September 2010
Child Sponsorship Report 2010, from Bakoteh, Gambia
Sep 01, 2010 08:25 AM
A child sponsorship report from Bakoteh in the Gambia. From 2010.
Dozens of children poisoned in Nigeria
Sep 01, 2010 08:44 AM
Lead poisoning has killed about 30 children in northern Nigeria over the past week, authorities said.
Child Sponsorship Report 2010, from Cap-Haïtien, Haiti
Sep 01, 2010 11:15 AM
A child sponsorship from Cap-Haïtien, affected by the earthquake in Haiti. From 2010.
Sudan floods leave 60,000 homeless
Sep 01, 2010 12:35 PM
About 60,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in south Sudan over the past month, health officials said yesterday (Tuesday) warning that many more are at risk of malaria and other diseases.
Child soldiers sent home in southern Sudan
Sep 01, 2010 12:40 PM
The Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) has promised to demobilise all its child soldiers by the year end.
Gangs freely move women, and girls across west Africa
Sep 01, 2010 12:52 PM
Gang networks that traffic Nigerian women and girls to the Ivory Coast and force them into prostitution, should be investigated and shut down, urge campaigners.
Child Sponsorship Report 2010, from Santo, Haiti
Sep 01, 2010 02:35 PM
A child sponsorship report from Santo, Haiti, which was near the epicentre of the earthquake. From 2010.
Damage to infrastructure hinders aid efforts in Pakistan
Sep 01, 2010 03:35 PM
While floods still cover vast areas of the southern Sindh province, the waters have receded in the provinces of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa and Punjab, leaving a trail of destruction. At a time when access to medical attention is a matter of life and death, with over 70,000 cases of acute watery diarrhoea already reported, the World Health Organisation estimates one fifth of Pakistan’s health facilities have been damaged.
Looking after volcano evacuees in Indonesia
Sep 01, 2010 04:40 PM
Indonesia has over 400 volcanoes, nearly half of which are listed as ‘active’ or ‘dangerous’. Mount Sinabung, in the Karo region of North Sumatra, had been dormant for four centries, but erupted on Sunday, sending a plum of smoke and ash up to 2 km into the air. Nearly 30,000 people from villages in a 6km radius around Mount Sinabung have been evacuated by the Indonesian authorities and sent to camps and government shelters.
Update: SOS Children Response to Pakistan Floods
Sep 03, 2010 09:00 AM
Update on the emergency relief work by SOS Children after flooding in Pakistan. From Friday 3rd September 2010
Overcoming poverty and divisions in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Sep 03, 2010 01:42 PM
Poverty and divisions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 15 years on from the Bosnian war
Mozambique food price hikes to stay put
Sep 03, 2010 01:54 PM
Food and energy price hikes which triggered riots in Mozambique are "irreversible," its government has said.
More campaigns are needed to protect girls in Egypt
Sep 03, 2010 02:55 PM
In the village of Abu Nashaba, a thirteen year old girl has just died and her family have quickly buried the body without the necessary permit from local authorities. Clearly distraught at her loss, what could the family have to hide?
United Nations behind on water targets
Sep 03, 2010 03:11 PM
Water and sanitation have fallen to the bottom of the United Nation’s list of priorities for its Millennium Development Goals aimed at improving the lives of billions of people in the world’s poorest countries.
The effects of Russia’s heat wave
Sep 04, 2010 06:33 PM
The extreme heat wave across Russia over the last couple of months continues to take its toll, as fresh wildfires break out. A new wave of fires has just swept through villages in southern Russia, destroying more than 400 homes in the Volgograd and Saratov provinces. At least 6 people are reported to have died, adding to death toll of 54 other people killed in fires during July and August.
Raised awareness of child abuse issues in Portugal
Sep 06, 2010 08:55 AM
A mammoth child sex abuse trial in Portugal, ongoing for more than five years, is about to come to an end when judges shortly announce their verdict. Seven defendants face over 800 charges linked the running of a paedophile ring in a state-run children’s home in Lisbon.
Thousands of families left penniless as Benin pyramid scheme collapses
Sep 06, 2010 09:00 AM
Hundreds of thousands of families have lost their whole life’s savings in an investment scheme run by a firm that apparently had the backing of the country's president.
