AIDemocracy.org | global health

Syria: Political Struggles Stunt Humanitarian Aid Efforts

March 1, 2013 by trizab Leave a Comment

UN agencies have warned that a mounting humanitarian crisis is occurring in Syria, with an estimated four million people in need of food, water, and adequate shelter. Another 850,000 people are living as refugees in neighboring countries while thousands flee each day. Since the uprising began in March 2011, an estimated 70,000 people have perished due to the conflict1. In late January, President Obama released a statement that he had authorized an additional $155 million to provide humanitarian relief to the millions of Syrians displaced by the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less Tagged With: global health, Syria

World Insight Essay Series: Global Security and Health Implications of the Crisis in Mali

February 21, 2013 by AIDemocracy Leave a Comment

By: Bowie Daniel Hall The Mali of 2004, when Oumou Sall Seck was elected as the first female mayor in the country’s north, offered the hope of stable democracy and economic development, bearing little in common with the country since an insurgency took hold in January 2012. “Life in northern Mali before the rebels and Islamic extremists arrived was calm; we lived together harmoniously in a community of various languages and backgrounds, including people of Tuareg, Sonraï, Bambara and Peul ethnicities […] and our cultural diversity enriched … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2013 Essay Series, Blog, Featured Less Tagged With: foreign policy, global health, Mali

People Over Politics: What Palestine’s New UN Member Status Means for Palestinian Healthcare

November 30, 2012 by trizab Leave a Comment

Yesterday’s decision by the U.N. General Assembly to officially recognize Palestine as a “non-member observer state” was a landmark event for the people of Palestine--and their future health status. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has had long-term consequences that made Palestinian health workers’ and humanitarian groups’ jobs extremely difficult in addressing the grave health outcomes of the population. Health centers have faced shortages of medication and medical supplies as a result of Israeli sanctions coupled with a financially … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less Tagged With: global health, Palestine

The Healing Power of Education

November 20, 2012 by credmond Leave a Comment

In March of this year, the Global Health Service Partnership (GHSP) was launched as a partnership between the Global Health Service Corps and the Peace Corps to establish large, didactic, and sustainable medical education programs in areas of dire need of medical aid. Through the GHSP, nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals will travel to developing nations and work with local governments to establish curriculum to train citizens to become independent healthcare leaders in their towns and villages. The hope is that by having each GHSP … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less Tagged With: education, global health, Peace Corp

Slavery Still Exists…But You Can Stop It!

March 14, 2012 by Tiffany Leave a Comment

We want to put a spotlight on an issue that is a threat to national security, public health, and democracy -- human trafficking. Worldwide, the State Department estimated there are an astounding 12.3 million adults and children in modern-day slavery! From sexual exploitation to involuntary servitude, victims of human trafficking, particularly women and children, experience horrendous crimes and injustices on a daily basis. Trafficking fuels gender violence and the subordination of women and their rights as human beings. We, as the next generation of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Sex and Justice, Take Action Tagged With: action, campus, Congress, global health, human trafficking, women

We’re hiring! Global Health Fellow

November 27, 2011 by AIDemocracy 4 Comments

Are you a student interested in global health? Do you believe that students have both the power and the obligation to speak out about global challenges like maternal health, HIV/AIDS and malaria? Americans for Informed Democracy is accepting applications from inspired, globally conscious students who are interested in getting hands-on experience educating and mobilizing youth around these issues. The Health Fellow will work closely with our student-driven campaign team mobilizing our national network around these issues. Specific tasks will include … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Opportunities Closed, Sex and Justice Tagged With: global health

Will cutting foreign aid help us balance our federal budget?

November 27, 2011 by Samia Taoulost Leave a Comment

With over 33 million people living with HIV worldwide and 60% who remain without access to anti-retroviral treatment, it is quite disheartening and disappointing to hear public statements made by aspiring presidential candidates over the potential gains of a reduced foreign aid budget or worse even, a “Zero-Aid Strategy.” In the midst of a blind race for public support and for an outward image of a nation-savior, politicians have, unsurprisingly, exploited Americans’ misperceptions of US foreign aid and of its real budget. In a recent poll … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Sex and Justice Tagged With: AIDS/HIV, global health, UNAIDS, US foreign aid, USAID

Misplaced morality and the women of Uwanja wa Fisi

October 31, 2011 by Cory Rodgers 4 Comments

Hamza and his friend cracked jokes as we walked through the Tandale slums, but their laughs were stifled as we reached Uwanja wa Fisi. They persisted in their banter to lighten the mood, sometimes teasing me because wazungu (white people) like me don't frequent this area for business; most male foreigners seek the company of women in the upscale hotels in Dar es Salaam's beachside areas. However, as we turned a corner and proceeded down a series of thin alleys, it became evident that they shared my discomfort. The cement walls were lined with … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Sex and Justice Tagged With: Africa, global health, HIV/AIDS

Health Campaign Team DC Representative

August 8, 2011 by AIDemocracy

Are you a student interested in global challenges like sexual reproductive rights and HIV/AIDS? Do you believe that students have both the power and the obligation to speak out about global issues? Americans for Informed Democracy is accepting applications from inspired, globally conscious students who are interested in getting hands-on experience educating and mobilizing youth around global development and the environment. The Health Campaign Team DC Representative will work closely with our student-driven campaign team mobilizing our national … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Opportunities Closed Tagged With: global health, HIV/AIDS, internship

Rice, rickshaws and research: a semester of public health in Bangladesh

May 31, 2011 by Kait Maloney 2 Comments

Weary after spending a day and a half in the air, I got off the plane in D.C. and staggered to the baggage claim still dressed in my green and yellow salwar kameez marveling at how tall everyone was and wondering why they were all wearing shorts. Then on the way to my apartment, my taxi driver had to calm me down after I freaked out about passing a rickshaw on the road. Let’s call it reverse culture shock. This past semester, I studied in the Oversees Learning Collaboration with George Washington University and the James P. Grant School of Public … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Sex and Justice Tagged With: bangladesh, global health