The atmosphere was gay, people could be seen trouping into the University of Lagos sports complex; some of the Organizer’s were already under a canopy at the entrance registering people as they came in. The University of Lagos was playing host to the Special Olympics Nigeria, a very wonderful event indeed started on the 11th of September – 15th of September 2010. The whole place was decorated with banners in orange and green and purple and white…..but mostly orange, the colour of their major sponsor.
After registering our names and companies or organizations we represent, we were each given some pamphlets and books with the full outline of the whole 4day event in it, the history of Special Olympics in Nigeria and a short explanation about those participating in the Olympics and what it is all about. The special kids or intellectually challenged children as they are sometimes called are the main people participating in the Olympics; and like every Olympic, special kids came from all over Nigeria from the southwest, south east, south south, the north, north central etc. They all converged in Lagos today to participate in the Special Olympics from which the winners that emerge will go to Athens and participate in the Olympics.
The organizers were really wonderful and the participants were really great. The whole event which started on a Sunday and finished on Wednesday saw these special kids participating in various competitions ranging from swimming to cultural dance to football; both male and female competitions were really exciting and entertaining. all in all, it was a wonderful experience.
Special Olympics is an international movement dedicated to empowering individuals with intellectual challenges to become physically fit, productive and respected members of society through sports training and athletic competition.
The movement involves:
-more than 200 Special Olympics programs in 150 countries
-more than 2,500, 000 athletes
-26 Olympic-type summer and winter sports
-7 regional offices around the world, including Belgium, china, Egypt, India, panama, South Africa and the United States.
-approximately 500, 000 volunteers
-more than 20, 000 competitions around the world each year,
Special Olympics really need more involvement from agencies, NGO’S and individuals. It’s so wonderful to know some people dedicated so much time to making them so happy and help them blend into the society as much as possible.
For more information and how to reach them:
E-mail: Info@specialolympicsng.com
Special Olympics_ng@yahoo.com
www.specialolympicsng.com
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WHO cuts global estimate for maternal deaths, says 1,000 still die every day
GENEVA — The World Health Organization said Wednesday that fewer women die each year from complications during pregnancy and childbirth than previously estimated, but efforts to sharply cut maternal mortality by 2015 are still off track.
A new WHO report found that 358,000 women died during pregnancy or childbirth in 2008, mostly in poor countries of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
As recently as April the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, a global alliance hosted by the World Health Organization, had estimated that maternal deaths worldwide could still be as high as 500,000.
The latest figure shows a drop of about one third compared with 546,000 deaths in 1990, the global body said.
Dr. Flavia Bustreo, director of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, said researchers had revised their earlier estimates after closer scrutiny of figures provided by WHO member states.
"All of these numbers are bound with a lot of uncertainty," she said, noting that in many developing countries births and deaths aren't officially recorded, meaning reliable figures are difficult to come by.
About 57 per cent of maternal deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa and 30 per cent in South Asia. Five per cent of maternal deaths happen in rich countries, WHO said.
Women in developing countries are 36 times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause during their lifetime than their counterparts in developed countries.
WHO warned in its report that improvements to maternal health are too slow to meet the global body's goal of cutting deaths during pregnancy and childbirth by three quarters between 1990 and 2015.
"No woman should die due to inadequate access to family planning and to pregnancy and delivery care," said WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan.
Online:
http://www.who.int
A new WHO report found that 358,000 women died during pregnancy or childbirth in 2008, mostly in poor countries of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
As recently as April the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, a global alliance hosted by the World Health Organization, had estimated that maternal deaths worldwide could still be as high as 500,000.
The latest figure shows a drop of about one third compared with 546,000 deaths in 1990, the global body said.
Dr. Flavia Bustreo, director of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, said researchers had revised their earlier estimates after closer scrutiny of figures provided by WHO member states.
"All of these numbers are bound with a lot of uncertainty," she said, noting that in many developing countries births and deaths aren't officially recorded, meaning reliable figures are difficult to come by.
About 57 per cent of maternal deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa and 30 per cent in South Asia. Five per cent of maternal deaths happen in rich countries, WHO said.
Women in developing countries are 36 times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause during their lifetime than their counterparts in developed countries.
WHO warned in its report that improvements to maternal health are too slow to meet the global body's goal of cutting deaths during pregnancy and childbirth by three quarters between 1990 and 2015.
"No woman should die due to inadequate access to family planning and to pregnancy and delivery care," said WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan.
Online:
http://www.who.int
WHO cuts global estimate for maternal deaths, says 1,000 still die every day
GENEVA — The World Health Organization said Wednesday that fewer women die each year from complications during pregnancy and childbirth than previously estimated, but efforts to sharply cut maternal mortality by 2015 are still off track.
A new WHO report found that 358,000 women died during pregnancy or childbirth in 2008, mostly in poor countries of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
As recently as April the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, a global alliance hosted by the World Health Organization, had estimated that maternal deaths worldwide could still be as high as 500,000.
The latest figure shows a drop of about one third compared with 546,000 deaths in 1990, the global body said.
Dr. Flavia Bustreo, director of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, said researchers had revised their earlier estimates after closer scrutiny of figures provided by WHO member states.
"All of these numbers are bound with a lot of uncertainty," she said, noting that in many developing countries births and deaths aren't officially recorded, meaning reliable figures are difficult to come by.
About 57 per cent of maternal deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa and 30 per cent in South Asia. Five per cent of maternal deaths happen in rich countries, WHO said.
Women in developing countries are 36 times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause during their lifetime than their counterparts in developed countries.
WHO warned in its report that improvements to maternal health are too slow to meet the global body's goal of cutting deaths during pregnancy and childbirth by three quarters between 1990 and 2015.
"No woman should die due to inadequate access to family planning and to pregnancy and delivery care," said WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan.
Online:
http://www.who.int
A new WHO report found that 358,000 women died during pregnancy or childbirth in 2008, mostly in poor countries of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
As recently as April the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, a global alliance hosted by the World Health Organization, had estimated that maternal deaths worldwide could still be as high as 500,000.
The latest figure shows a drop of about one third compared with 546,000 deaths in 1990, the global body said.
Dr. Flavia Bustreo, director of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, said researchers had revised their earlier estimates after closer scrutiny of figures provided by WHO member states.
"All of these numbers are bound with a lot of uncertainty," she said, noting that in many developing countries births and deaths aren't officially recorded, meaning reliable figures are difficult to come by.
About 57 per cent of maternal deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa and 30 per cent in South Asia. Five per cent of maternal deaths happen in rich countries, WHO said.
Women in developing countries are 36 times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause during their lifetime than their counterparts in developed countries.
WHO warned in its report that improvements to maternal health are too slow to meet the global body's goal of cutting deaths during pregnancy and childbirth by three quarters between 1990 and 2015.
"No woman should die due to inadequate access to family planning and to pregnancy and delivery care," said WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan.
Online:
http://www.who.int
Premature babies and the fight to stay alive
BABIES are celebrated when they are delivered, but when they are born prematurely, it becomes distressing for the entire family.
A premature baby (or preemie), is born before the 37th week of pregnancy. Because they are born too early, preemies weigh much less than full-term babies. They may have health problems because their organs did not have enough time to develop and need special medical care in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), where they stay until their organ systems can work on their own.
Premature births can be tied to many factors such as young age of pregnant mothers, inadequate feeding of pregnant women, lack of antenatal care, child bearing among teenage mothers who are under-age and whose bodies are not yet fully matured for child-bearing.
Nevertheless, the question that has often been asked whenever there are challenges over the management of pre-term babies is: Are there well stocked hospitals with adequate equipment to manage such babies?
Two of out three triplets who were delivered in Kalallawa Village of Tarmuwa Local Government Area of Yobe State died at the Maryam Abacha Maternity Hospital in Damaturu last month due to what experts described as lack of care, infection and hunger.
The triplets, who were in the village for three days, were later brought to Damaturu for medical attention but stayed for an additional three days without being attended to.
According to reports, the hospital has no incubator, paediatric nurses or equipment necessary for their upkeep, a development which aggravated their troubles and their 25-year-old mother who is still in comma.
According to a report, Professor Ambe Joseph, a consultant paediatrician at the University of Maiduguri, who was at the hospital when the children died, said the two boys lost the battle to stay alive due to infection, cold and hunger.
According to him, they were supposed to be in an incubator. They were also supposed to be fed every two hours for them to be in stable condition.
The mother of the triplets and the remaining baby girl have been transferred to the Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital, Maiduguri while the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Borno State has donated N25,000 to procure blood for the mother.
“We cannot take them to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital now because the mother is not in stable condition,” Joseph said.
Reacting to this development, A Consultant Haematologist and Oncologist at the Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Lagos/Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, Dr Edamisan O. Temiye, told the Nigerian Compass that incubators alone do not make a premature baby to survive.
He explained that the incubator is to keep the baby warm.
“Besides, you need somebody who is an expert in operating the incubator and who knows how to manage premature babies to handle them,” he added.
Temiye, who is also the chairman, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Lagos State branch said: “You may also need other equipment alongside the incubators, like a special respirator we use for the premature babies when they cannot breathe because many premature babies just stop breathing after a very long time and thereafter, they die.”
A Consultant Paediatrician at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and lecturer at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Dr Chinyere Ezeaka, said premature babies were the major cause of mortality of newborn in Nigeria. Prematurity and its complications account for up to 25 per cent of deaths in newborns following asphyxia (inability to cry after birth) and infection.
Referring to a current data issued by the United Nations Children's Fund (NICEF), Dr Ezeaka disclosed that about 700 newborns die in Nigeria everyday.
According to her, death in newborns is one of Nigeria’s most neglected health problems because “we have many programmes instituted for under-five mortality, older children - malaria treatment, immunisation, etc but not much has been done for newborns.
Following the current Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the high rate of deaths in newborns, Dr Ezeaka says it has been shown that if Nigeria does not reduce newborn mortality, “we will not be able to achieve MDG 4, which is the reduction of child mortality in this country and if Nigeria does not achieve MDG 4, it is very unlikely that the rest of Africa will achieve MDG 4.”“According to her, Nigeria plays a pivotal role in newborn deaths because it records the highest in Africa and this follows very high maternal mortality.
She explained that the mother and the newborn are inextricably linked such that anything that affects the mother also affects the newborn.
“When these newborns die, 75 per cent of them die on the first day of delivery, showing that whatever is killing them has to do with birth and the circumstances of delivery,” the consultant said.