Torrential rain brings grief to Guatemala
Sep 08, 2010 09:16 AM
Mountainous and heavily forested, Guatemala has a striking terrain. But this year, a serious of natural disasters has brought grief to this beautiful country.
Racing against time to save Pakistan’s children
Sep 08, 2010 09:21 AM
Children under 15 make up 37% of Pakistan’s population and it is the young who are most vulnerable in the wake of disasters. With a scarcity of fresh, safe water in Pakistan following the floods, it is therefore unsurprising the country’s hospitals are now witnessing a flood of a different kind.
Plugging the doctor gap in Malawi
Sep 08, 2010 09:51 AM
Malawi has a shortage of health professionals. Non-Governmental Organisations are helping to plug the gaps left by a lack of trained medical staff.
Nurses and teachers back to work after South Africa strike
Sep 08, 2010 10:05 AM
Teachers, nurses and other public sector workers were back at work today after a strike that closed schools and paralysed hospitals and cost the lives of patients for three weeks was suspended.
France expels the Roma
Sep 08, 2010 10:35 AM
They are Europe’s poorest people and it seems no one wants them. The issue of where the Roma live is currently making headline news across Europe and particularly in France, where the government has embarked on a high-profile campaign to deport Roma living in illegal camps.
Four million children die needlessly because poorest ignored
Sep 08, 2010 12:45 PM
Four million of the poorest children in the world have died needlessly over the past 10 years because governments are ‘turning a blind eye’ to those most in need, said a leading charity.
Fleeing the poverty of remote villages in Ecuador
Sep 09, 2010 08:50 AM
Poverty in remote villages in Ecuador has led to families moving to get away from the problems poverty has caused.
Kids with guns
Sep 09, 2010 09:33 AM
The plight of child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo is followed in a new BBC Three documentary out this autumn.
UN admits failure as more Congo rape victims emerge
Sep 09, 2010 10:10 AM
The United Nations has admitted it seriously failed in its mission after 500 rapes in the space of a single month in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Turning attention to the poor in India
Sep 10, 2010 08:53 AM
The economy in India is looking strong. Output for the second quarter of 2010 grew by nearly 9% compared to the same quarter of the previous year, with job-creation in the manufacturing sector. And on October 3rd, the country will be hosting the Commonwealth games in Delhi, a chance to showcase the city and India’s new prosperity to the world. But is all the emphasis on wealth creation coming at the expense of wealth distribution?
Dying children not getting painkillers
Sep 10, 2010 09:06 AM
Children with cancer and Aids in Kenya are needlessly living, and dying, in pain because they are not being given cheap painkillers, campaigners say.
The danger of mines for Angola’s children
Sep 13, 2010 09:07 AM
Landmines are still proving dangerous to young children in Angola
Africa needs billions more in aid
Sep 13, 2010 09:22 AM
Africa needs billions more in aid to tackle poverty, an international group said today.
Orange corn could save sight of millions of African children
Sep 13, 2010 10:38 AM
Orange coloured sweetcorn could improve the lives of millions of malnourished children by boosting the vitamin A in their diet, according to a new study.
Helping Pakistan’s children
Sep 14, 2010 09:14 AM
Charities are working hard to provide aid for children in Pakistan, to try and offset the dangers of malnutrition.
Words won’t feed the hungry, urges charity
Sep 14, 2010 09:21 AM
In the week running up to the showpiece global development talks at the United Nations in New York, campaigners are warning that actions speak louder than words.
Protecting workers and children in Cambodia
Sep 14, 2010 10:15 AM
This week thousands of workers from textiles factories took to the streets of Cambodia as part of a week-long strike.
Zimbabwe Aids orphanage workers bailed
Sep 14, 2010 11:11 AM
A Zimbabwean court has bailed six health workers arrested and accused of treating Aids patients without proper permission, the US embassy in Harare said yesterday.
New SOS facilities taking shape in Zambia
Sep 14, 2010 01:10 PM
SOS Children UK is working to build the newest SOS Children’s Village in Zambia: the facilities will be in Chipata in Zambia’s Eastern Province.
Senegal outlaws forcing children to beg
Sep 15, 2010 08:36 AM
A Senegalese court turned the tide on years of tradition by fining Muslim holy men for sending children out on the streets to beg.
