Horn of Africa Needs More Humanitarian Aid

UNICEF has released its "Humanitarian Action for Children 2012", which focuses on the importance of humanitarian aid within the Horn of Africa. The ongoing crisis in this region necessitates funding that focuses on the most vulnerable groups: women and children. UNICEF has requested the international community to give US $1.28 billion. Over half of this would go towards combating food scarcity in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia. UNICEF Director of Emergency Programmes Louis-Georges Arsenault points out that this year the programme will focus on Somalia and the Dadaab in Eastern Kenya.

In addition to focusing on the Horn of Africa, the programme also details the needs of other regions. The funding statement discusses the flooding of Pakistan, the needs of children effected by violence in Cote d'Ivoire and South Sudan, and the efforts to rebuild Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. The UNICEF report also addresses the "silent" emergency in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The funding programme highlights that as of 2011, more than 1.5 million people have been displaced because of violence in the Congo.

In this report, UNICEF stresses the need for flexible and immediate funding for the regions of Sahel, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad, and many more African nations. According to UNICEF, if the women and children of these nations are to survive, this emergency funding is critical.

-Akshika Patel


SOURCE:UNICEF

Free Healthcare for Women and Children in Sierra Leone

In April of 2010, Sierra Leone implemented a policy of free healthcare for pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and children under five. The policy has reduced mortality rates for pregnant women and deaths from malaria for small children.

Robert Yates, a senior health economist in Britain’s Department for International Development said the results in Sierra Leone have been “nothing short of spectacular.” His figures suggest a 214 percent increase in the number of children under 5 getting care at health facilities, a 61 percent decrease in mortality rates in difficult pregnancy cases, and an 85 percent drop in the malaria fatality rate for children.

Government figures show that since the introduction of the initiative, more women are accessing antenatal care and delivering their babies in health facilities. However, many women continue to face serious challenges in accessing the drugs and medical care crucial for safe pregnancy and childbirth. An Amnesty International report, At a Crossroads: Sierra Leone’s Free Health Care Policy, revealed that many women are being charged for the care they receive. The report called upon Sierra Leone to strengthen and establish systems of monitoring and accountability to ensure health care interventions are accessible to women and girls and to guarantee their access to effective remedies for violations of their human rights.

Although challenges remain, the new policy has dramatically improved material health within Sierra Leone.

- Madeline R. Lee 

SOURCE: New York Times 

The Norwegian Council Recognizes the Work of Women

The 2011 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded jointly to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee, and Tawakkul Karman. The Nobel Peace committee said the award was to be divided in three equal parts between Sirleaf, Gbowee, and Karman, “for their non-violence struggle to the safety of women and for women’s rights to full partition in peace-building work.” The women are the first females to receive the Nobel Peace Prize since October 2004, when Wangari Muta Maathai, the Kenyan environmentalist and political activist was honored with the award. Sirleaf, Gbowee, and Karman who demonstrate the vital role that women play in advancing peace and security, bring the total of female winners to 15, compared with 85 men. When asked about the role of women in peace keeping, development, and human rights, the committee said that true democracy and lasting peace cannot be achieved unless women achieve the same rights as men, at all levels of society.

Sirleaf was the first democratically elected female president in Africa. Since her inauguration in 2006, she has contributed to securing peace in Liberia. The President has also worked to improve the position of women within Liberia. Gbowee, is also a political activist within Liberia.

In the early 2000s Gbowee mobilized women across ethnic and religious dividing lines to being an end to the long war in Liberia. Since 2004, she has served as a commissioner on Liberia's truth and reconciliation commission. She also heads the Women in Peace and Security Network, an organization that works with women in Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and the Ivory Coast to promote peace, literacy and political involvement. Karman, the final recipient of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, is a Yemani journalist. She is also recognized for her organization, Women Journalists without Chains.

