A few weeks ago, Alamedan Maddie Kennedy, an Ithaca College junior, had a hands-on lesson in poverty when she went with a group of students and a teacher to the Republic of Malawi, a country in Southeast Africa.
The two-week trip was part of Kennedy's Health Care and Culture course at Ithaca. She is majoring in clinical health studies in the New York college's School of Health Sciences and Human Performance.
"It was pretty shocking," she said, referring not only to the open-armed welcoming from the people there, but also to the lack of medical supplies and food and the resulting sicknesses and deaths, including infants.
A real eye-opener was when Kennedy, 20, worked in a health clinic, which included a pregnancy ward, in a rural area.
"I was expecting running water, but there was none, and there was no electricity. If the doctor had to deliver at night, he did it by candlelight. There were 25 beds in the general clinic, but only five mattresses. The pregnancy ward had eight beds and only three mattresses.
"If there were too many patients, some would have to be put on the floor," Kennedy said. "I was assigned to take the blood pressure of the pregnant women. They were all so tiny I had to use a child's blood pressure cuff. They were also all anemic."
The other patients were treated for different types of malaria, and for elephantiasis and pneumonia. The doctors and nurses would see from 50 to 80 patients within a three-hour period.
"Doctoring there is based entirely on current symptoms," Kennedy said. "You always ask, 'When was last time you had malaria.' One man had it seven times since last year. A lot of the babies are premature."
Kennedy continued, "When I gave one woman an Advil, she said her only wish is that God would give her another day."
Kennedy was saddened by such a small wish.
"But you can't cry in front of them because you're their symbol of hope," she said. "I had a hard time with that."
Agencies from the U.S. are helping, Kennedy said. Ministry of Hope, Heart to Heart and others are helping the people with medical needs and basic living provisions, including clean water. Some of the villages are trying to raise their own food — corn, beans, greens — to become more self-sufficient. But, Kennedy said, there are still orphans who walk miles for one meal.
Kennedy and the students played with children, and provided them with volleyballs, Frisbees and bicycles. The items were paid from the students' tuition for the program. They also provided mattresses — not the thick cushions on most America beds, but foam mattresses of a few inches. For most of these people, it was the first time they slept on mattresses, Kennedy said. The students fed babies, worked with widows (when women are widowed, the husbands' families can take all of the widow's possessions, Kennedy said).
"I wish that I could say that my initial interest in going on the trip was because I was keenly interested in learning more about the health crisis that is facing one of the poorest nations in the world," Kennedy said. "But, truthfully, I went on a whim because going to Africa offered the opportunity to travel."
That whim turned out to be one of the most profound experiences of her life, she said.
Kennedy is taking summer courses at Diablo Valley College and will return to Ithaca in the fall. She plans to become a physical therapist and will minor in sports psychology and health.
Thursday, 16 July 2009
Africa's SADC members to adopt uniform digital TV migration
Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) member countries have adopted a united approach to digital television migration to help countries develop harmonious policies and regulations, and share experiences.
The 12-country economic bloc has set December 2013 as the deadline for all members to switch from analog to digital broadcasting, giving an 18-month grace period to sort out any policy, regulatory or operational challenges that the community may be faced with during the migration process. The global switchover announced by the International Telecommunication Union is mid-2015.
"Malawi is working together with the SADC team to ensure swift migration; a steering committee on digital migration has just been formulated comprising the Ministry of Information and Civic Education as the leader and Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority [MACRA] as the coordinator," said K. Masangano, deputy director in charge of broadcasting at MACRA.
SADC members include South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zambia.
Africa faces the challenge of aligning policy and legislation to ease the migration to digital broadcasting, in terms of investment in technology and consumer awareness.
"The migration process requires policy harmonization," said Joel Chacha, frequency management engineer at the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority. "There are financial and technical implications and questions on what will happen to incumbent operators' transmission equipment and infrastructure and whether the signal will be relinquished to the authorities for re-assignment," said Chacha.