However, in managing premature babies, Temiye said, “you need an equipment to keep them breathing. You need monitors to keep them breathing before the doctors come and attend to the baby.”
He also noted that there are people trained for handling such cases and they are called paediatricians and neunotologists, that is, newborn specialists.
According to him, the problem is that, many hospitals in Nigeria do not have incubators.
“They do not have trained personnel who are specialised in handling the premature cases and that is a big challenge in our country.
“Incubators costs a lot of money and to keep the premature babies alive costs a lot of money if they are kept for long. It is very expensive and many families cannot afford it. Of course, it is only a few private hospitals that have incubators because many cannot afford it.”
Similarly, Temiye highlighted the Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) method, as another method that may be resorted to in caring for premature babies in the absence of modern equipment such as incubators, monitors, among others.
The KMC method is a practice of providing care for all newborns, especially premature babies in Kano, where the KMC is currently being operated in pilot stage. This practice integrates skin-to-skin Contact-Kangaroo Position between mother and baby, early initiation of exclusive breastfeeding, strict observance of hygiene, among others.
Temiye noted that though the KMC helps to keep the babies when they are warm, it is not the optimum for a baby who is born premature.
Therefore, he noted, that the best way to preserve premature babies is to leave them in the womb until the baby is old enough to be born.
Temiye disclosed that premature birth is caused by various factors which include if nature cannot keep the baby any longer in the womb.
Similarly, if it is a multiple-baby pregnancy, it most likely that the baby will be born so quickly unlike when you have one baby in the womb because the space there will not be able to keep them for too long before bringing them out.
According to him, sometimes, when the neck of the baby is weak, the mother may have premature delivery. Also, when the mother is involved in an accident, have malaria or the mother and the baby are anemic, the mother could give birth to a premature baby.
More so, Temiye noted that when a woman is prone to deliver a baby prematurely, it should be managed by a gynaecologist, thereby keeping it alive. He added that if the baby cannot stay in the womb anymore or when it is not safe for the mother and the child, the baby should be referred inside the mother before the mother delivers to where incubator care is available.
Temiye says it is wrong to deliver a baby who is premature in one hospital and then transfer the baby over long distance to another hospital where incubators are available. This practice may expose the baby to cold, which may injure it before it gets to another hospital.
He said: “The best way is ensuring that the baby is given birth to in a hospital where they have incubators and not taking it to where there are no incubators.”
The NMA chairman in Lagos added: “A lot of doctors know that they do not have incubators in their hospitals, yet they deliver premature babies in their hospitals and they will just wrap these babies and tell the parents to take the babies to LUTH or Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, prompting the parents to travel over a long traffic that will waste the baby's life.”
He noted that the NMA has been reminding the government about its responsibilities to the citizens.
“We need the support of the populace to put pressure on our government to put enough money in the health sector and provide more infrastructure for us. What is happening is that in this country, the government does not see health as an important sector. They refer it to be a social responsibility,” Temiye said.
According to him, the government says the health sector does not contribute to the economy.
“However, they do not know that a healthy population grows the economy but they expect to generate money in return when they invest in the sector. The hospital is meant to keep people alive and it helps people to live a healthy life that is unquantifiable compared to the money the government wants them to return,” he said.
The consultant advised mothers that as soon as they get pregnant, they should meet a gynaecologist and they should ask questions because some patients do not ask questions.
“For instance, mothers should confirm if the hospital has an incubator or not, and if they do not have, such mother should demand for a transfer to a hospital that has an incubator where they can deliver. This will also help in reducing the amount of premature baby lost in the country,” Temiye said.
http://www.compassnewspaper.com/NG/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=67817:premature-babies-and-the-fight-to-stay-alive-&catid=42:commune&Itemid=796
A premature baby (or preemie), is born before the 37th week of pregnancy. Because they are born too early, preemies weigh much less than full-term babies. They may have health problems because their organs did not have enough time to develop and need special medical care in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), where they stay until their organ systems can work on their own.
Premature births can be tied to many factors such as young age of pregnant mothers, inadequate feeding of pregnant women, lack of antenatal care, child bearing among teenage mothers who are under-age and whose bodies are not yet fully matured for child-bearing.
Nevertheless, the question that has often been asked whenever there are challenges over the management of pre-term babies is: Are there well stocked hospitals with adequate equipment to manage such babies?
Two of out three triplets who were delivered in Kalallawa Village of Tarmuwa Local Government Area of Yobe State died at the Maryam Abacha Maternity Hospital in Damaturu last month due to what experts described as lack of care, infection and hunger.
The triplets, who were in the village for three days, were later brought to Damaturu for medical attention but stayed for an additional three days without being attended to.
According to reports, the hospital has no incubator, paediatric nurses or equipment necessary for their upkeep, a development which aggravated their troubles and their 25-year-old mother who is still in comma.
According to a report, Professor Ambe Joseph, a consultant paediatrician at the University of Maiduguri, who was at the hospital when the children died, said the two boys lost the battle to stay alive due to infection, cold and hunger.
According to him, they were supposed to be in an incubator. They were also supposed to be fed every two hours for them to be in stable condition.
The mother of the triplets and the remaining baby girl have been transferred to the Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital, Maiduguri while the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Borno State has donated N25,000 to procure blood for the mother.
“We cannot take them to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital now because the mother is not in stable condition,” Joseph said.
Reacting to this development, A Consultant Haematologist and Oncologist at the Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Lagos/Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, Dr Edamisan O. Temiye, told the Nigerian Compass that incubators alone do not make a premature baby to survive.
He explained that the incubator is to keep the baby warm.
“Besides, you need somebody who is an expert in operating the incubator and who knows how to manage premature babies to handle them,” he added.
Temiye, who is also the chairman, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Lagos State branch said: “You may also need other equipment alongside the incubators, like a special respirator we use for the premature babies when they cannot breathe because many premature babies just stop breathing after a very long time and thereafter, they die.”
A Consultant Paediatrician at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and lecturer at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Dr Chinyere Ezeaka, said premature babies were the major cause of mortality of newborn in Nigeria. Prematurity and its complications account for up to 25 per cent of deaths in newborns following asphyxia (inability to cry after birth) and infection.
Referring to a current data issued by the United Nations Children's Fund (NICEF), Dr Ezeaka disclosed that about 700 newborns die in Nigeria everyday.
According to her, death in newborns is one of Nigeria’s most neglected health problems because “we have many programmes instituted for under-five mortality, older children - malaria treatment, immunisation, etc but not much has been done for newborns.
Following the current Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the high rate of deaths in newborns, Dr Ezeaka says it has been shown that if Nigeria does not reduce newborn mortality, “we will not be able to achieve MDG 4, which is the reduction of child mortality in this country and if Nigeria does not achieve MDG 4, it is very unlikely that the rest of Africa will achieve MDG 4.”“According to her, Nigeria plays a pivotal role in newborn deaths because it records the highest in Africa and this follows very high maternal mortality.
She explained that the mother and the newborn are inextricably linked such that anything that affects the mother also affects the newborn.
“When these newborns die, 75 per cent of them die on the first day of delivery, showing that whatever is killing them has to do with birth and the circumstances of delivery,” the consultant said.
However, in managing premature babies, Temiye said, “you need an equipment to keep them breathing. You need monitors to keep them breathing before the doctors come and attend to the baby.”
He also noted that there are people trained for handling such cases and they are called paediatricians and neunotologists, that is, newborn specialists.
According to him, the problem is that, many hospitals in Nigeria do not have incubators.
“They do not have trained personnel who are specialised in handling the premature cases and that is a big challenge in our country.
“Incubators costs a lot of money and to keep the premature babies alive costs a lot of money if they are kept for long. It is very expensive and many families cannot afford it. Of course, it is only a few private hospitals that have incubators because many cannot afford it.”
Similarly, Temiye highlighted the Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) method, as another method that may be resorted to in caring for premature babies in the absence of modern equipment such as incubators, monitors, among others.
The KMC method is a practice of providing care for all newborns, especially premature babies in Kano, where the KMC is currently being operated in pilot stage. This practice integrates skin-to-skin Contact-Kangaroo Position between mother and baby, early initiation of exclusive breastfeeding, strict observance of hygiene, among others.
Temiye noted that though the KMC helps to keep the babies when they are warm, it is not the optimum for a baby who is born premature.
Therefore, he noted, that the best way to preserve premature babies is to leave them in the womb until the baby is old enough to be born.
Temiye disclosed that premature birth is caused by various factors which include if nature cannot keep the baby any longer in the womb.
Similarly, if it is a multiple-baby pregnancy, it most likely that the baby will be born so quickly unlike when you have one baby in the womb because the space there will not be able to keep them for too long before bringing them out.
According to him, sometimes, when the neck of the baby is weak, the mother may have premature delivery. Also, when the mother is involved in an accident, have malaria or the mother and the baby are anemic, the mother could give birth to a premature baby.
More so, Temiye noted that when a woman is prone to deliver a baby prematurely, it should be managed by a gynaecologist, thereby keeping it alive. He added that if the baby cannot stay in the womb anymore or when it is not safe for the mother and the child, the baby should be referred inside the mother before the mother delivers to where incubator care is available.
Temiye says it is wrong to deliver a baby who is premature in one hospital and then transfer the baby over long distance to another hospital where incubators are available. This practice may expose the baby to cold, which may injure it before it gets to another hospital.
He said: “The best way is ensuring that the baby is given birth to in a hospital where they have incubators and not taking it to where there are no incubators.”
The NMA chairman in Lagos added: “A lot of doctors know that they do not have incubators in their hospitals, yet they deliver premature babies in their hospitals and they will just wrap these babies and tell the parents to take the babies to LUTH or Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, prompting the parents to travel over a long traffic that will waste the baby's life.”
He noted that the NMA has been reminding the government about its responsibilities to the citizens.
“We need the support of the populace to put pressure on our government to put enough money in the health sector and provide more infrastructure for us. What is happening is that in this country, the government does not see health as an important sector. They refer it to be a social responsibility,” Temiye said.
According to him, the government says the health sector does not contribute to the economy.
“However, they do not know that a healthy population grows the economy but they expect to generate money in return when they invest in the sector. The hospital is meant to keep people alive and it helps people to live a healthy life that is unquantifiable compared to the money the government wants them to return,” he said.
The consultant advised mothers that as soon as they get pregnant, they should meet a gynaecologist and they should ask questions because some patients do not ask questions.
