November 25, 2008 | Read Time: 1 minute
Michael Kleinman, an aid worker who blogs at Change.org, is collecting a list of humanitarian emergencies that go unnoticed, or, as he puts it, “places not to be.”
Topping Mr. Kleinman’s list is Afghanistan, where 8 million people depend on food aid. A “pitiable harvest,” caused in part by a severe drought, has also raised concerns about a possible famine.
The humanitarian situation is also bleak in the Central African Republic, where an estimated 20 percent of children die before their fifth birthday.
In Congo, meanwhile, peacekeepers have drawn fire of late for failing to protect civilians from recent fighting, says Mr. Kleinman. But on the positive side, he says the ceasefire seems to be holding and aid workers have more access to people in need.
Mr. Kleinman also draws attention to the humanitarian crises in Mindanao, Phillipines; Pakistan; Somalia; northern Kenya; and Gaza.
Where else would you add to Mr. Kleinman’s list of the worst, and least-noticed, humanitarian emergencies?
