Gaia: THE CHILDREN OF AFRICA

High food prices

http://nbkmoses.gaia.com — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 13:58:34 GMT

Introduction A wave of food-price inflation is moving across the globe, leaving in its wake drastically increased levels of hunger and poverty. The phenomenon is affecting everyone on the planet but the poor and hungry are on the front line, as are agencies like WFP that work to help them. [Back To Top] Key facts • Top international experts say millions of people are being pushed deeper into poverty and hunger by high food prices. According to the World Bank, the number is at least 100 million. WFP’s research indicates that it could be as high as 130 million. • On international commodity markets, food prices have gone up 54 percent over the last year, with cereal prices soaring 92 percent. (source: FAO – World Food Situation) • Over the first four months of 2008 WFP paid an average of US$430 for a metric ton of wheat, compared to US$207 for the same period of 2007, an increase of 108 percent. • WFP is also paying more for other key elements in its food basket: 33 percent more for maize, 50 percent more for rice, 73 percent more for vegetable oil and 61 percent more for pulses. • World cereal reserves are expected to fall 5 percent this year, to their lowest point for 25 years. (source: FAO - Crop Prospects) • Approximately 1 billion people still live on less than US$ 1 dollar a day, the threshold defined by the international community as absolute poverty, below which survival is in question. [Back To Top] The challenge High food prices represent the biggest challenge that WFP has faced in its 45-year history. Analysis carried out by the organisation supports World Bank estimates that at least 100 million people have been pushed deeper into poverty by soaring food costs. WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran has called this a silent tsunami for the world’s hungry. Recognising the seriousness of the challenge, on April 29 United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the creation of a UN Task Force to work with donor and beneficiary governments to promote a comprehensive and unified response. On May 20-22 the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) held a special session on the Global Food Crisis. [Back To Top] Roots of the phenomenon Higher food prices are rooted in increased energy costs, rising demand from economic growth in emerging economies, the growth of biofuels and increasing climatic shocks such as droughts and floods. Meanwhile, food reserves are at their lowest for 25 years and commodity markets extremely volatile, subject to sudden spikes and speculation. The situation has been exacerbated by the falling value of the dollar, which is the currency in which all major commodities are traded. In a bid to protect their own populations, many countries have imposed export bans or restrictions on certain food types. This tends to drive prices up further as food becomes less available. [Back To Top] 'New face of hunger' The people hit hardest by this combination of factors are those living on the razor’s edge of poverty. In rich countries people spend 10-20 percent of their income on food so they can afford to pay more. In many poor countries they already spend 60 percent, sometimes even 80 percent, of their budget on food. Affected groups include the rural landless, pastoralists and many small-scale farmers in Africa and elsewhere. But the impact is also on the urban poor. In many of the world’s poorest cities people can suddenly no longer afford the food they see on store shelves because prices have soared beyond their reach. This is the 'new face of hunger'. It's not a matter of availability, as we would see in a drought-like situation. It's about accessibility and it's especially impacting populations who are reliant on the markets. [Back To Top] Impact Higher food prices are already causing social unrest around the world. Lives were lost in April in Haiti during several days of unrest. In recent months there have also been protests in at least 25 other countries, including Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Gabon, Egypt, Senegal, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India and the Philippines. In developing countries across the world, the price crunch means that families which may have had money to pay school fees for their children, to go to clinics when they are sick, or take much-needed nourishing food together with anti-retroviral drugs, will suffer as they cut back in these areas. They are cutting meals and substituting less nutritious foods. As they struggle to cope, we risk seeing a major setback – perhaps as much as seven years – in the Millennium Development Goals. The first objective which the world committed itself to reaching by 2015 was to halve the proportion of hungry people. Food is also the foundation for six of the other MDG goals -- more hunger and more suffering today points to a potential erosion of the hard-won progress we have made. [Back To Top] WFP's Call to Action WFP, which is a voluntarily funded operation, aims to feed more than 70 million hungry people around the world in 2008. Six months into the year, its total budget for 2008 stands at US$4.5 billion, of which US$2 billion has been received. That US$2 billion includes money generously provided by donors in response to the appeal WFP launched in March for special funds to cover the impact of high food and fuel prices on its operations. The target for that appeal was US$755 million, a figure which was reached after only two months, partly thanks to a US$500 million donation from Saudi Arabia on May 22. WFP’s programmed budget for 2008 does not cover those who are joining the ranks of the hungry as a result of high food and fuel prices, the ‘new face of hunger’. Nor does it cover those that may be hit by natural catastrophes – such as the cyclone in Myanmar – which no one can predict and which can devastate hundreds of thousands of lives. All these people will look to WFP for help for their survival and so the organisation’s total budget for 2008 could grow yet higher. [Back To Top] The way forward WFP supports a comprehensive approach to high food prices where all parties, from governments to UN agencies to NGOs, work together. It supports FAO’s appeal for US$ 1.7 billion to implement its Initiative on Soaring Food Prices and welcomes IFAD’s announcement of funding worth US$ 200 million to enable poor farmers to access seeds, fertilizers and tools. As part of a coherent global response by UN agencies, WFP’s role will be threefold: • in the short term, WFP will seek full funding for the life-saving projects programmed for 2008 and for targeted food safety nets and mother-child health programmes in extreme situations. It will seek to scale up school feeding and use it as a platform for urgent, nutritional interventions; • in the medium term, WFP will offer its huge logistics capacity to support life-saving distribution networks. It will also expand cash and voucher programmes and support local purchases from small farmers, helping them to afford inputs and sustain livelihoods; • and in the longer term, it will support policy reform and provide advice and technical support to governments engaging in agricultural development programmes; at the same time WFP will pursue local purchase contracts that can help farmers increase investment and yields. [Back To Top] Quick navigation Introduction Key facts The challenge Roots of the phenomenon 'New face of hunger' Impact WFP's Call to Action The way forward Contacts Martin Penner Public Information Officer +39 06 6513 3254 (office) Martin.penner@wfp.org For more contacts: Addis AbabaAmmanBangkokBeijingBerlinBogotaCairoColomboCopenhagenDakarIslamabadJakartaJerusalemKabulKhartoumLondonNairobiNay Pyi TawNew YorkPanama CityParisPyongyangRome HQTokyoTorontoWashington Why are prices high? Factors contributing to global food price rises include: Rising oil and energy costs Growing competition between biofuels and food Growing demand from burgeoning economies in the developing world Increase in climate and weather-related events destroy crops, reducing food supplies Key documents WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran -biography 'New Face of Hunger' - keynote speech by WFP Executive Director (Center for Strategic and International Studies, April 2008) Factsheet: High food prices Press release-WFP says high food prices a silent tsunami Chief Executives Board Communique-Berne-29 April Press release - WFP completes $755 million appeal with Saudi pledge Video gallery *New video: WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran in Myanmar Video: What's in your cup today? From Sri Lanka to Egypt, people are feeling the crunch of high food prices. Watch this video to hear what people have to say about the direct impact food price spikes have on their livelihoods. Video: High food prices: Around the world, people are feeling the crunch of high food prices, especially at the markets, where crowds and bartering are commonplace. Related news How to Feed the World - Newsweek The Silent Tsunami - The Economist UN Secretary-General warns of food crisis emergency Oped: High food costs hurt the poor - WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran Food for thought - The Economist High food prices may force aid rationing - Financial Times The world's growing food-price crisis - TIME Feed the World - The UK Guardian Useful links UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) - World Food Situation Portal UN International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD ) International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI ) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs -IRI World Food Programme © 2008

