The Gambia Committee on Traditional Practices affecting the health of women and childrenGAMCOTRAP, with support from the Inter African Committee on Traditional Practices based in Addis Ababa has provided over one hundred thousand Dalasi to nineteen Circumcisers from the Upper and Central River Regions to engage in Alternative Employment Opportunities Project.

The Chief of Kantora, Alhajie Bachu Ceesay of Garawol, Alkalo Lasana Manneh of Basse Manneh Kunda amongst others reminded the circumcisers that they voluntarily stopped the practice of FGM after getting the facts about the effects it has on sexual and reproductive health and called on them to make best use of the opportunity provided to them to enhance their economic status. The Alkalo of Kaba Kama, Aja Fatou Danso who was part of the delegation that witnessed the presentations, commended GAMCOTRAP for the approach it takes to present facts on FGM with respect and dignity in the communities. She noted that the support given to the Circumcisers will go a long way towards addressing poverty in their families while protecting girls from harm.

Speaking at the presentations the Executive Director of GAMCOTRAP Dr. Isatou Touray, said the process involved series of training to create awareness amongst circumcisers on the effects of female genital mutilation and other harmful traditional practices, microfinance before the presentation of the AEO. She called on the communities to support the circumcisers and emphasized the need for bringing up girls in a positive manner to be good role models in society without harm.

In receiving the support, all the beneficiaries expressed their appreciation to GAMCOTRAP for fulfilling its promise. They vowed to keep to their words to protect girl children from FGM. The support was based on a feasibility study amongst beneficiaries, followed by training on microfinance and management of small scale business enterprises. The circumcisers identified animal rearing, petty trading, Pottery, tie and dye and support to develop gardening as their areas of interest.

The Circumcisers who benefited are Dusu Kanteh and Nyama Damba of Manneh Kunda, Mariama Samura of Kaba Kama, Aja Mabintou Bahaga of Tinkinjo, Jonfolo Fofana of Chamoi, Jibel Kandeh of Samba Kunda, Koreh Sanyang of Sare Mamadi, Hulay Damba of Simoto Touba, Hatou Kanteh and Bai Kanteh of Garawol, Sunkaru Damba of Tambasansang, Kumbayel Sowe of Keneba Kantora, Kani Kanteh and Isatou Damba of Kanube, Penda Damba and Haja Bintou Sinera of Gunjur Kuta, Sira Janko of Kundam Mafatty, all of URR and Aja Fanta Jawneh of Dobong Kunda and Siya Fatty Bantanto in CRR.

The cash presentations were witnessed by eleven different Alkalolu, women's leaders and family members of the circumcisers who have decided to stop practicing female genital mutilation.

Seyba Traoré, aged 11, and his brother Moumini, 9, set out each morning with big bags slung over their shoulders to sort through the capital’s many rubbish dumps in search of scrap metal - car or motorbike parts, old lamps, curtain-rods - any old iron objects will do.

They sell on their haul each afternoon at 12 US cents per kilogram to a buyer they know only as Hamdallaye.

”Sometimes we can earn up to US$4.80 a day, and if there is a large pile of scrap we can make even more,” Seyba told IRIN. "Thanks to this money, we can eat well, and we have clothes.”

Moumini and Seyba are just two of the many children who dominate the supply-side of the increasingly lucrative scrap-metal trade. It is common to see children bicycling around the capital laden with heavy pieces of iron to bring to shops that are opening up all over the capital to buy and then sell on the scrap.

Ousmane Traoré, 13, left his parents in his village of Kelaya, 160km from Bamako, to become a scrap scavenger. "It's tiring, this work, I have to sort through all sorts of rubbish and it smells bad, but what can I do? I earn my living in this rubbish and I can save a bit of money for my parents at home.”

Higher profit margins

As the industry grows the profit margins are getting higher each year, even for the children. Shopkeeper Madou Sanogo has been buying scrap in Boulkassoumbougou, a neighbourhood in Bamako, since 2002. “When I started you could buy 1kg from a supplier for 1 US cent, now it’s 12 US cents it really is a booming industry.”

But it is the buyers - mostly adults - who are reaping most of the benefits. Sanogo continued: “I buy the scrap at 12 US cents per kilogram and will sell it on to buyers for double that.”

