Askiya Blogs Africa

Solutions for a Thriving New World | Spring of Sustainability

2012-04-02T22:50:00.001-07:00

Solutions for a Thriving New World | Spring of Sustainability

Promote Your Blog - Blogger Help

2012-04-01T18:46:00.001-07:00

Promote Your Blog - Blogger Help

The growing food crisis in Niger | Mercy Corps

2012-02-21T15:23:00.000-08:00

The growing food crisis in Niger | Mercy Corps

Safe toilets could prevent sexual assault and sickness, say South Africa's poor | Alex Duval Smith | Global development | guardian.co.uk

2011-09-20T17:32:00.000-07:00

Safe toilets could prevent sexual assault and sickness, say South Africa's poor | Alex Duval Smith | Global development | guardian.co.uk

Sanitation is dignity indeed!

2010-11-19T04:49:00.000-08:00

Source: GNA - Ghana News Agency

Sci/Environment | 4 hours ago

Accra, Nov. 17, GNA -

Kwaku, a 21 year-old man, born and bred in Obuasi in the Ashanti Region, had lived all his life in one of the luxurious mining bungalows.

After obtaining a Diploma in Information Technology at the Koforidua Polytechnic, he decided he would stay with a relative in Accra to seek a job and probably greener pastures.

Kwaku was lucky to have a cousin staying at Akweteman, a suburb of Accra, so his dream to come and stay in Accra really did materialize.

It was one room, probably a boy's quarters to the main building, with about 10 different families living in the house. On the compound of the house was a cemented structure with four sides used as a bathroom, which all the 10 families used.

Even those who were not tenants in the house sometimes came and bathed there.

To his surprise, he realized that there was no toilet in the house, the reason being that the toilet was full and nobody was prepared to pay for it to be emptied, so the landlady broke down the place.

Very early in the morning, Kwaku would walk from Akweteman to the main Achimota Market where a public toilet was situated. He had to be in a queue for hours to empty his bowels. And this wasn't for free, as a patron of the public toilet would have to buy toilet roll or newspaper to clean himself.

When you get the chance to enter the toilet, only half of the problem is solved.

Kwaku says, "There are faeces on some toilet seats and on the floor and one has to employ special acrobatics to empty your bowels."

That aside, this is a man who had no clue that coming to Accra in search of a job would also mean being able to adapt to slum life.

Kwaku's situation makes real the celebration of World Toilet Day, a day set aside to critically consider various sanitation issues.

The celebration of World Toilet Day in Ghana was met with mixed feelings. The first time it was announced on a local radio station in Accra some presenters actually made fun of it.

"World Toilet Day? Hahahaaaa. As for this country we celebrate everything," was one of the radio presenter's comments. It really sounded funny. The media could probably not link the celebration of World Toilet Day with development.

World Toilet Day is set aside to demand proper sanitation for people all over the world, a cause championed by the World Toilet Organization.

This year's celebration, which falls on November 19, is on the theme: "Sanitation is Dignity, Hygiene is Heath."

To some people it is an unnecessary day to celebrate. However, after hearing Kwaku's story, the realization that a country should pay attention to toilet issues becomes real.

It is estimated worldwide that about 2.5 billion people do not have access to toilet and proper sanitation and in Ghana about half of the population is estimated to be using shared toilets or do not have toilets in their homes.

Shared toilets refer to a situation where there may be a house with about 10 different families, as in Kwaku's case, who share the same toilet.

There are still some households in Accra, who use the pan latrine, and better still there are households who do not have water and therefore are not able to flush their toilets.

World Toilet Day was declared in 2001 by the World Toilet Organization of the United Nations to highlight the need for all households in the world to have access to hygienic toilets.

Some people have raised legitimate concerns like, "What are the processes involved in getting a good toilet in one's home?"

Some have said it is very expensive to get a good or proper toilet in one's home.

"Is it right, for instance, to call on government to help or subsidize the processes involved in owning a toilet?" Many questions are raised when it comes to the issues of sanitation.

Emptying the bowels is a very important act in the lives of every individual.

