International Rescue Committee (IRC) - Haiti Webcast: Photos From the Field - Join Now
A street full of rubble in Port-au-Prince, Haiti following the earthquake in January 2010. © 2010 Joost Butenop, Courtesy of Photoshare
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is currently hosting a live podcast session to tell the story of Haitians and their suffering from disasters. This live webcast features moving images of the lives of Haitians and the conditions that they live through everyday. The event is occurring on July 22nd from 12 pm to 1 pm ET.
Join IRC veterans Gerry Martone and Melissa Winkler, photographers, in hearing their story by clicking here.
Alixandra Fazzina - First Journalist to Win the Nansen Refugee Award
Children play within a separation wall in Shu’fat refugee camp in Jerusalem. © 2009 Luca Tommasini, Courtesy of Photoshare
Each year, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHRC), commonly referred to as the UN Refugee Agency, presents its Nansen Refugee Award to an individual or an organization in recognition of extraordinary and dedicated service to refugees. It is recognized as the most prestigious honor bestowed by the UNHCR. The award consists of a commemorative medal and a US$100,000 monetary prize donated by the governments of Norway and Switzerland.
A woman takes refuge in a displaced persons camp set up on a lava flow in the village of Nzulu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She is displaced by fighting between rebels and government forces in the eastern Congo. © 2008 Paul Jeffrey, Courtesy of Photoshare
This year, Alixandra Fazzina, a British photo journalist, was awarded this distinguished prize for her work depicting the devastating human consequences of war through her photography.
Working throughout Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, Fazzina has covered issues that include land mine victims in Kosovo, families broken apart and uprooted during the Ethiopia / Eritrea war, civilians stranded behind enemy lines in Angola, rape as a weapon of war in Sierra Leone, people displaced for environmental reasons in the Horn of Africa, the abuse of children by militias in Congo and Uganda and the protracted Afghan refugee situation.
The photographs and testimonies she produces during these often long-term pieces have been published in international magazines and newspapers including TIME, The New York Times, The Guardian, The Sunday Times, The Telegraph and Stern. In addition, they are regularly exhibited at international shows and exhibitions.
Fazzina has also written a book called “A Million Shillings, Escape from Somalia” to be published in September, based on her stories of desperate Somali migrants and refugees trying to reach Yemen by crossing the Gulf of Aden on boats run by smugglers.
Kikuyus find shelter from the rain at the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees camp near Eldoret, the largest camp in Kenya during the post-election unrest. © 2008 Micah Albert, Courtesy of Photoshare
Globally, refugees suffer from outrageous injustices and endure enormous hardships daily. They have lost everything - their homes, their jobs, their friends, and sometimes even their families. To add to their misery, they also must leave behind their hopes for a stable future, an education, a career, and so many other aspects of life.
The latest figures available show that the number of refugees of concern to UNHCR stood at 10.5 million refugees at the beginning of 2009, down 8 percent from a year earlier.
A further 4.7 million registered refugees are looked after in some 60 camps in the Middle East by United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which was set up in 1949 to care for displaced Palestinians.
The refugees of concern to UNHCR are spread around the world, with more than half in Asia and 22 percent in Africa. They live in widely varying conditions, from well-established camps and collective centres to makeshift shelters or living in the open.
Al Kharaz Refugee Camp, Yemen. © 2009 Micah Albert, Courtesy of Photoshare
More than half of all refugees of concern to UNHCR live in urban areas. They all face three possible solutions: repatriation; local integration or resettlement.
Please get involved or stay informed with the UNHCR to help refugees around the world.
To view more of Alixandra’s images, click here.
To view images of the lives of refugees from Photoshare’s collection, click here.
Burden of Malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa
A girl awakens in her bed covered with an anti-malarial mosquito net in Dundube Kadambo, Malawi. The widespread use of bednets is one of several effective measures to cut down on the transmission of malaria. © 2009 Paul Jeffrey, Courtesy of Photoshare
All over the sub-Saharan region of Africa, the burden of malaria has been decreasing in the past 3-5 years with expanding coverage of malaria prevention and treatment in many countries. These occurrences are spread across the region, occurring in Ethiopia, Kenya, The Gambia, Rwanda, and Zambia that each possess varying transmission intensities.
In Ethiopia, documents of declines in malaria morbidity of 70% have been reported amongst adults and children less than 5 years old. In Eritrea, substantial reductions in routinely reported clinical malaria cases were reported following a scale-up of control interventions, including insecticide-treated bednets, artemisinin combination therapies, and community health-worker training. In Kenya, pediatric malaria admissions declined by as much as 75% between 2003 and 2007.
