Relief

Imagine if a little cube could help save the lives of one million children every year.

E3 Resources, an organization that provides tools for missions and evangelism, has staff in Africa this week working with more than 50 leaders from Kenya and surrounding regions talking about the life-saving possibilities of the MalariaCube.

The cube is a simple tool that is covered with pictures to help raise awareness on the effects of malaria. It can be bent different ways to reveal a variety of pictures, and educate viewers on the causes, prevention, and treatments for the disease. more >>

Humanitarian efforts in Somalia have ceased, as al-Shabaab rebels have announced a ban on International Red Cross (ICRC) workers from providing aid.

The drought that has taken over Somalia is quickly getting worse, and the ICRC ban will deeply concern aid workers and organizations in the region. Al-Shabaab claims that the ICRC has "repeatedly betrayed the trust conferred on it by the local population and, in recent weeks, falsely accused the Mujahideen [al-Shabaab fighters] of hindering food distribution."

A statement from al-Shabaab said, "A thorough inspection of ICRC warehouses and food depots throughout the Islamic Administrations governed by the Mujahideen has revealed that up to 70 percent of the food stored for distribution by the organization was deemed unfit for human consumption." more >>

Correction appended

International evangelist Luis Palau joined the Capital Christian Center in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday to announce the start of his "Season of Service" campaign that seeks to inspire the city's residents to log in three million community service hours this year.

The campaign was promoted ahead of the annual "March for The Dream" in honor of Martin Luther King Jr., which starts Monday morning in Sacramento, KCRA 3 reported. The event is described as the "largest multi-cultural march in the region," and reportedly drew 20,000 people during the 2011 event. more >>

Two years after a devastating earthquake killed an estimated 300,000 people in Haiti, Christianity is fast replacing Voodoo in the lives and practices of the people, a missionary has revealed.

According to the Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook, there is a fusion of beliefs in Haiti – 80 percent of people profess to be Catholic, and another 16 percent are Protestant yet roughly half of the population still practices Voodoo.

However, it is no secret that Christianity has been expanding as a religion in Haiti – and a host of Christian missionaries and charity organizations who flew to the Caribbean nation to help the millions in desperate need have also contributed to a large conversion movement. more >>

Bill Gates, perhaps the world's best known entrepreneur-turned-philanthropist, announced Thursday during the Davos World Economic Forum in Switzerland that the charity foundation he steers with his wife, Melinda, will donate $750 million into the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been battling diseases threatening thousands of people across the globe annually, but the organization is also committed to fighting poverty - including in the United States - and providing the underprivileged with resources to live healthy lives and be able to educate their children.

"By supporting the Global Fund, we can help to change the fortunes of the poorest countries in the world," Gates said in a statement, as quoted by CNN. "I can't think of more important work." more >>

A hunger crisis is rapidly spreading across several West African countries with some estimates suggesting that more than 6 million people are slated to face famine conditions within months.

The food crisis is impacting the people of Niger, Mali, Chad and Mauritania in West Africa's Sahel region. The food crisis is being caused by drought, escalating food prices and poor harvests and experts have expressed concern that the crisis could spread to neighboring Burkina Faso and Senegal.

Food production in the region has dropped significantly, with production of national staples in countries such as Chad and Mauritania falling as much as 50 percent, according to Oxfam International. more >>