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Apr 26 2012
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HALO News

A Long Overdue Justice for the Orphan’s of Liberia: Charles Taylor Found Guilty!

In 1989, Fungbeh Karmue was in the U.S. on a business trip when the first Civil War (1989-1996) broke out in Liberia. Neyor; Fungbeh’s wife, and their five children were trapped in Liberia for the first year of the war as Fungbeh was not permitted to return to his home. After a two year stay in an Ivory Coast refugee camp, Fungbeh had earned enough money to bring Neyor and their family to the safety of the states where they remained until the end of the second Civil War (1999-2003).

Charles Taylor, the president of Liberia during Liberia’s second Civil War, was found guilty today on 11 counts of aiding and abetting rebel forces in a campaign of terror that involved murder, rape, sexual slavery, conscripting children under the age of 15 and mining diamonds to pay for guns. An estimated 150,000 people died under the Taylor regime, following the 200,000 estimated casualties in the first Civil War under Taylor’s former boss whom Taylor overthrew, President Samuel Doe. Taylor will be sentenced May 30 of this year. There is no death penalty in international criminal law, so he will serve out his sentence in a British prison.

CNN reports that Taylor is the first convicted head of state since the Nuremberg trials in 1946. Hopefully, two others the international court holds accountable for the massacre are also brought to justice:

The International Criminal Court has charged Laurent Gbagbo, the former Ivory Coast president, with crimes against humanity. It also has a warrant out for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who, so far, has been able to elude arrest.

The 44 orphans housed at Christ’s Children’s Home are parent-less because of the Civil Wars and the atrocities promoted and conducted by the Charles Taylor Presidency. This conviction doesn’t give these children their parents back, but maybe they will have a little relief knowing that the monster responsible for the death of their parents will not be permitted to harm anyone else.

For more information on the Karmue’s, the Orphan’s at CCH, and what you can do to help the victim’s or Taylor’s reign, please visit our website: Help A Liberian Orphan.

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Apr 17 2012
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HALO News

World Malaria Day 2012

 April 25th is World Malaria Day, designed to draw attention with the theme; “Sustain Gains, Save Lives: Invest in Malaria”. World Malaria Day was established in May 2007 by the 60th session of the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the World Health Organization. The day was established to provide “education and understanding of malaria” and spread information on “year-long intensified implementation of national malaria-control strategies, including community-based activities for malaria prevention and treatment in endemic areas.” According to the World Health Organization, approximately half the world’s population is at risk from malaria. And while malaria  is a preventable and treatable disease, it still claims the life of a child every minute, with more than 90% of all malaria deaths occurring in Africa.

Investments in malaria control have created unprecedented momentum and yielded remarkable returns in the past years. In Africa, malaria deaths have been cut by one third within the last decade. However, these gains are fragile and will be reversed unless malaria continues to be a priority for global, regional and national decision-makers and donors. Despite the current economic climate, development aid needs to continue flowing to malaria control programs to ensure widespread population access to life-saving and cost-effective interventions. Long-term success will also depend on investments in on-going research and development to combat emerging threats such as parasite resistance.

In Liberia, the mango trees are full of ripe fruit, which has attracted and energized a HORDE of mosquitoes. 20 children at Christ’s Children Home have been diagnosed over the last two weeks with malaria. The children sleep under (old, deteriorating) nets to help protect them from the infected mosquito’s. Because of the lack of air flow and the intense heat; the children sometimes leave their screen doors open, and when they do shut the aging screen after coming in and out of their beds they can’t possibly keep all of the mosquito’s from entering.

All of the children have been properly treated and are now taking preventative medicine until the mosquito population declines later in the year. Malaria preventative medicine for 44 children is expensive, costing roughly $220/month, not including the staff at Christ’s Children Home. With the rainy season now upon us, there’s a huge need for these children to have new mosquito nets and to continue raising money for prevention, as it’s much more effective than curing malaria.

Please pray for our children, consider donating to My Halo Project for the many needs they have just to survive, and spread the word to help draw attention to World Malaria Day and the effect malaria has on these young children in Liberia despite the major declines in the disease globally. The only chance these children have are YOU. Together, WE can make a difference.

For more information on Christ’s Children Home and the children who need your help, please visit our website: MyHaloProject.com

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