2009-09-24
After facing much opposition from rights groups, India’s Right to Education Act will cover all categories of differently-abled children. The bill which awaits presidential consent for becoming a law, will benefit children with both mental as well as physical disorders.
Image: Disabled children in India/ Photo credit: Google
2009-09-23
Daughters in India are losing in the silent battle of the sexes. In a country obsessed with the male child, there is a shift from conscious to more deliberate strategies to avoid daughters, says a new report.
2009-09-18
Lack of education and poverty forces many Indonesian parents to marry off their underage girls. According to the Indonesian Child Protection Commission the practice very common in rural areas, is resulting in high divorce and maternal mortality rates and many other social problems.
2009-09-17
The UN food agency is facing a serious budget shortfall with recession hitting food aid worldwide. While global hunger reaches an all time high, a UK based charity claims excessive consumption and food wastage in UK and US inflates prices and takes food out of mouths of poor.
Image: World hunger has reached unprecedented levels/ Photo credit: WFP
2009-09-17
While the world is busy tackling swine flu, cholera and diarrhoea epidemics in Nepal are largely going unnoticed. These diseases are quietly killing poor villagers in hamlets that are reachable only on foot or mule, thus preventing effective intervention.
2009-09-17
A new report by Oxfam revealed that millions in India are struggling with basic healthcare that jeopardises the country’s progress towards achieving MDGs. Aid agencies are demanding an increase of at least 3% of GDP on health to address the challenges of poverty and malnutrition.
Image: India spends only a percent of its Gross Domestic Product on healthcare / Photo credit: Google
2009-09-16
Out of ignorance and fear, parents are not letting their children study with HIV infected orphans in Vietnam’s public schools. Government directives have not been able to prevent ostracization of HIV positive kids whom school authorities also refuse to admit under pressure from parents.
Image: HIV positive children study at a special centre in Ho Chi Minh City/ Photo credit: Thanh Nien
2009-09-16
Pakistan government has launched an income generation programme for poor families. Under the scheme, interest-free and long-term loans will be provided to ‘needy and deserving’ people.
2009-09-14
Family planning efforts in Philippines have taken a setback due to prohibition of modern contraceptive methods and sterilization at health centres. The bill on reproductive health is lying in cold storage for two decades owing to strong pressure from the church.
Image: Approximately 4,500 women die each year from complications due to child birth/ Photo credit: UNFPA Philippines
2009-09-14
A British pop star is currently in Nepal to promote maternal healthcare and women’s rights. Geri Halliwell, a former member of the famous music band ‘Spice Girls’ and goodwill ambassador for the UNFPA, has launched a campaign to draw attention to problems like violence and inadequate obstetric care.
Image: Geri Halliwell with Nepalese women/ Photo credit: BBC
