December 5th, World Volunteer Day Fri 7-Dec-2007
Posted by xgeorgio in Aid, ReliefWeb, Volunteers.Tags: Africa, famine, hunger, Kevin Carter, pulitzer, volunteer
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A few days ago, a friend sent me this image by email, along with many others. I was immediately struck by the sight, but then I remembered a few things I’ve heard from CNN’s Anderson Cooper, after his visit in Africa:
“…These things happen in the world, whether we’re aware of them or not, it’s always there even when we’re not there to see it. We have an obligation to tell their story, tell the world that they exist…“
This is a small token for the World Volunteer Day that went unnoticed on December 5th.
(click to enlarge)
A day full of red ribbons Thu 29-Nov-2007
Posted by xgeorgio in Aid, ReliefWeb, Volunteers.Tags: AIDS, HIV, origin, outbreak, prevention, red ribbon
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In two days, December 1st, the media all over the world will be filled again with those pretty red ribbons, at the edge of a newspaper, on the corner of the TV screen, beside the logo of major websites. It is that special day of every year that many people see it, but don’t realize exactly what it means. Young children may even think that this means Christmas is near!
Unfortunately, it is not so. I mean, yes, the Christmas is near, but not for the whole world. The “Red Ribbon” campaign was inspired some years ago as a motto for global awareness against HIV, a very special and very resilient virus that is haunting the medical community since the early ’80s. Although the first incident of death from AIDS was recorded as the “the Congolese man” in 1959, the AIDS epidemic officially begun on the 5th of June 1981.
What is wrong with Greenpeace today? Wed 21-Nov-2007
Posted by xgeorgio in Environment, ReliefWeb, Volunteers.Tags: Greenpeace whales whaling iPhone fishing
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I remember in the ‘80 when Greenpeace used to have the reputation of the most active, independent and straightforward non-government organization (NGO) for the environment and the planet. I remember seeing zodiacs cruising alongside enormous tankers and taking a bulk of barrels full of toxic wastes as they were disposed carelessly into the open ocean, running between big whaler ships and some whales to protect them from being harpooned. I remember the bombing of their ship inside a port from the French secret services, causing actual deaths and the world’s sympathy.
A couple of months ago, Greenpeace issued a report with the title “Missed call: iPhone’s hazardous material” (pdf), which described how toxic is the new Apple’s gadget. A few weeks later, Slashdot reported that Greenpeace admitted more or less a fraud, having targeted iPhone and other products merely to catch the headlines.
Volunteering links page on-line Sun 4-Nov-2007
Posted by xgeorgio in Aid, Education, Environment, Rights, Volunteers.Tags: volunteer e-volunteer e-learning OLPC UN ActionAid MSF
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I’ve just finished a short but valuable list of sites and portals about volunteering and e-volunteering. It’s pretty much a directory of all the major organizations and communities regarding regional and virtual volunteers for all kinds of projects, ranging from on-site humanitarian aid and peace corps to e-volunteering in virtual projects and e-learning material. Since this list is always useful, I’ve decided to put it up as a static page, you can access it through the navbar (direct link here).
