Broadly speaking, aid is any assistance offered to an individual, group, organization or country by another. When aid crosses borders, from one country, organization or multilateral institution, to another, it becomes international aid- assistance offered on an international level, usually to countries in need. In most cases, aid is provided as funds which serve as official developmental assistance (ODA), typically targeted towards poverty reduction, public welfare and economic development. Some international organizations that offer significant aid include United States Agency for International Development (USAID), World Food Programme (WFP), , the World  Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations (UN). In addition to international organizations, countries such as the United States of America and Canada have a reputation for providing international aid.

International aid is a worthy cause that has saved millions of lives over the years. USAID alone, which is  essentially in charge of administering civilian international aid in the United States, saves more than 3 million lives each year through immunization programs. Additionally, over 850,000 people are educated about HIV while up to 40,000 have been trained to protect their countries through USAID. WFP offers unique technical assistance and capacity development to countries by responding to gaps, identified through an extensive assessment, to end hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition by 2030. WFP assists 80 million people in 80 countries yearly, being the leading humanitarian organization which fights worldwide hunger by delivering food support in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and foster resilience.

WHO, as a public health giant, aims to build a healthier future for people in all nations of the world. Located in over 150 countries, WHO staff work with national governments and several other partners to provide different types of resources and ensure the highest attainable level of health for all people. Millennium development gaols (MDGs) represent WHO’s commitment to making the world a healthier place through international aid. The UN, through the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), aims to achieve international co-operation by solving international problems of economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian nature. The first aid offered by the UN was to help rebuild Europe, after Second World War which left the continent devastated. This shows that international aid, and aid In general, is not only for developing countries but for any country needing support.  The international community now relies on the UN to coordinate humanitarian relief operations caused by natural and man-made disasters, beyond the capacity of national repair.

Despite being a huge part, as clearly seen in the preceding paragraphs, money is not the only component of international aid. Aid is not just a matter of handing out funds and resources to people and countries that need it. It is a statement of oneness and unity in the world, it constitutes a commitment and an effort to sincerely help in restructuring sectors and countries in need of support and assistance.

Family planning is the act or practice of regulating the number of children and the spacing between their births, predominantly by means of artificial contraception or voluntary sterilization. Couples choose to plan their families for several reasons that include health, financial abilities and social responsibilities. it is a necessary and significant human right, essential to both gender equality and women empowerment. Given it’s significance, accessibility to, and choice for  safe, affordable and effective family planning should be a fundamental  right for all women. Unfortunately though, up to about 225 million women worldwide who intend to control, delay or stop bearing children are unable to access safe and effective family planning methods for a myriad of reasons. The major reason being that most of these women live in the poorest nations and parts of the world, where there is abject lack of information, services, access and support for family planning. These nations are also the same countries that lag behind in issues regarding gender equality and women empowerment, major social changes that emphasize the rights of women.

There are many benefits of family planning in addition to the most obvious which is to decrease the escalating and unsustainable world population. Reduced population growth is associated with many positive and healthy consequences such as poverty reduction, preservation of natural resources and all forms of development. Other benefits of family planning include:

• reduces the need for abortion
• reinforces people’s rights to choose or not to procreate
• prevents deaths of mothers and children by preventing unintended pregnancies and births
• empowers families to birth desired number of children and determine pregnancy spacing
• secures women’s well-being and autonomy and supports health and development
• enables people to make informed choices about their sexual and reproductive health
• prevents transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections

Given these benefits, it is therefore important that family planning is made easily available and accessible to sexually active people, including adolescents, through midwives and other trained health professionals. Midwives are specially trained to provide locally available and culturally appropriate contraceptive methods. Other trained health professionals such as community health workers, may provide counselling and distribute pills and condoms which serve as other family planning methods. Highly advanced or technical family planning methods such as sterilization including vasectomy and tubectomy, require the expertise of clinicians and specialists.

To promote family planning, the World Health Organization (WHO) is working to establish quality, safety and delivery standards and guidelines to help countries introduce, adapt and implement family planning tools and methods to meet their needs. Similarly, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) supports and increases access to family planning by consistently supplying quality contraceptives, advocacy, data collection, networking important stakeholders and offering programmatic, technical and financial assistance to countries that need it.