“For instance, mothers should confirm if the hospital has an incubator or not, and if they do not have, such mother should demand for a transfer to a hospital that has an incubator where they can deliver. This will also help in reducing the amount of premature baby lost in the country,” Temiye said.
http://www.compassnewspaper.com/NG/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=67817:premature-babies-and-the-fight-to-stay-alive-&catid=42:commune&Itemid=796
Guineaworm, Maternal Morbidity, and Child Health
Summary Studies have documented the effect of guineaworm concerning days lost to agricultural work and drops in school attendance, but little is known about bow the disease disables mothers and impairs their ability to care for their children and families. A pilot case study of 42 women in two rural Nigerian communities has been conducted to fill that gap. Guineaworm was responsible for half of child immunization defaulting and deterred women from using maternity services. Guineaworm kept women from their jobs and trades, costing an average of approximately $50 in lost income, a sizable chunk of a family's support considering tbe annual per capita income for the area is just over $100. Other problems experienced included loss of appetite and reduced food intake, unattended child illnesses, and disabling secondary infections resulting from unhygienic self-treatment. The ill women and her dependent children put great strain on the support network of family friends, a network already weakened in many cases when several other members were also afflicted with guineaworm. While further research is needed to learn more about this disabling disease, there is no excuse not to implement known guineaworm control interventions. The experience with mothers and children in Nigeria has shown that guineaworm control through water supply improvement should be a major child survival and development initiative.
http://tropej.oxfordjournals.org/content/35/6/285.abstract
http://tropej.oxfordjournals.org/content/35/6/285.abstract
The global maternal health conference
Last week, the Global Maternal Health Conference was convened from Monday, 30th August to Wednesday, 1st September 2010 at Habitat Center, New Delhi, India. It was co - hosted by Engender Health and Public Health Foundation, India. It attracted over 600 experts from all over the world ranging from government officials, researchers, media, academia, civil societies, foundations and international development partners and agencies. Yours faithfully was opportuned to be there and shared his experience in using budget advocacy and tracking to influence budgetary allocation to maternal health services in Nigeria.
The idea to organize the conference started in 2006 with discussion among some of the world’s maternal health leaders about a need for a maternal health hub, a place where experts working on maternal mortality and morbidity could come together in a neutral and enabling environment to increase coordination around the evidence, programs, and advocacy to improve maternal health worldwide.
The Maternal Health Task Force at Engender Health and the conference are the realization of such discussion. The conference was aimed at sharing data and impressions, learning about progress and new innovations, identifying the knowledge gaps that still need to be filled, and reaching a consensus on local, national, and global maternal health strategies.
It was observed that the maternal health field is gaining new attention from donors, policy makers, academics, young people, media, and influential think tanks. Invigorated attention has also came from donors such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation—–two foundations that have made the Maternal Health Task Force possible. The conference has also emphasized that momentum around the world towards achieving Millennium Development Goal 5, Improve Maternal Health, is accelerating as a result of increased advocacy and more robust research. Several countries have adopted policies that increase skilled attendance at birth, that ensure that emergency situations could be treated safely and with expertise, and that monitor the quality of maternal health care.
It was declared open by the Indian Minister of Health via a paper he presented ‘The importance of bringing global maternal health experts and maternal health conversation to India.’
Sessions were organized according to the following themes
Underlying factors in maternal mortality and morbidity
Implications from allied health and social sectors, health-care seeking behaviors, and the indirect causes of poor maternal health, including gender rights and equity
Ideas and interventions to improve maternal health
Programmatic approaches including clinical services delivery, integration opportunities and interconnections, community-based responses, cost-effective solutions, implementation research and intervention evidence
Measuring and monitoring maternal health
Program performance assessments, verbal autopsies, and new techniques of measuring and monitoring
Reproductive and sexual health
Links with family planning, abortion, HIV/AIDS, male involvement and serving the needs of adolescents
Strengthening systems for maternal health
Access to quality care, public-private partnerships, financing and investment alternatives, expanding skilled care, and referral challenges
Policy, advocacy and communication
Accountability mechanisms, advocacy campaigns, new technologies, and political will and law.
While such kind of conferences brought together experts and concerned individuals on reducing maternal morbidity and mortality globally. It also provides a platform to get feed backs from colleagues about ones’ work and learn from others what works and is not working with the aim of coming back home to pilot new strategies and interventions to improve health outcomes.
All comments to Dr Aminu Magashi at healthweekly@yahoo.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
http://www.dailytrust.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2350:the-global-maternal-health-conference&catid=12:health-reports&Itemid=13
The idea to organize the conference started in 2006 with discussion among some of the world’s maternal health leaders about a need for a maternal health hub, a place where experts working on maternal mortality and morbidity could come together in a neutral and enabling environment to increase coordination around the evidence, programs, and advocacy to improve maternal health worldwide.
The Maternal Health Task Force at Engender Health and the conference are the realization of such discussion. The conference was aimed at sharing data and impressions, learning about progress and new innovations, identifying the knowledge gaps that still need to be filled, and reaching a consensus on local, national, and global maternal health strategies.
It was observed that the maternal health field is gaining new attention from donors, policy makers, academics, young people, media, and influential think tanks. Invigorated attention has also came from donors such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation—–two foundations that have made the Maternal Health Task Force possible. The conference has also emphasized that momentum around the world towards achieving Millennium Development Goal 5, Improve Maternal Health, is accelerating as a result of increased advocacy and more robust research. Several countries have adopted policies that increase skilled attendance at birth, that ensure that emergency situations could be treated safely and with expertise, and that monitor the quality of maternal health care.
It was declared open by the Indian Minister of Health via a paper he presented ‘The importance of bringing global maternal health experts and maternal health conversation to India.’
Sessions were organized according to the following themes
Underlying factors in maternal mortality and morbidity
Implications from allied health and social sectors, health-care seeking behaviors, and the indirect causes of poor maternal health, including gender rights and equity
Ideas and interventions to improve maternal health
Programmatic approaches including clinical services delivery, integration opportunities and interconnections, community-based responses, cost-effective solutions, implementation research and intervention evidence
Measuring and monitoring maternal health
Program performance assessments, verbal autopsies, and new techniques of measuring and monitoring
Reproductive and sexual health
Links with family planning, abortion, HIV/AIDS, male involvement and serving the needs of adolescents
Strengthening systems for maternal health
Access to quality care, public-private partnerships, financing and investment alternatives, expanding skilled care, and referral challenges
Policy, advocacy and communication
Accountability mechanisms, advocacy campaigns, new technologies, and political will and law.
While such kind of conferences brought together experts and concerned individuals on reducing maternal morbidity and mortality globally. It also provides a platform to get feed backs from colleagues about ones’ work and learn from others what works and is not working with the aim of coming back home to pilot new strategies and interventions to improve health outcomes.
All comments to Dr Aminu Magashi at healthweekly@yahoo.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
http://www.dailytrust.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2350:the-global-maternal-health-conference&catid=12:health-reports&Itemid=13
WHO cuts global estimate for maternal deaths
GENEVA — The World Health Organization said Wednesday that fewer women die each year from complications during pregnancy and childbirth than previously estimated, but efforts to sharply cut maternal mortality by 2015 are still off track.
A new WHO report found that 358,000 women died during pregnancy or childbirth in 2008, mostly in poor countries of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
As recently as April the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, a global alliance hosted by the World Health Organization, had estimated that maternal deaths worldwide could still be as high as 500,000.
The latest figure shows a drop of about one third compared with 546,000 deaths in 1990, the global body said.
Dr. Flavia Bustreo, director of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, said researchers had revised their earlier estimates after closer scrutiny of figures provided by WHO member states.
"All of these numbers are bound with a lot of uncertainty," she said, noting that in many developing countries births and deaths aren't officially recorded, meaning reliable figures are difficult to come by.
About 57 percent of maternal deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa and 30 percent in South Asia. Five percent of maternal deaths happen in rich countries, WHO said.
Women in developing countries are 36 times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause during their lifetime than their counterparts in developed countries.
WHO warned in its report that improvements to maternal health are too slow to meet the global body's goal of cutting deaths during pregnancy and childbirth by three quarters between 1990 and 2015.
"No woman should die due to inadequate access to family planning and to pregnancy and delivery care," said WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j73vxVO4TipVf4QuIUVPSLDp9rjwD9I8CK080
A new WHO report found that 358,000 women died during pregnancy or childbirth in 2008, mostly in poor countries of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
As recently as April the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, a global alliance hosted by the World Health Organization, had estimated that maternal deaths worldwide could still be as high as 500,000.
The latest figure shows a drop of about one third compared with 546,000 deaths in 1990, the global body said.
Dr. Flavia Bustreo, director of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, said researchers had revised their earlier estimates after closer scrutiny of figures provided by WHO member states.
"All of these numbers are bound with a lot of uncertainty," she said, noting that in many developing countries births and deaths aren't officially recorded, meaning reliable figures are difficult to come by.
About 57 percent of maternal deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa and 30 percent in South Asia. Five percent of maternal deaths happen in rich countries, WHO said.
Women in developing countries are 36 times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause during their lifetime than their counterparts in developed countries.
WHO warned in its report that improvements to maternal health are too slow to meet the global body's goal of cutting deaths during pregnancy and childbirth by three quarters between 1990 and 2015.
"No woman should die due to inadequate access to family planning and to pregnancy and delivery care," said WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j73vxVO4TipVf4QuIUVPSLDp9rjwD9I8CK080
Why Must They Die?
Kano — Why the people that constitute about 49 per cent of the Nigerian population should face death threat simply because they are trying to fulfil their divine and moral obligation!
It is worthy to note that recent statistics of maternal death in Nigeria is alarming. Nigeria is a signatory to the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) document, whose fifth goal is geared towards promoting maternal health. But unfortunately, UNFPA reports reveal that about 60,000 women die each year in Nigeria as a result of pregnancy and its related complication. Nigeria is ranked second highest next to India in maternal death, (Media Global, 2010).
The reasons why several programmes initiated to curb the scourge of the menace have not been successful are lack of qualitative implementation of policies and inherent corrupt practices of the country's high ranking officials. It is disturbing to note that some women still travel long distance atop donkeys to seek ante-natal care, and it is revealed that the rural areas are the worse affected.
Most women in rural areas do not believe, and have no confidence, in the orthodox ante-natal care which the various health facilities can provide. This could be zeroed down to the fact that they are not properly educated on the importance of seeking for natal care.
