| LIFE-NET NEWS |
| by Ret Z. |
| Covering Poverty Widely in a Net of Many Voices |
| December 12, 2007 | No Profit; No Proceeds |
| Volume 11 Number 16 | All-Volunteer |
| "Give a family a fish, and they'll eat a meal; give them a Net, and they'll have fish for Life." |
| American Healthcare Puts First Americans Last |
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Adapted from a piece by Sen Byron Dorgan (D-ND), chair of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee:
Recently in North Dakota, a woman from the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation had severe chest pains and extremely high blood pressure. At a local IHS clinic, she was diagnosed as having a heart attack. The staff of the clinic insisted she go by ambulance to the nearest major hospital, 80 miles away. She resisted because she knew she would be billed for the trip and could not afford it, but the clinic insisted. When she arrived at the hospital and was being transferred from the ambulance to a gurney, an envelope was found taped to her leg. In the envelope was a letter stating that the IHS lacked funds to pay for the health care she needed because a "life or limb" medical condition was not involved. (Since when was a suspected heart attack not a life-or-limb situation?) Fortunately, she survived. But she later received a bill for approximately $10,000. The US Senate's Indian Affairs Committee held a hearing at the Crow Reservation in Montana in August. The Crow Tribe's health director told about her 5-year-old granddaughter, Ta'Shon Rain Littlelight: Between May and August of 2006, Ta'Shon was brought numerous times to an IHS clinic. She was treated for depression. During one clinic visit, Ta'Shon's grandfather pointed out the bulbous condition of her fingertips and toes, believing that this condition indicated a lack of oxygen to the body. The grandfather's concern was dismissed. In June, the grandmother asked Ta'Shon's doctor to rule out the possibilities of cancer or leukemia. Once again, the concern went unheeded. In August, Ta'Shon suffered a collapsed lung. She ended up in Denver, where she was diagnosed with an incurable form of cancer. On September 1, Ta'Shon died. Her grandmother believed that Ta'Shon's last two years of life were spent in "unmedicated pain". These stories are repeated every day on Indian reservations across the country. As we work to improve the nation's health care system, we ignore the health care crisis affecting American Indians, the First Americans. Our country has an affirmative trust obligation toward American Indians. The great Chief Justice John Marshall, in the 1831 decision of Cherokee Nation v Georgia, recognized that the US had a unique trustee relationship toward Indian tribes. Statistics highlight the desperate condition of American Indian health care. Compared to the US population as a whole, Natives have a 600% higher incidence of tuberculosis, a 189% higher incidence of diabetes, and a 510% higher incidence of alcoholism. Suicides on reservations in the northern Great Plains are 10 times higher than the national average. To improve the performance of the US as trustee for the health care of American Indians, more funding and continuous innovation are needed. For 2005, the per capita federal health expenditure by the IHS was $2,130 -- about one-half the per capita health spending for federal prisoners. The IHS amount also fell far below the estimated per capita benchmarks of Medicare at $6,784 and the Veterans Administration at $4,653. It means we have full-scale "health care rationing" for American Indians, and it has to stop. Source: Indian Country |
| Dalits Still Suffering Post-Tsunami |
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The December 2004 tsunami that struck the southern Indian coast heavily affected the state of Tamil Nadu, with the majority of those affected being fisherfolk who lived close to the sea. Also affected were Dalits, also known as "untouchables", who have long faced discrimination in India. While their homes were not completely washed away -- Dalit communities tend to be located further from the sea itself -- the Dalits have been seriously affected because they both lost livelihoods and do not own any cultivable land but work for daily wages in agriculture or fishing.
