Tag Archives: humanitarian aid

Ask an aid worker about Haiti

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Lindsey Talerico-Hedren in Conversations

There are few disaster response efforts that have received the level of public scrutiny that has been focused on the international response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake. As a result of the earthquake relief response in Haiti, it’s likely that most Americans have formed their own opinions about humanitarian aid. Questions like these and their answers (or lack of answers) influence our understanding and opinion of aid work: Did my donation really help? Why hasn’t anything been accomplished there? I watched one news channel that looks like everything is progressing quite well, and another that shows everything is in complete disarray. What’s the truth? What’s really happening? Two years seems like enough time to make some progress. Is the aid...

Where should American Christians stand on foreign aid?

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Lindsey Talerico-Hedren in Advocacy, Conversations

As an American Christian, I like to think I do a fair job caring for the world’s poor — those in my own neighborhood and those around the world who have greater financial need than I do. After all, Americans pride themselves on generosity. And Christians desire to be known for their service to others. However, recent news (polls, studies, and political campaigns) suggest otherwise. How do we reconcile this?...

Q & A with USAID’s Raj Shah on the Horn of Africa and foreign assistance

Posted on October 20, 2011 by James Addis in Conversations

Q & A with USAID's Raj Shah | World Vision blog

On Tuesday, Dr. Raj Shah, administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), visited World Vision’s U.S. headquarters in Federal Way, Washington, to talk to our staff about faith and global development. After his speech — which included a call for Americans and the American church community to continue supporting the United States as a leader in bringing relief to those suffering from poverty around the globe — I had the great privilege of talking to Dr. Shah for a little more in-depth Q & A. Here is the transcript of our conversation: JAMES: Did Horn of Africa governments respond quickly enough to early warnings [of the food crisis and famine]? DR. SHAH: It’s important to put this in...

Answers from a food aid expert (Part 1)

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Paul Macek in Conversations

To mark World Food Day, October 16, we asked you earlier this week to share your questions about food aid — its complexities, and its implications on economic development and child health. This is part 1 of a 2-part series of responses to those questions from Paul Macek, World Vision’s senior director of integrated food and nutrition. Paul leads a team of specialized program officers who focus on food security, livelihoods, economic development, nutrition, agriculture, and environment. Paul has degrees in history and political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Master of Arts in international affairs with concentrations in international development and political economy from American University in Washington, D.C. Part 2 will be posted on Monday, October...

Ask an expert about food aid

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Lindsey Talerico-Hedren in Conversations

When I was a little kid, my sister (who never ate her vegetables) used to wish aloud at the dinner table that she could send her broccoli to Africa, where the kids really need it. At the time, I liked to think of myself as not quite so naive — I knew we couldn’t literally send our vegetables to Africa. It would taste really bad by the time it got there. Yes, shipping leftovers probably isn’t a best practice in terms of humanitarian food aid. But what about food security? And malnutrition prevention and mitigation? And ready-to-use therapeutic food? Asking questions like these is absolutely essential in better understanding the complexities of humanitarian work. It’s also why we’re continuing with...