Emergency's founder Dr. Gino Strada and some very ugly truths

[niyad]

Last night I had the privilege to hear Dr. Gino Strada, founder of the humanitarian group Emergency. For those of you not familiar with this amazing organization, I urge you to visit their website:

www.emergency.it (you can find the english link in the first box on the right where it says "emergency official site" or the new usa one www.emergencyusa.org and this is their mission:



EMERGENCY’S OBJECTIVES

To bring medical and surgical assistance to the victims of armed conflict.

To enforce the respect of human rights for those suffering the social consequences of war, hunger, poverty and marginalisation.

To promote a culture of peace and solidarity.



The medical staff of Emergency provide FREE medical care for all victims of armed conflict, and he pointed out that the victims and casualties of these conflicts are primarily civilian (over 90%) and that of those, approximately 35% are children, who are frequently victims of landmines. The images he showed (the ones I could even bear to look at) were horrible almost beyond imagination. One of the things that struck me was his statement that landmines are essentially weapons of terror, because their function isn't to kill, but to maim, and that many victims of landmines are children, who find these horrors in the fields, and end up having limbs blown off, eyes burned out, etc.

It occurred to me to wonder if anything would change in the butchers sitting in this maladministration if they were forced to watch an endless loop of these dreadful, heart-rending pictures of destruction. But then, I reminded myself, one actually has to HAVE a heart, and a conscience, in order to be affected by this, so I would guess that lets out most of the rw chickenhawks as well.

Another thing he pointed out, as those of us who do pay attention to the rest of the world are realizing, is that afghanistan is also getting more dangerous by the moment, as well as other hot spots that somehow never get covered by the msm.

What is it going to take to make a world where the services of such a group are not necessary?

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. I am sure Jean Herry Dunnat

Founder of the International Red Cross and Sarah Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, wondered the same thing. Both saw the effects of combat and tried to do something abuot it. Hell EMTs around the world working for National Red Cross Societies (Mostly in developing world countries or war zones) ask that question regularly