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Home watch scheme

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:27:28 GMT

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Everyone knows that the police are there to fight crime, but they need your help to do an effective job. Neighbourhood watch or home watch as it is known in some areas is all about an active partnership with the police.

Neighbourhood watch can cut crime and the opportunities for crime. It can help and reassure those who live in the area and encourage neighbourliness and closer communities.

Neighborhood Watch is not just about reducing burglary figures - it’s about creating communities who care. It brings local people together and can make a real contribution to improving their lives.

The activity of Watch members can foster a new community spirit and a belief in the community’s ability to tackle problems. At the same time, you feel secure, knowing your neighbors are keeping an eye on your property.

There are other benefits to neighborhood watch schemes too. You will become familiar with crime prevention ideas, which will help keep your home and belongings safe. And the extra security which belonging to a neighborhood watch scheme offers might even mean that you can get a premium discount from your insurance company.

Neighborhood Watch schemes can be large, covering, for example most of the households on an estate or they might involve just half a dozen houses. It depends on the area and what people living there want.

A volunteer coordinator whose job is to get people working together and make sure things get done generally leads a scheme. As well as the coordinator, there is usually a committee. Committees meet regularly to plan which problems to target and what action to take.

Schemes keep in close touch with local police to share information and advice. Most crime is opportunist, committed on the spur of the moment, or when a car or house is left unlocked.

This means there is enormous scope for reducing chances for criminals. Traditional Neighborhood Watch activity has focused on the immediate vicinity of homes, with members looking out for anything suspicious, or helping their neighbors as necessary. However, more and more schemes are broadening their image of their work.

Targeting local problems such as vandalism or graffiti are well within the scope of a well-organized watch scheme. You may be able to take action yourselves, such as fitting more secure door or window locks in vulnerable homes, or you may need to get others involved. This could mean lobbying the local authority, for example, to improve the street lighting on your estate or to step up the security of a communal entrance.

When a home is burgled it is more likely to be burgled again than a home that hasn’t. If it does happen it is likely to be within the next few weeks. After all, a burglar has been into the home, found the weak points in its security and had a good look at the contents and layout. So stepping up the security of a burgled home straightaway can prevent a further crime.

We can tackle this problem by forming protective ‘cocoons’ around burgled homes. Immediate neighbors are asked to keep an eye on the targeted home, to be especially watchful for a few weeks and to report anything suspicious to the police.

Where these cocoons have been set up following a burglary, they can have a dramatic impact in preventing another crime in the high-risk period. The key important things to do are to respond fast, get all neighbors who overlook the burgled property to help and be extra vigilant for a few weeks.

But to be truly effective against crime, there is need for plan action in co-operation with the police (or another agency such as the local authority). It is essential to establish a close working relationship with your local police, and to share with them all information relating to crime and other incidents in your area.

Many police stations have volunteer administrators who, in conjunction with the police, act as a liaison point for Watch coordinators. The police can provide the up-to-date crime figures and other information as well as expert advice, while Watch members and local authorities can contribute valuable grassroots information about the area.

It is essential that residents should come together to clear undergrowth, which could be used to provide cover for people engaged in criminal activities. They should also clear rubbish where it has built up and erect fences in certain areas to improve security.

Young people are particularly vulnerable to certain types of crime and have their own perspective on which crimes matter most. One of the most widespread means of getting involved in crime prevention is by joining or forming a youth group. Young people themselves are the driving force of these groups, but they can benefit and take their plans further with help and support from adult groups.

Author: Yunus Salieu

Over 180 Million people contract Diabetes worldwide…WHO rep

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 06:39:37 GMT

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Dr Thomas Sukwa, the World Health Organisation representative in The Gambia, has revealed that WHO estimates has shown that more than 180 million people worldwide have diabetes, which is likely to double by 2030.

The WHO representative was speaking at a press briefing last Tuesday at the Department of State for Health conference hall in Banjul. According to him, in 2005, an estimated 1.1 million people died of diabetes. He noted that almost 80% of the disease occurs in low and middle income countries.

“Almost half of the diabetes deaths occur in people under 70 years. 55% of this are women and the disease can increase by more 50% in the next 10 years without urgent action,” he added. The WHO representative further said that diabetes can affect children of any age, even toddlers. Globally, he went on, there are close to 50,000 children under the age of 15 years with type one diabetes.

