The use of technology in humanitarian aid planning is on the rise. Photo: Esther Gibbons (Flicker)

2011 is over, but the impact technology had on humanitarian aid planning last year could be just beginning to emerge.

Humanitarian issues demand immediate solutions. In 2011, a lot of solutions to crises placed heavy emphasis on technology. Here are three notable examples:

Disaster prone Bangladesh turned to GPS to provide early weather warnings to fishermen.

Airtel, a private mobile operator in Bangladesh will provide early weather warnings to fishermen using its global positioning system via cell phones in partnership with the Center for Global Change, the Campaign for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods and two international NGOs, according to IRIN.

More than half on Bangladesh’s population uses mobile phones. Early weather warnings could prove to be a life-saving tool. "75 percent of the country’s population lives in rural, disaster-prone areas, an ideal environment in which to exploit the potential of mobile phones to mitigate disasters," IRIN reported.

Technology has helped put Kibera on the map, literally.

Finding Kibera, a district of Nairobi, on a map before 2009 was not an easy task because it wasn’t on one. The location of schools, medical facilities, water points and other basic information was simply not available. As a result, The Map Kibera Project was created in order to provide this information. The goal: to train nine Kibera residents in using GPS devices to gather geographical information in a "citizen mapping" project.

Now this information is available on OpenStreetMap, a global map anyone can view and edit. Organizers plan to continue adding information on the map and eventually start mapping other communities.

Mobile phones have turned ordinary people into extraordinary philanthropists.

This past year, one of the worst famines in modern history struck the Horn of Africa. Humanitarian aid and donor government assistance poured in from all over the world. One campaign, "Kenyans for Kenya," set a goal to raise $5.28 million dollars in one month. Within 10 days, the goal was met and a bigger goal of $10.56 million set. By September 1, more than $7 million was collected, $1.6 million through private donations.
Contributions, most of them from Kenyan citizens and organizations, were made through a mobile phone money transfer service operated by telecom firm Safaricom. The money collected has been used to send money to affected areas through the Kenyan Red Cross Society, IRIN reports. This has been one of the most successful humanitarian fundraising campaigns Kenya has ever seen, and its efforts are ongoing.

These are only a few examples of how technology has positively impacted humanitarian responses to crises. Technology isn’t the answer to all the world’s problems, but it’s proving to be an effective tool.

When I talk to friends here in Portland, in other parts of Oregon and throughout the Northwest, I'm hearing stories unlike any I've heard for a long time. People are worried about the economy, and many are uncertain about what the future holds for their families. They're also wondering, in light of reduced household budgets, how to infuse the holidays with the warmth and joy we all crave.

The theme in the air this season is simplicity, a return to old-fashioned values of hearth and home. We're urged to purchase fewer things. To make gifts ourselves. To shift our focus from gadgets to celebrations: a lively game or song, a roaring fire, a gathering with friends and family to savor a home-cooked meal. These are the timeless experiences that ground us in what's real: our human bonds and the essential goodness of being together.

To these excellent suggestions I will add one more: Let's all make a point of helping those less fortunate than ourselves. Few will dispute the glow that brightens our hearts when we give to others. Seeing the pleasure on the face of a child opening a present is one way to savor the joy of giving. There are many others.

Here in Oregon and around the world, each of us has the power to make a profound positive difference in the life of someone who is up against hardship even more severe than our own. When everyone chips in, our collective generosity moves mountains.

It's paradoxical but true that in challenging times, such as Oregonians are facing now, we become even more mindful of the many blessings we enjoy. If we have health, enough food and education for our children, we are fortunate indeed.

As our many local nonprofits — some 26,000 are based in Oregon, and most of them are frugal, effective and worthy of our investment — face the extra challenge of raising funds to keep working through down budget cycles, consider making a contribution of any size. I promise you that the act of giving will warm and brighten your holiday season. May it bring you and yours comfort and cheer.

Training midwives in Afghanistan. Fighting for women's equality. Lending money to poor people in Madagascar. These are among a number of honorable undertakings led by Muslim charities every day.

But following the September 11th attacks, many Muslim charities were accused of supporting terrorist groups and investigated by the U.S. government in what one critic called "a witch hunt."

"Government actions have resulted in program cutbacks and increased fear of speaking out on important public issues," said Kay Guinane with the watchdog group Office of Management and Budget Watch.

Nearly seven years later, many of these organizations have still not seen donations recover to pre-9/11 levels, and are turning to a private-sector charity validator to win back donors and restore a positive image.

The Wall Street Journal reports that seven major U.S.-based Muslim charities are voluntarily opening up their financial records to the Wise Giving Alliance, a charity-vetting service run by the Better Business Bureau. The organizations hope the BBB accreditation will "build trust among the public, donors and the U.S. government," said Muslim Advocates' Farhana Khera.

They'll need to do so in what is undoubtedly a tough giving climate. In 2006 and 2007 charitable giving rose only about 1 percent after inflation, reported the Chronicle of Philanthropy, and this year is predicted to be worse due to a sluggish economy. At the same time, many charities are seeing the demand for their services increase, forcing all service-oriented nonprofits — Muslim or otherwise — to do more with less.

When we hear about the Middle East in the news we mostly hear about oil and conflict, but this article brings to light a new trend when it comes to the Arab world-philanthropy. However, the BBC reports that the Middle East needs to overcome several obstacles before becoming truly philanthropic, including the laws governing charities and nonprofits and American Policy.

Last month, while much of the globe watched the oft-hyped World Economic Forum, a first-of-its-kind summit of Arab philanthropists was held in this Persian Gulf city. Middle East royalty and Egyptian businessmen mixed with Lebanese activists and other humanitarian do-gooders to find ways to aid their troubled region. And they carried a pointed message to the Bush administration: Stop making the war on terror a war on Arab goodwill.