Pennies add up for Wisconsin 8th-graders
A so-called “penny war” begun by eighth-graders at West Salem Middle School, in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, raised $610 in loose change from students — a portion of which was donated to a village in Rwanda to meet the water needs for a month. Students divided the remainder of the money between a Sudanese water program and Nothing But Nets, the UN Foundation-backed campaign to combat malaria.
Abbas acts against honor killings
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has vowed to crack down on honor killings in the wake of a murder that has sparked international condemnations. Twenty-year-old Aya Baradiya was murdered by her uncle because he did not approve of a potential suitor. Abbas has already vetoed laws this week that would have limited sentences for honor killings to six months or less.
Girls take Girl Scouts to task over sustainable palm oil
Two young Girl Scouts are leading a national effort against the use of palm oil in Girl Scout cookies that has rattled the organization — which uses palm oil in all 16 varieties of the cookies its members sell. The girls, now high-school sophomores, learned of palm oil production’s potential environmental effects while researching orangutan habitats.
Japan to sign international child-abduction convention
The Japanese Cabinet has approved plans to sign on to the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction after facing intense international pressure. The convention seeks to protect the rights of both parents and places custody decisions under the jurisdiction of the country where a child first resided. Japan has faced criticism over policies that make it easy for Japanese mothers to remove children from foreign fathers and deny visitation.
Indian educators face discipline over child marriage
Officials at a government school in the Indian state of Ajmer are facing criticism from state authorities for renting out facilities for marriage celebrations involving a 12-year-old girl. State authorities run an annual campaign against the practice of child marriages, but the custom persists across India.
Children’s health featured in “Sesame Square”
Nigerian developers have given “Sesame Street” a decidedly local flavor with “Sesame Square” — an attempt to help pre-school children jump-start their education and raise public awareness about public health concerns. One of the “Sesame Square” characters is HIV-positive and one show focused on the story of a main character using an anti-malaria insecticide-treated bed net improperly.
Afghan women reporters fight the odds
A growing number of young Afghan women are picking up pen and paper to join the Kabul press corps despite disapproving families, death threats and a society that limits their ability to work. Like many of the young women, 25-year-old Mina Habib is focusing her reporting on corruption and efforts to build democratic institutions in the conflict-ravaged country.
Gates calls for “decade of vaccines”
Stepped up efforts by all governments worldwide to vaccinate and immunize their people could lead to 10 million fewer deaths by 2020, Microsoft founder Bill Gates told the World Health Assembly in Geneva. Gates called for a “decade of vaccines,” and stressed the importance of ensuring the delivery of vaccines by health care workers in developing countries.
