Every day, most of us head to the sink for water to brush our teeth and to the shower to clean off. Those are luxuries, however, that not everyone has.
In some Third World countries, including Ethiopia, the lack of clean water is a huge issue, and it’s caught the attention of some local teens.
Students in Junior State of America at Springfield High School have designated Ethiopia’s lack of water sanitation as the issue the political-awareness group helps address this year. Instead of helping a variety of small charities or causes this year, the JSA teens have a yearlong goal to help build new wells in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia is a very poor country in Africa that does not have full access to clean water. Most people must gather water from local streams and rivers, which poses many health dangers.
“We’re trying to do something big because we are so blessed,” said Summer Jensen, a senior at SHS and member of JSA. “And the water issue in Ethiopia affects kids our age too, so we want to help.”
JSA members hosted an awareness week Oct. 20-24 to start the process of reaching their $10,000 goal. Activities included JSA members talking to students at lunch and in classes about their “Just Add Water” campaign. They also painted a variety of signs for drivers to see as they passed the school and hung posters throughout the building.
The group held a benefit concert on Oct. 26 that featured local bands at Douglas Park. JSA charged $7 for admission and also sold hot chocolate and pizza to help raise money. Members also have been and still are selling T-shirts with the “Just Add Water” logo on them for $10.
Though the weather was quite cool during the benefit concert, the event still had a decent turnout.
“It’s a lot of fun and an awesome thing to do, and I think it’s amazing to show that we do care,” said SHS senior Matthew Brewer.
The concert featured Blake and Lawrence, Morgan Williams, Gingerbread Throwdown, Brandon Carnes, Clearly Confused and SHS teacher and performer A.D. Carson.
Throughout the night, attendees could watch a documentary about the water issue in Ethiopia.
The club also invited the Pizza Machine to come and sell pizza in order to make it a more community-wide event. While at the event, the Pizza Machine offered a 40-inch-pizza-eating contest.
People in the audience, wearing coats and wrapped in blankets, appeared to enjoy themselves. Throughout the event, teens talked about their excitement to be part of something that will have such an important effect.
“People look down on high-schoolers because they think that we’re immature and we can’t do anything of use,” Matthew said, “but this shows them that we actually care and we’re not the typical teenager.”
Many people said they were excited to see the students’ dedication to the cause, including JSA president Alicia Pettys.
“Tonight is a hard night (because of the weather),” she said at the event, “but the kids are really dedicated and want to make a difference.”
Though the group’s $10,000 goal seems lofty to some, SHS English teacher Lydia Negele said she believes JSA can make it.
“They’re the hardest-working group ever and they will meet their goal,” she said.
Alicia agreed.
“I have full confidence that no matter what events we do, we’ll meet our goals because of the students’ dedication.”
(Courtney Kincade is a senior at Glenwood High School.)
A tragic turn of events for Sen. Barack Obama: his ailing grandmother died today. Here’s a statement from Obama and his sister Maya Soetoro-Ng:
It is with great sadness that we announce that our grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has died peacefully after a battle with cancer. She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility. She was the person who encouraged and allowed us to take chances. She was proud of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and left this world with the knowledge that her impact on all of us was meaningful and enduring. Our debt to her is beyond measure.
Our family wants to thank all of those who sent flowers, cards, well-wishes, and prayers during this difficult time. It brought our grandmother and us great comfort. Our grandmother was a private woman, and we will respect her wish for a small private ceremony to be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you make a donation to any worthy organization in search of a cure for cancer.
WASHINGTON (CBS) ― The grandmother of Democratic candidate Barack Obama has died.
Obama flew to Hawaii at the end of October to visit Madelyn Dunham, 85, who helped raise the presidential nominee.
“Without going through the details too much, she’s gravely ill. We weren’t sure and I’m still not sure whether she makes it to Election Day,” Obama told ABC’s “Good Morning America” in an interview before his trip to Hawaii..
“We’re all praying and we hope she does, but one of the things I want to make sure of is I had a chance to sit down with her and to talk to her. She’s still alert and she’s still got all her faculties. And I want to make sure that I don’t miss that opportunity,” he said.
Obama has said he missed a chance to visit his mother just before she died of ovarian cancer – she was 53 when she died in 1995 – and didn’t want to repeat that mistake. Dunham, whose birthday is Sunday, was staying at her Honolulu apartment.
Obama was born in Hawaii. His Kansas-born mother and Kenyan father met as college students there, but Dunham and her husband, Stanley, raised Obama for extended periods when his mother lived overseas.