However, when about half of a country's population has to go through such indignity to empty their bowels, it is nothing compared to development.

Major T. N.K. Awuah (Rtd), Director of Metro Sewage Services, said the Accra Metropolitan Assembly had given a one-year ultimatum to businesses and households in the Metropolis who did not have toilets to put in place toilet facilities at their premises or be prosecuted.

"Therefore, household and businesses that do not have toilet facilities come October, 2011 will be prosecuted," he said.

Meanwhile, the Assembly has banned the use of pan latrines and those found to be using it would be arrested effective January 2011.

Major Awuah said the Metropolis also had its own challenges, one of which was the urgent need to find an alternative arrangement to dump the city's liquid waste.

"The Mayor has given instructions that dumping liquid waste at 'Lavender Hill', where the liquid waste is dumped into the sea, must stop," he said, adding "we are seriously working to end that by the end of the year."

However, he said, all was not lost since the African Development Bank (AfDB) under the Accra Sewage Improvement Project (ASIP) was targeting 4,200 households to support them with toilet facilities.

Under ASIP, households would be made to apply for a financial facility to enable them to own a toilet in their homes and pay back in monthly instalments so that other people would also benefit from the money which is a revolving fund.

As Ghana pursues the Better Ghana agenda, let us all remember that having access to good sanitation is also a development issue.

Mr Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, last year went to Nima, a suburb of Accra, in the early hours of the morning, as they queued to empty their bowels and described the situation as "unacceptable".

In the Deputy Minister's own words, "It is unacceptable to live such lives."

As Ghana joins the rest of the world to mark World Toilet Day on November 19, let us remember that sanitation is indeed dignity.

GNA
A GNA Feature by Hannah Asomaning

Source: http://www.modernghana.com/newsp/304899/1/pagenum/sanitation-is-dignity-indeed.html#continue

Dying of thirst – Challenges of accessing clean water

2010-05-09T09:44:00.000-07:00

Badukrom is a small village in the tropical rain-forest of the Western Region of Ghana, close to the popular mining town of Tarkwa.

One of its major challenges is that it has only one borehole serving the entire community numbering a few hundreds and when it breaks down those fortunate to have dug wells would depend on them for their water needs until the pump is serviced.

In the event that the well runs dry whilst the pump has not been serviced, the members of the community would have no choice than to rely on any water they can lay hands on.

The people of Badukrom, despite the tricky situation they find themselves in, may be considered lucky in that they at least for most part of the year are able to draw water from a functioning borehole pump.

Although water is an essential commodity, without which there will be no life on earth, many communities, both in Ghana and worldwide go through struggles each day, just to access their daily needs.

This commodity which holds the key to all life forms is getting scarcer each day, week, month and passing year and this continued scarcity has largely been attributed to mismanagement of the resource by man.

It is in view of this that the United Nations General Assembly in 1992, designated March 22 as World Water Day to raise public awareness about the dwindling resource, call attention to what is regarded as the world’s major health issue – the global scarcity of clean water and to promote the conservation and development of global water resources.

The Day is marked every year worldwide with a host of events and programmes.

According to the 2nd UN World Water Development Report, more than a billion people, who constitute almost one-fifth of the world’s population lack access to safe drinking water, while 40 percent lack access to basic sanitation.

In an interview with Larry West, About.com Guide, Gary White, Executive Director and co-founder of WaterPartners International, a non profit organisation committed to providing clean drinking water to communities in developing countries, said the global water crisis is the leading cause of death and disease in the world, taking the lives of more than 14,000 people each day, 11,000 of them children under age 5.

He said in addition to the health problems, women and girls spend more than 200 million hours every day walking to collect water from distant, often polluted sources—time that could be better spent on more productive endeavours such as work and school. “When you combine these factors, it’s clear that the global water crisis is the single biggest problem facing the world’s poor, preventing them from reaching even the first rung on the socioeconomic ladder,” he said.

Garry White continued that the leading cause of child death in the world is diarrhoea, with children under age five suffering 1.5 billion episodes of diarrhoea each year, four million of which are fatal. “Even for the children who survive, this chronic diarrhoea prevents them from thriving as they should. And for older girls, the responsibilities of carrying water are a leading cause of dropping out of school,” he stated.