HIV & AIDS in Africa

http://nbkmoses.gaia.com — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:10:11 GMT

Sub-Saharan Africa is more heavily affected by HIV and AIDS than any other region of the world. An estimated 22.5 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2007 and approximately 1.7 million additional people were infected with HIV during that year. In just the past year, the AIDS epidemic in Africa has claimed the lives of an estimated 1.6 million people in this region. More than eleven million children have been orphaned by AIDS.1 The extent of the AIDS crisis is only now becoming clear in many African countries, as increasing numbers of people with HIV are becoming ill. In the absence of massively expanded prevention, treatment and care efforts, it is expected that the AIDS death toll in sub-Saharan Africa will continue to rise. This means that impact of the AIDS epidemic on these societies will be felt most strongly in the course of the next ten years and beyond. Its social and economic consequences are already widely felt, not only in the health sector but also in education, industry, agriculture, transport, human resources and the economy in general. How are different countries in Africa affected? Mother and child at Nsanje district hospital in Malawi, both HIV+ Both HIV prevalence rates and the numbers of people dying from AIDS vary greatly between African countries. In Somalia and Senegal the HIV prevalence is under 1% of the adult population, whereas in South Africa and Zambia around 15-20% of adults are infected with HIV. In four southern African countries, the national adult HIV prevalence rate has risen higher than was thought possible and now exceeds 20%. These countries are Botswana (24.1%), Lesotho (23.2%), Swaziland (33.4%) and Zimbabwe (20.1%). West Africa has been less affected by AIDS, but the HIV prevalence rates in some countries are creeping up. HIV prevalence is estimated to exceed 5% in Cameroon (5.4%), Côte d'Ivoire (7.1%) and Gabon (7.9%). Until recently the national HIV prevalence rate has remained relatively low in Nigeria, the most populous country in sub-Saharan Africa. The rate has grown slowly from below 2% in 1993 to 3.9% in 2005. But some states in Nigeria are already experiencing HIV infection rates as high as those now found in Cameroon. Already around 2.9 million Nigerians are estimated to be living with HIV. Adult HIV prevalence in East Africa exceeds 6% in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. Trends in Africa's AIDS epidemic Large variations exist between the patterns of the AIDS epidemic in different countries in Africa. In some places, the HIV prevalence is still growing. In others the HIV prevalence appears to have stabilised and in a few African nations - such as Kenya and Zimbabwe - declines appear to be under way, probably in part due to effective prevention campaigns. Others countries face a growing danger of explosive growth. The sharp rise in HIV prevalence among pregnant women in Cameroon (more than doubling to over 11% among those aged 20-24 between 1998 and 2000) shows how suddenly the epidemic can surge. Overall, rates of new HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa appear to have peaked in the late 1990s, and HIV prevalence seems to have declined slightly, although it remains at an extremely high level. Stabilisation of HIV prevalence occurs when the rate of new HIV infections is equalled by the AIDS death rate among the infected population. This means that a country with a stable but very high prevalence must be suffering a very high number of AIDS deaths each year. Although prevalence has declined, the number of Africans living with HIV is rising due to general population Source:http://www.avert.org/aafrica.htm

