Efter de ødelæggende jordskælv i Haiti i 2010 sendte Biblioteker Uden Grænser en nødhjælpsmission til landet for at distribuere bøger og andre uddannelsesressourcer til interne flygtninge. Bøgerne viste sig at være vigtige for at genoprette menneskeligheden.
In humanitarian emergencies, reading and writing are essential to healing and reconstruction.
Over 100 writers, intellectuals and public figures have mobilized to promote access to information, books and cultural activities for disaster victims in times of humanitarian crisis.
When a humanitarian catastrophe occurs, international organizations and governments set up medical outposts, drop emergency food supplies from helicopters, and hand out clothing in disaster zones. Naturally, absolute priority is given to what we call ‘basic needs’: food, water, shelter, and health.
While there is no question that organizations and governments must devote the majority of their efforts to promoting the physical wellbeing of disaster victims, more attention should be given to nourishing the mind as a second measure to help victims cope with catastrophe and move forward.
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