Tag Archives: Somalia

Restrictions for College Students in Iran, Nansen Refugee Award & More

 

New Restrictions on Women’s Education in Iran
As the new school years begins in Iran, Human Rights Watch recently urged the government to lift new restrictions on women attending university and enrolling in certain academic fields. Although women make up the majority of college students in Iran, there are currently over 30 universities that now ban women from 77 different majors, including high-paying fields such as accounting, counseling, and engineering. No clear reason has been given for the change, but Iranian officials have recently expressed concern about the country’s declining birth and marriage rates–which are partially due to the rising number of women attending university. Read more here.

Somali Woman Dedicated to Girls’ Education Receives Award
This year’s winner of the Nansen Refugee Award is Hawa Aden Mohamed, a Somali woman who has worked relentlessly to empower girls and women. As a strong advocate for girls’ education, “Mama Hawa” believes in the power of learning, “I think not having education is a kind of disease…without education you do not exist much. Physically yes, but mentally and emotionally you do not exist.” She is the co-founder of Galkayo Education Center for Peace and Development in Somalia, where 1,250 girls receive formal education and 1,600 over the age of 16 are taught basic literacy, numeracy, and life skills such as sewing.  Read Mama Hawa’s full store here.

Punjab Governor Calls for Quality Education for Girls
Governor Shivraj Patil spoke about the importance of educating girls during a recent visit to the Dashmesh College of Girls at Badal village in Punjab.  During his address, Patil said that quality education must be provided for girls in India, as they have the potential to shape the future of the nation.  He went on to say that educated girls contribute significantly to a nation’s socio-economic and political development. Read it here.

Girls Outnumber Boys in Tanzania Exams
Official reports out of Tanzania show that girls outnumbered boys sitting for this year’s Class Seven exams.  Figures show there were 19,943 female candidates and 18,091 male candidates in Arusha. This is great news for a region that has struggled to keep girls in school. Read it here.


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Female Leaders Impact Girls Ed in India & More

UN Says Somali Famine ‘Over’
The United Nations has officially declared the Somali famine over as the number of people in the area needing humanitarian assistance has dropped from 4 million to 2.3 million. Although the severe drought that plagued the Horn of Africa is improving, the UN warns that continued efforts must be made in order to restore food security and help people resume normal lives. Two million starving people seems like quite a few, so “continued efforts needed” sounds like a bit of an understatement to us. Read more here.

Study Shows Female Leaders Impacts Girls’ School Exams in India
A recent study found that Indian girls raised in villages with a female leader (called a Pradhan) serving on the village council were more likely to score higher in school exams that girls from other villages, while test scores for boys remained roughly the same. The results show that the role model effect “reaches beyond the realm of aspirations into the concrete, with real education and time-use impacts.” Read more here.

UNDP Starts First Program in South Sudan
South Sudan now has its first ever United Nations Development plan, a two-year program created to support the government as it build its own capacity, develops pro-poor policy and improves on health systems. The UNDP is also working in the country to improve community security by supporting the training of police officers and handing over 54 posts to the police service. Read the full story here.

Malaria Deaths Hugely Underestimated?
A recent study funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation suggests that worldwide malaria deaths may be almost twice as high as previously estimated. The study found that 1.24 million people died from malaria in 2010, which is much greater than the World Health Organization’s previous estimate of 655,000 deaths for the same year. Although high, these number have declined in recent years. The discrepancy in numbers may be due to the fact that the new study involved a variety of measures and used improved mathematical models, along with additional data sets, to calculate global death rates. Read the full story here.

Uganda to Teach Swahili in Schools
Many schools in Uganda previously avoided teaching Kiswahili as a compulsory subject due to limited materials in and teachers of Swahili, but now the language will become a compulsory requirement in primary and secondary schools throughout the country. Uganda joins Rwanda in the list of regional countries to promote the language as they seek to advance opportunities in the integrated East African Community, where English and Swahili are the main languages of communication. Read the full story here.

