Yusuf says he would rather risk death than live a life of certain poverty in Somaliland.

TO BE NOTED: From ReliefNet:

"Somalia: Somaliland youth risk death in search of better life

Source: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)

Date: 30 Mar 2009

HARGEISA, 30 March 2009 (IRIN) - Harir Omar Yusuf, about to finish high school, should be choosing a degree course and deciding on a career direction; instead, he spends most of his time planning a perilous escape from his hometown of Hargeisa, capital of the self-declared republic of Somaliland in the northwest of Somalia, to Europe.

"As soon as I finish high school I will go there, because I have nothing to stay for in Somaliland," he told IRIN, adding that his parents could not afford university fees and he was not assured of a place even if they could.

Yusuf has many friends who have made the journey - first through Ethiopia, then Sudan and Libya and finally to Italy via the Mediterranean Sea - and are now living as illegal immigrants in Italy and other European nations. He also has many friends languishing in Sudanese or Libyan jails, arrested for entering the country illegally, and knows of many who died making the trip, but he remains determined.

Tens of thousands of Somalis also try to cross the Gulf of Aden into Yemen every year aboard small vessels run by people-traffickers operating from Somali ports; according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), one out of every 20 people attempting the journey in 2007 died.

Yusuf says he would rather risk death than live a life of certain poverty in Somaliland.

Unemployment

"The issue of young people running away is very problematic in Somaliland," said Omer Ali Abdi, the director of the youth department in the Ministry of Youth and Sports. "Year after year, graduates from secondary schools are increasing and our universities just don't have the capacity to take in all of them - and even when they graduate from university, there is no guarantee they will get a job."

According to Ahmed Hashi Abdi, vice-minister in the Ministry of Planning and Coordination, only 10-20 percent of people under 35 are employed.

"Because it is unrecognised internationally, Somaliland has no access to bi-lateral funding, which has caused our economy to suffer, especially after the livestock ban of 1999, which destroyed the main source of income of most of our people," Abdi said. "For the same reason, international scholarships and higher education exchange programmes are not open to our students."

An outbreak of Rift Valley Fever in Saudi Arabia in 1999 resulted in a regional ban on imported livestock from Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Kenya, and Djibouti; the ban on Somalia remains in place and now includes several other Middle Eastern nations.

After the ban, remittances became the main foreign exchange earner; thousands fled the country during an outbreak of war in 1988, and regularly send money to their families. The Ministry of Planning estimates remittances account for US$500 million - or about 80 percent of Somaliland's economy.

"When people leave the country legally, we are happy that they are able to send back money, but as much as possible we try to discourage young people from leaving illegally - then it becomes a matter of life and death and we cannot encourage that," Abdi said.

Despite the risks, many families scrimp and save to send their children on these journeys. Over the past year, Amina Rooble (not her real name) has spent more than $6,500 on transport, communication, paying traffickers and bribing prison officers, all in an effort to get her son Hashim to Italy.

Although his boat sank, Hashim survived and is now seeking asylum in Italy. "Even though my son was rescued, two other members of my family died on that boat," Rooble said.

Incentive to stay

The government and local NGOs have run campaigns to discourage young people from leaving, but according to Yahye Mohamoud Ahmed, head of the Somaliland National Youth Organisation NGO, unless the government can provide some motivation, young people will continue to escape in droves.

"They have no incentive to stay - no jobs and no businesses, so it is fairly futile to tell them to stay," he said. "They need to be given the capacity to feed themselves here."

Ahmed added that many young men were now taking swimming lessons and using hi-tech communication equipment - such as satellite telephones to make SOS calls - to make their trips safer.

"When they hear about their friends and relatives in London or Italy, they get encouraged to go; even when their relatives have no jobs there, they still think they have a better life than here," he added.

According to Ahmed Abdi, the national development plan includes the creation of two vocational training institutes in every region of Somaliland to boost the number of tertiary institutions and the variety of courses available.

"We also intend to set up micro-finance schemes to enable them to be self-supporting," he added.

He noted that despite the continued livestock ban, a few countries in the Arab world were starting to buy Somaliland's meat, and the government hoped the Saudi ban would be lifted, restoring the industry.

Youth policy

The Ministry of Youth and Sports, in partnership with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), is drafting a national youth policy - due to be passed by parliament in 2011 - that hopes to address issues of youth emigration, unemployment, education and political participation.