Malaria In Africa

http://nbkmoses.gaia.com — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:02:50 GMT

The vast majority of malaria deaths occur in Africa, south of the Sahara, where malaria also presents major obstacles to social and economic development. Malaria has been estimated to cost Africa more than US$ 12 billion every year in lost GDP, even though it could be controlled for a fraction of that sum. There are at least 300 million acute cases of malaria each year globally, resulting in more than a million deaths. Around 90% of these deaths occur in Africa, mostly in young children. Malaria is Africa's leading cause of under-five mortality (20%) and constitutes 10% of the continent's overall disease burden. It accounts for 40% of public health expenditure, 30-50% of inpatient admissions, and up to 50% of outpatient visits in areas with high malaria transmission. There are several reasons why Africa bears an overwhelming proportion of the malaria burden. Most malaria infections in Africa south of the Sahara are caused by Plasmodium falciparum, the most severe and life-threatening form of the disease. This region is also home to the most efficient, and therefore deadly, species of the mosquitoes which transmit the disease. Moreover, many countries in Africa lacked the infrastructures and resources necessary to mount sustainable campaigns against malaria and as a result few benefited from historical efforts to eradicate malaria. In In Africa today, malaria is understood to be both a disease of poverty and a cause of poverty. Annual economic growth in countries with high malaria transmission has historically been lower than in countries without malaria. Economists believe that malaria is responsible for a growth penalty of up to 1.3%% per year in some African countries. When compounded over the years, this penalty leads to substantial differences in GDP between countries with and without malaria and severely restrains the economic growth of the entire region. Malaria also has a direct impact on Africa's human resources. Not only does malaria result in lost life and lost productivity due to illness and premature death, but malaria also hampers children's schooling and social development through both absenteeism and permanent neurological and other damage associated with severe episodes of the disease. One of the greatest challenges facing Africa in the fight against malaria is drug resistance. Resistance to chloroquine, the cheapest and most widely used antimalarial, is common throughout Africa (particularly in southern and eastern parts of the continent). Resistance to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP), often seen as the first and least expensive alternative to chloroquine, is also increasing in east and southern Africa. As a result of these trends, many countries are having to change their treatment policies and use drugs which are more expensive, including combinations of drugs, which it is hoped will slow the development of resistance. Growing political commitment by African leaders for action on malaria was given a boost by the founding of the Roll Back Malaria global partnership in 1998. Less than two years later African Heads of State and their representatives met in Abuja, Nigeria to translate RBM's goal of halving the malaria burden by 2010 into tangible political action. The Abuja Declaration, signed in April 2000 endorsed a concerted strategy to tackle the problem of malaria across Africa. The Abuja Declaration endorsed RBM's goal and established a series of interim targets for the number of people having access to treatment, protective measures or, in the case of pregnant women, receiving intermittent preventive treatment to ensure that progress would be made towards the goal and malaria-endemic countries and other RBM partners held responsible. Considerable progress has been made since Abuja. Almost 20 African countries have reduced or eliminated taxes and tariffs on insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) to make them more affordable. More than half the malaria-endemic African countries, representing almost half the population at risk have established Country Strategic Plans ((CSPs) to achieve the RBM goal and the targets set in Abuja. CSPs are all based on the four technical elements of Roll Back Malaria and the evidence-based interventions associated with them prompt access to effective treatment, promotion of ITNs and improved vector control, prevention and management of malaria in pregnancy and improving the prevention of, and response to, malaria epidemics and malaria in complex emergencies. Countries are now working through local partnerships to develop the capacity to fully implement their CSPs using ongoing health sector reforms and linkages to other initiatives, such as IMCI (Integrated Management of Childhood Illness) and MPS (Making Pregnancy Safer), to improve access to key interventions. CSPs have been successful in attracting new resources for malaria control. However, given projected resource needs to the year 2010, only 20% of necessary funds will be available locally. African countries, working with their partners and donors, must identify and mobilize resources for the remainder. Countries are looking to a variety of sources to ensure sustainable financing of their efforts to Roll Back Malaria this includes traditional sources of funding, from the national treasury and donor community as well as the exploration of new opportunities through debt relief schemes and the newly formed Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. Source: http://www.rollbackmalaria.org/cmc_upload/0/000/015/370/RBMInfosheet_3.htm

