Sierra Leno Civil War

reality of the most brutal 20th century civil war in Sierra Leone. Mariatu tells a very

It is common to hear about war, terror, death and poverty, it is common knowledge to know their meanings, but what right does one have to say they know the reality of the words if they have never experienced it themselves, what does it really means to see the death of someone in a war; to know the terror of not knowing if you are to live to see another sunrise? Most do not know and are ignorant of the fact situations like this happens all around us; happening now even in different countries. More and more death, destruction and human rights being violated are happening in Sierra Leone because of its poor economic situation and the civil war which started over control of the blood diamonds; yet, the problem

We live in a country where all children go to school to gain an education and 25% of them will go onto receive some type of college degree. Compare this to low-income countries, in which children are 16 times as likely to die prior to their fifth birthday (Nickitas, Middaugh & Aries, 2016). Beyond the lens of our smartphones, Facebook friends and Nike sneakers is a world full of desperate people wishing to have enough food to eat for today. Many parts of the world lack sanitation, safe housing, sparse medical care and no medication. The global health issue are everyone’s problems not only for the sake of altruism but, with the increase in global travel for routine business and pleasure, dangerous pathogen are no longer confine by boarders. The Ebola outbreak four years ago, proved the necessity of a global solution to global health issues. The collaborative practice of several world health agencies and economically developed countries along with the use of volunteers, statistical updates, the latest literature and practices kept this outbreak mostly contained to its region of origin and the death toll to approximately 11,000 people (mainly in West Africa) (WHO,

For example, “Hospitals have seen an influx of patients suffering from preventable diseases, the aid group said”. These preventable diseases can include diarrhea, typhoid, hepatitis A, and most commonly malaria. Two out of every five children survive into their adulthood; because of unsanitary conditions, these diseases which are not prominent in well developed countries, have pronounced themselves as some of the most dangerous diseases in the country. This decrease of sanitation can be partially blamed on the ongoing war in the Congo. The rebel groups use children soldiers to fight their opponents. Furthermore, hospitals reported that, “Since government troops and rebels began clashing in the volatile eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, ‘the numbers arriving at the hospital have gone through the roof,’ said Dr. Louis Kamate of the Virunga Referral Hospital in Goma”. Conflicts and poverty have been proven to be the main factors of child death in the Congo. In order for the society to be successful, they must put an end to this terrible aspect of the country.

A brief historical account of Sierra Leone may provide only a glimmer as to why the Sierra

The Spanish civil war is often seen as a fundamental divide between right and left- the first major struggle between Fascism and Communism. The Spanish civil war started distinctly as a Spanish civil war born out of Spanish disputes, but it was soon to take on an international character. The military situations were practically equal to both sides before the foreign intervention. However, after Germany, Italy, and USSR intervened the situation changed dramatically.

During this fourth dimension of expansion, CRS built on its tradition of providing relief in emergency situations and began to find a ways to help people in the developing world break the cycle of poverty through community-based, sustainable development initiatives. These programs, which today includes agricultural initiatives, community banks, health instruction, and clean water projects, ensure that the local population is the central participant in its own development and that a project can be sustained through

Bull Run, Gettysburg, Fort Sumter. For American Citizens, these battles, all located in the eastern United States, will forever be associated with the Civil War. But not many people know that there was a battle fought right here in our home state. The westernmost battle of the Civil War took place in the future state of Arizona.

Compounding this lack of care, Haitians also lack clean drinking water and proper sanitation systems. Less than half the population has access to clean drinking water, a rate that is only surpassed by civil war-torn African nations. Even worse, half the population of Haiti can be categorized as “food insecure,” and this malnutrition has created a generation where half of all Haitian children are undersized (IFRC, 2010). In addition, this poor sanitation and hygiene, coupled with inadequate nutrition, have contributed to exceptionally high levels of individuals with chronic, yet often at best ill-treated, conditions.

