Conflicts and Disasters

Typhoon Ketsana and Samoa tsunami

Typhoon Ketsana and Samoa tsunami

Caritas emergency officers are at full stretch bringing aid to the survivors of a series of humanitarian disasters. Typhoon Ketsana appeal Tyhpoon Ketsana (known locally as Typhoon Ondoy) has made 600,000 people homeless in the Philippines and left 1.8 million people in need. The storm has left a trail of destruction across Vietnam, Cambodia and ...

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Zimbabweans tough it out against all odds

By David Snyder There are signs of a fragile stability returning to Zimbabwe after decades of devastating decline. But the rural poor have yet to find themselves on solid ground. Hunger is still overwhelming. Illnesses that are easily treated are still killing people for lack of access to health care. Many people don’t have enough ...

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Mongolia’s flood victims need tents before winter

Heavy rain in July in Mongolia left 20,000 people exposed to the countries harsh weather conditions. In Ulaanbaatar and in Gobi Altai-Province, many people were left with nothing following the flooding. Caritas through its national member Caritas Mongolia has been participating in the immediate response and are committed to provide water and shelter for new ...

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Hunger the real homework

Widespread hunger in rural Zimbabwe means that Kembo Ndlovu, head of Lupaka primary school, doesn’t just have to worry about nourishing his pupils’ minds, but also their bodies. Children who don’t get enough food at home, won’t have the energy to go to school and if they do, nagging hunger pangs will make it harder ...

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Children abandoned in Zimbabwe’s economic crisis

Children abandoned in Zimbabwe’s economic crisis

While Elvis Presley was famous for his fried peanut butter sandwiches and his voracious appetite, Elvis Ncube in Zimbabwe is lucky if he gets a daily meal of porridge and beans. Elvis’ mother left for Botswana for a short period to find work in 2005, but she never returned. Life in Madabe village, southern Zimbabwe, ...

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Zimbabwe: “The food is finished”

In the gentle warmth of a mid-winter African sun, Moffat Mpofu seeks shade beside his small thatched hut. Beside him his wife Sarah stretches out on a thin grass mat, their youngest daughter resting quietly across her knees. But the peaceful scene hides a distressing story. Mr Mpofu, 49, tested positive for HIV in December ...

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Zimbabweans’ struggle as asylum refugees

Many people are leaving Zimbabwe for a better life elsewhere rather than go hungry and not have a job at home. But some people leave the country because of intimidation resulting from their political beliefs. Gloria* is one such person. When she lived in Zimbabwe, she supported the opposition and attended rallies. By doing so, ...

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