A woman receives basic medical assistance for malaria in Abeche, Chad. She traveled two days from her remote village in the flooded southeast region of Chad to receive care. © 2008 Micah Albert, Courtesy of Photoshare
In some instances, these various interventions - ITNs, ACTs, indoor residual spraying, larval control - have not coincided with reductions in the prevalence and case-fatality rates of malaria.
In some reports, the decline began before the specific intervention was implemented, or the decline was already underway at the beginning of the study period, suggesting that confounding factors, other than the interventions to which the declines are attributed, may have contributed to the decline.
For instance, in the coastal area of Kenya, although ITN use has increased simultaneously with the decline in pediatric admissions for malaria, the prevalence of malaria infection declined from 35% to 10% before ITN coverage reached 25%, and before the introduction of ACTs. Similarly, in The Gambia and Zanibar, the decline in malaria began before ITNs were introduced.
A young boy in Kisumu, Kenya, sleeps beneath a treated mosquito net provided to rural residents as part of a malaria eradication campaign by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The CDC has worked in this malaria- prone region of Kenya since the late 1970s to help reduce the mortality rates from malaria. © 2009 David Snyder, Courtesy of Photoshare
Based on such data, researchers have begun to consider other factors that may contribute to the control and prevention of malaria. Studies in North America and Europe have shown, for instance, that malaria declines as social conditions, such as improvements in housing situations, and education improve; however, these probably cannot account for the drastic declines in malaria seen in sub-Saharan Africa recently.
Another factor worth considering is climate. Climate can strongly affect malaria transmission, but no patterns have emerged in sub-Saharan Africa that could explain the exceptional reductions in malaria in some countries.
Experts also pose biological possibilities such as changes in the parasite or its mosquito vector or the fact that the transmissibility of malaria might not be as high as has been previously thought.
A woman and child with their new mosquito net in Dangbo, Benin, which experiences large-scale flooding every rainy season. Long-lasting insecticide treated nets provided by the President’s Malaria Initiative were provided to every family in the area. © 2009 Nate Miller, Courtesy of Photoshare
Additionally, researchers are wary of the limitations in using published scientific literature in assessing the progress made of ongoing malaria in developing countries.
Many studies can be biased towards one of two extremes - presenting data that reflect well on the outcome of control interventions to justify investments or presenting data to imply that the malaria burden is worsening to encourage further investment in malaria control. Situations in which the prevalence of malaria has remained the same and interventions have not yielded significant results are most likely not mentioned or reported on.
Regardless, the overall picture depicted by these studies is encouraging. Most reports show a substantial, recent decline in the burden of malaria, and in countries where no recent reports have been given, there has probably been little change in the malaria burden.
To view more images of the effect of malaria in the developing world from Photoshare’s collection, click here.
Source: O’Meara, Wendy P. et al., Changes in the burden of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, The Lancet Infectious Diseases (2010)
World Population Day 2010: Everyone Counts!
“This year World Population Day highlights the importance of data for development. The focus is on the 2010 round of the population and housing census, data analysis for development and UNFPA’s lead role in population and development.”
Ten-year-old twins Gbemisola and Gbeminiyi fulfill their civic duty by taking part in the Nigerian National Census of 2005. © 2005 Babafunke Fagbemi, Courtesy of Photoshare
On July 11, World Population Day 2010 will be hosted by the UNFPA - the United Nations Population Fund. The Secretary General of the UNFPA reported: “Access to good data is a component of good governance, transparency and accountability. Population data helps leaders and policy-makers to make informed decisions about policies and programmes to reduce poverty and hunger, and advance education, health and gender equality. Solid data is also needed to effectively respond to humanitarian crises.”
Reliable data collection on the world’s population represents a crucial step in providing widespread improvements and benefits for the public. It gives researchers, experts, officials, and policy makers solid grounds on which to implement various social reforms and programs that can yield tangible results.
By “counting everybody,” we can answer questions like: What striking situation does research reveal in your country? What do the numbers tell you about progress toward meeting the MDGs? Are certain groups getting left behind?
A census employee in Nigeria fills in a census form as a woman responds to the questions. © 2007 Julianna Kohler, Courtesy of Photoshare
In a message to the general public, the UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid announced, “On this World Population Day, UNFPA asserts the right of everyone to be counted, especially women, girls, the poor and marginalized. Censuses and population data play a critical role in development and humanitarian response and recovery. With quality data we can better track and make greater progress to achieve the Millenium Development Goals, and promote and protect the dignity and human rights of all people.”