In his memoir “Dreams from My Father,” Obama described his grandfather as something of a dreamer. It was his grandmother who was practical enough to support the family by working her way up in the ranks at a local bank.
Obama has often mentioned “Toot” – his version of the Hawaiian word “tutu,” or grandparent – as an example of a strong woman succeeding through intelligence and determination. Many of his speeches describe her working on a bomber assembly line during World War II.
“She’s really been one of the cornerstones of my life. She’s a remarkable woman,” he said.
Ethiopian Airlines was presented with the prestigious 2008 “Best Airline in Africa Award” at the African Travel Award gala in Lagos, Nigeria on October 25, 2008. The award was conferred to Ethiopian for its excellent network and convenient connections in Africa.
“Ethiopian provides the traveling public with the best service possible, and the quality of its service has contributed to the growth of travel and tourism in Africa,” said Mrs. Ikechi Uko, who organized the 4th Akwaaba travel market. The award was presented to Mr. Busera Awel, Vice President-Commercial for Ethiopian Airlines, at the award dinner held at Expo Centre Eko Hotel in Lagos. Upon receiving the award, Mr. Busera said, “The award marks a joyous moment for all of us at Ethiopian which more than ever before reaffirms that our customers are standing with us and share our endeavor for excellence.”
Akwaaba Travel Market is the only international travel exhibition in West Africa recognized by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). It is organized annually by African Travel Quarter (ATQ) magazine, the first international travel magazine in West Africa.
In addition to the latest award, Ethiopian won the 2008 corporate achievement award in Johannesburg in August 2008, and Brussels Airport Award for long haul services on October 23, 2008.
Ethiopian Airlines will commence new flight services to Ouagadougou effective October 26, 2008. With six weekly flights, Ethiopian will link Ouagadougou to all the major capitals of Asia, as well as the cities throughout Africa. Ouagadougou is the capital and the largest city in Burkina Faso and is known as the center for the yearly African Film Festival events. Effective November 12, 2008, Ethiopian Airlines will introduce nonstop service from Addis Ababa to Abuja, the capital of Nigeria. This flight will be Abuja’s first direct link to East Africa.
“Our new service to Abuja is part of our strategy of expanding to more destinations in Africa, particularly West Africa,” said Mr. Busera. “We have a dedicated client base in Nigeria, and by offering new service we are giving our passengers additional options complementing our Lagos service with three weekly flights to Abuja.”
Ethiopian Airlines established itself as the leading African carrier in the 1960s and over the years has grown to serve most cities in Africa. In July 2008, Ethiopian Airlines celebrated its 10-year anniversary of direct U.S.-to-Ethiopia service. In March 2008, Ethiopian Airlines launched Ethiopian Airlines Journeys, a new collection of vacation packages showcasing the best of East Africa. Ethiopian Airlines Journeys brings together the most awe-inspiring experiences of East Africa, packaged in tours that have been designed especially for the U.S. travel consumer.
Reporters Without Borders condemns a violent attack on leading journalist Amare Aregawi on 31 October in Addis Ababa, in which he sustained serious head injuries. Aregawi edits The Reporter, a big-circulation newspaper published in Amharic and English-language versions.
“The Ethiopian police must investigate this attack thoroughly in order to identify both the perpetrators and the instigators,” Reporters Without Borders said. “A show of firmness will convince others who might be tempted to use physical violence to settle scores with the press that such behaviour would not go unpunished.”
Aregawi was dealt blows to the back of the head with a stone by one or several men as he was leaving his son’s school in the capital’s Bole district at about 4 p.m. on 31 October. He lost consciousness immediately and, bleeding heavily from his injuries, was rushed to Hayat hospital in a serious condition.
Journalists at The Reporter said one of his assailants was arrested, as was the driver of a taxi they were going to use to get away. The police are investigating.
The newspaper’s staff said the motive for the attack was not yet known. Aregawi had received threatening phone calls. He was arrested on 22 August after a large privately-owned brewery brought a libel complaint against the newspaper and was released five days later on payment of a small bail amount. The libel suit was withdrawn soon afterwards.
The Reporter is owned by Media & Communication Centre, a company created and run by Aregawi, who used to head Ethiopia’s public television broadcaster. He is one of the country’s best-known journalists.
