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Around 7000 Stillbirths Daily Worldwide, Mostly in Sub-Saharan Africa

Around 7,000 stillbirths occur globally every day, with the poorest nations worst affected, a series of papers published in The Lancet suggest.

An overwhelming 98% of the 2.6m stillbirths each year strike middle and low-income countries, they say.

Better clinical care and monitoring could halve stillbirths in poorer countries by 2020, the paper adds.

Save the Children said current opportunities to address the problem were currently being missed.

Invisible toll

Better clinical care and monitoring could cut the number of stillbirths worldwide, say the authors

The UN’s Millennium Development goals set out targets for maternal and child deaths, but the authors of the Lancet reports suggest stillbirths are being neglected, and are taking what they call an “invisible toll” in poorer countries.

Sub-Sahara Africa and South Asian countries continue to suffer the most.

The report tasks poorer countries with reducing still births by 50% by the end of the decade and sets out measures which can be taken.

“Care at birth will give us the biggest return and saves mothers, newborns and children,” Dr Joy Lawn of Save the Children told the BBC.

“Another really missed opportunity is treating syphilis during pregnancy and particularly in southern Africa, syphilis still kills babies and we estimate that around 136,000 stillbirths could be averted every year and that’s at relatively low cost – it’s about making your antenatal clinic services work.

“Other critical things would be treating hypertension in pregnancy, identifying diabetes in women who are pregnant and managing that better and then identifying babies that aren’t growing well.”

Some countries are already showing the way forward, according to the report.

Middle-income countries such as Columbia, China, Mexico and Argentina, have reduced their stillbirth rates by 40% to 50% in recent years.

 BBC

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Ulli Beier [1922-2011]: a Requiem for African Arts and Culture

Ulli Beier, a German born African arts and culture icon

The demise of the illustrious Arts and Cultural ambassador of Africa nay Nigeria, Herr Ulli Beier  has once again brought to the fore, the versatility and richness of the very much derided African culture.

Ulli Beier was a German born African Arts and Culture aficionado. Together with his Austrian born wife Suzzane Wenger popularly known as Adunni Olorisa  by local adherents, they settled in the south-western part of Nigeria, back in the 1950’s where they fully integrated themselves into the local norms and cultural values of the indigenous  Yoruba people of south-west Nigeria. The fondness of Ulli Beier and his wife for the arts and culture of the Yoruba people could be gleaned from the extensive practical research and studies they conducted on the Yoruba people and their way(s) of life. This extensive research culminated into the investiture of his wife as a custodian of one of the Yoruba traditional deities.

Ulli Beier during his life time in collaboration with Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka and others cofounded the Mbari Arts and Writers club together with Mbari Mbayo cultural troupe in Ibadan and Oshogbo in South Western Nigeria respectively back then in the 1960’s, which provided a forum and platform for budding African writers, theatre arts practitioners and other arts and culture buddies to meet and share ideas.

The commitment of Ulli Beier to the development of African arts and culture is instructive given his European background and judging from the hostility of Europeans and others to the fact that an African culture exists which is NOT synonymous with barbarism. The scholarly dimension, which he also brought to bear on his researches on African culture also helped to establish an empirical basis for the existence of African Arts and Culture.

In an age where many young people in Africa and even African scholars are donning the toga of “Afroskepticsm” and “Eurocentrism” , the life and times of Ulli Beier is an eloquent testimony to the fact, that any developmental paradigm that does not take African culture into consideration may not guarantee success.

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Ghanaian Student Named Northern Ireland’s International Student of the Year.

Margaret Mary Nimoh has been named Northern Ireland's Internationa Student of the Year

A Ghanaian student at Queen’s University, Margaret Mary Nimoh, has been named Northern Ireland’s Internationalã–Student of the Year.

She is studying for a PhD in Chemical Engineering and is now preparing to challenge for the title of overall International Student of the Year 2011at the national final in London next week Wednesday, 13 April.

Margaret, a past student of St. Louis Senior High School in Kumasi, was one of more than 1,200 students from 118 countries to enter the ninth annual Shine International Student Awards – a major initiative from the British Council that shines the spotlight on international students and their contributions to life in the UK.

Entrants were asked to write ‘letters home’ in English, describing their experiences, the challenges they have faced, and what they have achieved. In her letter, Margaret highlighted how coming to Queen’s has helped her to develop her leadership skills.

She said: “Some students came together to form Queen’s International Students Society (QISS) and I was the founding chairperson! I have really learnt a lot from this. Apart from meeting students from practically all over the world my leadership skills have also been really developed.”

Margaret, who also carries out voluntary work for the Ulster Cancer Foundation and visits local schools as a Queen’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) ambassador, said she is having the time of her life in Belfast.