Billions lack clean water

For its part, Earth Talk, a regular feature of E/The Environmental Magazine quotes the World Bank as saying as many as two billion people lack adequate sanitation facilities to protect them from water-borne disease, while a billion lack access to clean water altogether. It continues that according to the United Nations, which has declared 2005-2015 the “Water for Life” decade, 95 percent of the world’s cities still dump raw sewage into their water supplies, hence it should come as no surprise to know that 80 percent of all the health maladies in developing countries can be traced back to unsanitary water.

Government to implement sustainable environmental strategies – Mahama

2010-05-09T09:28:00.000-07:00

Vice President John Mahama

Vice President John Dramani Mahama on Monday promised that government would implement sustainable environmental programmes that would find lasting solutions to the country’s environmental challenges.

“Since our resources are limited, our priorities over the years have focused on health, education, infrastructural development and good governance sector with less emphasis on our natural resources and environment and the question I want to ask is how do we ensure that development does not take place at the expense of the environment?”

Vice President Mahama was inaugurating an 11-member Advisory Council of Environmental and Natural Resources at his office at the Castle, Osu.

The Council, of which he is the Chairman, would among other functions, assist government to assess the risks and opportunities of policies and identify appropriate mechanisms to ensure that sound environmental management contributed towards economic growth.

Other members of the council include; Mr. Kwesi Ahwoi, Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr. Joseph Yieleh Chireh, Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Madam Sherry Ayittey, Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Dr. Kwabena Duffour, Minister for Finance and Economic Planning and Dr. Oteng Adjei, Minister of Energy.

The rest are Mr. Alban Bagbin, Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr. Collins Dauda, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Dr. Osei Boeh-Ocansey, Private Enterprise Foundation, Professor Nabila, President, National House of Chiefs and Dr. Yao Graham, Third World Network.

He said climate change and environmental degradation were phenomenal and could impact negatively on agriculture, health, energy and water resources, land and natural resources, oil and gas and mining and therefore required inter-sectoral and inter-ministerial management approach.

The Vice President appealed to members to be committed and dedicated to their roles and responsibilities to ensure the total achievement of the aims, goals and objectives of the council.

Madam Sherry Ayittey, Minister of Environment, Science and Technology mentioned some of the serious environmental challenges as poor waste management and sanitation.

“Research indicates that about 80 per cent of the diseases prevalent in our communities are sanitation-related and improving the management of waste and reducing filth in our cities remains a top priority for government.”

She gave the assurance that the council would also tackle serious challenges of biodiversity loss, deforestation, forest degradation, land degradation, pollution of fresh water bodies and marine environment.

Source: GNA

http://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/2010/05/08/government-to-implement-sustainable-environmental-strategies-mahama/

AudienceScapes - a tool for assessing the effectiveness of media and ICT for communicating with development stakeholders!

2010-03-10T11:17:00.000-08:00

AudienceScapes is a new tool that is being used to assess the effectiveness of the use of media and ICT in development.

AudienceScapes is a research program and interactive website designed to help members of the global development community: find better ways to communicate with local stakeholders; assess local needs in media, communication technologies, development information and development policy; determine and support the information needs of development policymakers.
The site's Africa Research Reports, Country Communication Profiles, Field Blog and other features provide unparalleled insight on which information sources people in developing countries can access, their media preferences, habits of ICT use, news-gathering patterns and other critical details. More information see our FAQ Section or our brochure below.

Website: http://www.audiencescapes.org/

Ghana profile: http://www.audiencescapes.org/country-profiles/ghana/ghana/communication-profile-317

World AIDS Day -- December 1st, 2009

2009-12-01T23:49:00.000-08:00

Today, December 1st, 2009, is World AIDS Day. A day to take stock of the progress made worldwide to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

World AIDS Day is held on December 1st each year to create awareness of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and to reduce the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS.

Various countries in collaboration with the WHO, Global Fund, UNICEF, USAID and other international funding agencies have made progress towards reducing the rate of the spread of HIV/AID infection and improved the quality of life of those affected.

