August 19th is World Humanitarian Day; a day recognized by the United Nations to honor aid workers around the world who dedicate their lives to helping others.
There is never a year without disasters, wars, and other harmful situations, but this year there seems to be an increased number. From the earthquake in Japan, tornadoes in the south, famine in the horn of Africa, unrest in the Middle East, 2011 has been filled with accounts of disaster and devastation. Today we remember and thank those who voluntarily put their lives in the middle of these situations to help in whatever ways are needed. According to the UN Secretary General; "This is also a day to examine our own lives and consider what more we can do to help -- to reach out to people enduring conflict, disaster and hardship. Let those we honour today inspire us to start our own journey to make the world a better place and bring our human family more closely together."
So today we ask, what more can we do to help those in our own community who struggle with conflict, hardship, or from disasters? How can we better serve our family, friends, neighbors, and fellow citizens? And we thank all the aid workers around the world who help in countless ways.
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| People Helping People image via www.worldhumanitarianday.info |
