GNP Show 2 (Full Hour)-8 year old Mechanics to air the week of May 21, 2011

Host: Peggy Wehmeyer

On this week’s show…

·       Children at the checkpoints in the West Bank

·       Garbage picking as an occupation

·       Women run the businesses in Somaliland’s capital

·       Your mechanic in Pakistan is 8-years old

·       The music of Angelique Kidjo

·       Boxing’s enduring popularity in Nigeria

·       The hidden diseases of the poor in the U.S.

·       A black market in passports in a country no one recognizes

·       An audio postcard from churches in Liberia

Checkpoint Children (5:55)

A major challenge for people living in the West Bank is the hundreds of checkpoints in the area.  They’re scattered through the territory and they run along the border with Israel.  Controls at the checkpoints have become much stricter in recent years.  Thousands of West Bank adults who used to make a living in Israel can no longer cross the border to get to work.  In some families, the financial burden has fallen on the children.  Some of them hang out at checkpoints, hoping to make a bit of money doing odd jobs.  Megan Williams reports.

Garbage Picker (4:04)

It’s often been said “one man’s garbage is another man’s gold.”  It’s a bit of an overstatement but it’s basically true in Mexico.  At the garbage dump in Oaxaca City, several families make a living by picking through other people’s trash to find things to sell.  Conrad Fox reports.

Women in the Economy (5:19)

Nearly 20 years ago, Somaliland declared itself independent from Somalia.  But no other country has ever formally recognized Somaliland as a bonafide nation.  That means it’s not eligible for international aid or loans.  Many blame that lack of recognition for the fact that an estimated 90% of the men in the capital of Somaliland are unemployed.  But Hargeisa’s marketplace bristles with activity.  As Richard Lough reports in part two of our series on Somaliland, it’s women who run the businesses.

8-year old Mechanic (3:30)

The International Labor Organization estimates nearly a quarter of a billion children around the world work in some form of full-time employment.  That can mean anything from the kid working in a sweatshop to the kid who fixes your car.  Will Everett met an eight-year old mechanic on a recent trip to Pakistan.  He tells us about him in this reporter’s notebook.

Angelique Kidjo (7:27)

Singer Miriam Makeba was an African superstar.  She died a couple of years ago after a concert in Italy.  During her lifetime, Makeba inspired many African musicians, including the world-famous singer from Benin named Angelique Kidjo.  Peggy Wehmeyer talks with Ish Mafundikwa, our guide to global music, about Kidjo’s life and her music.

Boxing in Sokoto (5:50)

Traditional boxing matches have been popular in northern Nigeria for generations.  Though the number of matches being fought has declined in recent years, the type of people entering the ring has broadened.  Instead of just butchers and slaughterhouse workers entering the ring, now a wide range of poor young men are boxing -- primarily to win some big prizes. Sarah Simpson reports.

Poverty Illnesses (6:01)

Americans who live in poverty sometimes suffer from diseases most of us have never heard of.

These diseases are hard to avoid if you live in crowded conditions without proper santiation or access to health care.Dr. Peter (HOH-tez) Hotez wrote about the topic in the journal called Neglected Tropical Diseases.He’s a scientist  at George Washington University. He speaks with host Peggy Wehmeyer about the diseases plaguing America’s poor.

Passport Seller (2:26)

Nearly two decades ago Somaliland broke away from neighboring Somalia and declared itself a free and independent nation.  It has its own flag, its own national anthem, and its own passport.  But the international community doesn’t recognize Somaliland.  That means its passport isn’t recognized either.  But under Somaliland’s constitution, its citizens are banned from holding a Somalia passport.  This “Catch 22” has spawned a black market, as Richard Lough discovered on the streets of the capital, Hargeisa.

Liberia Churches (:45)

Grant Fuller offers an audio postcard of music from different churches in Liberia.