Students Flee Ugandan University

Kampala, Uganda ... [ANN] Fear of political violence caused more than 70 students to flee Bugema Adventist University, near Kampala, Uganda, say local newspaper reports. Sensing a build-up in political tensions, the students, who are from Kenya, left the college the day before Uganda’s March 12 presidential elections, one student told the Daily Nation. University administrators gave students an optional leave of absence and the students will return to campus once the elections are over. [ANN Staff]

Adventists in Rio De Janeiro Commemorate International Day of Women

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ... [ANN/ASN] Seventh-day Adventist women in Rio de Janeiro sponsored a community-wide seminar entitled “Women, Health and Citizenship” on March 10 and 11 to commemorate the International Day of Women.  Health professionals led discussions on subjects including violence against women, breast cancer, menopause and osteoporosis, and AIDS. Rosinha Matheus, the state’s first lady, was present on March 11 as various mobile clinics offered diagnostic and preventive examinations to participants. The event was an initiative of the women’s ministries department of the South Rio de Janeiro Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. [Heidi Gonzalez]

Global Food Shortages Impact Millions, Says United Nations Report

New York, New York, USA ... [ANN] An estimated 60 million people in 33 countries are currently facing food shortages, says a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization report released March 1.  Most severely impacted are sixteen countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Kenya, Sudan, and Tanzania, whose food supplies have been decimated by a combination of civil strife and natural disasters. An ongoing feeding program for some 18 million people is in place in these African countries.  Afghanistan and Mongolia in Asia, and El Salvador in Central America, were also identified as facing especially grave food shortages. [ANN Staff]