Tag: Emergency Response

Happy Birthday, Dadaab!

The world’s largest refugee camp turns 20 years-old this week. The Dadaab in Kenya welcomes approximately 1,300 refugees a day and is currently a haven to almost half-a-million people escaping war-torn neighboring countries like Somalia. Originally designed with a capacity to hold 90,000, Dadaab, located about 60 miles from the Kenya-Somalia border was only meant …

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Stopping Prison Abuse In Libya

Recently all I have been hearing on the news about Libya is the issue of prisoner abuse.  It has been alleged that the prisons scattered throughout Libya are the sites of reprisals against the supporters of the ousted Gaddafi regime, as well as people the militias have grudges against due to tribal and regional differences.  …

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Understanding the Connections: Refugees and Education

A few years ago, my friend introduced me to a new author she really enjoyed, Dave Eggers.  I first read his work You Shall Know My Velocity, then moved on to his autobiographical book Heartbreaking Work of a Staggering Genius.  Not only did I love his writing, but also when I read his life story, …

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Two-Year Anniversary of Haitian Earthquake

When was the last time you thought about Haiti?  If you’re anything like me, it was probably a long time ago.  It’s been almost exactly two years since the devastating earthquake that brought Haiti to the forefront of the international consciousness, and a lot of things have happened since then.  Kim Jong-Il’s death, the Arab …

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Arab League Threatens Syria with Sanctions

Two weeks ago the Syrian government agreed to ends its crackdown on anti-government demonstrators, a development I was skeptical of.  I hoped that the Syrian government was legitimately ready to end the violence, but worried that President al-Assad’s history of broken peace agreements was a sign that he was not going to commit to a …

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Escapándose del cambio ambiental

Read this post in English Cada invierno, los habitantes de Florida ven un aumento de “snowbirds” en sus comunidades. Los “Snowbirds” son norteños que migran al Sur durante el verano. Su migración es debida a los duros inviernos del Norte y su búsqueda de calor en el estado con Rayos de Sol. A pesar de …

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Happy 7 Billionth Birthday?

Yesterday, October 31st, we saw the earth’s population reach 7 billion people. Oddly enough, I didn’t feel the ground shake or claustrophobia overwhelm me when I went outside. Instead, it was not until my Twitter feed started sharing all sorts of stories about what should/would/has happened and how us humans are going to face the …

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Escaping Environmental Change

Every winter, Floridians see an increase of “snowbirds” in their communities. Snowbirds are Northerners who migrate South during the winter. Their migration is due to the harsh winters in the North and their seeking the warmth found in the Sunshine state. While their experience is due to difficult weather conditions, it is very different to …

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Separated in the Midst of Chaos

In the midst of chaos and uncertainty caused by a natural disaster, many worries cross people’s mind. Will this tornado uproot my house? Will this hurricane flood my business? Will a tsunami displace my family from our hometown? The concerns for safety and security abound, followed by thoughts on the financial impact caused by this …

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Unknown and Unwanted

What if your home was no longer yours? What if you were a guest in a place you once called your own? As I prepared for a fact-finding trip to Colombia in May 2010, I tried to do my homework. I looked up demographic and country data, information on the people I was meeting with …

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