In general, migration is the movement of humans and animals from one location to another. For humans, it is a process that is completed in two steps, emigration and immigration. Emigration represents the act of leaving one’s resident country with the intent to settle elsewhere while immigration is the movement into a new country for settlement. This continuous process migration happens for many reasons, either by choice or as a result of unfortunate circumstances. People who migrate by choice to settle in other countries  for hope of a better life, are referred to as immigrants in the countries they choose to settle in. On the other hand, individuals who migrate as a result of unfortunate and compelling conditions are called refugees.

Refugees are individuals who fled their countries because of a well-founded fear of persecution, violence, natural disaster, war or death. They flee without any intention to return home due to the situations for which they fled in the first place. As stated in the preceding paragraph, a refugee is different from an immigrant because of the absence of choice in the case of refugees. For this reason global immigration laws differ for immigrants and refugees. For the latter, laws are made from a humanitarian standpoint to protect these individuals, and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), along with private sponsors are responsible for identifying refugees for resettlement. In Canada, there are two parts of the refugee system: the Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program, for people who need protection outside Canada and the In-Canada Asylum Program for people making refugee protection claims within Canada.

The health status of refugees remain a significant component of their migration process. Given the reasons for which the emigrate their home countries, it is inevitable to experience trauma and other health conditions. The world health organization recognizes some of the most frequent health problems of newly arrived refugees including accidental injuries, hypothermia, burns, gastrointestinal illnesses, cardiovascular events, diabetes and hypertension. In addition, females are more likely to experience violence as well as specific health challenges that involve pregnancy and delivery-related complications, maternal, newborn and reproductive health challenges. Medical conditions such as psycho-social disorders, drug abuse, nutrition disorders, alcoholism and exposure to violence are some of the risks associated with population movements and they increase vulnerability to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Refugee children require access to suitable health care because they are most vulnerable and prone to respiratory infections and gastrointestinal illnesses due to poor living conditions and hygiene. These poor conditions also lead to skin infections.

Furthermore, the risk of death for refugee immigrants are  high because of the methods by which they flee their home countries. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the number of casualties and deaths among refugees  crossing the Mediterranean Sea increased, with over 3100 people estimated to have either gone missing or died at sea in 2015. Having been through so much trauma in the course of fleeing, host countries ought to be receptive and compassionate through friendly policies and actions in order to nullify impact of the negative experiences of refugees. There is need to compassionately and carefully monitor the health status of refugees in host communities as well as foster developments that will improve the quality of their lives.

Safety is defined as the state of being free from or immune to danger or injury. Therefore, water safety simply means the condition of being safe and protected from dangers and injuries that may result from using water.

The concept of water safety is very important given that approximately 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. More so, water is all around us; in rivers and lakes, in icecaps, aquifers and glaciers, in the ground as soil moisture and in air as water vapor. In fact, the earth is a ‘watery’ place. In addition to its ubiquitous nature in the universe, man’s need for water cannot be paralleled; an estimated 408 billion gallons of water are used in the United States per. Water is so important because we constantly need and use it on a daily basis and for many reasons including drinking, cooking, bathing, washing, swimming and for other activities. For this reason, it’s really necessary to ensure that the water we use is clean and safe. That way, we are protected.

Many times, water is contaminated by different chemicals or micro-organisms through some natural means, man-made activities and poor hygiene. These contaminants must be removed through some treatment or purification process to make water clean and safe. Additionally, diseases that result from contaminated water and their associated health impacts are numerous and threatening. Every year, up to 3.6 million people die from a disease related to using unsafe, unclean and unhealthy water. Approximately 80% of diseases in many third-world countries are associated with water, causing millions of deaths; for example, diarrhoea alone kills 5,000 children daily- about one child every 17 seconds. Classes of diseases associated with water are usually preventable including water-borne, water-washed and water-related diseases. Hence, if water is clean safe and healthy, all associated diseases will be eliminated from the world and many deaths will be prevented.

A study on the “Molecular assessment of bacterial pathogens- a contribution to drinking water safety” showed that current developments in molecular detection technologies for bacterial pathogens in drinking water can potentially improve the safety of drinking water supplies by specifically detecting and identifying pathogens. Furthermore, many purification, treatment and molecular approaches have improved the understanding of infection routes for water-borne diseases, effects of changes in drinking water treatment, and management of freshwater resources. These and many more advancements are on track to ensure water safety is prioritized and realized.