It is not surprising to find that the use of unconventional and unsterilized objects to expand women's genitals, popularly known as wankan gishiri, to give access for the baby to come out still prevails in some parts of Nigeria. A lot of complications are recorded from women that undergo such procedure; the worst is Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF), whose victims suffer from physical and psychological trauma as well as social stigma.
Relevant Links
West Africa
Nigeria
Pregnancy and Childbirth
The MDG document reveals that another cause of maternal mortality is the 3Ds: Delay in reporting the case, Delay in transportation and Delay in medical attention. They are preventable, and the Nigerian government has no excuse not to improve maternal health by half by 2015, in view of its abundant human and material resources.
Government should complement the effort of the MDG to embark on awareness and education campaign to inform the rural dwellers on the importance of ante-natal care. More health facilities should be created and qualified personnel should be sent to the rural areas to provide easy access to healthcare services rather than leaving them to travel on donkeys, miles away from their villages.
Adamu A Zakari, Bayero University, Kano.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201009150531.html
It is worthy to note that recent statistics of maternal death in Nigeria is alarming. Nigeria is a signatory to the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) document, whose fifth goal is geared towards promoting maternal health. But unfortunately, UNFPA reports reveal that about 60,000 women die each year in Nigeria as a result of pregnancy and its related complication. Nigeria is ranked second highest next to India in maternal death, (Media Global, 2010).
The reasons why several programmes initiated to curb the scourge of the menace have not been successful are lack of qualitative implementation of policies and inherent corrupt practices of the country's high ranking officials. It is disturbing to note that some women still travel long distance atop donkeys to seek ante-natal care, and it is revealed that the rural areas are the worse affected.
Most women in rural areas do not believe, and have no confidence, in the orthodox ante-natal care which the various health facilities can provide. This could be zeroed down to the fact that they are not properly educated on the importance of seeking for natal care.
It is not surprising to find that the use of unconventional and unsterilized objects to expand women's genitals, popularly known as wankan gishiri, to give access for the baby to come out still prevails in some parts of Nigeria. A lot of complications are recorded from women that undergo such procedure; the worst is Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF), whose victims suffer from physical and psychological trauma as well as social stigma.
Relevant Links
West Africa
Nigeria
Pregnancy and Childbirth
The MDG document reveals that another cause of maternal mortality is the 3Ds: Delay in reporting the case, Delay in transportation and Delay in medical attention. They are preventable, and the Nigerian government has no excuse not to improve maternal health by half by 2015, in view of its abundant human and material resources.
Government should complement the effort of the MDG to embark on awareness and education campaign to inform the rural dwellers on the importance of ante-natal care. More health facilities should be created and qualified personnel should be sent to the rural areas to provide easy access to healthcare services rather than leaving them to travel on donkeys, miles away from their villages.
Adamu A Zakari, Bayero University, Kano.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201009150531.html
10 Percent of Global Maternal, Infant Mortality Happen Here
Dutse — Nigeria is home for 10 per cent of the global maternal and infant mortality, the Jigawa State Commissioner for Information Alhaji Aminu Muhammad has said.
Inaugurating a 10-man committee for parental songs competition yesterday, the Commissioner said Nigeria's position was alarming and government at all levels need to do something to reverse the trend.
Aminu, who was represented by the Ministry's Permanent Secretary, Hajiya Habiba Isa Dutse, said Jigawa State on its part had been doing its best to reduce maternal and infant mortality among its people.
She noted that the present administration introduced various programmes including the Safe Motherhood Initiative Programme being handled by the Ministries of Women Affairs and Health.
She however appealed to all stakeholders including federal and state governments as well as donor agencies such as UNICEF to fight the menace to reduce its rate in the country.
The state Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA) Hajiya Tani Umar said it intends to wade into the crusade of maternal and infant mortality because it has a great role to play in the collective fight.
"NOA wants to use culture to fight the menace of maternal and infant mortality in the state. We intend to use our culture and norms, especially parental songs, which are found to be one of the instruments that always help in bringing children closer to mothers," noted Umar.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201009150397.html
Inaugurating a 10-man committee for parental songs competition yesterday, the Commissioner said Nigeria's position was alarming and government at all levels need to do something to reverse the trend.
Aminu, who was represented by the Ministry's Permanent Secretary, Hajiya Habiba Isa Dutse, said Jigawa State on its part had been doing its best to reduce maternal and infant mortality among its people.
She noted that the present administration introduced various programmes including the Safe Motherhood Initiative Programme being handled by the Ministries of Women Affairs and Health.
She however appealed to all stakeholders including federal and state governments as well as donor agencies such as UNICEF to fight the menace to reduce its rate in the country.
The state Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA) Hajiya Tani Umar said it intends to wade into the crusade of maternal and infant mortality because it has a great role to play in the collective fight.
"NOA wants to use culture to fight the menace of maternal and infant mortality in the state. We intend to use our culture and norms, especially parental songs, which are found to be one of the instruments that always help in bringing children closer to mothers," noted Umar.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201009150397.html
The coalition will cut maternal deaths by 2015.
That's why at next week's summit I will announce the UK's commitment to double the number of women and newborn lives saved by 2015, saving the lives of at least 50,000 women in pregnancy and childbirth, a quarter of a million newborn babies and enabling 10 million couples to access modern methods of family planning. In addition to the prime minister's commitment at June's G8 summit to spend £750m on tackling maternal mortality, we will overhaul all our aid programmes to see what we can do differently to save more women and babies, using new technology and new ways of working to make every penny of aid go further than ever before.
Women are often the heart of the family and without healthy mothers, families communities and societies fail. Beating maternal mortality and meeting all seven of the other MDGs means creating a healthier, safer, more prosperous world for future generations. We cannot allow the golden opportunity this summit presents to pass us by.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2010/sep/14/nick-clegg-coalition-maternal-deaths
Women are often the heart of the family and without healthy mothers, families communities and societies fail. Beating maternal mortality and meeting all seven of the other MDGs means creating a healthier, safer, more prosperous world for future generations. We cannot allow the golden opportunity this summit presents to pass us by.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2010/sep/14/nick-clegg-coalition-maternal-deaths
‘Politicians must stand up against maternal mortality’
TO check maternal mortality and move towards the attainment of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), politicians must use their offices and campaign machineries to amplify the issue of reproductive health in the country.
The Chairman of Conference of Ward Development Committees for Maternal and Morbidity Reduction Project (CWDC for MMREP), Alhaji Salahuddeen Busairi, made the call at the sensitisation workshop for people of Oluyole and Ibadan North local government areas of Oyo State.
At the forum organised by Physicians for Social Responsibilities (PSR), Finland and Primary Health Care and Management Centre (PriHEMAC) for people of Ibadan councils, he said politicians must display sustained efforts to save humanity through the safety of mothers and children.
Busairi therefore implored the participants at the event to strive hard and join the league of people whose duty was to save humanity in the realisation of adequate maternal and child health care in Nigeria.
He said that participants at the workshop were able to identify with some of latent issues that needed adequate attention such as exclusive breastfeeding, at least for the first six months of the baby's life, nutrition and balanced diet; prevention and treatment of malaria infection and immunization against deadly childhood diseases.
Busairi said: “I implore all of us in the struggle to make it mandatory upon us to see that all pregnant women, nursing mothers, and others in a given community imbibe all the identified related issues on Maternal and Child Health care. Individual Ward Development Committees (WDC) at their ward level should come out with enlightenment programmes on these issues.”
He expressed gratitude to mentors of the initiative, PSR and PriHEMAC for the opportunity given to him to attend the BBC-World Service Trust Training Workshop tagged: “Igniting Changes.”
By Opeyemi Adesina
http://www.compassnewspaper.com/NG/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=67821:politicians-must-stand-up-against-maternal-mortality&catid=42:commune&Itemid=796
The Chairman of Conference of Ward Development Committees for Maternal and Morbidity Reduction Project (CWDC for MMREP), Alhaji Salahuddeen Busairi, made the call at the sensitisation workshop for people of Oluyole and Ibadan North local government areas of Oyo State.
At the forum organised by Physicians for Social Responsibilities (PSR), Finland and Primary Health Care and Management Centre (PriHEMAC) for people of Ibadan councils, he said politicians must display sustained efforts to save humanity through the safety of mothers and children.
Busairi therefore implored the participants at the event to strive hard and join the league of people whose duty was to save humanity in the realisation of adequate maternal and child health care in Nigeria.
He said that participants at the workshop were able to identify with some of latent issues that needed adequate attention such as exclusive breastfeeding, at least for the first six months of the baby's life, nutrition and balanced diet; prevention and treatment of malaria infection and immunization against deadly childhood diseases.
Busairi said: “I implore all of us in the struggle to make it mandatory upon us to see that all pregnant women, nursing mothers, and others in a given community imbibe all the identified related issues on Maternal and Child Health care. Individual Ward Development Committees (WDC) at their ward level should come out with enlightenment programmes on these issues.”
He expressed gratitude to mentors of the initiative, PSR and PriHEMAC for the opportunity given to him to attend the BBC-World Service Trust Training Workshop tagged: “Igniting Changes.”
By Opeyemi Adesina
http://www.compassnewspaper.com/NG/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=67821:politicians-must-stand-up-against-maternal-mortality&catid=42:commune&Itemid=796
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Health, Population and Nutrition
Health, Population and Nutrition
The Millennium Development Goals to reduce maternal and child mortality in Africa cannot be achieved without major improvements in the health status of Nigeria’s women and children. Strengthening the health sector and improving the overall health status of the population are among the most important development issues facing Nigeria.
In general, Nigeria is making much slower progress on maternal and child health indicators than most other African countries. The maternal mortality rate is among the highest in the world and completed fertility remains over seven in the Northern states where child-bearing starts very early and births are closely spaced. About one million children die each year before their fifth birthday, infant and child mortality rates are extremely high, and contraceptive prevalence is low.
Health, Population and Nutrition Strategy:
The USAID Health, Population and Nutrition strategy in Nigeria emphasizes stronger coordination of activities, greater focus in geographic and technical implementation, and strategic integration of key program areas and resources, including family planning and reproductive health; maternal, neonatal, and child health, including routine immunization; and prevention and treatment of malaria and HIV. The strategy improves health services by increasing the number and quality of health providers, expanding access to and use of essential life saving commodities, and strengthening health facilities to adhere to international standards of practice. Integration across sectors, particularly at the community level and with education and civil society activities, is also a priority and key to accomplishing sustainable improvements in health. Engaging civil society, the media, and the private sector in the policy and advocacy process will increasingly strengthen political and budgetary support for health.
