it Town authorities acknowledge spiritual realities By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 17 May 2013 13:20:04 +0000 French OMer Andre experiences that prayer can change the hearts of authorities regarding victims of human trafficking. Full Article
it From dream to reality By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 22 Mar 2018 09:22:51 +0000 “It was a long, green boat, sailing gently along the river,” recalled Ana Barros (Portugal), as she described her dream to her mum. This happened before she had even seen a picture of OM's Riverboat. Full Article
it Sharing God's love through literacy By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 13 Mar 2019 09:28:35 +0000 "At the end of the class, over tea and mini-cakes, we take time to get to know them, to help them with administrative tasks or to discuss Bible stories," shares Louise. Full Article
it Belkin Soundform Elite Smart Speaker Includes Wireless Charging By www.pcmag.com Published On :: Belkin partnered with audio experts Devialet to create a high-quality audio experience while also offering access to Google Assistant and wireless charging for your phone. Full Article
it Add Alexa to Your Home for Less With These Echo Device Deals By www.pcmag.com Published On :: Right now, several Echo devices are marked down, and we've rounded up the sales below. Full Article
it Anker Nebula Soundbar Fire TV Edition By www.pcmag.com Published On :: The price is right and the feature set is enticing, but the Anker Nebula Soundbar Fire TV Edition provides only modest sonic returns. Full Article
it Math Curriculum Company Drops Defamation Suit Against N.C. Parent By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 31 Oct 2019 00:00:00 +0000 Mathematics Vision Project has dismissed the lawsuit after the surprising move the company made this summer to take legal action against one of its most vocal parent critics. Full Article Curriculum+and+instruction
it California's Ethnic Studies Curriculum, Criticized for 'Anti-Jewish Bias,' to Be Revised By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 14 Aug 2019 00:00:00 +0000 California's proposed curriculum guide in ethnic studies is being sent back for substantial revision after a pileup of criticism that it's anti-Semitic. Full Article Curriculum+and+instruction
it Without Rules, Credit Recovery Is Just an 'Easy Ticket to Graduation,' Report Says By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 21 Nov 2019 00:00:00 +0000 Too many districts that use a lot of credit recovery to enable students to finish high school don't have sufficient policy safeguards to ensure that those catch-up courses are high quality, according to a new report. Full Article Curriculum+and+instruction
it It's a Critical Time for Student Well-Being By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Tue, 07 Apr 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Making sure the social and mental well-being of students is tended to is essential to getting young people through this period of chaos and uncertainty. Full Article Curriculum+and+instruction
it Under-17 EURO elite round draw made By www.uefa.com Published On :: Wed, 06 Dec 2017 11:05:00 GMT Holders Spain will face Serbia, Ukraine and the Czech Republic in this spring's UEFA European Under-17 Championship elite round after the draw was made in Nyon. Full Article general
it Under-17 elite round report By www.uefa.com Published On :: Mon, 01 Apr 2019 15:02:00 GMT The full line-up for May's finals has been decided with holders the Netherlands leading the qualifiers. Full Article general
it Netherlands retain #U17EURO title: at a glance By www.uefa.com Published On :: Sun, 19 May 2019 18:00:00 GMT The Netherlands beat Italy for the second final running to become the first four-time Under-17 EURO champions. Full Article general
it Medical Foods for Inborn Errors of Metabolism: History, Current Status, and Critical Need By pediatrics.aappublications.org Published On :: 2020-03-02T01:00:56-08:00 Successful intervention for inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs) is a triumph of modern medicine. For many of these conditions, medical foods are the cornerstone of therapy and the only effective interventions preventing disability or death. Medical foods are designed for patients with limited or impaired capacity to ingest, digest, absorb, or metabolize ordinary foods or nutrients, whereby dietary management cannot be achieved by modification of the normal diet alone. In the United States today, access to medical foods is not ensured for many individuals who are affected despite their proven efficacy in the treatment of IEMs, their universal use as the mainstay of IEM management, the endorsement of their use by professional medical organizations, and the obvious desire of families for effective care. Medical foods are not sufficiently