New “Lujo” Virus Causes Ebola-like Bleeding in Africa

The “Lujo” virus, named after the two cities in which it was found, Lusaka, Zambia and Johannesburg, South Africa has five confirmed cases.  Four of those five cases have resulted in death.
Coming into contact with infected rodent waste can infect humans, as researchers believe the virus comes from a family of viruses that is found [...]

Making sanitary napkins in Dhaka

DHAKA, BANGLADESH — Today, I made a sanitary napkin.
I had lunch with Md. Kamal Uddin, the CEO of Arban, an NGO that aims to help the poor by funding and organising schools and construction projects. After eating (rice, lentils, and vegetables — yes, I used my hands, no silverware), an Arban driver took us to [...]

On Location: Oportunidades

 
Fresnillo, Mexico
A mother of three in Fresnillo Mexico shares how Oportunidades has been a relief and benefit in her life.
Fresnillo is home to over 111,000 people many of which are experiencing poverty. I am currently in Fresnillo and I am submerge into the culture and life of the people here. I have found one mother [...]

Oportunidades: Conditional Cash Transfer Programs Reducing Poverty

 
A new approach to lessen poverty provides families with cash grants.
According to the Oportunidades program in Mexico, if families agree to keep children in schools,  attend required medical checkups, and attend workshops on how to stay healthy, the government will supply the funds to do so. This programs success is raising the amount of students [...]

Obama lifts restriction on foreign aid

On January 23 President Obama signed a measure that will lift the Bush administration’s block on funding to foreign assistance programs that provide education on abortion to woman, a move that could have a big impact on international poverty programs. According to a post on the White House website, this Reagan era policy referred to [...]

U.S. AIDS relief helps over 10 million

In 2003 the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) became the largest contribution to fighting a single disease in history, providing $18.8 billion in humanitarian aid to fight the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. According to the PEPFAR annual report to congress, the program has been successful in treating over 2 million people, and providing care [...]

Access to food halved in Djibouti

Source: IRIN
Assignment Global is not responsible for the content of this article. The information and reporting are those of the author and news organization alone.
NAIROBI, 14 August 2008 (IRIN) – Access to food in Djibouti has been cut by more than 50 percent because of reduced availability and rising prices, according to a humanitarian official.
“The [...]

Food or Drugs? High food prices complicate AIDS fight

Rising global food prices and food shortages are an increasing threat to the poor living with HIV.
“For people living with HIV, who require more nutrition than healthy people, this will have terrible consequences,” said Alan Whiteside, an economist with South Africa’s University of KwaZulu-Natal, according to an IRIN report from the 17th International AIDS Conference [...]

Report finds wide disparity in human development in U.S.

A new report released this week by the American Human Development Project, ranked the U.S. 12th in the world in human development, and revealed a wide disparity in development potential between ethic groups and regions.
According to Oxfam America, a sponsor of the report, “The Measure of America: American Human Development Report 2008-2009,” published by Columbia [...]