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.
The Mahatma May Approve Of This Gluttony
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.
Speaking Books for Health Education
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.
Continue reading “Speaking books for health education in low literacy areas”
Christians Back Protests Against McDonald’s
A delegation of Presbyterian and United Church of Christ-backed Florida farmworkers will embark on a 10-day “mini-tour” to the Chicago area next month to carry their struggle for higher wages and better working conditions to fast-food giant McDonald’s – writes Evan Silverstein.
Florida farmworkers suffer the same miserable conditions experienced by generations of farmworkers, including forced labor and wages that leave them in deep poverty, according to the CIW. The pickers now earn 40 to 45 cents per 32-pound bucket, a rate essentially unchanged for nearly 30 years.
“We are disappointed that [McDonald’s] has chosen thus far not to follow Yum! and Taco Bell’s lead,” said the Rev Noelle Damico, a United Church of Christ minister who serves as the PC (USA)’s Associate for Fair Food. “Daily the chorus for food that is ‘fair,’ and not just fast, is rising among Presbyterians and other people of faith and conscience. We hope that this tour will help McDonald’s understand that their own customers want them to work as partners with the farmworkers.”
The blame not only lay with McDonalds – and similar companies using economic power to oppress – but also the blame lay with all those who shop and do business with McDonalds. When a mafia continuously engages in criminal behavior, those that voluntarily do business with those criminals share the guilt.
Additionally, McDonalds doesn’t deserve reprimand just for how it produces its product. McDonalds also deserves reprimand for what it produces – those disgusting fatty addictive grease-burgers and such. Fast-food is as bad as crack in my opinion.
However, again, the filthy crack dealer is only as guilty as the helpless drug addicts who do business with him.
Bingu Says Poverty Alleviation Greatest Challenge
President Bingu wa Mutharika on Thursday told the United Nations that eradicating poverty remains the greatest challenge facing the world organisation.
Mutharika, delivering Malawi’s statement at the 61st session of the UN General Assembly, said global peace, security and stability cannot be assured if the greater section of humanity lives in abject poverty.
“I believe that in the search for global partnership for development, the greatest challenge the United Nations faces is to eradicate poverty that engulfs the majority of humanity,” he said.
He made a passionate plea to “those who have plenty, to share with others.”
Brazilian President Urges Action Against Hunger
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Tuesday called on world leaders attending the annual UN debate to take action against hunger and poverty by providing funds and fostering fair trade.
The Brazilian president asserted that the widespread hunger prevailing in the world today lies at the root of a host of other global ills.
“Hunger nurtures violence and fanaticism,” he said. “A world where people starve will never be safe.”
Lula argued that the international community has the 50 billion U.S. dollars needed to combat the hunger now plaguing 840 million people worldwide.
“Think of the cost of wars and other conflicts. All here know that the second Gulf War may also have cost hundreds of billions of dollars to date. With much less we could change the sad reality of a large share of the world’s population,” he said. “We could save millions of lives.”