By Thye Yoke Pean

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB), and Malaria – a major partner in the campaign to meet the Millennium Development Goals — is facing a serious financial shortfall as governments cut their contributions, triggering concerns that progress towards preventing and treating these diseases will suffer a serious setback.  The Global Fund has already announced that it will not accept new grant requests until at least 2014.

A health care worker examines a child in Benin. The clinic is able to provide antiretroviral medication and HIV testing, thanks to funding from the Global Fund, which also pays for medical personnel and health worker training.

Established in 2002, the Global Fund invests the world’s money to save lives. To date, it has committed over US$ 22 billion in 150 countries to programmes that support large-scale prevention, treatment and care against these three serious diseases.  The Global Fund says their funding has helped 3.3 million people benefit from antiretroviral treatment, 8.6 million detect and treat TB and 230 million receive insecticide-treated mosquito nets.

Funding issues threaten to undo the significant progress that has been made in the fight against AIDS, TB and malaria in the past decade.

“Simply put, if we allow the fund to fail, many people will die and we will forfeit the chance at (an) AIDS-free generation . . . This is no time to step back,” writes Paul Farmer, chairman of Harvard Medical School’s department of global health, in an International Herald Tribune editorial.

Besides being the largest donor to TB and malaria programs, Farmer argues that what makes the Global Fund effective is its collaboration with government ministries to improve health systems, transparency & accountability, procurement procedures and the quality of civil servants and health professionals.

In the face of these cuts, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged US$ 750 million in support to The Global Fund.  “These are tough economic times, but that is no excuse for cutting aid to the world’s poorest,” says Bill Gates.  While significant, the Gates Foundation contribution is not enough to offset the reduction in other funds.

In the western highlands of Kenya, a member of a team of "spray guys" is on his way to carry out indoor residual spraying, which helps protect against malaria.

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé is calling on African governments to face the new reality by taking on a greater share of AIDS investments in their own countries and reduce their dependence on external funding. Approximately two-thirds of Africa’s total AIDS spending is financed from abroad. Speaking to African leaders at the recent African Union Summit, Sidibé suggested that solutions include taxing alcohol and tobacco consumption as well as mobile phone usage and taking out more loans from the African Development Bank.

An example of innovative domestic financing can be found in Zimbabwe, which has had a unique AIDS levy since 1999. This three percent tax on income complements the country’s AIDS funding. While the levy had been insignificant due to Zimbabwe’s poor economic performance, collections increased by 259 percent in 2010 compared to the previous year, following an improvement in the country’s economy. This levy was used to finance a quarter of the country’s antiretroviral drugs. However, the remaining funds still came from external sources, including the Global Fund.

This is not the first time the Global Fund has been hit by funding issues. In 2011, Germany and Sweden suspended their annual commitments after revelations of corruption in Djibouti, Mauritania, Mali and Zambia. Later that year, Japan, one of the fund’s largest donors, suspended contributions in the wake of the Japan earthquake. ONE (SINGAPORE), in a letter to the Japanese Ambassador, joined an international civil society campaign to urge the country “not to abandon its commitments to eradicate poverty and disease in impoverished countries.”  Japan subsequently promised to reinstate its financing.

A health outreach worker in Rwanda provides care to patients who take daily AIDS or tuberculosis medication. There are thousands of such workers in this central African nation, where nearly 18 percent of the urban population has HIV/AIDS.

The Global Fund announced in May 2011 that they faced a funding shortfall of 1.3 billion dollars. This prompted the fund to reform its approach. A new global fund strategy for 2012 – 2016 will be adopted, which includes measures to invest in programs with higher impact.

Photo Credits:  The Global Fund / John Rae

Related Articles and Resources

• Learn more about The Global Fund and sign up to show your support
• “Africa: Paying for Health” (AfricaFocus Bulletin, 3 February 2012)
• USA cuts US$215 million to The Global Fund, which according to the AIDS Healthcare Foundation equates to lifesaving AIDS treatment for 640,000 people for one year.
• “HIV Prevention Falls Short as Funding Ends” (The Moscow Times, 16 February 2012)

In our midst, there are women, men and children who do not have enough to eat every day.  Willing Hearts, a local soup kitchen, prepares and delivers meals to some 2500 people, 365 days a year.  Photographer Joy Wong visits ONE (SINGAPORE)’s annual grocery warehouse sale, Every ONE Can, then follows the food trail, first to Willing Hearts’ headquarters, then to delivery points across the island.

