World Hunger and Poverty

Madonna visited an orphanage in Malawi’s commercial capital Thursday on the second day of a trip to highlight the plight of AIDS orphans, which prompted speculation she was about to adopt a child herself.

The pop star was greeted by about 50 children as she arrived in a four-vehicle convoy. Bodyguards prevented journalists from getting access to the premises or approaching her.

Malawi is among the poorest countries in the world, trapped in a seemingly endless cycle of hunger and disease. Just over 14 percent of the 12 million population is infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and an estimated 1 million children have been orphaned.

Read entire siouxcityjournal.com article.

An eat-all-you-can invitation that rewards gluttony may seem like a curious way to remember a frail man who used the hunger strike as a political weapon during India’s freedom struggle.

But an Indian vegetarian restaurant in Hong Kong offers just that on October 2 every year, hosting an Open House where patrons are encouraged to “eat as much as you can, pay as much as you wish” as part of a charity fund-raising effort that honours the Mahatma’s memory.

The October 2 event typically raises about HK$40,000-50,000 (Rs 2.4-3 lakh) a year; in recent years, the beneficiaries have included agencies working on education and poverty alleviation projects in India, Bangladesh, China, Afghanistan and Rwanda. This year’s proceeds will go to Friends of the Earth, the international voluntary organisation that works on environmental issues.

Read entire DNA World article.

Low literacy levels in Africa are part-and-parcel of everyday life, and seriously reduce the effectiveness of health care literature. In association with the South African Depression and Anxiety Group, Books of Hope has designed and produced interactive, multilingual Speaking Books that can be seen, read, heard and understood regardless of someone’s reading ability.

Each Speaking Book consists of 16 pages of culturally appropriate illustrations supported by straightforward and easy to understand text in a variety of languages. Every page has a corresponding push button that triggers a sound track read by a well-known local personality. So whatever a reader’s level of literacy, the information will be clearly understood. Topics include HIV and AIDS, TB, Malaria, Suicide Prevention and Diabetes. Speaking Books are distributed to rural and disadvantaged communities worldwide.

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