Peace Corps

For many who are about to embark on a career in international health, the Peace Corps is almost a rite of passage. Here's a community blog that gathers corps volunteers stories and photoes.

In a matter of weeks, my life, as I have known it for 61 years, will drastically change. On July 24th, I will begin my 27-months with the Peace Corps serving in South Africa. This realization came to me for the first time 2 days ago – I began to cry. At first, I didn’t know what I was crying about. But then, the fear made itself known. I would be leaving behind everything that I had become familiar with: my house, my work, my friends, my cats, my . . .probably things I have yet to imagine. And I felt SCARED. Perhaps this is the first of several emotional reactions that will jump out at me as I prepare to leave.

Check it out here The Third Goal

Sleepless in Sudan

A fascinating blog on one aid worker's experiences in Sudan. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), the blog is now closed.

An aid worker diary from Darfur, Sudan: real stories, random observations and occasional rants on the lives of Darfur’s two million displaced people and the somewhat bewildered humanitarian agencies who are trying to help them. Sleepless in Sudan is just another website on just another violent conflict in Africa – but uncensored, direct and without the sugar-coating that the tightly controlled and highly politicized environment demands from the official sources. Sleepless in Sudan

Sudan Activism

Rwanda will for the first time in history send troops for a United Nations assignment, the Rwanda Defense Forces (RDF) Chief of General Staff General James Kabarebe, has disclosed.”You are the first group in our country’s history that our force is sending for a UN mission. I believe you understand beyond reasonable doubt what this means.

Find out more from the Sudan Activism Blog

Palestinian Health Crisis

Not surprisingly, UN Donor Freezes on Palestinian AID has had a devastating impact.

Where is the logic in making available essential supplies while at the same time strangling the system that delivers them?" The Palestinian Authority has long relied on foreign donors to run its health sector and other public services. Such aid previously covered around half of the Palestinian health budget.

A post from the Iraq Solidarity Campaign

Poverty Lines Defined

1.13 crore households were poor when the poverty line was Rs 20K/year. Taking the generally accepted 5 people per household, that’s about 56 million people below that povery line. 2001 Census tells us that Maharashtra has nearly 97 million people. In other words, nearly 60 per cent of this state is below that poverty line.

Find out more in this eye-opening piece from Dilip on the How the Other Half Lives