She said:ã– “Moving away from home was a very difficult decision for me. I had to leave my mum, siblings, boyfriend and my dog behind, but I am very glad I came to Queen’s. My research is fascinating but also very challenging. I am based in the University’s world-leading Ionic Liquid Laboratories (QUILL), where the Director, Professor Ken Seddon, and researcher Dr John Holbrey were recently named the top two UK chemists in the world. It is a real honour to work alongside them.

“The facilities at Queen’s are amazing, and the McClay Library is one of my favourite places. The local people are also very welcoming. They are always curious to know where I am from and they’ll always go an extra mile to help me find my way around.ã– Belfast is definitely my second home!”

Congratulating Margaret, Cathy McEachern of Queen’s International Office said: “Margaret personifies all that is best in our international students, who do so much to enrich the university experience for all of us, and we wish her the best of luck in the national final next month.”

Queen’s has an excellent record in the Shine competition. Last year, an American student, Jordan Junge emerged as the Northern Ireland winner, while in 2007; Chinese student Yu Huai Zhang won the UK International Student of the Year title.

This year Queen’s students took the first two places in the Northern Ireland competition, with Kacie Smith from the United States taking the runner-up spot behind Margaret.

Administrator, allafrica

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Côte d’Ivoire stand-off Over But Humanitarian Crisis Continues, UN and Partners Warn

14 April 2011 –Although the political stand-off in Côte d’Ivoire ended earlier this week, the humanitarian crisis spawned by months of violence continues, United Nations agencies and their partners stressed today as they appeal for $160 million to scale up aid to affected populations inside the country.

Today’s appeal represents a five-fold increase over the $32 million initially sought by aid agencies in January at the onset of the humanitarian crisis stemming from the fighting that ensued after Laurent Gbagbo refused to step down after he lost the UN-certified presidential run-off election last November to Alassane Ouattara.

Mr. Gbagbo finally surrendered on Monday after more than four months of turmoil in the West African nation. UN aid officials have estimated that up to 1 million Ivorians have been displaced by the violence, with some internally displaced and others forced to flee into neighbouring countries – particularly Liberia, which is hosting 135,000 Ivorians.

“The humanitarian crisis is not yet over,” said the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Côte d’Ivoire, Ndolamb Ngokwey. “All across the country, it will take many months to restore people’s dignity and rebuild livelihoods.

“Aid agencies will be here as long as it will take but we need to start now. We are asking for only $74 for each person affected,” he stated.

The $160 million appeal aims to provide food security, nutrition, education, protection, water, health care and sanitation to as many as two million people throughout Côte d’Ivoire. It will also allow UN agencies and non-governmental organizations, to significantly scale up relief programmes, notably in the commercial capital of Abidjan and in the west.

The appeal also seeks funding for aid to the north, an area that has received little attention during the past four months, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Humanitarian agencies have also appealed for $146 million to address the needs of the Ivorians who have sought refuge in Liberia.

Meanwhile, the UN Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) reports that the security situation in Abidjan is improving. In addition, water, electricity, and basic services have been restored in some areas, and businesses are re-opening and traffic is returning to the streets.

“I would not be surprised to see that cars, taxis will emerge increasingly in large numbers by the end of the week,” said Y. J. Choi, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of UNOCI. “We will help encourage people to leave their homes and resume their activities,” he added.

In an effort to do just that, the mission organized a peace parade today in which a caravan of dozens of cars drove through the main streets of Abidjan to mark the improved security situation there.

Mr. Choi, who took part in the event, did acknowledge that some districts of the city were not yet secure, noting for example that there is still sniper fire in Yopougon. He also pledged that UNOCI will continue to help Côte d’Ivoire meet the challenges it faces.

Hamadoun Touré, spokesperson for UNOCI, said that Abidjan had seemed like a ghost town for the past several weeks. “People were scared to go out while they were short of basic needs like food, water and medicine,” he told the UN News Centre.

“It [the parade] is a signal to encourage them to try and lead a normal life,” he said, adding that this was the right time to hold such an event since fighting has ended in the city and the post-electoral crisis has reached a turning point with the capture of Mr. Gbagbo.

