Disaster Relief.
COMPASSION EXCHANGE ™
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A MOVEMENT OF COMPASSION
A visionary aspect of Compassion Exchange ™ initiative is to provide funding for causes in partnership with organizations that provides the manpower for relief services.
Compassion Exchange ™ advocates partnering with other organizations in this space that have the expertise and resources for disaster relief to deliver certain aspects of a particular project or to provide general assistance where needed.
A social network aggregator connecting individuals and organizations who want to change the world Making Good Happen.
When A Disaster Strikes, Recovery Efforts Led By People Who Live And Work In Affected Communities Are Often Overlooked And Underfunded.
Compassion Exchange ™ is a movement purposed to make good happen. We’re shifting decision-making power to crises-affected communities through holistic compassionate support.
Disaster relief is always needed and necessary!
Compassion empowers the heart with empathy, hopefulness and goodwill. Humanitarian crisis is a compassionate opportunity for humanitarian empathy. Giving is an expression of love and money is a symbol of security.
How Unity And Common Purpose Can Help Us DefeatThis Virus
Each of us has a role to play in overcoming this pandemic.
Industry leaders are at the forefront of efforts to manage the crisis.
By working together, we can emerge from this stronger and better connected.
The phrase, “It takes a village,” has never been more timely. The COVID-19 pandemic is a call to action for everyone to work together and flatten the curve.
When nations, leaders and everyday people unite, we can change the trajectory of COVID-19 by following the science and mobilizing a response. Each of us has a role to play, whether through innovation or altruism, and so many people are stepping up and scaling up for the good of humanity.
I’m reminded of the beloved entertainer, Fred Rogers, who said that in times of disaster,“look for the helpers.
You will always find people who are helping”. That sentiment is a source of comfort and an important reminder that we are not alone.
Unity In The Age Of The Pandemic
Overcoming Ethiopia’s Poverty Crisis: Breaking the Cycle by Promoting Financial Independence and Sustainability
Conflict erupted in northern Ethiopia’s Tigray region in November 2020, fueled by political turmoil and threatening foreign intervention. The situation has triggered a humanitarian crisis of tremendous proportions, where over 60,000 Ethiopian refugees have crossed over Sudan’s neighoring borders in hopes to flee the mass murders, sexual violence, and famine.
The Situation in the Tigray Region: How Bad Is It?
The gravity of the situation cannot be overstated. Tigray is currently experiencing the world’s worst famine recorded in the last ten years. The famine has less to do with drought or failed harvests and more with political conflict and the parties’ efforts to purposefully obstruct desperately needed humanitarian aid. According to UN figures, 5 million Ethiopians, including mostly children and women, are undernourished and facing severe health risks. Over 400,000 in the Tigray region are on the verge of starvation.
Additional challenges that Ethiopia has faced in recent years have exacerbated the situation in Tigray. These include a hunger crisis, devastating locust swarms, long periods of drought, and the COVID-19 pandemic. This is especially alarming given that, until 2020, Ethiopia was well on pace to reach its target of having fewer than 3% of its people living below the national poverty level by 2029. Achieving such a feat would have been a first in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The lack of land is also a serious problem for the majority of Ethiopians. Without land, people cannot grow crops to generate a decent income and feed their families. This is one of the many facets of rural poverty that’s afflicting generation after generation in Ethiopia.
But although the country’s economic regress does not seem to be slowing down, immense work from international intervention is being done to help Ethiopia back on its feet and
Contributing to Concrete Results: What’s Being Done Today?
The day-to-day survival in Ethiopia is a crisis that innocent people have had to endure for their entire lives. Some organizations are doing valuable work to alleviate this pressure from the most vulnerable families. Concern is an international humanitarian organization that “strives for a world free from poverty, fear and oppression.”