Sponsor Early Learning Project

http://nbkmoses.gaia.com — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 21:54:38 GMT

Early learning project is an initiative of poor rural mothers in Kabata, Rubona Sub county western Uganda that they have named Global Vision Nursery School supported by Joy for Children-Uganda.The project aims at giving children below 6 years learning opportunities before joining starting primary school. This is more of a nursery school or daycare. Since its inception in 2008 the school has over 120 children. The children contribute only UGX 2000 ($1.2 USD) unfortunaltely more than 40% of these children are total orphans. The school has 2 teachers and being run in a local church known as United Pentecostal church that provided the learning space when the school was starting early this year. As the number of children is growing on a high rate the church has asked the school to relocate. In the short term the parents want to construct a temporary structure where the children will be studying from as they fundraise to construct a permanent structure. One of the founder of the school has donated small land. While the women are determined to contribute resources towards the construction of the school, they need support since all of them are peasant farmers. A total of $20,000 USD is sought to construct atleast the first three classrooms with a seating capacity of 45 children. Please make your decision to contribute Now and tell a friend about it. For further details, contact Ntenga Moses at ntengam@joyforchildren.org or call +256 414 530 450. Visit our website at www.joyforchildren.org

THE ISSUES

http://nbkmoses.gaia.com — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:42:46 GMT

The Children Of Africa:

HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS has left the world in disarray. This deadly epidemic is the worlds greatest social, medical and economic crisis and is devastating millions of lives in its path. In the wake of this virus are multitudes of widows and orphaned children who are destitute, without hope or purpose. According to a UN report, there will be 50 million AIDS orphaned children by 2010. This estimation paints an extremely bleak picture for the children of Africa.

There is hope. There is an answer. This hope is found in the radical outpouring of love through the revived church of the Lord Jesus Christ "one by one" these children can be reached. Watoto has been part of this answer for over a decade and has witnessed dynamic changes and tremendous results.

The War Affected Children of Northern Uganda:
CHILD SOLDIERS
Since 1987 rebel leader, Joseph Kony, has reigned with terror over Gulu (which means "heaven"), in Northern Uganda. In the name of the Lord, he has been fulfilling a "religious mandate" to overthrow the Ugandan government under the guise of the 10 Commandments. For 20 years he has led the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) on a spiritual crusade of murder, mutilation, abduction and destruction of whole communities. Unimaginable atrocities have been inflicted on a whole generation of innocent children.

More than 30,000 children have been stolen from their homes to join the LRA, where they are brainwashed and forced to serve as a part of the militia. These children, some as young as 8 years, are forced to join in on the horrific acts that destruct their own families and communities. In addition to being beaten and raped, these children also have to participate in the killing of the children who try to escape from the LRA. Often little girls are sold as sex slaves to warlords, traded or even given as gifts for arms. Alarmingly, children make up over 80% of the LRA.

CHILD MOTHERS
Female abductees are often forced into sexual servitude, becoming the de facto "wives" of senior LRA commanders. "Girl children are offered as rewards to senior officers" says Chulho Hyun, UNICEF Communication officer in Uganda. "The result is that a significant number of returnees are child mothers"

UNICEF launched the State of the Worlds Children 2005 report in the province of Gulu as a way to focus on the terrible dilemma facing child mothers. Gulu is one of the eight provinces embroiled in the civil war. Of 840 recently returned abductees, thirty percent are estimated to have given birth to children as a result of their ordeal.

These young mothers find themselves stigmatized and rejected often by their immediate families. Their chances of re-marrying are small and many abandon their babies. They must also live with the fear that their so-called husbands will return to claim them.

PARENTLESS GENERATION
Most frightening is the state of the future leaders of these communities. Often cited as a generation of parentless children, the youth of Northern Uganda are some of the most affected by war. Motherless girls are raped and become pregnant, while fatherless boys continue to stumble out of the jungles, shell-shocked, named murderers by their communities from where they were abducted years before. The immense number of AIDS orphans, ex child soldiers and sex slaves is as daunting as their courage to go on.

INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE CAMP
As this de-fragmentation of families and communities takes place, up to 1 million people have been forced to live in squalid camps where the lack of food, clean water and sanitation is critical. Overcrowding and impoverishment are pertinent in these camps, while HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other life-threatening diseases plague the people. As these makeshift villages begin to assume an air of permanence, Northern Uganda faces new struggles.

