The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), also known as the Lord's Resistance Movement, is a Christian fundamentalist, militant new religious movement cult operating in northern Uganda, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Central African Republic. It has been accused of widespread human rights violations, including murder, abduction, mutilation, child-sex slavery and forcing children to participate in hostilities. Initially it was an outgrowth and continuation of the larger armed … [Read more...]
Taking Action against Lord’s Resistance Army, Invisible Children, Security Council
UGANDA: Family planning pledges need on-the-ground action
KAMPALA, October 2012 (IRIN) - Family planning advocates in Uganda have scored some major financial and policy wins this year, but experts remain concerned that inadequate political commitment and poor health services will continue to impede women’s and girls’ access to contraceptives. At a global family planning summit in July, Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni announced that his government would increase its annual expenditure on family planning supplies from US$3.3million to $5million for … [Read more...]
UGANDA, “Option B+” prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission, (PMTCT)
KAMPALA, September 2012 (PlusNews) - The government of Uganda has launched the UN World Health Organization's (WHO) "Option B+" to boost the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT). Uganda currently uses a PMTCT system similar to WHO's Option A, which involves single-dose antiretroviral (ARV) drugs for the mother - if her CD4 count, a measure of immune strength, is over 350 - from the 14th week, as well as ARVs during labour, delivery and one week post-partum. Pregnant women … [Read more...]
Mali: Shea tree empowers women
Many women in Mali know all about the benefits of the shea tree. They've been gathering its fruit for years to produce soaps and various products to sell. Now, production hovers at 80,000 tons per year – but it has the potential to reach 250,000 tons and improve lives. Vitellaria paradoxa (previously Butyrospermum parkii), commonly known as shea tree, shi tree, /ˈʃiː/ or /ˈʃiː.ə/, or vitellaria, is a tree of the Sapotaceae family indigenous to Africa, occurring in Mali, Cameroon, Congo, Côte … [Read more...]
‘Mary Jo’ (Wangari Muta Maathai) – WOMAN of ACTION™
A Celebration of Women™ ... has been inspired to Celebrate the Life of one Woman in our World that lived beyond her call of duty. Tributes have been paid to the Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai who has died of cancer at the age of 71. As the first African Woman to receive the honour, Wangari Maathai not only championed preservation of the environment but she also promoted democracy, Women’s Rights and the Rights of the Poor. Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga called her … [Read more...]
Fidelis Wambui Karanja – WOMAN of ACTION™
A Celebration of Women™ Celebrates the Life of this powerful human being that has offered her life to the bettering of the lives of others. Drawing from her inner strength and never giving up as she faced one obstacle after the next, this powerhouse is now the founder of an organization designed to provide women survivors of war, civil strife, gender based violence and young women in distress with tools and resources to move from crisis and poverty to stability and … [Read more...]
Women help lead the way in Rwanda’s transformation
Women help lead the way in Rwanda’s transformation Rwandans have been working tirelessly to rebuild their country since the 1994 genocide. Since then, the country has become one of the fastest growing economies on the African continent. Furthermore, women have now come to the forefront of national politics, making Rwanda the world's leader in the number of women parliamentarians. The advancement of women in Rwandan society is told in a documentary-style video launched by the UN … [Read more...]
Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting – Tide is finally turning ‘against’ FGM
For centuries, female genital mutilation or cutting has been practiced throughout much of Africa. But dealing as it does with a very intimate subject, FGM/C was often spoken of, if at all, only in whispers. Today the movement against it is open, public and highly visible. And FGM/C seems to be out in the open and on its way out. Farmers in remote villages in Mali are listening to radio talk shows debating the issue. Community groups in Senegal talk about it in terms of human rights. Islamic … [Read more...]
KARAMOJA REGION, Uganda, reaching the vulnerable via UNICEF
KARAMOJA REGION, Uganda By Anne Lydia Sekandi KARAMOJA REGION, Uganda, March 2012 – Magdalena, 12, is eager to go to school. She dreams of becoming a nurse or a doctor one day, to serve her people when she grows up. “I’ll make sure that I can treat people and give them medicine so they can feel better,” she said. Magdalena belongs to the Ik community, a small minority ethnic group in the mountains of Karamoja, northeastern Uganda. They live in several small villages after … [Read more...]
US Aims to Empower World’s Women Farmers
U.S. aid officials are launching a new way to measure whether their efforts to empower women farmers are working. Women make up nearly half the agricultural workforce in sub-Saharan Africa and East and Southeast Asia, but women’s farm production tends to lag behind their male counterparts. Women face a number of obstacles that men do not. They tend to own less land and have fewer rights to that land. They have less access to credit and training. And they have less input in … [Read more...]
Miracle of Sight – give love to your neighbour, cbm
A Miracle of Sight. Love for you neighbour that the whole world can see. If you're having problems viewing this email, click here for the web version. The people in my apartment building? Someone living on my street? The friends I invite over for dinner every other Thursday? Or is Mirsaid – a 9-year-old boy from Afghanistan, my neighbour? Is Anita– a beautiful and bright girl from … [Read more...]
UNDP – Jobs with April 2011 Deadlines for Application
Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme Helen Clark became the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme on 17 April 2009, and is the first woman to lead the organization. She is also the Chair of the United Nations Development Group, a committee consisting of the heads of all UN funds, programmes and departments working on development issues. Prior to her appointment with UNDP, Helen Clark served for nine years as Prime Minister of New Zealand, … [Read more...]