"What we need more than anything is resources from our international partners focused on development rather than strictly emergencies - resources focusing on education and building the economy would encourage young people to stay and build their own nation," the Ministry of Youth's Abdi said."

"Hundreds of children have been killed and many more injured as a result of the conflict in Sri Lanka,

TO BE NOTED: From ReliefWeb:

"Hundreds of children reported killed, more injured, in Sri Lankan violence

Source: United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

Date: 18 Mar 2009

NEW YORK, USA, 18 March 2009 – In a statement issued yesterday, UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman expressed alarm at the high number of children affected by continuing violence in the northern area of Sri Lanka known as the Vanni.

"Hundreds of children have been killed and many more injured as a result of the conflict in Sri Lanka," Veneman said. "Thousands are now at risk because of a critical lack of food, water and medicines."

More than 150,000 people are currently trapped by fighting between government troops and the rebel group known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE.

"Regular, safe access for humanitarian agencies is urgently required, so that lifesaving supplies can be provided, and civilians must be allowed to move to safe areas where essential humanitarian support is more readily available," Veneman added.

40,000 have escaped

Around 40,000 people have been able to escape the conflict zone, and humanitarian groups are rushing to assist them.

"UNICEF has been rapidly setting up toilets, getting proper sanitation and providing clean water," said UNICEF Sri Lanka Chief of Communication James Elder. "We're also supporting hospitals who, of course, are overcrowded with the injured."

Elder said there are over 500 pregnant women among the displaced; UNICEF is supplying pregnancy kits for them. If the fighting continues, the number of children and women in need could increase exponentially in the coming weeks.

Rights of children compromised

Even temporary displacement can have a massive impact on children's health and development. UNICEF is working to mitigate the effects of school disruptions and the adverse psychological effects caused by exposure to violence in Sri Lankan conflict areas.

Veneman urged all sides in the conflict to prevent civilian casualties and respect the rights of children.

"Children are the innocent victims of Sri Lanka's conflict," she said. "They desperately need assistance and extraordinary efforts must be taken to protect them."

Because of problems of access to the conflict zone where fighting continues, there are no reliable figures of the numbers affected.

TO BE NOTED: From ReliefWeb:

"Sri Lanka: Children suffering the most in conflict - UNICEF

Source: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)

Date: 18 Feb 2009

VAVUNIYA, 18 February 2009 (IRIN) - Just nine years old, Thevaki was trapped in the crossfire between government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and barely escaped with her life.

"I don't remember anything. I just remember the blood," she said, gesturing to the bandaged shrapnel wound on her head.

After six days in a government hospital in Vavuniya - a humanitarian hub for more than 30,000 ethnic Tamil civilians fleeing southward - she is back with her family in one of 16 transit sites in the northern Sri Lankan town.

But while doctors say her physical wounds will heal, they warn that the memory of what she saw, including 10 days of constant shelling in a "no-fire zone" outside the town of Mullaithivu, could take longer.

Children are suffering the most in the ongoing conflict in Sri Lanka, says the UN.

Because of problems of access to the conflict zone where fighting continues, there are no reliable figures of the numbers affected.

"Children are bearing the brunt of a conflict which is not theirs," James Elder, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) spokesman in Sri Lanka, told IRIN. "They are being killed, they are being injured, they are horribly traumatised, and they are short of clean water and medicines," he said.

Until recently, many of the children were living in bunkers and trenches for weeks on end. Many had seen family, including their parents, killed. Others suffered horrific injuries, including burns, fractures, shrapnel and bullet wounds, and lost limbs, Elder said.

Separated children

In addition, there are reports of children being separated from their families during the government screening process in Kilinochchi and Omanthai, the former frontline about half-an-hour's drive north of Vavuniya.

To address this, UNICEF has established a data base to help track separated and unaccompanied adults, but as there is no independent observation of the screening process, it remains a source of concern.

Reports suggest there have been a number of instances when children are placed in one transit site in Vavuniya while their parents are placed in another, as well as the issue of unaccompanied minors arriving.

According to mental health experts, this brings a whole new level of trauma for the children as it is generally the family that can provide the greatest support in the recovery process.

"If we could prevent separation in the first place, that would help a lot," Elder stressed.

