Welcome to the new Target Program Health Blog, Health Matters! In this monthly blog we will be exploring matters important to women's (and girls') health: the top 10 issues for women's health according to the WHO, what prevents women and girls around the globe from enjoying good health, which societal and cultural factors play a role in health for women and girls, the targets of SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-Being, the relationship between SDG 3 and the other SDGs, and more! The subject of health is broad, and encompasses all of FAWCO's focus areas, so there will be something for everyone. Join us as we take a look at how ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being can empower and improve the lives of women and girls.
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The EndFGM Canada Network used the 2020 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence as an opportunity to shine light on the lesser known places where FGM is happening.
Your silence will not protect you. ~ Audre Lorde
Here are some summaries of the situation in Canada, Columbia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Malaysia, Oman, Philippines, Russia, Saudia Arabia, Singapore,
An authoritative looking man sharpens his knife, getting ready to halve a watermelon. In the distance, Christmas carols are sung in Swahili and young girls are being clothed with bright-colored dresses and fed with consistent food to give them strength. Raising his head, he says:
"Get someone she trusts to take her to the ceremonial location. Perform it, and if she...
World Diabetes Day is observed every year on November 14, in order to bring attention and awareness to the increasing health threat and burden posed by diabetes globally. Past campaigns have promoted such ideas as universal health coverage for diabetes management, education, and access for women globally. The theme for 2020 is The Nurse and Diabetes, which promotes...
Together, we can make a difference!
FGM, female genital mutilation, is regarded as one of the most horrendous human rights abuses imaginable!
It is a harmful practice including the partial or total removal of the external genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. The practice has no medical benefit and can cause catastrophic short and long-term...
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to create havoc across the world, a new medical condition, Long COVID, has been observed by health care providers and sufferers.
Some people continue to have symptoms long after they were initially infected with COVID-19. This occurs in all age groups...
Hilary Burrage was the guest speaker during a recent Target Team event addressing the Economics of FGM (female genital mutilation). Two attendees asked very important questions: “Except for making donations and talking to people to raise more awareness of what is happening, what is there that people like us – who are not directly impacted by this – can do to contribute...
With the recent passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, many have reflected upon her accomplishments and what these have meant for women and girls. Like many of you, I felt devastated by her death and fearful for the possible consequences this could have for women’s rights. This feminist icon carved out her place in the world while suffering discrimination and...
This blog will provide a short glimpse into the submitted projects for the fourth Target Program cycle. The selection process kicked off on May 1, 2019 with the release of the Application Packet. Fifteen project proposals were received by the September 30, 2019 deadline. Participation across FAWCO was excellent, with submissions coming from six of the eleven FAWCO Regions plus...
Over the past few years I have become increasingly passionate about the issue of women’s rights and equality, and was really excited about the prospect of attending the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW64) in NYC in March. Of course, those plans had to be aborted as the unprecedented situation with the COVID-19 pandemic...
Although the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting all people, women are uniquely impacted. Women are disproportionately represented in insecure jobs. The majority of front-line health care workers (those with the greatest exposure to the virus) are women. Women are also charged with the greatest amount of home care for children, elderly parents and families, resulting in close contact to multiple people.
Hope for Girls and Women Tanzania (HGWT) was established in 2017. In Rhobi's words, “the vision is to free societies of gender-based violence, including FGM, child marriage and wife battering. The mission is to protect human dignity and improve the respect for women and girls in Tanzania.”
HGWT operates two Safe Houses, one in Butiama and the other in Mugumu,
(The contributors to this article: Tharien van Eck (MBChB), Heather Davis (PhD) and Martha Canning (PhD))
The Target Team is aware of the vast amount of conflicting information circulating at the moment regarding hygiene and COVID-19, and knowing that we all want to protect ourselves, our loved ones and communities, we felt that it would be good to update you...
A pneumonia of unknown cause was announced on December 31, 2019; on January 30, 2020, a Public Health Emergency of International Concern was declared; on February 11, the WHO named the new coronavirus disease COVID-19, and on March 11 a pandemic was declared. Very significant preventative measures were put in place to prevent the rapid spread of the virus.
Included...
Female Mutilation: The truth behind the horrifying global practice of female genital mutilation - Author: Hilary Burrage Goodreads rating: 3.75 (8 ratings)
The numbers of girls and women affected around the world are staggering. Death is not an uncommon outcome. Female genital mutilation (FGM) is the partial or complete removal of the external female genitals for cultural rather than medical or religious reasons—its origin is...
An FGM survivor said the following: “I think we really need to change the face of FGM because it doesn’t just happen to people in Africa, it is everywhere… It’s easy to turn a blind eye and say it is not happening in this country (UK), in our community. But if people don’t think girls here are at risk, it...
According to the UN, at least 200 million girls and women have been subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) in 30 countries where the practice is concentrated. There has been some progress: in these countries, the prevalence of this harmful practice declined 25% between 2000 and 2018. Recently, the government of Sudan criminalized FGM, another step towards achieving better health...
NOTE: SARS-CoV-2 is the virus and COVID-19 is the disease caused by it.
A. Patients in China were initially presenting with an unusual pneumonia (characterized by a ground glass appearance on CAT scans) so it was initially thought to be a purely respiratory illness. Now it is known that...
Is it the socially responsible thing to do, or are you just creating a virus trap? The Target team and Heather Davis (AWC Antwerp) put together this short piece to provide you with more information.
Many of you have questions about the wearing of masks: Should I be wearing one? What kind of mask should it be? Will a mask...