When crisis or disaster hits a country, communications are often one of the first casualties. Reliable sources dry up, government agencies collapse, media images do not give the full picture.
People die and money and supplies are wasted.
Governments, aid workers, disaster specialists, members of the public receive regular reports on a wide array of political, economic and social issues affecting humanitarian efforts Governments, aid workers, disaster specialists, members of the public receive regular reports on a wide array of political, economic and social issues affecting humanitarian efforts. Though essentially serving these groups, IRIN takes an increasingly broad view of what comprises humanitarianism and seeks to cover the full range of humanitarian issues from the abuse of human rights to the environment. IRIN s information is available in a range of forms. Special reports, specific news items, daily updates, weekly digests in French, English and Kiswahili are the primary products and are currently delivered directly by e-mail to some 6,000 subscribers. In many cases recipient institutions distribute IRIN messages to their staff, and thus the daily readership is currently estimated to be over 20,000 in more than 40 countries.