To download important information and posters for World Population Day 2010, click here!
To view more images from Photoshare’s collection on censuses and the population of developing countries, click here!
Putting an End to Child Pneumonia in the Developing World
Pneumonia is a largely preventable and treatable disease that continues to affect millions of children in the developing world.
Pneumonia causes a disproportionate amount of deaths for children under the age of five all over the world, but especially in developing countries. The Lancet published that in the year 2008, nearly two million children died from pneumonia in the developing world. Additionally, the study’s data showed that 18% of global causes of child deaths was due to pneumonia. This study’s analysis of regional causes of child deaths revealed that in each WHO region - Africa, the Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, Southeast Asia, and the Western Pacific - pneumonia was always the leading killer of children. The countries most affected by child pneumonia included India, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Pneumonia amongst neonates (aged 0-27 days) has become increasingly important as the proportion of deaths in neonates has increased in children younger than 5 years in 2008.1
Nurses assess, clean, and swaddle a baby in blankets minutes after being delivered via cesarean section in a rural district hospital in Angola. The hospital has a unique program where nurses are trained by American surgeons to perform basic surgeries due to a severe lack of physicians in Angola, especially in more rural areas. © 2009 Stephanie VandenBerg, Courtesy of Photoshare
Reducing child deaths from preventable conditions such as pneumonia is pivotal in meeting the MDG 4 to decrease child deaths by 2/3 by 2015. Unfortunately, numerous countries seem to be far from achieving this goal. By allocating national and international resources to underlying causes of child deaths such as undernutrition, including stunting, severe wasting, deficiencies of vitamin A and zinc, and suboptimum breastfeeding, governments can help provide better health care to their under five population.
A community health worker in Sierra Leone counts the respiration of a young child to determine if she should receive antibiotics. This community distributor is working within a program run by the Kono District Health Management Team, with support from the International Rescue Committee. He has been trained and given a small amount of key medicines, and is supervised once a month in his village. © 2007 Emmanuel d’Harcourt, Courtesy of Photoshare
Pneumonia is most often caused by bacteria. Some experts believe that common bacterial pathogens causing pneumonia are already present in a child’s nose or throat and are then inhaled into the lungs. They can also spread through contaminated air droplets from coughing or from blood-born infections. During or shortly after birth, babies are also at higher risk of developing pneumonia because they come into contact with organisms in the birth canal or from contaminated substances contacted during delivery.
Key to preventing pneumonia is adequate nutrition and higher immunization rates. However, even these interventions reach too few children. The alternative to prevention is early diagnosis and proper treatment. Unfortunately, even this intervention can be interrupted by various factors. In poor countries where chest X-ray machines and laboratory tests do not exist, clinicians diagnose children with pneumonia using clinical symptoms - namely, a cough and fast or difficult breathing. 2
Although most health care providers are taught the tell-tale signs of pneumonia, those who are in contact with children on a daiy basis - caregivers and mothers - do not know how to recognize these symptoms. And even if they do, they may delay seeking care due to costs, transportation issues, time constraints, and other factors associated with poverty. Misdiagnosis can also lead to resistance of antibiotics in the long run.
A child stands in front of a sign reading, “Pneumonia #1 is the one killer!” at the International Society of Tropical Pediatrics Congress in Philippines. © 2008 Ferdinand G. Fuellos, Courtesy of Photoshare
How can we help? We can help raise awareness! Numerous activities are occuring with large international organizations to provide policy makers and health care officials from these affected countries with knowledge concerning the high mortality rate that pneumonia has. This year, World Pneumonia Day will be celebrated on November 12, 2010. On the World Pneumonia Day’s website, you can read about the various resources available for those who are interested in taking action, such as signing the pledge to fight pneumonia and the Photoshare World Pneumonia Day Photography contest.
View Photoshare’s collection of images of child health by clicking here!
Sources:
1 Black RE, Cousens S, Johnson HL, Lawn JE, Rudan I, Bassani DG, et. Global, regional, and national causes of child mortality in 2008: a systematic analysis. The Lancet 2010; DOI:10.1016/SO140-6736(10)60549-1
2 The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)/World Health Organization (WHO). Pneumonia - The Forgotten Killer of Children. New York: He United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)/World Health Organization (WHO), 2006. Print.
How ICTs are Changing the Way We Live - eLearning Africa 2010 Photo Competition Winners!!!
