The New York Times recently aired “What are you carrying?” by Nicholas Kristof; a video emphasizing the hard work women do in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Please see Texas in Africa's March 11 reaction to it. She is critical; starting with "Is the New York Times trying to exasperate us with its shoddy, stereotypical coverage of the African continent?"
A brief note from my side: At minute 0:15 one sees Kristof together with Stefan Lehmeier; manager of the RRM. Stefan is a friend and the RRM is a great program. In brief, the Rapid Response Mechanism has relief stocks and staff pre-positioned in key locations in order to provide emergency shelter, NFI kids*, education, water and sanitation to IDPs who have been ‘accessible for fewer than three months’.
While follow-up to their interventions is inconsistent and often slow and NGOs with emergency-response capacity – knowing that the RRM is operating – have often not felt pressure to respond to the needs of new IDPs, the Rapid Response Mechanism is widely recognized as a very successful program.
Tomorrow our Voix des Kivus’ technical coordinator will – unfortunately for us – leave Bukavu to start a new job in Lubumbashi. We did obtain a great replacement; who is also an employee of the RRM. Knowing that RRM needs to react in a timely and effective manner, the high-quality and real-time information that Voix des Kivus provides on local level events throughout Sud Kivu is of much value to them.
* NFI = Non-Food Items; such as blankets, buckets, and plastic sheeting.
Thanks for the link, and for the info on RRM. That's fascinating, and, sadly, yet another sign of Kristof's terrible coverage of the region. Why would he not mention a successful, thoughtful response to the crisis when he obviously talked to someone who runs one? Because "successful responses" don't fit into his narrative about what life is like in the DRC?
ReplyDeleteThis is why I need to stop reading his stuff. :)