UNICEF is working closely with local authorities to reunite families, as well as seeking ways to mitigate the number of families being separated.

In addition, the agency is working to provide play and psycho-social activities at transit sites to give children a greater sense of normality; however, access for UNICEF's implementing partners remains difficult to negotiate.

"These children need a safe and secure environment, which is key to their long-term recovery," Elder said. "What they need most is to be with their families, to know that they will be safe."

Yet while fighting continues and more and more Tamil civilians make their way to Vavuniya, Elder emphasised that much of the Vanni's population are still trapped.

"We mustn't forget that there are tens of thousands of children who are still in the Vanni [in the north] and have to live out this nightmare on a daily basis," he said.

According to government sources, some 100,000 civilians remain in the Vanni while the UN estimates the number to be nearer 250,000.

Forced recruitment

Meanwhile, UNICEF on 17 February raised another concern over reports of a growing number of children being recruited by the LTTE.

"We have clear indications that the LTTE has intensified forcible recruitment of civilians and that children as young as 14 years old are now being targeted," Philippe Duamelle, UNICEF's representative in Sri Lanka, said.

"These children are facing immediate danger and their lives are at great risk. Their recruitment is intolerable," he said.

From 2003 to the end of 2008, more than 6,000 children were recruited by the LTTE, the UNICEF statement said.

UNICEF reiterated calls to the government and the LTTE that civilians, especially children, must be given every protection from the fighting."

"Zimbabwe's cholera epidemic is picking up speed, with a total of 1,732 deaths out of 34,306 cases"

From The Hub, more bad news from Zimbabwe:

"UNICEF: The tragedy of Zimbabwe's cholera outbreak

By: Priscila Néri

Posted: Jan 6 09

Zimbabwe

HARARE, Zimbabwe, 19 December 2008 Deep grief is evident in Nigel Chigudu's eyes. In a tortured voice, he slowly recounts the harrowing tragedy that saw him lose five siblings in five hours to the cholera epidemic that has been sweeping across Zimbabwe.

"Zimbabwean children are already vulnerable, a quarter of them are orphaned, most have fewer meals than their peers across the globe," said UNICEF Representative in Zimbabwe Roeland Monasch. "These children now feel the severity of a national cholera crisis, which in some instances is robbing them of their lives. It is vital that we bring them life-saving interventions now."

As urgent relief, UNICEF has provided hundreds of thousands of water treatment tablets with a capacity to treat and purify water in more than 3 million households. It has also distributed thousands of oral rehydration salts, IV fluids and drips to treat diarrhoeal dehydration, as well as washing soap and buckets.

To read the full story, visit: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/zimbabwe_46902.html"

And from Unicef:

"Nigel's Story: The tragedy of Zimbabwe's cholera outbreak

© UNICEF Zimbabwe/2008/Myhren

Nigel Chigudu, 15, lost five siblings to cholera in one night. UNICEF has appealed for help to contain the epidemic that has been sweeping Zimbabwe.

By Tsitsi Singizi

HARARE, Zimbabwe, 19 December 2008 – Deep grief is evident in Nigel Chigudu's eyes. In a tortured voice, he slowly recounts the harrowing tragedy that saw him lose five siblings in five hours to the cholera epidemic that has been sweeping across Zimbabwe.

"They started vomiting and had serious diarrhoea," recalls Nigel, 15. "The youngest, Gamu, was 14 months old, and Lameck was 12 years old. It was in the middle of the night; I could not take them anywhere. I just watched them die.

"Two days later, my grandmother also passed away," he adds.

Cholera epicentre

Nigel lives in Budiriro Township, Harare, the epicentre of Zimbabwe's latest cholera outbreak. Across the road from his family's home, at a UNICEF-supported cholera treatment centre, a grieving mother collects the body of her two-year-old baby who has also succumbed.

These stories are not unique. They echo in the lives of an increasing number of people across Zimbabwe—the stark consequence of water outages, a failed sewer and sanitation system, and garbage piling up on the streets.

In Budiriro, burst sewage pipes have left puddles and a permanent stench while months of uncollected refuse litter the streets. Filthy conditions like these have prompted UNICEF to make an international appeal for help to control the epidemic, which is spread by contaminated water.

