Singer and vocal coach to the stars Carrie Grant is visiting a new community development project in India with World Vision UK this week.
Carrie, who is best known for her work on television talent shows including Fame Academy and Pop Idol, will visit the Vaishali project in the country’s impoverished north-eastern state of Bihar.
The presenter is the face of Girls Night Out, a new World Vision event for women in the UK. The evenings, which launch in the autumn, aim to entertain and inspire while sharing stories about World Vision’s partnerships with women who live in developing countries.
Carrie said: “I'm very excited to be visiting Vaishali. It's a fairly new project for World Vision, so it'll be interesting to see how things are taking off.
“I know World Vision grounds its work in grassroots cooperation and I'm a great believer in community – it'll be good to meet the people and learn how the local experts are moving forward day to day.”
Child health
During her trip, Carrie will see examples of the project’s work to improve the health of children who live in the community.
Many children in Vaishali are impacted by severe health problems, including diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis. Malnutrition is the underlying cause in at least one-third of child deaths.
Carrie will watch a street theatre group highlight important health messages and meet staff and patients at the community’s only health centre, which serves almost 78,000 people.
She will also talk to women involved in a local self-help group, who have been supported to start small businesses that help them to provide for their children.
The first Girls Night Out will take place at St Mary's Church in Bletchley, Milton Keynes, on 10 September, with other dates around the country to follow.
26 July 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
World Vision reaction to UN Matrnal health Plan
From this World Vision press release, the humanitarian organization gives its reaction to a new United Nations plan on maternal and child health. World Vision fights poverty worldwide by focusing on improving the lives of children and the communities around them, you can learn more about sponsoring a child by going to their website.
The new United Nations initiative for global maternal, newborn and child health is a promising step toward reinvigorating progress, but neglects to adequately address some important action points, according to World Vision, the world's largest international humanitarian organisation focusing on the well-being of children.Stopping parent-to-child transmission of HIV, providing universal access to treatment for all children and mothers who need it, and ensuring safe pregnancy and childbirth are all essential to improve overall health and survival, UN leaders and health experts emphasized this week at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna. World Vision also underscores the importance of strengthening family and community care, a cornerstone of successful public health interventions."This UN-led plan will help build on the progress made in reducing needless deaths of children and mothers so far, and we commend the leadership that has made this health catastrophe a priority," Stefan Germann, director of global HIV and health partnerships for World Vision International, said today at a panel discussion in Vienna with officials from UNAIDS, UNICEF and other groups."However, some critical gaps remain - particularly when it comes to ensuring that life-saving interventions make it the last mile to the people who most need them," said Germann.The Joint Action Plan, first introduced in June, calls for all countries to revitalize efforts to meet Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 by further reducing preventable deaths of mothers and children worldwide. Millennium Development Goal 6, which includes reducing HIV and AIDS, calls for universal treatment access and a stop to new infections of children."To succeed in achieving these goals, health care options must be brought closer to households, and barriers to using these services must be reduced," said Germann. "Even the poorest countries can deliver on their pledges if supported with the right kind of technical expertise and appropriate levels of funding, as we've seen in several examples."Wealthy countries must be held accountable to deliver on aid pledges they have already made and urged to ensure an additional US $42.5 billion in health investment by 2015. G8 and G20 leaders at last month's summits in Canada fell far short of this. Any global plan should also press mid- to low-income country governments to move toward dedicating 15 percent of their national budgets to health, as African countries pledged in the Abuja declaration, and include maternal and child health in their national poverty reduction strategies.World Vision's own Child Health Now campaign, launched in November 2009, has recommitted the organisation to aligning its health work to prioritise maternal and child health, with US $1.5 billion over the next 5 years to help priority countries improve their health systems reaching the community and household level. World Vision responds to HIV and AIDS-related needs in nearly 60 countries."Children still lag far behind adults in access to HIV prevention and treatment, while many mothers face pregnancy and childbearing without access to ways to protect their babies from HIV, and we must close those gaps," said Germann."We have good technologies, good treatments," said Germann. "Getting those within a mile of people is easy, but to cover the 'last mile' is the hardest part. That is why we need to focus on strengthening community systems-local faith groups, churches and community health groups-anyone who is able to make sure that health care options reach those in need."