Production Credits
Photography and research: Joy Wong
Editor: Michael Switow
Production Editor: Thulasi Mahadevan

RELATED ARTICLES

• “8 years and 2,500 meals a day for the needy” (Biddy Low, 14 December 2011, publichouse.sg)

• Every ONE Can – The numbers are in!

• Every ONE Can 2011 – photos

• ONE (SINGAPORE)’s Corporate Adoption Programme

and to assist those in need” ~ Class 95FM programme director Erina Cook

Class 95FM, Singapore’s most popular English-language radio channel, is putting on a whiteband and showing its support for the movement to eradicate poverty by adopting ONE (SINGAPORE).

The whiteband – popularised in local and international celebrity videos highlighting the message that every few seconds a child dies from extreme poverty – is the international symbol of the movement to eradicate poverty.

“We’ve chosen to adopt ONE (SINGAPORE) because its values are in line with ours,”  says Erina Cook, the radio station’s senior programme director.  “It raises awareness of key issues and takes action on a number of interrelated fronts.”

As part of the adoption, Class 95FM will broadcast information about ONE (SINGAPORE)’s campaign and support events, like the upcoming “Every ONE Can” grocery warehouse sale in May.  “Every ONE Can,” now in its fourth year, raises in-kind food donations for individuals and families in need.

“At ONE (SINGAPORE), we believe in a world where no one is poor, be it overseas or here at home” says ONE (SINGAPORE) President Vernetta Lopez, who also co-hosts Singapore’s most popular English-language radio programme, The Morning Express.  “I joined ONE (SINGAPORE) because I wanted to make a difference. Class 95FM’s support will enable us to reach out further, engage more businesses in corporate adoptions and encourage more Singaporeans to play an active role in the community around them.”

Supporting community organisations is a strong part of MediaCorp Radio’s corporate culture.  Previous Class 95FM adopted organisations include the Breast Cancer Fund, Club Rainbow, MILK, Operation Smile and the SPCA.  And to celebrate radio’s 75^th anniversary in 2011, MediaCorp Radio adopted 75 families in need of assistance, providing the beneficiaries with groceries, transport and utility vouchers and more.  ONE (SINGAPORE) helped MediaCorp Radio identify the beneficiaries.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• “CLASS 95FM ADOPTS ONE (SINGAPORE)” -  Media Release (COMING SOON)

If you attended our movie screening “The End of Poverty?” last September, you were probably impressed by the quality of the post-movie discussion. We know we were. Films are certainly a great tool for raising awareness; they can also be catalysts for action. We’d like to hold a 2012 The World We Want Film Series and have identified a great shortlist of films about individual action, maternal health, development and more. But we need help from a sponsor to cover the costs. If you know of an organisation or company that would make a good partner, please share our proposal and movie list with them. We are also sharing opportunities with you this week to help us continue supporting two projects that fight malnutrition among children as well as an update on the campaign against human trafficking and an amazing social enterprise making a huge difference in women’s lives in The Philippines.

How do we stop Human Trafficking?

No one should be subjected to the brutality of trafficking, much less because of poverty, writes ShuQi Liu. Yet states appear to give a higher priority to other transborder issues. Locally, trafficking victims – who often lack access to their passports, much less the freedom to leave their place of ‘work’ – are caned and jailed for overstaying visas.

A Glass of Milk a Day

Care & Share, a community based nonprofit operating in the slums of Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, India, characterizes its humanitarian work as a ‘drop in the ocean’ of poverty and destitution. But, as Tammy Phan writes, students from Anglo Chinese Junior College have helped provide more than 5000 ‘drops’ of hope to Care & Share children.

Beans, Eggs & Tinned Fish: Room to Grow Fights Malnutrition, One Bite at a Time

Nearly 180 migrant children – forced to leave their homes in Burma following political violence and climate disasters – are eating more nutritious meals thanks to support from ONE (SINGAPORE) and its partners. However funding for these programmes expires in April and May, unless new partners step forward.

ONE (SINGAPORE)’s The World We Want Film Series

Help us find a sponsor to make this series possible!  We’ve identified some great films to educate, inspire and provoke discussion.  But first we need help covering the costs . . . .

Rags2Riches!

Rags2Riches is a Filipino brand that turns scraps of cloth into high-end fashion accessories . . . and in the process provides jobs, dignity, decent wages and financial training to women from some of the poorest communities in the country. Michael Switow caught up with Rags2Riches founder Reese Fernandez at the Qi Global conference in Singapore. Check out this audio podcast!