covered by many health insurance plans in the United States and, without insurance coverage, many families cannot afford their high cost. In this review, we outline the history of medical foods, define their medical necessity, discuss the barriers to access and reimbursement resulting from the regulatory status of medical foods, and summarize previous efforts to improve access. The Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children asserts that it is time to provide stable and affordable access to the effective management required for optimal outcomes through the life span of patients affected with IEMs. Medical foods as defined by the US Food and Drug Administration should be covered as required medical benefits for persons of all ages diagnosed with an IEM. Full Article
it Aussie Rules In Cork City By www.worldfootynews.com Published On :: Mon, 04 May 2020 20:44:57 GMT Source: www.worldfootynews.com - Monday, May 04, 2020 The Leeside Lions, one of the AFL Ireland clubs in hiatus due to COVID-19, have shown the world a way out by adroitly combining social-distancing with football skills. The following clip from the Cork-based club showcases a range of talents and proves footy can still move forward despite current challenges to the game. Our thanks to the Leeside Lions for sharing. All clubs are welcome to share their clips and can send to the World Footy Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/5197533739/ or send to me via email at: wesleyhull22@gmail.comAll Related Full Article
it COVID-19: Finding Hope With Christian Siriano And Dr. Pardis Sabeti | TIME100 Talks By www.youtube.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 17:57:30 GMT Source: www.youtube.com - Friday, May 08, 2020All Related Full Article
it Supercapacitor promises storage, high power and fast charging By news.psu.edu Published On :: Mon, 04 May 2020 15:14 -0400 A new supercapacitor based on manganese oxide could combine the storage capacity of batteries with the high power and fast charging of other supercapacitors, according to researchers at Penn State and two universities in China. Full Article
it Behrend team expands financial literacy training initiative By news.psu.edu Published On :: Tue, 05 May 2020 13:33 -0400 Students and faculty members at Penn State Behrend's Black School of Business are contributing to and assessing a financial literacy curriculum that is being taught at nearly 400 high schools in eight states. Full Article
it Institute awards 32 computational and data sciences seed grants By news.psu.edu Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 08:00 -0400 The Institute for Computational and Data Sciences, in conjunction with several Penn State colleges, awarded more than $725,000 in seed grants to fund 32 new computational and data sciences projects. The 57 researchers involved in the awards represent 12 Penn State colleges and 31 academic departments. Full Article
it Does virus transmission have anything to do with 5G? | Ask CIDD By news.psu.edu Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 14:26 -0400 Full Article
it NCLB Waivers: Accountability Issues to Watch By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 03 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0000 The Center on Education Policy has two new reports pinpointing trouble spots in implementation of waiver plans under the No Child Left Behind Act. Full Article Nochildleftbehind
it What's Wrong With Standardized Testing? Watch John Oliver Offer His Analysis By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mon, 04 May 2015 00:00:00 +0000 In a sprawling but nuanced examination, comedian John Oliver explained why the U.S. standardized testing system exists and the harms it creates. Full Article Nochildleftbehind
it Three Testing Issues to Watch in Rewriting No Child Left Behind By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 04 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 Both the House and Senate ESEA bills keep annual tests, but they go very different ways on a lot of other assessment issues. Full Article Nochildleftbehind
it NGA Ed. Committee Favors State Leeway in a Renewed ESEA By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000 The National Governor's Association wants Congress to give states lots of running room when it comes to crafting their accountability plans, according to an interim proposal outlining NGA's priorities for reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Full Article Nochildleftbehind
it Principals, Superintendents, School Boards Critique Kline Draft By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000 School superintendents, principals, and school board members found a lot to like in a draft bill to renew the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Full Article Nochildleftbehind
