Forgotten Emergencies - Out of sight, out of mind?

10 September, 6:00 pm

FILE PHOTO: World Vision provided emergency relief to families facing drought on the Horn of Africa.
Photo by Lisa Berglund. ©2008 World Vision International

Technology now allows people across the globe to witness outrages, atrocities and the aftermath of natural hazards. Yet, why are some disasters neglected?

Why is so little attention given to the ongoing humanitarian disasters in Congo, Chechnya and Haiti while there are massive citizen movements focused on Darfur? Why did the international community pour vast resources into the Asian tsunami, but much less for the drought in Africa occurring at the same time?

World Vision’s journal on human development, “Global Future” examines questions like: Why are some emergencies forgotten while others are not? How can an over-stretched humanitarian community address all emergencies? And what are the implications of this for our responsibility to protect vulnerable groups, especially children?

We invite you to read and think through these important issues. May we strive to remember children and families whose lives hang in the balance, even when media interest has waned, and global attention has moved on to other things.