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Newsdesk.org’s latest collaboration with Spot.Us is “Prisons & Public Health,” a news blog by reporter Bernice Yeung tracking the public-health impacts of California’s prison system. Help crowdfund this project!
By Bernice Yeung | Crowdfund this with Spot.Us
Part of the Prisons & Public Health news blog
Ron Sanders, a community-health worker serving former prisoners at San Francisco’s Transitions Clinic, struggles to keep his clients from being among the 66 percent of parolees who eventually return to prison. No easy task, as many are dealing with addiction, chronic illness, mental health problems — or all of the above. I first became interested in these issues when writing for the San Francisco Chronicle about Sanders, himself a former prisoner who is all to aware of the challenges parolees face. But why should Californians care about chronically ill prisoner and parolee health? What’s the connection between prison reentry, medical care and our communities?
Obesity among young people is a growing problem in the United States — and so is malnutrition, according to two new studies. In some states, nearly one out of every three children is obese. In others, one out of every five children under the age of five go hungry. Photo: msmail
Obesity among young people is a growing problem in the United States — and so is malnutrition, according to two new studies that look at how children eat, and how they don’t. In 30 states, nearly one out of every three children is obese or overweight, according to a study released July 1 by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The study finds similar concerns and rates for U.S. adults. On the same day, another report was made public with a different set of numbers — in 13 states, one out of every five children under the age of five go hungry. That report, released by the nonprofit Feeding America, documents the impact of hunger not just on the child, but on the whole nation.
Especially when his revolution may be fraying at the edges? Muhammad Yunus is lauded for a microlending thesis that spurs entrepreneurship in the developing world. But defaults are up, and lending down, as the economic crash takes its toll. Photo: Handout
Microfinance may be in for some rough times, as the impact of the global recession works its way down the economic food chain. In Africa, less money for microfinance projects is coming in from Europe and the United States, the Daily Nation of Kenya reports. Meanwhile, the demand for microfunds is up threefold, reports the Africa Microfinance Action Forum, as people lose their regular jobs and look to become entrepreneurs. The same scenario is playing out in Europe. Although a new European Union microfinance institution is being set up to provide small-business loans for the unemployed, New Europe reports that critics are already saying it offers too little.
No, it’s soccer, actually. Specifically, it’s the six-year-old Homeless World Cup, which teams homeless people from at least 56 countries — such as the 2008 world champions from Melboune, Australia (right) — to compete for the title, and win big in the game of life. Photo: Big Issue Australia
Teen pregnancies are in the pop spotlight, from the Oscar-winning film “Juno” (right) to MTV’s new reality show “16 and Pregnant.” Talk about reality: More than 750,000 U.S. teens will become pregnant in 2009, while globally the number reaches 14 million. Photo: Handout
Teen pregnancies are in the pop spotlight, from the Oscar-winning film “Juno” (right) to MTV’s new reality show “16 and Pregnant.” Talk about reality: More than 750,000 U.S. teens will become pregnant in 2009, while globally the number reaches 14 million. Photo: Handout
Now in its sixth year, the Homeless World Cup comes to Milan, Italy, in September, bringing together teams of homeless people from at least 56 countries to compete for a unique world championship title. The real prize, however, is winning the game of life — something fans worldwide are lining up to support. Rio de Janeiro and Paris have already agreed to host the 2010 and 2011 games, notes Happy News, while Poland.com boasts that the city of Poznan will host in 2013, beating out Amsterdam and Manchester. Women from eight nations competed for the first-ever Women’s Cup last year — and are taking their game, and their goals for better lives, to Milan in 2009 as well. One such player is Auma Okot of Uganda, who was once in the grip of the infamous Lord’s Resistance Army insurgency.