The collection and storage of knowledge and information is a practice as old as civilization, and some evidence exist to support this. Over 5,000 years ago, approximately 30,000 clay tablets  which contained information sources were found in ancient Mesopotamia. Also, papyrus scrolls, from 1300-1200BC and clay tablets, from 704-681BC have been uncovered by Archeologists in ancient cities of Egypt and Assyria respectively.

In recent times, the method of collecting and storing information has changed, and the term, Library is used to represent this practice. By definition, a Library is a collection or group of collections of educative resources and repositories organized in a variety of formats. Libraries may also refer to buildings, rooms, facilities or just cabinets that contain a collection of books or other print or non-print materials, periodicals, films and music organized and maintained for use (entertainment, study, research, etc.) within, or for borrowing. They are found in communities, institutions and homes and can be classified as either public or private. Sometimes, the room, building, or facility that houses a library is not necessarily built for that purpose but merely provides access to a collection of information sources.

Librarians are information professionals and other experts who are trained to provide convenient physical, digital, bibliographic or intellectual access to the people who use the library. Institutional libraries, such as university and school libraries, designed for a specific audience are staffed by librarians and other personnel trained to provide services that meet the needs of users. They mange and offer specific services or assistance with the purpose of educating, informing and entertaining various audiences who need the library and require their support.

Libraries are built or created for the goal of inspiring individual learning and creativity as well as advancing societies as a whole. They are usually the only easily available source of comprehensive information essential for personal and professional development. Libraries are important sources of information for all sectors of the society and areas of life including health, socio-economic, environmental, physical and spiritual. They are particularly important for research, knowledge acquisition and information sharing. Communities benefit when members use  library resources to make smart business decisions, improve job skills and develop their talents because these actions create empowered citizens and pave ways that enrich the economy. Furthermore, libraries can act as community and cultural centers where struggling or depressed neighbors and colleagues can meet people and revitalize themselves, thereby improving the quality of life.

The directory containing information on libraries is available in an alphabetical order by country in World Guide to Libraries, published by K.G. Saur. Two of the comprehensive worldwide online directories of library homepages are Libdex and Libweb.

Broadly conceptualized, social change represents any change in social relations. Like change in general, it is in constant existence in our societies. However, the distinction between social change and other forms of change in the society is that the former is significant and encompasses processes that modify the social structure while the latter serves primarily to maintain the social structure. More specifically, sociologists define social change as any alteration over time in social behavior systems and cultural values or norms that result in significant social consequences and impact society prominently.

Some social changes that have shown to have significant long‐term effects in the world include industrial revolution, abolition of slavery, technological advancement and the feminist movement. In our societies, social change may occur for various reasons and result from a number of sources. Some of these sources include research and information, diffusion, immigration and contact with other societies; changes in the ecosystem which results in loss of natural resources or emergence of diseases, technological change characterised by industrial revolution; and population growth. In addition to the above sources, social movements have also played vital roles in inspiring dissatisfied members of a society to bring about social change. These movements may be ideological, economic, religious and political in nature and are perpetuated by protests and activism and sometimes, violence.

In order to understand and explain patterns and causes of social change, three theories are used by sociologists and they include: Evolutionary, Functionalist, and Conflict theories of change. These theories all acknowledge that the first response to social movements is resistance, particularly when people with dissimilar interests feel threatened by potential changes.

There are several peculiarities with social change. These changes may happen all the time and are almost always constant; an example being the rate at which technology advancement occurs. On the other hand, some other changes, such as structural or systematic shifts in norms and values, are much slower in occurrence. Social change may be deliberate and intentional or completely unexpected and unplanned; for one, developed societies, like as the United States, actively promote many kinds of change which are usually controversial. In general, some changes are more significant than others; changes in trends and fashions, although very obvious and prominent, are much less significant compared to major inventions and the advancement of technology.

Transitions in the labour market and social systems can either be relieving or burdensome on people’s economic security, social adaptability and psychology. This consequence of social change  directly affects mental health by causing social stress.

What is reproductive health?

Reproductive health is a state of complete well-being in all matters relating to the reproductive system. It represents a broad range of health topics that affect our sexual and reproductive systems including sex, family planning and contraception, pregnancy, birth defects, developmental disorders, low birth weight, preterm birth, reduced fertility, impotence, menstrual disorders, maternal and child mortality, sexually transmitted infections, female genital mutilation and vasectomy. People who have a healthy reproductive life are more likely to have a satisfying and safe sex life, can to reproduce successfully and possess the freedom to do so, whenever, wherever and however they want to. To maintain one’s reproductive and sexual health, it is important to be well informed, and have access to safe, effective, affordable and acceptable services and contraception methods. It is also necessary to protect oneself from sexually transmitted infections through education and empowerment.

