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Africa’s growing economic muscle tells only part of the story
August 5th, 2010Africa is making progress economically, according to a new report by McKinsey & Company. With combined gross domestic products across the continent of 1.6 trillion dollars in 2008, Africa is on par with Brazil. Improved political stability and economic reforms seem to be part of the reason, and as Africa continues to expand its presence [...]
For the Love of Soccer
July 8th, 2010As the World Cup winds down this week, we are left with images of the best teams in the world competing for the top honor in soccer in vibrant and beautiful South Africa. Through the lens of this African country, many people are also left with images of a continent that they had never seen [...]
Scientific Research Underpins Development Advancements
June 16th, 2010An elephant trampling a farmer’s field is a frequent problem in many parts of Africa. One elephant can destroy a farmer’s entire crop. Recent news reports suggest that research scientists may have found an eco-friendly way to keep the elephants out. Scientists have learned that elephants are afraid of swarming bees. So farmers may be [...]
Embracing Local Community Needs is Key to Conserving Africa’s Wildlife
April 16th, 2010Today, in his column in the New York Times, Nicholas Kristof writes about the demise of the African wild dog, also known as the painted dog. Once numbering in the hundreds of thousands throughout Africa, the painted dog is about to disappear—only a few thousand remain in four countries.
Working to Save Africa’s Rich Biodiversity
February 25th, 2010The United Nations has named 2010 International Biodiversity Year, acknowledging the continued loss of plant and animal species around the world from population growth, urbanization, deteriorating habitats, invasive species, and more. Last year, the U.N. reported that 17,000 animal and plant species are at risk of extinction and some 60 percent of our planet’s ecosystems [...]
PBS Turns a Much-Needed Spotlight on Maternal Health Risks in the Wake of the Haiti Earthquake
January 29th, 2010It isn’t surprising that a team from the PBS newsmagazine NOW turned to Ann Starrs, president and cofounder of Family Care International, when it wanted to better understand why women in Haiti have the highest rate of death in childbirth in the Western Hemisphere and what some 63,000 pregnant Haitian women now face in the [...]
Alternatives to Orphanages Bring Hope to Africa’s Vulnerable Children
December 19th, 2009The United Nations estimates that more than 55 million African children have lost one parent and that almost 15 million of them have lost a parent to AIDS. Orphanages are often seen as a solution for these orphaned and vulnerable children. In a recent article in the New York Times, Celia Dugger suggests an alternative. [...]
For Aid for Africa Members, Every Day is World AIDS Day
December 1st, 2009Two-thirds of the people in the world living with HIV and AIDS are in Sub Saharan Africa. In its 2009 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic, UNAIDS found that more than 22 million people in the region have HIV/AIDS. In 2008, 1.4 million people in the region died of AIDS and almost 2 million became [...]