Outline

I. Humanitarian efforts not only benefit people in need by providing necessities, but also benefit those who conduct the work as well, by building character.

A. Humanitarian work helps people in need. 1. The American Red Cross holds blood drives every year in order to help collect blood and bank it in case there is a need for a certain blood type (there always is, and always will be). a. In order to donate, one must be feeling well on the day of donation, one must not have any chronic condition like diabetes, be at least 17 years old, and weigh at least 110 lbs. b. Donors are encouraged to hydrate in the days before the donation so that their blood flows well. Donation takes approximately 10 minutes. 2. Many different organizations collect money, food, clothing, etc. in order to donate to nations and other organizations in need. a. Currently, the American Red Cross is donating to the International Response Fund, Haiti Relief and Development, Chile Relief and Development, Disaster Relief Fund, and Service to the Armed Forces. b. The Red Cross is always open to volunteers. Once someone volunteers to help, they will go through serious training and finally will be able to help wherever help is needed. B. Humanitarian work can help prepare to prevent certain natural disasters. 1. Many different organizations help prepare cities for floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc. a. Before serious hurricanes, groups like FEMA will help set up sandbags to prevent flooding. b. After flooding occurs, they will go around in small boats and do everything possible to rescue people that may be trapped inside of their houses or buildings. 2. Some volunteer organizations will travel to nations that are facing rebellions and other similar crises. a. The UN has devoted time to protecting civilians in times of need. A good example of this is the genocide in Sudan and Rwanda. The UN sent volunteers to each of these nations in order to protect innocent people. C. Humanitarian work builds character in those doing the work. 1. I have volunteered for the past year, and I can personally attest to how good I feel on days that I work compared to the days that I do not. a. I volunteer at St. Joseph Villa nursing home after school whenever I can, and I have noticed that on days that I go home directly after school, I feel bad, but when I do go to volunteer, I feel great about myself, knowing that I helped. 2. I have so much respect for people who volunteer for organizations like the American Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders. D. How is Humanitarian work monitored? 1. The Sphere Project was set up in order to determine if a country is in need of humanitarian work, and if so, it defines the rules for helping there. a. The Sphere Project published a handbook in January 2000 describing minimum standards and related key indicators applicable to emergency relief programs. This "humanitarian charter" covers water and sanitation, nutrition, food aid, shelter and site planning, and medical services. b. The Sphere project states that the assessment of performance of single agencies must take into account the general context of the emergency, particularly resource availability, access, and interventions by other. c. The Sphere project has three main standards: Assessment, Response, and Monitoring and Evaluation. E. How does blood donation work? 1. Blood donor goes goes to a blood drive, and gets tested for common blood diseases. The donor's blood type is determined, and then the blood is drawn. a. Blood can be spun so that different components can be divided, such as platelets, plasma, red and white cells, and clotting factors. b. Blood is then packaged and stored. It must be frozen or refrigerated, as it has a very short "shelf-life". When refrigerated, blood can last 42 days, and when frozen, the components can last up to 10 years. 2. If a serious accident occurs, someone is giving birth, or someone is having surgery, they can qualify for receiving this blood. a. Once the person is tested for blood type, they are then able to receive blood from any compatible donor. b. Human blood falls into three major groups, A, B, and O; the types get their names from certain molecules found on the surface of the red blood cells. If a person receives a donation of an incompatible blood type, the blood cells can clump together, a dangerous and possibly fatal situation. Type O blood can be received by persons with A, B, or AB blood (which is why type O is sometimes called the "universal donor"), but a person with Type O blood can only receive Type O blood. It is also important to match the Rh factor of the blood, which can be positive or negative.