USAID/Nigeria is working to significantly increase the demand for health services and commodities at the local level by increasing awareness among state and local government authorities, community coalitions, and civil society organizations as well as increasing access to health services and supplies in public and private facilities at all levels of the health system. Through these efforts, the availability of health-related commodities and supplies will be improved, leading to an increased capacity of service providers to provide quality care and sustainable improvements in the services provided.
Activities Include:
Targeted States High Impact Project (TSHIP)
Life of Project: 2009 - September 2014
Funding: $85,453,015
Implementing Partner: John Snow International Research and Training Institute
Geographic Focus: Bauchi and Sokoto States
Improved Reproductive Health in Nigeria (IRHIN)
Life of Project: 2005 - 2010
Funding: $16,500,000
Implementing Partner: Society for Family Health
Geographic Focus: Abia, Cross River and Kaduna States
Maternal Child Health Integrated Project (MCHIP)
Life of Project: 2009 - 2014
Implementing Partner: Johns Hopkins Program for International Education in Gynecology and Obstetrics (JHPIEGO)
Geographic Focus: Kano, Katsina and Zamfara States
Fistula Care
Life of Project: 2009 - 2014
Implementing Partner: EngenderHealth
Geographic Focus: Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Ebonyi and Bauchi States
Budget:
2007-2009: $140 M
2010: $59.5 M
Expected Results:
•Improved quality of public and private primary health care services
•Strengthened governance of health systems
•Expanded demand for improved public and private primary health care services
•Increased government and private sector capacity to provide services and commodities
Nigeria's Key Health Indicators:
•Fertility rates vary from 7.3 births per woman in the north-western region to 4.5 in the south western region
•Modern contraceptive prevalence is 9.7%
•Maternal mortality rate is estimated at 545 per 100,000
http://nigeria.usaid.gov/programs/health-population-and-nutrition
Nigeria: Curbing Female Genital Cutting
Lagos — Public health practitioners recently gathered in Abuja and x-rayed the ills of the dreaded practice of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) and came out with a firm verdict that it must end. In unison, they related the obnoxious practice to possible infection of HIV, Vesico Vagina Fistula, difficulty with passing urine and persistent urinary tract infections which can lead to kidney problems or kidney failure, difficulties with menstruation, acute and chronic pelvic infections. These can lead to infertility, sexual dysfunction/psychological/flashbacks, complications during pregnancy, chronic scar formations (fibrosis) and other life-long consequences on the victims.
In his presentation at the meeting facilitated by USAID ACQUIRE Fistula Care Project, Dr. Sa'ad Idris, Zamfara State Commissioner for Health, described FGM/C as all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for cultural reasons. Idris said between 100 and 140 million girls and women in the world are estimated to have undergone such procedures. He added that it is often done as young as 7days old (so many did not know that they have FGM). He added that about 3 million girls stand the risk of undergoing the procedures every year in Africa and according to UN Report, 91 million girls and women are living with the consequences globally.
He said in Nigeria, about 60 per cent of females have under gone these procedures in 33 per cent of all house holds according to WHO. In the nation's six geo-political zones, the Southwest appears to be ahead in the practice with 56.9 per cent FGM according to the 2003 National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS). He described the various incidents of the practice and concluded that it's one whose end has come in the modern age.
The commissioner said the practice originated from the male desire to have control over female body and sexuality. He said female relatives of husband-to-be often inspect a woman before the bride price is paid (virginity test). He added further that FGM is fuelled by the belief that it would reduce a woman's desire for sex thereby preventing infidelity, promiscuity, and lesbianism. It is also seen as "Calming" of woman's personality and a form of cultural identity, which is an ethnic initiation into adulthood.
"Women with FGM are significantly more likely than those without FGM to have adverse obstetrics outcomes including: Prolonged or obstructed labour, obstetric fistula, postpartum (after delivery) hemorrhage and extended maternal hospital stay," Idris said.
In his own presentation, Dr. Garba Ahmed Gusau of the Department of Sociology, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, asserted that community members should take actions such as direct stoppage of cutting female genitalia, rehabilitation of victims, advocacy and other forms of sensitisation on the ills of the practice. Gusau said female genital mutilation/cutting and fistula are two problems faced by women and female children in many parts of the world but more particularly in the developing world.
"Bing two problems faced by women and female children, the community needs to know all that there is in terms of knowledge about FGM/C and fistula. Knowledge about the problems could help people take appropriate decisions and act in accordance with decisions taken. As of now, much of the accumulated knowledge about FGM/C and fistula indicates that FGM/C and fistula have negative health implications. FGM/C, as stated earlier negates the health of women and female children. The specific ways in which the two problems work against health of women and children are vital information and ideas which the community should strive to know," the don stated.
Also speaking on the role of the National Youth Service Scheme (NYSC) in preventing the malaise, Ms Grace Akpabio said the practice is traditionally recognized and considered important for the socialization of women, preserving their virginity, curbing their sexual appetites and preparing them for marriage. Despite its perceived socio-cultural benefits culturally, Akpabio said FGC has attracted considerable global criticism as a result of its potential for both short and long term medical complications, especially the harm to reproductive health as well as infringement on women's rights.
Having enunciated the vision and mission of NYSC in national development, she said: "The high level of education and centralised control makes the corps members easily trainable and deployable for a national cause. A considerable number of corps members, especially those serving in rural areas have proved to be role models in schools where they serve. They are therefore an easy and acceptable resource for carrying out an outreach for a worthy cause."
She added that Corps members could organise talk shows on TV and radio to discuss about the dangers inherent in the practice of FGM, which far out-weighs the perceived cultural benefits. "Most women in Nigeria are unaware of their basic human rights and do not see the practice of FGM as an infringement on their human rights.
Although this is an issue of long-held cultural preference, NYSC can serve as a veritable tool through the use of corps members to gain the attention of conservative communities in the grassroots who had been hitherto resistant to change. These communities would be sensitized on the harmful effects of FGM and ways that the practice could be prevented if adequately supported by USAID to embark on the collaborative project," Akpabio said.
A communiqué issued at the end of the meeting urged advocacy and sensitisation to all major stakeholders including traditional and religious leaders, policymakers at both local, state and national levels; women groups; youth and other NGOs. It also urged ministries of education; health, information and women affairs at federal and state levels should be more proactive and collaborative on gender issues.
It also called for community awareness using the already existing primary health care (PHC) structures like Village/Ward Development Committees. It urged all the tiers of government to enact the necessary laws to prevent all harmful practices against women and that the Federal Government should as a matter of necessity sign, ratify and domesticate all necessary international protocols that have to do with the rights of women and children.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201009100282.html
Home Based Life Saving Skills
One reason that the mortality rates from PPH are so high is that the women in community are often birthing at home and not recognising the signs and severity of PPH, and so don't know what to do or go for help in time. The community needs to be educated and empowered in how to respond.
Home Based Life Saving Skills is a tool for doing just this. It does not advocate birthing at home instead of going to a health facility but teaches the community to recognise symptoms, actions to take and how to refer promptly for help. It is a means for birth preparedness. As part of the training the facilitators listen to the community express what they see are issues of importance and the actions (or inactions) that have been traditionally taken. Together they work on replacing less effective actions with agreed upon actions. For every illness/complication - such as PPH, there are 6 actions that are taught through role play so that this knowledge is easily transferable to their family and neighbours. The teachings for handling PPH not only include actions they are to take at home but also how they should safely transfer the woman to a trained health worker and accompanying her so that appropriate information is given to the health professional at the health facility. There are also lessons on PPH prevention. Through HBLSS we are training lay trainers so that the knowledge is duplicated to reach the greater community. If done effectively, the whole community can be involved in caring for their women as it incorporates roles for the husbands, the mother-in-laws (or family members), neighbours and TBA's or CHW's.
The clinics in these villages should be informed of the HBLSS training so that they are aware of what to expect and will be prepared for giving prompt effective treatment.
http://forum.globalvoices.org.uk/topics/brainstorm/PPH/46
Home Based Life Saving Skills is a tool for doing just this. It does not advocate birthing at home instead of going to a health facility but teaches the community to recognise symptoms, actions to take and how to refer promptly for help. It is a means for birth preparedness. As part of the training the facilitators listen to the community express what they see are issues of importance and the actions (or inactions) that have been traditionally taken. Together they work on replacing less effective actions with agreed upon actions. For every illness/complication - such as PPH, there are 6 actions that are taught through role play so that this knowledge is easily transferable to their family and neighbours. The teachings for handling PPH not only include actions they are to take at home but also how they should safely transfer the woman to a trained health worker and accompanying her so that appropriate information is given to the health professional at the health facility. There are also lessons on PPH prevention. Through HBLSS we are training lay trainers so that the knowledge is duplicated to reach the greater community. If done effectively, the whole community can be involved in caring for their women as it incorporates roles for the husbands, the mother-in-laws (or family members), neighbours and TBA's or CHW's.
The clinics in these villages should be informed of the HBLSS training so that they are aware of what to expect and will be prepared for giving prompt effective treatment.
http://forum.globalvoices.org.uk/topics/brainstorm/PPH/46
UN MDG Side-Event on - "Population and Environment:
"Population and Environment:
Linking MDGs 5 and 7"
When: Tuesday, September 21, 2010 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. to coincide with the United Nations MDG Summit and the Clinton Global Initiative's Annual Meeting
Where: The Church Center for the United Nations, 777 United Nations Plaza, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10017 (directly across from the UN)
Program:
Safiye Cagar, Director, Information and External Relations Division, UNFPA, Welcome
Tamara Kreinin, Executive Director, Women & Population Program, UN Foundation, and Roger-Mark De Souza, Director of Foundation and Corporate Relations, Sierra Club, Co-Moderators
Musimbi Kanyoro, Director, Population and Reproductive Health Program, Packard Foundation, How Women, Reproductive Health and Environment Bridge MDGs 5 and 7
Lorena Aguilar, Global Senior Gender Adviser, IUCN and Kathleen Mogelgaard, Senior Advisor, Population, Gender & Climate, PAI, Evidence on Population and Environment/Climate Change Linkages
Judy Oglethorpe, Managing Director, Climate Adaptation, WWF-US and Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Ashoka Fellow, CEO, Conservation Through Public Health, Uganda, Integrated Population, Health and Environment (PHE) Projects: Case Studies from the Field
What: This side-event will highlight connections among population, gender, reproductive health, and environmental sustainability/climate change issues, and demonstrate the benefits of integrated approaches to achieving the MDGs, particularly MDG 5 (improve maternal health) and MDG 7 (ensure environmental sustainability).
