There is an estimated 1.5 million orphans in South Africa, but there has not been a substantial increase in adoptions. About 2,000 children are adopted annually, which does not even come close to reducing the amount of children without parents.
Every third minute. That is how often a child with a cleft lip or cleft palate is born. This means that one in every 700 babies born will be born with a cleft lip or palate. This congenital birth defect causes not only major difficulties with speaking, but also with breathing, eating and drinking. Children born with a cleft suffer twice the odds of dying before the age of one, and one out of ten children in less developed countries die due to it. Operation Smile, a non-profit, international health organisation aims to help children all around the world grow up with the ability to smile.
What started as a trend joke between two Australian friends has now literally grown into a worldwide annual moustache campaign to increase the awareness and conversation about men’s health – Movember.
With another October over, so another breast cancer awareness month comes to an end, too. This is the month where everything turns pink and women are encouraged to get checked to make sure there aren’t any pernicious lumps lurking, ready to ruin one more life. There are unfortunately many types of cancer in the world; far more than you can count on two hands but they all have an awareness month!