On Day One

On November 4th, 2008, Americans will elect new leadership and a new direction for the United States. Help shape a new way forward -- share your thoughts, upload videos and tell the next president what to do on the first day in office to improve our standing in the world.

Climate change, terrorism, poverty, the spread of disease -- these are just some of the global challenges that we all face. On Day One is a platform for gathering and sharing your ideas about what the next president can do on the first day of his or her administration to help address the world's most pressing challenges.

On Day One is a project of the Better World Fund, which works to build a stronger relationship between the United States and the United Nations. Over the next year, we want you to be part of a global conversation about how international cooperation can be harnessed to address the world's most critical challenges, and how working together is more effective than going it alone in the world.

ZIMBABWE: Humanitarian operations curtailed by violence

from IRIN via AlertNet

Zimbabwe's post-election violence is hampering the activities of humanitarian organisations and making the country's already dire food situation even more precarious. One-third of the population, or about four million people, are receiving food aid.

An official of the National Association of Non-governmental Organisations (NANGO), an umbrella body for humanitarian and civil organisations, who declined to be identified, told IRIN they were "concerned that post-election violence is brazenly denying people access to already scarce food ... It is becoming very difficult for humanitarian workers to get out there and extend food to needy communities."

Zimbabwe is expecting another poor harvest after incessant early rains were followed by a prolonged dry spell this season, coupled with a shortage of agricultural inputs and the under-utilisation of farming land by resettled farmers, all being compounded by an upswing in political violence.

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IDPs in Kenya hesitant to return home despite relative calm

from UNHCR

CHOGOCHO, Kenya, April 16 (UNHCR) – Thousands of internally displaced people (IDP) in Kenya are still hesitant to go home despite the return of peace to parts of the country affected by post-election violence at the start of the year.
Most of the IDPs, especially in western Kenya's Rift Valley Province, fear they will be attacked if they return home. Some 300 students at the school have had to move to other institutions, putting pressure on crowded education facilities in the area.
"I still don't feel safe walking around here without a weapon," said 72-year-old Githinji, who was seen in Chogocho recently carrying a bow and arrows. "Members of the other community regularly attack us when we come to cultivate our farms," he added.


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http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/48061ec34.html

Bush Orders $200 Million Drawdown

from Wall Street Journal

WASHINGTON -- President Bush ordered the release of $200 million in emergency aid Monday to help nations where surging food prices have deepened hunger woes and sparked violent protests.
The move comes one day after the president of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick, called on the international community to act urgently in helping needy people and "put our money where our mouth is." Haiti, Egypt and the Philippines are among the countries facing civil unrest because of food prices and shortages.
Mr. Bush directed Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer to draw down an estimated $200 million from a food reserve known as the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust.


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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120820910078714123.html

PHILIPPINES: Nutrition gains at risk

from IRIN via AlertNet

In the Philippines, one out of four children is considered underweight or stunted - telling signs of nutritional problems. But this figure, which translates into four million children under 10 being undernourished, is considered an improvement, according to the country's Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI). In the early 1990s, 30 to 40 percent of the same age group were found to be either underweight, stunted or in a worse physical condition.

With the surge in global food prices, however, these gains are at risk. The Philippines is one of the world's largest importers of rice and food security is one of the major determinants of nutritional status, according to specialists.

On 14 April, the Council for Health and Development, a local NGO, issued a statement calling for genuine agrarian reform to address the food crisis, warning that "it will not be surprising if the Philippines shall take the place of sub-Saharan Africa as first in rank in terms of malnutrition incidence", if proper measures are not put in place. About a third of children under five in sub-Saharan Africa are underweight, according to the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).

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Google Earth and its potential in the humanitarian sector: a briefing paper

from humanitarian.info

Until recently, the only way to assemble spatial data and produce situation maps in humanitarian emergencies was by using GIS software and specially trained personnel. Google Earth and its open data standard – KML -- now provide a way for humanitarian practitioners to view a variety of spatial data types, collected by themselves and others, using easily learned software. Practical applications of these methods in the field are discussed in this paper. Also, the potential of Google Earth as a tool for awareness and advocacy communications are explored.

Read the full report

SRI LANKA: Snakes and Ladders

from IRIN

Disaster management experts in Sri Lanka have found a novel use for the snakes and ladders board game - training children in disaster mitigation. The snakes represent disasters while the ladders are mitigation methods. When a player gets to a snake he slides down on the board but when he reaches a ladder he moves up.

The game forms part of a disaster awareness programme conducted at schools in 16 districts around the country by the Sri Lankan Disaster Management Centre, part of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights, and the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

"Children are aware of disasters," UNDP field coordinator for the programme, Zihan Zarouk, told IRIN, "but they have limited knowledge of how to face them or their aftermath."

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INDONESIA: Because you're worth it - HIV and the hairdressers

from IRIN

A visit to the barber’s shop or hairdressing salon in Indonesia could entail far more than a shave or a trim - a lesson in HIV/AIDS and how to prevent it.

The French-based international company L’Oréal, with the support of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in December 2007 established a programme to encourage Indonesian hairdressers to discuss HIV/AIDS awareness with their clients.

The L’Oréal campaign -“Hairdressers of the world against AIDS”- was launched in May 2005 in South Africa and has been going in 15 countries, including India, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the UK and Brazil. UNESCO has provided educational materials for the awareness training seminars.

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