Crisis Communications International Human Rights

Overview

After the civil unrest in Rwanda, more than 1 million children became orphans overnight. As one of many NGOs, the organization I worked for delivered emergency relief to this war-torn area to help provide the orphans with supplies that they needed.

Best Practices

As the organizations media relations representative, it was my job to communicate what my organization was doing through the media.

1. Keep Everyone Informed -- I conducted news conferences and interviews with national and international reporters at top-tier media outlets to keep them informed.

2. Train Others to Speak -- My work also entailed training others with communications strategies and tools to be able to talk to the media during a crisis.

3. Conduct Regular Briefing

4. Explain Policies and Procedures – Transparency is critical, especially during a crisis. Show that systems are in place to prevent/ handle the situation.

5. Build Your Credibility – Bringing in third parties to vouch for your integrity is important. They are seen as independent and therefore, more trustworthy.

Summary

The result of these efforts brought more than $1M in aid to the orphans. More than 20,000 Hope Kits were distributed to the Rwandan orphans.