Our Hope for 2017 and Beyond

By ChiYoWo

With 2016 coming to a close it is time to start thinking about the New Year and the things we want to accomplish not only for ourselves but for our children, our youth, and our women all over the world.

The people of Nigeria, especially women and children have been struck by many hardships over the years and it is time for adversity to end. It is time to have access to education, for there to be gender equality, greater access to healthcare, and for everyone to equally have the opportunity to live a happy and prosperous life.

There are many people and organizations all over the world that are making what once was a dream, a reality. Organizations such as ONE, The Nigerian Health Watch, Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria, Afri-Dev, WARDC and partners are calling on the Government of Nigeria to:

• Allocate dedicated resources to benefit all Nigerian women and girls, particularly in the poorest and the most vulnerable areas.
• Step up funding for nutrition in the 2017 budget in line with the national nutrition strategy.
• Provide additional funding of 1% of CRF promised for the Basic Care Provision Fund within the National Health Act and to do so within the 2017 budget. A call has been made to set a timetable to achieve the Abuja Declaration commitment to allocate at least 15% of the annual budget to health by the end of the term of this government in 2019.
• Ensure that states allocate the 15% to the health budget and data is made available on health budgets allocated and implemented at both the state and federal levels, to facilitate accountability to citizens.

This New Year brings new hope to the children youth and women in Nigeria. There are people listening, raising awareness, and working hard to ensure that lives and situations change for the better. It is time to make a difference.

Related Research:

ONE – https://www.one.org/africa/press/make-naija-stronger-health-campaign-launched/

What is AIDS?

By ChiYoWo

AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. AIDS is caused by the HIV virus. AIDS occurs when the HIV infection is very advanced, and your immune system is too weak to fight off infections. This is the last stage of HIV where your body is too weak to fight off or defend itself and may develop various infections and diseases. If left untreated the probability of death is high.

What is HIV?

HIV is a disease that gradually attacks our body’s natural defense against illnesses-the immune system. The HIV virus attacks and destroys a type of white blood cell known as the T- helper cell. While destroying the T- helper cell, it makes a copy of itself and places it inside it. The HIV virus makes it extremely difficult for your body to fight off illnesses and diseases.

There are two types of HIV:

• HIV-1: The most common type found worldwide.
• HIV-2: Mainly found in Western Africa, with some cases in India and Europe.

There is currently no cure for AIDS or HIV, but with the right treatment people who are infected can live long, healthy lives.

At the end of 2015 there were 36.7 million people who were living with HIV, with 9% of those people living in Nigeria. That means that there are 3.5 million people living with HIV in Nigeria alone. Globally, 15% of women that are living with HIV are between the ages of 15 -24 years old with 80% living in Sub-Saharan Africa. 400,000 children in Nigeria are currently living with HIV. Most of these children become infected by mother-to-child transmission which includes pregnancy, giving birth, and breast feeding. Other instances include sexual transmission, children who inject drugs and infection through medical/healthcare settings (though this is rare).

UNAIDS says that of the 36.7 million people that are infected with HIV, 19 million of them do not know their HIV-positive status and that adolescent girls and young women make account for one in four new HIV infections in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Though in recent years the numbers of AIDS related deaths and new HIV infections have been on the decline, it is still very much a major issue around the world. It is important for everyone to be educated, practice safe sex and to get themselves tested.

Please join us in raising awareness on AIDS and the impact it has on people, their families and our world on December 1, 2016 for World AIDS Day.

 

Sources:

[1.] UNAIDS – http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/fact-sheet

[2.] World AIDS Day – https://www.worldaidsday.org/

[3.] Avert – http://www.avert.org/professionals/hiv-around-world/sub-saharan-africa/nigeria#footnote1_koph3hb

[4.] UNAIDS Gap Report – http://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/UNAIDS_Gap_report_en.pdf

[5.] WHO – http://www.who.int/gho/hiv/en/

[6.] Avert – http://www.avert.org/about-hiv-aids/what-hiv-aids

 

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

By ChiYoWo

Almost half of the world, over 3 billion people is considered to be living in poverty, surviving on less than $2.50 a day. More than 1.3 billion people are considered to be living in extreme poverty, living on less than $1.25 a day. International Day for the Eradication of Poverty was created to help raise awareness to these alarming statistics and the need to eradicate poverty and destitution all across the globe. It promotes dialogue and understanding between people living in poverty and their communities, and society at large (1).

Effects of Poverty

Poverty doesn’t just mean living on little to no money. Issues like hunger, illness, lack of shelter, and no access to healthcare, education, or other services are all effects of poverty. One of the biggest issues however, is the lack of access to clean, safe water.  Nearly 1 billion people across Africa do not have access to clean drinking water (2). Without clean water, many problems arise. People are at great risk for many waterborne diseases. It is estimated that 50 percent of Africans have a waterborne disease such as cholera and with unsafe water; growing food is not an option. With no food, comes hunger. A staggering 75 percent of the world’s poorest countries are located in Africa, with one in four people being undernourished (3). That is an estimated 233 million people and living on less than a $1.25 makes this a very unsettling statistic (4, 5). Although environmental factors and conflict do weigh in, it simply comes down to the fact that without sufficient income and unclean water, people do not have the means to purchase or grow food (5). However, with no access to clean water and food, children are removed from school to help fetch water where ever they can find it such as from streams or wells. Sometimes children work to help support their families. Ultimately, such children are not able to get the education they deserve.

