there is another crisis unfolding in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where fighting between rebel troops and government forces threaten the health of millions of people.  An estimated 200,000 have already fled due to the fighting, many of whom are sick, injured, and in desperate need of food, shelter, and medical care.

International Medical Corps Warns of Looming Humanitarian Catastrophe and Wider Regional Impact. As fighting resumed Friday in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and rebels appeared poised to seize Goma, International Medical Corps is deeply concerned that a humanitarian catastrophe could unfold and quickly spread across the region.In addition to ongoing efforts in DRC, International Medical Corps is also preparing a regional response to the situation and currently has teams mobilized in Uganda and Burundi to deliver assistance to the potential influx of new refugees.“The delivery of life-saving medical and nutrition services has already been severely curtailed,” said Pierre Willems, International Medical Corps’ Country Director in DRC.  “With the resumption of fighting, even more people will be displaced and in need of care, and yet we fear the humanitarian corridor for delivering assistance is narrowing drastically by the hour.” There is also the imminent danger of disease outbreaks; so far, more than 100 cases of cholera have been reported, along with numerous deaths.

An estimated 200,000 civilians have fled fighting between government and rebel troops in adding to the estimated one million people displaced by an escalation of hostilities in the region a year ago.Rebel leader Laurent Nkunda declared a unilateral ceasefire over the weekend, and so far it has held. However, a rebel spokesman has said the groundwork is being laid for a generalized war in the region.

International Medical Corps has been operating in the most volatile regions of DRC since the mid-90’s. In North Kivu province, where much of the recent fighting has taken place, IMC runs primary health care clinics and nutrition programs that serve more than 300,000 people.

The following people are available for interviews:
In Goma - Pierre Willems, Country Director
In Bukavu - Selam Kebrom, Desk Officer
In Washington, D.C. - Ben Hemingway, Deputy Director of Operations

Photos and Video also available.

For more information, visit website at www.imcworldwide.org.Here is a photo gallery of the conflict from the Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2008/10/30/GA2008103002477.html

Here are some links to recent articles on the conflict:

From NYTimes: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/10/world/africa/10congo.html

From AP: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-AF-Congo-Fighting.html

From Reuters: http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnJOE4A701R.html

I get lucky everytime when i see, that a lot of poeple help with their knowledg other people they are in need.

We are living i a time which is charachtrized with war,terror,finencial crisis,poverty,hunger and much other misery. There are millions of people they have no food,no water,they are fighting everyday for their exsistent. but that is only one side. At the other side we have many organizations and foundations and NGO they are working hard to help people getting food,getting clean and healthy water.

One projet which i found and makes me hope is Rays of Hope powered by The Water School . They are in partnership with Christian Mission Aid(CMA)

They say:"The most effective vaccine against child death in Africa is a glass of clean water."  and "Here are the cold, hard facts according to the above report - "There are roughly two million child deaths every year as a result of not having access to clean water." Africa is hugely over represented in that number. The continent accounts for nearly a third or more, almost 40% of total child deaths from water related problems. " But they found a way to fight against Child death in Africa with their Solar Water Disinfection System or SODIS

More info here

• Was ist WFP?
• Inwiefern unterscheidet sich die Arbeit des UN World Food Programme (WFP) von der Ernährungs- und Landwirtschaftsorganisation der Vereinten Nationen (FAO)?
• Wie wiele Mitarbeiter hat WFP?
• Wie hoch sind die operativen Kosten des WFP?
• Wo befindet sich das WFP-Hauptquartier?
• Wer bezahlt WFP und die Nahrungsmittelhilfe?
• Wo ist WFP im Einsatz und wer erhält Nahrungsmittelhilfe?
• Wie gelangt die Nahrung zu den Bedürftigen?
• Wie fördert WFP nachhaltige Entwicklung?
• Wie verteilt WFP Nahrungsmittel?
• Was ist eine WFP-Nahrungsmittelration?
• Wie wird Hunger bekämpft?
• Gibt es zu wenig Nahrungsmittel in der Welt?
• Wie viele Menschen sind täglich von Hunger betroffen?
• Was ist die Vision von WFP?
• Wann wurde WFP gegründet?
• Wie viel Nahrungsmittel hat WFP seit seinem Start im Jahr 1963 geliefert?
• Wie viele Menschen hat WFP 2007 mit Nahrungsmitteln versorgt?
• Wie hoch waren die Zuwendungen Deutschlands im Jahr 2007?

Haiti’s hunger woes compounded by the unforgiving force of four hurricanes

This family stands in front of their flooded house in Haiti. Three hurricanes — Gustav, Hanna, and Ike — have produced massive floods, adding to the woes of this impoverished country already beleaguered by the food crisis.
Photo ©2008 Samuel Menager/World Vision

Fanny, 15, doesn’t exert any energy during her short breaks at school. She needs to save it up to focus on her studies during class — a hard thing to do when her stomach has been empty for several days.