it Remembering Former First Lady Barbara Bush, an Advocate for Literacy By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 18 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 As the wife of former President George H.W. Bush, she used the bully pulpit of her office as first lady to advance the issue on behalf of both for children and parents. Full Article Nochildleftbehind
it Joe Biden, Gun-Free School Zones Champion, Busing Critic, Is Running for President By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 25 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0000 As a U.S. senator and vice president, Biden focused on preschool, gun-free school zones, and the Obama administration's response to the Newtown, Conn. school shooting in 2012. Full Article Nochildleftbehind
it Passage of GOP-Backed NCLB Rewrite Could Be Delayed, Amid Conservative Backlash By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 27 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000 House leaders may hold off on a final vote on a Republican-backed bill to rewrite the No Child Left Behind law, amid pushback from powerful GOP lobbying groups Full Article Nochildleftbehind
it Schönefeld: Terminal sections with new designations By www.berlin-airport.de Published On :: Tue, 31 Mar 2020 21:23:56 +0200 As of today, the terminal sections of Schönefeld Airport have new designations: K, L, M Departures, M Arrivals and Q. Full Article
it Coronavirus: information on the situation at Berlin Airport By www.berlin-airport.de Published On :: Fri, 8 May 2020 10:00:00 +0200 (Last updated: 08.05.2020) Find out here about the current situation at Schönefeld and Tegel Airports. Full Article
it How Amazon Makes Its Money By www.pcmag.com Published On :: Here's a breakdown of Amazon's revenue from across its e-commerce and retail ecosystem, cloud infrastructure, streaming services, consumer devices, advertising business, and beyond. Full Article
it It's Hard to Stay on Top of Education Policy. You've Got to Have a Strategy By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mon, 13 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000 There's no one-stop shop to get everything you need from education policy, politics, and practice, writes academic Deven E. Carlson. Full Article Politics+and+policy
it Politics or Policy? By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 19 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000 NAESP Executive Director Gail Connelly joins principals across the country in calling on Congress to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and, in doing so, support, strengthen and invest in great principals. Full Article Politics+and+policy
it 5 From 1: Federal Politics and Policy By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mon, 23 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000 My top five announcements from each monthly issue of School Improvement Industry Announcements – Policy and Politics. The criterion for selection is information and events that help edbizbuzz readers understand how what happens in Washington shapes our emerging market for school improvement products Full Article Politics+and+policy
it Education Week: Politics and Policy By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Sun, 16 Feb 2020 19:58:32 +0000 Full Article Politics+and+policy
it When National Security Threats Influence Education Policy and Politics By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mon, 06 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000 A new research study, released just a few days before the U.S. military killed a top Iranian military commander and escalated international tensions, looked at connections between sudden national security crises and education policymaking in Washington. Full Article Politics+and+policy
it Politics and Policy By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 02 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0000 Full Article Politics+and+policy
it Women's Under-19 EURO elite round draw By www.uefa.com Published On :: Fri, 24 Nov 2017 10:26:00 GMT Holders Spain will face Austria, the Republic of Ireland and Turkey after the elite round draw was made for the seven groups that will decide who joins Switzerland in July's finals. Full Article general
it UEFA and Rita Ora pair up to support #WePlayStrong By www.uefa.com Published On :: Mon, 14 May 2018 09:00:00 GMT UEFA is delighted to announce it will be the official sponsor of Rita Ora's The Girls Tour as part of our Together #WePlayStrong campaign. Full Article general
it Meet Rita Ora with UEFA's 'What is Strong?' campaign By www.uefa.com Published On :: Wed, 04 Jul 2018 15:00:00 GMT Rita Ora is offering fans an opportunity to meet her as part of UEFA's newest women's football initiative. Full Article general