Special guest speakers will showcase how these population and environment issues are being addressed from global to community levels.
After the presentations, a structured discussion and workshop with leading NGOs and experts will identify priorities for policy, advocacy and research agendas to achieve the MDGs, with an emphasis on the population, gender, reproductive health and environmental linkages.
Organized by the Center for Environment and Population, Population Action International and Sierra Club. For more information, contact Vicky Markham: vmarkham@cepnet.org. No RSVP necessary. Refreshments will be served.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Maternal health at the forefront
FROM RESEARCH TO RESULTS
Two Nigerian states have collected timely, accurate health information that will be used to improve maternal health care. Nigeria’s National Council on Health has encouraged the country’s 35 other states to follow suit.
About 10% of maternal deaths recorded annually worldwide occur in Nigeria, which has some of the highest infant, child, and maternal mortality rates in the world. To tackle these and other pressing health challenges, the Government of Nigeria recognizes that collecting and using reliable health information will help to better target services and resources.
With this goal in mind, Bauchi and Cross River states are taking part in the Nigeria Evidence-based Health System Initiative, a collaboration between the Nigerian government, IDRC, and the Canadian International Development Agency. The project also taps into the expertise of the Community Information Empowerment and Transparency Trust, an IDRC-supported research group that has engaged communities in health planning for 25 years.
The states focused the first round of data collection on maternal health. More than 25,000 women provided information, and community focus groups are helping to interpret the data. Researchers will analyze this wealth of new information and decision-makers will be able to use it to make life-saving policy and program changes.
At its semi-annual gathering in March 2010, Nigeria’s highest-level health body, the National Council on Health, applauded the efforts. As one Bauchi health official observed, the project’s impacts already go “beyond health planning. We can use it also for other development planning.”
http://www.idrc.ca/es/ev-157770-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html
HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment Programs Begini n Kafanchan, Kwoi, and Ogoja
Something wonderful is happening in Nigeria...below is an extract from their webpage...
In May, General Hospital Kafanchan opened the first comprehensive HIV/AIDS care and treatment clinic in southern Kaduna. The ICAP-supported clinic provides a range of services, including life-saving antiretroviral therapy (ART), counseling and testing, and psychosocial support.
Columbia University’sInternational Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs(ICAP), in partnership with Nigeria’s Ministry of Health and support from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, has begun supporting 21 healthcare sites in Nigeria. The program was announced in recent meetings between ICAP officials and government, community, and religious leaders. With the goal of improving HIV care and treatment access for vulnerable groups, particularly women and
children, ICAP will support the establishment of three main care and treatment centers in a network with 18 peripheral referral sites in two high HIV prevalence states, at Kafanchan in Kaduna State and Ogoja in Cross River State. Initial activities will focus on the recruitment of pregnant mothers in care and treatment programs for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (pMTCT) of HIV. ICAP will work with health professionals in identified facilities to promote HIV testing of the general population, including women at all stages of pregnancy; develop mechanisms for assessment of HIV disease stages in HIV-infected pregnant women; initiate partner testing; provide HIV-infected pregnant women with HIV care and antiretroviral therapy (ART). In addition ICAP is supporting enhanced pediatric care and treatment activities, including wider use of cotrimoxazole for the prevention of an
AIDS-related pneumonia among HIVexposed infants and children, and
management of opportunistic infections. Other initiatives include palliative care, such as home-based care, greater support for orphans and vulnerable children, and promotion of best practices for infant feeding among HIV-infected women and the general population. Complementing its support for healthcare facilities, ICAP will work with communities to mitigate the effects of HIV on families in Nigeria. ICAP also is supporting the renovation of laboratories, including the procurement of new laboratory equipment, and infrastructure improvements.
http://cumc.columbia.edu/dept/icap/wherewework/nigeria/ICAP-Nigeria%20News%20summer06.pdf
In May, General Hospital Kafanchan opened the first comprehensive HIV/AIDS care and treatment clinic in southern Kaduna. The ICAP-supported clinic provides a range of services, including life-saving antiretroviral therapy (ART), counseling and testing, and psychosocial support.
Columbia University’sInternational Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs(ICAP), in partnership with Nigeria’s Ministry of Health and support from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, has begun supporting 21 healthcare sites in Nigeria. The program was announced in recent meetings between ICAP officials and government, community, and religious leaders. With the goal of improving HIV care and treatment access for vulnerable groups, particularly women and
children, ICAP will support the establishment of three main care and treatment centers in a network with 18 peripheral referral sites in two high HIV prevalence states, at Kafanchan in Kaduna State and Ogoja in Cross River State. Initial activities will focus on the recruitment of pregnant mothers in care and treatment programs for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (pMTCT) of HIV. ICAP will work with health professionals in identified facilities to promote HIV testing of the general population, including women at all stages of pregnancy; develop mechanisms for assessment of HIV disease stages in HIV-infected pregnant women; initiate partner testing; provide HIV-infected pregnant women with HIV care and antiretroviral therapy (ART). In addition ICAP is supporting enhanced pediatric care and treatment activities, including wider use of cotrimoxazole for the prevention of an
AIDS-related pneumonia among HIVexposed infants and children, and
management of opportunistic infections. Other initiatives include palliative care, such as home-based care, greater support for orphans and vulnerable children, and promotion of best practices for infant feeding among HIV-infected women and the general population. Complementing its support for healthcare facilities, ICAP will work with communities to mitigate the effects of HIV on families in Nigeria. ICAP also is supporting the renovation of laboratories, including the procurement of new laboratory equipment, and infrastructure improvements.
http://cumc.columbia.edu/dept/icap/wherewework/nigeria/ICAP-Nigeria%20News%20summer06.pdf
The ‘long walk’ to equality for African women
Africa’s political independence was accompanied by a common clarion call to eradicate poverty, illiteracy and disease. Fifty years after the end of colonial, the question is: To what extent has the promise of that call has been realized for African women? There is no doubt that African women’s “long walk to freedom” has yielded some results, however painfully and slowly.
The African Union (AU) now has a legally binding Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. The protocol spells out clearly women’s rights to equality and non-discrimination in a number of areas. It has been ratified by a growing number of African states, can be used in civil law proceedings and is being codified into domestic common law. The AU has also issued a Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa, under which member states are supposed to regularly report on progress.
The protocol and declaration both reflect and reinforce developments at the national level. Many African states have moved to enhance constitutional protections for African women — particularly on women’s rights to citizenship and equality. And the last two decades have seen the emergence of legislation to address violence against women, including sexual violence.
Political representation
These normative developments have been accompanied by improvements in African women’s political representation. The AU adopted, from its inception, a 50 per cent standard for women’s representation, reflected in the composition of its Commission.
Again, this standard drew from and reinforces efforts to enhance women’s representation at the national level. South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda have reached the 30 per cent benchmark for their legislatures. Rwanda has gone further — with 50 per cent representation, one of the best in the world. A few countries, including Nigeria, have seen women assume non-traditional ministerial portfolios, in defence and finance, for example. And Liberia has made history (“herstory”) by becoming the first African country to elect into office a female head of state, Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson.
Progress is evident, particularly in countries that have electoral systems based on or incorporating proportional representation. However, enhanced women’s representation has been harder to achieve in first-past-the-post electoral systems.
But even where there has been progress, the question is whether increased representation of women is catalyzing action by the executives and legislatures in favour of gender equality.
Education, poverty, health
Gains are most evident in African women’s education. Girls and boys are now at par with respect to primary level education. Efforts to get girls into school were accompanied by efforts to keep them in school and to promote role models by developing gender-responsive curricula. Gender gaps are also narrowing in secondary education. The real challenge now lies at the university level, both in the enrolment figures and in the areas of focus to benefit young African women.
Gains for women are harder to see in that call’s “poverty” element, however. It is true that since independence investments in micro-credit and micro-enterprises for women have improved women’s individual livelihoods — and therefore that of their families as well.
Yet there was a critique of such investments, especially in the decade of the 1980s when governments withdrew from social service delivery as a result of structural adjustment programmes. In that context, such investments essentially enabled redistribution among the impoverished, rather than at a macro-level, from the enriched to the impoverished.
The end of that era thus saw a new focus on gender budgeting: looking at where national budget allocations and expenditures could enhance women’s status in the economy. Unsurprisingly, this approach has led African governments back towards public investments in social services.
It is now agreed, for example, the benchmark for public investments in health in Africa is 15 per cent. The African women’s movement has called in particular for this to be directed towards reproductive and sexual health and rights. That is of critical concern to women given the impact of HIV/AIDS, maternal mortality and violence against women, particularly in conflict areas. It is also of concern since African women’s continued lack autonomy and choice over reproduction and sexuality lie at the heart of all pandemics.
Where next?
Where to over the next 50 years then? In light of the experience so far, politically the African women’s movement will be focusing not just on political representation, but the meaning of that representation for advancing gender equality and women’s human rights. And given recent retreats in Africa (such as the rise of the constitutional “coup” and “negotiated democracy”), it will also be focusing on democracy, peace and security more broadly, that is, the nature of the political system itself and not just getting into that system.
Economically, women will continue to focus on the macro-level, but in a deeper sense. What has emerged from gender budgeting efforts is the need to actually track budgetary expenditures, not just being informed about allocations. The aim must be to ensure that Africa’s growth will have real meaning for enhancing African women’s economic livelihoods.
Finally, the women’s movement will be focusing on reproductive and sexual health and rights. The battle over choice (including over gender identity and sexual orientation) is now an open one in many African countries. It is no longer couched politely in demographic or health terms.
African women’s “long walk to freedom” has only just begun.
http://www.afrik-news.com/article18206.html
World's poorest children dying as governments 'turn blind eye' - Save the Children
An extra four million of the world's poorest children died over 10 years because governments are "turning a blind eye" to those most in need, according to a report published by a leading charity today.
The number of deaths of young children in developing countries has fallen but global targets will be missed if developing countries do not focus on helping the poorest communities, Save the Children said.