United nations population fund (UNFPA) works with a wide range of partners such as governments, civil society, donors and other UN agencies to ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health care and rights. This emphasizes that individuals have the right to make choices about their sexual and reproductive health. Furthermore, the International Conference on Population and Development illustrates a strong link between reproductive health, human rights and sustainable development. For instance, when people are unhealthy in their sexual and reproductive lives, they are less likely to make choices about their own bodies and futures. This, in turn, results in a series of consequences that may impact families and future generations.

In many cases, sexual and reproductive health issues go hand in hand with human rights and gender inequality. This is because it is women that bear children, and to a great extent, bear the responsibility for nurturing them. Understanding this relationship fosters development and can potentially reduce complications associated with reproductive health, poverty and gender inequality. In may developing countries, reproductive health problems remain a leading cause of morbidity and mortality for women and girls of childbearing age. Poorer women are more likely to suffer from unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortion, maternal death and disability, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), gender-based violence, and other related problems.

The disproportionate number of HIV infections and unwanted pregnancies is a consequence of lack of access to sexual and reproductive health information and care. This then increases the risk of complications during childbirth, unsafe abortions, suicide contemplation and school drop out. Sexual and reproductive health are important lifetime concerns for both women and men, from childhood to adulthood. Consequently, programs that support comprehensive sex education including prevention and treatment need to be promoted. In addition, services across a all sectors required to ensure health care is accessible must be strengthened, from health and education systems to transport systems.

An aging Population is a population with an increasing or rising median age. This may be attributable to factors such as decline in fertility rates, aging of a baby boom generation, migration or increase in life expectancy.

It’s no longer news that the world’s population is aging quite rapidly. People aged 60 and older make up about 12% of the global population, and this number is projected to rise up to 22% by 2050. Many countries in the world today, experience an increase in the number of older people; notably Canada (where seniors are expected to comprise around 23% to 25% of the population by 2036) and Japan (where People over the age of 65 make up a quarter of the population, and is on track to reach 40%). This is not a bad thing, in fact, longevity is a sign that a country is developed and that structures or factors, supportive of a good long life, exist. However, aging is a significant change that has implications for almost every sector in our society, including labour and financial markets; demand for goods and services, such as housing, health care, transportation and social protection; and family structures, including procreation and intergenerational ties. Given the extent to which a population can be impacted by changes in its composition in general, it’s important to prepare for the economic and social shifts associated with an aging population.

The United Nation’s 2002 Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA) was instituted during the Second World Assembly on Aging; Oh yeah! There’s a world assembly on aging, it’s that important! The meeting emphasized the need to ensure seniors are included in development planning, such that they are able to participate in, and benefit equitably from development. Additionally, societies should ensure that seniors are accommodated through the provision of enabling environments to encourage them to engage in activities that will improve the quality of their lives and advance their health and well-being. More so, as populations increasingly age, more people retire and acquire old age illnesses, hence, it becomes essential for governments to stabilize the economy by establishing effective policies and services with regards to housing, employment, infrastructure, social protection and health care, specifically for older people.

To ensure seniors live longer and healthier, the World Health Assembly adopted a comprehensive Global Strategy and Action Plan on Ageing and Health 2016-2020 and a related resolution in May 2016. The strategy was initiated in order to inspire every country’s commitment to action on healthy ageing. Action on healthy aging demands the development of age-friendly environments and the alignment of health systems to the needs of older populations. Furthermore, It promises the development of sustainable and equitable systems of long-term care, emphasizes equity and human rights, including the important role of involving older adults in all decisions that concern them.

As individuals, we all need to care for, and treat older adults with love and respect, not only because we will be in their shoes someday, but because it the right and honorable thing to do.

May we live to become Elders… cheers!

