Archive for April, 2008
The Washington Post is running a week-long series on the world hunger crisis.
“This series explores the causes and effects of the world’s worst food crisis since the 1970s. A complex combination of poor harvests, competition with biofuels, higher energy prices, surging demand in China and India, and a blockage in global trade is driving food prices up worldwide. Some countries, especially in Africa, are facing an increasingly dire situation while even consumers in wealthy nations are being forced to adjust.” (The Washington Post)
.
Series’ schedule:
Sunday, April 27
Global Shortage: As food demand and supply fall out of balance, the sustaining power of globalization is breaking down. In a world interlinked as never before, the food crisis spreads from country to country, sparking unrest and spiking hunger.
Monday, April 28
In Africa: The Food Trap. With prices soaring, the world’s poorest nations, dependent on the global marketplace to feed their people, are losing the fight against hunger. Mauritania, and much of Africa, relies on imported food. As trade breaks down, destitute people face tough choices.
Tuesday, April 29
Wheat: Vast transformations in U.S. agriculture have encouraged farmers to plant less wheat, spelling an end to an era of cheap bagels, pasta, bread and noodles.
Wednesday, April 30
Corn: Congress and President Bush have set mandates for corn-based ethanol use. But the linking of food and fuel is creating problems for livestock and poultry farmers and consumers.
Thursday, May 1
American Consumers: Consumers in almost every income bracket are looking to save by altering where and how they buy food.
-Virginia Simmons
Food riots have now occurred in nine countries. Experts are at a loss as to how deep the wound from rising food prices will be and what this crisis will mean for economic, social and political stability in the developing world.
What is clear and predicable is that this crisis will have horrific consequences for the most vulnerable and marginalized. Children, especially those who have been orphans by AIDS, could suffer the most.
Today, more than 15 million children have been orphaned by AIDS. 12.1 million AIDS orphans live in sub-Saharan Africa. For these children, the loss of a parent means less food on the table. According to FAO, food consumption has been found to drop 40% in homes affected by HIV and AIDS. Households affected by HIV and AIDS often struggle to tend their gardens or make enough money to purchase food at the market. The implications are serious: malnutrition, limited physical and mental development, and even starvation. Visit www.worldaidsorphans.org to learn more.
The food crisis underscores the importance of reauthorizing and fully funding PEPFAR, and keeping our promise to support the children affected by AIDS.
Programs supporting AIDS orphans help to address this food crisis through school feeding programs, support to develop in agricultural skills and knowledge, and assistance on income development for affected households.
Get involved by signing ONE’s petition for the crisis http://www.one.org/hungercrisis and by visiting: www.worldaidsorphans.org.
-Simon Isaacs, World AIDS Orphans Day
Todd Jennings, who works for PATH in Zambia, sends us his last post in a series for World Malaria Day.
4-25-2008
The 2008 Race Against Malaria concluded this World Malaria Day morning with all 31 riders arriving safely at the Mukuni Park Grounds in Livingstone. They had a royal reception—literally. Princess Astrid of Belgium shook their hands, followed by Rupiah Banda, the vice president of Zambia; and Yvonne Chaka Chaka, the South African entertainer and Roll Back Malaria representative. A huge crowd had assembled in Livingstone for this year’s World Malaria Day celebration, which featured loads of VIPs like the above, plus all the health ministers from 14 southern African countries. All gave a mighty applause when the cyclists entered the park, especially when everyone learned the riders had covered 1,000 kilometers since Monday.Â
Joining the Cycling Association of Zambia for this year’s event was Tour d’Afrique cyclist Irmgard Bush. Because of her personal experience with malaria, she didn’t hesitate when invited to participate: Irmgard almost died of malaria in 2006 while on a marathon tour from Cairo to Cape Town. She suffered a severe bout of malaria and was attended to by medical staff in Mazabuka, Zambia. Since then, Irmgard has been a vocal supporter in the fight against malaria.
Irmgard was the only woman in the Race Against Malaria, and for much of the way she pedaled on a tandem with national cycling coach Peter Chintu, the rider featured in an earlier posting on this blog. In this audio clip, Peter talks about this year’s experience.
-Todd Jennings, Advocacy Officer, Malaria Control and Evaluation Partnership in Africa (MACEPA), a program at PATH, Lusaka, Zambia.
