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11/07/2011

Clubfoot Children New Hope

Clubfoot Children New Hope

Clubfoot, also known as congenital talipes equinovarus is a type of birth defect in which one or both feet are twisted downward and inward. This birth defect is relatively common and can easily be treated. However, many children in the developing countries do not receive proper or any treatment at all which literally sentences them to life with this birth defect and often further worsens their poverty. But thanks to the efforts of Dr. Ignacio Ponseti, clubfoot children in the developing countries are no longer doomed to life with this foot deformity which forces the patient to walk on the outside of the feet, the balls of the feet or even the top of the feet seriously affecting the quality of life and self-image, especially in the teen years. Dr. Ponseti developed a non-surgical treatment for clubfoot which came to be known as the Ponseti method as early as the 1950s, however, his approach to treatment of clubfoot remained mostly ignored by the end of the 20th century. The medical … [Read more...]

Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Health, Middle East, North America, Philanthropy, South America
10/31/2011

Malaria Vaccine Test Results

Malaria Vaccine Shows Promising Results

Malaria vaccine, called RTS,S which has been developed by the British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline shows promising results against one the deadliest diseases in the world. The disease which is caused by a parasite that is transmitted by mosquito kills about 1 million of people worldwide, while most malaria-related fatalities occur in Africa among young children and pregnant women. The results of the RTS,S testing are therefore even more encouraging although the vaccine will not become available to the general public at least 3 more years and shows only about 50 percent efficiency, whereas most vaccines are usually at least 90 percent efficient. The vaccine targets a malaria-causing parasite in sub-Saharan Africa which is the deadliest of all malaria parasites. In cooperation with African research centers, GlaxoSmithKline tested the RTS,S vaccine on 6,000 children aged between 5 and 17 months, while the research team is still awaiting the results of a larger study involving … [Read more...]

Africa, Health, Philanthropy
09/14/2011

Family Time is Happy Time

Family Time is Happy Time

Children need their parents’ attention and feel their unconditional love but they also need to have a great time. Many parents cannot spend as much time with their children as they would like to which, however, does not mean that they cannot create a close relationship with their children and make their children happy. It is not quantity but quality family time that makes children happier not only during childhood but later in life as well and a study that was conducted at the Indiana University confirmed that family time is happy time. The researchers at the Indiana University compared the perception of fun and happiness between the students who feel the need to party and students who do not tend to be particularly interested in clubbing. They came to conclusion that students who are close with their family, friends and other people with whom they have common interests do not think that they need to party every night to be happy. In addition, they have been shown to be more likely … [Read more...]

Daily News, Health, Living News, North America, Philanthropy, United States News
08/23/2011

Survival Struggle In Somalia

Survival Struggle In Somalia

In 2011, the Horn of Africa was hit by the severest drought in the last 60 years. Tens of thousands of people died from starvation and malnutrition-related diseases in Somalia, Kenya, Djibouti and Ethiopia and according to the UN, over 12 million people need immediate food aid. In Somalia which is hit by the drought the most, about 1.4 million of children are affected by malnutrition, while the humanitarian organizations fear that 400,000 children could die in the next couple of months if the international community does not act urgently. According to the UN refugee agency, 10 Somali children below the age of 5 years die every day in the Ethiopian refugee camp in Kobe. And the situation is predicted to get even worse, especially in Somalia where the civil conflict prevents food delivery and forces thousands of families to flee their homes for both safety reasons and to search for food. The Somalian diet bases on grains and maize, and occasionally goat or camel meat. However, the … [Read more...]

Africa, Health, Helping Hand, Philanthropy
04/27/2011

Child Prostitution in Thailand

Child Prostitution Thailand

Child prostitution has been very common throughout Thailand since the Vietnam War and doesn't seem to be dwindling.  While there are no exact numbers of how many underage children are acting as prostitutes, numbers have been estimated to be as low as 12,000 to somewhere in the hundreds of thousands.  While there are strict laws in Thailand against child prostitution, these laws are not regularly or harshly enforced and lead to many loopholes being created by the children themselves or the agents of the children acting as prostitutes. So, just what makes these young children turn to selling their bodies?  The number one factor is poverty caused by a highly unequal distribution of wealth throughout Thailand.  Children from poverty stricken families are often pulled from school at a very young age and are forced to work to help the family survive.  It just so happens that in Thailand the sex industry is thriving enough to make the country one of the top sex tourism locations … [Read more...]