it Jabra Elite Active 75t By www.pcmag.com Published On :: Jabra's Elite Active 75t earphones improve upon the original pair with a more secure fit and a waterproof design for a real true wireless winner. Full Article
it Marshall Monitor II ANC By www.pcmag.com Published On :: The Marshall Monitor II ANC headphones deliver a solid audio experience and decent noise cancellation, but are priced a bit too high. Full Article
it Women's EURO 2021 qualifying: how it stands By www.uefa.com Published On :: Tue, 12 Nov 2019 21:35:00 GMT See how the groups are unfolding and how the 15 sides to join England in the finals will be decided. Full Article general
it UEFA Women's Champions League: Q&A with Nadine Kessler on new format By www.uefa.com Published On :: Thu, 05 Dec 2019 10:00:00 GMT UEFA's head of women's football Nadine Kessler explains why the 2021/22 switch to a group format is a win-win – for clubs, players and fans. Full Article general
it Church of the Holy Sepulchre closed indefinitely By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mon, 30 Mar 2020 14:30:00 -0600 CNA Staff, Mar 30, 2020 / 02:30 pm (CNA).- The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was closed last week and has no definite timeline for reopening. This is the first time in nearly 700 years the holy site has closed for an extended period due to disease. The church building, which houses the tomb of Christ and the site of the crucifixion, was first closed to pilgrims and other visitors on Wednesday, March 25. Initially, the closure was only expected to last for one week, but religious and Israeli government officials agreed that due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the global pilgrimage destination should not reopen. "The initial understanding is that this order is valid for one week, although nobody knows how long this crisis will take," Wadie Abu Nassar, a spokesperson for the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land, told Reuters. Nassar said that if the church is still closed to the public at Easter, some sort of celebration will be arranged in line with the governmental guidelines and restrictions. Easter is celebrated on April 12 for Latin Rite Catholics and April 19 for Eastern Churches using the Julian calendar-- both dates are observed within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. If this were to happen, said Nassar, pilgrims would still not be allowed inside, and the denominations that share custody of the church would coordinate to ensure that there are no more than 10 clerics and other leaders gathered inside at any time. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is unique among religious sites as it is partially controlled by several different Christian Churches. The Roman Catholic Church, Greek Orthodox Church, and Armenian Apostolic Church each share control of the building, and other Orthodox Churches also celebrate divine liturgy at the site. The last time the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was closed for an extended period was 1349, during an outbreak of the Black Death in Jerusalem. The church, which was first consecrated in the year 335, has been closed for short periods of time in the subsequent millennia due to war or other disputes. In 2018, to protest a proposed tax increase on churches, the site was closed to the public for about three days before reopening. Other religious sites, including the Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock, have also closed due to the Israeli government’s new restrictions aimed at preventing people from catching COVID-19. Authorities in Bethlehem, in the West Bank, closed the Church of the Nativity in early March after four cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed in the town. The Church of the Nativity was built over the birthplace of Jesus Christ. All tourists were subsequently banned from entering Bethlehem. Israel has taken a proactive approach in its attempts to contain the spread of COVID-19. On March 9, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that anyone entering the country would be forced to quarantine for a 14-day period. That announcement resulted in the cancelation or abrupt end to many pilgrimages, as travelers scrambled to secure flights back to the United States. Israel has recorded more than 4,000 cases of COVID-19, with 15 deaths. Full Article Middle East - Africa