Whilst leading to civilians fleeing Sudan and Sierra Leone to start new lives. The histories behind both wars are quite similar as both were solely motivated by natural resources and power imbalance. As The Revolutionary United Front had established in 1991 as rebel army that shared one goal, which was to overthrow Sierra Leone's government. Often referred to as the “Blood Diamond” era in certain African countries. Although diamonds and natural resources were a significant motivating factor, there were other causes of the Sierra Leone Civil War. Such as the pre-war frustrations and injustices that had transpired for decades. More than twenty years of poor governance, poverty and corruption created a setting for the RUF causing a rebellion, as civilians desired for change in Sierra Leone. Corruption and mismanagement led to the downfall of the country leading to an increase of recruits for the RUF. For Sierra Leoneans who did not have access to cultivating land, joining the rebel cause was an opportunity to seize property with deadly force. After leaving over 50 000 casualties and 2.6 million citizens displaced from Sierra Leone. The war came to an end in 2002 concluding in a loss for the

I pursued new avenues where iCare could grow. During summer visits to my father’s homeland, Lebanon, I visited refugee camps to distribute “iCare packages” (which consisted of soap, shampoo, hand sanitizer, toothpaste, and a toothbrush), thinking that these were of the utmost priority to the refugees. While my supplies were readily accepted and quickly depleted in the camp, I was swarmed by children whose lit-up faces turned sullen when they saw I was handing out hygiene products, not food. Unaffected by their lackluster reactions to my donations, I sought ways that I could meet their nutritional needs. Accordingly, I partnered with the Tyre Charitable Organization of Southern Lebanon and obtained donations from local merchants to

The 20th century contained one of Mexico’s largest revolutions. In the year 1926 after years of increasing government hostility to the Catholic Church in Mexico, the working class of Mexico rebelled and launched a war that would come very close to overthrowing the anti-Catholic government of Mexico. The war would come to be known as the Cristero war. The spark that ignited the Cristero war was when President Calles of Mexico ordered the enforcement of the anti-clerical laws of Mexico’s 1917 constitution. The reason that the government of Mexico wished to terminate the Church in Mexico, was because they thought the Church would hinder them in their goal to achieve a socialist style country. The name Cristero came from federal forces who named the rebels Cristeros which basically means ‘Catholic militant’. As mentioned before the Cristeros came very close to overthrowing the

I have had the humbling experience to travel back to my ancestral community in occupied Palestine, and during each trip, I saw firsthand, how the culture managed to survive, and even thrive, despite limited resources and immobilization. The occupation has resulted in a limited water supply to many Palestinian villages; I can recall countless times where I was unable to shower and do laundry, since the use of water was prioritized for cooking over sanitation and hygiene. The lack of water resources in Palestine was my first formal encounter with a public health issue, in which there was a significant prevention of people from attending to their hygiene and properly sanitizing food and surfaces from microorganisms. In addition to the lack of water resources, the strict restrictions on imports have resulted in a further public health issue regarding many members of the village not having access to medicinal resources or dietary specific foods. This experience abroad has encouraged me to pursue a career in public health, in hopes of returning to Palestine with the appropriate resources and knowledge to: educate the community on water sustainability for their agricultural lifestyle, find a solution for the lack of medical resources, and propose proper dietary plans based on the food availability in my ancestral village.

My most recent, and most important humanitarian work is with For Burkina: Design, Fund, Build. In May 2014, I applied and was selected to join nine architecture students, and two Drury University alumni who came together to form a registered 501©3 nonprofit to design, fund and build a three room school in Burkina Faso, Africa. Since that time we have spent two hours a week with our design team: brainstorming, fund-raising, planning our art auction, and making design decisions. We have raised the $32,000 needed to complete our first school. Sustainability is no stranger to the building industry and our green design reflects the culture, environment and materials of the region through generous overhangs, louvers, and lattice CMU walls (blocks made on site) provide indirect light and sun protection. This village has no electricity. No power tools will be used in the build with the exception of a welding machine. Education will help the village people break the cycle of poverty, illiteracy and low expectations through service and education. Our school will be the catalyst for change in the community: educating 135 students each year (where 78% of the population are illiterate) and providing an economic boost for the local economy (5th economically poorest country in the world.) Before a school is built, all of the community members must sign the covenant to maintain

Free The Children is an international charity and educational partner that works with communities to establish a comprehensive, child focused development approach that gives members of communities education, skills and opportunities to free themselves of povertythrough theiradaptive, effective five core pillar of a sustainable development model, known as Adopt a Village.Free The Children is unique among Canadian charities in the sense that it operates collaborative domestic and international programmes. Adopt a Village is designed to enrich the basic needs of community members and eliminate the obstacles that prevent children from accessing education.