Sanogo first got involved through his brother, who was a mechanic and collected scrap in their yard. “One day I met an Indian man who bought the whole lot and asked me to look for more. That’s when I had the idea of opening this shop… We signed a contract and now they regularly pick it up,” he said.

Many of the buyers come from other West African countries, and some from as far as India to export the metal for resale.

“Better than begging”

“If I collect enough metal”, Yacou Coulibaly, who owns a scrap shop, told IRIN, “I can re-sell it to a Côte d’Ivoire businessman for a small profit… with a trailer full of scrap I can make a US$600 profit.”

And some of this money ends up benefiting the state. According to an adviser in the mayor’s office, many buyers are setting up legitimate businesses, paying US$335 for a licence, and contributing an average of US$7.20 in taxes per month.

“They also help clean up the city by clearing piles of scrap metal that litter the streets,” Coulibaly said.

However, as the business has internationalised and the wages have increased, the market is getting overcrowded. “Now it is difficult to find enough iron, whereas before, that wasn’t the case. Our supplies are dropping bit by bit,” he complained.

Despite the difficulties, many buyers and sellers are pleased to be involved. As Coulibaly put it, “I think this is better than begging.”

We all know how important it is to stay healthy and a big part of making sure we achieve that goal is to get some regular exercise.

But while it can be a good idea to try and incorporate some exercise into your everyday life – letting the lift go in favour of using the stairs and walking to work instead of catching the bus, for example - you will see even better results if you actually take some time out to get some proper exercise.

Every single day there are people up and down the country who get up early and go for a run before getting ready for work. It’s tempting to think these people are mad but when you start running yourself you’ll soon see and feel the benefits it has to offer.

One of the main benefits of this particular sport is that it opens up a whole new way of helping others. Many of us simply set up a direct debit whenever we want to give some cash to our favourite charity and donating a small amount every month can certainly do a lot of good.

But what about going a step further? If you find you really enjoy running, why not sign yourself up to raise some cash by taking part in some charity runs? These are a great way to get out and about and run in the company of others – which makes a wonderful change if you usually go running on your own. You will also be able to raise funds for a worthwhile cause – some people end up being sponsored to run by their friends, family and workmates, which can raise a lot of money.

It’s a good idea to make sure you are fully fit and able to take part on the day itself, especially if you are fairly new to running. Try and find out where the course will be and go and explore it if possible before the day of the race arrives. Even though these charity events tend to be known as fun runs - rather than being run against the clock – you will struggle if you are not fit enough to run and complete the course.

If it is longer than the usual length of run you are used to, build up slowly in the weeks leading up to the event to make sure you are able to complete the course on the day. Don’t forget you may need to run in the rain or in cold weather, so be prepared for whatever the weather may throw at you.

A regular running schedule can be extremely enjoyable. It keeps you fit, helps you to lose weight and it also improves your overall stamina. Combining all this with the opportunity to help a worthwhile charity by raising some money, meeting new people and having fun all at the same time makes it even better.

Dating back to the ancient times, it can be said that music already had an impact on human history. With the presence of “nature”-ly sounds – the chirping of the birds, the swishing sound of the leaves, and other sounds of same sort – prove that music has been with man since his earliest days. With the advent of contemporary and alternative music genres, music just says, “I am here to stay”. And with the concoction of new music types, we can see that music is constantly evolving and changing.

With music's antiquity comes its long list of uses for man. For expression's sake, entertainment, and recreation – just to name a few – are the apparent benefits enjoyed by man since time immemorial. Though it varies in accordance to the time period of the music's origin. Music is also used in propaganda movements, as a medium for expressing grievances and calling for immediate action. Though music has uses as diversified as the menagerie of human cultures, there is but one ever familiar use of it - “soothing the savage beast.” This is one of music's greatest benefits. As we know, anxiety-related problems bring out the animal in us. So what better way overcome anxiety than to something soothing?

