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Scarcity Hits Hardest On The Women of Africa
"A man can never sit at home. They are always out somewhere," Lingani said. "They don't do anything. They don't help." (from article)
With very little work and very little pay, the women in Africa are left to feed their families. Meanwhile, they barely have any food left to feed themselves. The men believe that it is a woman's role to feed the family while the men got out to work. This is very common in the African culture.
'Zorome, Lingani's husband, said that men don't help with shopping and cooking because "that is the job of women." Like many men interviewed here, he said African culture clearly defines roles for men, who work outside the house, and women, who manage children and meals.' (from article)
Msnbc.com/Washington Post's 3 page article tells the story of a woman named Fanta Lingani and her struggle to take care of her family.
Here's an excerpt-
"Mealtime conspires against women-
In poor West African nations such as Burkina Faso, mealtime conspires against women. They grow the food, fetch the water, shop at the market and cook the meals. But when it comes time to eat, men and children eat first, and women eat last and least.
Soaring prices for food and fuel have pushed more than 130 million poor people across vast swaths of Africa, Asia and Latin America deeper into poverty in the past year, according to the U.N. World Food Program. But while millions of men and children are also hungrier, women are the hungriest and skinniest. Aid workers call malnutrition among women one of the most notable hidden consequences of the food crisis.
"It's a cultural thing," said Hervé Kone, director of a group that promotes development, social justice and human rights in Burkina Faso. "When the kids are hungry, they go to their mother, not their father. And when there is less food, women are the first to eat less."
A recent study by the aid group Catholic Relief Services found that many people in Burkina Faso are now spending 75 percent or more of their income on food, leaving little for other basic needs.
Pregnant women and young mothers are forgoing medical care. More women are turning to prostitution to pay for food. And more families are pulling children -- especially girls -- out of school, unable to afford fees and clothes.
But perhaps the most pervasive effect of the growing global crisis is the ache in the stomachs of millions of poor women such as Fanta Lingani. "
To read the full article click at the link above! "A man can never sit at home. They are always out somewhere," Lingani said. "They don't do anything. They don't help." (from article) ... more -
Top African Policymakers Address Agricultural Policies Needed to End Hunger, Achie...
Meeting Convened by AGRA Focuses on Policies for an African Green Revolution.
As the world grapples with the food crisis, senior policy makers in Africa are developing appropriate policies to achieve a Green Revolution that will rapidly raise agricultural productivity for small-scale farmers in Africa. More than 90 senior policy makers and leaders from the private sector, academia, civil society and farmers organizations convened early this week to identify priority policies and institutions needed to achieve a uniquely African Green Revolution. Representatives from 15 African countries, as well as others from Europe, the United States and Asia, participated in the two-day meeting convened by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), a partnership-based organization dedicated to improving the lives and livelihoods of Africa's small-scale farmers... Bill Gates and Kofi Annan involved...
Meeting Convened by AGRA Focuses on Policies for an African Green Revolution. ... more -
Food crisis could destroy progress in Africa
LONDON, England (AP) -- Rising global food prices threaten to destroy years of economic progress in Africa and drive 100 million people into poverty, a high-profile international panel said Monday.
Real progress in Africa now risks being undone by the food crisis, says a high-profile international panel.
The Africa Progress Panel also said wealthy countries are likely to fail in their promise to deliver billions more in aid to the continent by 2010.
"Africa has made substantial progress in recent years," said former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who chairs the panel.
"However, the current food crisis threatens to reverse many of the hard-fought gains that have been made," he said.
"With 100 million people on the brink of abject poverty, the cost of food will not be measured in the price of wheat and rice, but in the rising number of infant and child deaths across Africa."
The panel was formed last year to focus world leaders' attention on the continent and monitor progress toward meeting ambitious aid commitments. Its 11 members include former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and anti-poverty activist Bob Geldof.
In its annual report, the panel called on leaders of the Group of Eight industrialized nations to "urgently fund shortfalls against their targets to double assistance to Africa by 2010."
The July 2005 G-8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, garnered commitments to increase foreign aid by $50 billion a year by 2010 -- with half of that going directly to Africa -- and to cancel the debt of the most heavily indebted poor nations.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reported in April that foreign aid by major donor countries slumped in 2007 as debt-relief plans tapered off and amid a global economic downturn in Japan and some other rich nations.
The Africa Progress Panel concluded that despite increases in assistance by some countries, "the G-8's commitment to double assistance to Africa by 2010 is not likely to be fulfilled." It said current commitments fell $40 billion short of the Gleneagles target.
The panel called on the G-8 countries -- U.S., Japan, Russia, Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Canada -- to tackle the food crisis and promote trade, infrastructure and governance reforms when they meet in Hokkaido, Japan, on July 7-9.
LONDON, England (AP) -- Rising global food prices threaten to destroy years of economic progress in Africa and drive 100 million peopl... more -
Feeding the world
This product is something we need to let more people know about. It is simple and cheap to make and would save more lives than we can imagine. It is a simple food mothers can give that rquires no addition of water(which in most cases in unusable anyway), and will help to increase the weight of their children. We need more companies like the one producing this food. This product is something we need to let more people know about. It is simple and cheap to make and would save more lives than we can ... more
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One Earth Blog by TouchArt
One Earth Blog
Take a break to join Charleen Touchette of Mixed Blood Radio, for a virtual cup of tea or coffee in historic Santa Fe to chat, reflect on the weather, art, raising children, living green, world politics and keeping creativity flowing in a challenging world.