UN News Center

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Hope in the City of Joy

Charlize Theron

In 2009, I visited the Democratic Republic of Congo for the first time and I remember feeling utterly overwhelmed. It was a trip that really opened my eyes or, should I say, slapped me in the face with the realities of the country. I had heard so much about the violence, particularly against women, but nothing had prepared me. I listened to stories from women and girls about extreme horrors inflicted on them. I learned how families and villages have been torn apart through a plague of terror using sexual violence as a tool of destruction. It was a kind of devastation that I had never seen before.
I left the country questioning what we could do, when the organization V-Day offered a ray of hope with the City of Joy. The City of Joy is a place where survivors of sexual violence can go to heal physically and emotionally, and gain skills and leadership training through programming. The knowledge they gain here will allow them to return to their homes with tools to help rebuild their lives. The concept seemed innovative and I was particularly drawn to the fact that it was thought up completely by the women of the DRC themselves. Who better to decide how to address their real needs?
In February, I had the opportunity to go back to the DRC for the City of Joy opening. A group of us, a V-Day delegation, came together from various parts of the world to travel to Bukavu. In all honesty, part of me was scared. Scared to return and open myself up to the all the emotions and heartache of this country, but it was also fear that drove me back. How can we not return when the situation there is so dire? How dare I let my fear even for a moment make me think twice, when these people live with this fear everyday? So I went and, along with the rest of the delegation, arrived with all the love and hope I could possibly bring. We showed up not only to celebrate something joyful in the midst of all this chaos — the opening of the City of Joy — but also to remind the women of Bukavu that they are not forgotten.
The opening celebration was absolutely incredible. There were hundreds of women and community members dancing, speaking out, and there was so much gratitude and hope. And yet amid the happiness there was still the reality of the situation around us. One Congolese woman got up and spoke and I found her particularly brave and inspiring. She said, “If this was happening in your country it would have ended a long time ago.” She is right. Never would we turn our backs on people in the developed world in the way that the world turns its back on the DRC. V-Day founder Eve Ensler said something amazing that I can’t quote directly, but it was to the effect of “Congo is the heart of Africa and Africa is the heart of the world. And what affects the heart affects all of us”. This country is bleeding to death and it’s up to us to step in and help put an end to this. There is no excuse good enough to allow such crimes against humanity to continue.
In some ways the work we do in the DRC seems like a tiny drop in a big bucket of violence. At the same time I saw and felt the incredible potential that day. These women are capable of so much. A small example is in the construction of the City of Joy. V-Day chose to use a mostly female construction team, likely a first in the history of the DRC. Many doubted their capabilities, but the women welcomed and rose to the challenge. The construction is outstanding and these women, now beginning to understand their own potential, have decided to create their own construction business. V-Day was inspired by this and gave the women a grant to get their business off the ground.
The City of Joy has the capacity to change and inspire groups of women. These women can change their communities. And these communities can change the province and the country. I believe it is in this way that the message of turning pain to power can spread like an epidemic. Just as violence and terror spread throughout the country, why can there not be an epidemic of empowerment and peace?
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon once said, “Investing in women is not only the right thing to do. It is the smart thing to do.
“I am deeply convinced that, in women, the world has at its disposal the most significant and yet largely untapped potential for development and peace. Gender equality is not only a goal in itself, but a prerequisite for reaching all the other international development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.”
Let us hope the City of Joy will be the place where attitudes may be changed about the value of women and where the movement of equality in the DRC starts, so that we may someday see an end to the violence and a better quality of life for all.

Charlize Theron is a United Nations Messenger of Peace with a special focus on promoting the end of violence against women. She was appointed by current UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in November 2008.
V-Day is a global movement to end violence against women and girls that raises funds and awareness through benefit productions of Playwright/Founder Eve Ensler’s award winning play The Vagina Monologues. Through its international campaigns, the movement has informed millions about the issue, and has reopened shelters and funded thousands of community-based anti-violence programs and safe-houses around the world.
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How to Overcome The Fear of The Unknown

In the world of business, it is only a fool that would work himself to death for someone else. It is true that one should strive to justify what one earns, particularly if one is an employee, but it would be suicidal for employee not to have a plan to be on his own at a point in life. This is because experience has shown that you cannot be richer than your employer, except if you are not 100% dedicated to your work or if you are cutting corners.

Some people work for security, while others work for freedom. This piece is not intended for those who work for security; it is targeted at those who are willing to take calculated risks in arriving at their desired destinations in life. Such people, I presume, know who they are and must be working consciously towards making it count in life. How can they make it count? This they can do by ensuring that what they know rubs off positively on others. That is why I say that it is not what you know that matters, but what you do with what you know.

Given that you know who you are, the challenge before you is to know what to do with it. It is not sufficient to know who you are, you must know how to maximize your God-given gift. What I have discovered is that if you do not want to lead, you are bound to be led. Put differently, if you do not want to be your own boss you will surely be bossed around by someone else. There is something in you that the whole world is waiting for. You only need to act on it as nothing moves until it is moved.

The greatest inhibition to taking one’s rightful place in life is fear. Fear has always been the bane of many a man that would have been great in life. Many, who would have become celebrities but are perceived as nonentities, have been victims of FALSE EVIDENCE APPEARING REAL (FEAR). Man is always afraid of what will happen next. He is often more concerned about tomorrow. He feels insecure and worried. This fear of the unknown has always prevented many a man from taking the bull by the horn. It makes many of us to leave our destinies in the hands of others to control.