International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said it was a "global scandal" that children were dying at a rate of one every three seconds.
He promised Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg would push for action at the forthcoming gathering in New York where world leaders will discuss progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Some nine million children a year are still dying "preventable deaths" often because of malnutrition and a lack of basic healthcare.
But the toll has been made worse by the trend of "tackling the low hanging fruit", with many countries guilty of helping richer communities because it is "more convenient", according to the report, A Fair Chance of Life.
The target set for MDG4 was to reduce the number of deaths of under fives by two-thirds, but so far child morality has been reduced by just 28% since 1990.
Jasmine Whitbread, Save the Children International's chief executive, said: "It is a disgrace that some countries are 'ticking a box' on child mortality without ensuring that the poorest and most vulnerable children benefit equally.
"Nearly nine million children under the age of five die every year - many of them from easily preventable or treatable illnesses - just because they can't get to a doctor or because their parents can't afford food that is nutritious enough to keep them alive.
"Yet many governments are turning a blind eye to these deaths simply because it is easier or more convenient to help children from better-off groups.
"Governments must not be blind to the issue of equity, they must be held accountable for reducing child mortality across all groups in society, regardless of wealth or background.
"Every child has a right to survival and every government has an obligation to protect them. What's more, our research shows that prioritising the poor is one of the surest ways countries will reduce child mortality."
High rates of death and malnutrition among children can create a "vicious cycle of poverty and vulnerability", with sick children often paying a "life-long and irreversible price", the charity said.
India provides one example of a country where the death rate reflects "extreme" inequalities in society.
While only one in 25 children from the richest communities will die before the age of five, the rate increases to one in nine among the poorest families, according to the report.
But the charity praised the approach of countries such as Ghana, which has focused on the poor and managed to cut the overall mortality rate from one in eight in 1993 to one in 12 in 2008.
Save the Children said a fairer approach could have prevented an extra 323,000 deaths in Pakistan, 260,000 deaths in Ethiopia, 892,000 deaths in Nigeria and 179,000 deaths in Tanzania over 10 years.
Ms Whitbread continued: "This is a battle we can win. Even countries with very low incomes can save thousands of lives by making political choices that make sure the poorest families get the help they need.
"But we need world leaders to agree a concrete plan for the next five years that prioritises and protects the world's poorest and most vulnerable children.
"World leaders have a make-or-break opportunity when they meet in New York later this month to get this plan in place."
Mr Mitchell said: "This report offers a timely reminder of the scale of the problem facing children in the developing world.
"The fact that a child dies every three seconds, many from diseases that are easily preventable, is a global scandal and reflects unacceptable inequalities of our time.
"The UK is now putting the health of women and children at the forefront of our aid efforts, and Nick Clegg and I will be pushing hard at the MDG Summit later this month for collective action on the most off-track MDGs, including maternal, newborn and child health."
Lord Mark Malloch-Brown, former administrator of the UN Development Programme, said the toll of preventable deaths was "one of the most pressing development challenges of our age".
He said: "This is a scandalous waste of human potential, and a cause of enormous suffering to the families and communities that are affected."
Save the Children's research was launched alongside a Unicef report - Progress for Children: Achieving the MDGs with Equity.
Save the Children urged people to "Press for Change" by joining an online petition at www.savethechildren.org.uk.
The petition aims to put pressure on the Government to lead the call for action against poverty at this month's UN summit.
http://www.24dash.com/news/health/2010-09-07-Worlds-poorest-children-dying-as-governments-turn-blind-eye-Save-the-Children
SFH CAREER,
The Society for family Health (SFH) is one of the leading public health NGOs in Nigeria, implementing programs for improving Reproductive Health, HIV & AIDS prevention and Maternal and Child Health. SFH has been implementing a five and half year project named Comprehensive Integrated Approach to HIV/AIDS prevention Services International. The project aims to help create, strengthen and support the adoption of healthy reproductive and HIV prevention behavior amongst Key target population, termed Most At-Risk Populations (MARPs). The MARP targets are female sex workers (FSWs), transport workers (TW) , uniformed servicemen (USM), and youths. The project was implemented in 22 states of Lagos, Oyo, Edo, Ondo, Cross River, Rivers, Enugu, Emo, Benue, Bauchi, Adamawa, Borno, Kano, Sokoto, Kaduna, Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Plateau, Osun, Zamfara, Birinin-Kebbi, and FCT across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria at the community level in selected sites.
The Aim of this exercise is to evaluate the CIHPAC project outcomes(s) and impact(s) in the intervention communities and their catchment areas as stipulated in the CIHPAC protocols. The exercise will also capture key lesson, challenges and case studies.
SCOPE:
The consultants(s) will:
Develop tools for the M&E task and share with SFH
Facilitate stakeholders meetings and forum for the exercise at all levels
Collect, Collate and analyze data as appropriate
Present a comprehensive report within a stipulated period of time
OTHER EXPECTATIONS:
M&E tools developed
For a for the M&E data collection clearly stated
Data collected collated, analyzed, disseminated and store
Reports on stakeholders meeting and in other venues through which data was obtained
A quality end project M&E report developed and presented to SFH and honours
KNOWLEDGE SKILLS AND QUALIFICATION
The persons or applying groups, consortium or organizations for the above assignment MUST possess the following qualifications:
Higher degree (MPH, PhD) in project management or any other relevant higher degree in the social sciences
Minimum of 5 years experience carrying out evaluations for community level intervention in collaboration with NGO’s/CSO’s
Experience in community project evaluation and review
Broad understanding of policy issues
REQUIREMENTS
Provide detailed company profile
Must provide a copy of valid Tax compliance Certificate
Provide an outlay of work plan, and brief concept not on their plans
Two reference letters
Evidence of contract done in the last 3 years shall be an added advantage
METHOD OF APPLICATION
Individuals/organization(s) should submit along with above requirements, a one-page application addressing relevant qualifications and areas of competencies and skills as identified for the position, together with a comprehensive Curriculum Vitae of persons to be used for the assignment, which indicates amongst others current contact address (not P.O. BOX), functional email address and telephone numbers. Applications should be sent by September 16, 2010: address to
HIV Programme Division,
Society for Family Gealth (SFH),
No 8 Port Harcourt Crescent,
Off Gimbiya Street, Area 11,
Abuja.
http://www.nigerianbestforum.com/job/?p=12633
The Aim of this exercise is to evaluate the CIHPAC project outcomes(s) and impact(s) in the intervention communities and their catchment areas as stipulated in the CIHPAC protocols. The exercise will also capture key lesson, challenges and case studies.
SCOPE:
The consultants(s) will:
Develop tools for the M&E task and share with SFH
Facilitate stakeholders meetings and forum for the exercise at all levels
Collect, Collate and analyze data as appropriate
Present a comprehensive report within a stipulated period of time
OTHER EXPECTATIONS:
M&E tools developed
For a for the M&E data collection clearly stated
Data collected collated, analyzed, disseminated and store
Reports on stakeholders meeting and in other venues through which data was obtained
A quality end project M&E report developed and presented to SFH and honours
KNOWLEDGE SKILLS AND QUALIFICATION
The persons or applying groups, consortium or organizations for the above assignment MUST possess the following qualifications:
Higher degree (MPH, PhD) in project management or any other relevant higher degree in the social sciences
Minimum of 5 years experience carrying out evaluations for community level intervention in collaboration with NGO’s/CSO’s
Experience in community project evaluation and review
Broad understanding of policy issues
REQUIREMENTS
Provide detailed company profile
Must provide a copy of valid Tax compliance Certificate
Provide an outlay of work plan, and brief concept not on their plans
Two reference letters
Evidence of contract done in the last 3 years shall be an added advantage
METHOD OF APPLICATION
Individuals/organization(s) should submit along with above requirements, a one-page application addressing relevant qualifications and areas of competencies and skills as identified for the position, together with a comprehensive Curriculum Vitae of persons to be used for the assignment, which indicates amongst others current contact address (not P.O. BOX), functional email address and telephone numbers. Applications should be sent by September 16, 2010: address to
HIV Programme Division,
Society for Family Gealth (SFH),
No 8 Port Harcourt Crescent,
Off Gimbiya Street, Area 11,
Abuja.
http://www.nigerianbestforum.com/job/?p=12633
‘Nigeria faces disaster if it doesn’t provide for the next generation’
Thousands of youths will converge on Abuja today to discuss issues affecting their generation and how government at all levels can initiate policies aimed at providing a better future for them.
Coming under the auspices of the Next Generation Nigeria Task Force, an independent body convened by the British Council, the result of the survey conducted by the task force and an academic team, will be unveiled today.
Among others, the report disclosed that what Nigeria would do in the next 20 years in providing opportunities for the younger generation could result in enormous economic boom or disaster for the country.
The result will also feature the maiden visit to the country of the chairman of the British Council, Vernon Ellis.
Those in the task force include Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Managing Director of the World Bank and former Finance Minister, another former minister, Frank Nweke (jnr), Lamido Ado Bayero, former Cross River State Governor, Donald Duke, Prof. Pat Utomi and Maryam Uwais.
The study was led by the Harvard School of Public Health and also involved an academic team drawn from universities in Nigeria, the United States and Britain.
A statement from the British Council yesterday stated that “Nigeria could reap an enormous economic dividend in the next 20 years if it creates opportunities for its young people – but faces a demographic disaster if it fails”.
About 1,000 young Nigerians participated in an online survey and a series of face-to-face debates across the country leading to the result.
The debates took place in Abuja, Enugu, Kano, Lagos and Port Harcourt.
“Without remedial action, the crisis in the job market will worsen rapidly as growing numbers of young Nigerians enter the workforce. Nigeria needs to create almost 25 million jobs over the next ten years if it is to offer work to new entrants, and halve current unemployment.
“With the right policies for the next generation, Nigeria’s aspiration to become one of the world’s largest 20 economies is in reach. If Nigeria’s leaders make the wrong choices today, the country will suffer the consequences for many decades to come – and Nigeria’s development breakthrough could be forever lost,” the statement reads.
It states further: “If these young people are healthy, well educated, and find productive employment, they could boost the country’s economy and reinvigorate it culturally and politically. If not, they could be a force for instability and social unrest. Nigeria needs to create 25 million jobs over the next ten years – and move its focus away from oil, which contributes 40% to national GDP, but only employs 0.15% of the population”, lamented the task force
“Nigeria stands on the threshold of what could be the greatest transformation in its history. By 2030, it will be one of the few countries in the world that has young workers in plentiful supply. Youth, not oil, will be the country’s most precious resource in the twenty-first century.