it African cardinal tests positive for coronavirus as pandemic spreads across the continent By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Tue, 31 Mar 2020 10:28:00 -0600 Vatican City, Mar 31, 2020 / 10:28 am (CNA).- Cardinal Philippe Ouédraogo of Burkina Faso has tested positive for the coronavirus, his archdiocese announced Tuesday. He is the second cardinal known to have tested positive for the virus, which is now a global pandemic. Ouédraogo, 75, has been admitted to a medical clinic in Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou. He is “in good condition and his close collaborators are reported to be self-isolating,” a spokesman for Burkina Faso’s bishops’ conference, Fr. Paul Dah, told ACI Africa on March 31. The cardinal is president of the African continental bishops’ conference, the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM). He was elected to the post in July 2019. He has been Archbishop of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso for ten years, and was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2014. Ouédraogo is the second bishop from Burkina Faso known to have contracted COVID-19, as countries across Africa implement lockdowns and restrictions to slow the spread of the virus across the continent. Another Burkina Faso bishop, Archbishop Emeritus Séraphin François Rouamba of Koupela, tested positive for COVID-19 after being admitted to Our Lady of Peace clinic for urgent treatment on March 19. The 78-year-old archbishop has since been transferred to another hospital and is reportedly in stable condition, according to a March 25 statement from Bishop Laurent Birfuore Dabire of Dori, Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso has the largest documented coronavirus outbreak in West Africa, with 249 documented cases as of March 31, according to Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center. The coronavirus has spread throughout the African continent to 47 countries, according to the Africa Center for Disease Control. In North Africa, Egypt, Algeria, and Morocco each have more than 500 documented cases, and the South African government has reported more than 1,300. Three Nigerian states began two-week mandatory lockdown this week to combat the spread of the virus, including Lagos, Africa’s most populous city with more than 20 million people. Zimbabwe and Mauritius have also implemented national shut-downs, and the bishops in South Sudan and Zimbabwe have suspended public Masses. Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, vicar general of the Diocese of Rome, tested positive for coronavirus on March 30. Other bishops in Italy, France, China, and the United States have also tested positive for COVID-19, and Bishop Angelo Moreschi, 67, died in the Italian city of Brescia on March 25 after contracting the coronavirus. Full Article Middle East - Africa
it Jerusalem archbishop blesses city with True Cross relic By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mon, 06 Apr 2020 13:00:00 -0600 CNA Staff, Apr 6, 2020 / 01:00 pm (CNA).- Unable to lead the traditional Palm Sunday procession through Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, OFM, apostolic administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, blessed the city with a relic of the True Cross on April 5. The annual procession, which recalls Christ’s entry into the city and the beginning of Holy Week, was cancelled in line with international efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19, with public gatherings and events suspended in Israel. “We decided since we cannot have the palm procession, to have anyway a moment of prayer this afternoon,” said Pizzaballa on Sunday. The archbishop led a short, multi-lingual “moment of prayer” at Dominus Flevit, a church located on the Mount of Olives. The church, which is shaped like a teardrop, overlooks the city, and was built to mark the Gospel account of Jesus weeping as he envisioned the destruction of Jerusalem. The prayer service ended with Pizzaballa raising a relic of the True Cross over the city in benediction. Jerusalem, said Pizzaballa, “is a symbol of the church, the symbol also of humanity. It is the house of prayer for all the people, according to the scriptures.” “So when we cry [over] Jerusalem, together with Jesus, we cry [over] all our human fraternity, for this difficult moment we are living, for this sad Palm Sunday, this Easter we have to celebrate.” Pizzaballa said that sadness over being unable to celebrate the liturgical feasts of Holy Week is real, but “maybe, in a way also very true, very essential.” “Today we have not celebrated the solemn and beautiful entrance of Jesus to the city of Jerusalem like every year, with faithful from all the parishes of the diocese and with pilgrims from all over the world,” Pizzaballa said during the prayer service. “We have not raised our palms and olive branches to cry out ‘Hosanna’ to our king, Jesus the Christ.” Instead, the archbishop asked Catholics in the Holy Land and around the world to consider what the Lord may be trying to say during these times. He noted that, while the people of Jerusalem in the Gospel greeted him with cheers on Palm Sunday, Jesus knew that “He came to Jerusalem, not to be on the throne like David, but to be put to death.” “The meaning that Jesus attributes to his ‘triumphal entry’ is different from the meaning that the people