Adolescents from the Girls Leadership Congress learn how to use a computer at a youth center in Mulanje District, Malawi. © 2008 Lisa Basalla, Courtesy of Photoshare
Earlier this year, eLearning Africa hosted a photography contest in order to discover how Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), including mobile phones, the Internet, computers and the audiovisual media have changed the everyday lives of individuals on the African continent - how friends communicate with one another worldwide, how business ideas are put into practice over the Internet, and using these ICTs to learn anywhere anytime!
More than 100 images were submitted to the competition! The judges have selected their top ten photos, and the audience has chosen their favorite picture. These eleven winning photos were displayed in an exhibition from May 26th to May 28th at eLearning Africa 2010 in Lusaka, Zambia. Additionally, the stories behind these pictures were published in the eLearning Africa Newsletter, and read by thousands on the African continent as well all over the globe.
Winning photos came from Zambia, Cameroon, Uganda, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Kenya, and Namibia. To view the winning images and their captions, as well as the photographer’s credits, click here.
A local vegetable vendor talks on a mobile phone in rural India. © Dr. Urvish Joshi, Courtesy of Photoshare
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) play a critical role in the implementation of technology in the African continent that is considered common knowledge to most individuals in the West and developed world. ICTs helps us to communicate, to share ideas, and to allow for the rapid dissemination of knoweldge and information to the mass public. Such means can prove to be infintely useful in spreading important ideas to individuals who otherwise may not have access to such knowledge.
To view Photoshare’s images of ICTs being used worldwide, click here!
Women Deliver 2010
Two young women recover from fistula surgery at a nationally run clinic in N’DjamA©na, Chad. Obstetric fistula is such a common problem due to a culture that marries girls at such a young age, the UNFPA and the government of Chad are working to develop a clinic specifically to perform this surgery. © 2008 Micah Albert, Courtesy of Photoshare
A woman receives basic medical assistance for malaria in Abeche, Chad. She traveled two days from her remote village in the flooded southeast region of Chad to receive care. © 2008 Micah Albert, Courtesy of Photoshare
A still of a family embracing maternity health in Myanmar. © 2009 Min Zarni Zaw (Amarapura), Courtesy of Photoshare
A mother with her newborn baby at a hygienic health care center in India.© 2006 A.F.I.A.P., Courtesy of Photoshare
Women Deliver is a global advocacy organization that unites voices from all over the globe to act against rising maternal death, especially in developing countries. The organization held its first conference in 2007. Its main goal was to mobilize individuals in order to fulfill the Millenium Goal #5 - to reduce maternal mortality and achieve universal access to reproductive health. Women Deliver’s message is that maternal health is both a human right and a practical necessity for sustainable development.
This year, Women Deliver was held from June 7th to 9th in Washington D. C. This year’s theme was “Delivering solutions for girls and women,” and was focused on political, economic, social/cultural, and technological solutions.
The two main messages of this year’s conferences included: (1) The MDGs will not be achieved without investing in women and (2) There is just enough time, if the world commits funding now, to achieve MDG5 — additional US$10 billion annually by 2010 and US$20 billion by 2015.
To read more about Women Deliver, click here.
To view photos of women and maternal health from Photoshare, click here!
Photos Can Say as Much as Words - Public Health in Palestine
Israel and Palestine are two states that share largely similar and yet immensely different beliefs deeply rooted in their complex histories, cultures, and religions. While both are greatly swayed by the influences of rich countries such as the United States, both of these states possess unique identities that place them at opposing fronts on the field of international health and aid.
As current events continue to ceaselessly shake the everyday lives of Palestinians and Israelis, the Palestinians living under seige on the Gaza Strip struggle to lead normal lives without access to many basic needs, as Israel has banned all but basic humanitarian aid and food in attempts to weaken Hamas. As the Palestinians are robbed of a stable society, various leaders have spoken out agains the debilitating state of the public health infrastructure. Recently, much unrest has been expressed by the international community as the Rachel Corrie, carrying much-needed humanitarian aid, approaches the Gaza Strip, and reporters from every existing news agency is scrambling to snatch the latest story.
As much as words and the media can draw powerful reactions from both sides concerning various topics of health, humanitarian aid, and security, images can also provide striking sources of emotion and motivation. Below are some images from Photoshare of public health events and functions in Palestine and Israel.
