|
World's Leading Relief Organizations Use Internet to Combat Afghan Refugee Crisis
Click this button to start helping the Afghan relief effort! WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 22, 2001) - At a National Press Club Morning Newsmaker event, nonprofit organization Relief Interactive (REACT), joined by several leading relief organizations, today announced that it will use innovative technology to allow online newsreaders improved access to the world's leading relief organizations, which should provide more aid to man-made and natural disaster victims faster. Getting enough aid in time can often mean the difference between life and death. While online contributions to date have made some difference in the resources available to relief organizations, there is much room for improvement. REACT aims to bridge that gap. "Emergencies don't wait for government bureaucracies to react," said John Fredriksson, Senior Government Coordinator for UNHCR, the UN refugee agency. "We need to mobilize resources on the front lines in real time. Private contributions are essential because they are available right away. REACT's website is a tool that has the potential to give people accurate information quickly, and simultaneously allow them to donate immediate assistance where it is most needed." The REACT website and newslink uses "one click" technology to connect Internet news readers with up to the minute information on the world's crisis relief efforts and the ability to donate to leading relief organizations instantly. Try it! The button at the top of this article links to the Afghan Relief page at the REACT site. Daniel Wordsworth, a recently returned field-worker from Afghanistan with the Christian Children's Fund knows first-hand how critical the quantity and timing of resources can be for disaster response. "When we first got into Northern Afghanistan in late November, we saw people who were hungry, living in unbelievable conditions, and very much in need of assistance from the world community. A few very dedicated aid agencies were working day and night, overwhelmed by the great need. Compounding the problem was the fact that most of the aid organizations were working around Kabul, the hub of media and humanitarian activity. Northern Afghanistan was, and to an extent, is still a forgotten land. Especially in situations like this, on line news sources are crucial in getting the word out about a humanitarian catastrophe that otherwise could be overlooked." Wordsworth, director of programs for CCF, has served on CCF's emergency response teams in East Timor following the vote for independence, in India following the devastating earthquake in 2001, New York following the Sept. 11 attack and in Afghanistan. REACT's technology can significantly improve the public response to international disaster by applying simple, interactive technology in the place where many people go to find out about breaking disaster-news: Internet news websites. A newslink button in the online news article allows readers to view a complete listing of relief organizations responding to the crisis, get details of each organization's relief activities, and make secure online donations - all with one click. REACT's site is linked with a growing list of relief organizations that respond to crises around the world including American Jewish World Service, Mercy-USA for Aid and Development, United States Association for UNHCR, United States Fund for UNICEF, International Rescue Committee, Oxfam America, CARE, World Relief, Americares, Christian Children's Fund, MAP International, Mercy Corps, American Refugee Committee, International Medical Corps, International Relief Teams, Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children, Action Against Hunger, and United Way International. To ensure quality, REACT's affiliate relief organizations are members of InterAction, the largest alliance of US based International and humanitarian NGOs. With its website fully operational REACT is now in the process of recruiting media organizations to utilize the REACT service. "In simpler times and places the response to a house catching fire was for each individual in the village to come running with a bucket of water. The more people who knew about the fire and the faster they got there, the better the chance the house would be saved", comments Dr. Brady Brown, President and Founder of REACT. "The Internet has the potential to shrink the whole world down to village-size, and REACT can provide a way for everyone to quickly know about the hotspots around the world and to contribute their bucket of water. I want to call on media organizations and individuals alike to take advantage of REACT's utility and make this vision a reality." REACT's technology partner, Ventera Corporation of McLean, VA, has invested more than a quarter of a million dollars to develop the technology to implement the REACT vision. NGEN, an IT firm in Washington, DC is contributing significant resources to host the REACT website. About REACT About InterAction Other NPAdvisors articles about REACT: REACT Forges Key Nonprofit Alliances, Busy Creating Prototype Web Presence November 2000 Relief International: a New Idea in Crisis Fundraising September 2000 | ||
