Friday March 24 marks World Tuberculosis Day. A curable disease, tuberculosis (TB) remains a great scourge of human history. It is one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide. Over 95% of TB deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. The risk of developing tuberculosis (TB) is estimated to be between 26 and 31 times greater in people living with HIV than among those without HIV infection. As we approach World TB Day 2017, we share the grueling journeys of men and women with multi-drug resistant TB in Swaziland, their suffering, the impact on their lives and their families.
https://msf.exposure.co/tuberculosis-patients-in-swaziland
MSF Access Campaign congratulates civil society groups for their work in helping John Hopkins University to make a decision to license their patent to the Medicines Patent Pool. People power improves access to medicines!
http://bit.ly/2n6TMC6
Tweet or share on facebook to help share the news.
Let's Get 130 million Girls into School!
Each girl who cannot go to school today is a precious daughter and grandaughter. As we celebrate all the advances that have made in recent years we cannot forget each girl who is still waiting. Each waits for books, schools, teachers, peace, …. Watch the short video and join the count.
https://girlscount.one.org/
March 8th is International Women’s Day, a day for us to once again remind ourselves of the situation for women in Sub-Saharan Africa. All around the globe we see examples of gender inequality, but they can be particularly glaring in that part of the world. Older women frequently have no pensions, few -- if any -- property rights, and very limited access to affordable medicines for chronic diseases that affect us all as we age. Younger women and girls often find that medicines to treat HIV/AIDS are unavailable to them, even though they are the demographic with the highest percentage of new infections. Personal safety and access to education are significant challenges for African women of all ages. Let’s remember why we advocate on their behalf!
Here is a wonderful blog posting from Help Age International
For Signing the Safe Schools Declaration
This February Canada became the 59th country to sign on to the Safe Schools Declaration, an international political commitment to protect students, teachers, and schools from attack in times of armed conflict. By endorsing the declaration, Canada sends a strong message on the urgency to act together to protect schools from attack and military use and to defend children's access to education.
Read more on Canada's policy here
http://international.gc.ca/world-monde/aid-aide/safe_schools_policy-politique_securite_ecoles.aspx?lang=eng
Canada plays a very active and important role in the work of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). Julia Gillard, Board Chair of the GPE, reflects on her recent visit to Canada in February in this informative blog. Click here to read more:
AIDS claimed around 36 million lives between 1981 and 2016, and a similar number around the world currently live with the HIV virus. There is now scientific evidence showing that HIV-positive individuals receiving antiretroviral (ARV) treatment suppress the HIV virus in their bloodstreams so dramatically that they are very unlikely to transmit the virus to others. This discovery has led to the 90-90-90 set of goals and although not without its challenges, there is agreement that the 90-90-90 targets are attainable making the end of AIDS within reach. For more about the progress achieved to date, the challenges addressed and those ahead, please click here:
GRAN Co-Chair, Hillary Elliot, joined with other Canadian CSO representatives in Ottawa this past Wednesday to meet with Julia Gillard, Chair of the Global Partnership for Education. Julia was in Ottawa to raise awareness of the critical importance of education in development. Click here to read Julia Gillard’s OpEd in the Ottawa Citizen on how Canada can help boost girls' education globally.
It has been an exceptional year for the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). The GPE welcomed four new partner countries, funded US$4.6 billion in grants to over 50 countries, trained over 240,000 teachers, distributed 30 million textbooks, built 3,000 classrooms and joined forces with new global ambassador, Rihana.
To see more of GPE’s accomplishments and their year in review watch the following short video.
Please enjoy this article from Doctors Without Borders website, acknowledging GRAN's help with their afairshot.org campaign.
http://www.msf.ca/en/article/how-a-determined-group-of-canadian-grandmothers-helped-msf-s-campaign-for-lower-vaccine
Happy New Year ...
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