Africa

The Mungiki and other Kenyan armed groups profit from chaos

by Josphat Makori BBC News February 8, 2008

First they sent leaflets saying they would avenge the killings of their tribesmen when violence flared following Kenya's disputed election. Then they told other tribes to leave certain areas. People's fears had come true. The Mungiki were back. Hundreds of men wielding machetes and clubs, atta...

Malawi agriculture production rises sharply after years of food deficits–necessary next steps debated

by IRIN News February 5, 2008

Malawi is riding high on the success of its fertiliser subsidy programme and has become a regional exporter hoping to profit from booming food prices, but analysts are a bit more wary. Globally food prices have shot up by nearly 75 percent within a decade and will continue to do so, according to ...

Widespread use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets and state-of-the-art drugs succeeds in cutting malaria deaths in half in Rwanda and Ethiopia

by David Brown Washington Post February 1, 2008

Widespread use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets and state-of-the-art drugs has succeeded in cutting malaria deaths in half in two countries most heavily affected by the disease, the World Health Organization is reporting today. ...

Europe takes Africa’s fish, and boatloads of migrants follow

by Sharon LaFraniere New York Times January 14, 2008

KAYAR, Senegal — Ale Nodye, the son and grandson of fishermen in this northern Senegalese village, said that for the past six years he netted barely enough fish to buy fuel for his boat. So he jumped at the chance for a new beginning. He volunteered to captain a wooden canoe full of 87 Africans to...

Kenya: it’s the economy, not just ‘tribalism’

by IRIN News January 9, 2008

The wave of violence that engulfed Kenya after the presidential election has been widely described as tribal or ethnic in nature. But analysts in the east African country point to basic economics as the true cause of the unrest. ...

Women in the Dezda district of Malawi pounding corn to make nsima, the thick cornmeal porridge that is the national staple. Malawi’s government ignored experts and supplied heavy fertilizer subsidies to farmers, contributing to record-breaking corn harvests. Photo: Evelyn Hockstein/NYT

Ending famine in Malawi, simply by ignoring the experts

by Celia W. Dugger New York Times December 2, 2007

LILONGWE, Malawi — Malawi hovered for years at the brink of famine. After a disastrous corn harvest in 2005, almost five million of its 13 million people needed emergency food aid. But this year, a nation that has perennially extended a begging bowl to the world is instead feeding its hungry ne...

Economic growth in Africa over the past decade (5.4% per year) equals that of the rest of the world, World Bank says. However, largest growth occurred...

by BBC News November 14, 2007

The economic outlook for Africa is improving after a decade of growth of 5.4% for the continent that matches global rates, the World Bank has said....

IMF ready to forgive Liberia’s debt

by BBC News November 13, 2007

The International Monetary Fund is ready to start cancelling Liberia's debt to the agency after securing sufficient funding for the process....

Most rural dwellers in the region live in extreme poverty. Photo: UNICEF

Liberia decries lack of doctors

by Jonathan Paye-Layleh BBC News October 30, 2007

An acute shortage of trained doctors is sabotaging Liberia's efforts to deliver health care to its people. Health Minister Walter Gwenigale says Liberia needs at least 1,200 doctors to grapple with its post-war situation but currently it has only 120. ...

  • World Hunger Education
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  • For the past 50 years, since its founding in 1976, the mission of World Hunger Education Service is to undertake programs, including Hunger Notes, that
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    • Promote individual and collective commitments to sustainable hunger solutions.