So often the archetypal leader that one is accustomed to hearing of are the suited and booted CEOs, heads of states and politicians with the accompanying networks, resources and sphere of influence.

However, according to Malaysian author Alvin Ung, one can lead without extensive resources or power; those that do so are…

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It is hard to fathom that a society could exist whereby one population can expect to live into their eighties, whilst another population would expect to live only till their forties.

It is this shameful and disturbing reality which authors of ‘The Grandest Challenge –…

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In medicine, we can spend such a vast proportion of time perceiving those with illnesses as patients, or as statistical numbers that we fail to regard them as individuals. This is particular pertinent to people living with HIV, which are in excess of 30 million; It is such a colossal number it can be hard to comprehend. Despite the wealth of research into prevention and treatment of HIV which has made an undeniable impact on survival of populations, the experience of the individual…

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30 years have passed since the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) published its first reported case of AIDS. Since then over 25 million people have died from AIDS and an estimated 33.3 million are living with HIV today.

While tremendous advances have been made in terms of treatment, steering AIDS from what was once a fatal disease to a now chronic one; AIDS is still a global health threat, with many in the developing world unable to access adequate treatment.

However, while…

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Today marks the much anticipated advent of the estimated day when seven billion people will inhabit the Earth, according to the United Nations Population Fund who have just published their latest report – State of the World population 2011- ‘People and Possibilities in a World of 7 Billion’.

In fact, the announcement of the birth of the “seven billionth baby” has already been proclaimed in Manila, Philippines with the arrival of…

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Frantz Fanon, Iconic psychiatrist and author of books such as “Wretched of the Earth”, wrote that “literature increasingly involves itself in its only real task, which is to get society to reflect and mediate”.

Paulo Freire’s landmark book, “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” is a prime example of literature that makes one reflect, cogitate and ponder all at once.

In addition, Freire’s…

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This week, Nina Lakhani reported on the disturbing case of the Evangelical Christian Church which has been encouraging members of its congregation to cease taking medication altogether in favour of prayer alone.

The report revealed that three people died after discontinuing Anti Retro Viral treatment on…

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Last week, UNFPA hosted the International Obstetric Fistula working group in Maputo, Mozambique. Obstetric fistula is a striking indication of the insufficient maternal health care that exists in some parts of the world.

Obstetric fistula is a condition in which a fistula (hole/ communication) develops between the vagina (birth canal) and bladder or…

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Today marks World Mental Health Day, a day designed to raise public attention about mental health issues whilst also encouraging open and honest discussion about the topic.

This year’s theme is “investing in mental health” which seems highly apt given that the World Health Organisation estimates that the resources allocated for mental health are “inadequate especially in low resource countries”. “Low- and middle-income countries spend less than two per cent of their health budget on…

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When Amartya Sen, Indian economist and Nobel Prize winner, first raised the issue of the missing 100 million women some 20 years ago, I must admit I found it all rather hard to comprehend.  I paid it little regard until last year when I found myself at the UNFPA offices in India, mesmerized by sex-selection posters adorning the walls. Before then it seemed all quite abstract, facts and figures and definitively hard to contextualise.

More recently, a…

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http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2011/10/02/gandhi%E2%80%99s-birthday-is-peace-possible-through-non-violence-and-education/

It is a widely held belief that religion is the cause of all conflicts, past and present; that religion and peace are simply not compatible.  However, with a vast proportion of the world’s population subscribing to one religion or another, can it really be an issue to ignore?

 

Baha’i’s believe that “world peace is not only possible but inevitable”, a central tenet to their faith; they put forth a seminal statement in 1985 stating that:…

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