School Feeding Programme Mired in Corruption

… contracts to non-existent companies

… disappearance of funds

… deliberate purchase of unwholesome cheaper ingredients

Twelve year-old Kareem Ahmed and his friends are never happier about being at school than when they are waiting in the queue for their turn to be served the day’s dish of boiled rice and stew.

Kareem, a stick-thin but lively boy dressed in a grubby yellow and green school uniform, walks two kilometres every day to get to school, and this is often the only meal he gets. “I used to stay at home because my mother cannot give me any pocket money and there is no food at home in the morning, but now I want to come to school to get the food,” he said.

Obesity is not wealthy living – Health Official

Accra, June 12, GNA – Ghanaians have been urged to discard the illusion that obesity is a sign of wealthy living. Mr. Kofi Adusei, Project Manager, Regenerative Health of the Ministry of Health, said obesity or fatness rather made the individual susceptible to all kinds of illness, which could result in death. Mr Adusei, speaking at a seminar on regenerative health for citizens within the Adentan Municipality said fatness increased the Body Mass Index (BMI) of a person.

Don’t worry that children never listen to you.

Don’t worry that children never listen to you. Worry that they are always watching you.
-Robert Fulghum

Youth Running Programs USA

This provides an interesting overview of running programs in the USA.

Problems facing children in Ghana

There is one major problem confronting the people of this country which if not checked and controlled will have serious effect on the economy of the nation. Streetism or street life is something no one wishes to associate with. However, certain situations push children into this kind of life or activities. Streetism can be attributed to so many causes. Most of these children found on the street are people who can become prominent personalities if they are given the opportunity. These children engage in all kinds of activities just to earn a living. Some are the bread winners of their homes and contribute to the survival of their siblings. They do this to the neglect of their education and future.

Youth Alive

Just run

The alarming rise in childhood obesity, and the lack of physical activity in our youth, prompted the organizers of the Big Sur International Marathon to create JUST RUN. JUST RUN assists schools and youth organizations by offering a SOLUTION, an orgoing, vital youth fitness program to create lifestyle changes. This highly acclaimed program was honored and given a Gold Medal by Governor Schwarzenegger’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports for “positively impacting the health and well-being of California’s children and youth.”

Read more about this programme here, or see some more detail below.

NYRRF Programs

Programs

New York Road Runners Foundation (NYRRF) is one of the leading not-for-profit providers of physical education programming for youth in New York City. An affiliate of New York Road Runners (NYRR), organizers of the ING New York City Marathon and the foremost road running association in the world, the Foundation has been developing and implementing running programs for youth of all size, fitness, and athleticism since 1999. Our programs currently serve 25,000 children a week in more than 150 schools and community centers. Program sites are primarily located in New York City, and are in half a dozen other American municipalities as well as Cape Town, South Africa.

See more about the NYRRF Programs here, or view more info below.

Resources

As part of our research and service we will periodically post information about valuable resources here. To access the list and oveviews click on the “Resources” category. These Resources are listed below.

Are “randomised evaluations” a better way of doing aid and development policy?

DOCTORS study diseases from several vantage points. Laboratory scientists peer into microscopes to observe the behaviour of bugs. Epidemiologists track sickness in populations. Drug-company researchers run clinical trials. Economists have traditionally had a smaller toolkit. When studying growth, they put individual countries under the microscope or conduct cross-country macroeconomic studies (a bit like epidemiology). But they had nothing like drug trials. Economic data were based on observation and modelling, not controlled experiment.

What are the psychosocial benefits of sport for youth?

Research has found that after-school youth sports programs are probably the best after-school programs there are in terms of psychosocial benefits. Involvement in youth sport is a better predictor of academic success than are family income or education. And kids who participate in sports programs, whether they are school-based or not, have better attitudes about school, less absenteeism and higher GPAs in high school. A U.S. study by the National Federation of High School Associations looked at adolescents who dropped out of school and found that 96 per cent of dropouts didn’t participate in after-school sports. Sports somehow keep you connected to school.