By awarding the peace prize to Sirleaf, Gbowee, and Karman the Norwegian council sent a clear message; women are an importance part of peace and security. This message will hopefully increase the number of women who are involved in the peace building process. Currently, less then 10 per cent of all peace agreements are negotiated by women and less then 3 per cent are signed by women. The councils decision to award the peace prize to three women, speaks not only to the wonderful work being accomplished by women all over the world, but to the great potential women can represent in peace and democracy.

-Madeline Lee

SOURCE: UN News

Saving Lives At Birth

During the critical 48 hours after the childbirth, 150,000 women and 1.6 million newborns die. This means that every 2 minutes, a woman dies in childbirth. Infection, hemorrhage, hypertension disorders, obstructed labor or child asphyxia are some of the multiple complications faced during birth. This problem is much more severe in poor countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. In fact, a Sub-Saharan woman is 136 times more likely to die during childbirth than those living in developed countries. This is so important that not only one but two of the Millennium Development Goals (4 and 5) are actually involved in its solution.

To face this terrible issue, a new initiative has born. A partnership between the World Bank, USAID, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada and the Government of Norway called "Saving Lives at Birth" will fight maternal and birth complications from a new perspective. To do so, they will rely on modern technologies, science and innovative approaches to prevention and treatment. The project will focus on three working areas: technologies to detect, prevent and treat maternal and newborn problems; service delivery of high quality care, including transportation of sick newborns or mothers, training, recruiting and retaining skilled or alternative personnel; and empowering and engaging pregnant women and families in prevention or health habits, including the search for care during childbirth.

If successful, this project will save thousands of lives by providing cheap and effective healthcare material for mothers and newborns, and also a better informed and engaged population. Media and information technologies have a core role in this program, since the role of individuals and societies is considered the base of the changes wanted.

- David Nebreda

SOURCE: Saving Lives at Birth official website

Happy International Women's Day!

Today, march 11^th 2011, is the International Women’s Day. Not just that. It is the 100^th International Women’s Day. To celebrate this special occasion, there will be more than 1,700 events celebrated in more than 100 countries around the World. The first Women's Day was held in Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden and Germany, and looked forward making a stand for women's rights, such as education, vote, or equality with men.

International Women's Day is celebrated in the whole world, and it is a national holiday in 24 countries: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China, Cuba, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Madagascar, Moldova, Montenegro,, Mongolia, Nepal, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zambia. Special events are being held for the 3rd Millennium Development Goal: Gender Equality and Women Empowerment.

Congratulations to all the women in the World!

- David Nebreda

SOURCE: International Women's Day Official Site

Greeting Cards Empower Slum Women

In the largest slum in Nairobi, Kenya, some of the community's poorest women are making handmade cards from recycled paper that enables them to buy food, clothes, and pay for school fees. The Kibera Paper Card Project, which started with only six women and has now expanded to 26, is helping them escape from some of the harsh realities of extreme poverty.

Message is key in the greeting card business; and The Kibera Paper Card Project delivers a lasting impact with its message. Shoppers know that by buying these cards, they're changing lives.

-Martina

SOURCE: CNN.com

Liberia Makes Further Advances for Women

In recent history, Liberia has made great strides for the rights of women. In 2003, The Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace movement helped end the Second Liberian Civil War through nonviolent political protest and diplomacy.

Then, in 2005, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was elected Liberia's first female President. Sirleaf is the first modern, and currently the only elected, female head of state in Africa. She was named by The Economist as the best president Liberia has ever had, and has been noted recently in both TIME and Newsweek as one of the world's best leaders.

Recently, Liberian Minister of Justice Christiana Tah announced to the UN Human Rights Council that Liberia is continuing to improve the lives of its female population through improvement of policies that officials hope will enhance the capacities of female producers and entrepreneurs. The best example of such policies are reforms to Liberia's Inheritance Law, which aim to increase the property rights of married women.

These advances for women will hopefully serve as a model for other African nations, whose struggles for women's rights have not always been as successful.