Even during the lessons at school, her concern is focused mainly on whether there will be food in her house when she gets home. The prospects are usually grim: Her father earns a meager $20 per month, barely enough to provide a few days’ worth of food for Fanny’s seven-member family during that period of time.

Fanny’s story is sadly reflective of a harsh reality facing most Haitian children — their families simply don’t have the economic resources necessary to cover the rapidly rising cost of food. Following flooding from three powerful hurricanes there, however, the hunger situation is quickly devolving from bad to unbearable.

Adding insult to injury

"The only good news here is that Hurricane Ike’s path was far enough north that Haiti did not take another direct hit," said Wesley Charles, World Vision’s national director in Haiti, speaking of the third storm to strike the island country in less than a month. "But the rains from Ike have made it even more difficult for aid workers to get into some of the worst flooded areas. People are becoming increasingly desperate."

Hurricanes Ike, Gustav, and Hanna, which all struck Haiti within a period of about two weeks, have wiped out bridges and roads, postponed school for at least a month, and perhaps worst of all, damaged the next mango harvest, Haiti’s only viable export crop.

According to reports, some 10,000 people were crammed into 115 shelters in the beleaguered city of Gonaive following the passage of Ike, and only 10 of those shelters had food. In the region of Jean Denis, dirty floodwater worsened the situation for desperate families.

"Children played in the filthy water," said Steve Matthews, World Vision’s emergency communications manager. "Women were washing clothes and dishes in overflowing streams. The farmland was absolutely drenched. Everything has become waterlogged, making it nearly impossible to cook, even for those who were able to salvage some of their rice."

Food crisis intensified

Even before the flooding, a stable food supply was out of reach to most Haitian families, like Fanny’s. Spiraling global food prices — caused by a variety of factors, including fuel costs — have dealt devastation to this poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, where many live on less than $2 per day. World Vision staff members there have worked tirelessly to save children teetering on the brink of starvation.

Floodwaters in Haiti’s Central Plateau region reach the rooftops of buildings. The destructive force of three consecutive hurricanes is expected to make the already severe food crisis in this country even worse.
©2008 Yves Beauge/World Vision

But the three recent hurricanes have delivered a near-knockout punch. "Bread is scarce and will soon be gone, and much of people’s stored brown rice got wet when Hurricane Hanna went by," explained World Vision relief coordinator Elvire Douglas.

In partnership with other humanitarian agencies, World Vision is scaling up its relief efforts in Haiti following the flooding. The top priority is to reach affected families cut off by the hurricane damage and deliver emergency food aid and supplies to those who need it most. But additional resources are needed to effectively respond to such a critical situation.

A harsh reality

Meanwhile, for children like Fanny across Haiti, the clock is ticking. Her exhaustion and physical harm at the hands of malnutrition are observable in her appearance.

"When we don’t have the money to buy food, we just take a bath and go to bed, expecting what the following morning will bring," said Evana, Fanny’s mother, who struggles to explain the problems facing her five children and husband. They’re issues similar to what she faced as a child.

Certainly, Evana is one mother who doesn’t want her children to face the same hardships as adults that she has. With conditions in Haiti as they are these days, she is likely one parent among many sharing that sentiment.

For more information click here

Food prices have been rising for a while. In some countries this has resulted in food riots and in the case of Haiti where food prices increased by 50-100%, the Prime Minister was forced out of office. Elsewhere people have been killed, and many more injured. While media reports have been concentrating on the immediate causes, the deeper issues and causes have not been discussed as much.

The World Bank reports that global food prices rose 83% over the last three years and the FAO cites a 45% increase in their world food price index during just the past nine months. The Economist’s comparable index stands at its highest point since it was originally formulated in 1845. As of March 2008, average world wheat prices were 130% above their level a year earlier, soy prices were 87% higher, rice had climbed 74%, and maize was up 31%.

The food crisis appeared to explode overnight, reinforcing fears that there are just too many people in the world. But according to the FAO, with record grain harvests in 2007, there is more than enough food in the world to feed everyone—at least 1.5 times current demand. In fact, over the last 20 years, food production has risen steadily at over 2.0% a year, while the rate of population growth has dropped to 1.14% a year. Population is not outstripping food supply. “We’re seeing more people hungry and at greater numbers than before,” says World Hunger Program’s executive director Josette Sheeran, “There is food on the shelves but people are priced out of the market."

For more Info here

 The problems children face in the developing world differ, but the cause is always the same - poverty.

It’s easy to feel hopeless, but through child sponsorship, you truly can do something about it, something extraordinary.

You can personally reach out and connect with a child and their community and follow their progress as they overcome incredible hardships and build for the future.  

