Posts Tagged ‘grassroots’

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I am “Living Proof”

July 23rd, 2010

By: Manuel Claros

The “Living Proof Project,” created by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, features true life testimonials that demonstrate the positive impact that global health/development interventions can have on individuals across the globe. The touching stories inspire us to reflect on our own experiences by connecting us to theirs.  Sharing a personal story is different than just being another statistic, another number amongst the myriad of global health facts and figures we find ourselves inundated with constantly.

My personal story has had a deep impact on my life and where it has taken me. It is also why I was interested in starting a campaign to raise money for neglected tropical diseases. I am from Popayan, a small town in the south of Colombia and come from a big family where I am the eldest of 19 cousins on my paternal side and 16 on the maternal side. Growing up in my paternal grandmother’s house was a lot of fun because there were always a lot of kids to play with.  On the weekends at any given time there would be 10-20 kids in the house. While this was very fun, it also meant that sickness traveled frequently from child to child.  Everything from chicken pox to measles traveled through us all…..and of course parasites were not an exception.

» Read more: I am “Living Proof”

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Posted in Campus Challenge, Global Development, Global Health, Uncategorized, Water and Sanitation, grassroots, hookworm, poverty

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Don’t Drop the Ball on Aid

July 6th, 2010

By: Ian Sullivan

This summer, we’ve had the pleasure of enjoying a nail-biting World Cup full of suspense, thrills, and triumphs. The World Cup has also been a mechanism that has united fans within countries and continents, resulting in an unwavering passion for one team, and ultimately one sport -- football.

We wanted to turn all of that into something genuinely world changing. We wanted to connect with football fans around the world and give them the chance to express themselves in a meaningful way. So, we decided to set up a massive game of keepy-uppy and to tell our leaders ‘Don’t Drop the Ball on Aid‘. It’s time to kick off. Grab a football, a camera and film yourself keeping the ball up. Whether you can do one, two or twenty, your keepy-uppys will form part of an amazing video chain, linking people worldwide who care enough to kick off and fight poverty.

Just months after the World Cup finishes in South Africa, the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) conference kicks off in New York and we’ll be showing your videos to the world leaders that attend. The MDGs have the power to revolutionize people’s lives in poor countries. But rich countries are failing to provide vitally-needed aid money to turn the goals into reality, and this conference -- combined with your keepy-uppys -- can kickstart that vital progress.

Spent well and targeted effectively, foreign aid money is a massive force for good. It means kids in schools. Trained nurses. Clean water. It means whole communities -- even whole countries -- facing the future with hope, not fear. But in 2009, nearly half of the world’s richest countries actually cut the amount they spent on aid. And it means that millions of people are being denied a new start. But together, we can make change happen, and -- with the Millennium Development Goals conference planned for September -- this is the year to get it done. So don’t just watch the action in South Africa, grab a ball and get yourself filmed. A lot of very powerful people will get a timely reminder to keep their promises on delivering aid money -- as well as getting a chance to check out your beautiful ball skills.

Find out more and upload a video!

   

Ian Sullivan is the Global Digital Campaigner for Oxfam.

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Posted in Global Development, Global Health, NTDs, Public Health, poverty

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Reading List 6/30/2010

June 30th, 2010

New list of reads to help get you through the week! Today we’re reading about great strides and advances in the control and elimination of NTDs – such as the substantial drop in human African trypanosomiasis cases over the last five decades – as well as other developments that pose more as obstacles, such as the re-emergence of Dengue in the U.S. Take a look:

Human African trypanosomiasis: number of new cases drops to lowest level in 50 years, WHO
Community-Based Education Strengthens Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis, Science Daily
Pharmacy students work to close the gap, Charles Sturt University
Foreign Policy Examines GHI, PEPFAR, Kaiser Family Foundation
Researchers In Australia Make Important Malaria Breakthrough, Government of Australia
Do Parasites Make You Dumber?, Cassandra Willyard, ScienceNOW
Dengue Re-emerges in U.S., Spurring Race for Vaccine, Gayathri Vaidyanathan, The New York Times

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Posted in Africa, Global Development, Global Health, NTDs, Public Health, malaria, poverty, reading list

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6th meeting of the Mebendazole Advisory Committee (MAC)

June 15th, 2010

This weeks marks the 6th meeting of the Mebendazole Advisory Committee (MAC), an independent group comprised of experts with a variety of science and health backgrounds. MAC is the advisory group for Children Without Worms (CWW), an organization working to reduce the burden of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections, which occurs amongst the poorest children living in tropical and subtropical nations. Children Without Worms has partnered with Johnson & Johnson and The Task Force for Global Health (formerly the Task Force for Child Survival and Development), both of whom have generously donated the drug Mebendazole, a treatment for worm infestations.

