Somalia: Water and Livelihood Program to Ease Effects of Drought ...“Overcrowded villages are taxed to the utmost and wells and boreholes have either dried up, or water levels have reduced by 50 percent,” said Jason Nyantino, public relations officer for the Adventist Development and Relief Agency’s (ADRA) office in Somalia. One of those villages is Bakol where ADRA has launched a new program aimed at improving access to water, providing immediate drought relief, and strengthening livelihood capabilities for 34,000 vulnerable people. According to an assessment carried out by ADRA, Bakol has been severely strained by the current drought. This Emergency Water and Livelihood Support Program’s (EWLSP) specific objectives include strengthening and diversifying the livelihoods of households and communities, as well as capacity building enabling communities to manage water systems, mitigate conflict, and improve hygiene and sanitation in their immediate environments. [ADRA/ANN Staff]

United States: Adventist Hospital Sets World Record for Flu Vaccinations ... The 2007 Guinness Book of World Records has listed Florida Hospital Centra Care at the Osceola Heritage Stadium in Kissimmee, Florida, USA as setting the world record for most vaccinations given in a day. A total of 2,480 flu shots were administered by the hospital on December 3, 2004. The very next day and a few times since, the hospital gave over 5,000 flu shots in a day. Dr. Scott Brady, medical director/administrator for Centra Care says the hospital teams up with Get Healthy Florida and the local health department so they can give about 850 flu shots per hour. He also says that in the three years the hospital has been giving free flu shots they’ve averaged about 20,000 each year.  According to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications, and about 36,000 people die from the flu each year. [Melanie Trivento/Florida Hospital/ANN Staff]

United States: EEOC Chair, Adventist, Steps Down ... Cari M. Dominquez, who is Chair of the United States’ Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), announced that, effective August 31, 2006, she will step down. Her decision concludes a five-year term, the agency said. The first Seventh-day Adventist to hold the position, Dominguez has overseen record enforcement of workplace anti-discrimination laws. She has also boosted the EEOC’s internal efficiency and fiscal responsibility, and remains a champion of equal opportunity efforts for young people. Dominquez is a recipient of the honorary degree of Doctor of Humanitarian Service from Loma Linda University in 2003—among a number of other awards. [ANN Staff]

Jamaica: Record Number of Graduates at Northern Caribbean University ... Six years after the government of Jamaica awarded Northern Caribbean University with its university charter a record 1,028 students graduated from the school August 13. Among the graduates participating in the 83rd commencement ceremony, were four doctoral students who represented the second batch to complete their terminal degree at the institution. The school’s main campus is located in Manchester, Jamaica with three others across the island. The University also enrolled a record 5,600 students and has a number of applicants on a waiting list. It offers graduate and undergraduate degrees to individuals from 36 countries. Its faculty numbers about 300 and is drawn from 14 countries. [Nigel Coke/West Indies Union/ANN Staff]

United States: Adventist University Ranked Top School  ... For the sixth time Southern Adventist University has been ranked as one of the best colleges in the Southern United States to get a bachelor’s degree. This according to the U.S. News & World Report in its 2007 edition of America’s Best Colleges that was released Friday, August 18. Of the 54 colleges and universities garnering the coveted Top School ranking this year, Southern was listed as number 29, an improvement upon last year’s rank of 32. This year, 320 comprehensive colleges, ranked within four regions, are included in the report. [Southern Adventist University/ANN Staff]

Reminder: The weekly Ground 7 News is a podcast featuring Adventist News Network stories as well as commentaries from Adventist leaders. It is available free from iTunes and at www.ground7news.org.