loss of foreign development aid and Taliban rights violations have caused a catastrophic health crisis in Afghanistan that is disproportionately harming women and girls,” the report quoted Fereshta Abbasi, Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch, as saying. Fifteen of the interviewees, 12 women and three men, were with Afghans who had sought health care. The rights group also talked to Afghan healthcare officials, 10 women and eight men.

Persons: ”, Fereshta Abbasi, Abbasi Organizations: Rights Watch, NATO, Food Program, Human Rights Watch, HRW, Mercy Corps Locations: ISLAMABAD, New York, Afghanistan, Samangan

☆ Clashes on border with Israel uproot thousands in Lebanon - again
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( John Davison | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/4] Children look out from balconies in Shatila Palestinian refugee camp, in Beirut suburbs, Lebanon November 21, 2023. Rostom is Lebanese, Mashouz is a refugee from Syria and Hajeh is a Palestinian refugee. Hajeh has fled his crowded refugee camp four times this year during fighting between militant groups. Since the Israel-Hamas war began seven weeks ago in Gaza, the clashes on Lebanon's border with Israel have displaced nearly 50,000 people, according to U.N. figures, and at least 13 civilians have been killed in Lebanon, Lebanese officials say. Hajeh, the Palestinian refugee, left Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria in 2013 under the bombs of Syrian warplanes.

Persons: Mohamed Azakir, Rose Rostom, Nahida Mashouz, Ammar Hajeh, Rostom, Mashouz, we'd, We've, Jacob Boswall, Ziad Makary, We're, Charbel Alam, Hajeh, Timothy Organizations: REUTERS, Palestinian, Islamic, Hamas, Islamic State, Mercy Corps, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Beirut, Lebanon, Gaza, Israel, Lebanon BEIRUT, Syrian, Islamic State, Western, Iran, Rostom, Syria, Palestinian, Hajeh, Sidon, Raqqa, Rostom's, Europe, tatters, Lebanese, Rmeich, Yarmouk, Ain El, Ain El Hilweh

☆ Humanitarian assistance pledged to Gaza is having 'little-to-no impact': Mercy Corps
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHumanitarian assistance pledged to Gaza is having 'little-to-no impact': Mercy CorpsMercy Corps' Kate Barrasso says very little of the aid pledged to Gaza is reaching the people in need due to Israel's siege on the territory.

Persons: Kate Barrasso Organizations: Mercy Corps Locations: Gaza

☆ Live updates: Israel-Hamas war rages as Gaza evacuations continue
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Tara Subramaniam | Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

"We fear for the worst for our colleagues in Gaza,” Phillips-Barrasso said. Aid agencies have repeatedly warned that shortages of vital supplies including water are contributing to the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Phillips-Barrasso said one person had described waiting nearly 22 hours in a queue to get any sort of drinkable water. One woman, referred to as Nasma, wrote that "at night, we try to guess which room is the safest. My mom insists on sleeping with us even though it is very crowded, so that if we die at night, at least we will die together."

Persons: Kenzo Tribouillard, CNN's Kaitlin Collins, Kate Phillips, Barrasso, ” Phillips, Phillips, Nasma Organizations: Getty Images, Mercy Corps Locations: Gaza, AFP, Israel

☆ 'They're not reaching out to us': How the Israel-Hamas war demolished Gaza's struggling tech economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Palestinian tech workers in the Gaza Strip and West Bank are struggling to operate in the crossfire. AdvertisementAdvertisementPalestinian tech workers have comparatively fewer resources (namely internet connectivity and cash) at their disposal and tend to be reliant on outsourced work. This affects remote workers, freelancers, tech workers, and students who "won't be able to pursue their duties," Shtaya added. It was already difficult to import hardware and other equipment, the West Bank consultant said. Nvidia hired 100 engineers in the West Bank, and Apple also has a presence, TechCrunch reported.

