HORN OF AFRICA: IRIN weekly humanitarian round-up 633 1 June 2012

ETHIOPIA: Poor rains prompt calls for more food assistance ADDIS ABABA, 25 May 2012 (IRIN) - Aid agencies are calling for more food assistance for areas in southern and northeastern Ethiopia where erratic rains have adversely affected the mid-February to May `Belg' crop. Read report online HEALTH: Zinc improves infant infectious treatment BANGKOK, 31 May 2012 (IRIN) - In a newly released clinical study conducted in India, hundreds of seriously ill infants who received zinc - an essential micronutrient for the immune system and human growth - as well as antibiotics, responded better and more quickly to treatment than those who did not. This finding is the first proof that zinc supplements may boost infant survival from infections. Read report online REFUGEES: Moving out of the shadows JOHANNESBURG, 31 May 2012 (IRIN) - When night falls in the Dadaab refugee complex in eastern Kenya, nearly half a million refugees are plunged into darkness. The lack of light robs schoolchildren of the possibility of studying and provides perfect cover for thieves and rapists. Read report online Analysis: A faith-based aid revolution in the Muslim world? DUBAI, 1 June 2012 (IRIN) - Every year, somewhere between US$200 billion and $1 trillion are spent in "mandatory" alms and voluntary charity across the Muslim world, Islamic financial analysts estimate. Read report online AID POLICY: Making Muslim aid more effective DUBAI, 1 June 2012 (IRIN) - Between the foreign aid of oil-rich Gulf States and the billions of dollars spent by Muslims in "mandatory" alms and charity every year, the Muslim world is by all accounts a huge reservoir of potential in the world of aid funding. Read report online HEALTH: Fighting non-communicable diseases BANGKOK, 1 June 2012 (IRIN) - The World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the UN World Health Organization (WHO), aims to reduce preventable deaths from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes, heart attacks and strokes, chronic respiratory diseases and cancers, by 25 percent by 2025. Read report online