The tsunami inundated the agricultural lands the Dalits work on and significantly reduced productivity. Despite the drop in productivity, the Dalits' obligations to landlords have not been reduced. Entrenched social discrimination on the basis of gender, caste and class has further marginalized the Dalits. Many people have also been left out of the rehabilitation process due to contested or denied legal entitlements: Many Dalits do not hold any land documents. Church World Service is supporting the efforts of long-time CWS partner Churches Auxiliary for Social Action, India. Objectives: to provide 1,380 Dalit families disaster resistant housing in the districts of Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Tirunelveli and Tuticorin; to build three multipurpose community centers in these communities that can be used as shelters during any future emergencies; to construct three recreational parks; to repair or reconstruct community infrastructure, including roads and village gates. Source: Church World Service |
| Nonprofits and Christmas: A Reality Check |
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Conventional thinking holds that December is a good month for charities because of the goodwill-toward-men spirit of the season and the year-end tax breaks. After all,
Salvation Army volunteers ring bells next to shiny red kettles. Boxes of donated toys pile up in every bank lobby and city hall.
But the notion that charities make most of their money in December appears to be as insubstantial as the Ghost of Christmas Past. "There is the statistic that half of giving takes place in the last weeks of the year. We looked for statistical data to support that claim. We can't find any," said Laurie Styron, a spokeswoman with the Chicago-based American Institute of Philanthropy. "It's a popular time to donate to certain types of charities, like the homeless or giving to the needy." And those presumed tax breaks? Debbie Lamb, a certified public accountant in Upper Township NJ, said tax savings through charity generally help only the richest of philanthropists. "It's more a personal decision. I don't think it's necessarily tax-driven," she said. "Usually, the wealthy get a bigger benefit. They can beat that standard deduction to reduce their income. There's a limitation and most people don't come close." However, the Internal Revenue Service allows people to donate to charity from their IRA without a tax penalty, she said. Still, many local charities conduct high-profile fundraisers this time of year. And in Ocean City NJ, this generosity accounts for $3 million in public donations. That does not include the various nonprofit groups on the island that rely on private sponsorship. The Foster-Karney Trust distributed $95,824 to other public causes on the island last year. Like many charities on the island, the Ocean City Arts Center does not rely on December giving to meet its budget. "It's important to get them any time of year," said director Lorraine Hansen. "As a nonprofit, we depend on the generosity of many individuals and institutions." The largest nonprofit on the island, the Ocean City Tabernacle, is a nondenominational church. Director Richard Stanislaw said, "Most of our income comes during the summer. That's when people are here," he said. "Our congregation is primarily visitors to the island." Even so, the Tabernacle's community spirit will be visible when it hosts First Night festivities. Source: Atlantic City Press |
| Nigeria Steps Up Fight Against Child Trafficking |
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Six million Nigerian children, it is estimated, are at risk of trafficking for domestic and forced labor, prostitution, and pornography every year, according to a national survey conducted by the International Labor Organization in 2003. The Nigerian government and non-governmental organizations are trying to fight the problem through repatriation, awareness, and prosecution.
In view of the clandestine nature of trafficking, accurate and reliable figures are hard to get. But with between 50% and 70% of the population living on less than a dollar a day in Nigeria, the phenomenon is widespread. "Every state has a variant of child trafficking," estimated Orakwue Arinze, spokesperson for NAPTIP, the National Agency for Prohibition of Traffic in Persons. He said in the largely Muslim northern states, traffickers take children to Saudi Arabia. In the southern states, he said, children are trafficked within the country or to neighboring countries. NAPTIP, a government agency, was created in 2003 to help implement a then newly created law prohibiting all forms of trafficking in persons. The agency said the crime is now punishable by up to 14 years in jail. Between 2004 and 2006, NAPTIP repatriated 757 child victims. In 2007 alone, 1,475 children (about 80% girls and 20% boys) were rescued, according to the UNICEF 2007 Annual Report. But despite these figures, all parties agree that more needs to be done, especially in the areas of awareness and prosecution. "Children are gifts from God. Let’s protect them," says a message in a new national awareness campaign UNICEF launched in October. Twice a day, clips explaining the dangers of trafficking are broadcast on public radio in English and Pidgin, the local English spoken widely across the country. "We still need a lot of awareness creation to let people know that trafficking indeed is a criminal activity in Nigeria, because many Nigerians don’t even agree that it is criminal," explained Veronica Kehen Umaru, coordinator of the WOTCLEF center in Abuja. "A lot of people don’t accept that engaging little children in domestic work is criminal. I think it’s tied to our tradition of fostering. People don’t realize that this tradition is being abused." The prosecution of traffickers also remains a serious challenge, if not the biggest. While more victims are being rescued, according to Arinze, only 12 traffickers have been prosecuted in Nigeria since 2003. "The victims are coming back but the problem is the network, the mafia in Europe. There is room for more collaboration between the European Union and Nigeria on these issues," he said, recalling that Italy is the first destination in Europe for trafficked young girls working as prostitutes. Source: IRIN |
| Legislators Open Debate on Affordable Housing |
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For about 20 years New Jersey law has allowed suburban towns to pay cities to take their affordable housing requirements. But Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts contends that it has helped bunch lower-income families into cities, it's discriminatory, and it should be eliminated.
