Archive for December, 2008
New York Times: The Glaxo-Gates Malaria Vaccine (editorial)
Researchers have been trying for more than 70 years to develop a vaccine against malaria. Two studies conducted in East Africa suggest that they are finally closing in on their goal. This NY Times editorial praises the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for enabling this research to go forward when the drug manufacturer was unwilling, on its own, to take the financial risk to try to develop a vaccine.
New York Times: Amid a Hopeful Mood, U.N. Talks Set Countries on Path Toward a Global Climate Treaty
The United Nations climate talks concluded in Poland on Saturday. The final documents give nations credit for saving forests and opening up a long-planned fund to help poor countries adapt to climate change. “Perhaps contributing most to the hopeful mood,” the NY Times reports, “were signs from high-level United States officials that the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama would be ready to hit the ground running with a new United States climate policy.”
-Chandler Smith
The US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has organized a very interesting online video contest in an effort to create an online community of people dedicated to bridging cultures and making a positive difference in the world. As a ONE member, you may find this as a great opportunity to teach about those suffering from extreme poverty or preventable disease AND get the chance to win a trip abroad.
People all over the world ages 14 and older are invited to submit videos, no longer than three minutes in length, containing any form of artistic expression including, but not limited to, dance, spoken word, poetry, and song. This contest is a call for engagement and action. Videos will be judged on originality, creativity, effectiveness, and production quality. Four winners (two in each of the age categories: 14-17 years and 18+ years; one non U.S., one U.S.) will receive the grand prize: an all-expense-paid, two-week cultural exchange program to the United States (for the non-U.S. winners) or from the United States to a country to be determined (for the U.S. winners). Members of the ExchangesConnect international social network community will vote on their favorite top 40 video entries, and these entries will then will be ranked by a prestigious panel of judges who are ECA program alumni.
In addition to receiving global recognition of their videos-on the ExchangesConnect network and through other promotional venues-the four grand prize winners will be eligible to participate in a fully-funded international exchange program of approximately two week’s duration. (Visa eligibility applies.) Contest opened December 1, 2008 and closes January 26, 2009. Winners will be announced March 16, 2009. Create and enter your videos now on the new international social network ExchangesConnect here for a chance to win an international experience of a lifetime.
The panel of judges includes:
- Toni Blackman – Musician, Performer and Writer (U.S. Cultural Envoy and The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad alumna);
- Fran Drescher – Actress; Founder, Cancer Schmancer Movement (American Public Diplomacy Envoy);
- Milton Glaser – Graphic Artist (Fulbright Program alumnus);
- Raafat Khalid – President, Cultural Civic Education Organization, Egypt (International Visitor Leadership Program alumnus);
- Bob Shaye – Founder and Former Co-Chairman, New Line Cinema; Principal UNIQUE FEATURES (Fulbright Program alumnus); and
- Bob Simon – CBS News Correspondent (Fulbright Program alumnus).
-Adrienne Sullivan and Michele Peters
Reuters: Horn of Africa famine threatens 20 million people: Red Cross
More than 20 million people in the Horn of Africa are at risk of famine due to drought and high food and fuel prices, the Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said on Thursday, topping the U.N. figure by 3 million. The Red Cross said that the UN estimates of 17 million people in urgent need of food was too low as it failed to take full account of the hungry in Eritrea and Djibouti.
Associated Press: Mugabe claims cholera crisis contained as UN raises death toll to 792
President Robert Mugabe claims the cholera crisis that has killed nearly 800 people in Zimbabwe is contained, and his spokesman said his much-criticized remark that there was no cholera was misunderstood, state media reported Friday. Mugabe’s comments Thursday drew strong criticism from the United States and Britain.
-Chandler Smith
This week we’ve been keeping you posted about the crisis situation in Zimbabwe and mounting international pressure on President Robert Mugabe to step down. Despite a staggering cholera epidemic sweeping Zimbabwe, Mugabe continues to deny the magnitude of the epidemic, adding further chaos to the growing crisis. Today the New York Times published a fascinating and insightful piece on where things currently stand.
Excerpts below, full piece here
The outbreak is yet more evidence that Zimbabwe’s most fundamental public services — from water and sanitation to public schools and hospitals — are shutting down, much like the organs of a severely dehydrated cholera victim.
Zimbabwe’s once promising economy, disastrously mismanaged by President Robert G. Mugabe’s government, has been spiraling downward for almost a decade, but residents here say the free fall has gained frightening velocity in recent weeks. Most of the nation’s schools, which were once the pride of Africa, producing a highly literate population, have virtually ceased to function as teachers, whose salaries no longer even cover the cost of the bus fare to work, quit showing up.
In a country that already lays claim to the terrible distinction of having the second highest proportion of orphans in the world — one in four children has lost one or both parents — the closure of schools and hospitals is hitting these most vulnerable children mercilessly.
