We all love our comfort zones. But we must challenge them to do anything worthwhile. Humanity Road’s 2016 theme is “Spread Your Wings”: going out of your way to help people, and pushing your limits.
“I was supposed to start my internship with Humanity Road on May 6. That was the plan. But then the earthquake in Nepal happened, and I began my first week ahead of schedule by diving right in… or rather, I was thrown in!
As the crisis in Nepal unfolded, I began coordinating international deliveries of donated medical supplies, live mapping areas of need for responding agencies, and working shoulder to shoulder with dedicated people to sort through thousands of social media messages. I was proud to play a part in a few success stories – we were able to contact doctors in Kathmandu who could receive medical supplies, and Humanity Road Situation Reports were used by search and rescue (SAR) teams in Nepal to prioritize their activities.” Read Full Story
When Corey Makar took the plunge into the deep end in his first days of volunteering, he spread his wings and helped save lives. Leveraging the skills and experience of our disaster response volunteers and strategic partnerships with local and international aid agencies, our Nepal response was one of the most effective examples of digital disaster response to date.
To build on successes from 2015, we are planning on working on four major areas in 2016:
- Expanding and building our online and in-person training programs and drills to hone volunteer disaster response skills.
- Expanding our social media reach, by growing our followers.
- Partnering with other organizations. We are dedicated to strengthening our current partnerships through messaging, amplification, and collaboration. Mutual support of common goals can improve disaster response.
- Encouraging volunteers to help in their local communities. Reach out in your own community, take a course, be a mentor.
We encourage you to spread your wings and expand your world. As the year unfolds, we will share more of our vision and plans. In the meantime, get engaged and #SpreadYourWings!