Helping End Poverty

We must all work together and help end poverty. We need to make sure that every person on this planet has access to clean drinking water, education, jobs, and food. Please help observe International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on October 17^th. If we all work together we can make this world a better place.

 

Sources:

[1.] World Health Organization – http://www.who.int

[2.] The Water Project- https://thewaterproject.org/why-water/poverty

[3.] The Borgen Project – http://borgenproject.org

[4.] Do Something.org- https://www.dosomething.org

[5.] Worldhunger.org – http://www.worldhunger.org

Youth Leadership and Mentoring: Quick Facts

By ChiYoWo

The good news is Nigeria has been experiencing a sustained period of economic growth in the last decade. The bad news is that Nigeria has also been experiencing a sustained period of jobless growth. So, while the economy has been doing well, people are still left underemployed or unemployed. This unemployment crisis has particularly hit Nigeria’s youth. With Nigeria’s population reaching 185 million and with at least half of that population considered youth, this is really a big of a problem for the most populous nation on the African Continent. According to the National Population Commission, youth is defined as an individual between the ages of 15 and 34.

So what is it that causing so many youth to be affected by this unemployment crisis? According to Brookings, there are several factors that contribute to unemployment in youth. These include the lack of education, and a high population growth rate.

So what can we do? Fortunately, there are many things we can do to help our youth overcome this obstacle. For one, we can initiate youth mentoring programmes. It is shown that deficient school curricula and poor teacher training have contributed to the failure to provide students with appropriate skills to make them employable. By initiating youth mentorship programmes, we are showing our youth that we do in fact care about their future. According to the National Mentoring Partnership, “Mentoring, at its core, guarantees young people that there is someone who cares about them, assures them they are not alone in dealing with day-to-day challenges, and makes them feel like they matter. Research confirms that quality mentoring relationships have powerful positive effects on young people in a variety of personal, academic, and professional situations. Ultimately, mentoring connects a young person to personal growth and development, and social and economic opportunity. Yet one in three young people will grow up without this critical asset.”

Here are some quick facts about young adults that had a mentor in America which Nigeria can learn from:

• 55% more likely to enroll in college
• 78% more likely to volunteer regularly
• 90% are interested in becoming a mentor
• 130% more likely to hold leadership positions

We must educate and show our children that we care about them and we care for their future. Providing a mentor will not only show them that someone cares for their future, we are in turn teaching them leadership skills that will have for the rest of their lives. Let’s get involved today!

 

Sources:

[1.] Mentoring – http://www.mentoring.org/why-mentoring/mentoring-impact/

[2.] Country Meters – http://countrymeters.info/en/Nigeria

[3.] AfriGrowth Foundation – http://afrigrowth.org/programs/youth-mentoring/

[4.] Dalberg – http://www.dalberg.com

 

 

Life in Haiti after Hurricane Matthew in 2016

By ChiYoWo

Six years after dealing with a devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people and destroyed more than 300,000 buildings, Haiti had to deal once more with tragedy.

Hurricane Matthew swept through the country on October 4, 2016 killing more than 1,000 people, leaving 175,000 people homeless and 1.4 million in need of food assistance. The country’s Directorate of Civil Protection claimed that when Hurricane Matthew slammed into Haiti it was a Category 4 hurricane that that had 145-mph winds. According to BBC News, almost 90 percent of Haiti’s south had been completely destroyed.

Though there have been many aid groups out surveying the damage and trying to reach as many people as they can, they are struggling with reaching the hardest hit areas such as Jérémie due to fallen trees, debris and roads and bridges that are impassable. There are also various roadblocks set up by desperate people trying to divert aid trucks so that they too may get supplies. Along with the need of food and shelter many need clothes, shoes, and medical care. According to Reuters, there are people with injuries such as broken bones that have not been treated since the hurricane hit.

Not only do the people of Haiti have to worry about finding food, shelter, and medical attention, but they also fear that disease may strike in the wake of disaster-fears that have been proven legitimate. There are at least 2,271 suspected cases of cholera in Haiti with the number rising every day. Haitians also have to worry about tetanus and waterborne diseases worsening due to persistent rainfall. Other worries include access to healthcare for pregnant women and protection for the women and girls that have been displaced.

Amidst all of this chaos however, the people of Haiti solider on. Marielle Sander, the United Nations Population Fund representative for Haiti says she remembers a midwife in Jérémie deliver six babies in the height of the storm with “water up to her knees”.

There are many people trying to resume their lives as best as they can. Some schools have reopened (although supplies such as books are still needed), people are going back to work if they are able, and the markets are slowly bouncing back.

Though there is a long road to recovery for Haiti, with the commitment and dedication from everyone in the world, they can rebuild and come back stronger than ever! There are websites you can visit to help today.

http://www.worldvision.org

http://redcross.org

http://www.unicef.org

http://www.directrelief.org

https://www.hands.org/

 

Sources:

[1.] Weather.com – https://weather.com/news/news/hurricane-matthew-haiti-latest-news-0

[2.] CNN – http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/06/americas/hurricane-matthew-cuba-haiti/

[3.] USA Today – http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/10/26/hurricane-battered-haiti-matthew-recovery/92678570/

[4.] Weather.com https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/hurricane-matthew-by-the-numbers

[5.] Weather.com https://weather.com/news/news/hurricane-matthew-haiti-effects-continue

[6.] Weather.com https://weather.com/news/news/hurricane-matthew-haiti-effects-continue