Disease spreading fast

Across Zimbabwe, in high-density urban areas such as Budiriro in Harare and Dulibadzimu in Beitbridge, cholera is spreading like wildfire. Nine out of Zimbabwe's 10 provinces have reported cases. More than 16,000 cases and almost 800 deaths have been reported since August.

"Zimbabwean children are already vulnerable, a quarter of them are orphaned, most have fewer meals than their peers across the globe," said UNICEF Representative in Zimbabwe Roeland Monasch. "These children now feel the severity of a national cholera crisis, which in some instances is robbing them of their lives. It is vital that we bring them life-saving interventions now."

As urgent relief, UNICEF has provided hundreds of thousands of water treatment tablets with a capacity to treat and purify water in more than 3 million households. It has also distributed thousands of oral rehydration salts, IV fluids and drips to treat diarrhoeal dehydration, as well as washing soap and buckets.

'A window of opportunity'

In addition, UNICEF is trucking safe drinking water and mounting community-based water tanks in cholera-affected communities. There is also a drive to intensify hygiene education and health promotion.

"The cholera outbreak is symptomatic of the general collapse of infrastructure and services," said Mr. Monasch, "Health and education sectors face immense challenges and require support."

To galvanize this critical support, UNICEF has embarked on a $17 million emergency programme for the next 120 days. This programme will fund medicines for 70 per cent of the population; scale up community-based therapeutic feeding; carry out outreach immunization services, and provide incentives for teachers and nurses to return to work.

"In the next four months, we have a window of opportunity to reverse the deterioration of the social services. We cannot afford to miss this chance," said Mr. Monasch. "However, we cannot do it alone; we need support in raising the funds required for this response."

Today from Reuters:

"Zimbabwe cholera death toll tops 1,700 - WHO

06 Jan 2009 13:07:43 GMT

Source: Reuters

(Adds UN agency comments) GENEVA, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's cholera epidemic is picking up speed, with a total of 1,732 deaths out of 34,306 cases, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Tuesday. A cholera update dated Jan. 5 showed a further 59 deaths and 731 new cases, up from 32 deaths and 379 fresh cases reported the previous day, it said. The epidemic is adding to the humanitarian crisis in the country, where President Robert Mugabe and the opposition are deadlocked over a power-sharing deal and the veteran leader is resisting Western calls to step down. The waterborne disease, which causes severe diarrhoea and dehydration, has spread to all of Zimbabwe's 10 provinces because of the collapse of health and sanitation systems. On Monday Health Minister David Parirenyatwa said the epidemic could get worse as the rainy season develops. The rainy season peaks in January or February and ends in late March. Floods, which can affect Zimbabwe's low-lying areas, may increase the spreading of the disease. "Social service delivery is collapsing, notably education, health and water supply infrastructure," said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). It said the U.N.'s World Food Programme (WFP) planned to help feed 4.5 million people a month until March when the main cereal harvest is due to start, while the Consortium for Southern Africa Food Security Emergency (C-SAFE) would handle another 1.8 million over the same period. "WFP and C-SAFE pipelines combined will assist more than 50 percent of the population of Zimbabwe with food," OCHA said. (For more information on humanitarian crises and issues visit www.alertnet.org) (Reporting by Jonathan Lynn; Editing by Matthew Tostevin)"

"Yet the good news shows that we will lose the battle against poverty and misery only if we give up "

Jeffrey Sachs with some good news in the Guardian:

"Good news in bad times

"Let's celebrate the global successes in fighting poverty, disease and hunger

Comments (20)

• Jeffrey D Sachs
• guardian.co.uk, Sunday 21 December 2008 14.00 GMT
• Article history

At a time when the headlines are filled with financial crises and violence, it is especially important to recognise the creativity of many governments in fighting poverty, disease and hunger( GOOD IDEA ). The point is not merely to make ourselves feel a little better, but rather to confront one of the world's gravest threats: the widespread pessimism( IT MIGHT BE REALISM, BUT, YOU'RE RIGHT, WE SHOULD TRY, IN ANY CASE ) that today's problems are too big to be solved. Studying the successes gives us the knowledge and confidence to step up our shared efforts to solve today's great global challenges.

Hats off, first, to Mexico for pioneering the idea of "conditional cash transfers" to poor households. These transfers enable and encourage those households to invest in their children's health, nutrition and schooling.