Sudan Denies Bombing of U.S.-Built School
After a school built by a North Carolina aid group was destroyed in the Nuba mountains, Sudanese officials are denying targeting the area. Read more here.

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Education Means Independence for Rwandan Refugee & More

No Justice for Somali Girls and Women?
The famine and mass displacement that has taken over Somalia has opened up a new terror for girls and women: mass rape and an increase in sexual violence. The Shabab militant group, which presents itself as a morally righteous rebel force and the defender of pure Islam, is gang-raping and abusing girls and women at alarming rates. But it isn’t just the Shabab; reports from the area say there has been a free-for-all of armed men, even government soldiers, preying on young girls and women displaced by the famine and desperate for food. In addition, more and more forced marriages are happening as Shabab soldiers raid villages in search of young wives. Unfortunately, very little is being done to protect the girls and women of this country, most of whom are illiterate and relegated to their homes. Read it for yourself here.

Education Provides Independence, Says Rwandan Refugee
Have you ever visited the UNHCR’s YouTube channel? It’s a great place to hear stories of strength, hope, and survival from refugees around the world. One story in particular shows Shadia Mbabazi, 22, who was born in Rwanda but fled with her family after the genocide in 1994. They eventually settled at a refugee camp in Botswana, where Shadia dedicated herself to her studies and, with the help of a scholarship, was able to complete her degree in Community Development. In the video Shadia explains why her education is so important to her, saying,  “I don’t like depending on people, so I felt with my education I can be able to provide for myself and for my family without asking or begging from people.” Watch her video here and watch more at “storytellingunhcr” on YouTube.

Deadly Attack Mars Elections in Manipur
The north-eastern Indian region of Manipur is the first of five states to hold local elections, which will serve as a test for India’s governing Congress party. At least four people are dead after suspected rebels, thought to be members of the National Socialists Council of Nagaland, attacked a polling station in Manipur. Elections will continue in neighboring throughout the next several weeks. Read more here.

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Sirleaf Inaugurated, New Guatemalan President & More

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Inauguarated for Second Term
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was inaugurated today for her second term as president of Liberia, promising continued work on reconciliation in the war-torn country. Read more here.

Guatemala Elects New President
The new president of Guatemala, Otto Perez Molina, was recently sworn into office after his election victory in November. Molina, a former army general, has promised to bring profound change to Guatemala, including big efforts to restore security, reduce poverty and improve on child malnutrition. Read more here.

First Graduates at Oprah’s South African Girls’ School
In a region where most girls don’t graduate from high school, the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls is thrilled to celebrate its first graduation with 72 girls, all of which come from poor and disadvantaged families. All of the girls are headed on to university with hopes of changing the world. “When you invest in the leadership of girls you invest in a nation,” said Winfrey. Read it all here.

Maternal Health Challenges in Somalia
According to the World Health Organization, Somalia has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. The recent famine has only made matters worse for expecting mothers, many of which are malnourished and living in resettlement camps. A lack of equipment and inadequate facilities have also made it extremely difficult for women to get the proper care they need throughout pregnancy and delivery. Read more here.

Indian Computer Tablet Could Shake Up Education
A new low-cost tablet selling for as little as £35 should allow Indians in rural areas to access the Internet on a regular basis. Read more here.

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Top Headlines from the Horn of Africa, Sudan, and the Middle East

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Crisis in the Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa is facing the worst drought to hit the region in sixty years.  Aid is desperately needed, as millions are facing extreme hunger.  Children are among the most vulnerable to the food crisis.  To learn more about the crisis and how you can help, catch up on the latest developments here.

One Year Later – Progress in Pakistan
Last week, the world marked the one-year anniversary of the devastating flood in Pakistan.  As one year has passed since the disaster, thousands reflected on the progress that has been made.   Unfortunately, schools suffered massive destruction and 7 million children are still out of school.  To read more about how education has been impacted by the flood, follow this link.