-Elizabeth Newton

SOURCES: The Economist, TIME, Newsweek, United Nations Radio

Join the Baby Protest

ONE International is staging a Baby Protest. You may rightly be wondering what in the world a baby protest entails. Well, this Baby Protest is a campaign to ensure that no babies are born with HIV by 2015. The protest began at the UN Summit last week, where ONE and other advocacy organizations passed the message on to world leaders. Born HIV Free (a campaign for the Global Fund) also staged a very poignant campaign during the Summit (see video above). However, these campaigns are just beginning.

October 4-5 is the Second Meeting of the Third Voluntary Replenishment of the Global Fund. The Global Fund is a world monetary fund dedicated to fighting HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. Donor countries along with private sector donors will meet to discuss the progress that has been made as well as to pledge more money for the Fund. Since 2002, the Fund has disbursed US$ 19.3 billion for over 572 programs in 144 countries. While this has tremendously helped the fight against these diseases, the bottom line is that more than 1,000 babies per day are still being born with HIV.

The Baby Protest and Born HIV Free are campaigning to end this. To learn more about the Baby Protest or to join go to ONE’s website. You can also act now by visiting Born HIV Free’s website. Both are great resources for learning about the cause and joining the fight against it. We can all help end mother to child transmission of HIV by 2015!

-Kelli Hanson

SOURCE: ONE Blog, The Global Fund

The Importance of Women's Health

Did you know that investing in women's health contributes to not only economic growth, but builds and secures nations? The launch of The Global Strategy for Womens and Children's Health can be found here.

Fact: Maternal deaths worldwide dropped 34% from 1990 to 2008, a decline attributed to increased training of midwives, strengthening of hospitals and health centers, among other factors.

Taking a closer look we see that the strategy focuses largely on the ways that already effective, qualified, and known services are delivered and implemented.This contributes to over 170 countries and organizations worldwide. Encouraging women to have better health care, take advantage of health services, and educating women on foundations and resources is just the beginning.

What's being done, you ask? "A diverse group of stakeholders, including the World Bank, pledged more than $40 billion toward the plan, which aims to prevent the deaths of more than 15 million children under five; 33 million unwanted pregnancies; and 740,000 women from dying from complications relating to pregnancy and childbirth, before 2015."

-Shereen Alibhai

SOURCE: Chicago NOW, World Bank Blog

Investing in Women

With this week’s U.N. Summit focusing on the Millennium Development Goals, it is important to note the progress that has already been made. Goal 3 of the agreement is to promote gender equality and empower women. A Goldman Sachs initiative is helping the world achieve this goal.

Two years after it was launched, Goldman Sachs continues its 10,000 Women Initiative. This initiative is a five-year investment offered to underserved women around the world to provide them with a business and management education. Operating through a network of academic and non-profit partners, Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Women has already helped over 1,200 women and is well on its way to meeting the initiative’s goal.

-Kelli Hanson

Source: Goldman Sachs

Tanzania Works Toward Gender Equality

As election season draws near in Tanzania, the UN is taking steps to empower under-represented female candidates. In preparation for the October trip to the polls, the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) is offering workshops that focus on public speaking, campaign planning, community mobilization, media engagement, lobbying and advocacy.

In 2005, during the last general election only 17 of the 232 contested parliamentary seats were held by women, even though the nation's Constitution allocates 30 percent of such seats for females. Ni Sha, one of UNIFEM's Deputy Regional Programme Directors believes that it is time for women and men to "join hands to promote equal representation, participation and leadership of women in the political processes and representative institutions." UNIFEM is also working with journalists across the country to ensure that women receive adequate campaign coverage leading up to election day.

With the 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) deadline only a few years away, this program demonstrates Tanzania's efforts to achieve Goal Three, which is to promote gender equality and empower women.

-Devynn Patterson

Source: "Female candidates in upcoming Tanzanian polls to receive UN election training"-UN News Centre