of Jerusalem saw in it,” he said. “Perhaps this is the lesson that Jesus wants to teach us today. We turn to God when there is something that harms us. When we are in trouble, suddenly we all want to ask big and difficult questions.” While people may be praying for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic as we often do for solutions to other problems, the archbishop said that “Jesus responds in His own way” to these prayers. “Precisely because Jesus says ‘yes’ to our deepest desires, He will have to say ‘no’ to our immediate desires,” he said. Drawing comparisons between this year's Palm Sunday and the biblical Palm Sunday during Christ's earthly life, Pizzaballa said the story of Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem “is a lesson on the discrepancy between our expectations and God’s response.” The crowd who greeted Jesus was disappointed that their salvation was not immediate, said Pizzaballa, but “Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem is truly the moment when salvation is born.” “The ‘Hosannas’ were justified, even if not for the reasons the Jerusalemites had supposed,” he said. This remains true today, he explained. Although it may seem as though God is not answering prayers and leaves people “disappointed,” this is in part because “our expectations remain without an apparent response.” Christianity, he said, “is based on hope and love, not certainty,” and that while God will not answer all problems with certainty, “He won’t leave us alone.” “And here, today, despite everything, at the gates of His and our city, we declare that we really want to welcome Him as our King and Messiah, and to follow Him on His way to His throne, the cross,” he said. “But we also ask Him to give us the strength necessary to carry it with His own, fruitful love.” Full Article Middle East - Africa
it Pandemic may revive Islamic State and hurt Iraq’s minorities, say NGOs By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 22 Apr 2020 12:00:00 -0600 Rome Newsroom, Apr 22, 2020 / 12:00 pm (CNA).- For Iraqi Christian and Yazidi communities still recovering from the destruction wreaked by the Islamic State, the coronavirus poses significant risks, NGOs have said in a joint statement. “The public health system in Sinjar and the wider Nineveh Governorate was decimated by ISIS during its brutal occupation and genocidal campaign in Iraq, beginning in 2014,” the letter stated. “An impending humanitarian and security disaster looms large in Iraq. … There is a significant attendant threat to global security if ISIS uses this opportunity to regroup and return, but it does not have to be this way. Iraqi authorities and the United Nations must act now,” it continued. Twenty-five NGOs working in northern Iraq issued a joint statement April 16 calling on the World Health Organization to undertake an assessment mission in the area, where testing has been limited, and urging Iraqi authorities to prevent the Islamic State from regrouping. Signed by the Iraqi Christian Relief Council, Free Yezidi Foundation, Genocide Alert, and the Religious Freedom Institute, the statement described how the pandemic is exacerbating existing security, humanitarian, and health risks among displaced and rebuilding Iraqi minority communities. It highlighted, in particular, the global risk of a potential resurgence of the Islamic State. Security threat “COVID-19 and the precipitous drop in oil prices have caused the Iraqi economy to collapse, leaving a dangerous security vacuum for ISIS to exploit. Indeed, the resultant political turmoil and social strife recall the very conditions that earlier incarnations of ISIS and its supporters capitalized on during its initial surge almost a decade ago,” it stated. “According to International Crisis Group, ISIS in its weekly newsletter Al-Naba called on its fighters to attack and weaken its enemies while they are distracted by the pandemic,” it added. U.S. military officials have expressed concern that the Islamic State could use adverse conditions to its advantage in it recruitment efforts. “COVID-19 has also hastened the departure of some coalition forces from Iraq, weakening counter-terrorism operations, while some ISIS detainees have recently escaped prison in Syria,” the letter stated. On March 30, Islamic State fighters imprisoned in northwestern Syria revolted. The rioting prisoners took over one wing of the prison before Kurdish forces intervened. “There is an urgent need for reform in the civilian security sector, in order to integrate regional militias into a unified Federal Police that upholds the rule of law and protects all citizens, regardless of religion or clan affiliation,” the letter said. Health infrastructure needs The economic strain has also hindered Iraqi minorities’ efforts to rebuild their communities, including medical infrastructure needs. “Many