When abductees eventually return home, their problems are not over. Most, however, do not return to their displaced families, because of the atrocities they have committed, they are labelled as murderers. Much needs to be done to help the Acholi (the people of Gulu) build a sustainable society.

THE ISSUES

http://nbkmoses.gaia.com — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:39:47 GMT

The Children Of Africa:HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS has left the world in disarray. This deadly epidemic is the worlds greatest social, medical and economic crisis and is devastating millions of lives in its path. In the wake of this virus are multitudes of widows and orphaned children who are destitute, without hope or purpose. According to a UN report, there will be 50 million AIDS orphaned children by 2010. This estimation paints an extremely bleak picture for the children of Africa.

There is hope. There is an answer. This hope is found in the radical outpouring of love through the revived church of the Lord Jesus Christ "one by one" these children can be reached. Watoto has been part of this answer for over a decade and has witnessed dynamic changes and tremendous results.

The War Affected Children of Northern Uganda:
CHILD SOLDIERS
Since 1987 rebel leader, Joseph Kony, has reigned with terror over Gulu (which means "heaven"), in Northern Uganda. In the name of the Lord, he has been fulfilling a "religious mandate" to overthrow the Ugandan government under the guise of the 10 Commandments. For 20 years he has led the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) on a spiritual crusade of murder, mutilation, abduction and destruction of whole communities. Unimaginable atrocities have been inflicted on a whole generation of innocent children.

More than 30,000 children have been stolen from their homes to join the LRA, where they are brainwashed and forced to serve as a part of the militia. These children, some as young as 8 years, are forced to join in on the horrific acts that destruct their own families and communities. In addition to being beaten and raped, these children also have to participate in the killing of the children who try to escape from the LRA. Often little girls are sold as sex slaves to warlords, traded or even given as gifts for arms. Alarmingly, children make up over 80% of the LRA.

CHILD MOTHERS
Female abductees are often forced into sexual servitude, becoming the de facto "wives" of senior LRA commanders. "Girl children are offered as rewards to senior officers" says Chulho Hyun, UNICEF Communication officer in Uganda. "The result is that a significant number of returnees are child mothers"

UNICEF launched the State of the Worlds Children 2005 report in the province of Gulu as a way to focus on the terrible dilemma facing child mothers. Gulu is one of the eight provinces embroiled in the civil war. Of 840 recently returned abductees, thirty percent are estimated to have given birth to children as a result of their ordeal.

These young mothers find themselves stigmatized and rejected often by their immediate families. Their chances of re-marrying are small and many abandon their babies. They must also live with the fear that their so-called husbands will return to claim them.

PARENTLESS GENERATION
Most frightening is the state of the future leaders of these communities. Often cited as a generation of parentless children, the youth of Northern Uganda are some of the most affected by war. Motherless girls are raped and become pregnant, while fatherless boys continue to stumble out of the jungles, shell-shocked, named murderers by their communities from where they were abducted years before. The immense number of AIDS orphans, ex child soldiers and sex slaves is as daunting as their courage to go on.

INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE CAMP
As this de-fragmentation of families and communities takes place, up to 1 million people have been forced to live in squalid camps where the lack of food, clean water and sanitation is critical. Overcrowding and impoverishment are pertinent in these camps, while HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other life-threatening diseases plague the people. As these makeshift villages begin to assume an air of permanence, Northern Uganda faces new struggles.

When abductees eventually return home, their problems are not over. Most, however, do not return to their displaced families, because of the atrocities they have committed, they are labelled as murderers. Much needs to be done to help the Acholi (the people of Gulu) build a sustainable society.

THE ISSUES

http://nbkmoses.gaia.com — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:35:51 GMT

The Children Of Africa:HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS has left the world in disarray. This deadly epidemic is the worlds greatest social, medical and economic crisis and is devastating millions of lives in its path. In the wake of this virus are multitudes of widows and orphaned children who are destitute, without hope or purpose. According to a UN report, there will be 50 million AIDS orphaned children by 2010. This estimation paints an extremely bleak picture for the children of Africa.

There is hope. There is an answer. This hope is found in the radical outpouring of love through the revived church of the Lord Jesus Christ "one by one" these children can be reached. Watoto has been part of this answer for over a decade and has witnessed dynamic changes and tremendous results.

The War Affected Children of Northern Uganda:
CHILD SOLDIERS
Since 1987 rebel leader, Joseph Kony, has reigned with terror over Gulu (which means "heaven"), in Northern Uganda. In the name of the Lord, he has been fulfilling a "religious mandate" to overthrow the Ugandan government under the guise of the 10 Commandments. For 20 years he has led the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) on a spiritual crusade of murder, mutilation, abduction and destruction of whole communities. Unimaginable atrocities have been inflicted on a whole generation of innocent children.

