(From Exceptional Lives)

I came across a wonderful blog the other day called Exceptional Lives, by Clare Mulvany, who is currently traveling the world on a ten-month journey interviewing world changers and social entrepreneurs. Her first stop is Keyna, Uganda, then South Africa, and from there on to India, Thailand, cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa and the USA. Be sure to check in often. Clare's most recent post looks at Hospice Uganda and founder Anne Merriman.

Anne and her team have been pioneers of palliative care across Africa. One the key factors in ensuring success is being able to provide affordable morphine (pain relief) medication. Anne pioneered the manufacturing of cheap morphine in Uganda. A powdered form of morphine is imported into the country, and then made into a liquid form in the Hospice pharmacy. It is coloured with different food colourings (which represent different drug concentrations), and then distributed in recycled plastic water bottles. This method means that enough morphine for about 12 days can be produced for the cost of half a loaf of bread. Anne and a team of advocates work across Africa to promote low-cost morphine production, ensuring that as many people as possible can access such essential care and support.

It looks to be a fantastic journey. I'm pretty jealous that I'm not out doing the same thing. If anyone wants to fund something like this, I'd happily accept! Good luck, Clare.

While we're on Africa, we might as well stay there for a moment. I'd posted some links and such on development issues in Africa recently, so here are a number of new ones for your reading pleasure.

*From All Africa, the National Commission for Social Action in Sierra Leone is seen as a force for sustainable development.

*USAID announces funding for the Inter Religious Campaign Against Malaria in Africa.

*Dr Iqbal Survé asks: "If India and China combined can bring 600 million people out of poverty in the last ten to fifteen years, then surely it's possible for Africa to take at least 300 million people out of poverty by 2025?"

*Finalists for the "Changemakers Innovation Award Competition: How to Improve Health for All" will be released tomorrow, and voting starts June 17th.

*Something to remember: economic policies alone did not grow "Eastern Giants".

*And lastly: Guns or butter?