The Assembly housing committee, headed by Assemblyman Jerry Green (D-Union), scheduled a Monday hearing to discuss creating more affordable housing opportunities. No action is expected until next year, but lawmakers said it's important to begin debating the issue. "A housing policy needs to be something more than two options -- either you can afford a roof over your head or go move to another state," said Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Mercer). According to the state, 120 suburban towns have paid $210 million to 53 cities since 1988 to take on their housing obligations. The cities use the money to provide affordable housing. Those so-called regional contribution agreements, or RCAs, have been praised as providing housing money to poverty-stricken cities, but criticized as unfair to the poor because it limits their chances of getting suburban housing. Roberts wants to abolish the agreements and give urban communities new housing money. Urban mayors are questioning the plan. Trenton Mayor Douglas Palmer recently came to the Statehouse to lobby lawmakers against abolishing RCAs. He said his city has used RCA money to provide 1,400 new homes. "Frequently, they are renters realizing the American dream of homeownership." While municipal officials concede the agreements are flawed, they also argue they're the only constant funding source for cities looking to remove blight. "We understand that if RCAs are misused they may exacerbate economic inequalities between our communities," said Bill Dressel of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities. "But these agreements have been used wisely by our urban mayors to promote home ownership, revitalize neighborhoods and promote economic development." Suburban legislators are vowing to fight the plan. "RCAs can preserve the rural character of these towns," said Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose (R-Sussex). "Municipalities are in the best position to determine how RCAs should be used, and I resent this proposal, which has the state directly involved in these important local land use decisions." Source: Associated Press |
| From Truck-Stop Prostitution to Legitimate Commerce |
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Mlolongo town, located on the southern outskirts of Nairobi, is rocky ground for hope to grow in. The problems of this commercial gatekeeper to the city are deep-rooted, but a Church World Service sponsored empowerment program is planting seeds of hope for women who otherwise might expose themselves to HIV and AIDS by trading sex for money.
All truck freight from Mombasa on highway A104 and most of the freight entering from Tanzania must pass through Mlolongo, making it the logical spot to construct a weigh-bridge for trucks entering Nairobi -- and a fertile breeding ground for prostitution, disease, and despair. The risky sexual behavior of long distance truckers in East Africa -- who can be away from home on the road for months at a time, leading many of them to seek out the company of prostitutes -- combined with their high mobility creates the ideal environment for the spread of AIDS. Studies and testing show that truck drivers in East Africa have a HIV prevalence rate of 25% or higher, more than four times that of the general population. As the virus has torn through Mlolongo, many people have succumbed to the despair and fatalism that surround the HIV/AIDS crisis, but not one group of women who call themselves the "Eagles Initiative." There are 40 "Eagles" in the women's savings and credit organization; half are single mothers. The initiative, sponsored by CWS partner Organization of African Instituted Churches, is one of the many Improved Livelihoods programs that CWS funds in an effort to empower East African women. The group provides small business training and loans ranging from 5,000-10,000 Kenyan Shillings ($75-$150) to develop businesses and raise their standard of living. As in so many other Improved Livelihoods programs, women of the Eagles Initiative choose to actively extend to their communities the empowerment they themselves have received. The Eagles, some of whom came out of the sex trade themselves, have begun trying to lure young women away from truck-stop prostitution, using training and business startup resources as incentives. "We incorporated a HIV ministry because we want these young women to live a quality lifestyle," said one member. "The problems that come with HIV are very high." One of these problems that the Eagles must face is the ever increasing numbers of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in Mlolongo. The group is looking towards addressing this problem by supporting OVCs and avoiding future cases by expanding HIV/AIDS education. Source: Church World Service |
| Incentive Program Leads to More Prenatal Care |
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A program launched earlier this year that uses gift cards and other incentives to coax at-risk pregnant women into getting regular prenatal care is working, officials said
last Wednesday. According to data compiled by the nonprofit Community Health Care Inc (CHCI), the number of total patient visits to the women's health centers it operates in Vineland and Bridgeton increased by about 7% this fall from the same three months last year. There was also an increase in the number of first-time registrants for prenatal care, to the tune of 185 more expectant mothers in 2007 than last year. Perhaps even more significant, said Dr Michele Torchia, is that the percentage of postpartum visits almost doubled, from 40% to about 72%.
