With 2007, the half-way mark of the MDGs just a few days away, hopes of Africa ever meeting the MDGs by the set deadline continue to dwindle.

Development experts contend that there has been progress, slow though, but warn that if the same pace is maintained, overall, the continent will not achieve the MDG target of 2015.

The MDGs in question are an initiative of the United Nations and seek to rid the world of poverty. Eight goals were agreed upon by UN member countries in 2000 and they include eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, universal primary education, promote gender equality and empowerment of women, reducing child mortality and improving maternal health. Others are combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensuring environmental sustainability and developing a global partnership for development, all these by 2015.

But on a positive note, In Kenya for example, the introduction of Free Primary Education(FPE) in 2003 saw increased enrollments, from 5.9million to 7.4milliom, according to government figures. However, the overcrowding in schools, inadequate learning facilities and high pupil/teacher ratio resulting from the increased enrollment, remain some of the challenges that have continued to characterize the FPE initiative.

In envisioning a world that is free, secure and prosperous, the MDGs call for both partnership and responsibility. Partnerships because, as recent events have only underscored, no one government or institution can go the distance alone.
Responsibility because the goals are a joint commitment made by global and national communities.


"What do we need from developed countries? Just three things: support for infrastructure, markets and solidarity. Solidarity means friendship, partnership, mutual understanding and respect."
>>>>>>>>>>>>by Luisa Diogo, Prime Minister of Mozambique

Innovative Learning

While great strides have been made in many parts of the world in ensuring that more young people have access to education, the stark fact remains that an estimated 125 million children worldwide are not in school. The loss of such a basic right is incalculable to those young people who are denied the opportunity to lead independent and productive lives, and to their communities and nations, as they fall even farther behind in the critical areas of economic and human development.

Even for young people who do have access to education, we must ask ourselves, are they gaining the necessary skills, knowledge, and values to be successful individuals and leaders? Is their education relevant to their needs? IYF is deeply committed to addressing the educational needs and resources available to young people during a time of sweeping global change. In carrying out that commitment, IYF works with public, private, and civil society partners to expand and improve young people’s access to education—from delivering alternative education programs to out-of-school youth to equipping rural schools with new technology. We also support programs that more closely connect the learning that goes on in the classroom to the demands of the workplace—and thus to future jobs. Recognizing the critical role that teachers play in motivating learning, IYF and its Partners provide teachers with the best possible training to build young people’s creativity, self-esteem, and vocational skills.

Examples of education programs supported by IYF and its Partners include:

* Education & Employment Alliance: Improving education and employment opportunities among underserved youth in Asia and the Near East

* The Global Fund for Education and Learning equips young people with the skills to reach their highest potential

* Bridgeit: an e-learning program for out-of-school youth in the Philippines

* ELSA: Empowering youth of Mindanao through school and community-based learning and employment programs

* A children’s rights curriculum introduced in Russia to improve the way teachers and students interact

* Introduction of information technology as a teaching tool in rural schools in China

* Community-based computer and Internet centers in Spain that teach basic job skills and provide job search support

* A program that trains teachers in career counseling and career development in rural Thailand

* In-service training for teachers in Poland that introduce innovating methods and develop local community involvement in children’s education

The fingerprint reader allows you to log on to your laptop by placing a finger on the finger print reader pad.

With this technology the laptop user will not have to remember passwords.

The fingerprint reader scans the finger image and matches it against the previously authenticated identification. Users can start their computers only if the fingerprint is authenticated.

The Left Handshake

There are two explanations on the origin of the Left Handshake in Scouting.

The first explanation is simply that, the left hand is nearest to the heart.
But there is another, more interesting explanation, which comes from the Ashanti tribe.
When Baden Powell entered Kumasi, the capital of Royal Ashanti, he was welcomed by a chief who greeted him with his left hand. The chief explained to him that “the most brave of the braves greet each other with the left hand.”
And from then began the practice of the Left Handshake, which is used today by millions of Scouts throughout the world.