Music and health-related studies have provided a wide array of benefits. But what's noteworthy is the use of music as anxiety medication. Recent studies pointed out the very strength of music as anxiety relief – its incomparable calming effect on one's mind. Exposure to certain relaxing pieces music prevents the build-up of harmful anxiety that could lead to nausea, heart palpitations, chest pains, difficulty in breathing, and chronic headaches. An anxiety medication, even in this alternative form, is crucial to one's health to avoid other possible lethal complications.

In this view, let's examine the benefits of using music and its advantages as anxiety relief.

While medical prescriptions are necessary for some anxiety medications, music in DVDs and CDs are “prescription-less” commodities. Just compare the convenience. Less travel. Less fees. You can enjoy the relief classical music and instrumental tracks can offer in the comfort of your home. All you need is to attach the necessary hardware, and you're good to go.

Using music is also advantageous to people who are always “chasing after time.” Yuppies, business owners, and other professionals who have difficulty in balancing their time can make full use of this. Work-related hassles, as studies prove, can induce stress and anxiety. These are frequently encountered by the people mentioned above. And with the work's toll, how in the world can they afford the time for a lengthy chat with a doctor? To avoid being misconstrued, this is not an advocacy to boycott doctors' prescriptions, but in reality, many professionals really don't have the luxury of time to visit their doctor for anything short of a major medical emergency. However, the use of these relaxing musical compositions catapults the mind of the person from a stressful state of chronic worry to a serene, calm Nirvana. Music therapy, as such, requires less medical supervision but produces smilar results.

Lastly, not everybody likes the idea of hospital therapy. As indicated in medical studies, there are people who opt not to undergo hospital therapy to avoid embarrassment. Others, though they consult the doctor regularly, request for a certain level of anonymity because they wouldn't like to be ridiculed for having anxiety.

Life is full of stress but not everybody has the luxury of time and money to afford tedious therapy sessions. It's just good that we have music as anxiety medication alternative – a practical way to avert anxiety's lethal repercussions without the hassles.

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There is so much talk about meditation and its benefits - but how does meditation work? A lot of study has gone into how exactly meditation brings about the benefits felt by people who practice it regularly. Research studies reveal that meditation induces a healthy relaxed state resulting in a lower heart rate, lower respiratory rate, and lower pulse rate. In fact, it is a wonderfully easy way to rest the body. Meditation increases alertness, creativity and cultivates clarity of thought. There is proof that the benefits of meditation are both psychological and physiological.

Specific Changes That Occur From Meditation:

Meditation works by lowering the metabolic rate of the person, providing them deep relaxation. There is lower consumption of oxygen soon after the person begins to meditate. According to studies, the individual who meditates consumes lesser air and takes lesser number of breaths each minute. The blood pressure falls to normal even with those suffering from hypertension. In the nervous system, there is a reduced amount of activity, making us calmer. In fact, meditation also controls several organs and muscles including activities like sweating, the breathing process, our digestion etc. automatically while we practice it.

Those who begin the process of meditation feeling tense and anxious, experience a lowering of blood lactate levels, thereby calming them since there is an increased blood flow. Because of this, more oxygen goes to the muscles bringing down the production of lactate.

Meditation techniques basically work with the mind. In very simple terms we can even look at meditation as a form of rest. After a hard day, every one needs to relax. Just like the body the mind also needs to relax. Even though sleep helps to an extent, there is still a residue of all the stress we go through in our subconscious mind. These carry over as stress and anxiety. Here is where meditation works. It accesses the subconscious mind when you are conscious and helps you change your entire attitude towards these negative feelings. Meditation gives you a better understanding of your own mind, teaches you how to reach a relaxed and calm state and gives you the ability to assess everything objectively.

The Effects Of Meditation:

So how does meditation work? The first thing you become aware of after you meditate for some time is a sense of stability. Since it deals with breathing, you will find it easy to concentrate on whatever you do without getting distracted. Meditation also brings about a great clarity of mind, letting you arrange your thoughts properly allowing you to think clearly. It brings about an end to stress, through intense relaxation and therefore improves health.

However, those who suffer from serious mental disorders would do well to consult their health care providers before they take up meditation to relieve their symptoms, so that the process of healing is not delayed, since there are cases where meditation without proper guidance can make some symptoms worse.