DIRE DAWA, ETHIOPIA (IRIN) – Like many teenagers in rural Ethiopia, Shekuria Mume, 19, became pregnant, quit school and got married at 15. The birth of her first baby remains one of her most traumatic experiences, as an untrained traditional birth attendant (TBA) delivered her.
“I had heard that some women die while giving birth so I was scared most of the time during my pregnancy; I didn’t sleep much,” Shekuria told IRIN.
With no health facility near her village of Shuna, in West Hararghe zone of Oromiya state, Shekuria relied on a TBA. She was in labour for two days.
“The attendant kept checking my progress using her bare hands; when I gave birth, she used dirty sheets to wrap up the baby,” Shekuria recalled.
Although Shekuria survived, many Ethiopian women are not so lucky. According to the 2005 Demographic and Health Survey, the country has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, with 673 deaths per 100,000 live births.
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that 25,000 maternal deaths occur in Ethiopia annually and at least 500,000 women suffer pregnancy-related disabilities such as fistula.
After giving birth, Shekuria and her husband moved to the town of Chelenko, about 440km east of Addis Ababa. Here, she had access to family planning.
Now 19, Shekuria decided to have another baby. When she went into labour, the TBA, Fate Adem, 65, was called to assist.
This time, Shekuria was expecting twins and experienced complications. Luckily, Fate was one of 80 graduates of safe delivery techniques and referred Shekuria to Harar Hospital nearby.
“She was bleeding too much,” Fate told IRIN. “Following my training, I brought her to the hospital.”
Shekuria safely delivered the babies and is now planning to resume her schooling.
Dearth of midwives
Fate received her TBA training courtesy of the International Medical Corps (IMC) and UNFPA’s joint reproductive health response in drought-affected areas of East and West Hararghe zones of Oromiya region.
TBAs are crucial in a country such as Ethiopia, which has the lowest number of trained midwives in sub-Saharan Africa. According to UNFPA, there is only one nurse or midwife for every 62,000 Ethiopians.
“Though medical birth attendance in health facilities is the best way to prevent and address delivery-related complications, in communities where most of the women deliver at home, traditional birth attendants have proven a critical stop-gap,” a UNFPA document stated.
A high maternal mortality rate, coupled with a high under-five mortality rate – 123 children per 1,000 live births – means Ethiopia is far from achieving the Millennium Development Goal to cut maternal mortality by more than half and children’s deaths by half.
Improvements
At least 80,000 beneficiaries of the UNFPA-IMC project live in East and West Hararghe zones, where some change has become evident.
Yusuf Ibrahim, head of the health department in Meta woreda, where Shekuria and Fate live, said maternal mortality had decreased. The situation was similar in West Hararghe zone, where 88 percent of mothers delivered their children with the help of health workers or trained TBAs.
“Our assessment showed TBAs assisted 2,652 mothers to have safe deliveries in East Hararghe,” Marefia Mamo, the project coordinator for IMC, said.
Agents of change
Yusuf said besides helping in safe delivery, TBAs were “agents of change”, who advocate within the community for better health practices.
“Our people do not have enough awareness on contraceptive use; they give birth year after year and the attendants have tried to teach them better practices,” Yusuf said.
Fate said some of the tasks she had taken on since graduation included informing mothers about hygiene, vaccination, regular health check-ups at health centres and the importance of a balanced diet.
Shekuria said she had taken the advice seriously, especially on family planning. As a result, she and her husband had decided not to have another baby until she completes high school.
Anticipation that Barack Obama may become the next president has sent a steady stream of visitors to the colonial-era Jakarta house he lived in as a child, from potential buyers and journalists to an entrepreneur who wants to turn it into the “Sweet Home Obama Bar.”
Tata Aboe Bakar, the 78-year-old owner, is in no mood to move out.
His family has lived in the airy, cream-colored house, located on a sprawling plot of land in one of the most prestigious neighborhoods in Indonesia’s capital, since it was built in 1939.
But with a potential price tag of $3 million — and even more if Aboe Bakar can believe one broker’s claims that a U.S. Embassy official is ready to pay five times the market price if Obama wins — he says he’ll seriously consider it.
Obama’s family moved to Indonesia in 1967 and spent two years in a humble home where chickens and ducks cackled in the backyard and two baby crocodiles slithered around in a fenced-off pond.
Anticipation that Barack Obama may become the next president has sent a steady stream of visitors to the colonial-era Jakarta house he lived in as a child, from potential buyers and journalists to an entrepreneur who wants to turn it into the “Sweet Home Obama Bar.”