WFP on Somalia

From WFP:

Our latest images from the Horn of Africa may be heartbreaking to view, but they also show the difference we can make with your help.

Thanks to the generosity of thousands of people across the globe, we’re already reaching millions of people affected by famine in Somalia and the hunger crisis in Kenya and Ethiopia. Every 50 US cents donated means another day of food for a hungry child or woman on the edge of survival.

Whether you’ve made a donation, spread the word, or supported WFP in other ways, thank you for your commitment as we respond to this emergency and continue our other lifesaving operations around the world. Visit our crisis page for the latest information.

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This press release is reprinted by Alanna Shaikh out of an obscure sense of guilt. It does not represent the opinions of Alanna Shaikh or any of her employers.

Free Global Health Teaching Tools

Today, the Global Health Delivery Project (collaboration between Harvard Medical School, Harvard Business School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital) will make public and free 21 teaching case studies which take a close look at health care delivery in developing countries; Rwanda, Haiti, India, etc. Students will be able to access these cases and put themselves in the role of the “decision maker,” looking at the principals of health care delivery in situations where politics, the economy and geography need to be taken into account. The cases have already been taught at Harvard Business School, Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard College and MIT’s Sloan School of Management.

This is the first time something like it has been made free and open for the public to download. Ultimately it’s a prime example of the growing partnership lead by Paul Farmer among Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s and Partners In Health – all three considered the “Global Health Delivery Partnership.”

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This press release is reprinted by Alanna Shaikh out of an obscure sense of guilt. It does not represent the opinions of Alanna Shaikh or any of her employers.

Somalia Famine Facts

* Nearly 12 million people in the Horn of Africa are in food crisis. Somalia, which already had one of the highest malnutrition rates in the world, is the hardest hit.

* Despite progress being made in the last seven days with donor governments pledging support, a shortfall of around 800 million USD still remains.

* High cereal and fuel prices were making pastoralists’ lives difficult before the current drought. Cereal prices are at an all-time high, with the cost of some commodities up by 270% in some southern areas of Somalia.

* According to the ODI, 'It is far too late to address anything but the worst symptoms. Measures that could have kept animals alive – and provided milk, and income to buy food – would have been much cheaper than feeding malnourished children, but the time for those passed with very little investment.’

* USAID issued early warning about food security in East Africa in November 2010.

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This press release is reprinted by Alanna Shaikh out of an obscure sense of guilt. It does not represent the opinions of Alanna Shaikh or any of her employers.