Approximately 20 percent of the world is either infected or at risk for STH infections. Children between the ages of 5 and 15 years old suffer the most, and make up one-third of the global STH burden. Children with chronic infections are at increased risk for physical and mental impairments, which can lead to learning disabilities and poor school performance. Children can also be affected before they are even born – infected  pregnant women are at high risk for low birth-weight babies and poor milk production. Additionally, their infants have higher rates of malnutrition and mortality. Furthermore, pregnant women who develop anemia while infected are three and a half times more likely to die in childbirth.

Photo Courtesy of http://www.who.int/wormcontrol/statistics/useful_info/en/index2.html

The most effective prevention methods for controlling chronic STH transmission include both proper sanitation management efforts and educational campaigns aimed at the use of latrines. As previously mentioned, two drugs are available to treat active STH infection, Albendazole and Mebendazole.

In 2001, the World Health Assembly passed a resolution to eliminate STH as a public health problem by regularly treating 75 percent of at risk children by 2010. Unfortunately, less than 20 percent of this population was reached with deworming treatment in 2005. This pressing global health issue must be addressed now and we need your help. To see how you can help control STH transmission, please visit the Global Network’s and CWW’s websites. Together we can control these infections, and assist in providing a better life for the bottom billion!

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Posted in Global Development, Global Health, Latin America and the Caribbean, NTDs, Public Health, policy

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Reading List 5/24/2010

May 24th, 2010

Happy Monday everyone! Below is a brand new list of reads to start your week off! Today we’re reading about the possibility of parasites being a cure for food allergies, dengue fever in Florida, the announcement of the new Feed the Future program in Liberia, tackling TB in Mexico, the ongoing fight against childhood pneumonia, and lastly Dr. Peter Hotez’s interview with The Scientist on his NTD debate paper that was recently released.

Hotez – Neglected diseases: Teach or treat?, The Scientist
Parasites May Cure Allergies, The Boston Channel
Dengue Fever in Florida, Richard Knox, NPR
Feed the Future, Charles W. Corey, America – Engaging the World
Tackling tuberculosis in southern Mexico, Sam Loewenberg, The Lancet
The Fight Against Childhood Pneumonia, Traci Siegel, International Vaccine Access Center

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Posted in Africa, Global Development, Global Health, Latin America and the Caribbean, NTDs, Obama Administration, Politics, Public Health, Tuberculosis, U.S Government, Uncategorized, grassroots, poverty, reading list

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US Government kicks off Global Pulse 2010 Day: 1

March 29th, 2010

As a communications associate for a nonprofit organization, I believe that one of the most important things an international aid agency can do is open the lines for effective two-way communication so that individuals like me can educate myself and ask questions about the world’s most pressing issues as well as get some clarity on what exactly the US government is doing to alleviate them. So, I’m happy to see that USAID, in partnership with the Departments of State, Education, Commerce, and Health and Human Services, has kicked off Global Pulse 2010.

 Global Pulse is a three day online collaborative event that allows individuals for around the world to make comments, share opinions, and add ideas about important issues in the global community.

 According to the website:

 Global Pulse 2010 will provide an opportunity to voice opinions, share ideas, and create innovative solutions to social issues facing the global community within the fields of science and technology, entrepreneurship, and human development. This is a unique opportunity to influence a global conversation that will build partnerships across borders, strengthen understanding among cultures, and unite the human race in an effort to create innovative solutions to the most pressing social issues of our time.

 Even though the event is less than a day old, we’re already seeing some very active and interesting global health discussions on topics such as prioritizing health needs, bioinformatics, and how mobile phones can be used for health services. Participants from over 130 countries have been logging in all day and most of the posts in the global health arena have settled into one of three developing themes: increasing access to health care, utilizing technology to improve health, and figuring out how to distribute health care effectively.