The new United Nations initiative for global maternal, newborn and child health is a promising step toward reinvigorating progress, but neglects to adequately address some important action points, according to World Vision, the world's largest international humanitarian organisation focusing on the well-being of children.Stopping parent-to-child transmission of HIV, providing universal access to treatment for all children and mothers who need it, and ensuring safe pregnancy and childbirth are all essential to improve overall health and survival, UN leaders and health experts emphasized this week at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna. World Vision also underscores the importance of strengthening family and community care, a cornerstone of successful public health interventions."This UN-led plan will help build on the progress made in reducing needless deaths of children and mothers so far, and we commend the leadership that has made this health catastrophe a priority," Stefan Germann, director of global HIV and health partnerships for World Vision International, said today at a panel discussion in Vienna with officials from UNAIDS, UNICEF and other groups."However, some critical gaps remain - particularly when it comes to ensuring that life-saving interventions make it the last mile to the people who most need them," said Germann.The Joint Action Plan, first introduced in June, calls for all countries to revitalize efforts to meet Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 by further reducing preventable deaths of mothers and children worldwide. Millennium Development Goal 6, which includes reducing HIV and AIDS, calls for universal treatment access and a stop to new infections of children."To succeed in achieving these goals, health care options must be brought closer to households, and barriers to using these services must be reduced," said Germann. "Even the poorest countries can deliver on their pledges if supported with the right kind of technical expertise and appropriate levels of funding, as we've seen in several examples."Wealthy countries must be held accountable to deliver on aid pledges they have already made and urged to ensure an additional US $42.5 billion in health investment by 2015. G8 and G20 leaders at last month's summits in Canada fell far short of this. Any global plan should also press mid- to low-income country governments to move toward dedicating 15 percent of their national budgets to health, as African countries pledged in the Abuja declaration, and include maternal and child health in their national poverty reduction strategies.World Vision's own Child Health Now campaign, launched in November 2009, has recommitted the organisation to aligning its health work to prioritise maternal and child health, with US $1.5 billion over the next 5 years to help priority countries improve their health systems reaching the community and household level. World Vision responds to HIV and AIDS-related needs in nearly 60 countries."Children still lag far behind adults in access to HIV prevention and treatment, while many mothers face pregnancy and childbearing without access to ways to protect their babies from HIV, and we must close those gaps," said Germann."We have good technologies, good treatments," said Germann. "Getting those within a mile of people is easy, but to cover the 'last mile' is the hardest part. That is why we need to focus on strengthening community systems-local faith groups, churches and community health groups-anyone who is able to make sure that health care options reach those in need."
Friday, July 24, 2009
BCG Press Releases - Companies Are Rethinking Strategy-Development Approaches to Better Adapt to Today’s Competitive Environment, Says Report by The Boston Consulting Group
Thursday, May 7, 2009
VOTE FOR CHILDREN
Why should I Vote for leaders who care for Children?
At 400 million, children constitute 41% of India's population. And in most constituencies, children are in the majority than adults.
In spite of the plethora of issues that children face, their problems are either ignored or forgotten by political parties and policy makers, because they are not their vote bank.
Thus, since the children do not have the right to vote, these children trust us, the rest 60%, to use our 'Right to Vote' responsibly and choose a government that's receptive to the issues of India's children.
Why think about children?
Around 20% of Children between 6 & 14 years do not go to school.
2, 20,000 children are HIV infected. A very large percentage of them have no proper access to treatment and are uncared for.
12.6 million Children work in hazardous occupations.
40% of women sex workers enter into prostitution when they are still children (i.e., before they are 18 yrs old)
47% of children are malnourished
74% of children below 3 years are anemic.
But the budget allotted to address issues of 400 million children was just less than 5% of the total budget.
What do the children want?
Following is a 10 point “Children’s Manifesto” that children from across the country have put together as part of the ‘Bal Adhikar Sabha’ organized by World Vision India.
1. Every Child to be immunized, every pregnant mother receive nourishment and care, every village has a hospital with doctors.
2. Free, compulsory, quality and inclusive education for all children till they complete eighteen years.
3. Every village has a school, every panchayat a school upto std. 12.
4. Value-based education should be part of the regular curriculum to enable children to make right decisions in future.
5. No discrimination on the basis of caste, gender, religion, poverty, disability, colour, appearance or migrant status.
6. Children should be included in all the development programmes organized by society and by the Government. In every area a special cell should be formed to look after the children's problems.
7. Protection for children from all forms of abuses and severe punishment for perpetrators.
8. Bal Mitra Police and Bal Adalats for protection of children.
9. Extension of National Child Labour Project to every district.
10. 25% of allocation in Budget for children who form 40% of the population.
http://www.worldvision.in/?voteforchildren
At 400 million, children constitute 41% of India's population. And in most constituencies, children are in the majority than adults.
In spite of the plethora of issues that children face, their problems are either ignored or forgotten by political parties and policy makers, because they are not their vote bank.
Thus, since the children do not have the right to vote, these children trust us, the rest 60%, to use our 'Right to Vote' responsibly and choose a government that's receptive to the issues of India's children.
Why think about children?
Around 20% of Children between 6 & 14 years do not go to school.
2, 20,000 children are HIV infected. A very large percentage of them have no proper access to treatment and are uncared for.
12.6 million Children work in hazardous occupations.
40% of women sex workers enter into prostitution when they are still children (i.e., before they are 18 yrs old)
47% of children are malnourished
74% of children below 3 years are anemic.
But the budget allotted to address issues of 400 million children was just less than 5% of the total budget.
What do the children want?
Following is a 10 point “Children’s Manifesto” that children from across the country have put together as part of the ‘Bal Adhikar Sabha’ organized by World Vision India.
1. Every Child to be immunized, every pregnant mother receive nourishment and care, every village has a hospital with doctors.
2. Free, compulsory, quality and inclusive education for all children till they complete eighteen years.
3. Every village has a school, every panchayat a school upto std. 12.
4. Value-based education should be part of the regular curriculum to enable children to make right decisions in future.
5. No discrimination on the basis of caste, gender, religion, poverty, disability, colour, appearance or migrant status.
6. Children should be included in all the development programmes organized by society and by the Government. In every area a special cell should be formed to look after the children's problems.
7. Protection for children from all forms of abuses and severe punishment for perpetrators.
8. Bal Mitra Police and Bal Adalats for protection of children.
9. Extension of National Child Labour Project to every district.
10. 25% of allocation in Budget for children who form 40% of the population.
http://www.worldvision.in/?voteforchildren
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