(more…)
It’s Global Education week – and ONE is partnering with the Global Campaign for Education to push for action on the Education for All Act – legislation that would extend access to education to the 72 million children with no access to even basic education around the world.
Right now, the legislation has 66 co-sponsors in the House, but we need many more if we want to ensure that it’ll pass when it comes up for a vote later this year.
Please take a moment to urge your member of Congress to co-sponsor this critical bill.
Today – on World Malaria Day – all three major presidential candidates reiterated their commitments to fight malaria worldwide.
You can check out Clinton’s statement here, McCain’s here, and Obama’s statement should be live here shortly.
The three – Senators Clinton, McCain and Obama – had already told us their plans as part of ONE’s “On The Record” campaign last December.
-Virginia Simmons
So afters weeks of anticipation the Global Campaign for Education Action Week is drawing to a close. I want to salute the thousands of educators and students who have already participated in the World’s Biggest Lesson in 48 of the 50 states.
During my time in the US for GCE Action Week I also had the privilege to meet and spend time with some of the smartest and dedicated young people in the United States. More than 50 high school and college students came from around the country to learn about why education saves lives and about the Education For All Act of 2007. I was so impressed by watching these articulate youngsters come together for this cause and asking the “older people†some really smart questions about the sort of arguments they hear about why the US should not give financing for education overseas.
The big Congress day arrived and the buzz was infectious. The youngsters took the bull by the horns and met with 75 representatives and senators in a frenzy of 100 meetings running between the Senate and the House and back again. In the middle of it all, they participated in a press conference with the impressive Honorary Chairperson for GCE Action Week Shakira and Congresswoman Nita Lowey. However, it was the youngsters coming from 12 different organizations including a large delegation from the ONE Campaign who really made me proud. They were sharp and passionate. I felt for the first time in a few years the US might just take the leadership on Education for All in the coming years with activists such as these.
-Anne-Marie Mujica, GCE international secretariat
[Top Photo: Western Kentucky University and Campbellsville Students Join Shakira and Congressional Leaders in Washington, DC on April 22 for Global Campaign for Education Action Week. Pictured from L to R: Jamie Lokey, Matt Vaughan and Charlie Harris. Photo Credit: Paul Morigi]
April 25 is the First World Malaria Day.
You probably know that malaria is spread through mosquitoes, but did you know that it has been used as a treatment for syphilis?
Malaria has been with us a long time and had some interesting roles in history—playing major parts in everything from economic development to military battles. See how much you know about malaria and how much you know about ways you can fight malaria. (Challenge yourself—try to answer all the questions in 30 seconds.)
.
1. All of the following US Presidents had malaria except:
a. George Washington
b. John F. Kennedy
c. Franklin Roosevelt
d. Abraham Lincoln
2. During the American Civil War, malaria accounted for how many estimated deaths?
a. 5,000
b. 8,000
c. 10,000
d. 15,000
3. The types of mosquitoes responsible for malaria transmission in the U.S. are still widely prevalent here, meaning malaria could be reintroduced in the U.S.
True or False?
4. About how many people are infected with malaria annually?
a. 20-40 thousand
b. 600-800 thousand
c. 100-200 million
d. 300-500 million
5.President Franklin Roosevelt assembled a panel of experts to evaluate the economic impact of malaria in the US. They concluded that malaria reduced the output of southern states by:
a. 11%
b. 25%
c. 33%
d. 47%
6. It’s estimated that malaria reduces the Gross Domestic Product of some African countries by:
a. 10%
b. 20%
c. 30%
d. 40%
7. What percent of the research budget of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the American government’s biomedical research center, is spent on malaria research for things like new treatments, better prevention, and a vaccine?
a. 0%
b. 0.3%
c. 4.7%
d. 9.2%
8. Challenges in malaria control include which of the following?
a. Rapid spread of antimalarial drug resistance, i.e., current drugs lose effectiveness and new drugs are continually needed.
b. Poverty
c. Increased resistance of vector mosquitoes to insecticides (pyrethroid & DDT)
d. Lack of an effective vaccine
e. All of the above.
.
For answers and explanations please click here.
-Christine Kim, Families USA, Global Health Initiative