Certain meditation methods involve exercises in focus while others involve an analysis of the mind, resulting in alertness and giving direction. It quells the wandering mind, urging it to focus on the matters at hand. The mind then connects with the body and through regular practice, meditation can yield great benefits.

About the Author:

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The Mozal aluminium plant is a symbol of Mozambique's red-hot economy, touted as a symbol of the investor-friendly environment that led the Wall Street Journal to declare the country "an African success story".

Mozal's exports have increased Mozambique's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by between 3.2 and 5 percent. Its output represents almost half the country's growth in manufacturing.

In spite of these apparent benefits, Mozal has contributed little to the country's development. Initial investment in the project amounted to approximately 40 percent of GDP, but only created around 1,500 jobs, of which nearly a third are held by foreigners.

The smelters use more electricity than the rest of Mozambique combined. The company imports most of its raw material and equipment duty-free, and enjoys an extensive list of incentives ranging from discounted electricity to a prolonged tax holiday. It also has the right to repatriate profits. The result is an isolated economic enclave that uses large quantities of scarce resources without returning revenue or jobs to the economy.

A new report by the UN Development Programme's (UNDP) International Poverty Centre, based in Brazil, is highly critical of encouraging mega-projects like Mozal as a development strategy. The September 2007 study examined poverty, inequality and growth since Mozambique instituted economic reforms in 1992, at the end of the civil war. It found that Mozambique's indices of rapid economic growth were illusory at best.

Although the economy grew by 7.9 percent last year, most of the growth in income and consumption occurred among the population's richest quintile, with less than 10 percent of growth affecting the country's poorest. In the United Nations 2007/2008 Human Development Index, the country ranked 172 out of 177 countries listed.

The sleight of hand

The UNDP study interpreted this inequality as a failure in development strategy, which has focused on industry over agriculture. "Growth in industrial production has been the main driving force behind Mozambique's rapidly growing exports," the study's authors observed. "Based on a few mega-projects, this growth has, however, created few jobs, while its contribution to public revenue has been marginal when compared to its value of production."

The report pointed out that the southern provinces receiving the greatest percentages of foreign direct investment also saw the largest increases in poverty rates in recent years. Development strategies implemented since the end of the civil war neglected agriculture and fishing, the primary source of livelihood of more than 80 percent of Mozambicans.

"Growth [in agriculture] represents only a 'bounce-back' to pre-war levels of agricultural production without any substantial improvement in productivity, which remains low even when compared regionally," said the UNDP.

The study suggests that dependence on large projects, coupled with Mozambique's already heavy dependence on foreign aid, means top officials are more concerned with accountability to donors and financial institutions than the people they were elected to serve. The authors concluded that the result was not "pro poor".

"Following in the footsteps of the centralised colonial administration and the subsequent Marxist-Leninist party/state apparatus, the government continues to operate, through mega-projects put together by the top political leadership and respective donors and/or private investors, with very little public consultation or transparency," the study noted.

Rethink needed

For some analysts the problem is not that mega-projects are not pro-poor, but rather that they are poorly managed. Carlos Castel-Branco, an economist at Mozambique's Institute of Social Studies and Economics, said the problem was the extensive tax breaks that mega-projects received.

"In 2006 the International Monetary Fund declared that mega-projects are irrelevant to poverty reduction. I don't agree: under the current circumstances that is true, but through the creation of tax linkages they can make a big impact," he said.

Most mega-projects in Mozambique were not "footloose". Investors chose to locate in the country for strategic reasons and did not need tax incentives to attract them. Nonetheless, they enjoy a wide range of tax breaks and benefits that limit their impact on Mozambique's economy. According to Castel-Branco, the project is not the culprit, the development strategy is.

"Imports from mega-projects represent 50 percent of all imports, but they have no impact on fiscal revenue - Mozal pays a one percent tax on sales," he pointed out. "If Mozal paid one-third of the normal tax rate for firms, our state budget could increase by 50 percent. If all mega-projects paid that rate the state budget would double."

If Mozambique were to tax mega-projects at discounted rates instead of offering tax holidays, the government could reduce budget dependency on foreign aid to almost zero. Alternatively, it could continue the flow of aid but expand expenditure on social or industrial development.

