Mar 12
I recently read an article on the CNN Project Freedom website about a woman from Denver, Colorado who is trying to end modern day slavery, otherwise known as sex trafficking. Kimba Langas was a stay at home mom who, like most of us, began accumulating unwanted clothing, boxed in her garage, which she packed away …
Mar 09
For the last two weeks the United Nations held the 56th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). The CSW is the principal global policy-making body dedicated exclusively to women’s rights and gender equality. This commission meets annually for 10 working days. The principal outcomes of the commission are the agreed conclusion between member (45 …
Mar 08
Today, March 8th, is International Women’s Day, and in honor of this event the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars released a special report on how women have fared in the Arab Spring. They asked a variety of women to comment on the events, and a surprising number of them were not very positive. Women …
Mar 02
The world’s largest refugee camp turns 20 years-old this week. The Dadaab in Kenya welcomes approximately 1,300 refugees a day and is currently a haven to almost half-a-million people escaping war-torn neighboring countries like Somalia. Originally designed with a capacity to hold 90,000, Dadaab, located about 60 miles from the Kenya-Somalia border was only meant …
Feb 17
Mathilde, a mother of six, lived a quiet life in her village in Rwanda. One day as she went to the field towards her crops, she saw two men approach her. She ran when she recognized that they were wearing the insignia of the FDLR, a militia group, on their clothing. As she fled, she …
Feb 16
I’ve written a lot about Syria these last several months, and if you’ve read any of my posts you know that I am not very optimistic about the situation. Al-Assad has repeatedly promised the Arab League that he will end the violence in his country, and yet every day there is another story in the …
Feb 15
The Hardanis family, made up of Mohammad, his wife and two young girls were among the approximately 250 people on board a people-smuggling boat headed to Australia. The vessel carrying the migrants sank during the journey. Only 47 people survived. One of his daughters was rescued by a fishing boat that was in close proximity. …
Feb 15
Recently I read an article that told the story of a former child soldier who fought in the civil war in Burundi. The story recounted his tale and brushed on his use of narcotics as a means to escape his memories of the war. As I read this I could not help thinking; this man …
Feb 10
Recently all I have been hearing on the news about Libya is the issue of prisoner abuse. It has been alleged that the prisons scattered throughout Libya are the sites of reprisals against the supporters of the ousted Gaddafi regime, as well as people the militias have grudges against due to tribal and regional differences. …
Feb 02
Two weeks ago I wrote about a burgeoning responsible tourism initiative in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and how it could benefit the Bedouin community and Egypt as a whole. Today, while I was on the elliptical (which I do about once every month or so… I like to stay healthy.) I happened to flip to CNN …
