Girls bear brunt of Ethiopia food crisis

“Where are all the men?” I ask.

“Not here,” Tsala replies. She’s walking slowly uphill from her village in the south of Ethiopia, with a child strapped to her back and 2 daughters scuffing slowly behind her. The girls’ cheekbones look like they might push through their flesh and they totter on their legs, as if they were stilts. This family is hungry, sick and heading from their village to Plan’s food distribution point.

“Are the men not hungry too? Is your husband?” I continue.

“Yes, he does not have enough to eat – many men do not,” the 40-year-old replies, “but we are the ones to bring food to them.”

Læs resten her: http://plan-international.org/about-plan/resources/blogs/ethiopia-food-crisis-girls-vulnerable-to-early-marriage

Pakistan floods: One year on

Hundreds of thousands of children and adults are steadily rebuilding their lives one year after the worst floods in Pakistan’s history, thanks to Plan.

As soon as heavy monsoon rains swamped communities leaving a fifth of the country under water, Plan provided emergency relief to more than a quarter of a million people in the worst-hit areas of Punjab and Sindh.

By September 2011, our recovery work with local partners will be supporting more than 1,000,000 people, including helping:

58,000 children return to school
20,300 children with emotional first aid and learning activities
1,000 people with cash-for-work schemes
over 1,000,000 people with sanitation projects in rural areas.

Se billeder derfra på dette link: http://plan-international.org/about-plan/resources/news/pakistan-floods-one-year-on

Refugee tales from Liberia

Walking through one of the villages in Liberia packed with refugees from Cote D’Ivoire, I hear of many people being separated from their families when fleeing the war in their home country.

One man arrived with 4 of his children but his wife and 2 other children are missing. No-one has seen them and he is desperate to know how and where they are.

The questions asked by this man are replicated by almost 150,000 refugees. Most fled with nothing but the clothes on their backs when fighting erupted in their towns. Some managed to leave with their entire family, but others didn’t have time and just ran with whoever was with them.

Læs resten her: http://plan-international.org/about-plan/resources/blogs/refugee-tales-from-liberia

Info

Mohammed: Facebook has changed everything

Mohammed Ali Wazem, 23, believes social media is key to change: “Social media played a great role in the revolution - Facebook has become the real family of the youth.

“It has changed everything – with just one click, anyone in the world can read my articles - I don’t have to distribute newspapers to everyone by hand. Even people living in the slums can access Facebook and read materials - they are part of the community.”

Samiar: We’ll continue to fight for issues

Samiar (Said), 14, says things are getting better: “When I heard that the revolution had taken place, I thought we had already touched upon the issues in our lives like unemployment, corrupted regime etc. But now I feel they were Egypt’s issues – not just those in the community,” she says.

“It has changed, and for the better. But security got worse, there’s still not a solution to all problems like unemployment. So we’’ll continue to fight for issues. We want to expand our activities now.”

Mohammed: Egypt's voice has been heard

For Mohammed Hussain, 21, a presenter, the real change has been in communities: “Before the revolution, we didn’t really have any fear, we’d tackle any issue but it has become easier to hold an official accountable now. The difference we feel is in our own community. Before we needed approval for everything from security - now we are freer.”

“I am more optimistic about the future - but I still have concerns. With power, comes responsibility and I worry it is too much weight upon the shoulders of the youth. I feel that the voice of Egypt has been heard, especially after the revolution, that everyone actually listens to us.”

Egypt: Children of the revolution speak out

Thousands of young people were at the forefront of street protests that eventually toppled Egypt’s dictatorial ex President Mubarak. Six months on, young people taking part in a Plan-supported youth media project share their impressions on what has changed for their nation.

Mohammed Hussain, Samiar (Said) and Mohammed Ali Wazem all work on ‘Esma3oona’ (Hear Us Out) - a Plan-supported Egyptian television show which helps youths speak out on issues affecting their lives.

Young people put together large parts of the show and decide on the issues covered - from violence in school to democracy and citzenship.

I de tre næste indlæg vil I höre hvad de har at sige.

Bekæmpelse af fejlernæring i Guatemala

Næsten halvdelen af börnene under fem år i Guatemala lider af underernæring - men tingene ændrer sig i en landsby ved navn Chibax takket være et Plan projekt om at öge födevareproduktionen og dele nærende opskrifter.

Se filmen her og find ud af hvad Plan har lært dem http/plan-international.org/resources/videos/fighting-child-malnutrition-in-guatemala

Kolera udbrud i Cameroun

Med bare en doktor for hver ottetusind beboere i Bibemi - et distrekt hårdt ramt af Camerouns kolera udrud. "It's all hands on deck" blogger Plan Irlands Dualta Roughneen.

Bibemi ligger i den nordlige region af Cameroun, med en befolkning på 90.000, har der været over 800 tilfælde af kolera, hvilket har resulteret i 62 dödsfald i disktrektet. Antallet af tilfælde er ikke kun meget höjere end andre områder, men dödeligheden er ekstrem höj på 7 %.

"The key now is to get the message out to the population - to teach them how to avoid cholera. Washing hands, washing fruit, using latrines, filtering and chlorinating water - all are quite simple instructions. Many people are aware of these basic hygiene practices, but do not realise their use can eliminate cholera in the region if people are diligent," sagde Dr. Janvier.

Læs mere her http://plan-international.org/about-plan/resources/blogs/cholera-outbreak-sharing-the-struggles-of-a-country-doctor