Other News

• Voices from “Room to Grow”

ONE by ONE . . . by ONE!

The ONE (SINGAPORE) Team

We are looking for partners and sponsors for our 2012 film series!

ONE (SINGAPORE) envisions a just world where no one lives in poverty – be it overseas or here at home. As our supporters and members know, we’re dedicated to raising public awareness and taking concrete actions to create The World We Want and Make Poverty History. As part of this mission, ONE (SINGAPORE) is planning a 2012 film series! But we need your help to make it happen.

We would like to show the films at SINEMA, before it closes its doors at the end of May. The cost of screening a movie varies for each film, but there are two main components for an event: film rights and venue rental. The average cost per event is S$1500 – S$2k. While we can sell tickets, ticket revenue is not sufficient to recoup costs and ONE (SINGAPORE) does not have a budget to subsidise these events.

And that’s where you come in. Do you know of an organisation or company that would be interested in partnering with ONE (SINGAPORE) to sponsor the costs?

Please take a look at this proposal and share it with potential partners. You can also check out our list of proposed films.

Film Series Objectives

1. Raise public awareness and generate discussion about key issues related to The World We Want, the movement to Make Poverty History and the Millennium Development Goals

2. Promote community (bringing people together for discussion)

3. Plant the seeds for concrete action (discussants may decide to follow up on a project related to the movie)

4. Revenue generation. While this is not the primary goal, if a sponsor is covering costs, it may be possible to raise funds for ONE (SINGAPORE) or a MDG Fund beneficiary through ticket sales, membership registration and merchandise sales.

Please pread the word, support the cause and let’s get ready to go to the movies!

Together we can create The World We Want.

Additional Resources

• Film Series Proposal
• List of Proposed Films
  

By Tammy Phan

Care & Share, a community based nonprofit operating in the slums of Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, India, characterizes its humanitarian work as a ‘drop in the ocean’ of poverty and destitution.

Vijaywada is one of the largest rail and road junctions in India. But illiteracy, poor diets and limited economic opportunities are the norm for much of the population in this city of 1.2 million people. Some 30% of Vijayawadans live in slums below the poverty line; more than 40% of children under the age of five are malnourished. The increased flow of commerce brings with it widespread prostitution and HIV/AIDS.

Enter a student community at Anglo Chinese Junior College that’s determined to Stand Up and Take Action Against Poverty. Some 800 ACJC students participated in Stand Up 2011, but in addition to raising awareness about the global poverty crisis and adding their voices to the movement to the Make Poverty History, student organisers like Yustynn Panicker and Joy Lim also wanted to support a project in a low-income community that has the power to change children’s lives.

Yustyn and his schoolmates sold ONE (SINGAPORE) Make Poverty History t-shirts and whitebands to support Care & Share. Their sales campaign raised S$424 for ONE (SINGAPORE)’s MDG Fund, which supports initiatives in Singapore and overseas that promote the fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals. Together, ONE (SINGAPORE) and ACJC selected Care & Share as the MDG Fund beneficiary and ONE (SINGAPORE) topped up the amount to be donated to S$800.

Care & Share has a number of health and education programmes in Vijaywada, but the one which caught the eye of ONE (SINGAPORE)’s MDG Fund team is an initiative that distributes milk to primary school students to offset the disastrous effects of malnutrition that is prevalent in the slums.

“We support and educate 5000 children, including 1200 orphans who have lost their parents to AIDS or other diseases,” says Care & Share founder Carol Faison. “Our main focus is finding ways to support them, because our sponsorship fees do not cover their full yearly cost. So, in the last few years, we have been receiving less funds for the milk project.”

Eight hundred dollars may not sound like a lot, but at a cost of less than S$1 per litre, this donation will purchase nearly 5300 cups of milk for primary school children at the Kandrika and Rajarajeswari Literacy Centres, which are located in Vijayawada slums. That’s enough to provide 220 children with a nutritious glass almost every day in February (for 24 days).

“Care & Share is a valuable partner in the fight against extreme poverty and hunger as well as promotion of university primary education. Providing school children with a glass of milk every day is a simple concept that can effectively improve their nutrition and ability to learn,” says Michael Switow, co-founder of ONE (SINGAPORE).

“The help ONE (SINGAPORE) has extended to us is more than precious to extend this vital food addition to the diet of these kids,” adds Carol. “The nutrition children receive (at a young age) has a great impact on their total growth.”