More than 30,000 children have been stolen from their homes to join the LRA, where they are brainwashed and forced to serve as a part of the militia. These children, some as young as 8 years, are forced to join in on the horrific acts that destruct their own families and communities. In addition to being beaten and raped, these children also have to participate in the killing of the children who try to escape from the LRA. Often little girls are sold as sex slaves to warlords, traded or even given as gifts for arms. Alarmingly, children make up over 80% of the LRA.

CHILD MOTHERS
Female abductees are often forced into sexual servitude, becoming the de facto "wives" of senior LRA commanders. "Girl children are offered as rewards to senior officers" says Chulho Hyun, UNICEF Communication officer in Uganda. "The result is that a significant number of returnees are child mothers"

UNICEF launched the State of the Worlds Children 2005 report in the province of Gulu as a way to focus on the terrible dilemma facing child mothers. Gulu is one of the eight provinces embroiled in the civil war. Of 840 recently returned abductees, thirty percent are estimated to have given birth to children as a result of their ordeal.

These young mothers find themselves stigmatized and rejected often by their immediate families. Their chances of re-marrying are small and many abandon their babies. They must also live with the fear that their so-called husbands will return to claim them.

PARENTLESS GENERATION
Most frightening is the state of the future leaders of these communities. Often cited as a generation of parentless children, the youth of Northern Uganda are some of the most affected by war. Motherless girls are raped and become pregnant, while fatherless boys continue to stumble out of the jungles, shell-shocked, named murderers by their communities from where they were abducted years before. The immense number of AIDS orphans, ex child soldiers and sex slaves is as daunting as their courage to go on.

INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE CAMP
As this de-fragmentation of families and communities takes place, up to 1 million people have been forced to live in squalid camps where the lack of food, clean water and sanitation is critical. Overcrowding and impoverishment are pertinent in these camps, while HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other life-threatening diseases plague the people. As these makeshift villages begin to assume an air of permanence, Northern Uganda faces new struggles.

When abductees eventually return home, their problems are not over. Most, however, do not return to their displaced families, because of the atrocities they have committed, they are labelled as murderers. Much needs to be done to help the Acholi (the people of Gulu) build a sustainable society.

Re: Where can we help?

http://nbkmoses.gaia.com — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 13:43:34 GMT

Hello Michele

we are working on the website, if you have any item to send to us please use the address below

Joy for for Children Uganda
Plot 222, Makerere Hill Road,
P.O. Box 40127, Nakawa Kampala, UGANDA

Or You can send us a Cheque in the Names of:

Joy for Children-Uganda

and post it to the above address.

Thank you,

Ntenga Moses

Where can we help?

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 19:11:18 GMT

Hi Moses,
I don't see a website or direct link to ways we can help. Am I overlooking it?

Thanks,
Michele

Child neglect tops rights abuses

http://nbkmoses.gaia.com — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 15:09:51 GMT

CHILD neglect tops human rights abuses in Uganda, according to the Ugandan Human Rights Commission. More

Floods displace many and a state of emergency is declared

http://nbkmoses.gaia.com — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 14:23:29 GMT

Floods have hit badly the eastern and northern parts of uganda, as a result the president has declared a state of emergency. Read more

Re: Africa: The Next Chapter

http://nbkmoses.gaia.com — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 15:19:28 GMT

Kerry,

Thank you for getting that link to us. When I read it, I remained wondering if we can come up with an integral approach to the problems in Africa.

As you will realised, all presenters had their own thinking of what would help africa. If they are all rights, their approached be integrated.

This is worth of indepth discussion!

Africa: The Next Chapter

http://jikishin.gaia.com — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 04:00:17 GMT

Hi All,

There is a good series of talks on video at http://www.ted.com/themes/view/id/45 .

They are now ( Sept. '07 ) featuring "Africa: The Next Chapter", with a range of issues addressed, and very current initiatives.

Best Wishes!

Kerry

UGANDA: High sexual violence places females at greater HIV risk

http://nbkmoses.gaia.com — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 14:42:11 GMT

[NAIROBI, 21 August 2007] - Almost 40 percent of Ugandan women aged between 15 and 49 have experienced some form of sexual violence in their lifetime, a statistic that is "unacceptably high", gender experts said.

One in four Ugandan women said their first sexual intercourse was against their will, according to the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey 2006 by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS). "Women in Uganda continue to lack power over their sexual rights," Elizabeth Kyasimire, a commissioner at the Ministry of Gender, told IRIN/PlusNews.

"This is rooted in our society's cultural and social make-up, where women are in subordinate positions," she said. More than two thousand women were interviewed, almost half of whom said their husband or partner had been sexually violent.

