poverty Archives - Jean-Jacques Cornish

Oxfam calls on rich countries to pay $1.6 billion to fight COVID19

Jean-Jacques Cornish — Sun, 29 Mar 2020 22:00:00 +0000

OXFAM’s making a $1,6 billion appeal to help fight the COVD19 pandemic in poor and war-torn countries.The British-based humanitarian organisation says it’s asking for less than 10% of the financial stimulus the rich countries will pay their citizens.ends intro Oxfam fears COVID 19 is outpacing the global response to the pandemic.The countries torn by conflict, poverty and climate change are at greatest risk.They have three billion people living in crowded slums and refugee camps and without access to clean water.The majority of these vulnerable people are women who make up 70% of health care workers and the majority of people providing unpaid care.Oxfam says the rich countries have to do more to help these people.

The post Oxfam calls on rich countries to pay $1.6 billion to fight COVID19 appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.

Marc Ravalomanana alleges cheating could rob him of victory in Madagascar’s presidential run off

Jean-Jacques Cornish — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 22:00:00 +0000

There have been claims of cheating as Madagascar’s ten million voters cast their ballot in a presidential runoff between two former leaders who’ve become bitter rivals.

Failure of this election could drive the world’s seventh poorest country into even more despair.

Twice-elected Madagascar President Marc Ravalomana has produced 500 ballot papers handed to him last night before the polls opened this morning.

They come from men who told him they’d been given stacks of voters registration cards and told to use them at as many polling stations as possible.

Ravalomanana fears such cheating could rob him of any change of beating Andry Rajoelina who ousted him in a 2009 coup that drove Madagascar into isolation, instability and poverty.

The post Marc Ravalomanana alleges cheating could rob him of victory in Madagascar’s presidential run off appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.

Sierra Leone goes to the polls

Jean-Jacques Cornish — Mon, 05 Mar 2018 22:00:00 +0000

For the third time since Sierra Leone ended its bitter civil war in 2002, voters in that country go to the polls.

They’ll certainly have a new president replacing Ernest Bai Koroma who’s constitutional term has expired.

And they’ll probably have a more diversified parliament.

There are sixteen presidential candidates contest this election, with the ruling All People’s Congress that run Sierra Leone since independence from Britain in 1961 under threat.

Violence during political rallies has forced former Ghanaian President John Mahama, who is heading the Commonwealth observer team, to play a mediation role.

Poverty, corruption and poor health services are the main issues in this election.

Sierra Leone, which has 150 doctors tending to the population of seven-and-a-half million is still recovering from the devastating Ebola outbreak and a killer mudslide.

The post Sierra Leone goes to the polls appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.