Literacy

1. Programs Focusing on literacy, food security, HIV/AIDS and Malaria, Safe water and Sanitation in terms of:-reason for the programs-types of aid involved in the programs-implementation of the programs

2. Literacy

3. Literacy • It is estimated that there are 774 million illiterate adults in the world, 64% of this figure is made up of women. In 2007 101 million children of primary school age did not go to school and were deprived of an education and the opportunity to learn basic skills of reading and writing.

4. Why is literacy important? • According to UNESCO literacy is a human right, a tool of personal empowerment Educational opportunities depend on literacy • Literate parents are more likely to send their children to school. • When people are literate, they can read and communicate, make informed choices and are generally more empowered to look after their own health • Poor literacy levels are linked to disadvantage in economic well being and in health status. • Literacy is essential for eradicating poverty, reducing child mortality, curbing population growth, achieving gender equality and ensuing sustainable development, peace and democracy.

6. Literacy and the impact on Health there is a direct positive relationship between better educated women and healthier babies and families, lower fertility rates, lower infant mortality rates and increasing children’s chances of survival. • Literacy improves individual empowerment, decision making skills, provides people with greater earning capacity and increased health.

7. Literacy programs • The UNESCO Literacy decade 2003-2012 • Education for All (pg 417) • The Millennium Development Goals – have a focus on literacy. • The UN Girl’s Education Initiative • UNICEF’s child friendly schools program • CARE’s Girls Education and Education in countries in Crisis Program

8. Food Security

9. Food Security • Food security is a status in which all people, obtain nutritionally adequate, culturally appropriate safe food regularly through local non emergency sources • Global hunger affects 1 in 7 people around the world, with 25,000 people, both adults and children, dying every day from hunger and related causes. A child dies every six seconds because of the effects of hunger.

10. Food security has been made worse by recent environmental and economic changes including: • Climate change resulting in ongoing reduced food production • Emerging economies such as China and India demonstrating increased demand for grains and grain fed meat, and supporting this with increasing purchasing power • Increased energy costs that raise food prices through increased transportation and fertiliser costs • The use of land and crops to produce biofuels • Heavy crop subsidiaries in wealthy countries such as those represented in the European Union, Japan and the United States, which reduce market opportunities for farmers in developing countries.

11. For food to be secure the following needs to occur:

12. The World Food Program (WFP) • The World Food Program (WFP) is the United Nation’s food aid agency mandated to combat global hunger worldwide. The WFP works towards achieving their vision for every man, woman and child having access at all times to the food they need to live an active and healthy life. The WFP is the largest humanitarian organisation helping families and communities restore food security.

14. In 2007 the WFP provided 3.3 million tons of food for 86.1 million people in 80 different countries through emergency aid relief and multilateral aid. They respond to emergency situations and save lives by getting food to the hungry and help to establish food security in the future. • Improved agriculture is the quickest and most effective solution for poverty and hunger

17. HIV/AIDS

18. HIV – Human immunodeficiency virus. • HIV is a virus that infects white blood cells, leading to the progressive deterioration of the immune system. The HIV virus causes a gradual depletion and weakening of the immune system, leading to immune deficiency. This results in the body having increased susceptibility to infections such as pneumonia and tuberculosis (TB) and can lead to the development of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

20. Transmission of HIV can occur: • Through having unprotected vaginal, oral or anal sex • Through sharing needles • From an infected mother to her child through pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding • Through coming into contact with infected blood or blood products

22. The most common opportunistic infections or HIV related cancers are • Lung infections including tuberculosis and pneumonia • HIV related skin cancer • Eye infections that can lead to blindness • Fungal infections eg. Thrush in the mouth, throat or vagina • Severe oral or genital herpes • Severe malarial infections • Bacterial infections • Infection of the brain

23. Treatment of HIV / AIDS • HIV /AIDs can not be cured but can be treated with antiretroviral drugs. It is an effective treatment that can assist in controlling the symptoms. This type of treatment can help those with HIV positive from becoming unwell for many years. These drugs stop the weakening of the immune system and allow it to recover from the damaged caused by the disease.

24. The impact of HIV/AIDs on Health • In 2000, AIDS was declared a development crisis by the World Bank and continues to be one of the greatest global threats to development. • Every minute a child under 15 dies from AIDS related illness and every minute another child becomes HIV positive. • Most children who have been born HIV positive die before their 5th birthday. • HIV /AIDS has killed one or both parents of an estimated 15 million children worldwide; 12 million of these in sub Saharan Africa, creating and unprecedented orphan crisis.

26. Some core prevention strategies are: • Education programs that focus on promoting behavioural change • Testing programs • Increasing condom use through condom promotion and distribution • Diagnosing and treating sexually transmitted infections • Ensuring a safe blood supply • Providing infant feeding options to prevent mother to child transmissions • Harm reduction programs for injecting drug users, including providing clean equipment, counselling and drug abuse treatment

27. Targeted prevention is more effective when combined with programs that work to change social norms and reduce the stigma that can be attached to HIV/AIDS.

28. HIV/AIDS – facts and figures(World Bank, 2008) • The latest major survey carried out in 2007, found that 33.2 million people were living with HIV/AIDS • Every day 6800 people become infected with HIV and 5700 die of AIDS • 40% of new adult infections are contracted by people aged between 15 and 34 • In 2007, 370, 000 children under the age of 15 were newly infected with HIV • In developed countries, HIV/AIDS epidemics are primarily concentrated among populations described as “most at risk” such as men who have sex with men, drug users, sex workers and partners of sex workers. • Sub Saharan Africa is the most seriously affected region in Africa, accounting for 68% of all new infections. Of these nearly 60% are women. • Approximately 30% of those who need it have access to antiretroviral treatment. It is estimated that by delivering HIV prevention to those who need it annual HIV incidence could be nearly two thirds lower by 2015.

