

Help me buy body armour so I can safely do my job in Egypt - dodyg
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-me-buy-body-armour-so-i-can-safely-do-my-job-in-egypt

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beloch
Let's see... Two weeks to raise the cash. How long does it take to get body-
armor shipped out? I'm afraid this photo-journalist is going to miss the
revolution (or brutal suppression thereof)! Also, why ask for charity to cover
what should be priority job-related equipment for someone working in dangerous
areas of the world? It's like an enthusiast snowboarder who thinks he's a pro
asking for hand-outs to buy himself a brain-bucket. Either your job can pay
for the equipment it requires or your job is really just your hobby.

Finally, if you're really in urgent fear for you life, would you start a two-
week fund-raising drive or would you suck it up an pay the cash yourself to
get it pronto? The amount of cash she's asking for could be put on the average
person's credit card without a problem! When your life is on the line, would
you really worry about racking up a little interest? This actually sounds like
a scam to me.

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dodyg
There are a lot of young freelance journalists operating in Cairo. They don't
make enough money to pay for their equipment.

I am based in Cairo - this conflict is not going to end anytime soon.

~~~
anigbrowl
Raise prices or exit the market then. If you can't get paid adequately for
your freelance work then it's probably superfluous; meanwhile there are other
places and events that are drastically under-reported. I'd be more impressed
if it were 'help me buy body armor so I can go somewhere that never gets
photographed, but should.'

~~~
dodyg
Egypt is an entry level entrance to war reporting because you can move pretty
much independently and the violent protests usually limited in certain part of
a city so you can usually enter/exit safely if you survived being inside the
clashes.

War reporting freelance is not like web design freelance. You have to be in
located and get shot at and in the beginning, you barely get paid because you
have to build your experience.

edit: Also that being a Western Woman, she stood out in the clashes and it
made her job even more dangerous.

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dodyg
I am a developer currently located in Cairo. Above link is not mine but what
she says is true. Right now is probably the most dangerous time for journalist
to cover clashes in Cairo.

In the past few days we have seen the emergence of AK-47 armed 'protesters'
against the security forces. Usually protesters uses rocks and molotov
cocktails to fight so journalists only have to worry about birdshots from
security forces.

Egypt now ranks the 4th most dangerous place in the world fo 2013
[http://www.cpj.org/killed/2013/](http://www.cpj.org/killed/2013/)

~~~
anigbrowl
It sucks that your country seems to be headed for civil war. What do you think
would lower the probability of that happening?

~~~
dodyg
Egypt is not my country. I just been living here for the past 7 years.

The country is not going to have a civil war. There is not enough support for
the Islamists to wage an insurgency at least on the African side of Egypt.
There is already an insurgency happening in North Sinai but that's also
because that area borders Gaza and Egyptian military is not allowed to deploy
significant amount of soldiers and equipment due to Camp David Peace Agreement
with Israel(edit typo).

Worse case scenario for the African side of Egypt is return to the frequent
terrorist attacks that plague Egypt in the 90's and return to the harsh
crackdown against the Islamist.

The most likely scenario is that the current security problems will get worse
but a negotiated deal will be reached between the parties involved.

~~~
anigbrowl
Most interesting, and quite different from media portrayals here in the US.
Thanks for the insight.

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dodyg
She managed to hit her fundraising goal with 7 days to spare. Awesome.

