Monthly Archives: October 2009
Ghana: ‘Thank You’ Small Library pilot projects
A successful library project
The first two Thank You Small Library pilot projects are located in two communities in Accra, Ghana (Danfa and Abokobi). They were launched on October 6th, 2007. ST-EP Foundation is working with the Ghanaian Ministry of Tourism & Diasporan Relations to ensure the success of these small libraries. A Thank You Small Library is a place where children and adults can study and read. Meanwhile, bread and refreshments are given to the children to encourage them to visit the library and use its resources. Whether its used for homework or causal reading, the Thank You Small Library is a safe and fun environment for all ages to gather and enjoy. To open a Thank You Small Library one does not have to start from scratch. It can be created by using an existing structure and other materials available in a community. The first 1000 educational books in each library have been supplied by the ST-EP Foundation.
The ST-EP Foundation is a cornerstone of the ST-EP program, which was established in 2003 by the United Nations World Tourism Organization. The ST-EP name stands for Sustainable Tourism Eliminating Poverty, and that tells a great deal about both the goals of the program generally and the work of the Foundation in particular.
Web site http://www.unwtostep.org/foundation/foundation1.asp
Suggested Book
Grantsmanship for Small Libraries and School Library Media Centers:
Plastic Kettles in Africa
One of the things I brought back from my time in Africa was a plastic kettle from Mali. I remember when I first saw one and how I wondered what on earth it was. Made in the traditional shape of a metal kettle that one would put on a fire to heat water, these kettles are made from recycled plastic in a myriad of bright colours. Their purpose is to hold water for the ritual washing before Islamic prayers or to take to the pit toilet to use water for cleaning with the left hand instead of toilet paper. Usually left in a prominent place their absence acts as a signal that the washing place (for urination and washing) or pit toilet is occupied. They are also found in most indoor bathrooms in Mali as an alternative or addition to toilet paper.
Recycling plastic is an important business in West Africa. You can find out more at Made in Africa:
Every year, tons of plastic products are produced and discarded after use; then, they are collected and sold back to the factories producing plastic products. The result is that plastic goods – buckets, tubs and water containers that rival the batik-coloured cotton materials in the flamboyancy of their hues – are for sale in large quantities in all markets, in both the cities and the villages.
You’ll find kettles among other African products at this Guinea store: Tafagui Sarl
Jen in Ghana has a really good description of the use of these kettles HERE
I loved this evocative picture by Lunatrix on Flickr
Mali: Provoking rain?
Image by X Ceccaldi via Flickr
Is cloud seeding the answer?
Desertification and low annual rainfall have been exacerbating hardship in many African countries. One innovation that is currently being trialed is that of “cloud seeding“.
The West African Monsoon and Rainfall Enhancement programme has been running trials in Mali and training Malians since 2006.
The first three years (2006, 2007, 2008) focused on sampling of clouds and aerosols with aircraft and radar observations along with a preliminary randomized seeding program. The 2009 program (June-September) will continue to sample clouds and aerosol along with the continuation of an exploratory randomized seeding program.
A new report on IRIN NEWS, MALI: Faking snow in the desert to boost rain, continues the story.
Mali: HIV-positive children not getting medical care
Despite starting paediatric care for HIV-positive children in Mali in 2002, the situation is still extremely hard for these children and the latest report states that a third or children living with HIV have stopped treatment. In the extract below you’ll see that many are not taken to hospital for treatment, and others are rejected by their families. In addition to the usual problems of lack of education about AIDS and HIV, part of the problem seems to be the cost of travel for relatives and the distance needed to travel to treatment centres.
Only half of the 935 children taking antiretrovirals (ARVs) show up regularly at the hospital for medical care. More than 280 of the hospital’s paediatric HIV patients are listed as “missing”, and more than 100 children living with HIV have died since 2002. “But this is only when we get formal notification – it is hard to know how many children we are losing to AIDS,” said Koita.
Mali has 31 HIV treatment centres nationwide and 65 doctors trained to treat HIV paediatric patients. Paediatric HIV care became available in 2002, and since then Gabriel Touré hospital, the largest provider, has notified more than 3,000 families nationwide that their child is HIV positive.
Of the 1,428 youths and children who started taking ARVs, 462 have abandoned treatment, according to the Ministry of Health. “Some children are simply rejected by their families, kicked out when their HIV status is known – we do not even know where they are,” said Koita.
Read the full article at HERE
Three series of powerful short films on climate, IDPs and HIV/AIDS:Â http://irinnews.org/filmtv.aspx
South Africa: Turning to the sun in Khayelitsha township
Recently the huge solar energy project in north Africa has caused discussion. Not because of the use of solar energy but because it is planned to reduce the energy costs  and meet energy greenhouse gas emission targets for Europe.
