Author: eradmin

WHO has been working hard to provide continuous support to the Government of the State of Eritrea. To satiate the high demand and request for information technology (IT) equipment of the ministry of health that is for the procurement of computers, printers, digital camera, the World Health Organization donated desktop computers, office computer tables and printers and a camera to the ministry of health to strengthen the health system’s response. The equipment donated includes 60 desktop computers, 58 PCs of printers, HP Laser Jet, 35 computer tables and one camera have been delivered for continuity strengthening of Essential Health Care at district levels and handed over to MOH for total amount 96,288 USD (1,444,320 ERN).

The equipment will be used to strengthen district health systems for quality of care services urgently needed during this global corona virus pandemic.

“We would like to thank WHO for supporting the country to address the challenges in health systems strengthening”, said Dr Goitom Mebrahtu, director of health services at the Ministry of Health. “The equipment will play a crucial role in the satisfying shortage of IT equipment”, he noted.

Dr Goitom further pointed out that the Government of Eritrea is committed to improving quality of care towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and reducing preventable diseases.

He, however, called on health workers to ensure proper use of the equipment to save the lives saying, “I implore the health workers in the districts to use this equipment. Do not let the machines gather dust, the

Source: Dehai Eritrea Online

In Cameroon, thousands of Pygmies, Mbororo and Kirdis, considered indigenous people, are protesting against the country’s Anglophone separatists on August 9, World Indigenous Peoples Day.

Indigenous people said the rebels target their peers in English speaking western regions and the conflict has prevented thousands of their children from obtaining legal documentation of birth and access to education.

Stories shared

Scores of indigenous people share stories of their daily challenges at the city council courtyard in Cameroon’s capital Yaoundé.

Ibrahim Aissatou, 25, is an activist for the emancipation of indigenous people. She said she is among activists and non-governmental organizations taking stock of grievances presented by the indigenous people.

“We come out with recommendations that we propose to the government to make sure that they (the government) take them into consideration for inclusion of indigenous people into the society. Indigenous people continue to face problems of access to health facilities, obtaining official documents like birth certificates and even ID cards (identification documents),” Aissatou said. “Young girls continue to suffer violence such as early and forced marriages.”

Farmers and cattle ranchers

A majority of the Pygmies are hunters living in Equatorial rainforests in the central African state’s eastern border with Central Africa Republic. The Kirdis live in northern mountains between the Chad and Nigeria borders, while the Mbororos live near Cameroon’s western border with Nigeria and the northern border with Chad. Most of them are farmers and cattle ranchers.

Jaji Manu Gidado is honorary president of the Mbororo Cultural and Development Organization, or the MBOSCUDA. He said the Mbororo community wishes to inform the international community on World Indigenous Peoples Day that they are victims of rebel attacks. Gidado said about 260 Mbororo people have been killed and 3,210 injured. He said 12,000 Mbororos have been displaced, 525 homes burned and looted, and 2,700 cattle seized or killed.

“The point that disturbs me is the fact that at the moment when we convinced all the Mbororo people to send their children to school, it is the time that these guys (separatist fighters) started burning the schools and asking people not to go to school,” Gidado said.

Ransom paid

Separatists have been fighting to create an independent state in Cameroon’s English-speaking western regions where many Mbororos live. Gidado said Mbororo people have paid $400,000 as ransom to fighters since the crisis in Cameroon degenerated into an armed conflict in 2017.

Gidado said fighters sell cattle seized from Mbororos ranchers to raise money and buy weapons. Separatists have on social media denied the accusation and instead accuse Cameroon military of disguising themselves as fighters and stealing cattle. The military said its troops are professional and respect people’s rights.

Cameroon said there are over 2.5 million indigenous people among a population of over 25 million. About 1.5 million are Mbororos. Pauline Irene Nguene is Cameroon’s minister of social affairs focusing on the wellbeing of indigenous people.

Call for respect

Nguene said the needs of indigenous people in Cameroon will never be neglected in all government plans to improve the living conditions of civilians. She said the main message on the 27th World Indigenous Peoples Day is that Cameroonians should change their attitudes towards indigenous people. She said indigenous people should be given more consideration and respect in their daily activities.