Castel-Branco claims the government has seen its mistake but has diminished its power to negotiate by granting tax incentives in the first place.

"The UNDP should work a little bit on issues like this," he said. "It's difficult for Mozambique to do it on its own; the World Bank, the IMF, need to say, 'look, we need to change this situation'. The United Nations has the moral authority. It's possible to renegotiate."

An innovative outreach programme that uses local schools as the point of entry into South Africa's poorest communities is helping tens of thousands of impoverished rural people obtain previously inaccessible grants and services.

Many South Africans have been unable to access services because they do not have an identity document, which places citizens on the national database. The outreach programme, created and implemented by the Durban-based Media in Education Trust (MiET), a non-governmental organisation focusing on rural development, helps to bridge this gap by assisting school children and their families to obtain identity documents.

The Schools as Centres of Care and Support (SCCS) programme, funded mainly by the Dutch government and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, identifies and helps a district's most vulnerable children and adults via the school system. So far the programme has been implemented in the under-resourced parts of North West and KwaZulu-Natal provinces.

According to the United Nations' Children's agency (UNICEF), the births of only half the children in South Africa's more than 280 municipalities have been registered, and a birth certificate is required to obtain an identity document.

Under grant regulations, people applying for old age pensions, disability and child support grants, and various forms of medical aid, must have a 13-digit bar-coded identity document and/or a birth certificate. Adults seeking formal employment are also required to have an identity document so they can be registered for tax purposes.

Since the end of apartheid, provincial government departments have struggled to extend basic services and healthcare that would improve the lives of the poor; rural women remain the most vulnerable segment of the population.

The child support grant is one form of assistance that has helped struggling families. As of April 2007, more than eight million South African children under the age of 14 were benefiting from a R200 (US$30) monthly grant to caregivers earning less than R800 (US$115) per month; but the difficulty in getting hold of identity papers in remote rural areas has limited its reach.

Pilot project

The SCCS pilot project was first established in small number of primary schools in KwaZulu-Natal Province in 2000; it was rolled out in a further 400 primary schools in North West Province in 2005, one of South Africa's poorest provinces, and has been formally adopted by the province's department of education as a means of tackling the negative impact of HIV and poverty on education delivery.

The initiative is based on the premise that most rural communities have been decimated by HIV/AIDS and poverty to such an extent that the school is often the only remaining reliable institution, and is therefore the best way of reaching a community's most vulnerable people.

Participating schools are grouped into clusters of eight and placed under the guidance of a paid MiET coordinator. One of the initiative's main elements is using the local people's knowledge of their own communities.

Teachers and locals are asked to join coordinated groups of volunteers that identify children in need at schools and the adults they live with. According to Maureen King, the SCCS's North West provincial manager, while community members were keen participants from the outset, the uptake among departmental officials was initially slow due to their already large workloads. However, there has been a surge in participation over the past 12 months.

"We give participants an understanding of how to recognise the problems that children and adults are facing, and a vision of how to implement outreach programmes that will help to alleviate these problems," she explained.

"The responsibilities the adults take on also help them to build self-esteem and confidence, which has often been worn away by the difficult lives they have led. To strengthen the delivery structures we employ people based in the communities we are trying to help, and this creates a web that criss-crosses the districts."

Lack of capacity

The programme is also proving helpful to provincial departments lacking capacity. In October 2007 South Africa's Home Affairs Minister, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, said it would take at least another year before the four-month average waiting time between applying for an identity document and receiving it could be reduced to two months.

Philip Modingwane, a home affairs official in GaRankua district, North West Province, said the department had always struggled to provide people with essential documentation because of a lack of resources and personnel.

"We believe that rural districts are problematic areas for us because in North West many communities are isolated and we do not have the manpower to educate people about their rights and provide the documents they need," he said.

Challenges

Julie van Wyk, director of curriculum and development services in the Department of Education in North West, said that establishing exactly who and where the vulnerable children were had always been one of their biggest challenges.

"The knowing has always been the difficult part for us: knowing which community needs what. The North West is rural and people live in small out-of-the-way places, so knowing who is at risk and who is not always easy."