Persons: —, Ryan Sturgill, TechCrunch, Avi Hasson, Israel, Mona Shtaya, Shtaya, PayPal doesn't Organizations: Hamas, West Bank, Service, Aqsa University, Google, Microsoft, TechCrunch, Mercy Corps, Israel Innovation Authority, Nation Central, Gaza Health Ministry, Gaza, Institute, Middle East, Bank, Israel, Wired, PayPal, Tech, Nvidia, Apple Locations: Gaza, Palestinian, Al, Israel, Hamas, Egypt, Europe, Persian

☆ In southern Ethiopia, drought kills livestock amid fears of what comes next
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Dawit Endeshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Roba Galgalo, 26, walks next to his emaciated cows at Kura Kalicha camp for the people internally displaced by drought near Das town, Oromiya region, Ethiopia March 7, 2023. REUTERS/Tiksa NegeriKURA KALICHA, Ethiopia, April 6 (Reuters) - After three years of failed rains, the animals in the southern Ethiopian village of Kura Kalicha are dying. Like its neighbours Somalia and Kenya, southern Ethiopia is enduring the Horn of Africa's worst drought in decades. “Collectively, as communities they have run out of coping mechanisms,” said Kate Maldonado from international aid agency Mercy Corps, who recently visited southern Ethiopia's Somali region. The population across much of southern Ethiopia's lowlands relies overwhelmingly on its livestock, with diets supplemented by basic crops like maize.

☆ Aid reaching Northwest Syria is 'a trickle where there needs to be a flood,' NGO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailAid reaching Northwest Syria is 'a trickle where there needs to be a flood,' NGO saysKate Phillips-Barrasso of Mercy Corps discusses the aftermath of the earthquake that hit Syria and Turkey, and says aid isn't reaching Northwest Syria "at all."

☆ Quake halts UN cross-border aid to Syria, unclear when will resume
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Even before the quake struck in the early hours of Monday, the United Nations estimated that more than 4 million people in northwest Syria, many displaced by the war and living in camps, depended on cross-border aid. Sun-Suon said aid workers were also struggling with limited access to water and power as well as looking for their own colleagues and loved ones. Aid already positioned within the northwest will likely be rapidly depleted, aid officials said. "We have heard there are some supplies in the system for the next 3 - 5 days however our concern is that these will be exhausted rapidly," Kieren Barnes, country director for Mercy Corps Syria, told Reuters. "We will need to significantly increase resources for northwest Syria and ensure supply lines are clear for us to respond."

Zelenskyy has called the Russian attacks on infrastructure “energy terrorism” and vowed the assault won’t change the course of the war. People sit in a dark cafe during a blackout after Russian strikes Dec. 29 in Lviv, Ukraine. Company officials believe Russian engineers who know the vulnerable points in Ukraine’s electricity system most likely advised the Russian military on its targeting. Water and cellphonesThe attack on the country’s electricity grid has had a knock-on effect for other infrastructure, including water supplies and mobile phone service. Although the assault on Ukraine’s infrastructure hasn’t damaged Ukraine’s position on the battlefield or broken the country’s will to fight, it has inflicted “huge damage” on the economy, he said.

☆ Here's an exclusive look at the pitch deck 2 environmental engineers and a crypto enthusiast used to raise $4.1 million for their Web3 carbon-credit startup
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( April Joyner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Open Forest Protocol, a Web3 climate-tech startup, has raised $4.1 million in pre-seed funding. An environmental engineer by trade, he launched a nonprofit devoted to helping reforestation projects find funding. Open Forest ProtocolFournier, Open Forest Protocol's CEO, cofounded the startup with Aureline Grange, a fellow environmental engineer at his nonprofit, and Michael Kelly, an early contributor to the Near blockchain. But on Open Forest Protocol, they can do so at no upfront cost. Here's an exclusive look at a version of the pitch deck Open Forest Protocol used to raise $4.1 million:

☆ U.N. halts some programs in Afghanistan after ban on women aid workers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 28 (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Wednesday that some "time-critical" programs in Afghanistan have temporarily stopped and warned many other activities will also likely need to be paused because of a ban by the Taliban-led administration on women aid workers. "Banning women from humanitarian work has immediate life-threatening consequences for all Afghans. But we foresee that many activities will need to be paused as we cannot deliver principled humanitarian assistance without female aid workers." The ban on female aid workers was announced by the Islamist Taliban-led administration on Saturday. Four major global groups, whose humanitarian aid has reached millions of Afghans, said on Sunday that they were suspending operations because they were unable to run their programs without female staff.