Yazidis (Ezidis/Yezidis) want to return to Sinjar, but security, reconstruction and basic services are still lacking to allow a dignified return. There are currently only two hospitals and just one ventilator to assist the current population of around 160,000 people in the region,” the NGOs’ statement explained. Iraq’s healthcare system, which has suffered for decades from the effects of sanctions and war, currently faces a critical shortage of doctors and medicine, according to a Reuters investigation. Hospitals in Iraq are already overcrowded and doctors overworked, while the healthcare situation is slightly better in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq, which has its own health ministry. There have been at least 1,600 cases of COVID-19 documented in Iraq, which is under pressure to reopen its border with Iran, which has had more than 85,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, according to Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center. Humanitarian workers have also had trouble reaching those in need due to movement restrictions, and have raised concerns about the risk of an outbreak in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. Social distancing is very difficult in these high-density IDP camps in Iraq, where 1.8 million people remain displaced due to insecurity and reconstruction needs, according to the UN. The 25 NGOs called for the government of Iraq and the United Nations to provide testing capacity in the IDP camps in Sinjar, Tel Afar and the Nineveh Plains. “At present, it is impossible to apprehend the extent of the spread of the virus because no testing for the disease is taking place in the camps, while restrictions of movement impede the work of humanitarian actors who provide basic essentials such as food, water and medicine,” they stated. Psychological risk for trauma survivors Genocide survivors with trauma also face increased personal risk of psychological harm amid isolation imposed by coronavirus measures. As in much of the world, authorities in Iraqi Kurdistan have ordered people to stay home, imposed a curfew, and have closed places of worship, schools, restaurants, and most businesses. “Another alarming corollary of the COVID-19 pandemic in Iraq is the psychological impact on at-risk communities, including Yazidis, Turkmen and Christians, such as Assyrians,” it said. This is a particular concern for the Yazidi communities in which thousands of women were victims of sexual violence by the Islamic State. “Prior to the outbreak, Médecins Sans Frontières reported on a debilitating mental health crisis among Yazidis in Iraq, including a rising number of suicides,” it stated. Suicides in this community have already been reported since social distancing measures were put into place, the NGOs reported. They called on the World Health Organization to address this “acute mental health crisis.” In their appeal to the WHO and Iraqi government, the NGOs insisted that the stakes were high: “COVID-19 is a pandemic the likes of which we have not seen before. Survivors of genocide and other mass atrocity crimes are now waiting for this silent death to pass through the camps and their homes, unable to fight back.” Full Article Middle East - Africa
it Togo bishops decry arrest of opposition leader By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 24 Apr 2020 11:31:00 -0600 CNA Staff, Apr 24, 2020 / 11:31 am (CNA).- The bishops of Togo called for peace and respect for the rights of citizens after the violent arrest of an opposition leader from his home on Tuesday. “[E]very citizen has the right and duty to express his/her disapproval in the face of manifest injustice and oppression,” the Catholic bishops of Togo said in a statement, according to English Africa Service. “The physical violence and other inhuman and degrading treatment inflicted on citizens on this occasion is, therefore, a negation of their rights and freedoms…the Conference of Bishops denounces and condemns them, and calls on authorities to exercise restraint.” In their statement, the bishops said they were dismayed to learn that opposition leader Agbeyome Kodjo had been arrested at his home this week, “in circumstances of brutality and violence perpetrated by the Defence and Security Forces.” News reports indicated that police had broken into Kodjo’s home to arrest him for failing to appear before the nation’s intelligence police force. The opposition leader previously served as prime minister of the country, but his diplomatic immunity was removed last month by Parliament. Kodjo, who heads the Patriotic Movement for Democracy and Development, came in a distant second to incumbent President Faure Gnassingbé Eyadéma in the nation’s February presidential elections. Kodjo called the results a farce and declared himself the rightful president of the country. He said his calculations showed that he had received some 60% of the nation’s votes, while official tallies put him at about 18%. Gnassingbé has been president of Togo since 2005 and is entering his fourth term. His father previously ruled the country after a 1967 coup. Togo has seen political instability and widespread poverty in recent years. Protests in 2017 called for the resignation of Gnassingbé and resulted in harsh crackdowns. Last month, 90-year-old Archbishop emeritus Philippe Fanoko Kpodzro of Lome was placed under house arrest briefly, after he encouraged protests following the presidential election. Full Article Middle East - Africa