I was pleased to read on IRIN NEWS about a funded project in a South African township which gives 2000 informal settlement dwellers in Khayelitsha township solar water heating. This has reduced their electricity costs by 35% per year and reduced greenhouse gas emissions in the area. It is the first project registered under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).
Read more about the project HERE
Related articles
- South Africa’s Solar Power Potential (energyrefuge.com)
- Solar and Wind Energy Developments in South Africa (cleantechsolutions.wordpress.com)
The Ibrahim Index of African Governance
The Ibrahim Index of African Governance is a comprehensive ranking of African countries according to governance quality. Funded and led by an African institution, the Ibrahim Index aims to be Africa’s leading assessment of governance that informs and empowers citizens to hold their governments and public institutions to account. Thus we hope to stimulate debate in a constructive way and establish a framework for good governance in Africa.
The Ibrahim Index measures the delivery of public goods and services to citizens by government and non-state actors. The Ibrahim Index uses indicators across four main pillars: Safety and Rule of Law; Participation and Human Rights; Sustainable Economic Opportunity; and Human Development as proxies for the quality of the processes and outcomes of governance.
The Ibrahim Index assesses governance against 84 criteria, making it the most comprehensive collection of qualitative and quantitative data that measures governance in Africa. The criteria are divided into four main categories and 13 sub-categories. The indicators that make up the sub-categories are based either on official data (OD) or expert assessment (EA).
How to get a copy
The full structure of the 2009 Ibrahim Index
Find out more
Visit the Ibrahim Foundation website
Suggested Books
African Governance Report 2009
Encouraging health innovation in Africa
Lack of funding and the fragmentation of aid for drug and disease research in Africa is a big issue. An interesting article on SciDevNet reports on the latest meeting of the African Network for Drugs and Diagnosis Innovation where new funding and discussion is changing this.
Plans cemented for African health innovation
Munyaradzi Makoni
8 October 2009 | ENhttp://www.scidev.net/en/news/plans-cemented-for-african-health-innovation.html
[CAPE TOWN] Plans to tackle Africa’s diseases with home-grown drugs and diagnostics have been reinforced with a second meeting of the African Network for Drugs and Diagnosis Innovation (ANDI).
Almost 300 researchers and health policymakers from across the continent gathered in Cape Town, South Africa, this week (4–7 October) for the ANDI conference, along with donor agencies.
ANDI, which held its first meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, in October 2008, aims to strengthen health research in Africa by funding networking between scientists, building a sustainable research environment and helping translate research into products, as well as funding research directly.
Suggested Books
Biodiversity Corridor planned for Cote d’Ivoire and Liberia
An interesting meeting took place last week in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The meeting discussed some ambitious environmental goals which are intended to enhance stability, human security, sustainable development and long-term economic benefits in a region that has seen a great deal of conflict in the past two decades. The meeting is part of a transboundary initiative that will be launched by the UN-led Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP), the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation and its partners. They plan to develop a ‘biodiversity corridor’ across the border between Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia.
Spanning across the border between Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia are remnant fragments of one of the most important ecosystems within the Upper Guinean Forest region. These lowland forests form the largest block of a relatively intact tropical rainforest in West Africa. They are also home to more than a quarter of Africa’s mammals, including 12 species of primates, important chimpanzee populations, and endemic species such as pygmy hippos and forest elephants. Today, these valuable forests offer a unique opportunity of transformation for biodiversity conservation and peace-building.
More information: HERE
Blogging for pay – new rules in US
There’s a new post on the Web of Language:Â Blogging for pay by Dennis Baron. I know this is not Africa specific but it may affect anyone who reviews African books or products.
The Federal Trade Commission has issued new rules requiring bloggers to disclose any compensation they may receive for product placements, endorsements, and testimonials.
According to the FTC rules, after December 1, “the post of a blogger who receives cash or in-kind payment to review a product is considered an endorsement. Thus, bloggers who make an endorsement must disclose the material connections they share with the seller of the product or service.”
Read the rest of this post, with its shocking revelations, on the Web of Language: http://www.illinois.edu/goto/weboflanguage
And don’t forget to subscribe to the Web of Language so you can get prompt notification of new posts and comments.
Sierra Leone: The cost of maternal health
A new report from Amnesty International, Out of Reach, The Cost of Maternal Health in Sierra Leone (2009), focusses on the cost of maternal care in Sierra Leone which is above the means of many women.
