Taking out an insurance policy against disaster
Images of children with tiny, wasted bodies and huge, pain-filled eyes are often followed by reports of massive deaths from famine in some of the poorest drought-ridden countries of Africa. But a pioneering scheme announced by the World Food Program (WFP) may bring fast relief from an unlikely source - the insurance industry. The Toronto Star, 12th March 2006

Risking her life, Mukhtar Mai envisions a better future for women
Mukhtar Mai has transformed personal trauma into a global wake-up call for women's rights in Pakistan. After surviving a gang rape ordered by the local tribal council to punish her family for an offense allegedly committed by her 12-year-old brother, Mai did the unthinkable for a poor Pakistani woman: She testified against her attackers and put them in prison. Ode Magazine, March 2006

Aboriginal health trails other indigenous people
The life expectancy of indigenous Australians is 10 years less than that of comparable populations in New Zealand and Canada, a report has found, putting more pressure on the Federal Government to make indigenous health a priority. SMH, 13th March 2006

New state still suffers after difficult birth
Five years after being liberated from Indonesian occupation, the tiny country of East Timor is in a downward spiral of poverty, poor health and illiteracy, according to a grim report by the United Nations. The Times, 10th March 2006

UN fears measles outbreak in drought-hit East Africa
Millions of children in drought-hit East Africa are threatened by a "lethal cocktail" of measles and malnutrition and urgently need vaccinations against the highly infectious disease, a U.N. official said. "The high rates of malnutrition among these children means they're extremely vulnerable to diseases, especially measles," said Geoff Wiffin, East and Southern Africa Regional Emergency adviser for the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF). Reuters, 11th March 2006

Trauma Support for the people of the Solomons
Stephen Tom is a Trauma Support Supervisor on the Weathercoast of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. Caritas Australia has been providing trauma support programs in the Solomon Islands since 2002. Stephen's role requires him to travel to meet people on the islands. His main form of transport is an outboard motor boat. These trauma support programs were established to help Solomon Islanders recover after conflict which started in late 1998. Caritas Australia

Sleeping with the dead: Pakistani quake survivors still in need, months after catastrophe
There are thousands of tents here, amid the rubble of what was once a thriving city. As I drove along the main street two weeks ago, one of them stood out. It was white and dirty, but most of the tents were white and dirty. It was jimmied in among rock piles, garbage and debris, but that's not uncommon here, either. What made this tent unique was that the front flaps of this temporary shelter were just inches from a new grave. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 11th March 2006

What ails Africa?
"Africa in the eighteenth century, before its colonisation by the European powers was deemed an undeveloped continent. Outsiders largely failed to acknowledge the well functioning social and political systems which governed the communities of Africa, or to notice its vibrant economies and trade, internally and with the middle and far east. Africa was seen as a rich source of resources both human (in the form of slavery) and natural, ready for exploitation. The white settlers imposed their rule, their religions and military advantage to subjugate the African people. They even imposed their boundaries." Scott Martin, Caritas Australia's Partnership Development Co-ordinator in Africa

Fight Hunger
Fight Hunger is a new advocacy initiative undertaken by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) to end child hunger by 2015. The WFP acknowledges that it needs the support of NGOs, international and religious institutions, local authorities, celebrities, schools, youth organisations and business and community leaders, all united in the common cause. But more than anything else, the support of individuals is essential. Check out the various activities to Fight Hunger.

http://www.fighthunger.org/home

West Papua: forgotten land, forgotten people
This radio feature explores the history of the Indonesian annexation of West Papua, and the upheaval of the de-colonisation process after WWII; a process which led to a radical re-configuration of the map of the Pacific region. Jakarta sent its armed forces into countries like Papua and, later, East Timor, sparking violent conflict and upheaval as independence movements emerged to fight the new colonial mantle of Indonesian rule.

Realising our tomorrow
God of peace, where there was only fear, today we hope.
Where once our children suffered, now they laugh.
Where all the land was empty, now the rice grows tall
And people who were scattered build their homes.
Together in your love we will realise our tomorrow.
In place of cries of war, we sing your praise.
In farms, in fields and cities we will celebrate your justice.
Raise our voice against oppression, reap a harvest full of hope.