MSF: Top 10 humanitarian crisis of 2009
[i-MSF: Afghan elder with child]
Just like Christmas carols, pennies in the Salvation Army collection tin, loads of booze, turkey experiments in the oven, and presents you never asked for, MSF (or "Doctors without Borders" for the Anglophones) has its annual traditions too: Every year-end, them release theirs "Top Ten Humanitarian Crisis of 2009".
On The Road, we have the tradition of summarizing this Top 10 of "world shame" (see our 2008 and 2007 posts).
Top 10 humanitarian crisis of 2009[i-Top 10 humanitarian crisis of 2009]MSF began with the "Top Ten" list in 1998, when a famine in southern Sudan went largely unreported in the US media. Maybe due to the CNN effect ("no media attention, no aid pesos"), MSF went a more commercial course last year, converting "the most Underreported Crisis" list, to "the Top 10 Humanitarian Crisis".
This year, MSF reports in their top 10:
For as far as I am concerned, the 2009 list could just have been a cut and paste from the 2008 list. Except that for one reason or the other, Zimbabwe was dropped from "The List". Maybe it was considered a hopeless case anyway. How about including violence in South Africa, tribal turbulence in Kenya, sexual violence and child labour in many parts of Africa, increased hunger and malnutrition in the US, large scale displaced people in Colombia, the increase of urban poverty, inaccessibility to food rather than unavailability of food....
Guess MSF might have been a bit short of inspiration and imagination this year. But then again, in all due fairness, their "Top 10 List of Shame" is a must-read. Check out the excellent pictures list which goes with the Top 10.
How about this, why don't we start our own "2009 Humanity's Shame Top 10" list? Stay tuned, will announce it soon.
Update:
1. We kicked off our "Humanity's Shame Top 1o". Accepting nominations on this post.
2. Nominations are closed. You can vote for your "Humanity's Shame" on this post.
3. The poll results are out. Check out this post for our "Humanity's Shame Top 10"
Picture courtesy Jobi Bieber/MSF
Condition Critical: MSF on DRC
[Loband: Embedded Object Removed - http://blip.tv/play/AYGyp2UC]
Today, 44,000 people are reported to be on the run again in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Do me a favour. Leave a message on Condition Critical, MSF's advocacy and awareness campaign about the plight of people in the DRC.
It is a small deed, as a sign of solidarity. May it help stop the violence.
Picks of the Week: Green, Ethics in Business and Shattered Lives
[i-Shattered Lives]
The interesting links I harvested this week:
- MSF (Doctors Without Borders) Belgium launched Shattered Lives, an advocacy campaing concentrating on sexual violence affecting the lives of women, men and children.
- If you are interested in political and social justice reporting Mother Jones might be your thing.
- Sean Gallagher is a photographer we have featured before on The Road. His blog has interesting videos and pictures from his travels in China and North Korea, and side notes of his travels.
- I have not figured out Duckrabbit's blog fully, but I *do* know it has loads of advocacy and media projects related to development and humanitarian issues. Definitively worth a bookmark.
- On the homepage of ApeSphere, I read: "The place of business in society needs to change. Profits can no longer come before people or planet." Hear Hear!
- The Real 100 is a mix between business with ethics, ethics with business, noble thoughts, inspiration and values. I did not make that very clear, did I?
Try this then: It contains articles based on a list of organisations and companies that inspire. Got that? Now go and get inspired, will you? Have a look.
More Picks of the Week on The Road.
Picture courtesy MSF Belgium Read the full post...
MSF video: An ad too far?
The UK branch of MSF - Doctors without Borders - launched a new advertisement campaign in the movie theaters. On their website, they asked for feedback, claiming "It is our attempt to make a deliberate move away from some traditional charity advertising which can tend to focus on images of starving children."
The video stirred up quite a bit of noise on the "aid watch dog" blogs: Aid Watch and Aid Thoughts. Also the esteemed Philantrophy gave a pitch (Update: see further below for the other "usual suspects" joining in ;-) ). While the commentary has now been disabled on the MSF website (I wonder why, Mr and Mrs MSF, as you "would really appreciate your feedback on the ad." - Update: this is incorrect.. apparently there were never any comments possible on the MSF website.. Confusing.. - see updates below and Marc's comments), the discussion continues on Osocio. The MSF web editor also joined the discussion on DuckRabbit...
By coincidence, just a few days ago, I published a post about an effective UNICEF ad campaign, and praised MSF for their simplicity of this ad. As usual, BBC picked up on the trend we set on The Road (eh), and published a whole picture series about "Branding" humanitarian aid.
So, the discussion of publicity around humanitarian aid is on... Let's have a look at this (in)famous MSF video then:
[Loband: Object Removed -]
My train of thoughts were (in sequence):
My verdict: MSF: you went an ad too far. Realism is one thing. Faking circumstances just for the effect to shock, is another. And publicly claiming "the child's cries are real, but I don't see what the point is", clearly shows you guys indeed have no freaking clue what the point is. Which makes me then think: who are these people who claim to be humanitarians if they don't see the human aspect of it all?
My verdict: humanitarian ad trash.
Beeeeeeeeh!
