The Global Citizen

Israeli-Palestinian Team Creates Film for Peace

History of Slaves in the White House

Jesse Holland took a year's sabbatical from the AP to conduct never-before-done research revealed in his book, Black Men Built the Capitol: Discovering African-American History in and Around Washington. The book details, among other things, stories of the slave quarters which once comprised the first floor, and of the slave families who performed nearly all domestic services under their ownership by eight presidents.

Bono Speaks to ONE Members After Performance at Lincoln Memorial

Update: Christmas Massacre in Congo Salughtered 620

"At several sites where the killings took place, researchers found fresh graves, pools of dried blood, cords used to tie up prisoners and blood-stained bats and axes used to kill the victims."

 

After a two-week mission to the region in the wake of three simultaneous attacks by the Lord's Resistance Army, Human Rights Watch finds the magnitude of the Christmas Massacre tragedy even greater than first reported. In addition to the estimated 620 brutally slaughtered, more than 160 children were abducted.

Full Story.

"Stand Up" by the Flobots

Radio for Children by Children in Swaziland

"The children are extremely brilliant. It is amazing how they get behind the microphone and articulate peer issues." - Elizabeth Kgololo, communications director of Save the Children


"We felt there was a need to use another medium to reach these children... We are confident that through the forum of radio the children themselves will get an opportunity to discuss issues that affect them." - Siphiwe Nkambule, National Coordinator of Super Buddies Magazine clubs.

These excerpts come from an IRIN news report today about a UNICEF-backed program that has grown as an extension of the successful "Super Buddies" magazine. These programs seek to reach as wide an audience of Swaziland children as possible, providing a forum for children to discuss/learn about child-welfare issues such as HIV/Aids, child-trafficking, and suicide.

Read the full report.

Visit the Swaziland Observer online and read more about the radio program's launch.

Mauritania: New Slavery is Worse than the Old

"New slavery is worse than that of the old days. Today, you get a negligible amount for heavy work. You have to support yourself and your family unlike the old days of slavery, when you were called a slave but at least your food and housing were paid for by your masters.”

               - Mbareck Ould Mahmoude, 50



Read Mbareck's story at IRIN news.

Senegal: 6-yr-old Raped in School Bathroom

“It hurts me so, so much. I feel such pity for my daughter. I cannot believe someone could do that to a six-year-old. To ruin her life like that. When I visited her in hospital, she looked so small. This has traumatised me."

      - Lamine, victim's father

This devastating story comes alongside another IRIN report detailing the challenges of implementing developing strategies to combat sexual violence in Senegal.

“Here, the victim of sexual violence is often treated very badly. She is made to feel guilty, that she provoked the attack. [Victims'] needs are not taken into account.” - Adam Sow, Group Against Child Rape (GRAVE)

“We need to educate in schools and at home. To teach the respect of women and girls as human beings. That girls are of the same worth as boys.…It is going to be a long-term job."  - Fatimata Sy, National Committee for the Fight Against Violence on Women (CLVF)

Click here for the full story on Lamine's daughter.

Click here for the full story on combating sexual violence in Senegal.

Photo Credit: Vera Sytch @ Kodak

Children Migrate for Work; Find Broken Promises

From IRIN:

“We were 25 people in a nine-seater. When we got to the border, we avoided the control post. The driver dropped us off and we hiked for three days through the bush to cross into Nigeria. I was scared to be in the bush."

                         - Zakari Kamilou, 17

Full Story.

Fog Turned To Drinking Water in West Africa

"SANTIAGO, 9 January 2009 (IRIN)...With the help of 200sqm of netting erected in 2005, Serra Malagueta’s residents are collecting fog water to supply their water needs. The nets capture fog, which then turns into water that drips into a trough and flows through pipes. The filtered water is fed into holding tanks that supply the water to the elementary school and community faucets.

Before fog nets families waited during the dry season for water to be trucked in from surrounding communities that have clean groundwater, for which they paid 2 US cents per litre. 

Past droughts here have killed tens of thousands and forced many more to emigrate. Climate change experts have linked the volcanic archipelago's droughts and varied rainfall amounts to ever-warming global temperatures."

Full Story.