The Guardian: Destroy ‘period huts’ or forget state support: Nepal moves to end practice “…The withdrawal of state support services is one of the penalties being brought into force as the country tries to tackle chhaupadi, which was banned by the supreme court in 2005 and criminalized by the government…

The Economist: Reported cases of HIV in China are rising rapidly (1/12). The Guardian: Mother and two boys suffocate in Nepal’s latest ‘period hut’ tragedy (Budhathoki/Safi, 1/10). The Guardian: India’s sick left out in the cold as New Delhi’s top hospital struggles to cope (Dhillon, 1/10). New York Times: Rwanda…

Foreign Policy: In Nepal, Tradition Is Killing Women “…In Nepal’s predominantly agrarian communities, women are banished from their homes every month when they get their periods. Many are relegated to menstruation huts or sheds that families … have specifically built for their daughters or daughters-in-law; many other women are sent…

Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria: The Global Fund and Faith-Based Organizations This post highlights the Global Fund’s work with faith-based organizations, noting, “Faith-based organizations are critical partners in the fight against HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria. The Global Fund will continue to rely on faith groups…

U.S. Department of State’s “DipNote”: World AIDS Day 2018 — PEPFAR Reauthorized and 17 Million Lives Saved Ambassador Deborah Birx, U.S. global AIDS coordinator and U.S. special representative for global health diplomacy, recognizes World AIDS Day, which takes place annually on December 1, and discusses the achievements of PEPFAR, including…

PEPFAR: PEPFAR Will Invest $100 Million To Address Key Gaps Toward Achieving HIV Epidemic Control Including Through Faith-Based Organizations and Communities “In advance of World AIDS Day 2018, Vice President Michael Pence announced [Thursday] that the United States government, through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), will invest…

U.S. Department of State’s “DipNote”: Secretary Pompeo Announces Latest Lifesaving PEPFAR Results This post highlights U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo’s remarks at the PEPFAR Faith Communities and HIV Technical Summit, during which Pompeo announced PEPFAR’s latest results (11/27).

The Hill: Under Trump there has been a takeover of global public health services Heather Benjamin, program officer at the Open Society Foundations “The Mexico City policy (global gag rule) prohibits foreign [non-governmental] organizations that receive U.S. government funding for health services from engaging in abortion-related services or advocacy. ……

The Guardian: Bangladesh admits no Rohingya willing to take repatriation offer “Bangladesh has conceded that it will be unable to voluntarily repatriate Rohingya refugees to Myanmar as it had planned because it cannot find anyone willing to go back, though efforts to ‘motivate’ people to leave will continue…” (Ellis-Petersen et…

U.S. Department of State’s “DipNote”: The Power of Heroes in the Fight against Human Trafficking Callista L. Gingrich, U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, discusses U.S. efforts to address human trafficking, writing, “Leveraging input from human trafficking survivors is critical to combating human trafficking. … Pope Francis has called for…