We help local communities build for the future by helping them gain the food, clean water, education, and healthcare they desperately need. Working together, we build the skills and know-how they need to stand on their own two feet.

You get to see and feel the difference your support makes, through the eyes of your sponsored child and their regular letters and photographs.

What will you feel as a child sponsor?

Do something extraordinary - sponsor a child today

or

Request an information pack

You can’t escape requests for you to donate to charity today. There are literally thousands of opportunities out there for you to donate to charity. Perhaps you are asking yourself should I donate to charity? And if I am going to donate to charity which ones should I choose?

First of all, let’s deal with the question of why you should donate to charity. There are a host of reasons to donate to charity. We will deal with only a few of them here. For instance, if you donate to charity you will gain certain tax benefits. All of us are looking for ways to pay less money to the government. If you donate to charity you will be able to help others and keep more money out of the hands of the government. Who would have thought that such a great benefit could come when you donate to charity?

Another great reason to donate to charity is to reduce clutter. A decision to donate to charity does not necessarily mean a cash donation. You can donate to charity by giving items as well. Are there things taking up space in your home that you could donate to charity? A decision to donate to charity can reduce the clutter in your home and leave you with that good feeling that accompanies every decision to donate to charity.

Of course one of the greatest reasons to donate to charity is to help the less fortunate. If you have been blessed, making a decision to donate to charity can help you give a little back.

Has any organization been a help to you in a time of need? They would be great choices for you to donate to charity. Have you had times in your life when you needed a little help? Now that you are on our feet, why not make these organizations the beneficiaries of your decision to donate to charity? It is never a bad idea to return a good turn and if your decision to donate to charity helps someone who once helped you it just makes it that much more appropriate.

You can also donate to charity in the name of a loved one that has passed away. Was there a cause that was close to their heart? If you donate to charity and make it a charity that they cared about you can honor their memory. The organization benefits and you get to add another excellent aspect to your decision to donate to charity.

Finally, determine the cause that means the most to you when making your decision to donate to charity. If you are going to donate to charity it only makes sense to choose one that matters to you. No long-term relationship was ever built with a decision to donate to charity without there being a personal connection.

So choose to donate to charity and you will see a considerable amount of benefits. If you donate to charity you will help others, yourself, even those that are beyond helping themselves. Everyone wins when you donate to charity.

Overview of the problem
A life without education is a shadow of its potential. Even one life like that is a loss. For 115 million school age children worldwide, the results can be tragic.

Imagine living on less than a dollar a day, with no chance to learn, get a decent job or ever lift yourself from poverty.

But we have the power to change this.

Education gives kids the basic skills for a better life. As our global economy becomes increasingly information-centered, school is more important than ever.

Where and why
Most uneducated children are in developing countries. About 57% of all children not in school are girls.

A child’s right to a basic education can be threatened by poverty, war, disaster and disabilities:

Poverty: 985 million people live in extreme poverty. They can’t afford an education or need their children to work.

Conflict, war or disaster: With basic survival at stake, education is often neglected. About half of the world’s uneducated kids live in countries in conflict.

Disabilities: An estimated 40 million un-enrolled children have some type of disability.

Kids on the street, indigenous children, and the children of nomads and seasonal workers may also be denied an education.

Education makes it much easier to solve these problems.

How education helps countries
Education gives children far more opportunities to better themselves and their communities. For example, during a crisis, education gives children something normal in their lives and gives them the skills they need to rebuild their community. On the other hand, uneducated children are easier to recruit for criminal gangs and terrorist organizations.

Each time a child gets an education, many people benefit.

Impact story
Evelyn is a six-year-old Filipino girl whose parents don’t earn enough money to support their family of eight. She and her siblings collect things from a trash heap to sell. Now, thanks to an aid project, Evelyn gets rice and a bus to school. Because she has more food and stays out of the dangerous trash heap, Evelyn can concentrate on school. She is determined to finish her education so she can become a teacher for other poor children.

What’s being done
The UN Millennium Development Goals set a deadline of 2015 for all children to be able to get a basic education. Also, many organizations are demanding governments begin working on the Education for All goals agreed on by 185 nations – almost every nation on the planet – at Dakar in April 2000.

The UN and its partners are working on problems that keep kids out of school. They are making progress in ending conflicts and crises, providing education for those still caught in crises, and helping children with disabilities, indigenous and nomadic children.

We, Hearts & Minds, support an even more ambitious, innovative and achievable program.

What you can do
There’s plenty we can do! You can join the End Poverty Campaign or send this letter to your elected representatives. Thanks for your interest.

Remember, every child has something to offer. When they get an education, our world is richer, too. Education for all children is an integral part of our End Poverty Campaign. Get involved!

Read more here