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Social Education 74(5), pp 247–251 ©2010 National Council for the Social Studies Special Section: Exploring Humanitarian Law The Exploring Humanitarian Law program was developed by the International Committee of the Red Cross in 2001 to introduce young people to the basic rules that govern international armed conflict. In the past 10 years, the program has been integrated in the curricula of schools in more than 40 countries in an effort to challenge youth to think about and develop solutions for these modern international issues. The curriculum is divided into five thematic modules— The Humanitarian Perspective, Limits in Armed Conflict, The Law in Action, Ensuring Justice, and Responding to the Consequences of Armed Conflict—and provides educators with more than 30 hours of free material. These EHL resources include lesson plans, primary sources documents, and engaging activities that aim to make the situation of armed conflict more relevant to the everyday experiences of youth, most of whom have never witnessed armed conflict firsthand. Learn more at www.redcross.org/ehl. Turning Bad News into a Teaching Moment Using the Exploring Humanitarian Law curriculum to teach about the impact of war and natural disaster Mat Morgan he head of the American Red Cross has visited Haiti a number of times since 1.7 million people, or nearly 90 percent the devastating earthquake in January that killed more than 200,000 people of the capital city, lived in slums. One Tand left an estimated 1.5 million people homeless. She recalls overwhelming third of residents in Port-au-Prince had feelings of both hope and despair, and it is clear these experiences live on within access to clean water, while no more her. Progress has been made to alleviate the situation, but profound needs remain than half of the population had access unmet. to latrines; 99 percent of the country was deforested; 70 percent of the pop- The fact is that this situation is chal- their control. The scenes we see are post- ulation was unemployed; 40 percent lenging even for seasoned responders: apocalyptic. The stories are gripping, of the population had access to medi- there are inherent realities to overcome spanning themes of luck, loss, hope, love, cal care, and 40 percent had chronic related to logistics and local capacity, on and wild fear, exploring the core of what malnutrition. When the disaster struck, top of other challenges like underdevel- it means to be human and also prompt- Haiti was already an exceptionally poor oped infrastructure and low employ- ing questions about how we would react country. ment rates that had existed prior to the in the same situation. Often news outlets After the dust had settled, there were earthquake. It can be a struggle to decide send their top reporters to chronicle the obvious and immediate needs. Teams what should be done in response. At situation, capturing these stories as they rushed in to provide relief and also eval- the same time, these poignant moments, unfold, raising the profile of the disas- uate the situation on the ground. Within which capture the world’s attention, ter, and also holding governments and days, the Red Cross had mobilized 21 offer a unique opportunity to teach response organizations accountable on emergency teams from around the world about humanitarian principles and the ground. Sometimes they even help to respond to diverse needs, including introduce some of the methods and support fundraising efforts. However, medical care, water and sanitation, and challenges inherent to humanitarian their interest, or the compassion they shelter. Each Red Cross society, includ- work. inspire in their audience, is not always ing the American Red Cross, deployed After a disaster, or in the midst of matched by a deep understanding of highly-trained disaster specialists who a conflict, the news that finds its way the situation or an appreciation for the worked with the Haitian Red Cross to into our homes has a uniquely powerful details of disaster response. deliver relief supplies through the net- effect on our psyche. Vulnerable people Haiti emphasizes the complexity of work of Haitian volunteers. In a chaotic are caught in destructive forces beyond these situations. Before the earthquake, environment, the Red Cross established October 2010 247 Days after the earthquake, Haitians continued to search through the American Red Cross worker Matt Marek with Mari Michele Melson at rubble for any sign of life. Petionville, Haiti. January 16, 2010 (Talia Frenkel/ a First Aid Post in Petionville, Haiti. January 18, 2010 (Talia Frenkel/ American Red Cross). American Red Cross). A child in the Red Cross field hospital in Port-au-Prince following the cata- Widline Sanon receives clean drinking water from the French Red Cross strophic earthquake in Haiti. February 1, 2010 (Bonnie Gillespie/American