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Sisters bicycled from Seattle to San Francisco to raise money.
While some peeps complain about distances and gas prices, other go the distance and raise a little money in between.
WASHINGTON. Friday Harbor High School graduates Amber and Kelsea Peterman bicycled from Seattle to San Francisco to raise money for – and awareness of – women’s health issues in sub-Saharan Africa.
The ride was called the Bike to End Fistula.
“Fistula is a childbirth injury from prolonged labor and lack of delivery services which occurs mostly in Africa and the Middle East,” Kelsea explained.
**Why we are doing it:
Chances are if you know us or received an email, you may have heard of gynecological fistula--an injury most commonly associated with prolonged labor which leaves women incontinent (and thus dribbling urine or feces for the remainder of her life, vesicovaginal or rectovaginal fistula). Virtually unheard of in the developed world, over 3 million women are estimated to be living with untreated fistula in developing countries and an additional 30,000 to 100,000 develop cases each year on the African subcontinent alone. Women with fistula are often ostracized, forced out of their homes and communities because they are unable to work and bear children.
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Nice story (link) , includes their blog address at the bottom
http://biketoendfistula.blogspot.com/ While some peeps complain about distances and gas prices, other go the distance and raise a little money in between. ... more -
World's poorest people hit hardest by disasters
More poor people are falling victim to global disasters than ever before, says a new report that tracks carnage.
This higher level of vulnerability is occurring even though emergency preparedness is generally better and there were fewer floods, droughts and earthquakes in 2007 than in previous years, says the 2008 World Disasters Report released Thursday by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
More than 201 million people were affected by disasters, a 40 per cent increase over 2006. But of those killed, a disproportionate number came from vulnerable people in developing countries.
Almost two-thirds of the world's disasters dating back to 2004 have occurred in Asia and the Pacific and in Africa, the report said. "It is a sad reality that the people most affected and hardest hit by disasters are amongst the poorest in the world," Charlie Musoka, manager of emergency response for the Canadian Red Cross, said in a statement.
In all, 405 natural disasters were reported in 2007 and they inflicted a cost of almost $63.5 billion. Another 141 "technical disasters" occurred, industrial, transport or miscellaneous accidents, such as a ferry sinking or a mine collapse.
Together, they claimed the lives of 23,167 people across the globe in 2007. While that is far lower than the yearly average of 113,000 deaths of the last decade, those figures take into account the year that most skewed the average - 2004, when the Asian tsunami that followed the earthquake off the coast of Indonesia killed more than 230,000.
But this year is shaping up to be just as bad.
The toll of dead or missing from the May 2 cyclone that struck Myanmar rose this week to 138,000, while the number of dead in the China earthquake 10 days later has risen to almost 69,000 and is expected to keep climbing, amid fears that rivers now blocked by landslides could burst. In all, more than two billion people have been affected by disasters in the last decade, the report said. Floods, at 28 per cent, tropical cyclones at 12 per cent, earthquakes at 11 per cent and epidemics at nine per cent accounted for the majority of disasters categorized between 2004 and 2008, the study said.
- Mike Blanchfield, Canwest News Service More poor people are falling victim to global disasters than ever before, says a new report that tracks carnage. ... more -
Hell for Leather
Most of us think of leather as 'natural', but this shocking film reveals that the tanning of leather goods - everything from must have handbags to car interiors - can involve up to 300 different toxic chemcials. As this film shows, the leather we wear and use is often produced under appalling conditions by impoverished people in countires like Bangladesh, many of whom won't live past the age of 50 because of their day-to-day exposure the poisonous chemicals involved in bringing cheap leather goods to the masses in the developed world. The toxic legacy of these chemicals goes far beyond the factory, however, since the effluent from the tanneries is often discharged straight into the local waterways where it poisons local people who drink, wash and grow crops using this tainted water. A film that gives a whole new meaning to the idea of 'shoes to die for'. Most of us think of leather as 'natural', but this shocking film reveals that the tanning of leather goods - everything from must have... more
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Doctors Without Borders: 'Plumpynut' new food advance to fight malnutrition
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is calling for increased and expanded use of nutrient dense ready-to-use food (RUF) to reduce the five million annual deaths worldwide related to malnutrition in children under five years of age. Current food aid, which focuses on fighting hunger—not on treating malnutrition—is not doing enough to address the needs of young children most at risk.