General physical abuse was also common, with an estimated 60 percent of women between the ages of 15 and 49 experiencing some form of physical violence. "Overall, seven in ten women and about 60 percent of men believe there are at least some situations in which a husband is justified in beating his wife," the survey found.

"Nineteen percent of men and almost one-third of women believe that a husband is justified in beating his wife if she refuses to have sex with him," according to the report.

Although the survey indicated that the likelihood of a woman experiencing sexual violence decreased with her educational attainment, Kyasimire commented that "Women still lack economic empowerment and feel they must follow the will of their partners or risk losing their homes and livelihoods."

She said her ministry was working with the UBOS to carry out research into the link between HIV and sexual violence, but "We need authentic data, so that we can go to the relevant authorities, who can then focus their programmes on sexual violence, which definitely has a correlation with HIV in this country. Knowledge about HIV exists in the population, but women can't use it because of their low status."

Northern situation unclear

The UBOS survey found that sexual violence in the conflict-affected populations of war-torn northern Uganda was lower than elsewhere. An estimated 27.7 percent of women living in camps for internally displaced persons (IDP) reported having experienced some form of sexual violence, compared with 56 percent of women in the east of the country and 42 percent in the west.

However, these findings contradict those of 'Suffering in Silence: A Study of Sexual and Gender-based Violence in Pabbo IPD Camp', jointly carried out by the government and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in 2005.

"Research revealed that six out of 10 women in Pabbo Camp are physically and sexually assaulted, threatened and humiliated by the men in whom they have the greatest trust." The UNICEF study also found that rape was often considered a "normal" part of life in Pabbo, the largest IDP camp in Gulu district.

Some activists said the UBOS figures for the north might have been skewed by a perception of what constitutes sexual violence. UNICEF's study found that cases of sexual assault in Pabbo were reported as lesser crimes or went completely unreported. The abduction of young girls for use as sexual slaves has been a common practice of the rebel Lord's Resistance Army.

"Sexual violence is definitely high in the north: throughout the war, the women have been raped and young girls have been defiled," said Hilda Akabway, acting executive director of the Uganda Association of Women Lawyers (FIDA-Uganda).

Akabway said FIDA-Uganda was setting up a desk in the Acholi region, which suffered the most during the war, to empower women with the knowledge and skills to prevent sexual and other forms of violence.

She stressed that there was an urgent need for the government to create awareness about women's sexual rights across the country, to start changing society's harmful gender perceptions.

The Ministry of Gender's Kyasimire said although there were laws to protect women and obtain justice for the survivors of sexual violence, implementation of the laws was often not user-friendly, especially in rural areas.

"If a woman is raped and reports it to the police, the legal process is very lengthy and economically costly; poor girls and women usually abandon their cases because of this."

A national domestic violence bill is being drafted, and parliament recently passed an amendment that can impose the death penalty on any HIV-positive person who wilfully infects a minor through sexual intercourse.

Further information

HIV and AIDS: UN call to tackle 'feminisation' of AIDS (6 July 2007)
Intersecting Human Rights: HIV and Violence against Women and Girls (22 March 2007)

SUDAN: Women Abducted, Raped and Kept as Sex Slaves [report]

http://nbkmoses.gaia.com — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 14:29:23 GMT

[21 August 2007] - The Government of the Sudan must protect women and children from sexual and gender-based violence, says a new report from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights that details cases of abduction, rape and sexual violence in South Darfur.

The report, a follow-up to a report issued in April 2007, contains testimonies from victims and eyewitnesses describing how women were abducted, kept as sex slaves or subjected to other human rights violations in Deribat and surrounding towns by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and affiliated groups. These and other violations occurred in late December 2006 in the wake of air and ground attacks on civilians in the area.

The report, prepared in cooperation with the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), stresses the Government’s responsibility for the actions of the armed forces and other informal allied groups, notably the Popular Defense Forces and the Southern Liberation Army/Abu Gasim faction. The report says the abuses may also constitute war crimes, recalling that no investigation had been carried out by the Sudanese Government. Local authorities have indicated that they have forwarded the allegations to the Sudanese Armed Forces. Meanwhile, Sudan's Advisory Council on Human Rights has informed UNMIS that it is proposing to establish an investigation committee jointly with the African Union Mission in Sudan to inquire into the allegations contained in the report.

Among its recommendations, the report urges:

The Government and rebel factions to cease all attacks against civilians, especially women and children;
The Government to establish an independent body to investigate abduction, rape and sexual slavery committed in the region, and those suspected of being responsible should be brought to justice in trials that meet international standards of fairness. The results of the investigation should be made public;
The Government to suspend immediately, pending investigations, any member of the Sudanese Armed Forces suspected of having committed or ordered rape, abduction and other forms of sexual violence;
The Government to issue immediate clear instructions to all troops under its command including PDF and other militias that rape and other forms of sexual violence will not be tolerated;
The Government to undertake a review its legislation, in particular articles 145 and 149 of the 1991 Criminal Code, so that women are not deterred from reporting rape through fear that their claims will be associated with the crime of adultery· The African Union to maintain a presence in the area; this should be negotiated with the non signatories of the Darfur Peace Agreement.