This contribution is the second time that ONE (SINGAPORE) has supported Care & Share’s milk programme. Following the 2008 Stand Up Take Action campaign, ONE (SINGAPORE) donated S$2520, enough at that time to fund the programme for four weeks and purchase 28,000 cups of milk. To date, ONE (SINGAPORE), with the help of ACJC and corporate partners, has provided 33,280 cups of milk to Care & Share’s children.

Every ONE drop of kindness matters.

Related Articles and Links

• Care & Share
• “We’re Youth. We’re the upcoming generation.” ~ ACJC Stands Up
• Photos:  Care & Share 2012 | Care & Share 2008 | ACJC Stand Up 2011

“(Before we started Rags2Riches, these women) only earned 2 US cents per day,” says R2R founder Reese Fernandez, “and for us that was completely disturbing.”

Rags2Riches’ full-time artisans now average about 12 US dollars a day. Not only do they earn a living wage, they also have a stake in the cooperative’s success and gain access to additional services like micro-savings and educational programmes.

This social enterprises’ products, meanwhile, are designed by some of The Philippines’ best designers like Amina Aranaz-Alunan, Rajo Laurel and Oliver Tolentino.

“It didn’t hurt that we made beautiful products in that I like pretty fashionable products as well,” adds Fernandez.  Rags2Riches’ fashion and home accessories are currently sold in top Filipino hotels and should soon be available for online purchase as well as in overseas markets like Europe, Singapore and the United States.

Fernandez sees Rags2Riches not just as a social enterprise but also as a Filipino Global Brand, which will help showcase her country on the global scene in a very positive light.

ONE (SINGAPORE) co-founder Michael Switow sat down to chat with Reese in Singapore on the sidelines of Qi Global.  This podcast was produced in collaboration with Gaia Discovery.  The music is a song by Noel Cabangon entitled “Kayod Kabayo Kayod Barya,” which tells the story of someone who is hungry and looking for work. Photo credits: Rolex Awards/Marc Latzel.

Related Articles and Websites

• Rags2Riches (website | Facebook )
• Reese Fernandez (profile)
• BBC video
• Rags2Riches: video profile
• Rolex Awards for Enterprise:  Reese Fernandez
• Download this episode (right click and save)

]]> http://www.onesingapore.org/news/rags2riches/feed/ 0 http://www.onesingapore.org/news/how-do-we-stop-human-trafficking/ http://www.onesingapore.org/news/how-do-we-stop-human-trafficking/#comments Sun, 22 Jan 2012 04:30:15 +0000 admin http://www.onesingapore.org/?p=4874 How do we stop Human Trafficking?
Discussing “Child Prostitution, Human Trafficking and Poverty”
By ShuQi Liu

Across the globe, states appear to be giving a higher priority to drugs and wildlife smuggling, not to mention media piracy, than human trafficking. And did you know that, here in Singapore, trafficking victims – who often do not have access to their own passports, much less the freedom to leave their place of ‘work’ – are caned and jailed for overstaying their visas?

These are just two of the points raised in front of a congregation of white collared workers, tertiary students, academics and social activists on a recent Tuesday evening at Singapore Management University at an event organised by ONE (SINGAPORE) in association with SMU’s Wee Kim Wee Centre. Trafficking issues strike a chord in the hearts of many in our community, myself included, and this was clearly evident in the packed seminar room in SMU’s business school, where additional chairs had to be brought in to seat participants.

Complex Politics and Twice Persecuted

Professor Kirpal Singh, one of Singapore’s most prolific cultural critics, strides up to the front with a purposeful sense of insight. He observes that Singapore, as a country which both exports sex tourists and is a destination market for traffickers to send their victims, is in a curious position on the night’s topic.

“We are perhaps not doing anything concrete,” Kirpal notes. “The politics of the situation is complex, we are not aggressively firm, but have also shown unhappiness at the diplomatic level.”

"How are we talking about the issue of human trafficking? When a woman shares a story of being duped by a promise of quick money in Singapore, only to be forced into the sex trade, do we ask 'how could she have been so blind?" As individuals we need to suspend judgement of the victims." ~ Braema Mathi

“There are no disparities in human trafficking – it affects men, women, boys and girls”, adds Braema Mathi, a former president of AWARE (the Association of Women for Action and Research) and ex-Nominated Member of Parliament.

And worse still, individuals who have been coerced or tricked into coming to Singapore – with the promise of a high-paying manufacturing or service-industry job, when in reality the work is in a brothel or pays significantly less than promised – are often treated as law-breakers here rather than victims.