This report is about maternal mortality as a human rights issue. It focuses on the urgent need to remove financial barriers to health care and in particular emergency obstetric care; the accountability of the government of Sierra Leone, given its obligations to address maternal health care and to ensure the availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality of health care services, facilities and goods; discrimination and other social factors that contribute to undermining women’s right to health.
You can download a free pdf of the report HERE
Related articles
- Sierra Leone launches fistula hotline (guardian.co.uk)
Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Economic Outlook, IMF paper
Sub-Saharan Africa region — October, 2009: Sub-Saharan Africa has been hit hard by the global recession, but signs of resilience remain. While South Africa and some other middle-income countries were caught in the turbulence of international financial markets, and oil exporters saw government revenues plunge, some countries with wider commodity bases have so far escaped the worst of the crisis. Also, and reassuringly, with stronger initial fiscal and external positions than in past downturns, most countries in the region have been able to partially absorb external shocks by allowing fiscal deficits to rise and reducing interest rates. Exchange rates have generally been allowed to adjust. With many families affected by the crisis, however, progress toward the Millennium Development Goals has receded. Looking ahead, fiscal policy must balance support for the recovery with enhancing future growth prospects, debt sustainability, and poverty reduction. Published biannually in May and October.
How to get a copy
Download a free pdf copy of the paper HERE
More information
IMF Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa Expresses Cautious Optimism
Press Release No. 09/348
October 3, 2009
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) today released the October 2009 Regional Economic Outlook: Sub-Saharan Africa. Ms. Antoinette Monsio Sayeh, Director of the IMF’s African Department commented on the report’s main findings:
- The global economic crisis has hit sub-Saharan Africa hard, reducing economic growth to just 1 percent in 2009 after a period of sustained high economic growth. Oil exporters and middle income countries in the region have been particularly badly affected, and most low-income countries somewhat less so. In all SSA countries, however, the crisis will likely slow, if not reverse, progress on poverty reduction. Unemployment and under-employment, already endemic, have likely risen across the region. But playing-off the global economic recovery, we expect growth in sub-Saharan Africa to rise to 4 percent in 2010 and 5 percent in 2011.
- In many countries the prudent macroeconomic policies pursued in recent years have provided some policy space to counter the effects of the slowdown. Accordingly, most countries have been able to maintain or even raise public spending, allowing fiscal deficits to widen temporarily. Where possible, monetary policy has also played a supportive role.
- There are significant downside risks, however. Therefore, wherever possible, IMF staff recommends that fiscal and monetary policies remain supportive until the economic recovery is well-established. As the recovery gains strength, the emphasis of fiscal policy will need to shift from stabilization to medium-term considerations, including debt sustainability. In countries with binding financing constraints, the room for fiscal policy is more limited and the primary focus will need to remain on reducing macroeconomic imbalances. Financial sectors have been for the most part resilient, but prudential supervision will need to remain vigilant in the face of the impact of the economic slowdown on the quality of banks’ portfolios.
- Scaled-up financial support from the IMF has buttressed countries’ policy response. The doubling of lending limits and more flexible policies have facilitated a rapid response to countries’ needs, and new IMF commitments to sub-Saharan Africa have reached over US$3 billion so far this year, compared to some US$1.1 billion for the whole of 2008 and only US$0.1 billion in 2007. Looking ahead, it will be critical that other development partners support this effort and those of other international financial institutions.†Ms. Sayeh said.
The full text of the October 2009 Regional Economic Outlook: Sub-Saharan Africa can be found on the IMF’s website, www.imf.org.
Africa Architecture : flood surviving float house
One blog I follow is INHABITAT partly because I love architecture (and you’ll find stuff on African architecture HERE), but partly because it showcases lots of green architecture. This week has seen World Habitat Day 2009 and over the last few months we’ve been reading and responding to various floods around the world. In Africa we saw really bad flooding in Burkina Faso among other countries. One of the tragedies of the floods, apart from the number of deaths, is the desolation caused by the floods to housing and infrastructure.
This post on Inhabitat today focusses on an innovative house by the Make It Right Foundation inspired by the New Orleans hurricane disaster. The house is able to break free and float up to 12 feet on two guideposts. It also has emergency battery power for up to three days. The house is
built on a chassis of polystyrene foam and covered with glass-reinforced concrete. During hurricane flooding conditions, the home could break away from its electrical lines, gas and plumbing and rise with the flood waters. Anchored to its site by two guideposts the home could sustain 12 foot high flood waters.
Innovative float house
The house is built from sustainable materials and at first look a version of it could be helpful in Africa for areas that are prone to flooding.