Check One Earth Blog as the mood moves you for new thoughts, pictures, viewpoints, radio interviews, video, art and links several times each week.
TouchArt's One Earth Blog brings you news, voices, and leaders in Indigenous Arts and Politics, Environmental and Green News and Scientists, American Indian Leaders, Artists and Authors, Mixed Blood Activists and Leaders, and voices, art and literature from youth from diverse rural, urban and reservation communities.
Check out One Earth Blog for news on Touchette's work with TouchArt Books, Russell Means and the Oppressionist Art Movement, Martin Luther King III and the Realizing the Dream Poverty in America Initiative and Bill Brown at New Mexico Global Warming.
With each decision, we each can be part of the solution.
We share one earth.
Like a stone dropped into a pool of water, every action has a ripple effect.
ONE EARTH - THINK ABOUT/ACT LIKE IT.
___________________________
From TouchArt.net and OneEarthBlog.blogspot.com
One Earth Blog ... more -
Food price rises threaten global security - UN
Rising food prices could spark worldwide unrest and threaten political stability, the UN's top humanitarian official warned yesterday after two days of rioting in Egypt over the doubling of prices of basic foods in a year and protests in other parts of the world.
Sir John Holmes, undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs and the UN's emergency relief coordinator, told a conference in Dubai that escalating prices would trigger protests and riots in vulnerable nations. He said food scarcity and soaring fuel prices would compound the damaging effects of global warming. Prices have risen 40% on average globally since last summer.
"The security implications [of the food crisis] should also not be underestimated as food riots are already being reported across the globe," Holmes said. "Current food price trends are likely to increase sharply both the incidence and depth of food insecurity."
He added that the biggest challenge to humanitarian work is climate change, which has doubled the number of disasters from an average of 200 a year to 400 a year in the past two decades.
As well as this week's violence in Egypt, the rising cost and scarcity of food has been blamed for:
· Riots in Haiti last week that killed four people
· Violent protests in Ivory Coast
· Price riots in Cameroon in February that left 40 people dead
· Heated demonstrations in Mauritania, Mozambique and Senegal
· Protests in Uzbekistan, Yemen, Bolivia and Indonesia
Rising food prices could spark worldwide unrest and threaten political stability, the UN's top humanitarian official warned yesterday ... more -
Make your voice be heard!
The Annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, is accepting the participation of You Tube user in its Congress Center viewing and answering the significant suggestion to what companies or individuals must do in order to make the World a better place in 2008.
Most of the conflicts we have in the World today is caused by economic inequality and its consequences.
The idea that corporation, which in many aspects decide the way other human beings and the environment are treated, are considering to take in consideration opinion and ideas of single individuals, like you and I, make me feel quiet optimist about the possibilities of a future with fair way of living for all!
So, it's up to you! You've up to January 27, 2008 to address them!
Make your voice be heard!!!
The Annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, is accepting the participation of You Tube user in its Congress Center viewing ... more -
Every Word = 20 grains of rice donated
FreeRice is a sister site of the world poverty site, Poverty.com.
FreeRice has two goals:
Provide English vocabulary to everyone for free.
Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.
This is made possible by the sponsors who advertise on this site.
Whether you are CEO of a large corporation or a street child in a poor country, improving your vocabulary can improve your life. It is a great investment in yourself.
Perhaps even greater is the investment your donated rice makes in hungry human beings, enabling them to function and be productive. Somewhere in the world, a person is eating rice that you helped provide. Thank you.
FreeRice is a sister site of the world poverty site, Poverty.com. FreeRice has two goals: ... more -
How Many Words Do You Know For Rice?
by Marisa
Looking to procrastinate with a clear - even virtuous - conscience? Look no further than FreeRice.com. Launched on October 7th by John Breen, creator of TheHungerSite.com and Poverty.com, FreeRice donates 10 grains of rice via the United Nations World Food Program for every vocabulary question you answer correctly. And those grains add up: As of November 27, FreeRice.com has donated 4,181,025,950 grains of rice - enough to feed more than 200,000 people for one day.
So, how do you play - er, help? When you first visit FreeRice.com, a randomly selected vocabulary word with four possible definitions will appear on your screen. The program then adjusts its difficulty based on whether you answer correctly: three correct answers in a row raise your "level" and one incorrect answer lowers it. With an impressive arsenal of terms, and difficulty levels appropriate for everyone from children to college professors (50 is the highest level, though it's rare to score above a 48), FreeRice.com is a satisfying visit for academes and altruists alike. Just take heed, according to the site's disclaimer, exercising your social conscience on FreeRice.com just might make you smarter. How many procrastinatory pleasures can claim that?
http://www.dailymantra.com
http://www.myspace.com/thedailymantra by Marisa ... more -
Autumn Rain Down 90 Percent in China Rice Belt
China must come to grips with the consequences of progress when other factors are not weighed into the process. Building dams is not the answer as they are causing environmental degradation, pollution, and damage to marine life and other ecosystems. The Himalayas are melting faster than expected thus putting millions at risk regarding water scarcity. 90% of their rivers are polluted, many unusable. Desertification encroaches on them causing farmers in villages to look for other methods of surviving. Yet they still bring at least two coal fired plants on line a week. There comes a point when you burn the candle at both ends and it meets in the middle. China is now there. China must come to grips with the consequences of progress when other factors are not weighed into the process. Building dams is not t... more
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World Hunger
