Media CenterNews We're Reading Now (Week of Nov 21, 2016)

Here are the top news stories and trends our media team is following for the week of November 21, 2016.

Killers on a Shoestring: Inside the Gangs of El Salvador

By Oscar Martinez, Efren Lemus, Carlos Martinez and Deborah Sontag on The New York Times

In an exploration of the financial underpinnings of gangs that are terrorizing the people of El Salvador, the New York Times, in collaboration with the Salvadorian news outlet El Faro, gets at a little-known truth, stating, “The gangs that make El Salvador the murder capital of the world are not sophisticated global cartels but mafias of the poor.” Throughout the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) supports vulnerable young people through skills training, job-preparedness and leadership activities in the hopes of steering them away from gang life. To learn more about CRS’ work in Central America, contact Beatriz Afanador or Robyn Fieser.

As Winter Sets In, A Humanitarian Crisis Is Looming In Northern Iraq

By Hani El-Mahdi on Christian Today

Hani El-Mahdi, CRS’ country representative in Iraq, writes about the plight of the more than 3.4 million Iraqis who have become internally displaced since 2014 by ongoing violence. “There are warnings that more than a million people could be displaced as the battle intensifies to drive so-called Islamic State out of Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city. With winter on the way, which in Northern Iraq can mean sub-zero temperatures, a humanitarian crisis is looming,” Hani writes. For an interview with Hani El-Mahdi on this topic, contact Nikki Gamer.

‘Buried by Night’ - Hunger Stalks Children of Southern Madagascar

 By Joshua Poole on Thomson Reuters Foundation News

Joshua Poole, CRS’ country representative in Madagascar, describes the harrowing circumstances for families in Southern Madagascar, where people are dying from hunger as a result of the prolonged drought. For an interview with Joshua Poole on this topic, contact Nancy McNally.