in Camp Daihatsu, an internally displaced persons camp in Port-au-Prince. Red Cross). January 27, 2010 (Talia Frenkel/American Red Cross). Red Cross volunteers canvas neighborhoods encouraging residents to Haitian Red Cross workers educate Haitians about the benefits of mos- come for vaccinations. Between February 8 and March 9, 125,000 people quito netting. June 4, 2010 (Talia Frenkel/American Red Cross) were vaccinated against measles, diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus. February 7, 2010 (Bonnie Gillespie/American Red Cross). Social Education 248 partnerships and also coordinated on success? We know the crisis is not over never heard of before. The magnitude the ground with other organizations to and the recovery process will be long of the continued youth response and prevent duplication. The global Red and difficult. Haiti and its people must desire to help provides insight into an Cross network established goals for the rebuild their homes, economy, schools untapped well of humanitarian sympa- number of families it would help, and and transportation network. And with thy. If we can educate young people fur- set about ambitious plans to get to them an estimated $12 billion needed to ther about humanitarian values, perhaps as quickly as possible with the supplies rebuild Haiti, the needs are beyond the tomorrow we will have a humanitarian and services they required. capacity of the Red Cross alone to fix, force to rival even the most daunting After several months and as short- and will require the collective efforts of disasters. term needs were met, the Red Cross governments and humanitarian groups Module 5 of the Exploring Human- then began implementing long-term around the world. itarian Law curriculum (http://ehl.red- programs for recovery. These programs While many records were broken cross.org/curriculum/module5/index.php) include everything from the construc- with the American Red Cross’s disas- empowers students to explore these tion of transitional shelters to micro- ter response to Haiti—including $32 issues: grant programs to help small business million in text donations—one of the In Exploration 5A and 5B, students owners re-start their enterprises. After most important records was broken by explore how war or disaster can disrupt so much progress, and with so much left youth. As images poured in of people the normal supports of life. They gain to be done, there are still questions to be broken in spirit, young people across a greater understanding of the ways in answered. What should organizations the United States rallied in support of which war or disaster results in tremen- build towards? What is the measure of a whole nation that some of them had dous losses in terms of resources; about Haiti on My Mind Winnie Romeril (American Red Cross International Disaster Responder, and International Humanitarian Law Instructor) Blog entry from February 22, 2010 A lot of people ask will I return to Haiti. This morning, pangs of wanting to be there washed over me when Red Crosser Mat Morgan rang up while en route to Cite Soleil. I miss Haiti. I miss the people. I miss feeling inspired, in awe, in the thick of it, alive amidst nearly a quarter of a million dead. I miss the sun beating down on my hair and the dust in my mouth. I miss holding the survivors’ hands, listening intensely to their words, the photos they pressed into my hand. I miss closing my eyes to voices singing into the night and awakening to sounds of the city coming back to life. I miss every minute meaning so much. I bandaged wounds, knowing their open sores would heal long before their broken hearts or homes. I tossed boxes of life-saving sup- plies down the lines of people wearing the same red and white symbols of hope from Haiti, Colombia, Iran, Italy, the Dominican Republic, Luxembourg, Israel, Spain, Korea, Croatia, Belgium, France, Japan, Turkey, Canada, China, the U.S. and so many places. I led a fragile grand- mother to a chair in the shade, gated away from the crowded lines of humanity waiting for supplies. Then I retrieved her relief supplies, which a youthful Haitian Red Cross volunteer carried up the hill to the old woman’s makeshift living space. We drew on the strength and resilience apparent all around us in the tent cities to push and expand our relief machine around the clock. Mat tells me he saw the numbers for the first time since he arrived two weeks ago and was floored. I remember not reading a single statistic while I was there, too consumed by the gritty life and death reality all around me. So, I held my breath, not knowing if the news was good or bad. “We have helped 1.3 million people to date, can you believe it?” I exhaled. He told me about the boy he met in the German Red Cross field hospital, erected in the Carrefour soccer stadium just days before I left.

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