Cash Transfer Scheme proves a lifeline for the poor in Columbia
Sep 15, 2010 09:36 AM
A scheme allowing the transfer of cash to the poor in Colombia is helping the poorest families provide for their children
Vietnam’s success in meeting Millennium Development Goals
Sep 15, 2010 09:55 AM
Vietnam has made remarkable steps since the introduction of the Millennium Development Goals. Poverty in the country has been significantly reduced and is a model for other countries to follow
Women and children at the heart of UK’s global aid policy, says deputy PM
Sep 15, 2010 10:45 AM
Women and children in the world’s poorest countries are at the forefront of the UK’s global aid policy Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said today.
The fate of a Pakistani family
Sep 15, 2010 02:55 PM
The story of a family affected by the floods and now living in an Emergency Relief Camp. It is written by our photographer, Benno Neeleman, who has been following our Emergency Programme in north-west Pakistan
New test diagnoses TB in an hour
Sep 15, 2010 03:51 PM
British scientists today unveiled an ultra-fast new test which can diagnose tuberculosis in one hour, which could help curb the spread of the disease which killed 1.3million in 2008.
How will the Roma fair back in Romania?
Sep 16, 2010 09:48 AM
What is the fate for Roma families and their children, returning to life back in Romania since being deported by the French government.
Poorest left out of development goal efforts
Sep 16, 2010 10:05 AM
Work towards The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is bypassing the very poorest people in the world, because they are not being allowed their basic rights, say campaigners.
Deaths in childbirth drop by a third
Sep 16, 2010 10:25 AM
The number of women who die giving birth has fallen by a third, global health organisations said yesterday.
Congo’s homeless need protection
Sep 16, 2010 11:05 AM
Families uprooted by violence in The Democratic Republic of Congo are still at risk of violence and need more protection and help, says a new report.
Funding cuts threaten global target on HIV/Aids
Sep 16, 2010 11:55 AM
The first cut in HIV/Aids funding for 15 years could stamp out progress toward a global target to stop the spread of the virus, a senior United Nations official said.
Interview with President of SOS Pakistan: "We cannot abandon hope"
Sep 16, 2010 01:25 PM
An interview with Mrs Souriya Anwar, President of SOS Children's Villages Pakistan
Teenager tells of loss to deadly home brew
Sep 17, 2010 10:17 AM
Until two months ago, Kenyan teenager, Grace had never known one substance could cause so much misery…
Rebuilding Haiti and the lives of the disabled
Sep 17, 2010 10:32 AM
Last week, an Argentine entrepreneur announced he would be building a 33 million dollar business hotel in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. The project will be the first large investment in the hospitality sector since the earthquake in January which killed around 300,000 people. The hotel will be situated near the airport and is expected to accommodate the growing numbers of businessmen and officials involved in the reconstruction efforts.
Mexico marks its bicentennial, but not everyone celebrates
Sep 17, 2010 10:39 AM
Mexico celebrated its 200 years of independence from Spain with light shows, fireworks and concerts. The President, Felipe Calderon, led the festivities which ended in cries of “Viva Mexico”. But some Mexicans were not convinced the country should be celebrating, when its citizens have been suffering from an upsurge in drug-related violence and the cost of the festivities was 230 million dollars, money which could have been spent on improving security or addressing poverty. A newspaper survey in Mexico City found that eight of ten residents thought too much was being spent, at a time where there was not much to celebrate.
Hunger costs poor countries £290bn a year, says charity
Sep 17, 2010 10:45 AM
Hunger is costing the world's poorest countries £290 billion a year, according to a report out this week.
Call to halt child Aids deaths
Sep 17, 2010 11:28 AM
African governments have been urged to pledge real investment into wiping out HIV infection among the continent’s children.
What does the future hold for the West Bank?
Sep 20, 2010 08:50 AM
The first round of the current Middle East peace talks has just concluded, with Hilary Clinton insisting Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas can still “resolve all of the core issues within one year”.
Childhood deaths drop as women's education rises, study shows
Sep 20, 2010 09:13 AM
Better education for women helped prevent more than four million children from dying last year, a new study finds.
Women and girls suffer most in Millennium Goal failure
Sep 20, 2010 09:25 AM
As world leaders progress check targets to reduce poverty, the chances of meeting any of them by 2015 look slim and those most let down are women and girls.
