Concern Worldwide
Concern Worldwide is an international humanitarian organisation dedicated to reducing suffering and ending extreme poverty. Founded in the aftermath of Nigeria's Biafra war and famine in 1968, Concern now works on long-term and emergency projects in 26 countries worldwide.
Kenya: Drought Threatens a Way of Life
Anne O'Mahoney, Country Director, Kenya, Concern Worldwide "The hope is that rain will come. It is now due: if it fails again, it will be devastating. It is no coincidence that the word for rain in the Maasai language is the same as that for God." Kenya is currently in the grip of a severe drought that has killed crops, crippled the country's production of food, and caused serious shortages of affordable food in urban areas. But the pastoralist communities in Kenya's rural areas are being hit hardest and most severely. Pastoralists depend on their animals for survival. Their livestock need grass - and the grass needs rain. When the rains fail the cattle die. They are dying like flies at the moment. The Maasai culture is proud and deep. They have seen drought before, but where in the 70's they expected and prepared for drought every 10 years, now the droughts are hitting every two to three years. There is no time to recover and rebuild their stock before the next one hits. The current one is particularly bad, for many the worst in living memory. ...
Malawi: Recognizing the Power of Human Potential
AKM Musha, Country Director, Malawi, Concern Worldwide "These crops you see here during this dry season are the results of our club's dedication and desire to see off poverty once and for all. We are now well equipped, thanks to Concern, to produce enough food - a thing which had eluded this village for many years. In fact, we have given a ray of hope and confidence to many in this village who didn't believe that with enough commitment and hard work, the beast called hunger can be defeated. We will not wait for Concern to come again to our rescue. They did their part and now we have a good foundation to tackle hunger." - Mr. Enock Mbeta, Treasurer, Mtisautsa Community Irrigation Club, Nkhotakota District, Malawi In my role as Country Director for Concern's programs in Malawi - a country that routinely struggles with hunger and extreme poverty - I see examples of the power of human potential in the face of huge odds every day. I see evidence of the fact that families living in poverty have amazing coping skills and resilience - they are able to achieve more than most of us can imagine on less than $1 a day. The people Concern works with in Malawi have very little, and often struggle to feed their families even one meal a day - but they are rich in potential. Despite what they endure and the obstacles they face, these families have a huge amount of hope and believe that they can lift themselves out of hunger if they have opportunity, tools and knowledge. ...
Dealing with death on a daily basis
Today marks the inaugural World Humanitarian Day. Concern Worldwide's Peter Crichton reflects on the issues raised by the event for aid workers, agencies and, most of all, the beneficiaries. On this, the first World Humanitarian Day it seems a good moment to reflect on the four major changes that have transformed humanitarian action over the last three decades. ...
August 19: another quiet summer August day in New York -- or is it?
Dominic MacSorley who wrote the following piece, is director of operations for Concern Worldwide US Since the early days of its founding, the UN has designated days and weeks to draw the world's attention to critical global issues. The yearly calendar, approved by the General Assembly, has almost 50 UN days listed ranging from the well -known "World AIDS Day" to more unusual ones, such as "International Mother Tongue Day." This Wednesday Aug. 19, at a ceremony in the lobby of the UN, a new day will be formally added to the calendar when UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon launches "World Humanitarian Day." ...