Man Up!
An urgent call to action from Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund, this Huffington Post piece encourages readers to promote the rights of young girls.  This comprehensive overview of the health crises that impact young women is addressed to men, but is a must-read for all.  Check it out here.

Education Remains a Right Only for Privileged Afghans
Growing up as a young girl in Afghanistan, Noorjahan Akbar was held back from attending school.  In this article, she reflects on her childhood and why millions of other female students suffer the same injustice. This piece sheds light on the factors that keep those in poverty, especially girls, out of school.

Mobile Schools Educate Nomad Students in Sudan
In Sudan, 8 percent of the population is made up of nomads, a population that roams across the land and has traditionally been against sending children to school—especially  girls. In 2002, UNICEF started a mobile school program in the White Nile State to educate children of nomadic families. This summer, 110 children from six different mobile schools have become the first in their nomadic community to finish primary schooling through the mobile education program. Read more here.

Additional reporting by Arianna Davis.

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Health Care Improves in Sierra Leone, Progress in Afghanistan


Health Care Saves Lives in Sierra Leone
The government of Sierra Leone has lifted fees for pregnant women and children seeking health care. Not only is this significantly lowering the risks associated with pregnancy and labor, but the country has seen a 214 percent increase in the number of children under 5 getting care at health facilities. In addition, Sierra Leone has seen a 61 percent decrease in mortality rates in difficult pregnancy cases at health clinics, and an 85 percent drop in the malaria fatality rate for children treated in hospitals. (Read more here.)

UN to Declare Famine in Somalia
The severe drought affecting Somalia is getting worse by the day. The latest reports from the region indicate a rapidly deteriorating situation and the UN is expected to declare a famine in at least two regions of south central Somalia – Bakool and Lower Shabele. (Read more here.)

Progress for Girl’s Education in Afghanistan
It’s exam time for the students at the Malalai School for Girls in Kabul, Afghanistan. The school was shut down by the Taliban in 1996, but has since been rebuilt and is now respected as one of the best in the country. Over the past decade, a huge amount of progress has been made in education, and the education of girls especially. However, many still worry that girls’ right to education may be curbed if the Taliban is involved in the government. (Read more here.)

Girls Living in Poverty Have a Fifty Percent Chance of Finishing School
A new report released by the Global Campaign for Education and RESULTS shows that millions of girls living in poverty only have a fifty percent chance of finishing primary school. The report finds inadequate sanitation, threat of sexual violence, lack of funding, and early marriage as just a few of the factors keeping girls from completing their education. (Read more here.)

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The Unexpected Tale of a Top Model: "Desert Flower"

She was a  First.

Waris Dirie, a stunning Somalian nomad who eventually walked the runways of the world and scored ad campaigns with Chanel, Levi’s, L’Oreal, and Revlon, was the first in her family to be a model and actress, to write an international bestselling memoir, to have her life made into a movie. The WIE Symposium invited us to an advance screening of that movie — Desert Flower, starring top model Liya Kebede — last night at the MoMa in NYC, when we learned what Waris’ true distinction is: she is the first to publically speak out about female genital mutilation (FGM), a horrifying practice that 130 million of the world’s women and girls experience, including herself.

Waris spoke for the first time with Laura Ziv of Marie Claire about the FGM she had undergone at age 3, a scene that is heartwrenchingly portrayed at the end of the film. The magazine had wanted to tell her story of working her way up from a McDonalds, but Waris didn’t want people to just scratch the surface of her rags-to-riches life.

Girls who don’t undergo the practice of having their genitals cut out and sewn up, only to be taken apart but their husband on their wedding night, are ostracized from their society and, among many other misfortunes, miss the opportunity to go to school. You can’t watch this film without crying, but ultimately you will be uplifted by scenes of Waris’ growth and be empowered to use your platforms of style for messages of substance.

We plan to read Waris Dirie’s memoir next, and we highly recommend that in February 2011, you go with a group of friends who may be used to seeing present-day supermodel Liya Kebede in all the fashion magazines, and watch her take on a remarkable debut acting role, honorably portraying Waris in Desert Flower.

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