Stories from Quick Reads and Humanitarian Response
Negotiations for Moldova's accession to the EU could commence this year
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, made an impactful statement suggesting that Moldova could potentially become an EU member despite the unresolved Transnistria conflict.
Macedonian Activist Ends Hunger Strike for Migrant Rights
On Saturday, June 20, human rights expert and activist Suad Missini ended the hunger strike he started six days prior in protest of inhumane treatment of migrants passing through Macedonia. Mr. Missini issued the following statement [links added]: While the effects of the changes of the Asylum Law are yet to...
Human Rights Activist Begins Hunger Strike for Migrants in Front of Macedonian Parliament
The growing migration crisis has recently also affected countries in southeastern Europe, with new issues arising almost daily. Reacting to the inhumane treatment of migrants who pass through Republic of Macedonia, renowned human rights activist Suad Missini started a hunger strike in front of the Parliament building in Skopje. He began...
Southeast Asia Migration Routes and Statistics
The International Organization for Migration has released a map showing the routes taken by boat refugees from Bangladesh and Myanmar when they sought shelter in several Southeast Asian countries. As of May 19, 2015, the IOM estimated that 4,000 refugees are still stranded in the sea while 3,200 have already...
Civil War Separates Peuhl Children from their Parents in Yaloke, Central African Republic
Peuhl minorities of Islamic confession have been trying to escape anti-balaka militia since the beginning of the civil war in in the Central African Republic. One of the camps where displaced Peuhl can find protection is the Yaloke camp by the Cameroonian border in the western region. The health situation in...
The Collapse of Civilisation Is Already a Reality for the Children of Ambovombe, Madagascar
A scientific publication in the Journal of Ecological Economics argues that “over-exploitation of either Labor or Nature will result in a societal collapse” if nothing is done to prevent it. Based on a mathematical model, the study explains (via The Guardian) that the convergence of ” the stretching of resources due...
Call for Urgent Climate Change Action After Cyclone Pam Devastates Vanuatu
Following the devastation of Pacific islands nation Vanuatu by Category 5 Cyclone Pam, John Englart (aka @Takvera) looks at links with climate change: Vanuatu has suffered its worst disaster on record with the impact of Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Pam, with the President of Vanuatu blaming climate change for extreme...
Höség: Water and Windproof Solidarity
Höség is a Hungarian word that means heat, and that's what supportive people are giving children in the highest zones of Peruvian Andes, where temperatures are so low that “it's winter every day after five in the afternoon”. Warm and functional. Thought on the needs of children who live over...
Preventing Ebola in Nigeria With Ebola Alert Twitter Feed
Ebola Alert Twitter feed is the creation of evidence-driven group of volunteer professionals working on Ebola prevention interventions. The initiative involves active participation of professionals from different walks of life. Follow our in-depth coverage: The Struggle to #StopEbola in West Africa
Ebola Strips Africans of Their Cultural and Human Values
A social anthropologist and sociologist Ginny Moony explains how Ebola outbreak strips off Africans of their humanity: The way West-Africans care for their sick and deceased, supposedly differs significantly from that of the rest of the world. This is far from true. All over the world, the essence of care...
Building Sustainable Peace in The Central African Republic
As the UN launchs its peace keeping mission with the arrival of 1,500 troops in the Central African Republic (CAR), a few observers were wondering why it took so long given the extent of the casualties. Les Cercles nationaux de Réflexion sur la Jeunesse (CNRJ) is an NGO in Bangui, CAR that...
The Ebola Truth
The Ebola Truth is a Facebook page that aims to document the situation with the Ebola virus on the African continent.
An Entrepreneur Rewarded for his Innovative Healthcare Work in Cameroon
The prize of Man of the Decade was awarded to Dr. Clément PETSOKO, for his capacity to overcome the numerous difficulties he has faced in recent years.
The Heroic Everyday Work of Lab Scientists in the Fight Against Ebola in Liberia
During the current crisis of the Ebola virus disease (EVD), many reports showcased stories about patients, medical staff, vaccines and the consequences of the disease on the affected countries. But rare are the reports about the daily work of laboratory technicians and of those who care for their daily needs. In...
12 Deaths and 27,000 Displaced Nigeriens Because of Floods
Heavy rains and flooding in Niger have killed 12 people and left thousands without homes. Rivers in Niamey and the extended regions have risen and destroyed thousands of houses. In the region, land degradation and cultivation of marginal land increase the risk that extreme events can develop into natural disasters. Some solutions...
Sri Lanka Plans to Deport 1,500 Pakistani and Afghan Refugees
Facing persecution in Pakistan, many Ahmadiyya Muslims and Christians have taken refuge in Sri Lanka. These refugees are mostly held in Boossa and Mirihana detention centers and have to live on government-provided rations as they are not eligible for work. According to the media, the Sri Lankan government is preparing to...
Distribution of SMS Printers in Cameroon to Reduce Delays in HIV Testing for Newborns
Afrique IT news reports that [fr] a new type of device (SMS printer) is being installed in several HIV testing facilities in Cameroon thanks to the Clinton Foundation and the telecommunication company MTN : La Fondation Clinton et l’opérateur de télécommunication MTN ont établi un partenariat pour lutter contre le diagnostic tardif de l’infection...
Typhoon Glenda Batters Luzon Island in the Philippines
Typhoon Glenda (International name: Rammasun) wrought havoc in Luzon Island in the Philippines. Netizens are using the Twitter hashtag #glendaph to monitor the situation.
Cameroonian Inventor Introduces First Locally-Made Tablet to Monitor Heart Diseases
Arthur Zang is a Cameroonian inventor specialized in IT and healthcare. His team created Cardiopad, a device that contains an electrocardiograph, a radioscope and a digital monitor. This tablet is connected through a regular mobile phone SIM card that is able to transmit an electrocardiogram from any point of the country...
Deported Sri Lankan Asylum Seekers Speak of Mistreatment by Australian Authorities
Thirty seven Sinhalese and four Tamil asylum seekers from Sri Lanka sailed in a boat towards Australia and were intercepted west of the Cocos Island late last month by Australian authorities. They were returned to Sri Lanka, their point of origin, and they appeared in a court in the country's southwest...
Serbian Artists Create “Neighborly Hanger” for Handouts
The image of the poorest segments of the population rummaging through trash cans has, unfortunately, become a common one in many Balkan countries in the past few years. From some of the 38,000 pensioners who currently receive the minimum monthly pension of barely 120 euro in Serbia, not enough to...