On November 30th, 2009, The Global Fund -- a nonprofit organization that was established to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria announced its end-of-year results, which showed unprecedented progress in the fight against the three diseases.

Through its investments in health programs in 140 countries, the Global Fund supports lifesaving antiretroviral treatment for 2.5 million people living with HIV, and has supported effective tuberculosis drugs treatment for 6 million people, and the distribution of 104 million bed nets to prevent malaria.

As a result, more than 4.9 million lives have been saved. These are people who would have been dead, had it not been for interventions supported by the Global Fund. Every day, 3,600 deaths are averted. With US$ 9.3 billion disbursed to more than 500 grants so far, the Global Fund currently provides nearly a quarter of all international financing for AIDS globally, as well as three-fifths for TB and malaria.*

Yet much more remains to be done. You can learn more by visiting the following websites to find out how you can help:

Official World AIDS Day website

Global Fund website

(RED) website

*Source: http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/pressreleases/?pr=pr_091130

PEPFAR & The Global Fund Collaborate To Treat 3.7 Million Living With HIV/AIDS

2009-12-01T22:51:00.000-08:00

Programs Jointly Support Majority of 4 Million on Treatment in Low and Middle-Income Countries

Washington - The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria announced today that the two programs are jointly supporting antiretroviral treatment for nearly 3.7 million of the estimated 4 million individuals in low and middle-income countries who currently receive treatment globally.

Through its partnerships with more than 30 countries through September 2009, PEPFAR has provided direct support for life-saving antiretroviral treatment for over 2.4 million men, women and children. The Global Fund has supported treatment for 2.5 million people worldwide. Approximately 1.3 million people receive treatment supported by both PEPFAR bilateral programs and the Global Fund, and thus are counted in the totals for each organization. These numbers reflect the strong country-level partnership between PEPFAR and the Global Fund. For example, in India, U.S. Government programs provide technical assistance to treatment services and the antiretroviral drugs are provided by the Global Fund.

PEPFAR and the Global Fund enjoy a complementary and supportive relationship in the fight against HIV and AIDS worldwide. In order to exploit synergies, PEPFAR and Global Fund-financed programs coordinate at the country level to ensure that resources are used efficiently and effectively. Collaboration and coordination are crucial to the efficient use of money and for making further progress in providing AIDS treatment and care to the millions still in need.

PEPFAR is the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease in history. Through PEPFAR, U.S. Government is the first and largest donor to the Global Fund, contributing $3.5 billion to date, with additional pledges that will bring the total U.S. Government contribution to $4.5 billion.

The ‘big squat’ to take a stand on sanitation – Jack Sim in Chennai

2009-11-16T18:37:00.000-08:00

Jack Sim, founder, World Toilet Organization (the other WTO, as he puts it) was in Chennai [India] for an awareness drive ahead of World Toilet Day on November 19. “WTO is an advocacy group. We don’t actually build toilets; we partner with organisations across the world and share knowledge and experience,” says Sim.

He says many people have TVs and mobile phones but no toilets. “It’s about prioritising sanitation; 40% of the world has no access to proper toilets. Sanitation is about making people aware of the relationship between hygiene and health,” he says.

WTO which has over 200 partners worldwide, 42 of which are in India is one of the few organisations that focusses only on sanitation and toilets instead of water. “Everyone clubs water and sanitation, and 95% of the funds go towards water projects. But good sanitation is the first step towards clean water,” he says.

Sim started “the other WTO” in 2001 to disseminate serious facts with a sense of humour. The logo is a toilet seat shaped like a heart. “I thought the best way to break the toilet taboo was to use lots of puns.” But the name, which everyone thinks is “really bad at first” sticks in people’s minds. “That’s because every mother has told her child not to talk about the toilet. It’s not polite’. And here we are talking about the loo quite freely,” says Sim, who is often called Toilet Man.

And it’s not just about getting toilets installed. “You have to keep them clean too. So Sim has started the World Toilet College in Singapore that provides training in toilet maintenance and design. “I’m hoping we can open one in India too to train toilet cleaners like technicians.”

