Jenna recently graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park where she studied political and economic history. Originally from the UK, she has also lived and studied in Oslo, Norway, St. Andrews, Scotland, Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa and Annapolis, Md., but has recently moved to Washington D.C. Previously, Jenna has interned with a start-up non-profit project, the anti-corruption law firm TRACE International and the National Outdoor Leadership School. She is thrilled to be working with the new media team at ONE.
Now that the holidays are in full swing, we thought we’d take a look at how different countries in Africa celebrate Christmas. Christianity has been on the continent since the middle of the 1st century, and approximately 350 million Africans are Christian — so, they’ve had a lot of time to develop their own unique holiday traditions, like masquerade parties and dining al fresco. Here’s a roundup of the most interesting ones that we’ve found:
Ethiopia: If you’re spending Christmas in Ethiopia this year, you’ll have to wait a little longer than December 25, as most people follow the ancient Julian calendar and celebrate the holiday on January 7. Traditionally referred to as Ganna, an Ethiopian Christmas typically begins with a day of fasting, followed by church services and a feast that includes stew, vegetables and sourdough bread. Though most friends and families do not exchange gifts, communities gather to play games and sports, and enjoy the festivities together before returning to work.
Action: 23. Time: 15 minutes. Level of difficulty: Moderate.
While the holiday season is about exchanging gifts, eating pie and spending time with friends and family, it’s also the perfect time for us to think about what we are thankful for and what we can do to help those who are less fortunate.
With this in mind, we’d like for you to reflect on your activism, the world’s poorest people and our fight against global poverty. Then, pitch it to us in the form below, and we’ll choose one lucky ONE member to turn it into a piece for the ONE Blog.
In case you missed it, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum issued a quick statement on World AIDS Day last Thursday. Celebrating the success of PEPFAR and funding that has – and will continue to – save millions of lives in Africa, it is great to see his support for the fight against HIV and his call to action for the beginning of the end of AIDS.
Take a look at his full statement here:
“There is reason to celebrate today that over 4 million people with AIDS in Africa are on antiviral drugs as a result of the US commitments through PEPFAR and other partnerships. There is reason to set our resolve, as almost 5,000 people die every day due to AIDS and there are about 7,000 new HIV infections a day. Thankfully, there is reason to hope that in our lifetime, we may see the end of AIDS. Let’s turn our
resolve into action.”
Do you need a soundtrack to inspire you to fight against AIDS? Look no further than the Sinikithemba Choir, a South African musical group whose members, in addition to their passion and talent, have one thing in common: they are all HIV-positive.
Based in Durban, South Africa, the choir draws inspiration for their unique voice from their personal experiences, using music to call for prevention programs and treatments that will stop HIV in its tracks. Originally founded to support a community facing particularly high transmission rates and a stigma that left many battling the virus feeling isolated and alone, the group quickly found that their message resonated with thousands of others all over the world.
As part of his efforts to raise awareness this World AIDS Day and to draw global attention to the fight for the beginning of the end of HIV and AIDS, Bono wrote a fantastic op-ed article for the New York Times this morning.
Meet Makemende. He’s a fictional superhero character from Kenya afropop group Just A Band’s viral music video, “Ha-he.” In the video, the first to become “viral” in Kenya, he sends robbers fleeing, fights off masked kidnappers and rescues his heroine — all with a sense of cool and style that leaves audiences envious. The character Makemende has become an international icon since the video launched, earning him a huge national following and acclaim from the likes of MTV, Fast Company and CNN International. You could almost say he’s Kenya’s version of the “Old Spice man!”
One of the most basic amenities that we take for granted here in the US today, it is difficult to even imagine what life would be like without the toilet. But for much of the developing world, there is no need to imagine, as life without adequate sanitation is both a common and dangerous reality. Often the hidden problems behind high child mortality rates, poor water quality and lack of safe waste disposal are known to cause a host of horrible, life-threatening diseases, including rotavirus, cholera, typhoid and hepatitis.
On the 10th anniversary of World Toilet Day, which takes place on November 19, we all have a chance to help make lack of clean water and adequate sanitation a thing of the past. To help you learn all about sanitation, here are three recommended videos:
Vanguard, a documentary series on Current TV, came out with this awesome 44-minute documentary on sanitation called “The World’s Toilet Crisis.” It’s raw, candid and highly persuasive in the argument that yes — everyone in the world should have a toilet! Watch it here:
ONE is campaigning to ensure that the Congressional budget does not cut foreign assistance programs like Feed the Future that help people break the cycle of poverty and hunger.
The Horn of Africa is experiencing its worst drought in 60 years. More than 11 million people, mostly nomadic pastoralists and farmers in south-central Somalia, north-eastern Kenya, and south-eastern Ethiopia, are severely lacking access to food.
2011 marks 30 years since the first cases of AIDS were documented. Take a closer look at the specific, achievable goals we must hit by 2015 to make this year the beginning of the end of AIDS.
As aid agencies warn more than 9 million people could be affected by a food crisis in East Africa, world leaders are failing to keep their 2009 promises to tackle the causes of chronic hunger and support farmers in the world's poorest countries.
