HIV/AIDS is generating a major humanitarian crisis for families in Sub-Saharan Africa. The number of children who have lost one or both parents to AIDS is expected to rise to 35 million by 2010. Rolling back decades of progress in social development, HIV/AIDS has become a major constraint in the fight against poverty. Many African countries are also suffering from civil unrest and post-conflict situations resulting in more orphans or displaced children. 'Reaching Out to Africa's Orphans' makes a substantial contribution to our understanding of the many risks and vulnerabilities faced by...

Aimed at policymakers and practitioners, this book uses the latest census and survey data to reveal the abiding costs of education to individual households. It goes on to suggest a sustainable, long-term strategy for the education system in Sierra Leone that emphasizes the needs of the poor, as well as the elimination of disparities across regions, between urban and rural areas, and between boys and girls.

'Building Science, Technology, and Innovation Capacity in Rwanda' presents the methodology, policy conclusions, and detailed action plans that emerged from a World Bank science, technology, and innovation (STI) capacity-building program in Rwanda in 2006-07. This book illustrates that even an economy dominated by subsistence agriculture such as Rwanda's needs to develop STI capacity to address everyday issues such as providing energy and clean water to rural areas, and to compete in the global economy. This book provides new insights into the STI capacity-building process and shows that this...

Much is going well with the effort to provide universal primary education in Sub-Saharan Africa. Gross enrollment rates have increased from 78 percent in 1998/99 to 91 percent in 2002/03; sizable investments have greatly improved school infrastructure and access; and large numbers of new teachers have been recruited. But educating the children in remote rural areas continues to be a challenge. Schools in hard-to-reach locations find it difficult to attract and retain teachers. Therefore, the deployment, effectiveness, management, and support of teachers in these areas require special...

Despite recent progress, malnutrition remains a severe problem in Ethiopia, especially among young children. Many of them suffer lifelong consequences in terms of higher risk of mortality and future illness, impaired cognitive ability (including lower IQ) and educational attainment, and overall productivity loss. This report provides the findings from an in-depth data-based analysis of malnutrition in Ethiopia and its causes. It assesses various aspects of current nutrition programming in the country, noting the importance of Ethiopia's first National Nutrition Strategy and National Nutrition...

The Government of Sudan has made great efforts in increasing access to education for children in northern Sudan across education sub-sectors over the past decade. In particular, educational access for children in areas previously affected by conflict has improved substantially since the signing of the peace agreements of 2005 and 2006. Estimates suggest that, on average, 90 percent of all children in northern Sudan had access to a formal school in 2010. However, inequities in access to schooling by gender and location persist. There continues to be regional disparities in access to education...

As part of the Country Status Report series, this book provides a comprehensive review of the status of education in post-conflict South Sudan. It is a result of collaborative work between MOE, key education stakeholders in South Sudan, and the World Bank. The aim is to contribute to the development of a shared vision for the future of the education system between government, citizens, and partners of the new South Sudan. With the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005 began the establishment of a new education system specifically for South Sudan. Primary school enrollments...