Sub-Saharan Africa leads the way in reducing HIV
Sep 20, 2010 09:33 AM
Sub-Saharan Africa, the part of the world worst hit by Aids, is leading a fall in the number of new HIV infections, said the United Nations.
Anti-Aids gel funding set-back
Sep 20, 2010 09:46 AM
Scientists discovered in July that a vaginal gel significantly reduced HIV. However, possible use of the gel for women is now being stalled by a lack of funds.
Battling the weather in Bangladesh
Sep 21, 2010 08:39 AM
In Bangladesh, the monsoon rains flood around one third of the country annually and the people of Bangladesh have been used to dealing with the weather. But last year, a devastating cyclone hit the southwest coastal region of Bangladesh, killing at least 300 people and destroying nearly 90,000 homes. 4,000 kilometres of roads and embankments were also damaged, effectively destroying the livelihoods of thousands.
Recession should not hold back development goals, warns Ban
Sep 21, 2010 09:03 AM
Millions of people need to be lifted out of poverty regardless of the global recession, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon urged world leaders yesterday.
Extra aid needed for Pakistan
Sep 21, 2010 09:17 AM
Today the UK government has announced it will be doubling its aid money for Pakistan, where the floods have affected an area greater than the size of England.
Poor countries on brink of education crisis
Sep 21, 2010 09:22 AM
Somalia and Haiti are the two worst countries to go to school in at a time when £3 billion has been cut from education budgets worldwide, a new report says.
The suffering of communities in the north of India
Sep 22, 2010 08:36 AM
As the world’s attention is focused on Pakistan, heavy rains and flooding are also bringing misery to neighbouring countries. In the northern state of Uttarakhand in India, more than 60 people are reported to have died recently in flood waters and landslides.
Cooking stoves kill two million a year in developing countries
Sep 22, 2010 08:49 AM
Across the world’s poorest countries, nearly three billion women spend hours cooking family meals several times a day on basic indoor stoves.
Safe water and toilets vital to poverty goals, says UN
Sep 23, 2010 09:40 AM
The lack of clean drinking water and toilets in the world’s poorest countries is a major obstacle to global progress, world leaders said yesterday.
Hopes for the Commonwealth Games in India
Sep 23, 2010 09:45 AM
Urgent concerns are now being raised about the state of India’s readiness for the Commonwealth Games, due to start on October 3rd.
No return to the slums of Haiti
Sep 23, 2010 09:58 AM
A new ‘World Disasters Report’ by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies looks at the urban risks faced by the poorest in our societies. Over 25 per cent of the world’s urban population is now estimated to live in the most basic and informal of dwellings, in the slums and shanty towns of cities.
Malaria came from gorillas
Sep 23, 2010 10:06 AM
Malaria first passed to humans from gorillas thousands of years ago, finds new research.
Update 22nd September: Latest on SOS Children work in flood affected Pakistan
Sep 23, 2010 02:35 PM
Update on the Flood Relief Programme in Pakistan, 22 September 2010
The nature of China’s aid
Sep 24, 2010 08:50 AM
This week, the Chinese Minister for Commerce, Chen Deming, has been speaking about his country’s aid policies at the UN summit on the Millennium Development Goals. Frequently criticized by the West for paying scant regard to human rights issues in developing countries, Mr Deming reiterated that “cultural systems” and “political regimes” varied, and China would never attach “political conditions to developmental assistance”.
Tropical storms bring misery to Mexico
Sep 24, 2010 08:58 AM
Over a week ago, hurricane Karl hit the central Gulf Coast of Mexico. The storm swept through the Bay of Campeche, where Mexico produces more than two thirds of its oil.
Unnecessary and avoidable: The struggle against HIV/AIDS
Sep 24, 2010 09:25 AM
"Unnecessary and avoidable" Coenraad de Beer on the struggle against HIV/AIDS
Maasai women's haute couture
Sep 24, 2010 01:20 PM
Maasai women in Nairobi, are capitalising on their tribal craft skills, by selling their intricate beadwork to European fashion designers.
Community maps Africa’s biggest shanty town
Sep 24, 2010 01:28 PM
Hundreds, if not thousands of people live in what is often described as ‘Africa’s biggest slum.’
