NGO's involved
Whenever a big natural disaster happens, Non-Governmental Organizations will take action and will try to do as much as they can. One of these NGO’s is the Dutch organization Giro 555.
Giro 555 (Dutch)
Giro 555 is a Dutch organization collecting money for big disasters. Their aim is to collect as much money as possible so they can provide help to the victims of the disaster. The organization is part of the SHO (Samenwerkende Hulporganisaties). This is a group of cooperating organizations and have been working together first in 1984 and decided to sign a contract 1989. Ever since has Giro 555 been collecting money and to give a short overview, the top 5 largest amount of money collected in the past years have been put into a table.
|
When, who, where |
Amount of money collected |
|
2004-2005: Victims of the earthquake and Tsunami in Asia |
€208 million |
|
2010: Victims of the earthquake in Haiti |
€111 million |
|
1999-2000: Victims of civil war in Kosovo |
€52 million |
|
2005: Victims of the Earthquake in Pakistan, India and Afghanistan |
€42 million |
|
1988-1999: Victims of typhoon Mitch in Latin America |
€37 million |
UK Aid (UK)
Also governments are intervening. This goes for the UK government, especially for its Department of International Development (DFID). Their aim is to make an end to the extreme poverty. They are ending the need for aid by creating jobs, unlocking of the potential of girls and women and helping to save lives when humanitarian emergencies hit. The UK Aid is supported by 2 non-departmental bodies: the Commonwealth Scholarship in the UK and the Independent Commission for Aid Impact. The UK Aid id recognisable by its logo in health clinics, school books and emergency food supplies but also the publicly acknowledge development funded by the UK taxpayer.
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-development
10 days after the Typhoon has devastated the Philippines, a UK airplane has arrived containing heavy equipment. In the short movie below you can see what exactly happened.
US Aid (US)
Not only the UK government is intervening, also the US government is sending people, equipment and other basics for life to the Phillippines. USAID is an abbreviation and stands for U.S. Agency for International Development. The foundation of USAID came with the spirit of progress, innovation and a reflection of American’s values, character and fundamental belief in doing the rights things. USAID takes action whenever there’s a crisis, whenever rights are violated, whenever hunger, disease and poverty rob people of opportunity. They represent the American people to help expand prosperity and dignity to the world’s most vulnerable. Based on the speech of President J.F. Kennedy, USAID has been founded. The main aims of USAID are therefore also parts of the speech of Kennedy and can be found on the following link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3AB3xvqZfU
On the website of the USAID they show their results as well as their progress on certain cases. A few of the achievements of USAID can be read below.
Ø More than 3 million lives are saved every year through USAID immunization programs. And thanks to USAID, over 850,000 people have been reached with USAID HIV prevention education, and 40,000 people have been trained to support HIV/AIDS programs in their own countries.
Ø More than 50 million couples worldwide use family planning as a direct result of USAID's population program.
Ø With the help of USAID, 21,000 farm families in Honduras have been trained in improved land cultivation practices which have reduced soil erosion by 70,000 tons.
Ø USAID has targeted some $15 million in technical assistance for the energy sectors of developing countries. U.S. assistance has built a $50 billion annual market for private power. U.S. firms are capturing the largest share of the $50 billion annual market for private power in these markets.
United Nations
The UN is the biggest NGO on the world. Everybody knows it and has heard something about it. The UN came to its existence after the Second World War after the League of Nations didn’t work out. Since the UN was founded their main goals are stated in the Charter of the United Nations. In Chapter 1.1; The purposes of the United Nations are stated:
The Purposes of the United Nations are:
1. To maintain international peace and security, and to that end: to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace, and to bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity with the principles of justice and international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the peace;
2. To develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace;
3. To achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character, and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion; and
4. To be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of these common ends.
https://www.un.org/en/documents/charter/chapter1.shtml
In the Philippines case, the UN is sending troops to find people in the mess and helping others by handing out food and clothes. Further, the chief of the UN is a Filipino and addresses the victims. https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/un-chief-ban-ki-moon-appeals-aid-philippines-hurricane-victims-1429983
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Sources:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-development
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-development/about
https://www.usaid.gov/what-we-do