Christine Welter's Blog

Posted by Christine Welter

On Monday, December 14, 2009 select movie theatres nationwide will show "Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders". The documentary will be followed by a live panel discussion with Elizabeth Vargas, anchor, ABC News 20/20. Panelists will include: Dr. Tom Krueger, an MSF surgeon featured in the documentary; Sebastian Junger, best-selling author of The Perfect Storm and contributing editor to Vanity Fair; and Sophie Delaunay, Executive Director of MSF-USA.

For the first time ever, Doctors Without Borders allowed a documentary crew uncensored access to its field operations. The film gives a rare insight look into the organization through the eyes of four doctors pushed to the edge and forced to confront the limits of their idealism in the face of overwhelming medical needs.

With this LIVE broadcast program of the “Living in Emergency” documentary and town hall discussion, MSF has the potential to reach 120,000 people in 47 states in one-evening.

Watch a trailer for Living in Emergency.

Theatre and ticket information

Posted by Christine Welter

In his new book "Stones to Schools" Greg Mortenson picks up where Three Cups of Tea left off in 2003, recounting his relentless, ongoing efforts to establish schools for girls in Afghanistan. Mortenson is the recipient of Pakistan's highest civil award (The Star of Pakistan) for his sixteen years work to promote education and peace. The release of Stones to Schools coincides with President Obama's announcement to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan.

Greg Mortenson's press release includes the following message:

"We feel it is essential that the voice of those, who were never considered in the decision — the Afghan tribal shura (elders) — be heard. It is not politics that will bring peace, ultimately only people will bring peace. The decision to deploy more than 30,000 troops to Afghanistan (bringing the total to 100,000) was made behind closed doors and in secrecy, with no public debate, no testimony on Capitol Hill, and no discussion from the media. For a democracy to progress, secrecy is not productive"

Posted by Christine Welter

The connection between cell phones and widespread violence in eastern Congo, which is fueled in part by the trade in conflict minerals, received some more media attention.

A 4- minute BBC movie on the mining of minerals in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo investigates the exploitation of local workers and natural resources by militants.

BBC World's investigation into the military exploitation of eastern Congo's mines

Congo Conflict Minerals Fuel Brutal Civil War

Editor's Choice Award on Suite101

Posted by Christine Welter

Fighting has flared up again in the eastern part of the Congo. 35.000 people have been displaced in the last month alone.The Kivus (North Kivu and South Kivu provinces) are about the size of the state of California. The land is mainly hill and jungle, there are few paved roads. United Nations peace keepers fight an uphill battle in this terrain, since the enemy can just melt away into the jungle.

During Secretary of State Clinton's trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo today, she met with refugees and victims of rape. She told Congolese President Joseph Kabila there should be "no impunity for sexual and gender-based violence."

Zainab Salbi (Women for Women International) said Clinton's visit was very important, because the people of the Congo felt at times that America was looking the other way while 5 million people were killed. Secretary Clinton's visit draws attention to the region and signals that the international community is willing to risk something to stop the violence.

Doctors Without Borders Aids Women in the Congo

Suite 101.com

Systemic Rape, Fighting Threaten Congo's Future

The Online Newshour

Crisis in the Congo, Women as Weapons of War

Women for Women International

Posted by Christine Welter

"Clean water would be one of the biggest improvements in quality of life in Iraq", says Ihsan Jaafar, Iraq's director of public health. Everyone complains about the water in Baghdad, and few are willing to drink it from the tap. According to the Iraqi Environment Ministry 36 percent of Baghdad's drinking water is unsafe — in a good month. In a bad month, it's 90 percent. Officials are worried about cholera, typhoid, dysentery, hepatitis and other diseases.

Thousands of displaced people fled to Baghdad during the war and built temporary homes in abandoned government offices. "They dug down and tapped city pipes, often using pumps to find water supplies. As a result, 6 million people use Baghdad water daily, but only 5 million of them use it legally."

The city has a 10-year, $6 billion plan to fix the problem, which involves shutting down the squatters' settlements. However, there's fear that shutting down the settlements would force families onto the street and reignite sectarian fighting; the settlements are a recruiting ground for Shiite Muslim militias.

So step one in the repairs for the city water department is putting together a security force.

"We fight, as if we were in the army, to bring people clean water and take away sewage," a city spokesman says.

(Matthew Schofield for McClatchy Newspapers)

Restoring Water and Sanitation Services in Iraq