“Victims of human trafficking often undergo double punishment when the state’s identity pushes individuals into another dimension. In Singapore, those trafficked are first charged with illegal immigration and then sentenced to jail and even caning.”

Braema notes though that changes in Singapore’s political scene mean that ministers and government agencies are more open to feedback, which provides concerned citizens with greater opportunity to voice out about injustices.

Indeed, Singaporeans need to be more proactive, vocal and aware on this issue. We need to stop questioning or blaming victims and work instead to protect their rights and confront the roots of the problem.

Eliminating poverty and empowering women are key components in the campaign to end human trafficking.

Four, no Five, P’s

The second speaker, Pia Charlotte Bruce, Executive Director of UN Women Singapore, addressed the topic from a social perspective, noting that high mobility, international travel and economic growth contribute to Singapore’s susceptibility. Like other activists, Pia calls for a 4P strategy to overcome these vulnerabilities:

→ Prevention  –   raise awareness, reduce poverty and improve health & education
→ Protection   –   align local laws with international standards and better training for police and immigration officials
→ Prosecution –   stronger penalties and protection of whistle-blowers
→ Partnership  –   to effectively implement laws at the regional and international levels.

To this, Rachel Chhoa-Howard, a researcher at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, adds a 5th “P”, an underlying cause: Poverty. Chhoa-Howard argues that poverty in the region is a key driver of trafficking and the commercial sexual exploitation of children.

Sex Tourism and Trafficking

But if there was no demand, there would be no industry for traffickers to exploit. And unfortunately, Singaporeans are among the most numerous sex tourists in Thailand and at least 3000 Singaporeans and Malaysians take a ferry to neighboring Batam for sex every week.

Singaporean law provides for extraterritorial jurisdiction for Singaporean citizens and permanent residents who exploit children in other countries. But this law goes unenforced. Rachel points out that Singapore has never prosecuted or convicted a citizen or PR for having sexual relations with a child outside the country.

Last but not least, Bridget Tan, founder and president of H.O.M.E., added a very personal perspective to the discussion.

“One of the girls we took in had escaped from a brothel in Geylang. She refused to talk for one month,” Bridget shared. “The only person she could relate to was a pet dog in the shelter. When she was finally ready to tell her story, we found out that she had been gang-raped every time. And she was old enough to be my daughter. Despite the experience of extreme violation and severe trauma, she was repatriated after six months without any compensation. Is this even justifiable?”

While I know that these things happen, stories like this shock me . . . particularly that something like this can happen in the heart of Singapore, my home.

Better Policies Needed

Bridget also highlighted several areas for change that H.O.M.E. is championing and which we can all work together to achieve, including

Hani Mohamed produced the short film "Innocence" to move Asian leaders to put a stop to human trafficking and child prostitution.

→ a Victims Assistance Programme
→ drafting and advocating for a legal definition of trafficking, as none currently exists in Singapore
→ better training on the issue for police, lawyers and judges
→ equal partnerships between civil society advocates and government agencies

The presentations were followed by a short film produced by ONE (SINGAPORE) Secretary Hani Mohamed showcasing child sex and human trafficking in Geylang, the popular red-light district here. In the film, a man logs onto the internet, makes a booking on a pornographic website then proceeds to meet a locked-up girl, all within a few hours. In a choked voice, Hani recollects the inspiration behind the film, a segment on The May Lee Show that described how pimps and traffickers threatened unwilling sex workers by caging them and ‘stuffing chillies in their private parts’.

Clearly, no one should be subjected to the brutality of trafficking, much less because of poverty. And every child should be able to enjoy a carefree and joyful childhood. Together, we can work together to manifest a better world. As well-travelled and educated Singaporeans, we can engage ourselves . . . by volunteering at a shelter, boycotting services offered by illegal syndicates, raising awareness among our friends and family so that no one blames the victims and campaigning for policies that will put an end to these evils.

Related Articles

• “Stop Sex Trafficking” by Bridget Tan
• “Child Prostitution, Human Trafficking and Poverty” (event description)
• Read The Online Citizen’s write-up of the panel discussion

]]> http://www.onesingapore.org/news/how-do-we-stop-human-trafficking/feed/ 0 http://www.onesingapore.org/projects/beans-eggs-tinned-fish-room-to-grow-fights-malnutrition-one-bite-at-a-time/ http://www.onesingapore.org/projects/beans-eggs-tinned-fish-room-to-grow-fights-malnutrition-one-bite-at-a-time/#comments Sat, 21 Jan 2012 00:35:17 +0000 Campaign Executive http://www.onesingapore.org/?p=4827

Nearly 180 migrant children – forced to leave their homes in Burma following political violence and climate disasters – are eating more nutritious meals thanks to support from ONE (SINGAPORE) and its partners.  However funding for these programmes expires in April and May, unless new partners step forward.

