ON 19th August, we celebrated World Humanitarian Day. The purpose of World Humanitarian Day is to raise awareness on the plight of civilians caught in conflicts across the world, and also to honour and raise support for humanitarian workers who risk, and sometimes lose, their lives to help others.
World Humanitarian Day was established in 2008 by the United Nations General Assembly and was first celebrated officially in 2009. The date — 19th August — was chosen as it marks the anniversary of the bombing of the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, in which the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Sergio Vieira de Mellothe, and 20 others had lost their lives.
Besides the Myanmar Red Cross Organization, there are several philanthropic organizations in Myanmar, and it is heartening to see their activities when the country faces disasters.
Their activities range from ambulance services to healthcare services, providing aid to disaster victims, providing care to orphans and women, and rescue and evacuation of victims in conflict- or disaster-ridden areas.
Three days before World Humanitarian Day, news arrived of the killing of a philanthropist who tried to rescue those trapped in armed conflict.
The ambulance carrying the local philanthropic association leader and his colleagues was attacked, and some people were also injured in the attack.
People with “love of humanity” are donating their time, money, experience, skills, and talent to help those who are in trouble. In return, they deserve compassion and loving kindness from others, and their safety must be guaranteed.
In Myanmar, some philanthropic associations are registered and are offering their services systematically. Some have not yet registered and are not yet recognized as philanthropic organizations as they cannot provide services systematically.
Meanwhile, under the guise of philanthropic associations, some people are running illegal businesses, including smuggling of timber, which has tarnished the image of the philanthropy.
Even though such fake associations have arisen, their activities cannot hurt the true spirit of philanthropy, which involves giving the gifts of “time, talent, and treasure” to help make life better for other people.
For philanthropists to play a valuable role in Myanmar, their safety needs to be ensured. There is no substitution for philanthropy for the essential work we perform collectively as citizens.