Abuse, Asia, Philanthropy
04/14/2011

High School Bullying Abuse

High School Bullying

Bullying in United States High Schools is a huge problem, with about half of all high school students admitting to bullying someone and about half of the students saying that they have been victims of some form of bullying.  While bullying can range from verbal abuse such as name-calling to more serious forms of verbal or written threats, bullying becomes an even bigger issue when physical incidents such as fights occur. Bullying doesn't just cause emotional or physical scars for your child.  Bullying is a known cause of school absences, with students admitting to skipping school occasionally out of fear of those who bully them, or just to get a break from the bullying.  This can cut into a child's education. More serious forms of bullying may involve weapons, as about ten percent of high school students have admitted to bringing some form of weapon to school at least once.  While parents may believe that their children will be safe from bullying because teachers and other … [Read more...]

Abuse, North America, Philanthropy
04/05/2011

Japan: Children Mental State

Japanese Children Mental State

In the recent disaster that took place in Japan, about 100,000 children have been displaced and have had their normal, carefree lives altered in ways which may have long-lasting or eternal effects.  After the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown fears, many are expressing concern for the mental condition of these children and how having to face such intense disasters may affect them in the long run. Children in Japan have been exhibiting behaviors such as waking up every night screaming about nightmares, refusing to let their parents out of their sight, complete silent withdrawal, intense panic attacks, and other expected indicators of trauma and fear. Young children, who don't fully understand the world yet and are easily frightened, are easily and understandably overwhelmed by disasters of such a large scale.  When adults, who tend to rationalize and understand things more are terrified, just imagine the fear of a young mind with a huge imagination and an underdeveloped … [Read more...]

Asia, Disaster, Philanthropy
03/31/2011

India Child Poverty

India Child Poverty

While India's economy has certainly been growing lately and more wealth is going into and being generated by this country, children in India are still in much need of assistance. More than 50% of India's total population lives below the poverty line, and more than 40% of this population are children. With the growth in the economy, child labor has become an increasing problem here as poverty-stricken homes are attempting to survive by sending their young children to work. Often times children as young as six years old are sent to work. A large percentage of Indian children in certain rural areas drop out of school before finishing the seventh grade. It's believed that the main reasons for this stem from India's social structure where children are taught to accept the conditions which tend to produce poverty which in turn tends to perpetuate those conditions and keep them in place for generations upon generations. When children are born into poverty they tend to remain there and … [Read more...]

Asia, Health, Helping Hand, Philanthropy
03/29/2011

Child Trafficking in Middle East

Child Trafficking in Middle East

Child trafficking is a serious problem in many Middle Eastern countries. While there are few official statistics on the child trafficking, there is enough information about the victims of trafficking to know that child victims of sexual exploitation have been reported throughout the region. One of the largest contributors to the child trafficking problem is the domestic service industry. The Middle East hosts more than 13 million migrant workers, many of whom are very unskilled and low-paid Asian workers, often children and usually female, who are very vulnerable to abuse and find themselves trapped in abusive situations after arriving in the Middle East. It is all too common for child domestic servants to be exploited by their employers who take advantage of children's unprotected legal status as well as naivety of age and force them to provide sexual services. Young girls are also trafficked into the Middle East for arranged marriages and commercial exploitation. Often times … [Read more...]

Abuse, Middle East, Philanthropy
03/28/2011

Child Poverty in South Africa

Child Poverty in South Africa

Throughout South Africa about 66% of children are living in extreme poverty. The households in which these children live are often too poor to afford to buy even the most basic necessities. Poverty has been one of South Africa’s greatest challenges and is a cycle that can't seem to be broken as generations after generation remain in poverty once at that point. The poverty rate in South Africa is the highest among children from newborns to 4 years old and gets slightly lower in percentage as the age of the children get older. Those aged 15 to 17 years old have the lowest poverty level in their families, perhaps because these older children are able to contribute more to the family through working than the youngest children would be capable of doing. In South Africa, poverty means more than just a lack of money. The poverty that these children live in affects their access to schools, health care, and their chance of growing up in an environment that could help them possibly break … [Read more...]

Africa, Health, Helping Hand, Philanthropy
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