☆ West backs Nigeria's war on extremists, and backs off on human rights
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Reuters Graphic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +21 min

“While respect for human rights is unquestionably a high priority, we have many other equities at stake,” McCulley wrote. He said the focus on human rights had sent relations between the two countries into the “lowest ebb” in his three years there. Nigeria’s human rights record wasn’t only a moral issue – it was a legal one. Working under these laws provided “openings to incentivise and institutionalise” human rights protections within the Nigerian military, the State Department said. The pact also noted that London and Abuja had agreed on an “enhanced human rights dialogue” to ensure compliance with international rights standards.

☆ Pakistan flood victims hit by disease outbreak amid stagnant water
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Syed Raza Hassan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

read moreWith Pakistan's already weak health system and lack of support, displaced families have complained of being forced to drink and cook with disease-ridden water. "The aid is slow to arrive," said Dr. Farah Naureen, Mercy Corps' country director for Pakistan after visiting several submerged regions. "We need to work in a coordinated manner to respond to their immediate needs," she said in a statement late Monday, prioritising clean drinking water. Health and nutrition stand out as the most important needs of the displaced population, she said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterWriting by Asif Shahzad.

☆ Apel către liderii mondiali să facă vaccinarea disponibilă pentru milioanele de refugiaţi
▼ + stars: | 2021-01-01 | by ( ) www.jurnal.md time to read: +2 min

Criza de aici a fost amplificată şi de lipsurile medicale. Acesta a fost descris de oficiali ONU drept ambiţios şi puţin probabil să fie atins fără o serioasă amplificare a resurselor şi o mobilizare politică. UNHCR a precizat că a reuşit să menţină ratele de infecţie în comunităţile strămutate forţat la niveluri comparabile cu populaţiile locale. La jumătatea anului 2020, numărul global celor strămutaţi forţat a depăşit pragul de 80 de milioane, potrivit UNHCR. Peste 50 de milioane de oameni au fost strămutaţi în interiorul ţării lor, cu acces mai scăzut la ajutorul internaţional decât cei care au trecut graniţele.

Persons: Antonio Guterres, UNHCR Organizations: Guardian, ONU Locations: Orientul Mijlociu, Siriei, Irak, SUA, Yemen, Siria

☆ Yemen crisis: How you can help
▼ + stars: | 2015-04-06 | by ( Cnn Staff | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Since Saudi-led coalition airstrikes and intense fighting began in Yemen in late March, it’s estimated that 600 people have been killed. The International Committee of the Red Cross called for an immediate 24-hour ceasefire, to allow humanitarian aid in the most needed areas. As fighting continues in Yemen, several organizations are trying to help provide food, water and medical supplies that are desperately needed. While groups are trying to deploy the necessary resources to Yemen, some have had to temporarily evacuate their staffs for security reasons. Here’s how you can help:Action Against HungerCAREDoctors Without BordersInternational Committee of the Red CrossInternational Rescue CommitteeMercy CorpsOxfam InternationalSave the ChildrenUNICEFUnited Nations FoundationWorld Food Programme

☆ Aid workers in ISIS bull's-eye: 'If not us, then who?'
▼ + stars: | 2015-03-14 | by ( Katie Walmsley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Story highlights Numerous aid workers remain in Syria despite dangers With a lack of government, more than 8 million refugees rely on aid agencies for food, shelter and medical care Many aid agencies have no means of armed defense against attackNew York CNN —Kayla Mueller, Peter Kassig, Alan Henning, David Haines – just a few of the aid workers who have been abducted and killed by ISIS in the past year. The exact number of aid workers currently being held is unknown; a level of secrecy tends to surround details of those currently captive. Abductions and killings of aid workers are, unfortunately, nothing new, but the numbers are. According to Aidworkersecurity.org, at least 155 aid workers were killed in 2013, a 121% increase on 70 recorded killings the year before. ISIS doesn’t just target aid workers.

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