Update 1:
Aidworkers joining the discussion: Aidworker Daily and Martyns in Africa, In Development, Humanitarian Relief.
Update 2:
I wrote to Marc Dubois, Executive Director MSF UK this morning:Marc,
As an aidworker, as a humanitarian, and as a human being, I deplore MSF UK's poor judgement and even worse, poor taste in a airing a clearly faked and sensationalistic video "The Boy".
I regret even more MSF's handling of the communications around this video:
- putting it on your website as "our attempt to make a deliberate move away from some traditional charity advertising which can tend to focus on images of starving children."..
Well, you did better than showing images of starving children. You aired the sound of it.
- Asking for feedback and then disabling comments (and deleting them) from your website
- Half-assed "I don't speak on behalf of MSF" of your web editor on different blogs, with a clear poor judgement in responses, and not seeing "the point".
What will be next? Will you broadcast live the image of a child dying? "MSF-Aid-Cam: See Children Die Unless You Donate Now"
Poor quality, poor judgement of an organisation who was judged by many to be 'different'... And up and above, I take offense of the hypocrisy of your communications. Don't ask for feedback unless if you want it. Don't claim to be un-sensational if you are.
I welcome your response which will be published on the web via http://www.theroadtothehorizon.org
Kindly,
Peter
Update 3:
I got some offline comments via Email questioning if I was not too hard on the MSF webeditor, who clearly stated to 'act on his own behalf, and not representing MSF' on different blogs...
My answer: I don't want to target anyone in particular and certainly not personally. However, I think it is a bit of poor judgement if someone enters a discussion clearly stating they work for the organisation, and expecting not to be seen as "representing that organisation" as such... If I am in the field, wearing a Tshirt of an organisation, and speak to the press, I can expect the 'general public' to link my comments to my organisation...
I also want, from my personal perspective, add that sometimes, as aidworkers, we are in a bit of a bind as to up to where we are representing (and are loyal to) ourselves, our values, our beliefs and up to what point the organisation's. Up to what point we should speak up or be quiet if we don't agree. Certainly if there is a situation which is not right, or goes against our convictions... A particularly tricky point if it involves media or any other public means of communicating.
Update 4:
Quite a bit of offline comments going around via Email. A correction/adjustment is in place: Apparently there were never comments enabled on the MSF UK webpage with the video. Even though the blog on which MSF asks to leave comments says: "You can give your comment here on Osocio or on this page at the MSF website." Beh...
It seems originally MSF requested for feedback by Email to their head of communications directly, but the pure volume of response was too high. See also the comments on this blog.
Anyways, if you want to call or email anyone at MSF UK, you can find all their details here.
But let's not diverge from the main topic of the discussion: "Did this ad go too far or not?"
Update 5:
Paul @humanitarian.info and Amanda @feucontinu, Transitionland and Stop Genocide also joined the discussion on their blogs.
Picture of the Day: MSF in a message
[i-link]
I previously posted how a UNICEF ad gave a clear, simple and hard message. This -almost blank- ad for Medecins Sans Frontieres or Doctors Without borders beats anything on simplicity.
More Pictures of the Day on The Road
Picture courtesy La Cocina Creativa and Agencia McCann-Erickson.
MSF's Top Ten Humanitarian Crisis
At the end of the year, MSF (Doctors Without Borders) used to publish their "top 10 under-reported crisis". Now, their hit list is called plainly "Top 10 Humanitarian Crisis".
No "under-reporting" this year. Guess there were sufficient press spotlights turned to the humanitarian aspect of any crisis:
Myanmar's cyclone emergency was an excellent opportunity for the West to wedge some cracks in the Generals' totalitarian regime and the press was present.
Zimbabwe got its fair share due to the West's tendency to collectively sideline 'no-longer-wanted' leaders from African countries. And the press was present.
Somalia got floodlights due to the piracy plague. Sexy subject, and the press was present.
I still think a full blown crisis was avoided in DRC when the media jumped onto the plane direction Goma real fast. Fast enough for the different warring parties to sit around the table and go chest-thumping. A million people affected by the crisis.
So no "under-reporting" this year. MSF still wanted their top 10. And no surprises as to who got listed. Some of them have been in there for years: Somalia, Ethiopia, DRC, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Sudan and Iraq. With a special emphasis for TBC/HIV co-infection and malnutrition. (Full)
Picture courtesy Sven Torfinn (MSF) Read the full post...
News: The Most Under-reported Stories of 2007
A father waits with his son to receive health care at an MSF clinic in Myanmar[i-A father waits with his son to receive health care at an MSF clinic in Myanmar]
- Displaced fleeing war in Somalia face a humanitarian crisis
- Political and economic turmoil sparks health-care crisis in Zimbabwe
- Drug-resistant Tuberculosis spreads as new drugs go untested
- Expanded use of nutrient dense ready-to-use foods crucial for reducing childhood malnutrition
- Civilians increasingly under fire in the Sri Lanka conflict
- Conditions worsen in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
- Living precariously in Colombia’s conflict zones
- Humanitarian aid restricted in Myanmar
- Civilians caught between armed groups in the Central African Republic
- As Chechen conflict ebbs, critical humanitarian needs still remain
Picture courtesy Claude Mahoudeau/MSF.