“The type two diabetes has been reported in children as young as eight years old. The research has shown that the type two diabetes can be prevented by enabling individuals to lose 7-10% of their body weight and by increasing their physical activity to a modest level,” he added. Dr Sukwa further maintained that the WHO is doing all it can to prevent and control diabetes by providing scientific guidelines for prevention.

Author: by Sheriff Janko

The role of the media in the prevention of malaria and HIV/Aids

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 07:19:21 GMT

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

The media being in the frontline of disseminating information has a big role to play when it comes to fight against the killer diseases, malaria and HIV/Aids in Africa and the world at large.

Health reporters contribute a lot towards enlightening the general populace on the dangers and impacts of these ailments, raising awareness about possible symptoms, ways and means of prevention.

Caused by a plasmodium parasite, which is injected into the blood stream of a potential victim by the mosquito, Malaria is estimated to affect about 300-350 million people the world over, and it is reported to be responsible for 1.2 million deaths globally. The number of people dying as a result of malarial infection increases on an annual basis, this is especially so in the horn of Africa.

According to global statistics, malaria victims are mostly found in Africa, accounting for about 90% of death in Africa.

Malaria is a disease that mostly affects children under 5 years including pregnant women, and it is said to consume 40% of health expenditure.

The HIV/Aids pandemic is another problem of the day, which is spread mainly through sexual contact. It is another most devastating global health problem of our time, killing people in masses through out the globe. Many believe that it is a leading cause of chronic poverty in the world, especially in Africa.

The media is therefore expected to enlighten and educate the world about this two devastating diseases that are causing untold deaths and suffering in the world.

It is the responsibility of all segment of the media; be it print or electronic, to ensure that the people are aware of the devastating effects of these diseases.

Author: by Alieu Ceesay & Hatab Fadera

National Disaster Management bill passed

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 10:16:46 GMT

Friday, October 24, 2008

Members of the , National Assembly, on Wednesday, unanimously passed the National Disaster Management Bill 2008, at their third annual parliamentary session for the year 2008.

Tabling the bill before members of the national assembly, Aja Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy, the vice president and secretary of state for Women’s Affairs, who is also the chairperson of the National Disaster Management Committee, said the bill sets up a formal structure for integrated and coordinated disaster management for The Gambia.

This, she added, focuses on prevention, preparedness, response, mitigation and recovery in relation to disaster or emergency situations, as well as the management of the effects from such events.

Vice President Njie Saidy further informed the assembly members that the bill establishes a National Disaster Management Agency, Council, as well as Regional and Districts disaster management committees, throughout the country, in a bid to deal with disaster at the various levels.

"Also established under the bill is the office of the Executive Director to carry out the daily administrative affairs of disaster management in the country. The bill also provides for the preparation of management plans," vice president Njie-saidy stated.

She then noted that for disaster management to be effectively integrated and coordinated, planning was necessary and, as such, under the bill, disaster management plans are to be developed at the National, regional, district and the village levels.

Cognisant of the fact that in any disaster, there may be occasions when it is necessary to evacuate the inhabitants of a particular affected locality, the vice president indicated that the bill empowers the executive director to assess the potential for loss of life and injury to persons where there is a threat of hazard or where a disaster has occur in any part of the country, who shall then consult with the council, as to ordering an evacuation of inhabitants of any part of The Gambia.

She further stated that the declaration of the state of emergency to cope with the national calamity, payment and compensation are among other provisions entailed in the bill.

"Disaster funds are also established for the purpose of preventing, responding to, mitigation of, providing relief in, recovery from and rehabilitation in any threatening disaster situation or disaster, in accordance with the guidelines laid down under the National Disaster pursuant to this act.

Reactions
Supporting the bill, Hon. Adama Cham, National Assembly Member for Kombo North, described it as non-controversial as no country or society is immune from disaster. The Kombo North NAM described the bill as timely, while Hon. Haddy Nyang-Jagne, the NAM for Jeshwang constituency, said the bill could not have come at a better moment than now when her constituency continued to be one of the areas in the country that witness unprecedented disaster occurrences in recent years. She indicated that three out of four wards in her constituency witnessed serious disaster occurrences over the years.

Momodou LK Sanneh, the minority leader and NAM for Kiang West, stressed the need for proper implementation of the bill, noting that the government had already spelt out everything to the cause of disaster management in the country. He then suggested the need for the involvement of parliamentarians in the implementation process, especially at the constituency level.

