World Humanitarian Day was established seven years ago by the United Nations. It is a perfect example of what the world needs more of – turning despair into a vehicle for change. Using devastation and hate as fuel for prosperity and love.
It was August 19th, 2003 when a truck bomb ripped through the UN headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, killing 22 and wounding more than 100. The deaths included Sergio Vieira de Mello, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and 33 year veteran of UN peacekeeping operations.
In 2009, the UN decided that the story wouldn’t end there. By enacting World Humanitarian Day, they used this day of destruction and turned it into a day to honor the 130 million citizens of the world who rely on humanitarian aid to survive, and the countless aid workers who risk their lives while serving the greater good.
Each year the UN selects a special theme for the day. The 2016 theme, One Humanity, was chosen in reflection of the World Humanitarian Summit, which took place this year. The summit brought the world to Istanbul, Turkey for a discussion on how to best serve those in crisis and improve safety for aid workers.
World Humanitarian Day is a reminder that even today, there is more good than evil in the world, and by working together we can enact change.
If you feel God calling on you to be a part of global change through Blessing the Children, please reach out to us. You don’t need to have all of the answers, just a willing heart.
Blessing the Children International 