What is therapeutic ready-to-use food?
Commercialized therapeutic RUF takes the form of a peanut/milk-based paste with all nutrients essential to treat severe acute malnutrition. It comes in individually wrapped airtight foil packets, that are resistant to bacterial infection and easy to distribute. The product has a long shelf life, making it easy to store, transport and to use in hot climates as an efficient way to provide milk to children under three.
"It's not only about how much food children get, it's what's in the food that counts," said Dr. Christophe Fournier, president of MSF's International Council. "Without the right amounts of vitamins and essential nutrients in their diet, young kids become vulnerable to disease that they would normally be able to fight off easily. Calls for increased food aid ignore the special needs of young children who are at the greatest risk of dying."
RUFs, which come in individually wrapped rations, contain all the necessary nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that a young child needs. This dense therapeutic food, which has milk powder, sugars, and vegetable fats, can be produced and stored locally and transported easily, and requires no refrigeration, making it ideal for use in hot climates. It allows a child to recover from being malnourished and catch up on lost growth. Being easy-to-use, mothers—not doctors and nurses—are the main caregivers, meaning far more children at risk can be reached.
"In Somalia we are giving acutely malnourished kids packets of ready-to-use food and we see them gain weight and begin thriving within a couple of weeks," said Dr Gustavo Fernandez, MSF head of mission in Somalia. "RUFs are practical to use in places like Somalia where security is very bad. General food distribution is also needed, but it is not going to be very effective to treat kids under three years old."
Severe acute malnutrition in early childhood is common in large areas of the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, and South Asia -- the world's "malnutrition hotspots." The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are 20 million young children suffering from severe acute malnutrition at any given moment and MSF estimates that only three percent of them will receive RUF in 2007.
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is calling for increased and expanded use of nutrient dense ready-to-use food (... more -
Drought Threatens The Lives of Millions In Ethiopia
This is heartbreaking. Not only because this is happening to children, but because it is totally preventable. There are no longer any words to express my outrage at what is going on in this world. I cannot fathom the total lack of tolerance, intelligence, and planning on the part of governments. I cannot tolerate the absolute disregard for human beings by other human beings, and the conditions we exacerbate still knowing full well what is causing them with the ability to stop them. How does one who cares so deeply for the children of this world read something like this and not feel helpless?
These poor people are kept in total poverty for the benefit of organizations like The World Bank, and yes, even the UN, and I find it appalling. For all of the talk we hear year after year after year about eradicating poverty, famine, and water scarcity and pollution which are causing the diseases plaguing the developing world, we get little to no results in addressing it. For all of the money thrown at it we get little to no results.
This is simply so pervasive and so overwhelming in scope that it is beyond human comprehension. We as a species will never be able to live down what we have done to despoil not only this planet but our own species and those that have no voice. And the children... the innocent children who have known nothing but hunger, disease, and despair. What of them? Where is their hope? Where is their food? Where is their water? Where is the education to show them how to plant and build a life for themselves instead of depending on The World Bank and other bloodsucking organizations that loan them money they can never repay back thus keeping the cycle of poverty and inequality going round? Are they to now only be the focus of the media just to get ratings?
All I can say is, thanks to organizations like Doctors Without Borders these children will at least have a chance to get proper medical care and food. I have come to conclusion however, that governments around this world for all their talk are simply too corrupt, selfish, and inadequate to address the crises we face adequately with the moral fortitude necessary to conquer them.
NO CHILD IN THIS WORLD SHOULD GO HUNGRY OR THIRSTY. And to think we have all we need to make sure that doesn't happen but yet it still does is a shameful reflection on all of us.