Nguene said the government will continue to protect indigenous people from separatist fighters as it protects other civilians. She advised Mborors to report suspected fighters whom she said are hiding in their midst. Cameroon has always advised indigenous people to mobilize and send their children to school. The government said education is the only means marginalized communities can chart their destinies and make decisions for the future.

Cameroon celebrated this year’s World Indigenous Peoples Day under the theme “Leaving no one behind: Indigenous peoples and the call for a new social contract.”

Source: Voice of America

Authorities in West Africa have confirmed the region’s first known case of Marburg virus after at least one person in Guinea died of the hemorrhagic fever disease, the World Health Organization said Monday.

Health officials said they were trying to track down everyone who might have come into contact with the patient, who had sought medical treatment in Gueckedou.

The case was reported in the same part of Guinea where the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic started and ultimately killed at least 11,325 people. A much smaller outbreak of Ebola earlier this year also hit the same area near Guinea’s borders with Sierra Leone and Liberia, leaving 12 dead.

The Marburg virus belongs to the same family as Ebola, and previously outbreaks have erupted elsewhere across Africa in Angola, Congo, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda.

The new West African case was confirmed by a laboratory in Guinea and again by the Institut Pasteur in nearby Senegal, according to WHO.

“The potential for the Marburg virus to spread far and wide means we need to stop it in its tracks,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO’s regional director for Africa. “We are working with the health authorities to implement a swift response that builds on Guinea’s past experience and expertise in managing Ebola, which is transmitted in a similar way.”

Marburg outbreaks start when an infected animal, such as a monkey or a fruit bat, passes the virus to a human. The virus then spreads from human to human by contact with an infected person’s body fluids.

Marburg symptoms include high fever and muscle pains, and some patients later bleed through body openings such as the eyes and ears. There is no approved drug or vaccine for Marburg, but rehydration and other supportive care can improve a patient’s chances of survival.

Case fatality rates have been as high as 88% in previous outbreaks, but WHO said the figure has varied based on the strain and how cases were managed.

Source: Voice of America

Aid groups say COVID-19 has caused greater suffering, both psychologically and economically, to women compared to men, especially in developing countries like Kenya. One aid group took it upon itself to step in and make a difference.

Kenyan beautician Cynthia Okewe was full of hope when the business she opened four years ago started making a profit.

But the COVID-19 pandemic slashed her income by more than 80%, making daily life a struggle and sending her into a deep slump.

“So many people have died and done so many things because of COVID. And now, even me, myself, I got the counseling because I needed to understand myself and know and cope with the COVID-19 and know what’s going on around me so that I can cope well without hurting myself, because I got into depression because of COVID-19,” she said.

Okewe received telecounseling help from the Center for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW) in Nairobi’s Kibera, Africa’s largest urban slum.

The counselors target women and girls, who they say are more vulnerable to pandemic shocks than men because of fewer jobs and higher job losses. Nerea Akoth, lead counselor at the organization, says woman have been hit on multiple fronts.

“With COVID, a lot of things have happened. We’ve seen an economy that has gone down. We’ve seen jobs have reduced. So, even the small jobs that are available for the women is no longer there. So, women are actually strained, and they find themselves in tight situations. They have to provide, yet there are no job opportunities,” Akoth said.

The counseling service is supported by aid group Care International, in Kenya, which has been advocating for women’s rights for more than two decades.

Dorothy Aseyo, senior manager for the women’s voice and leadership program, told VOA that while the COVID-19 pandemic posed a new challenge, the group managed to help about 9,000 women so far.

“The psycho-social aspect has come in very strongly because of the need of differentiated impacts of either COVID-19 or any other issues that women and girls have been facing in Kenya. And this actually has meant that we need to support them to receive psycho-social support because of the mental health issues and also the other effects of COVID-19 on their health,” Asyeo said.

The U.N.’s COVID-19 gender assessment report, released last December, found that nearly half of female-led households affected by COVID-19 needed economic and social support.

For thousands of women like Okewe, the counseling has provided a much-needed lifeline.

Source: Voice of America