One of their main goals is to provide families in critical situations with small loans which they can trade for cattle animals like sheep, oxen, and cows. It’s incredibly efficient as it is based around helping people build their own assets and become financially stable. This way, these families end up with a sustainable income that they can invest however they see fit. It may not look like much, but these small steps towards financial recovery are the
The UN is also raising awareness around the crisis in Ethiopia. One of their most pressing points is that fighting poverty in Ethiopia needs to go hand-in-hand with the measures that primarily promote economic growth. These measures address a wide variety of socio- economic needs such as healthcare, access to quality education, employment opportunities, and social and economic safety.
You Can Make the Change Happen: Compassion Exchange ™
The most efficient way for everyone, as part of the global community, to be involved in solving the Ethiopian crisis today is to donate money to humanitarian organizations, no matter the amount.
As a non-profit organization for donation requests and support, we at Compassion Exchange ™, have made it our mission to fully support these causes and provide the necessary effort to help solve humanitarian crises around the world. With your valuable contributions, we can create a significant and long-lasting impact on the lives of Ethiopians.
Venezuela: A Political War Leading to a Humanitarian Crisis
The crisis in Venezuela started under the presidency of Nicolás Maduro, where the economy completely collapsed. Even the most basic supplies were hard to get, and the exodus of Venezuela significantly increased, with more than 5 million people leaving the country in the past years.
Maduro and the opposition are engaged in a war over political power The UN has accused Venezuela of using a strategy of instilling fear in its population to retain power, and urged the authorities to stop criminalizing civil society.
The strong stand of the UN with the Venezuelan people and against Maduro’s regime proves that the political situation has been deeply affecting the living standards in the country.
Imposing Sanctions is Not the Answer
According to the UN, the sanctions imposed on Venezuela that initially aimed at preventing Maduro’s regime from profiting from any business transaction in petroleum, gold, mining, food, and banking industries, backfired on the average person in Venezuela.
A UN independent human rights expert expressed her concern over the devastating impact of the sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union, and other countries.
It is argued that it only worsened the already existing economic crisis where people don’t have access to clean water, electricity, food, medicine, and health services.
“The devastating effect of sanctions imposed is multiplied by extra-territoriality and over-compliance adversely affecting public and private sectors, Venezuela citizens, non-governmental organizations, third-country national and companies.”
—said Alena Douhan, Special Rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures and human rights.
The exodus and departure of Venezuelans is also a sign of the increasing level of poverty with 92.2% of households in poverty and 64% in extreme poverty during 2020.
With the political, socio-economic, and now COVID-19 crisis, the United Nations is constantly calling for global solidarity to help both the migrants and those still living inside the sanctioned country.
Global Solidarity is Desperately Needed
2,000 Venezuelans a day are crossing to all parts of Latin America, with Women and Children as a majority. These people have fled their country looking for better opportunities, and most of them have lost their jobs and started skipping meals to survive. And with the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 4 in 10 have cut down the amount they eat.
The UN has called for global solidarity for the most vulnerable. UNHCR and the UN migration agency IOM are predicting that winter for Venezuelan migrants will be extremely difficult and they are inviting all humanitarian parties to donate and help support the needy.
One example of providing global support is Colombia, where president Iván Duque Márquez has announced in February 2021 that 1.7 million Venezuelans will be granted “Temporary Protections Status” for ten years allowing them to access essential services and assistance.
Every humanitarian organization is constantly keeping a close eye on the situation in Venezuela, with an effort to have civilians’ best interests in mind. Agreements were made with the government by The UN World Food Programme (WFP) to supply food to 185,000 children in Venezuela.
A Small Act Can Make the Biggest Difference
Despite all the effort made by humanitarian organizations, Venezuelans are still struggling to survive.
Our role is to raise awareness of their situation and try to get involved. We at Compassion Exchange ™ aim to provide assistance to those who need our help. You can support our cause and donate here.
Every act of kindness, small or big, has the potential to change the world into a peaceful, equal, and poverty-free place.
In times of discontentment, difficulties and despair solidarity provides security, unity and peace.
As the pandemic spread across the globe, individuals, communities, churches and helpful organizations are bridging the gap with a call to action of compassionate kindness and love…
We are indeed our brothers keeper.