BANGKOK, 1 August 2013 (IRIN) – Soap and clean water for effective handwashing can help boost a young child’s growth, according to the first large-scale scientific review to link hygiene to height – one measure of child nutrition. While medical studies have amply proven how improved hygiene can reduce outbreaks of diarrhoea – a leading … Continue reading
by Misha Hussain DAKAR (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – More than half a million children in northern Nigeria face severe malnutrition this year in a humanitarian crisis that has largely gone unnoticed because of ongoing conflict in the region, aid agencies say. Violent clashes between insurgents and Nigeria’s security forces in 11 northern states have forced thousands … Continue reading
By Paula Assou Since the 2012 hunger crisis in the Sahel region of West Africa, conditions have improved but an estimated 11.3 million people remain threatened by hunger and 1.5 million are at risk of acute malnutrition. International support for the humanitarian response has been unprecedented but remains insufficient. In 2012, 18 million people … Continue reading
by Caity Peterson, Lucy can hardly contain her excitement. A farmer from Dazuuri village, in Ghana’s Upper West Region, she is positive on just about everything. But this topic is one of her favourites: composting. It is a new technique she learned from training with local agricultural extension officers, and it has revolutionised the way … Continue reading
DAKAR, 18 July 2013 (IRIN) – A slump in cashew nut prices in Guinea-Bissau has left nearly half of the population eking out food, with families skipping meals or selling livestock to survive until the next harvest in September, aid groups say. The average price per kg of cashews is 112 CFA francs (two US … Continue reading
By Michelle Nichols and Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS, July 17 (Reuters) – Western commercial oil exploration in disputed areas of Somalia and discrepancies over which authorities can issue licenses to companies could spark further conflict in the African nation, U.N. monitors warned in a confidential report. In the U.N. Monitoring Group’s latest annual report … Continue reading
KAMPALA, 10 July 2013 (IRIN) – A deteriorating food security situation in Uganda’s northeastern region of Karamoja could affect an estimated 1.2 million people, according to reports from the government and aid agencies. A June 2013 Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis, carried out by food security partners and led by the Ministry of … Continue reading
By Katy Migiro NAIROBI, July 10 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Tens of thousands of Somali refugees have returned home as security in their homeland has improved, the United Nations said on Wednesday, saying it would support a further 60,000 refugees who are ready to go back. The number of refugees from Somalia – 1.1 million … Continue reading
SANA’A, 10 July 2013 (IRIN) – Four months into their six-month mandate, the 565 Yemenis taking part in the National Dialogue Conference (NDC) know they have their work cut out to agree the blueprint for a new Yemen. While the drawing up of a new constitution ahead of presidential elections scheduled for early next year … Continue reading
by Megan Rowling LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Ten years after African leaders promised to spend at least 10 percent of their national budgets on agriculture, development and farmers’ groups have called on African governments to invest more and better in the sector, focusing on smallholders, women and livestock. In a statement on Wednesday, the … Continue reading
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