Listen to "Special episode: Putting the 'human' back in humanitarianism" on Spreaker.
In a world of growing humanitarian needs, the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative is shining a light on those who risk their own lives to save others.
Founded in 2015 to commemorate the Armenian Genocide, the Aurora Prize awards $1 million annually to an individual whose actions have made a significant impact in preserving human life in the face of adversity.
"We looked at how do we put the human back into humanitarian," explained co-founder Noubar Afeyan. “The answer is, in one way … to get the stories out of other humans who've done this, and actually celebrate their work as a draw to others.”
The prize recognizes humanitarians such as Yazidi activist Mirza Dinnayi, the 2019 Aurora laureate who has dedicated his life to supporting the Yazidi community in Iraq, and Dr. Denis Mukwege, a Congolese gynecologist who has treated thousands of women survivors of rape as a weapon of war. Mukwege was announced as the 2024 laureate in May this year.
"We learn to become empathic and empathetic by listening to these stories, and by putting them front and forward," said Alice Greenwald, a board member of Aurora and founder and principal of Memory Matters, which helps communities build resilience through commemoration and documentation of traumatic history.
Afeyan and Greenwald were joined by Dinnayi and Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar for a special episode of This Week in Global Development, sponsored by the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative.
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