One of the major challenges facing many African countries concerns the future re-use of premium spectrum that will be freed from the current allocations for analog broadcasting services.
The freed spectrum is being considered as "digital dividend," and countries will have to decide whether to use it to enhance rural coverage or to redistribute it to private bidders.
To allow proper migration, consumers will have to invest in modern television sets or buy set-top boxes that will convert older TVs to digital. Most of the set-top boxes are imported from Asia, and there was a big debate in South Africa whether the government should subsidize imported boxes or invest in local manufacturing.
This debate has led SADC to suggest a unified standard for the region and allow some countries to manufacture the boxes and distribute within the region. Malawi is currently depending on imported boxes but will rely on the SADC recommendations.
"Malawi is also looking at the prospect of benefiting from a regional approach being taken by SADC by agreeing to the standards that are going to be agreed within the region for STB. It is expected that once such agreements are done, manufacturing of a standardized STB within the region by such countries like Mauritius and South Africa will benefit the region in the migration process," said MACRA's Masangano.
In the SADC region, the organization supports the strengthening of the public relations departments of the regulatory authorities to address consumer issues as well as to educate people on issues arising from the migration.
SADC member countries met last month and decided to organize a meeting in Mauritius next month to discuss challenges and progress in digital migration.
The 12-country economic bloc has set December 2013 as the deadline for all members to switch from analog to digital broadcasting, giving an 18-month grace period to sort out any policy, regulatory or operational challenges that the community may be faced with during the migration process. The global switchover announced by the International Telecommunication Union is mid-2015.
"Malawi is working together with the SADC team to ensure swift migration; a steering committee on digital migration has just been formulated comprising the Ministry of Information and Civic Education as the leader and Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority [MACRA] as the coordinator," said K. Masangano, deputy director in charge of broadcasting at MACRA.
SADC members include South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zambia.
Africa faces the challenge of aligning policy and legislation to ease the migration to digital broadcasting, in terms of investment in technology and consumer awareness.
"The migration process requires policy harmonization," said Joel Chacha, frequency management engineer at the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority. "There are financial and technical implications and questions on what will happen to incumbent operators' transmission equipment and infrastructure and whether the signal will be relinquished to the authorities for re-assignment," said Chacha.
One of the major challenges facing many African countries concerns the future re-use of premium spectrum that will be freed from the current allocations for analog broadcasting services.
The freed spectrum is being considered as "digital dividend," and countries will have to decide whether to use it to enhance rural coverage or to redistribute it to private bidders.
To allow proper migration, consumers will have to invest in modern television sets or buy set-top boxes that will convert older TVs to digital. Most of the set-top boxes are imported from Asia, and there was a big debate in South Africa whether the government should subsidize imported boxes or invest in local manufacturing.
This debate has led SADC to suggest a unified standard for the region and allow some countries to manufacture the boxes and distribute within the region. Malawi is currently depending on imported boxes but will rely on the SADC recommendations.
"Malawi is also looking at the prospect of benefiting from a regional approach being taken by SADC by agreeing to the standards that are going to be agreed within the region for STB. It is expected that once such agreements are done, manufacturing of a standardized STB within the region by such countries like Mauritius and South Africa will benefit the region in the migration process," said MACRA's Masangano.
In the SADC region, the organization supports the strengthening of the public relations departments of the regulatory authorities to address consumer issues as well as to educate people on issues arising from the migration.
SADC member countries met last month and decided to organize a meeting in Mauritius next month to discuss challenges and progress in digital migration.
Fact-finding mission to help kids in Malawi
FROM Malawi to Ayrshire – it’s a long way to travel for work experience.
But that’s exactly what Auspicious Ndamuwa did in a bid to help improve the lives of children in his own country.
He spent 12 days on placement learning from youth and criminal justice teams in South Ayrshire.
And he was delighted with the reception he received from staff and councillors.
Auspicious works for the Chisomo Children’s Club, which was awarded a grant from the Scottish Government to develop a project to divert children away from crime.
Many of the youngsters are as young as seven and living on the street after being orphaned as a result of HIV.