You need to appreciate that there is nothing to fear about tomorrow.  God has not given us the spirit of fear. The expression ”fear not” appears 365 times in the Bible, which invariably means there is a dose of fear not per day! We must always remember that today is the tomorrow spoken about yesterday. If your employer had not overcome the fear of insecurity or what most of us tag ”fear of the unknown”, you would not be in that your office working. It takes courage and absolute faith in God to live the kind of life you are destined to live. Today, I run a demonstration farm in Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria, where I rear rabbits, chickens, snails, among others and still train people on the need to be self-reliant. This is possible because I confronted my fear. I could have raised several excuses why the farm should not start. Setting up the farm has come with its challenges, but the will to win has been my sustaining power.

What you must always know is that there is no gain without pain. You don’t have to fear failure. There are no secrets to success. Don’t waste your time looking for them. We pay a heavy price for our fear of failure. It is a powerful obstacle to growth. There is no learning without some difficulty and fumbling. If you want to keep on learning, you must keep on risking failure – ALL YOUR LIFE. Take that bold step now, fear not. Remember, what Orison Swett Marden said: ”many a man has finally succeeded only because he has failed after repeated efforts. If he had never met defeat he would never have known great victory

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The Loud Silence on The Situation in Swaziland

Today marks the 38th anniversary when King Sobhuza II suspended Swaziland’s independence Constitution and banned the existence of political parties in the country’s political life. Labour unions, students and civil society organisations have planned what they hope to be the mother of all protests to mark the event. Inspired by the events in Tunisia and Egypt Swazis hope to achieve nothing less than the realisation of full democratic rights. The union’s much anticipated protest may however be interrupted by the government’s announcement that the anticipated protest is illegal and “anyone who (goes) ahead with the protests would be “dealt with in accordance with the laws of the country”. Reports of the arrests of union leaders and journalists earlier in the day are but a few of the examples that indicate what the Swazi regime is capable of.  It remains to be seen whether the people of Swaziland who have suffered for years at the hands of King Mswati III will finally have the courage to demand their long awaited liberation. It is again not clear what impact this attempt at demanding greater freedoms for the people will have on the politics of Swaziland generally. The jury is still out. Nevertheless, irrespective of how the protests turn out it is encouraging to see that Swazi people have not entirely lost the fighting spirit that recently helped the people of Tunisia and Egypt to remove their own dictators from power.

Swaziland is the last absolute monarchy in Southern Africa. If the country ever experienced some sort of democracy it must have been in the first five years after independence. By 1978 the then king had suspended the independence constitution, dissolved parliament, and had introduced the state of emergency. His argument was that the constitution and political parties were incompatible with Swaziland’s traditional practises and way of life. When the King died his son King Mswati III took over the throne at the age of 18 years and together with his advisors and the mighty royal Dlamini clans has ruled the country without any attempt to change the status quo.  In 2005 a new Constitution was approved by Swaziland’s Parliament to end the constitutional crisis created by the suspension of the independence constitution. However, the new Constitution vest powers in the hands of the monarchy, and King Mswati III still retain powers “to dissolve parliament and government, dismiss and appoint members of the judiciary and act as head of both police and army”.

King Mswati III known internationally for his flamboyant lifestyle and a great taste for expensive cars is together with his 13 wives accused of negligently using the public purse to maintain the royal family’s expensive standard of living. This happens in a country with the highest number of poor people and frightening statistics on HIV/AIDS. Without doubt Swaziland’s current situation demands that its people combine efforts in pushing away the frontiers of poverty while demanding greater freedoms from the Swazi regime. It is at times like these that serious questions need to be asked. What have the world done to help Swazi people?  While SADC sends delegations to Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast and recently Libya what has it done for Swaziland? SADC recently took a tough stance against Zimbabwe to the annoyance of President Robert Mugabe but its silence on Swaziland has been too loud. One can ask the same questions of the United Nations. There is simply world silence on Swaziland. The world has not only forgotten the plight of Swazi people, it has ignored and turned a blind eye to their situation. South Africa, the region’s economic hub has remained silent as well with only the unions highlighting the plight of Swazi people. South Africa’s painful past demands that it speaks out on what is happening in Swaziland. South Africa cannot fully enjoy its new democratic dispensation if its neighbours worship with impunity undemocratic practises which have no place in the modern era. South Africa and SADC needs to live up to their responsibilities in the region. Swazis have a role to play as it is they who can change their own circumstances. It is through a democratically elected and accountable government that Swazis can have their human dignity restored.

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