More at http://water-is-life.blogspot.com
WATER IS LIFE. This is heartbreaking. Not only because this is happening to children, but because it is totally preventable. There are no longer any ... more -
Tax evasion 'costs lives of 5.6 million children in the developing world'
If the super-rich and the world's largest companies paid their fair share in taxes, more than 5 million children could be saved in the developing world, according to a report by Christian Aid. The British charity group says the widespread, damaging effects of tax abuse is "tantamount to a new slavery." It says that at least £82 billion ($160 billion) in tax revenues each year that could go to poor countries is instead being redirected to tax havens.
Christian Aid has condemned high-profile individuals and corporations for minimizing their tax bills by banking offshore. They recognize there is a conventional distinction between such 'tax avoidance' and the unlawful 'tax evasion', but are effectually the same. "The pursuit of profit outweighs all other considerations, including good citizenship and social responsibility."
EU governments have recently tried to crackdown on tax havens in hopes of recovering lost revenues. Ironically, though, even Britain's CDC plc, formerly the Commonwealth Development Corporation and still owned by the Department for International Development, pays no taxes on its £350m of profits, thanks to its use of tax havens, even though its main aim is to fund development projects.
What do you think about Christian Aid's claims that the super-rich have social responsibility to the developing world? Should individuals/corporations be allowed to protect their assets if they're doing so legally? If the super-rich and the world's largest companies paid their fair share in taxes, more than 5 million children could be saved in the... more -
10M children worldwide die from lack of health care
More than 200 million children worldwide under age 5 do not get basic health care, leading to nearly 10 million deaths annually from treatable ailments like diarrhea and pneumonia, a U.S.-based charity said this week.
Nearly all of the deaths occur in the developing world, with poor children facing twice the risk of dying compared to richer children, according to Save the Children's global report.
Sweden, Norway and Iceland top the ranking in terms of well-being for mothers and children in 146 countries surveyed, while Nigeria ranks last.
Eight out of 10 bottom-ranked countries are in sub-Saharan Africa, where four out of five mothers are likely to lose a child in their lifetime, Save the Children said.
The top three among the 55 developing countries ranked in the survey are the Philippines, Peru and South Africa — all surveyed for the first time. Indonesia and Turkmenistan tied for fourth. More than 200 million children worldwide under age 5 do not get basic health care, leading to nearly 10 million deaths annually from t... more -
World Food Program Warns of Food Aid Cut
Democracy Now's Amy Goodman reports on the world food shortage. Here in the US, two major food chains, (Sam's and Costco), stoked panic this week when they announced they would ration rice sales at their supermarkets. Democracy Now's Amy Goodman reports on the world food shortage. Here in the US, two major food chains, (Sam's and Costco), stoked pa... more
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New World Water
Today, in year 2008, we have already surpassed a total of 6.7 billion people inhabiting Earth, yet 1.2 billion people do not have access to safe water (1 out of 6) and 2.6 billion people lack adequate sanitation (1 out of 3). These people live in the poorest countries in the world and rely heavily on agriculture to survive.
New World Water captures the story of man’s rapidly changing relationship with water and the environment at the dawn of the 21st century. The country and people of Madagascar are brought center stage for an examination of life in the developing world where clean water is scarce or non-existent. This video is the final chapter of a larger 5 part series and focuses on rain-catching with schools in Anosiala, Madagascar. Today, in year 2008, we have already surpassed a total of 6.7 billion people inhabiting Earth, yet 1.2 billion people do not have acc... more -
Ekizibu - a short film about midwives in Uganda
Ekizibu means 'an issue' in Swahili Luganda.
I heard the midwives say, 'it's an issue,' a lot while I was shooting this film.
This short film exposes the issues midwives deal with everyday in Uganda, including communication and transportation, electricity, clean water and lack of supplies.