He explained: “The people of South Ayrshire have opened their minds and their hearts to me and the children of Malawi. Their generosity is overwhelming.
“Together we can make a real difference to the children of Malawi.”
Council leader Hugh Hunter and social work spokesman Councillor Nan McFarlane were delighted to meet Auspicious and learn more about his work.
Councillor McFarlane said: “During his time with us, Auspicious will be able to gain an understanding of the Scottish youth justice and our criminal justice systems and how they operate in relation to children and young people who offend.
“Auspicious will then be able to identify what aspects of the Scottish system could be translated and applied in Malawi.”
A pupil and staff group have travelled to Malawi this summer to work at Chisomo Children’s Club and Namatapa Primary school.
Members of Riverside Church in Ayr have also visited the country and continue to support the children of Chisomo.
Councillor Hunter pointed out: “Young children in Malawi who may have stolen a little food to survive because they have nobody to care for them, can end up spending long periods of time in reform homes.
“We welcome the support through South Ayrshire for the project.
“The schools in Ayr, such as Belmont Academy, are working to improve the lives of the children in Malawi through a range of activities.”
He went on: “Many other schools are involved in establishing links with similar schools in Malawi to exchange educational activities.
“Community groups like the Riverside Church are also working with the project.
“The Scottish Government and the council are now supporting a special juvenile justice project to try to keep children safe with their families and communities.”
But that’s exactly what Auspicious Ndamuwa did in a bid to help improve the lives of children in his own country.
He spent 12 days on placement learning from youth and criminal justice teams in South Ayrshire.
And he was delighted with the reception he received from staff and councillors.
Auspicious works for the Chisomo Children’s Club, which was awarded a grant from the Scottish Government to develop a project to divert children away from crime.
Many of the youngsters are as young as seven and living on the street after being orphaned as a result of HIV.
He explained: “The people of South Ayrshire have opened their minds and their hearts to me and the children of Malawi. Their generosity is overwhelming.
“Together we can make a real difference to the children of Malawi.”
Council leader Hugh Hunter and social work spokesman Councillor Nan McFarlane were delighted to meet Auspicious and learn more about his work.
Councillor McFarlane said: “During his time with us, Auspicious will be able to gain an understanding of the Scottish youth justice and our criminal justice systems and how they operate in relation to children and young people who offend.
“Auspicious will then be able to identify what aspects of the Scottish system could be translated and applied in Malawi.”
A pupil and staff group have travelled to Malawi this summer to work at Chisomo Children’s Club and Namatapa Primary school.
Members of Riverside Church in Ayr have also visited the country and continue to support the children of Chisomo.
Councillor Hunter pointed out: “Young children in Malawi who may have stolen a little food to survive because they have nobody to care for them, can end up spending long periods of time in reform homes.
“We welcome the support through South Ayrshire for the project.
“The schools in Ayr, such as Belmont Academy, are working to improve the lives of the children in Malawi through a range of activities.”
He went on: “Many other schools are involved in establishing links with similar schools in Malawi to exchange educational activities.
“Community groups like the Riverside Church are also working with the project.
“The Scottish Government and the council are now supporting a special juvenile justice project to try to keep children safe with their families and communities.”
Malawi: Elections Credible Overall, Encouraging Step Forward - Observer Group
Commonwealth Secretary-General, Mr Kamalesh Sharma, has today released the Final Report of the Commonwealth Observer Group which observed the 19 May elections in Malawi.
In issuing the report, he said: "The Commonwealth Observer Group found that the 2009 elections had been credible overall and a major step forward for Malawi. The Observer Group concluded that the elections met many of the standards for democratic elections to which Malawi has committed itself "
Final Report
The Secretary-General went on to say: "The Group also highlighted that there remain some shortcomings which need to be addressed to ensure future elections fully meet benchmarks for democratic elections. Of particular concern for these elections was the lack of a level playing field for the campaign, particularly with regard to coverage by state media."
