Concern Blogs

Child is treated for malnutrition at Concern's stabilization unit. Photo: Ed Kenney, Concern Worldwide

We know that distributions are only part of the answer and in our focus group discussions, women made it clear: jobs are a priority and work is seen as freedom. ‘If you work, you can have a house and not depend on others … you can eat regularly … Without work you are still a slave,’ said one. Read the rest of this entry »

82nd Airborne provide security at a distribution in the Place de la Paix camp. Photo: Tom Dobbins, Concern Worldwide.

I have just spent the day visiting Concern’s emergency team in the poorest areas of Port-au-Prince. It was a long, hot day—but it was a great day.  I feel very energized and excited about what we have been able to achieve in the past few weeks, and also excited to be able to tell you how  your support is allowing us to make a real and immediate difference here.

We have a great team of more than 250 staff now working in Port-au-Prince; 230 of them are Haitian, and we are recruiting more every day.

Read the rest of this entry »

Why did it take so long to get the aid flowing?

Tom Arnold CEO of Concern Worldwide speaks with Concern partners in Haiti. Photo: Ed Kenney, Concern Worldwide

The sheer devastation of the earthquake was one of the main reasons for this. The airport traffic control towers collapsed. The port was destroyed. Roads were full of rubble and fuel stations were destroyed. People who would normally deal with an emergency were themselves affected, with loss of life, family members and homes. Under such difficult circumstances, it is unsurprising that the aid effort needed time to get going.

Read the rest of this entry »

Concern staff working in 11 countries across the globe gather in Zomba, Malawi to make a noise about the need to provide safe schools for the poorest children.

Education is absolutely fundamental to long-term economic and social development, and yet is historically and notoriously under-funded globally. Programs that address gender-based violence in schools get even less attention and funding.

Standard 8 students in Laini Saba Primary School, Kibera, Nairobi

As I am learning in Concern’s workshop with education staff from the countries in which we work, finding solutions for ensuring that schools are safe learning environments is not the challenge. Our team has many solutions. Throughout the week, each Concern staff member talked about how they were overcoming these challenges in their respective fields. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo: Pieterella Pieterse, Malawi, Concern Worldwide

Last week the picturesque town of Zomba in Malawi was the destination point for 30 Concern education staff. The usually sleepy town was already buzzing with stories that Madonna was in town when our bus pulled into Annie’s Lodge carrying team members from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, US and Ireland.

Read the rest of this entry »

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 Kii Moon launches “World Humanitarian Day.” Read the rest of this entry »