Further information

Report on the Situation of Human Rights in Darfur (Group of Experts on Darfur appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, June 2007)

Child labour

http://nbkmoses.gaia.com — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 14:26:02 GMT

CHILD LABOUR: Caution - Children at Work: Galvanizing Communities to End Child Labour [publication]

CARE USA has just published a new report to provide realistic and concrete examples of how to tackle and eliminate hazardous and exploitative child labour.

Caution - Children at Work calls attention to the institutional commitments and priorities outlined in CARE’s Organisational Policy Regarding Working Children and Hazardous Child Labour, adopted in 2006. The theme of “galvanising communities to end child labour” resulted from a strategic review of interventions to combat hazardous and exploitative child labour around the world - specifically, the significant contributions made by local communities.

CARE believes these experiences can significantly increase the collective understanding of the problem. Child labour and its associated problems cannot be considered in isolation. They must be addressed by holistic interventions that focus on the cross-cutting dimensions of child labour, and that articulate a common vision of success.

This report is divided into three sections.

Section I: Framing the Debate explores why a practice that has generated universal condemnation is still so prevalent in societies. It examines the global community’s response to child labor, focusing on the development of international labor standards and the role education systems have played.

It also explores the idea that poor quality education reinforces a belief among marginalised families that education is not useful or relevant to them. This section highlights the root causes of rural child labour. It stresses the idea that focusing interventions on rural-based forms of child labour, especially agriculture, can directly impact the number of children at risk for, or engaged in, the worst forms of child labour.

Section II: Initiating Action takes a results-oriented approach to examining various community-based strategies to empower change. At the heart of these strategies is the realisation that if communities are empowered with the necessary skills, they are their own best resource for addressing the participation of children in the labour market.

This section shows that quality education significantly contributes to reducing child labour, especially when education systems are able to evolve to meet the needs of those they aim to serve. Also examined are the dual roles women play in both exacerbating and mitigating rates of child labour, and the added value that youth participation for self-empowerment (YPS) strategies have on combating child labour.

Section III: Empowering Our Futures investigates the ramifications and responsibilities associated with empowering communities. Advocacy for and by empowered communities has a ripple effect once change is set in motion. A set of key findings and recommendations in the final chapter of this report aims to shift attitudes and practices in favour of those that empower individual and collective action. Finally, a challenge is issued for a heightened sense of personal responsibility for actions that directly or indirectly influence rates of child labour.

Further information

CRIN's issues page - child labour

Re: Building Peace in Uganda

http://nbkmoses.gaia.com — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 14:24:35 GMT

Thank you Michael, you always give me more reasons to serve the minority.

Re: Building Peace in Uganda

http://Morgenlicht.gaia.com — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 17:00:04 GMT

i am sorry to hear about the flooding and the causes for the flooding.

i hope you were able to make some progress on the clean up and the education. we had some very minor flooding in our town over the weekend and watching kids playing in the water reminded me of how it must be even more of a monumental challenge with the number of kids and people probably swimming in the water in your case.

i wish you success with your work and thanks for your commitment.

i am still trying to learn more everyday and hope i can be part of change in the world. your work and efforts keep me energized!

Re: Building Peace in Uganda

http://nbkmoses.gaia.com — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 16:08:31 GMT

I have kind of been out of Zaadz, I am organising a community sensitization week for one of our flood affected areas. More that 10,000 were submerged last week. The floods have been largely caused by heavy rains, the contruction of northern by-pass (aimed at reducing traffic in city centre) , narrow water channels since the area was build in a swamp, and the locals throwing garbage in the channel to be carried by water. this ends up blocking the channel and water finds its own level!

Of course there are both water and insecticide borne diseases by floods andy stagnant water where many children find it enjoyeable playing and swimming in it.

We will participate in cleaning the channel, sensitizing people on risky health hazzards and educating them on proper garbage disposal. We will also use the same event to bring the plight of these people to the attention of local leaders, policy markers and the development partners. Please pray for its success.

Thank you for continued support for peace in Darfur and beyond.

Peace and love, In all partners we are!

Re: Building Peace in Uganda

http://Morgenlicht.gaia.com — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 03:12:06 GMT

Thanks for your kind words Moses. I am trying to contact someone at the Enoughproject site and see if they could answer some of our questions, specifically the ones you are asking about what Ugandans can do.

I also found this other site that you may like to check out, I am bookmarking here at zaadz too.
http://www.resolveuganda.org/home

I hope to try and meet with one of my State Senators and get some answers from him as well. I will keep you posted with anything that I find out.