From mud huts to small health centers to busy district hospitals, these midwives work on the frontline in the fight of maternal health care. In Uganda the maternal mortality rate is 1 in 16, in America it is 1 in 4000.
Ekizibu means 'an issue' in Swahili Luganda. I heard the midwives say, 'it's an issue,' a lot while I was shooting this film. ... more -
The Young Hardworking Poor of Rural Bangladesh
The poor aren't lazy. Instead, as I learned very early on in my work here in Bangladesh, the poor are some of the hardest working people on the face of the planet.
In a recent trip to rural Bangladesh, I encountered 30 kids who were forced to choose between going to school and putting food on the table. They are able to study part-time (for two hours each day) because local community members in this rural village pooled their money to form an informal school. The school teacher teaches these children basic English, Bengali, and Math all for a salary of $15 a month.
For more information about what I'm doing in Bangladesh, check out my blog at:
http://uncultured.com
I look forward to sharing more with the Current.com community! The poor aren't lazy. Instead, as I learned very early on in my work here in Bangladesh, the poor are some of the hardest working peop... more -
Okinawa Land of Adventure, Culture of Peace, Currency of Life
Originally...... a kingdom with cultural ties to China, ....A port of safety for ships that travel the sea, .....Politically influenced by mainland Japan, .....Subsidized by the American Military Asia bases. Invaded in 1945 killing 1/3 of the civilian population, destroying most of the physical heritage. A place still that welcomes the foreigner, traveler, extended family, none the less.
....A place of peace and goodwill, accepting all as they appear...
Look at the website videos to appreciate my comments....
I hope tosee you there soon
Maho Originally...... a kingdom with cultural ties to China, ....A port of safety for ships that travel the sea, .....Politically influence... more -
Cooking the Planet: Are biomass stoves in the developing world affecting climate c...
A look into rural India to see how cooking over open fires and traditional stoves is a danger to the health of the cooks, their families, and the planet. A major contributor to global warming, smoke from cook fires is cooking the earth. See for yourself. A look into rural India to see how cooking over open fires and traditional stoves is a danger to the health of the cooks, their famili... more
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Secret Life of Cell Phones
Ever wonder what happens when we toss old cell phones in the trash? Take the paper we read in the morning, and the jeans and t-shirts we wear. Have you ever considered what impacts these products have on the environment, from beginning to end?
INFORM?s Secret Life Series is a collection of videos that highlight the environmental impacts of everyday products we all use.
Find out more at secret-life.org
PLEASE SHARE RATE AND COMMENT!
Ever wonder what happens when we toss old cell phones in the trash? Take the paper we read in the morning, and the jeans and t-shirts ... more -
I'm a subsistence farmer, get me out of here!
This pod may disturb our romantic notions of rural life. In the West we love the countryside and 'getting away from it all' yet in Ghana, we learn that many would rather live in an urban shanty town than stay stuck in subsistence life in rural areas. Subsistence life means mud huts and mind-numbing toil. Helen wants a proper job, Cephus wants his kids to be doctors and lawyers. De Roy explains that at least in a shanty town people can have access to a clinic, menial work, electricity, drinkable water, paved roads and TVs. This pod may disturb our romantic notions of rural life. In the West we love the countryside and 'getting away from it all' yet in Gha... more
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Cash Back
**This film is now the revised version of Cash Back that we have made based on some of the great comments and suggestions below**
Shot in Brick Lane in the heart of London's East End, this film reveals the extent of remittances.This is money sent by migrants and Diasporas to friends, families and villages in some of the world's poorest countries. They don't wear their heart on their sleeve or a wristband to show they care and they go on sending money when the shocking TV images have faded. Remittances outstrip aid and foreign direct investment for many developing countries. There are no strings attached and as the film suggests, remittances better represent the aspirations of our peers globally than much of contemporary charitable giving and celebrity pleading to buy a hoe or a goat. **This film is now the revised version of Cash Back that we have made based on some of the great comments and suggestions below** ... more
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Developing World
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Developing World