29. United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS • The Joint United Nations program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) bring together ten United Nations organizations in a global response to HIV/AIDS. UNAIDS is based in Geneva and works in more than 80 countries. • Reasons for the program • The program was launched to strengthen the United Nations response to AIDS. It aims to: • Reduce new HIV infections • Care for people living with HIV/AIDS • Reduce the impact of the epidemic • Achieve universal access to prevention programs, treatment care and support.

30. Sustainability In order for a UNAIDS program to be sustainable they require definite and dependable funding and human resources as well as clear and strong processes and organisation. They are run as partnership approaches rather than donors. Also, rather than providing “aid” as such they are seen to provide support. They include:   • Being sensitive to gender issues • Having an inclusive approach and acknowledging the human rights of people living with HIV/AIDS • Upholding accessibility and equity by taking programs to remote areas. • Maximising the success of the project by involving key stakeholders including people living with HIV/AIDS, civil society, policy makers and Government agencies and NGO’s that implement policy.

31. Malaria

32. Malaria • Malaria is caused by parasites that are spread from person to person through bites of infectious mosquitos. The first common symptoms include fever, headache, chills and vomiting, which appear 10 to 15 days after a person is infected. If not treated with effective medicines, malaria can cause severe illness that can be fatal.

33. Transmission • Malaria transmissions can differ in intensity and regularity depending on local factors such as rainfall patterns, proximity of mosquito breeding sites and mosquito species. The majority of cases of malaria and associated deaths are in developing countries. Most are in sub Saharan Africa, but Asia, Latin America the Middle East and parts of Europe are also affected.

35. According to the 2008 world malaria report, half of the world population are at risk of Malaria. • In 2006 there was an estimated 247 million episodes of malaria, with 80% of cases in the Africa region. • Malaria mortality is estimated at 1 million deaths per year with a large number of these deaths being children under 5 years of age. • Those children who do survive the disease can have physical and mental impairments such as poor growth and development. In pregnancy it can impact on birth size and development of the baby.

36. Prevention • Preventative strategies to reduce the risk of malaria include: • Removal of open water areas to reduce breeding grounds • Use of insecticidal nets for people at risk • Indoor residual spraying with insecticides to control mosquito's • Ongoing development of a vaccine

37. Treatment • The treatment of malaria involves the prompt use of drugs to act against the parasites in the blood. Several drugs are available and malaria can be easily cured if diagnosed within the first 3 days of symptoms appearing.

38. Programs to treat malaria • Some examples of programs to address the problem of malaria are: • Insecticides Treated Nets Program • The Global Malaria Action Plan • Student Leaders against Malaria • The President’s Malaria Initiative

40. Insecticide treated nets program (ITN) • There are many community based programs that distribute insecticide treated nets throughout countries with high risk malaria areas. Untreated mosquito nets have been used in the past however for them to be effective they need to be in good condition and arranged correctly. Therefore, nets treated with pyrethroid insecticides are now preferred. Rather than just providing a physical barrier to mosquitos these nets actually repel mosquitos, deter them from biting and cause death to the mosquitos which come into contact with the net. By using the nets mosquito bites are reduced by 95%. Conventional nets need to be retreated regularly but long lasting insecticides nets are designed to be effective without re-treatment for the life of the net. The insecticides used are non toxic to mammals so have few side effects in humans. • They cost approximately US$5 per net. They are less expensive in the long term than the cost of other strategies such as anti malarial drugs, insecticide sprays and coils.

41. Safe Water and Sanitation

42. Safe water and health • On average a person need about 20-25 litres of safe water each day to meet their needs. At any one time about half of all people in the developing world are suffering from diseases associated with water. Water borne diseases are responsible for 80% of illness and death in developing countries

43. Unsafe water • Diarrhoea caused by unsafe water kills more people than HIV/AIDS and malaria • 1.1 billion people (one sixth of the world’s population) do not have access to clean water • In many cultures, it is considered the responsibility of women and girls to find and fetch water for the family

44. Poor sanitation 2.6 billion people (one third of the world population) do not have access to the safe management of human excreta, garbage and waste water. Sanitation is the single most important medical advance since 1840. It is the single most effective tool we have against illness – even more important than the discovery of penicillin. Intestinal infections from parasites spread through poor sanitation. These contribute to malnutrition, which hinders children’s development and reduces school attendance and performance. Many parents choose to keep their female children out of school because of a lack of separate toilets and washing facilities.

45. Programs to improve water and sanitation • The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council • International Year of Sanitation • The Millennium Development Goal 7 • Oral Rehydration Therapy (This strategy is used to combat diarrhoea caused by unsafe water and sanitation.)

46. http://www.wateraid.org/international/learn_zone/videos/default.asp?vidId=5889A10D-CE56-C02C-D363-6C1A53FF33EChttp://www.wateraid.org/international/learn_zone/videos/default.asp?vidId=5889A10D-CE56-C02C-D363-6C1A53FF33EC

47. Water health life program • The water health life program (WHL) is a project implemented by the international NGO World Vision. It helps the poorest communities to improve dirty water and poor sanitation.

48. Reasons for the program • The WHL program aims to provide clean water and sanitation for children and families in poor communities in developing countries. The main focus of the program is reducing the rate of disease caused in children by dirty water and poor sanitation.

49. Implementation • Protecting a spring - a concrete wall is built around a deep pit where water emerges from underground. No pump is needed because water is forced out of the ground by natural pressure • Drilling a borehole – a drilling machine digs deep into the ground to reach a sustained water layer and a hand or food pump is used to draw water up through the pipe. • Sinking a shallow well - a well is dug deep enough to reach water and a hand pump is installed. • Building rainwater tanks to store extra drinking water