"researched the use of blockchain in #humanitarian work, says that #blockchain technologies... offer no obvious advantages over other tools organizations could use, such as an existing payments system or another #database tool. “There’s no proven advantage that it’s cheaper or better,” he says. “The way it’s been presented is this #tech solutionist approach that has been proven over and over again to not have any substantial impact in reality”"
https://www.wired.com/story/trump-administration-usaid-blockchain/

#UNICEF, the #UN Children's Fund, is providing #humanitarian support for #children world-wide, and also in #Gaza and #Ukraine.

If you can afford it, consider to donate

for children in Gaza:
https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/children-gaza-need-lifesaving-support

for children in Ukraine:
https://help.unicef.org/ukraine-emergency

Please note that depending on your country, directly above the "Donate" button, there may be a tiny link "Designate to children in…". Make sure the selected region reflects your preferences, or pick "globally". No wrong choices here.

#Putin unleashed missile on #Zelensky’s home 24 hrs after US military aid and intelligence was halted. Russian weapons rained down on central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih in Dnipropetrovsk region late on Wed. 1 smashed into hotel where Ukrainian, British & US volunteers from #humanitarian organisation had just checked into.4 people killed, 29 wounded, including child. At least 20 victims are in ‘serious conditions’ and fighting for their lives in hospital.https://metro.co.uk/2025/03/06/putin-launches-missile-strike-zelenskys-hometown-us-halts-military-aid-22677528/ #Trump Did This

Could we agree that #worldBicycleRelief 's #bicycle is not really #solarpunk ?

https://worldbicyclerelief.org/a-better-bike/

Sure, it's nice it's durable and given to people in need.

But it's not really repairable. Custom, copyrighted components designed to keep the company afloat, available only through controllable humanitarian channels.

I'd take well-standardized open source any day.

via Dan Diamond:

#RFKJr said he supports #Trump’s efforts to dismantle the #USAID, which President John F. Kennedy Jr., his uncle, created in 1961.

“Very few people understand how sinister this agency really is,” Kennedy told reporters Thursday, without citing any evidence. He also claimed that the #humanitarian agency had been “captured” by the military-industrial complex.

Canadian aid workers warn 'catastrophic' USAID halt puts Ottawa's projects in limbo
Canada's aid sector is bracing for cataclysmic suffering worldwide, and is asking Ottawa to help fill gaps as Washington winds down the U.S. Agency for International Development.
#aid #politics #internationalrelations #humanitarian #News
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-usaid-shutdown-1.7455291?cmp=rss

#MarcoRubio, the sec of #state, said Mon that he is the acting administrator of the #USAID, the govt #humanitarian #aid agency that had been targeted for closure by #ElonMusk. On a trip to El Salvador, Rubio told reporters that many of the agency’s aid programs were worthwhile & would continue under the State Dept.He blamed the agency for obscuring details about its work & said that its employees were not cooperating w/reasonable questions from the incoming #Trump admin.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/02/03/us/trump-usaid-news/382e0b45-3eb9-592b-b8bb-c16976805a2f?smid=url-share

“People Will Die”: The Trump Administration Said It Lifted Its Ban on Lifesaving Humanitarian Aid. That’s Not True.
—

Organizations that provide vital care for desperate and vulnerable people around the world have been forced to halt operations, turn away patients and lay off staff. “I’ve never seen anything that scares me as much as this,” one doctor said.

https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-state-department-usaid-humanitarian-aid-freeze-ukraine-gaza-sudan?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

#GiftArticle

Trump’s order to halt most #ForeignAid has intensified #humanitarian crises & raised questions about the #UnitedStates’ reliability as a global leader.

In #famine-stricken #Sudan, soup kitchens that feed hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in a #WarZone have shut down.

In #Thailand, #war #refugees w/life-threatening #diseases have been turned away by hospitals & carted off on makeshift stretchers.

#TheCrueltyIsThePoint #Nationalism #geopolitics
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/31/world/asia/trump-usaid-freeze.html?unlocked_article_code=1.tU4.jBI0.oogbZ7uNmnh2&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

X-ray of the earth: Confidential #oil data shows where vital #water #sources lie in Africa | Euronews

https://www.euronews.com/green/2025/01/26/x-ray-of-the-earth-confidential-oil-data-shows-where-vital-water-sources-lie-in-africa

“You cannot keep sending #humanitarian assistance to things that you know will keep happening every year when you know there are more long-term solutions to fix it,”

State Dept halts global mine-clearing programs. “The US State Department office that funds the clearance of #unexplodedmunitions around the world has asked #humanitarian #demining organizations funded by the dep’t to cease operations “effective immediately,” according to a surprise announcement early Saturday…at 6:26 am… It is unclear whether Mr. #Rubio or the president understands that the presence of unexploded munitions threatens the lives of Americans as well…” | NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/25/us/politics/state-dept-halts-global-mine-clearing-programs.html