“Nigeria has been struggling against the demographic tide since independence. Rapid population growth has created a huge strain on the country’s economic, social and political systems. Today, just 1.2 adults care for each of the country’s children and old people.
“During the past 30 years, the Nigerian economy has stagnated, in sharp contrast to the fortunes of such natural comparators as Indonesia. The 1990s was a lost decade for Nigeria with per capita GDP falling to below 1980 levels.
“Today, Nigeria’s demographic tide is finally turning, as population growth slows and its ‘baby boom generation’ enters the workforce. By midcentury, depending on how fast family size falls, there could be as much as a whole additional adult to support each child and old person.
“Nigeria stands ready to collect a substantial demographic dividend. If it continues with recent positive economic growth, improves health standards, and harnesses a growing workforce, the average Nigerian will be as much as three times richer by 2030 and over 30 million people will be lifted out of poverty.
“If Nigeria fails to collect its demographic dividend, the seriousness of the country’s predicament should not be underestimated. Its prospects will be bleak and could be catastrophic.
“In the worst case, Nigeria will see: growing numbers of young people, frustrated by a lack of opportunities; increased competition for jobs, land, natural resources, and political patronage; cities that are increasingly unable to cope with the pressures placed on them; ethnic and religious conflict and radicalisation; and a political system that is discredited by its failure to improve lives.
“Demography is pushing Nigerian states and regions onto widely different trajectories, and could further increase inequality if measures are not taken to promote social cohesion.
“Demographic factors are steadily increasing Nigeria’s risk of conflict. If it fails to respond appropriately over the next decade, it could well face a demographic disaster.
“Nigeria is currently poorly positioned to maximise its demographic opportunities, despite marked improvements in the policy environment over the past decade.
“At present, health and education standards are low, especially in disadvantaged regions and among the poor. Many young Nigerians are ill equipped for life in a modern economy. Young women are especially likely to be excluded from opportunities.
“A shortage of jobs is a serious challenge, with young Nigerians taking many years to become productive contributors to society. A Nigerian only produces more than he or she consumes for an average of 30 years of their life, compared to 34 years in Indonesia, 35 years in India, and 37 years in China.
“Nigeria urgently needs to develop a thorough action plan for its next generation. At present, policymakers have too little robust data on the country’s future challenges. In effect, they are running the country blind. Better evidence is needed to inform more far-sighted policies.
“Investment in people must be substantially boosted. The government should set targets for increasing expenditure on education and health, using oil revenues to fund both infrastructure and recurrent spending, while ensuring that existing funds are spent more efficiently.
“For education, the priorities are to develop skills that lead to employment, through expansion of vocational training, and to tackle the gross inequalities in educational provision that threaten Nigeria’s integrity as a cohesive society.
“In the health sector, rapid improvements are possible, especially by tackling very high levels of child mortality. Regions with low health standards need emergency funding to build effective primary health systems, with a focus on maternal and child health care.
“The needs of young families must also be put at the heart of the Nigerian policy agenda. With better health and education, parents will choose to invest more in fewer children, giving them a much better chance of living a prosperous, secure and fulfilled life. Creating pro-family policies must be a priority for the Nigerian government.
“Nigeria needs to develop the infrastructure that will underpin a world class economy, spending up to an additional 4% of GDP on this task. It should diversify away from oil, with an emphasis on sectors that will improve employment prospects for young people, while removing obstacles to economic growth and private enterprise.
“The oil industry contributes 40% to national GDP, but employs less than 0.15% of the population. Other industries still in their infancy offer greater potential to Nigeria and Nigerians: communications; manufacturing (textiles, clothing and footwear; automobiles); and the mining of resources other than oil.
“Nigeria must tap into the energies of the next generation itself, releasing its innovative and entrepreneurial potential, and ensuring that young people have increasing opportunities for political expression. It should also harness the potential of the diaspora, both to provide opportunities for the young; and for new ideas, investments, and contacts of the global Nigerian network.
http://www.compassnewspaper.com/NG/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=66739:nigeria-faces-disaster-if-it-doesnt-provide-for-the-next-generation-&catid=672:top-stories&Itemid=794
Coming under the auspices of the Next Generation Nigeria Task Force, an independent body convened by the British Council, the result of the survey conducted by the task force and an academic team, will be unveiled today.
Among others, the report disclosed that what Nigeria would do in the next 20 years in providing opportunities for the younger generation could result in enormous economic boom or disaster for the country.
The result will also feature the maiden visit to the country of the chairman of the British Council, Vernon Ellis.
Those in the task force include Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Managing Director of the World Bank and former Finance Minister, another former minister, Frank Nweke (jnr), Lamido Ado Bayero, former Cross River State Governor, Donald Duke, Prof. Pat Utomi and Maryam Uwais.
The study was led by the Harvard School of Public Health and also involved an academic team drawn from universities in Nigeria, the United States and Britain.
A statement from the British Council yesterday stated that “Nigeria could reap an enormous economic dividend in the next 20 years if it creates opportunities for its young people – but faces a demographic disaster if it fails”.
About 1,000 young Nigerians participated in an online survey and a series of face-to-face debates across the country leading to the result.
The debates took place in Abuja, Enugu, Kano, Lagos and Port Harcourt.
“Without remedial action, the crisis in the job market will worsen rapidly as growing numbers of young Nigerians enter the workforce. Nigeria needs to create almost 25 million jobs over the next ten years if it is to offer work to new entrants, and halve current unemployment.
“With the right policies for the next generation, Nigeria’s aspiration to become one of the world’s largest 20 economies is in reach. If Nigeria’s leaders make the wrong choices today, the country will suffer the consequences for many decades to come – and Nigeria’s development breakthrough could be forever lost,” the statement reads.
It states further: “If these young people are healthy, well educated, and find productive employment, they could boost the country’s economy and reinvigorate it culturally and politically. If not, they could be a force for instability and social unrest. Nigeria needs to create 25 million jobs over the next ten years – and move its focus away from oil, which contributes 40% to national GDP, but only employs 0.15% of the population”, lamented the task force
“Nigeria stands on the threshold of what could be the greatest transformation in its history. By 2030, it will be one of the few countries in the world that has young workers in plentiful supply. Youth, not oil, will be the country’s most precious resource in the twenty-first century.
“Nigeria has been struggling against the demographic tide since independence. Rapid population growth has created a huge strain on the country’s economic, social and political systems. Today, just 1.2 adults care for each of the country’s children and old people.
“During the past 30 years, the Nigerian economy has stagnated, in sharp contrast to the fortunes of such natural comparators as Indonesia. The 1990s was a lost decade for Nigeria with per capita GDP falling to below 1980 levels.
“Today, Nigeria’s demographic tide is finally turning, as population growth slows and its ‘baby boom generation’ enters the workforce. By midcentury, depending on how fast family size falls, there could be as much as a whole additional adult to support each child and old person.
“Nigeria stands ready to collect a substantial demographic dividend. If it continues with recent positive economic growth, improves health standards, and harnesses a growing workforce, the average Nigerian will be as much as three times richer by 2030 and over 30 million people will be lifted out of poverty.
“If Nigeria fails to collect its demographic dividend, the seriousness of the country’s predicament should not be underestimated. Its prospects will be bleak and could be catastrophic.
“In the worst case, Nigeria will see: growing numbers of young people, frustrated by a lack of opportunities; increased competition for jobs, land, natural resources, and political patronage; cities that are increasingly unable to cope with the pressures placed on them; ethnic and religious conflict and radicalisation; and a political system that is discredited by its failure to improve lives.
“Demography is pushing Nigerian states and regions onto widely different trajectories, and could further increase inequality if measures are not taken to promote social cohesion.
“Demographic factors are steadily increasing Nigeria’s risk of conflict. If it fails to respond appropriately over the next decade, it could well face a demographic disaster.
“Nigeria is currently poorly positioned to maximise its demographic opportunities, despite marked improvements in the policy environment over the past decade.
“At present, health and education standards are low, especially in disadvantaged regions and among the poor. Many young Nigerians are ill equipped for life in a modern economy. Young women are especially likely to be excluded from opportunities.
“A shortage of jobs is a serious challenge, with young Nigerians taking many years to become productive contributors to society. A Nigerian only produces more than he or she consumes for an average of 30 years of their life, compared to 34 years in Indonesia, 35 years in India, and 37 years in China.
“Nigeria urgently needs to develop a thorough action plan for its next generation. At present, policymakers have too little robust data on the country’s future challenges. In effect, they are running the country blind. Better evidence is needed to inform more far-sighted policies.
“Investment in people must be substantially boosted. The government should set targets for increasing expenditure on education and health, using oil revenues to fund both infrastructure and recurrent spending, while ensuring that existing funds are spent more efficiently.
“For education, the priorities are to develop skills that lead to employment, through expansion of vocational training, and to tackle the gross inequalities in educational provision that threaten Nigeria’s integrity as a cohesive society.
“In the health sector, rapid improvements are possible, especially by tackling very high levels of child mortality. Regions with low health standards need emergency funding to build effective primary health systems, with a focus on maternal and child health care.
“The needs of young families must also be put at the heart of the Nigerian policy agenda. With better health and education, parents will choose to invest more in fewer children, giving them a much better chance of living a prosperous, secure and fulfilled life. Creating pro-family policies must be a priority for the Nigerian government.
“Nigeria needs to develop the infrastructure that will underpin a world class economy, spending up to an additional 4% of GDP on this task. It should diversify away from oil, with an emphasis on sectors that will improve employment prospects for young people, while removing obstacles to economic growth and private enterprise.
“The oil industry contributes 40% to national GDP, but employs less than 0.15% of the population. Other industries still in their infancy offer greater potential to Nigeria and Nigerians: communications; manufacturing (textiles, clothing and footwear; automobiles); and the mining of resources other than oil.
“Nigeria must tap into the energies of the next generation itself, releasing its innovative and entrepreneurial potential, and ensuring that young people have increasing opportunities for political expression. It should also harness the potential of the diaspora, both to provide opportunities for the young; and for new ideas, investments, and contacts of the global Nigerian network.
http://www.compassnewspaper.com/NG/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=66739:nigeria-faces-disaster-if-it-doesnt-provide-for-the-next-generation-&catid=672:top-stories&Itemid=794
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