The Secretary-General also stressed that, "the Commonwealth Secretariat stands ready to assist the Government of Malawi as requested to help further strengthen the democratic process in the country".
In issuing the report, he said: "The Commonwealth Observer Group found that the 2009 elections had been credible overall and a major step forward for Malawi. The Observer Group concluded that the elections met many of the standards for democratic elections to which Malawi has committed itself "
Final Report
The Secretary-General went on to say: "The Group also highlighted that there remain some shortcomings which need to be addressed to ensure future elections fully meet benchmarks for democratic elections. Of particular concern for these elections was the lack of a level playing field for the campaign, particularly with regard to coverage by state media."
The Secretary-General also stressed that, "the Commonwealth Secretariat stands ready to assist the Government of Malawi as requested to help further strengthen the democratic process in the country".
The building blocks of development
Startup NGO with Prague roots seeks to further education in sub-Saharan Africa
The preschool program in the village of Juma targets children ages 3-6 and doubles as a training facility for teachers from surrounding villages.
It started on little more than a whim.
"I was just an ordinary girl who finished secondary school, not really interested in anything," says Tereza Mirovičová. "I thought I'd just do something totally crazy."
When that youthful exuberance was met with a little training and a few collaborators, "boNGO" - a nonprofit running preschools, teacher-training programs and community development projects in the sub-Saharan African country of Malawi - was born.
Back in 2005, on a shoestring budget raised "through luck and personal friends," said Mirovičová, the project was launched in Juma, a 300-resident village in Malawi's southern hills, about 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) outside the country's largest city, Blantyre. The aim was to build a new preschool to serve kids ages 3 to 6. Efforts were initially sidetracked by a little local flavor, including a prominent village member who stole building materials and touted the project as a personal gift to him.
But, back on track after broadening the effort to include more input from the community, and after cutting ties to the local conman, the school opened in October 2006, holds classes daily from 8 a.m. until noon and provides students with one hot meal per day. It also serves as the staging ground for training teachers from 17 surrounding villages.
"The level of teaching was as bad as it could possibly be at the beginning; it was a nursery, not a school," said David Leflar, an American and former English teacher in Prague who now serves as managing director for the project. "The teachers still don't necessarily always grasp the wholistic concept, but the children do. The root of development is education, and the root of education is preschool."
It wasn't long before another nearby village, Kantimbanya, lobbied boNGO to aid them with community projects. This village, further off the main road and less used to dealing with international organizations, had already started ambitious community programs of its own, including four community centers for children and a volunteer network to provide home-based care to the elderly. After talks of cooperation, boNGO agreed to finance the construction of a corn mill, to help locals harvest their crops and contribute to sustainable income that would help finance the other projects for the long term. The mill now generates about $100 (1,870 Kč) per month in net profit and saves villagers from having to trek miles to the nearest alternative mill with 50-kilogram (110-pound) bags of corn on their backs.
Long-term thinking
The main goal of boNGO is to make their projects self-sustainable for the long term, and while this seems to be the case in Kantimbanya, for now, the school in Juma remains dependent on boNGO funds - costing about $120 per month to run. The group has hopes of expanding, and remains mired in bureaucratic wrangling with the Malawian government over registration issues. Located in southeast Africa, Malawi - bordered by Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique - is largely rural and shares the coast of one of Africa's Great Lakes, Lake Malawi, with two neighbors. The average life expectancy, according to the United Nations, is 48 years, and the country has an average annual GNP per capita of $250, according to the World Bank. There was no television channel until 1999, and only about 1 percent of the population of 14.3 million accesses the Internet.
The initial boNGO nest egg of about 2 million Kč, has lasted more than four years but is beginning to run out.
"We have big dreams, but we need money," said Mirovičová, who is back in Prague for the summer trying to secure further funding.
Among the initial plans for expansion is a small weekly "cinema" for screening Western films and promoting dialogue about cultural differences, of which there are many.
"The awkwardness doesn't ever really leave," Leflar said via cell phone in Malawi. "I am 6 foot 5, sometimes with a big ginger beard; so, needless to say, I stand out."
