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Alex Klaushofer
Alex Klaushofer is a freelance journalist writing on social affairs and politics in Britain and the Middle East. She has previously worked as Middle East communications manager for Christian Aid, and has a particular interest in humanitarian issues. She is author of "Paradise Divided: A Portrait of Lebanon".
The untold story of India's floods
29 Aug 2008 15:03:00 GMT
Author: Alex Klaushofer

The humanitarian needs created by the worst floods in the eastern Indian state of Bihar for 50 years are outstripping government and agencies' ability to cope, aid workers say.

A week ago, the Kosi river in neighbouring Nepal burst its banks and forged a new course through Bihar, submerging hundreds of villages in the five districts of Supaul, Madhepura, Sharsa, Madhubani and Bhagalpur. According to the latest estimates, over 2 million people have been displaced and a quarter of a million homes have been destroyed.

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Why maids are a priority for Lebanese NGOs
09 Jul 2008 16:33:00 GMT
Author: Alex Klaushofer

As a middle-income country populated by enterprising people, Lebanon is bursting with NGOs working on every issue imaginable, from the reconstruction of Nahr al Bared refugee camp to the promotion of eco-tourism in its beautiful green hills.

But there is one area of human suffering that gets a relatively small slice of the aid pie - the plight of domestic migrant workers - an estimated 200,000 in a population of 4 million, many of them beaten or abused and imprisoned if they try to run.

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INTERVIEW: Abyei clashes trigger humanitarian crisis, says MSF
23 May 2008 16:07:00 GMT
Author: Alex Klaushofer

Fresh fighting this month between former civil war foes in the Sudanese town of Abyei has displaced 60,000 people and tipped an already grave humanitarian situation into crisis, says a Medecins Sans Frontiers nurse evacuated from the region.

Colin Beckworth, a 32-year-old nurse on mission with MSF, was running a nutrition programme in the flashpoint town in central Sudan when he and colleagues were air-lifted to safety on May 15.

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Educating girls boosts the economy
15 May 2008 14:02:00 GMT
Author: Alex Klaushofer

Research published this month by children's development agency Plan ups the ante in the gender and education argument.

According to "Paying the Price: The economic cost of failing to educate girls", gender gaps in secondary education cost their retrograde countries annual growth to the tune of $92 million.

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Climate change policy needs traditional wisdom
19 Mar 2008 16:52:00 GMT
Author: Megan Rowling

Northeastern Uganda's Karamojong people - a semi-nomadic tribe who make their living from cattle herding - look at the stars to work out the flux of the wet and dry seasons. And when warm weather comes early, they know that if it isn't followed by heavy rains, their crops will fail and they'll face hunger.

"I wish the government would use these indicators to prepare relief instead of just relying on satellite imagery," said David Pulkol, a Karamojong community leader and former Ugandan government minister, at a press conference in London last week.

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