Spreading Cures, not Diseases

As we've seen from the swine flu, infections can travel around the globe at unbelievable rates today. In an article for the New York Times, Josh Ruxin proposes that the opposite can hold true, also. A few months ago, children throughout Rwanda were given immunization against pneumococcal disease. Health innovations such as this, which would save the lives of 6,000 kids per year, should be made more readily available throughout the world. It takes little time and effort, but the results would be tremendous.
Source: NY Times

Treating Child Malnutrition Before it Starts

Two years ago, Doctors Without Borders implemented a new strategy in Maradi, Niger to combat childhood malnutrition. They distributed a nutritionally fortified spread to 60,000 children 6-36 months old each month. At the same time, they analyzed each child's growth and health. Findings showed that even at the seasonal peak in severe malnutrition, the distributions helped to significantly lower the rate of malnutrition among children. Previously, nutritional supplements have been given once a child was determined to be malnourished. The findings of this study suggest that it would be more beneficial to provide such supplements before a child reaches the point of malnutrition.
Source: PLoS ONE

Generation We

Water Harvest

In the crater of Kenya's Mt. Suswa, locals have developed a simple yet effective way to harvest water during the drought seasons. Taking advantage of the steam vents around the area, they have set up contraptions which condense the steam in long plastic pipes. A large metal drum collects the water. The locals claim that these numerous ingenious contraptions produce about 30lt of water per hour, providing for a community of several hundred people and their cattle.
Source: AfriGadget

The "Now's Not a Good Time to Donate" Timeline

Are you traveling down this road? From birth to death, there is always a good excuse not to donate. So why not donate right now? The world's poor get hit the hardest when the economy fails. Help The Borgen Project advance legislation that will improve conditions for those living on less than $1 a day.

Cutbacks on Aid

As many people have cut back on donations to aid organizations, the World Food Programme has received only one-fifth of the money it needs to fund its projects this year. The demand for food is higher than ever, yet donations to the organizations are not meeting those needs. Unfortunately, other humanitarian organizations such as Oxfam and UNICEF are also experiencing shortfalls in their budgets. In a time of financial difficulty, it makes sense to cut back on certain expenses. However, "overseas development aid is about the last thing the developed world should be cutting back on."
Source: The Guardian

W.H.O. Report

A New York Times editorial summarizes the most recent report by the World Health Organization. Although some health statistics are looking better, there are still too many people dying from easily preventable causes. The problem is not a lack of knowledge on how to treat measles, malaria, and other deadly diseases; there are many effective treatments available. The problem is that many cannot afford to get the proper treatment. "Wealthy countries promised nearly a decade ago to help the world’s poorest to emerge from the deepest poverty. This is the wrong time to stop."
Source: NY Times

LIVE Debate Tonight

Dambisa Moyo, author of the controversial book, Dead Aid, will be taking part in a debate later tonight about the effectiveness of giving money to fight poverty. Also on her side of the argument will be economist Hernando De Soto. Stephen Lewis and ONE organization's Paul Collier will be on the opposing side of the debate, arguing that foreign aid is, in fact, the solution to poverty. You can watch a live streaming of the debate online here, at 6:45PM EST.

Progress on Malaria Vaccine

Drug giant GlaxoSmithKline recently started the trial phase of its latest project, the world's first vaccine against malaria. In the largest drug trial ever, 16,000 children in Africa will be observed over 2 years. Half of them will receive the vaccine, and half will get the placebo. They will all be carefully monitored for signs of malaria. Research for this vaccine began in the late 1980s, and a recent donation by the Gates Foundation financed smaller trials of it. If this large-scale trial goes well, the vaccine could reach the markets by 2013.
Source: Wall Street Journal