While such cinemas already exist in Malawian cities, they hardly promote "real knowledge about Europe," Mirovičová says, rather a distortion.
"We have a hard time appreciating the good things in Africa, while [Africans] cannot see the bad things about life on our side," she said.
For now, the project moves forward, even as funds dwindle.
"It's not charity; it's a job," Mirovičová says. "I will do it for the rest of my life."
The preschool program in the village of Juma targets children ages 3-6 and doubles as a training facility for teachers from surrounding villages.
It started on little more than a whim.
"I was just an ordinary girl who finished secondary school, not really interested in anything," says Tereza Mirovičová. "I thought I'd just do something totally crazy."
When that youthful exuberance was met with a little training and a few collaborators, "boNGO" - a nonprofit running preschools, teacher-training programs and community development projects in the sub-Saharan African country of Malawi - was born.
Back in 2005, on a shoestring budget raised "through luck and personal friends," said Mirovičová, the project was launched in Juma, a 300-resident village in Malawi's southern hills, about 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) outside the country's largest city, Blantyre. The aim was to build a new preschool to serve kids ages 3 to 6. Efforts were initially sidetracked by a little local flavor, including a prominent village member who stole building materials and touted the project as a personal gift to him.
But, back on track after broadening the effort to include more input from the community, and after cutting ties to the local conman, the school opened in October 2006, holds classes daily from 8 a.m. until noon and provides students with one hot meal per day. It also serves as the staging ground for training teachers from 17 surrounding villages.
"The level of teaching was as bad as it could possibly be at the beginning; it was a nursery, not a school," said David Leflar, an American and former English teacher in Prague who now serves as managing director for the project. "The teachers still don't necessarily always grasp the wholistic concept, but the children do. The root of development is education, and the root of education is preschool."
It wasn't long before another nearby village, Kantimbanya, lobbied boNGO to aid them with community projects. This village, further off the main road and less used to dealing with international organizations, had already started ambitious community programs of its own, including four community centers for children and a volunteer network to provide home-based care to the elderly. After talks of cooperation, boNGO agreed to finance the construction of a corn mill, to help locals harvest their crops and contribute to sustainable income that would help finance the other projects for the long term. The mill now generates about $100 (1,870 Kč) per month in net profit and saves villagers from having to trek miles to the nearest alternative mill with 50-kilogram (110-pound) bags of corn on their backs.
Long-term thinking
The main goal of boNGO is to make their projects self-sustainable for the long term, and while this seems to be the case in Kantimbanya, for now, the school in Juma remains dependent on boNGO funds - costing about $120 per month to run. The group has hopes of expanding, and remains mired in bureaucratic wrangling with the Malawian government over registration issues. Located in southeast Africa, Malawi - bordered by Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique - is largely rural and shares the coast of one of Africa's Great Lakes, Lake Malawi, with two neighbors. The average life expectancy, according to the United Nations, is 48 years, and the country has an average annual GNP per capita of $250, according to the World Bank. There was no television channel until 1999, and only about 1 percent of the population of 14.3 million accesses the Internet.
The initial boNGO nest egg of about 2 million Kč, has lasted more than four years but is beginning to run out.
"We have big dreams, but we need money," said Mirovičová, who is back in Prague for the summer trying to secure further funding.
Among the initial plans for expansion is a small weekly "cinema" for screening Western films and promoting dialogue about cultural differences, of which there are many.
"The awkwardness doesn't ever really leave," Leflar said via cell phone in Malawi. "I am 6 foot 5, sometimes with a big ginger beard; so, needless to say, I stand out."
While such cinemas already exist in Malawian cities, they hardly promote "real knowledge about Europe," Mirovičová says, rather a distortion.
"We have a hard time appreciating the good things in Africa, while [Africans] cannot see the bad things about life on our side," she said.
For now, the project moves forward, even as funds dwindle.
"It's not charity; it's a job," Mirovičová says. "I will do it for the rest of my life."
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