Author: by Hatab Fadera

Conflict Prevention, Peace Keeping, Top Agenda, As Sub-regional Workshop for Journalists Opens

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 05:12:30 GMT

Thursday, October 16, 2008

At least thirty participants from the sub region are currently taking part in a three-day sub-regional workshop organised by The Gambia Press Union (GPU) in collaboration with West African Journalist Association (WAJA). Already underway at the Kairaba Beach Hotel, key issues top the agenda foremost of which are the role of journalists in conflict prevention, peacekeeping and the promotion of human rights.

The workshop, which among other objectives, seeks to create awareness for journalists on their role in the preservation and promotion of peace and human rights, improving and broadening the capacity of journalists on human rights and peace issues, will later today be followed by the first edition of the (WAJA) Excellence Award 2008.

The award ceremony, to be hosted by the GPU, will honour the three best reports of practising West African journalists in print media, radio and television in the areas of conflict prevention, peacekeeping and human rights.

Declaring the workshop open on Tuesday, Madam Fatim Badjie-Janneh, Secretary of State for Communication, Information and Information Technology underscored the important roles of journalists in the promotion of peace and prevention of conflicts, adding that the workshop is coming at an appropriate time.

“Over the past decades, we have seen and witnessed human rights abuses and conflicts around the world particularly in Africa. This has stifled development and the media at one point were accused of fuelling conflicts with a classic example of the genocide in Rwanda.

“Therefore, it is time for journalists to negate this stigma and positively contribute to peace building, conflict prevention, peace keeping and promotion of human rights”, she said.

Secy. Badjie-Janneh went on to highlight government’s recognition of the importance and relevance of the journalist to nation building.

She commended the GPU and WAJA for organising such an important workshop of such relevance to our geo-political and socio-economic environment.

In her welcoming remarks, Ms Ndey Tapha Sosseh, President of the Gambia Press Union, noted that the GPU partnership with WAJA to organise a sub-regional activity that seeks to put journalism and the media at the hearts of debates on fostering peace, conflict prevention with a particular emphasis on human rights was not a coincidence.

“We believe that journalists are key stakeholders in building conflict free zones, preserving the peace and promoting peaceful initiatives and at all times upholding the principles of human rights as enshrined in our national constitutions and international human rights instruments that our governments are signatory to,” she added.

For his part, Ibrahim Famakan Coulibally, President of WAJA expressed his association’s resolve to always build the capacity of journalists and promote freedom of the media.

He however called on its partners to always support WAJA, which he described as the only and most important professional organisation of journalists in West Africa.

Mr. Coulibally appealed to governments to release all journalists who are currently under detention and carry out investigation of cases involving the murder of journalists.

Author: Baboucarr Senghore

Malaria: from good intentions to effective action

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:44:56 GMT

Friday, October 03, 2008

Getting life-saving malaria care to many more patients

In a new report launched today, the international medical organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said many more lives can be saved if newer effective strategies to tackle malaria are more widely implemented.

The report titled "Full Prescription; better malaria treatment for more people, MSF's experience" describes the organisation's work in Sierra Leone, Chad and Mali, and shows that unnecessary deaths can be avoided with simple, affordable treatment and diagnostic tools available today.

"Although still insufficient, increased funding is available for malaria ," said Meinie Nicolai, MSF General Director in Brussels. "Newer and more effective drugs have started to arrive on the shelves, rapid tests exist that can confirm the diagnosis in 15 minutes. But many efforts are failing at the last hurdle and scores of sick people, mainly children, still do not get the treatment they need."

In large parts of sub-Saharan Africa, people do not go to health structures because they are too expensive and too far away. In Sierra Leone, for example, only 12 percent of children suspected of having malaria received efficient treatment in the health services1. MSF's experience and research show that the fees patients are requested to pay are a huge deterrent to seeking care in most of the poor settings where MSF works.

A second barrier to providing malaria care effectively is geographical. Some rural communities are very remote from health structures, or isolated by water during the rainy season. Strategies involving malaria village workers have proved to be highly efficient in reaching and treating malaria patients where they live. By combining free care at health centre level and in the communities that were geographically isolated, MSF's project in Mali succeeded in tripling the number of malaria cases detected and treated over a year's time.

This has been possible without jeopardising the quality of care through user-friendly rapid tests, which allow lay-people with basic training to confirm if the patient's fever is indeed caused by malaria. When cases are identified, the malaria village worker dispenses drugs to the patient or the caretaker free of charge.