Mexico's opportunities programme, led by the president, Felipe Calder, is now being widely emulated around Latin America. Recently, at the behest of the singers Shakira and Alejandro Sanz, and a social movement called Alas that they lead, all of Latin America's leaders have committed to step up the region's programmes for early childhood development, based on successes that have been proven to date. ( SOUNDS GOOD )

Norway, under the leadership of prime minister, Jens Stoltenberg, is maintaining its tradition of creative social and environmental leadership. The government has put together a global alliance to prevent maternal death in childbirth, investing in safe delivery and the survival of newborns. At the same time, Norway launched an innovative $1bn (£0.66bn) programme with Brazil to induce poor communities in the Amazon to end rampant deforestation. Cleverly, Norway pays out the funds to Brazil only upon proven success in avoiding deforestation, compared with an agreed baseline.( GOOD IDEAS )

Spain, under the leadership of the prime minister, José Luis Rodríguez-Zapatero, has given a major stimulus to helping the poorest countries to achieve the UN millennium development goals (MDGs). Spain created a new MDG fund at the United Nations to promote the co-operation needed within the UN to address the various challenges of the MDGs. ( WORTH A SHOT )

The Spanish government rightly proposed that true solutions to poverty required simultaneous investments in health, education, agriculture and infrastructure, and then the Spanish put up the funds to help make that integrated vision a practical reality. Spain will host a meeting in January to launch a new fight against global hunger. Once again, Spain is proposing practical and innovative means to move from talk to action, specifically to help impoverished peasant farmers to get the tools, seeds and fertiliser they need to increase their farm productivity, incomes and food security. ( WE NEED TO SEE IF THEY WORK. IF SO, FINE )

The Australian prime minister, Kevin Rudd, has similarly surged to the forefront of global problem solving, putting forward a bold action plan on climate change and proposing new and practical( A KEY CONCEPT ) means to address the MDGs. Australia put real money on the table for increased food production, along the lines that Spain is proposing. It also champions an increased programme of action for the poor and environmentally threatened island economies of the Pacific region.( FINE )

These efforts have been matched by actions in the poorest countries. The landlocked and impoverished country of Malawi, under the leadership of President Bingu wa Mutharika, has doubled its annual food production since 2005 through a pioneering effort to help its poorest farmers. The programme has been so successful that it is being emulated across Africa( GOOD ).

Mali's government, under President Amadou Toumani Touré, has recently put forward a bold challenge to the world community. Mali is eager to scale up investments in agriculture, health, education and infrastructure in its 166 poorest communities. The plans are detailed, thoughtful, credible and based on proven successes that the government has already achieved. The rich world has promised to help Mali, and now Mali has led the way with its creativity( GOOD FOR THEM ).

There are countless more cases that can be mentioned. The European Union has launched a €1bn (£0.93bn) effort to help peasant farmers. The Gates Foundation, Unicef, Rotary International and many governments have succeeded in bringing down polio deaths to one-thousandth of the rate a generation ago, bringing the disease to the verge of eradication. Similar efforts are under way on many other fronts: the control of worm infections and leprosy, and a major global effort to bring malaria deaths nearly to zero by 2015.( VERY GOOD )

All of these successes, and many more, share a similar pattern. They address a well-defined( KEY ) and serious challenge, for example, low food production or a specific disease, and are based on a well-defined( KEY ) set of solutions, such as the supply of agricultural equipment and inputs needed by peasant farmers or immunisations.

Small-scale demonstration projects prove how success can be achieved; the challenge then becomes taking the solutions "to scale" in nationwide or even worldwide programmes ( TRUE ). Leadership is needed within the countries in need as well as among the rich nations that can help to launch and finance the solutions. Finally, modest amounts of money, directed at practical problem solving, can make an historic difference( I'M FOR IT IF IT'S ASSESSED FOR SUCCESS ).

Bad news can crowd out good news, especially in times of serious financial crisis and political unrest. Yet the good news shows that we will lose the battle against poverty and misery only if we give up and fail to heed the intelligence and goodwill that can be mobilised today. And perhaps next year, the US will rejoin the global effort with a new and remarkable force, led by a young president who has rightly told Americans and the world that "Yes, we can"."

No more about Bush. I'm begging you. I'm counting the seconds.