Red Hand Day

I love wikipedia. I learn something everyday by browsing it. Check out the main page section titled "On This Day", there's always something interesting there! This is what I read today...

...today is RED HAND DAY. A day to bring awareness to the use of children in war. And it happens all too often, even today.

Read. Learn something. Be called into action.

Red Hand Day, held on February 12, is an annual commemoration day created to draw attention to the fate of children who are forced to serve as soldiers in wars and armed conflicts. The aim of Red Hand Day is to call for action against this practice, and support for children who suffer from this severe form of child abuse. Examples for massive use of children as soldiers in recent years include armed conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Sudan, Côte d'Ivoire, Myanmar, Philippines, Colombia, and Palestine.
Red Hand Day was initiated in 2002 when the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict entered into force on February 12, 2002. This protocol was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in May 2000. It currently has signatures from 92 different states. A number of international organizations are active against the use of children as soldiers. These organizations include, for example, the United Nations Child Fund (UNICEF), Amnesty International, Terre des Hommes or the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
The work of these organizations can be summarized by the acronym DDR:
Disarmament
Demobilization
Reintegration
The military use of children is addressed by a number of international legal norms. These include International human rights law and International humanitarian law. According to the Additional Protocols I and II to the Geneva Conventions, adopted in 1977, children who have not attained the age of 15 years shall neither be recruited in the armed forces or groups, nor allowed to take part in hostilities. For persons older than 15 but younger than 18 years, the State Parties to the Geneva Conventions shall endeavour to give priority to those who are oldest. The "Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict", adopted in 2000, stipulates that its State Parties shall take all feasible measures to ensure that persons below the age of 18 do not take a direct part in hostilities, and that they are not compulsorily recruited into their armed forces. In addition to these legal norms, The Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention of the International Labour Organization, adopted in 1999, includes forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict as one of the worst forms of child labour. In the context of this convention, the term "child" applies to all persons under the age of 18 years. The worldwide number of child soldiers is estimated to be between 250,000 and 300,000 (as of 2006), a third of whom are girls; however it is difficult to know the correct number, as most of them are deployed in armed rebel groups.

Pray for these People

Search for Rwanda quake survivors

Many people remain trapped under rubble in Rwanda after a series of earthquakes hit the Great Lakes region, police say. They fear more people will die. At least 40 were killed in Rwanda and neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo after Sunday's quakes. Many people spent Sunday night sleeping in the open in the DR Congo town of Bukavu in case of further tremors. At least 10 people were killed in Rwanda's western Rusizi district when a church collapsed during Sunday mass. Bukavu mayor Guillaume Bonga told the AFP news agency that there were several aftershocks overnight but he said there were no new victims. More than 300 people were injured by the most powerful earthquakes, which had magnitudes of 6.0 and 5.0. Officials said 34 people had died in Rwanda and six in DR Congo. Jacqueline Chenard from the UN's peacekeeping mission in DR Congo (Monuc) was in Bukavu when the quake struck. "There was panic all over town. People started running around, crying," she told the BBC's Network Africa programme. The quakes were also felt in neighbouring Burundi, disrupting hydroelectric power and causing a half-hour electricity cut. A powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake rocked the region in December 2005. But while it is prone to seismic activity, it has mostly escaped major quakes in recent years.

The Middle Piece, a guest blog by Dr. Agnes Binagwaho

...just read my (RED) blog on Google Reader...thought I'd share...this shows first hand the impact that is being made right now in Africa by the (RED) campeign and those who are involved in it...it is a wonderful business model...buy (RED)!!!

The Middle Piece, a guest blog by Dr. Agnes Binagwaho
from (BLOG) RED by (RED)

To mark World AIDS Day 2007, I visited with (RED) shareholders in Rwanda. Among the clients, caregivers and officials with whom I met, was Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, Executive Secretary of the National Commission for the Fight Against HIV/AIDS. Dr. Agnes epitomizes the amazing accomplishments of the country in strategy and spirit. She made several compelling points about the importance and impact of Rwanda's efforts to bring all stakeholders into the decison-making process around disease eradication and beyond. In doing so, she described (RED) as the "middle piece" to Rwanda's economic development. I asked her to describe in her own words what she meant. Below is her explanation. --Tamsin

With the first funds to finance the fight against AIDS, we reinforced our health system, improved access to care for communities and established a solid platform with strong leadership and a clear vision. However, two years ago we weren't sure that additional funds to support the HIV/AIDS work would be available to sustain our achievements. We were nervous that many of what we had built might crumble if the money dried up. This negative energy was dispiriting.

But then (RED) came. It was the "middle piece" upon which we could place the next floor of upward progress. (RED) monies ensured the sustainability of Rwanda's efforts. (RED) brought the positive energy back, allowing creativity and innovation to flow again.

Tackling HIV and AIDS is just a piece of the economic development puzzle. Fighting this disease – and defeating it – builds our capacity to address all the Millenium Development Goals. It makes us open-minded and open-hearted. In Africa, we need to share our experience and help each other.

(RED) gives Rwanda the peace of mind to do much more for our population and our neighbors in other countries, many of whom visit us to learn and collaborate to make our futures brighter.

Dr. Agnes Binagwaho is currently Rwanda's Executive Secretary of the National Commission for the Fight Against HIV/AIDS. She is also a member of the expert panel of the Country Coordinating Mechanism in Rwanda for the Global Fund and the chair of the PEPFAR Steering Committee in Rwanda. She is member of several boards and foundations combating AIDS and infant mortality. Dr Binagwaho has also co-coordinated the Task Force of the Millennium Development Goal Project for HIV/AIDS on access to essential medicines.