"Malaria village workers are not the silver bullet," explains Christine Jamet, Head of Mission for MSF in Chad. "But they allow to efficiently bridge the gap where health structures are not accessible. They should not exempt the authorities from extending access to care, especially as people who test negative for malaria must be treated for whatever causes their fever and complex cases need to be referred to a health structure. To ensure appropriate medical treatment, malaria cases should be systematically confirmed by using a test."

At the moment, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends to treat all children with fever, in highly endemic regions, with anti-malarial drugs. But in a Sierra Leone for example, a high-transmission area, systematic use of rapid tests in our project in Bo showed that 30 to 40 % of the suspected cases under five are actually negative.. Not using the tests - as recommended by WHO - means that many will receive treatment for the wrong disease and no further examination will be performed to check what actually causes the fever.

Until more successful prevention and eradication measures bear their fruits, patients will continue to die needlessly if available efficient treatment and diagnostic tools do not reach them. Shipping tests and drugs to the country is not enough, measures to actually ensure their delivery to patients need to be implemented urgently.

Médecins Sans Frontières

Prevention is Better Than Cure

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 06:29:39 GMT

Friday, September 12, 2008

There are once again troubling reports emanating for The Democratic Republic of Congo. It is now believed that the army is collaborating with rebels to mine gold and tin, instead of fighting them. This information has been released to the public by the lobby group Global Witness.

Its researchers found that the two groups operated their own mines and even traded with each other.

The army, with the UN, is supposed to be undertaking a huge operation against the FDLR rebels, accused of taking part in the 1994 Rwanda genocide. For too long this kind of corrupt practice and unrestrained avarice has been destroying the lives of the people of that mineral rich nation. If the vast resources were properly used and disbursed then poverty in that nation could be eradicated for once and for all.

Rwanda has twice sent troops into DR Congo, saying it wants to stop FDLR attacks on its territory.

The DR Congo government has promised to wipe them out, in conjunction with UN peacekeepers.

But Global Witness says there are frequent reports of Congolese soldiers selling weapons and uniforms to the mainly Hutu FDLR. This must be tackled and tackled at once. If the situation is allowed to continue it will only deteriorate and the country will slip back into the grip of a viscous war. As usual the main casualties of that war will be the innocent, women and children. Unfortunately this situation seems to be coming about already.

There has recently been renewed fighting in certain areas between the army and the renegade Tutsi General Laurent Nkunda.

Gen Nkunda has previously refused to disarm, accusing the army of working with the FDLR against Tutsis who live in the region.

Last month, US and European Union diplomats warned that the situation in eastern DR Congo was becoming increasingly tense and that all sides were rearming.

Human rights groups said that tens of thousands of people were fleeing as the situation in the area deteriorated. The UN has 17,000 peacekeepers in DR Congo, supposed to monitor a 2003 peace-deal to end a conflict that drew in at least eight other African countries. The crisis is once again unfolding before our eyes. If the number of UN peacekeepers needs to be increased then it should be. If more direct intervention from the African Union is required then it should intervene more directly. Whatever needs to be done must be done because it is always easier to prevent a war then to stop one.

GLOBAL: Male circumcision - a gamble for women?

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:31:10 GMT

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Tuesday, August 19, 2008

While researchers and advocates at the International AIDS Conference this week urged donors and governments to rapidly scale up male circumcision programmes, others raised concerns about what this would mean for women.

In March 2007, the World Health Organisation and UNAIDS issued recommendations that gave the green light to male circumcision as an HIV prevention strategy, after studies in Kisumu, Kenya and the township of Orange Farm in South Africa showed that it could reduce the risk of infection by up to 60 percent.

But the recommendations also stressed that not enough is known about whether male circumcision reduces sexual transmission of HIV from men to women, making the intervention "highly problematic" according to Marge Berer, editor of the London-based journal Reproductive Health Matters. "From a public health perspective, we are told that 60 percent protection [for circumcised men] is far better than nothing. But is male circumcision good enough for women?" she wondered.

A study of almost 3,000 men between the ages of 18 and 24 in Kenya, compared sexual function between circumcised and uncircumcised men, assessing sexual satisfaction over a two-year period. The researchers found that the circumcised group had no higher rates of sexual dysfunction than the uncircumcised men.

According to John Krieger of the University of Washington, Seattle the men that had been circumcised reported more sexual pleasure post-circumcision, and that they found condoms easier to use.
In addition, new results from a male circumcision initiative implemented by Population Services International in Zambia suggest that cultural resistance may not pose as serious a barrier as previously thought, and that it is possible to do the procedures safely and effectively in poor settings, using nurses and clinical officers.