Read more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/The-big-squat-to-take-a-stand-on-sanitation/articleshow/5217289.cms

Today is Global Handwashing Day!

2009-10-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

Global Handwashing Day!

Today, October 15th, 2009, is Global Handwashing Day. The goal of the campaign is to create awareness of the need to reduce communicable diseases through handwashing.

Given the fact that it is flu season here in the US and the concerns that we all have about swine flu, this could not have come at a better time.

For people living in developing countries worldwide, communicable diseases are an ever present menace that leads to high infant mortality from diarrhea and other communicable diseases.

Judicious hand washing is one of the best and most effective means of reducing the risk of communicable diseases. You can read more about the campaign at the website below and please be sure to forward the link to your friends and family members or share on your Blog or Facebook Profile page.

http://www.globalhandwashingday.org/

To ensure that the campaign is successful, bloggers in more than 150 countries are participating in a joint Blog Action Day to spread awareness of Global Handwashing Day. If you are a blogger, please sign on at the Blog Action Day website to assist with the campaign.

http://www.blogactionday.org/en/blogs

The primary target group for the Global Handwashing Day campaign is children so that we can instill in them a lifelong habit of handwashing and cleanliness. After all as the saying goes, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness!".

The Global Handwashing Day campaign also brings to focus another related issue -- the need for universal access to clean water and adequate sanitation. Until the majority of people in developing countries have access to clean water and adequate sanitation, the handwashing campaign will not be effective. The need for clean water and ecological sanitation projects that will ensure a more complete cycle of disease reduction and containment cannot be overemphasized enough.

According to UNICEF -- "Almost fifty per cent of the developing world’s population – 2.5 billion people – lack improved sanitation facilities, and over 884 million people still use unsafe drinking water sources. Inadequate access to safe water and sanitation services, coupled with poor hygiene practices, kills and sickens thousands of children every day, and leads to impoverishment and diminished opportunities for thousands more.

Poor sanitation, water and hygiene have many other serious repercussions. Children – and particularly girls – are denied their right to education because their schools lack private and decent sanitation facilities. Women are forced to spend large parts of their day fetching water. Poor farmers and wage earners are less productive due to illness, health systems are overwhelmed and national economies suffer. Without WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene), sustainable development is impossible." [Please visit the UNICEF website to learn more: http://www.unicef.org/wash/]

We call on government officials, legislators, policymakers, local governments, funding agencies and communities worldwide to make universal access to clean water and ecological sanitation an immediate priority. This is one of the best means for developing countries to make progress towards attainment of the Millennium Development Goals.

Dedication: I am dedicating this blog post on Global Handwashing Day to the memory of Michael Jackson whose global humanitarian efforts created worldwide awareness for the need for global action to end poverty and childhood diseases.

Global Handwashing Day Video:

Welcome to Askiya Blogs Africa

2008-09-05T01:43:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Welcome to my weblog ("blog") -- "Askiya Blogs Africa". I created Askiya Blogs Africa to focus attention on issues pertaining to integrated sustainable development in Africa.

Africa is on the cusp of explosive growth but also faces development challenges stemming from climate change, population growth, dependence on primary commodities, and tremendous health concerns.

Through Askiya Blogs Africa, I will provide information to enlighten readers about recent developments in Africa. I will also present stories that are inspirational and show progress in various African countries.

My goal is to do the following through this blog:

Educate readers about integrated sustainable development issues in Africa;
Identify best practices pertaining to sustainable development worldwide and particularly emerging and developing countries;
Influence development policy in African countries by creating awareness of best practices;
Encourage the use of technology to accelerate the pace of development in Africa;
Discuss social issues and create awareness of people who are making a real difference and improving the quality of life of ordinary Africans; and
Showcase African culture, tradition and music;

I invite you to join me on this exciting journey of discovery of Africa from a perspective of its extraordinary potential and how it is coping in a rapidly changing world. You can also visit my other blog Namuah Blogs for my commentary on finance and other issues.

Audrey.