Global Action for Children

August 9, 2010: A study on HIV/Aids’ impact on the education sector has revealed it will be difficult to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. According to the report by International Development Consultants and Ministry of Education, HIV/AIDS affects the sector supply through increased teacher and learner psychological stress, morbidity, sickness, absenteeism and mortality. These effects, in turn, impact on the sector through quality loss, quantity loss, and increased or unplanned expenditure.

July 19, 2010: VULINDLELA, South Africa — With an AIDS vaccine still out of reach, two rigorous new studies have found different ways to sharply cut H.I.V. infections among women and schoolgirls, who make up a majority of the newly infected in sub-Saharan Africa.

July 24, 2010: The 15th African Union Summit is underway in Kampala. The theme of the meeting -- “Maternal, Infant and Child Health and Development in Africa” – reflects the commitment of the Maputo Plan of Action endorsed by African heads of state four years ago. The focus of that plan – and this week-end’s summit – is to help African countries reach the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) that aim to boost women’s rights, health, and livelihoods by 2015. In particular, the Maputo plan emphasizes MDGs 4 and 5, which advocate cutting in half maternal and infant mortality in Africa over the next five years.

July 8, 2010: As political leaders across Africa prepare for the World Cup education summit scheduled for 11 July in Pretoria, UNESCO warns that shortfalls in aid threaten to derail efforts to get the region’s 32 million out-of-school children into classrooms. The education summit, convened by President Jacob Zuma, marks a culmination in efforts led by the 1Goal campaign and FIFA to push Africa’s education crisis up the international agenda. That crisis is holding back economic growth, poverty reduction and progress in areas such as public health.

July 7, 2010: Kigali — The second International Conference on Maternal and Child Health got underway yesterday in Kigali with focus on evaluating the causes of child deaths and how to prevent them.

July 5, 2010: James Ole Kiyiapi, former permanent secretary in health ministry says such policy would strengthen public health institutions and avoid duplication.

July 1, 2010: A new child protection framework has been announced by President Denis Sassou Ngesso. The announcement was made by the Minister of Social Affairs, Humanitarian Action and Solidarity, Mrs. Emilienne Raoul during celebrations to mark the day of the African Child.

June 27, 2010: A family-centred approach to preventing infection is more effective, writes Linda Richter

"Nowhere to be seen" is how one could describe the attention given to children only a few years ago - two decades into the HIV/Aids epidemic. Tear-stained faces and sick parents illustrated how fundraising efforts seldom benefited children affected by the disease. Many important HIV/Aids gatherings used children "decoratively", having them dance and wave flags at opening and closing ceremonies, but did little to address the enormous HIV/Aids-related challenges to children's health and wellbeing.

June 18, 2010: Washington- The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has pledged $1.2 million in support for national poliomyelitis (polio) vaccination campaigns across Central Asia to fight the first outbreak of polio in the region since 2002.

June 18, 2010: Millions of Eastern Cape pupils and teachers can look forward to better schools thanks to a new national infrastructure policy.