-Chris Scott
This week we’ve been keeping you posted about the crisis situation in Zimbabwe and mounting international pressure on President Robert Mugabe to step down. Despite a staggering cholera epidemic sweeping Zimbabwe, Mugabe continues to deny the magnitude of the epidemic, adding further chaos to the growing crisis. Today the New York Times published a fascinating and insightful piece on where things currently stand.
Excerpts below, full piece here
The outbreak is yet more evidence that Zimbabwe’s most fundamental public services — from water and sanitation to public schools and hospitals — are shutting down, much like the organs of a severely dehydrated cholera victim.
Zimbabwe’s once promising economy, disastrously mismanaged by President Robert G. Mugabe’s government, has been spiraling downward for almost a decade, but residents here say the free fall has gained frightening velocity in recent weeks. Most of the nation’s schools, which were once the pride of Africa, producing a highly literate population, have virtually ceased to function as teachers, whose salaries no longer even cover the cost of the bus fare to work, quit showing up.
In a country that already lays claim to the terrible distinction of having the second highest proportion of orphans in the world — one in four children has lost one or both parents — the closure of schools and hospitals is hitting these most vulnerable children mercilessly.
-Chris Scott
Reuters—Six million trapped as long-term refugees: UNHCR
Some six million people around the globe are trapped in mainly poor countries as long-term refugees, many facing deprivation that feeds crime and human trafficking, a senior UN official said yesterday. There are at least 30 crisis areas around the world where people had been forced to flee into neighboring states and had not been able to return home for many years, the UN’s High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres, said. “The burden of hosting these refugees falls almost exclusively to developing states. It is important to recognize that the international community as a whole has not done enough to share that burden,” he said.
Reuters—China offers Zimbabwe aid, urges national unity
China offered food and economic aid to cholera-stricken Zimbabwe this week, urging formation of a national unity government to rescue the nation from a spiral of economic and political chaos. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao announced the aid plan, and his bleak words suggested that Beijing was distancing itself from increasingly isolated Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe. “China along with the broader international community expresses its concern with the current constant deterioration of the economic and political situation in Zimbabwe,” Liu said. Experts say Liu’s comments suggest that Beijing was hardening its stance on Zimbabwe as growing numbers of African leaders warn of a crisis of disease and economic collapse.
NY Times—Darfur, Another Year Later (Editorial)
A NY Times editorial says that although the world has long declared its revulsion at the atrocities committed by Sudan’s government in Darfur, global powers still have done almost nothing to stop it. While the UN Security Council approved a strengthened peacekeeping force this past January, now more than 11 months later, the Council has managed to send only 10,000 of the promised 26,000 peacekeepers—and large-scale military attacks against populated areas continue.
Christian Science Monitor—Sen. Dick Lugar: The petroleum and poverty paradox
U.S. Senator Dick Lugar writes today about the “petroleum and poverty paradox” in the Christian Science Monitor. The senator writes, “history shows that oil and natural gas reserves frequently can be a bane, not a blessing, for poor countries, leading to corruption, wasteful spending, military adventurism, and instability. Too often, oil money intended for a nation’s poor lines the pockets of the rich, or is squandered on showcase projects instead of productive investments.” He lays out several steps—mainly anti-corruption and transparency measures—that the United States can take the lead on to help reverse the ‘resource curse’ that still astoundingly hampers poor, yet oil-rich, nations.
New Vision (Uganda)—African ministers to petition for child drugs
African health ministers are petitioning the African Union (AU) to ask drug manufacturers to donate drugs to fight diseases common in tropical and subtropical areas that disproportionately affect children. Diseases such as Bilharzia, river blindness, intestinal worms, trachoma and elephantiasis still affect tens of thousands of children, although they are nearly fully eradicated in the western world. The ministers made the resolution yesterday during a forum in Kampala, Uganda.
-Steve Wilson
Our friends at (RED)—ONE’s sister organization—posted an account of their recent trip to Lesotho, an African country that has benefitted greatly from (RED)’s work with the Global Fund. This is the first in a series of pieces they’ll be posting documenting their trip, you can check out the (RED) Blog in the coming days for more.
Excerpts below, full piece here
While the country is small, it has the 3rd highest AIDS prevalence in the world – 23.2% of the population are HIV positive.
The efforts to stem the AIDS emergency in this area face many challenges, such as geography, poverty, cultural and religious stigmas.
The good news is, Lesotho has already received $7.85MM of (RED) money and a total of $24.2 million from this Global Fund (RED) grant to date. They have been putting that money to good use. The programs support a variety of efforts, from medicine distribution to awareness building to income generating activities. All programs incorporate education which is the first step to helping eliminate AIDS in Africa.
Thanks to robust awareness programs, 448,000 people have come in for HIV testing and counseling, and 31,000 HIV+ people have begun ARV treatment. One of the areas that shows the most promise in Lesotho is the prevention of HIV transmission from mother to child. More than 95% of pregnant women in Lesotho are now being tested for their HIV status. Of those who tested positive and are receiving PMTCT, the majority of their babies are born HIV negative and remain healthy.
-Chris Scott