it This Kenyan nun runs a program for girls with disabilities By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Sun, 03 May 2020 06:01:00 -0600 Nairobi, Kenya, May 3, 2020 / 06:01 am (CNA).- At a one-room house outside Nairobi, a 23-year-old girl with disabilities claps her hands and throws herself at Sr. Rose Catherine Wakibiru, who has been visiting girls with disability at their homes since the Kenyan government closed schools last month over coronavirus. The girl, referred to as Faith, “is deaf and dumb,” Sr. Rose Catherine of the Assumption Sisters of Nairobi, told ACI Africa April 27. “She is autistic and has cerebral palsy and so she doesn’t know anything about social distancing. She has pure love in her heart and she can’t stop embracing people to show how happy she is.” Faith lived at Limuru Cheshire Home along with 60 other girls who have physical or intellectual disabilities, before the pandemic. Sr. Rose Catherine, administrator of the home, called the girls’ parents and guardians to retrieve their children when schools were closed. “Most parents we called were not ready to pick their girls,” Sr. Rose Catherine said, adding that many girls at Cheshire home are drawn from poor backgrounds and that most come from informal settlements around Nairobi. The nun explained that Faith initially lived with her mother and three siblings in a Nairobi slum, but they moved to another settlement “three weeks ago when their house was washed away in floods.” When their house was washed away, Faith’s mother gave out her children to different well-wishers and looked for a place to stay herself. Later, friends helped her to get a single-roomed house where she stays with her three children and goes out to look for menial jobs to sustain her family. Such jobs are hard to come by amid the restrictions due to coronavirus, and the family may be thrown out of their home as the mother is unable to pay for it. Sr. Rose Catherine said five residents of the Cheshire home were taken in by other families, as they had nowhere to go. “I know all [the] families that have their daughters here and I have an idea of those that can accommodate a girl [who] isn’t their own. So when I made those calls, I would ask a parent if they were willing to take care of an extra girl. That’s how I got all the five girls a place to stay,” said Sr. Rose Catherine. To ease the burden of the foster parents, Limuru Cheshire Home supplies the girls with basic necessities such as food, soap, and sanitary materials in their new homes. Some families were reluctant to have their daughters back home, and Sr. Rose Catherine said the biggest challenge for girls with disabilities and their families during coronavirus is poverty. Most of the families “live on daily wages, and with their girls around they can’t go out and work as they used to. All the girls at the facility are special needs cases and they need someone to look after them” at all times, the nun said. The girls also come last in families that grapple with lack of basic needs, such as food. When there is little food to share, children with disabilities do not get any of it, Sr. Rose Catherine reported. “I have been to a home where I found my girl watching her siblings eat. When I asked her brother why her sister wasn’t eating anything, he said there was very little food in the house,” Sr. Rose Catherine recounted. “Children with disabilities are treated as second-rate individuals. People only think about them when everybody else has had their fill.” Many of the girls’ families have asked the Assumption Sisters of Nairobi for help since having the girls returned to their care, and Sr. Rose Catherine has made at least eight home visits in recent weeks. On each home visit, families are supplied with food, masks, and sanitizer. “What we have at the moment is only enough to keep the families going for one more week, yet we have outreach plans for next week. We can only plan and hope that well-wishers will come on board to touch the lives of these vulnerable girls and their families,” Sr. Rose Catherine said. A version of this story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA's African news partner. It has been adapted by CNA. Full Article Middle East - Africa