Delegates heard that circumcision also lowers the risk of men getting the human papilloma virus (HPV) that causes genital warts, and trichomoniasis, another common sexually transmitted disease.

What about women?

"All I'm hearing [at the conference] is about what it will do for men, the sexual satisfaction of men...but what about the women? What is their involvement?" commented Siphiwe Hlope, a founder of Swazis for Positive Living (SWAPOL), an AIDS support organisation.

Nicolai Lohse a research officer at UNAIDS said mathematical modelling showed women would benefit from male circumcision as long as it did not result in condom use dropping by more than two-thirds. Women's risk of acquiring HIV would also be reduced if circumcision programmes led to fewer HIV-positive men in the population. The risk to women of HIV acquisition would decline by 2 percent if only 5 percent of men were circumcised, and by 20 percent if half the men in a population were circumcised.

While Berer told delegates on Thursday that the potential benefits of male circumcision were "too large a gamble" for women, many countries in Southern Africa are already in the process of developing national policies on the procedure.
"We have to support these programmes, I don't think we have a choice. But one would really argue that these programmes have a responsibility to women," Berer told IRIN/PlusNews.

She called for campaigns expanding male circumcision to involve couples and not to focus solely on men. Women health advocates also had a role to play in drafting national policies. "No one is going to pull out the red carpet for women's involvement in male circumcision ...it is up to women to stop being victims," Berer added.

PlusNews

Muslim Hands Sensitise Imams on Malaria Prevention

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:15:53 GMT

Monday, August 18, 2008

Muslim Hands International The Gambia yesterday concluded a two-day workshop at their office in latrikunda German for imams in the Greater Banjul area on malaria prevention campaign.

Speaking at the occasion managing director of Muslim Hands in The Gambia Shariff Sarane Hydara said Muslim Hands is a UK based charitable organisation working in The Gambia Since 1983. He said that their work includes sponsorship of orphans and elderly people, educational assistance of students and the distribution of food and emergency aid.

Mr. Hydara pointed out that malaria is a big problem affecting communities that is why his organization deem it necessary to embark on a malaria prevention campaign for the communities of Ibo-Town, Kotu and Manjai-kunda.

He said the purpose of the campaign is to compliment government efforts in the fight against malaria adding that during the campaign free mosque net distribution will be conducted in the various communities.

For her part, Yamumdaw Leigh Africell Ambassador has called on the communities to clean their environment and use the insecticide treated nets.

She pointed out that the training has come at the right time and called on the Imams to use their sermon and disseminate malaria messages.

Mam Burama Sarr said Imams have a central role to play in the fight against malaria, adding that they should be use as an entry point. Other speakers at the occasion included Mustapha Jallow of NEA, PA Yusupha Sowe of TaYAM, Dawda Joof of CIAM and Dr Omar Jah Jr of the University of The Gambia.

Author: By Pa Modou Faal

ECOWAS Regional Meeting on Conflict Prevention Ends in Banjul

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 09:46:39 GMT

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

A two-day ECOWAS Regional Consultation on conflict prevention in the Sene-Gambia Zone ended last Friday at the Kairaba Beach Hotel.

Speaking at the occasion, Ambassador Babou Ousman Jobe of The ECOWAS Council of the Wise stated that one of the objectives of the programme is to build the capacity of West African Civil Society coalitions in monitoring governance and human rights with the goal of complementing ongoing activities aimed at promoting regional Security and contributing to security sector transformation processes in West Africa.

The ambassador has called on civil society organisations to work closely with government to prevent conflicts within West Africa.

For his part, the director of Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Jibrin Ibrahima, said the reason for organising the meeting in Banjul is meant to reduce and manage the long standing conflicts in the Sene- Gambian Zone citing the Cassamance as one example.

He has assured participants that the recommendation of the meeting will be fully implemented at the level of ECOWAS

Mr. Moussa Dabal, ECOWAS Zone Bureau Coordinator, urged the civil society Organisations to properly co-ordinate the activities and involve the communities in preventing conflicts in West Africa. During the meeting various topics were covered ranging from the Cassamance conflict and the spillover effect into The Gambia, women in war and peace processes, the political economy of the Sene-Gambian Countries and early warning and early response mechanisms in the context of the new ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework.

Author: By Pa Modou Faal