Motherhood is often a positive and fulfilling experience, however, it is accompanied by so much suffering, depression, ill-health or even death, for many women. The period around birth is a significant window of opportunity for prevention and management of maternal and newborn complications, which can otherwise become fatal.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Maternal health refers the health of women during the period of pregnancy, childbirth and following childbirth (postpartum). In 2015, an estimated 303,000 women died of complications during pregnancy or childbirth. Sadly, many of these deaths could have been prevented by well known and effective medical interventions. Unfortunately, in most of the affected countries- usually developing countries, women lack access to quality care before, during and after childbirth. The WHO’s Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5 is to improve the quality of maternal health and set the goals of reducing maternal mortality by 75% through universal access to reproductive health.

In developed countries, even though maternal health has significantly improved in the 21st century, women still die or have intense complications in pregnancy yearly. Notwithstanding advances in medicine and medical technologies, data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that the rate of pregnancy-related deaths in developed countries such as the United States has increased in the last 25 years. Implicated complications include infections (including flu), bleeding, blood clots, heart conditions and high blood pressure.

More recently, although the risk of dying of pregnancy complications has more recently reduced in general, some women remain at higher risk than others. For instance, older women are at a higher risk of complications and death due to pregnancy compared to their younger counterparts. Specifically, women aged 35 to 39 are almost twice as likely to die of pregnancy complications as women aged 20 to 24. This risk becomes higher for women aged 40 or older.

Emphasis on maternal health acknowledges the fact that women have the right to health. This shows that access to quality sexual, reproductive and maternal health is fundamental to both human right and development. Therefore, improving sexual, reproductive and maternal health should be central to the world’s commitment to gender equality and poverty alleviation. To achieve large scale and sustainable improvements in maternal health, underlying and systemic factors- including gender inequality, access to healthcare, cost of health services, policy barriers and power imbalances, which all have an impact on maternal health, must be addressed. Also, to eliminate every preventable maternal death, an understanding of maternal health as a right to health should be promoted through antenatal care, emergency obstetric care, skilled health attendance at delivery and improved access to healthcare for intending and recent mothers.

Domestic violence or abuse is any behavior, not just physical violence, that aims to gain power and control over a spouse, partner or  family member. Like many  behaviors in life, abuse is a learned behavior and not caused by common excuses such as anger, mental problems, drugs and alcohol. Major categories of abuse include Physical, Sexual, Emotional, Verbal and Economic Abuse. Domestic violence, like other manifestations of abuse,  can be classified under, or take the form of any of the above listed categories of abuse.

The major purpose of the abuser is to gain and maintain total control over the abused by instilling negative emotions such as fear, guilt, shame and intimidation. Threats, blackmail, blame, dominance, isolation, humiliation, emotional and physical violence are often used to achieve these means. Sometimes, abusers hurt people or things that are dear to the abused in order to keep them in the constant state of depression, pain and powerlessness. Clearly, these injuries and emotions that result from domestic violence affect health negatively.

Domestic violence and abuse do not happen in only certain groups of people, it occurs irrespective of people‘s characteristics such as age, gender, race, social class, and level of education. Also, it happens both in heterosexual and homosexual relationships and is not specific to any gender in particular. Hence, while women are more commonly victimized and physically harmed because men may be stronger, men are also abused—especially verbally and emotionally. The fact is, abuse or violence is never acceptable for whatever reason, whether it’s coming from a man, a woman, a teenager, or an older adult- everyone deserves to be safe and respected.

Most often, domestic abuse often begins with threats, emotional blackmail and verbal abuse, and then escalates to violence, which is the most obvious act. Despite not being as obvious as violence or physical injury, emotional and psychological forms of domestic abuse are as severe and damaging. Emotionally abusive relationships can destroy an individual’s self-worth, lead to anxiety and depression, and make one feel helpless and alone. No one should have to endure the pain and worthlessness that comes with such manipulation.

The first step to breaking free from an abuser is recognizing that there is a problem- that a relationship is abusive or has abusive potentials. Once the reality of the abusive situation is acknowledged, it then becomes easier for the abused individual to get the much needed help, which is usually available through many NGOs, government funded, community -based and charitable organizations.

There are several characteristics of an abusive relationship, the major one being the fear of one’s partner. Once an individual feels like there’s need to be overly cautious around their partner, either by constantly watching what they say or do, it is likely  the relationship is unhealthy and potentially abusive. Other signs of an abusive or potentially abusive relationship include: being belittled or controlled, humiliation, hyper-criticism, refusal to communicate, being ignored or excluded, extramarital affairs, use of sarcasm and unpleasant tone of voice, unreasonable jealousy, withdrawal of affection or money and guilt trips.