Further hunger looms for Nepal’s poor
Sep 27, 2010 08:27 AM
While some of the far East suffering from too much rain, experts are concerned about the situation in Nepal, where three major droughts over recent years are taking their toll on the food supply. 2010 has not been a good year either, with an erratic monsoon in some parts of the country. In the mid and far west regions, the World Food Programme (WFP) warns that farmers are reaping as little as half their normal harvests because of late rains.
Pakistanis wait for assistance to rebuild
Sep 27, 2010 08:39 AM
In the Balochistan region of Pakistan, the flood waters have now retreated. Here, among other aid agencies, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Pakistan Red Crescent are working on the huge task of helping the estimated 600,000 people displaced by the waters.
Two million homeless after Nigeria floods
Sep 27, 2010 08:45 AM
Two million people in northern Nigeria have been forced out of their homes by rising waters after authorities opened the floodgates on two dams.
Poor women workers battered by South Africa wage law
Sep 27, 2010 01:39 PM
A national drive to close down clothes factories who flout the minimum wage laws is crushing women working on the factory floor – the very people it is supposed to help.
China’s health
Sep 28, 2010 08:34 AM
Obesity is a well known problem across economically developed countries, but it is also increasingly an issue in developing countries, including China.
A new land bill for the displaced of Columbia
Sep 28, 2010 08:50 AM
After four decades of conflict from rebels, drugs gangs and militias, Columbia has one of the world’s highest rates of displaced people.
Mental health ignored by aid work
Sep 28, 2010 09:03 AM
People suffering from poor mental health are being bypassed by most development and poverty programs, says a new report by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Ghana trafficking victims helped to rebuild their lives
Sep 28, 2010 09:08 AM
When Ayi was 15, her parents sold her. She was sent to the west African country’s capital, Accra, where she was forced to carry heavy loads to the market.
One in four children risk malnutrition in Chad
Sep 28, 2010 09:45 AM
Alarming rates of malnutrition in children have hit critical levels in Chad.
Drug resistant TB rise in east Africa
Sep 28, 2010 10:55 AM
Cases of drug resistant Tuberculosis are rising dangerously in East Africa, medics warn.
Free Aids treatment for 32,000 more Ugandans
Sep 28, 2010 02:28 PM
Some 32,000 people living with HIV in Uganda will be offered free life-lengthening treatment over the next two years after a sea change in US funding.
Third SOS Children's Village for Swaziland
Sep 28, 2010 02:35 PM
On 10 September 2010, SOS Children's Village Swaziland opened its new Village in Siteki
Children kidnapped by Nigeria gunmen
Sep 29, 2010 11:25 AM
Fifteen children were kidnapped when Gunmen hijacked a school bus, taking primary and nursery age children to school, police said yesterday.
Feeding India’s children
Sep 29, 2010 11:32 AM
As the population of India continues to increase, feeding its growing number of children is increasingly of concern
Finding a safe home in the Philippines
Sep 29, 2010 11:37 AM
Located in the seismic belt of the Pacific, the Philippines is frequently affected by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, storms, typhoons and landslides. Between 2000 and 2008 the country suffered five natural disasters. And these disasters often have the largest impact on the poorest families, many of whom live in shanty homes which are no match for such forces of nature.
Cambridge launches first CSR Forum
Sep 29, 2010 01:30 PM
A group of entrepreneurs are about to launch Cambridge’s first ever Corporate Social Responsibility Forum which will bring together local companies to share thinking and practice on how best to align values and behaviour with the needs of their stakeholders.
Bringing twins together
Sep 29, 2010 03:00 PM
A special story about two sets of twins, one living in the UK, and the other in Pakistan, and how SOS Children brought them together
The shock and the joy: SOS child reunited with her Grandmother
Sep 29, 2010 03:05 PM
No one quite knows how long it’s been since Elizabeth saw her grandmother. At least five years, she thinks, but it may be more...
Educating Brazil’s children
Sep 30, 2010 03:28 PM
Over the past eight years, Brazil’s economy has grown under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Sliva and millions of people have been lifted out of poverty, thanks in part to the expansion of the ‘Bolsa Familia’ or Family Grant scheme, which gives a monthly payment to more than 12 million poor families.
Indonesia’s determination to march forwards
Sep 30, 2010 03:34 PM
This week saw an eruption of violence on the island of Borneo which killed at least 3 people.
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