Banditry, bombings threaten U.N. aid in Darfur

interesting article on MSN.com

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23296308

Thanks for the link, Irish. Things like this really contribute to my feelings of helplessness in issues of war, genocide and famine. Even if I can give of my money and resources to try to make a difference - who's to say that the aid I provide will ever help those who truly need it? As much as people gripe and complain about the government in the US at least we can say that we're blessed to have leaders that (more or less) work for the good of the people.

i know what you mean.

i read this and all i can think is Daoud Hari and his wish when he was in darfur that people come help. people are trying but the aid can't reach where its needed. makes me wonder what darfurians are thinking....they probably think that the world has forgotten them or doesn't care because aid doesn't arrive when that isn't the case.

similar things happened in Rwanda and other war torn countries. It just makes me feel so sad and helpless.

I wanted to revive this thread because it brings to mind for me scenes from movies like Hotel Rwanda or Through the Gates where when the genocide started to escalate in Rwanda the first thing the UN did was evacuate the Americans and Europeans. I always ask myself: if I was there and given the chance to flee to safety, would I stay and try to help or would I save myself?

Quite obviously I have two answers to the question.
I think it marks the difference between the person that I am and the person that I want to be.

>2 elbakerone:

Even if I can give of my money and resources to try to make a difference - who's to say that the aid I provide will ever help those who truly need it?

One charity that I absolutely love is Mercy Corps. Over 90% of contributions are used for actual programs (not fund raising), and they get a 4 star rating from Charity Navigator.

The best thing about MercyCorps is that they hire and train local people. Here is an example of the type of work MercyCorps is doing in Darfur.

Disclaimer: I have absolutely no connection with this organization, other than the fact that they are usually my first choice for donations.

Edited to add one more link.

@5 - Its not the organizations that are taking the money that elbakerone is worried about....or I...its the fact that once that organization buys the needed supplies for the people of Darfur they then run into obstacle and obstacle in trying to get them to where they are needed. There are so many bandits and raiding parties in that area that attack the aid workers and so that many of the donated funds and supplies never make it to their destination despite all the best efforts of organizations like Mercy Corps or Save Darfur

#4 - Read Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. One of the characters is an Englishman who chooses to stay in Biafra with his Igbo friends rather than go back to England or stay in the "safe" part of Nigeria. Everyone in the novel has to decide what is right and what to do in the face of war and starvation.

#6 - This novel also touches on the problems of getting relief to the right people -- often the supply planes/trucks didn't get through and when they did the food and other supplies weren't always distributed fairly.

The DVD for The Devil Came on Horseback: Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur (there's a book, too, but I only have the DVD) by Brian Steidle shows the obstacles on the political side, even by our own government, Steidle having been urged by the State Dept. not to show his pictures and just be quiet about what he saw. Then there's the earlier and very different DVD for Darfur Diaries: Stories of Survival, which also has a book version but I just own the DVD, anyway, it doesn't show the graphic pictures that Steidle's documentary does, but instead focuses on interviews of the survivors and refugees, making them relatable while also letting them speak for themselves to characterize the situation. I reviewed it on Amazon here. And one Pulitzer Prize-winner not focused on Darfur but extremely valuable for understanding the obstacles, problems w/NGOs, government obstacles, etc, is Samantha Power's The Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide

>6 Irisheyz77: Irisheyz77

I did understand the concern, but the MercyCorps website doesn't give any indication of their operations being disrupted. But they are small scale, and focusing on sanitation, medical issues, and job creation rather than food distribution.