Disasters Emergency Committee

 

Twelve years ago (Icons passim) I worked with DEC on their Haiti Appeal. I thoroughly recommend them if you have got a couple of quid spare to throw the way of Ukrainian refugees.

The DEC brings together 15 leading aid charities to raise funds quickly and efficiently at times of crisis overseas. In these times of crisis, people in life-and-death situations need our help and our mission is to save, protect and rebuild lives through effective humanitarian response.

ActionAid, Action Against Hunger, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International, Christian Aid, Concern, Age UK, International Rescue Committee, Islamic Relief, Oxfam, Plan UK, Save the Children, Tearfund, World Vision.

What particularly impressed me in practice was its distributed, collegiate structure which enabled resources to be directed to sectors that might be overlooked by an overreaching, overweening, blunderbuss, top-down approach. I distinctly remember Save the Children focussing on, ahem, Haitian children, Age UK concentrating on Haitian pensioners etc. and already having contacts, on the ground, with equivalent local organizations.

Chorus kids with bad knees

Rod is back on a break from policing the Ukraine. We met up last night in the Marquis of Angelsey, and ended up eating at Joe Allen's, a theatre hangout I've never been before.

There is much I could pass on of Mackenna's wisdom born of decades in the firing line, and of my conversation with the restaurant's lady piano player, but I have only just roused myself from the sleep of the just and Wales kick off against Italy in half an hour; needs must.

Joe Allen being Americana (I had ribs, slaw and fries), here are some Route 55 place markers.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/11483813/Shrimp-n-grits-What-Prince-Charles-can-expect-in-the-Deep-South.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/cruises/riversandcanals/11474604/Highlights-of-a-Mississippi-cruise-in-pictures.html

Rod in the Ukraine

Britain is to send 10 armoured vehicles to bolster the international monitoring mission in eastern Ukraine amid renewed tensions between the pro-Russia separatist rebels in the government in Kiev.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the vehicles would enable the monitors from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to operate safely in the more volatile parts of the country.

At the same time, Britain is expanding its contribution to the OSCE mission staff, with eight additional monitors arriving last week, and three more due to join them at the end of the month.

Rod sent me this link to the Indescribablyboring yesterday, so I guess he is one of the OSCE monitors.

I googled the OSCE. Here's its website.

Under Google's news tab I found Ukraine Crisis: Soldiers Open Fire on OSCE Convoy in 'Rebel Provocation'. Either the Ukrainian army or rebels pretending to be them are shooting at the monitors.

Out of the frying pan and into the line of fire goes MacKenna once again.