Vicky Mpikilili, 12, who attends the rural Matlhware primary school near Rustenberg, about 120km northwest of Johannesburg, is one of the thousands of people who have benefited from the SCCS programme: in 2005 she was sickly, today she is a picture of health.

One of the programme's school-based support team members, Des Mmeko, went to Mpikilili's family home to find out if there was anything that could be done for her.

"Vicky's aunt did not have her sister's death certificate or Vicky's birth certificate, so we began by helping the child and aunt get the documents people need to get government services," Mmeko recalled.

"After that we brought Vicky for medical tests last year, and the results showed she was HIV positive. She started going for treatment and getting ARVs [antiretroviral drugs] and, as you can see, she is much better and happier."

Between November 2005 and March 2007 the SCCS programme in North West facilitated the provision of 15,102 identity documents and 20,200 birth certificates, and successfully applied for 5,375 child support grants.

Home affairs' Philip Modingwane said, "We have a mobile unit that can travel into the communities to provide birth, death and marriage certificates on the spot, which minimises the expenses for rural people because they do not have to travel so far. Once the SCCS volunteers have gathered together enough people in a certain area in need of documents, we go out to them."

Future

The initiative has proved so successful that four of South Africa's neighbouring countries - Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi and Swaziland - have entered into a partnership with MiET to develop similar programmes.

But the future of South Africa's SCCS initiative is shadowed by doubt, as MiET only has funding until 2009 to establish the programme in 1,192 primary schools in the two provinces.

"We are busy capacitating people, but there is only money until 2009. What will happen then?" said Aubrey Kgobokoe, a SCCS training coordinator in North West. "It should be rolled out in all schools, so that teenagers will also benefit. Are we going to have to leave those who have yet to benefit to fend for themselves?"

If you practice yoga, then you know that it allows the mind to work together with the body to promote healing and well-being. Yoga can do wonders for a body that is in good or bad shape.

These claims aren't unfounded, medical studies have shown yoga does indeed produce health benefits. After a yoga class, many will affirm the fact that they feel more energized, happier and more peaceful. How exactly does yoga produce these feelings and how can the body heal itself?

Yoga makes you more aware of your body, its movements and its alignment. It allows you to know and understand yourself better. Back pain is one of the most common reasons people seek medical attention. In India, where yoga originated, back pain is practically nonexistent. Yoga can cure and prevent back pain by enhancing strength and flexibility. It can also help people with arthritis by providing relief to aching joints and providing joint lubricants. In addition, it relieves tension in muscles.

Yoga can have physiological and psychological benefits. It has been shown to improve the lives of asthma sufferers by preventing attacks without the use of medicines. It can help respiratory problems by teaching people how to control their breathing. It can lower blood pressure, improve lung efficiency and lower heart rates. Other conditions, which can be improved through the use of yoga, include chronic fatigue, varicose veins, diabetes and digestive disorders.

The aging process can also be slowed through the use of yoga. Aging is the result of autointoxication. Keeping the body clean, flexible and well lubricated reduces this cell deterioration. Weight reduction is another area where yoga can help. Yoga stimulates sluggish glands. Positions focusing on the thyroid gland can have a positive effect on body metabolism.

The medical community is not refuting all of these benefits and is currently funding clinical trials for treating insomnia and multiple sclerosis with yoga. In addition, they are currently conducting studies of yoga effects on other conditions.

There are also many psychological benefits produced by yoga also. It has been known to help with obsessive-compulsive disorders. It reduces stress, anxiety, depression and tension. It increases a feeling of well-being. Most people will experience a positive outlook on life and feel invigorated. They will have higher energy levels and will have a better knowledge of themselves and be more self-aware. Improved memory, attention and concentration, as well as, social skills and self-acceptance are also benefits of this exercise.

Biochemical benefits are lower sugar levels, lower cholesterol levels, lower sodium levels, hemoglobin increases and vitamin C level increases.

Yoga is an easy fitness program, which anyone can practice and from which everyone can benefit. It promotes good health and eases stress and tension. It stimulates and relaxes. It enhances concentration and provides us with flexibility and strength. It addresses our physical, mental and emotional needs. It addresses our whole person and provides us with many health benefits. Yoga can prevent the need for medicine or work in conjunction with a medical regimen.