I'm starting off a bundle of news related to African adoption, orphans and such with a link to a lovely African adoption story of three Liberian kids adopted into a family in a small town in Northern California.

Mawolin, Joseph and Elizabeth Summers haven't been home long, just since April, but this report indicates that they're doing very well in their settling in and happy to be part of this new family.

Zambia just made its first ever contribution to the UN World Food Program (WFP), with 10,000 metric... more

This story from South Africa's Western Province addresses the increasing influx of orphans, and the difficulty children's centers have in keeping up.

Adding to the AIDS toll and poverty, the fact is that crime is rampant and in many places there is no shame in stealing from orphans or burning down and vandalizing facilities that care for them.

In Cape Town, they're ... more

Well, here's a story on child trafficking in Africa you don't hear every day ...

It is being reported that sixty-two children rescued from suspected traffickers have gone on a hunger strike to protest what they're saying is inhuman treatment by the Nigerian state police command who have been caring for them ... that, and "poverty in the land that forced their parents to engage them for sundry jobs", which is apparently the preferred term for slavery.

The... more

Sometimes I think I'm "brave" and that I stick my neck out, but Jenni Williams is one of the truly brave in this world. Zimbabwe has descended into total anarchy and mob rule, in my opinion, yet there are still brave souls who stand up for what's right. I hope Jenni doesn't mysteriously disappear while in police custody.

Press Statement Sean McCormack, Spokesman Washington, DC June 7, 2007 ... more

I just came across a great booklet published by Plan UK, one of the largest child-centered community development organizations in the world. They have just published a 98-page report entitled Because I Am a Girl.

They address the gender inequality that exists around the world, but is stark and dramatic in many areas of the world, including Africa. It's fascinating, really, but sadly, not too surprising. Girls are getting a raw deal. Despite having the same rights as their brothers, they face discrimination even before they are born. There are an estimated 100 million missing women... more

The US State Department recently issued a report on the Lubuto libraries in Lusaka, Zambia.

The Lubuto Library Project was started by an American woman - Jane Kinney Meyers - who believes that, in addition to food and shelter, every child deserves a chance to learn and to hope for a better future. Lubuto is a word in the Bemba language of Central Africa that means "enlightenment, knowledge and light.

The project has taken shape as a Washington nonprofit organization that is... more

Zimbabwe's inflation rate, which is the highest in the world, climbed to a record 3713,9% last month as food and energy costs rose, the Central Statistical Office (CSO) said yesterday.

The CSO said yesterday that consumer prices jumped to this year-on-year level from 2200,2% in March. Month-on-month inflation increased to 100,7% last month from 50,5% in March.

"This is a classic case of hyperinflation, and it shows we are going downhill. There is no visible sign that the government has the capacity to end this crisis," consultant economist John Robertson said yesterday.

Economists... more

There's an article today in our local paper about a child soldier who is now an author of what sounds like an amazing story. I can't wait to read the book, even though I already know that much of the story is sad. (But what a triumph in the end!) It's called A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier.

Here's a snippet of the newspaper article:

He used to be a boy soldier, a 13-year-old who learned to slit a man's throat... more

Published here, this article came out this week. It says in part:

Daring human traffickers are taking advantage of Mozambique’s weak adoption laws in order to traffic children out of the country for the purposes of prostitution or cheap labour, Vista News reported on Tuesday.

This was said by Lurdes Mabunda, head of the Department of Women and Children in the Ministry of Interior, in a report in the latest issue of the International Organisation on Migration newsletter, Eye of Human Trafficking released this week.She said the use of the adoption laws was the latest form of... more

When I saw this article from the New York Times, I couldn't resist blogging about it. After all, it combines information about two of my passions - midwifery (and related topics) and Africa! Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months has long been the recommendation for HIV+ women in developing countries. Now, based on several new studies just released, people are re-evaluating the recommendation that those babies be transitioned to formula and solids at 6 months old.... more