A mother bottle feeds her young infant in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. © 2009 Luca Tommasini, Courtesy of Photoshare
A health worker speaks with women and a child at a clinic in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. Terres des Hommes Italy set up an emergency project that supports four clinics in the Palestinian Medical Relief Society and aims to assist women and children affected by post traumatic stress disorder syndrome. © 2009 Luca Tommasini, Courtesy of Photoshare
A young man receives rehabilitation services at the Yatta Disable Rehabilitation Center in Hebron District, Palestine. © 2009 Luca Tommasini, Courtesy of Photoshare
A student in the Gaza Strip paints a public mural depicting life in Gaza at the height of the second intifada. The students were asked by a local non-governmental organization to paint images detailing what they see in their daily lives, and the mural was filled with images of soldiers, funerals, and armed militants - the reality of life in the occupied territories of Gaza and the West Bank. © 2002 David Snyder/CRS, Courtesy of Photoshare
For more images of life and the public health experience in Palestine and Israel from Photoshare, click here!
For extensive coverage of the controversial actions of the Israeli and Palestininan people and governments, click here!
Source: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/
Celebrating World No Tobacco Day 2010
Smoking cigarettes is one of the major causes of early death (cancer and lung tuberculoses). According to the World Health Organization, 250 million women in the world were daily smokers in 1998. About 22% of women in developed countries and 9 percent of women in developing countries smoke tobacco. In developing countries, the ratio of smoking cigarette gets higher each year. According to United Nations Foundation News Wire, Nepalese smokers consumed 170 cigarettes per capita in 1970. In 2000, the consumption of cigarettes increased to 600 per capita. Due to lack of awareness, most women in remote areas of Nepal will smoke, as a habit. In the hillsides, women usually start smoking after their marriage. This habit is directly harmful to them, as well as to their pregnancy and children. © Mukunda Bogati, Courtesy of PhotoshareOn May 31, 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) celebrated World No Tobacco Day 2010! This year’s theme was “Gender and tobacco with an emphasis on marketing to women.”
Tobacco Smoking is an ever increasing issue for women across nations. While over 200 million women are smoking, tobacco companies are continuing to attract new smokers to replace those that are dying prematurely from tobacco-caused illnesses. Moreover, recent studies done by the WHO have shown that these tobacco industries are targeting young girls. Officials hope that the World No Tobacco Day will help emphasize the importance of women’s health, especially in preventing the formation of habits such as smoking. Margaret Chan, the WHO Director-General, stated: “protecting and promoting the health of women is crucial to health and development – not only for the citizens of today but also for those of future generations.”
Through this event, the WHO calls nations to protect its women from debilitating diseases such as fatal and crippling heart attacks, strokes, cancers and respiratory diseases that have become increasingly prevalent among women.
Tobacco use could kill one billion people during this century. Acknowledging the importance of reducing tobacco use among women, and acting upon that knowledge, will prove to be a worthwhile means by which to drastically improve the health of women, men, and children across the globe.
Source: http://www.who.int/tobacco/wntd/2010/announcement/en/index.html
Deadline for the 2010 Photoshare World Pneumonia Day Photo Contest - EXTENDED!!
The deadline to submit images for the first annual 2010 Photoshare World Pneumonia Day Photography Contest has been extended to June 30, 2010!!! Hurry and submit entries for a chance to win great prizes and promote pneumonia awareness in developing countries!!!
The 2010 Photoshare World Pneumonia Day Photo Contest is a collaboration between Photoshare, a service of Knowledge for Heatlh (K4Health), and the International Vaccine Access Center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in partnership with the Global Coalition against Child Pneumonia. Contest prize sponsorship is provided by Nikon.
By submitting their images, participants can participate in a global effort to raise awareness on health and development issues through their work with development-oriented photography.
A child stands in front of a sign reading, "Pneumonia #1 is the one killer!" at the International Society of Tropical Pediatrics Congress in Philippines. © 2008 Ferdinand G. Fuellos, Courtesy of Photoshare
We are particularly interested in images of children under 5 years and pneumonia’s impact worldwide, at risk children (malnutrition, indoor pollution, and other illnesses such as AIDS are risk factors), and interventions or awareness campaigns.
**Photographers reserve all rights to their images. Photos submitted for this contest can be used - with photographer credits in the caption - by Photoshare/Hopkins and the World Pneumonia Day coalition for charitable and non-profit purposes only. Image requests are carefully vetted for context appropriateness: the manager of Photoshare considers what caption will be used and can strongly suggest a caption, where the images will be published, and with what intended audience.
This year’s judges include two-time Pulitzer prize winning journalist and New York Times columnist, Nicholas Kristof, NBC Today Show and news anchor, Ann Curry!!!
For more info and to submit images, click here!!!