 There have been posts by global health luminaries as John Monahan, Counselor to the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Amie Batson, leader of USAIDs work with the Obama administration’s Global Health Initiative, and Ami Tsui, a Director with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and professor at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Click here to read about other featured guests.

 By time the event ends on the 31st, this should be a valuable source of information and ideas moving forward in global health. If you want to find out more, go to the Global Pulse 2010 portal page or check back here for more info on how the conversation is developing.

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Posted in Africa, Global Development, Global Health, NTDs, National Security, Obama Administration, Politics, Public Health, Tuberculosis, U.S Government, Vaccine Diplomacy, Water and Sanitation, grassroots, policy, poverty

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Reading List 2/25/10

February 25th, 2010

Today we’re reading about reactions by Doctors Without Borders to the NTD aspects of the Obama Administration’s Global Health Initiative, an article about the difficulties registering new drugs in Africa to fight NTDs, and about an ongoing effort to combat lymphatic filariasis in southern India.

Fighting Deadly Neglected Tropical Diseases: Opportunities to Expand U.S. Impact in Control of NTDs, Doctors Without Borders

White House Called on to Expand Global Health Initiative, Doctors Without Borders

Registering New Drugs: the African context, Paul Chinnock, TropIKA.net

Filariasis Medicines to be Distributed, The Hindu

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Posted in Africa, Global Health, Just 50 Cents, NTDs, Obama Administration, Public Health, U.S Government, grassroots, policy, reading list

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Global Network Featured On Perez as a Worthwhile Cause!

January 29th, 2010

 

Perezhilton

 

We woke up to some exciting news this morning!

The Global Network was promoted today by famous celebrity blogger Perez Hilton as a worthwhile cause.  As one of the most visited sites on the web, Hilton’s endorsement exposes us to his audience of about 3 million viewers per day, bringing further exposure and raising awareness to NTDs!

We are thrilled! We hope that Hilton will continue to promote causes that need more attention and that he will continue to be involved in global health issues in general.

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Posted in Africa, Global Development, Global Health, NTDs, Public Health, Uncategorized, poverty

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Reading List 1/19/2009

January 19th, 2010

Haiti

  1. Why Haiti Matters, Barack Obama, Newsweek.com
  2.  Ban Ki-Moon: What I saw in Haiti, New York Times
  3. US Troops Land at Haiti Presidential Palace, BBC News
  4. It became increasingly, brutally clear: Port-au-Prince is a tomb, The Guardian
  5. Need is great in Haiti’s orphanages, Contra Costa Times
  6. Haitians in the grip of lethal diseases, Press TV
  7. Medical correspondents face delicate balance in Haiti, LA Times
  8. Divided over Haiti, The Economist

NTDs/Global Health

  1. Mapping, monitoring, and surveillance of neglected tropical diseases: towards a policy framework, The Lancet
  2. The Unsung Hero of Neglected Tropical Diseases: Interview with Narcis Kabatereine, PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
  3. Socioeconomic aspects of neglected tropical diseases, The Lancet
  4. Beyond the Big Three, Andrew Sullivan, The Atlantic
  5. Progress Report of a Millennium Village, Nicholas Kristof, New York Times

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Posted in Africa, Global Development, Global Health, Haiti, Latin America and the Caribbean, NTDs, Public Health, Uncategorized, Water and Sanitation, poverty

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Kiwanis to Choose Second World Service Project; Global Network One of Three Top Finalists

January 12th, 2010

Kiwanis International made a commitment  in 1994 to protect children from Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD) by launching their first World Wide Service Project and partnering with UNICEF to raise nearly $100 million. The project was an immense success, and now IDD is virtually eliminated across the globe.

Armed with that significant accomplishment under their belt, Kiwanis is commited to launching their second World Service Project and the Global Network is excited to be among the top three finalists.

With its diverse  global membership base and  strong reputation, Kiwanis is poised to make their second World Service Project as successful as their first.

The Global Network looks forward to presenting to Kiwanis this week in hopes to make Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) the focus of their second World Service Project, thereby helping to remove “N” from “NTDs.”

To read more about Kiwanis International and the World Service Project please visit: http://www.kiwanis.org/ServiceProjects/WorldwideService/tabid/254/Default.aspx

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Posted in Global Health, NTDs, Public Health, poverty

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