The children stay or live near one of three schools and boarding houses, which provide shelter and education to children who have been orphaned, abandoned or separated from their families by conflict. Malnutrition is a serious issue in these communities. A recent survey by Room to Grow indicates that more than 40 percent of migrant students in this area are showing signs of stunted growth due to poor diets.

ONE (SINGAPORE) funding is used to purchase and deliver yellow lentils and eggs, which provide protein in a rice and vegetable diet that is otherwise protein deficient. During the last quarter of 2011, an additional contribution by ONE (SINGAPORE) provided money for rice, vegetables, protein, condiments, tinned fish and multivitamins to be served to children at the Shwe The Zin boarding school.

Not everything goes as smoothly as we’d like. Due to problems with a supplier, the delivery of vitamins did not start in November as planned, but in January instead. ONE (SINGAPORE)’s support will still provide a five-month supply of the multi-vitamins.

Room to Grow meanwhile organised nutrition workshops for cooks and teachers from 21 schools, including the three supported by ONE (SINGAPORE). The course equipped them with proper knowledge on preparing healthy meals.

“The children like to eat yellow bean soup more than the other curries. We also cook egg curry twice a week and tinned fish three or four times a week,” says a teacher/cook at STZ. “If we don’t go to the market, we cook tinned fish and veggies that are from our school garden.”

“The children get energy by eating those curries,” adds the school’s garderner who is also the assistant cook. “And it is very nutritious for the children. We also adjust children’s meals with nutrition sources that we learned from the nutrition training. One good news is that we use less MSG in the curries.”

The young migrants staying in these boarding houses clearly appreciate the meals.

“I am a boy who overeats,” says a Grade 3 student at SAW who loves the meals at the centre. “Sometimes, I get in eating competitions with my friends. For breakfast, I usually have rice and egg but we eat beans and rice also every week. For dinner, I like to eat bean and meat curries. I want the donor to watch us when we are eating so they can see how much I eat.”

During the funding period, nearly 245 kilograms of yellow lentils, 1445 eggs and 57 kilograms of rice were delivered and consumed by the children.

Funding for the food supplements at all three centres will expire at the end of March 2012. The vitamin programme will continue through May. Subsequent funding is dependent on the support of ONE (SINGAPORE) partners. Businesses – or even groups of individuals who would like to assist — can apply to be part of the ONE (SINGAPORE) Corporate Adoption Programme.

Additional Resources

• The Room to Grow Foundation does a great job of reporting on projects that have been funded by donors and partners.  You can read here their Q3 & Q4 Reports to ONE (SINGAPORE).

• Voices from Room to Grow

• Making a Difference in Children’s Lives: Room to Grow first update

• Nutritional program and fighting malnutrition among climate refugees

]]> http://www.onesingapore.org/projects/beans-eggs-tinned-fish-room-to-grow-fights-malnutrition-one-bite-at-a-time/feed/ 0 http://www.onesingapore.org/general/voices-from-room-to-grow/ http://www.onesingapore.org/general/voices-from-room-to-grow/#comments Sat, 21 Jan 2012 00:30:20 +0000 admin http://www.onesingapore.org/?p=4856 ONE (SINGAPORE) and its partners support a nutrition programme run by the Room to Grow Foundation in schools and boarding houses near the Thai-Burmese border. Nearly 180 migrant children – forced to leave their homes in Burma following political violence and climate disasters and currently living in areas where malnutrition is common – have been eating better meals, with more protein and vitamins, thanks to this initiative. However funding expires in April and May, unless new partners step forward. Here are some of the ‘Room to Grow’ voices . . .

Related Articles and Resources

• The above images are excerpts from the Room to Grow Foundation’s Q3 & Q4 reports to ONE (SINGAPORE).

• Please read the companion article to this piece, “Beans, Eggs & Tinned Fish: Room to Grow Fights Malnutrition, One Bite at a Time”

• Making a Difference in Children’s Lives: Room to Grow first update

• Nutritional program and fighting malnutrition among climate refugees

]]> http://www.onesingapore.org/general/voices-from-room-to-grow/feed/ 0