A Breath of Fresh Air

For those living in the developed world, a power outage is usually nothing more than a brief inconvenience. For the people living in many poor countries, however, electricity is something they must do without every day. They resort to using wood or dung for fuel to heat their homes or cook their food. As a result, their tiny kitchens are filled with dangerous smoke that, with prolonged exposure, can eventually destroy their lungs and take their life. To combat this issue, Practical Action has created a simple smoke hood that is cost-effective and efficient. The communities that have installed these vents in their homes have seen a significant change in people's health and comfort.

Source: PracticalAction.org

Hope for the Motherless

If a woman dies during childbirth in a developing country, the child has a very slim chance of surviving. By taking in those newborns, the Berega Orphanage in Tanzania works to reverse this pattern. They are different than most orphanages since they care for children only during the first 2-3 years. When the children grow old enough to digest cow's milk or eat regular food, they return to their village to be cared for by their extended family. To make the reintegration process easier on the young toddler, a female relative is usually present throughout the years spent at the orphanage. This way, the child builds a bond with a caretaker who will be able to take him or her back to the village. At the same time, these young women are provided with a basic education that they would not have been able to receive otherwise. The innovative program has saved the lives of many children.

Source: NY Times

Decrease in Child Mortality Rates

The World Health Organization recently published data on child mortality rates throughout the world, comparing the numbers from 1990 to 2007. Their findings are as follows:

Under-5 mortality rate per 1000 live births, 1990

Under-5 mortality rate per 1000 live births, 2007:

Key:

While there are still areas where children are at risk, child mortality has made a significant turn for the better over the last 20 years. Improving child health is one of the MDGs, and these two charts are proof that the goal is not impossible.

Three Cups of Tea

After a failed attempt to climb K2, the world's second highest peak, former mountain climber Greg Mortenson found himself welcomed into a small village in northern Pakistan. As his health slowly improved, he soaked in every aspect of life in Korphe. He was amazed at the way the people survived on so little, and heartbroken to find out that the children had nowhere to go to school. By the time he was well enough to return home to the US, Mortenson had become determined that he could make a difference, and he vowed to come back some day and build them a school.

Now, thirteen years later, a cozy school house with several classrooms stands in the little village of Korphe, and over 70 other schools have been established throughout remote villages in central Asia. As director of the Central Asia Institute, Mortenson's work centers around building schools for children and advocating for the education for girls. He has endured countless hardships while attempting to reach his goals, but perservered nonetheless. His story, published in a book called Three Cups of Tea, is a powerful account of how one man's determination can positively affect the lives of many.

Read more about it here.

Inventor Creates Power Source for Africa

Dr. Cedrick Ngalande is a Malawian inventor for the world’s poor. His main efforts have gone toward developing new methods for rural Africans to generate enough electricity to power small electrical devices like cell phones. Ngalande’s invented an inexpensive power source that is run on sugar and yeast. Because sugar and yeast make alcohol, the generator is able to harness energy by releasing the product of the solution’s expansion through a valve. The prototype, made specifically for Africa, generates power for up to 8 hours at a time.

With the fastest growing cell phone rate occurring in Africa, there are big challenges to using the hand-held technology because electricity is scarce in the region. While many Africans may have mobile phones, they have a difficult time charging them. Some walk long distances to simply charge their phones. But with the help of Ngalande’s generator, charging electrical devices is less of a challenge. In addition to cell phones, Ngalande’s power source can also be used to charge $100 computers which are being introduced in Africa, and even charge or operate medical devices in rural Africa.

Dr. Ngalande is seeking investors to help him manufacture, market and sell his low-cost generator in Africa.

-- Jaimie Hwang

Source: AfriGadget

The Shelter, Land, and Urban Management (SLUM) Assistance Act of 2009

(Slum in India)

On March 25, Mr. Miller of North Carolina, Mr. Price of North Carolina, Mr. Castle, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. Ellison, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin and Mr. Jackson of Illinois introduced the ‘Shelter, Land, and Urban Management (SLUM) Assistance Act of 2009’ H.R. 1702. The bill was then referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Congress gathered statistics that resulted in the eventual drawing up of the bill. Some findings follow: approximately one billion people currently live in slums, and more than half of this population is under the age of 25. It is estimated that by 2030 the number of people living in slums, which are characterized by inadequate access to safe water, sanitation, and other essential infrastructure, overcrowding, poorly structured housing, and insecure residential and property ownership status, will double. Insecure lease and real property ownership tenure often subject slum dwellers to arbitrary, often supra-market rents, forced evictions, threats and harassment. In 2007 alone, approximately five million people were subject to forced evictions, and projections show that the number of forced evictions are likely to increase to between 40 million and 70 million in the next 20 years. Due to the insecurity of tenure, economic development is severely inhibited by undermining investment incentives and limiting the growth of credit markets. This jeopardizes the ability of families to achieve sustainable livelihoods and assured access to shelter, and often contributes to conflict over property rights.

Congress’ findings led to the creation of The Shelter, Land, and Urban Management (SLUM) Assistance Act of 2009, which would authorize assistance for affordable housing and sustainable urban development in developing nations. The bill directs the President, through the Secretary of State and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to develop a strategy to provide affordable housing and sustainable urban development in developing countries. Other sections of the bill authorize the President to provide technical assistance and financial support to developing countries for basic shelter and affordable housing, primarily for residents of impoverished urban areas; safe water, sanitation, and solid waste water removal services; real property use and ownership rights; and government urban planning.

-- Jaimie Hwang

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