"This is amazing to us," Torchia said in a celebratory event at the Open Arms Women's Health Center on Chestnut Avenue. "We had to expand care, and the wait to get an appointment is now close to two months. We have something simple that works." The program, which CHCI officials dubbed "Open Arms" at its May debut, was formed after the 2007 Kids Count report gave Cumberland County dismal rankings for teenage pregnancy and child welfare. The local infant mortality rate was listed as several times that of the state's average of 5.9 deaths per 1,000 births; in Bridgeton alone, there are 19 newborn deaths for every 1,000 children born. Torchia, an obstetrician and gynecologist who serves as director of women's health at CHCI, said Wednesday that putting a dent in Cumberland County's alarming numbers means getting medically underserved women -- and the babies they're carrying -- the health care they need. The program's apparent success, however, has presented a financial problem. Since it operates entirely on donations, CHCI officials are asking that community members either sponsor a mother-to-be for $75 or give what they can. They have launched a "Healthier Babies" campaign to get the word out. Source: Atlantic City Press |
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| Life-Net News Extras |
| Residential School Horrors Haunt Native Americans |
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Adapted from a piece by George-Kanentiio, an Akwesasne Mohawk who lives in Oneida territory:
In January 1967, my brother Dean and I were shipped off to the Mohawk Institute in Brantford, Ontario, more than 350 miles from our Akwesasne (St Regis) home. We were told by the Indian Affairs social workers that the school would provide us schooling, a warm, safe place to live, and good food. We should have realized the magnitude of the lie when we waited at the train station for many hours, far past midnight, for one of the "house fathers" to pick us up. The Mohawk Institute consisted of five large buildings: a four-story residence with attached dining hall, a fairly new school, two barns that housed livestock and hay, and a shed for farm equipment. 1967 was the last year the institute had an operating farm, but it would continue to plant crops and maintain an orchard until its closing 2-1/2 years later. I am pleased to state that our arrival led to a series of events that forced the federal government to investigate the institute and force its closure; I am angry that the investigation stemmed, in part, from the death of our great friend, a 12-year-old Algonquin from Golden Lake named Joey Commanda. On the first day of our 18-month stay, the housefather found narrow, metal bunk beds for us to sleep in. But we did not rest. Our fear was raw and made worse when a harsh bell sounded to awaken us, followed by the turning on of brilliant fluorescent lights. Dozens of thin Cree boys stared at us, the newcomers. The Crees, the largest group at the institute, had been bused from hundreds of miles away, most from the James Bay region in Quebec. A small contingent of Akwesasne Mohawks also was there, as were a few Iroquois from Oshweken, one Anishnabe boy from Christian Island, another Mohawk from Tyendinaga, and our Golden Lake pals: Joey, Rocky, and their brother Guy. Across a closely guarded hallway was the girls dorm with housemothers as overseers. Many very bad things happened there, abuses beyond our imagination initially but all too common as the months dragged by. The housefathers controlled the boys in our section by organizing us into platoons with the biggest boys in charge of the smallest. We learned from the first day to stand at attention, march at the sound of a whistle, and take our assigned place in a basement which contained the kitchen and our dining room. We were fed burnt toast, powdered milk, and mush, a watery porridge that slid through the stomach and bowels, hence the institute's nickname, "mushhole." Other meals were as bad. Forty years later, I still feel the shadow pains of hunger whenever I think about the institute. The military structure carried over into other areas and activities. We marched as squads the few times we left the school as a group. We responded to bells and whistles. We were beaten with the same straps used for corporal punishment in the Royal Navy. That we -- the notorious, thieving, fighting, runaway "St Regis boys" -- were the only collective group ever to be expelled still is a source of pride. However, Joey Commanda was struck by a train near Toronto as he fled the hell hole from which his friends had been thrown out. Joey's family made a lot of noise and compelled others to look at the entire residential school system. So while Joey died, he saved many others from the horrors of the mushhole and the clutches of child rapists. The amounts that Canada is paying out -- $10,000 for the first year of confinement and $3,000 for the rest -- are trivial, especially compared with the lawyers' fees of $45 million. That triviality compounds the anger and rips open wounds that no amount of money can heal. Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle |
| Children's Anti-AIDS Efforts Spotlighted |
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Leaders come in all shapes and sizes. This World AIDS Day, December 1, humanitarian agency Church World Service (CWS) highlighted efforts by young people around the world to increase awareness about HIV and AIDS.
When children living in a CWS-supported boarding home in East Jakarta, Indonesia, began producing clay pins featuring girls and boys with AIDS awareness ribbons, they were raising funds to support HIV and AIDS education, vocational training, and counseling for vulnerable children. Their handcrafted three-dimensional pins now have moved beyond Indonesia to join other CWS AIDS pins as symbols of leadership in efforts to halt the worldwide epidemic. The United Church of Christ intends to use the CWS clay pins from Indonesia to further promote awareness and youth involvement. Last year, the UCC AIDS network and One Great Hour of Sharing gave CWS AIDS awareness pins made by Pakistani women as gifts to 600 dinner guests at their annual gathering. The dinner highlighted the Church's engagement with communities in the US and with partners around the world in ministries to children. "We selected the CWS HIV and AIDS awareness pins from Pakistan in order to fulfill the international dinner theme 'Let the Children Speak' and the General Synod theme 'Let it Shine!'" said Susan Sanders, a UCC minister and global sharing of resources executive. "Wearing the pins is a symbol of commitment to continue the fight against HIV and AIDS by asking the US government to take the lead in providing the resources to reach the Millennium Development Goal on HIV and AIDS." The effort to encourage world leaders and policymakers to deliver on their Millennium Development Goal promise to provide the resources necessary to halt and reverse the spread of AIDS by 2015 is a major global campaign. Lack of leadership at all levels is the main reason this promise is not being kept. Building on last year's theme of accountability, the 2007 World AIDS Day theme was leadership. The at-risk youngsters at the Ruma Kita Foundation home in East Jakarta, Indonesia are showing leadership in their community's AIDS awareness efforts by sharing what they are learning about the disease with other vulnerable boys and girls. Source: Church World Service |
| Brides and Grooms Say 'I Do' to Toy Drive |
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Brides and grooms are toting children's toys instead of wedding gifts to civil marriages in Wilmington DE, in a first-time holiday donation drive. The Gift of Love project grew from staff brainstorming on how to commemorate the holidays by helping those in need, said Clerk of the Peace Ken Boulden. The office's past holiday projects have included donation drives for The Needy Family Fund, participation in the state's Adopt-a-Family program, and supplying gift stockings for the needy.
The staff created a "Dear Bride and Groom" letter explaining the project and inviting couples to "celebrate your marriage by giving the gift of love to a child this holiday season. ... It's your chance to commemorate your first Christmas together as husband and wife in a very meaningful way." After less than a week, Boulden said they already had "a corner full of gifts. The brides are tickled to death." Boulden expected that some of the donations would go to the Delaware National Guard Family Relief Program. Other recipients had yet to be designated as of Friday. Couples who participate also get a gift in return -- a free wedding day photo worth $10. If a witness or guest also gives a toy, the couple gets a free Newlywed Name Change Kit. Source: Wilmington News Journal |
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