Hyacinthe is a mischievous ten year old boy who uses a small crutch to play soccer and climb trees. As a baby he was severely injured when he crawled over a pile of hot ash covered with leaves. This resulted in a burn contracture where skin grew over both the upper and lower limb and fused his leg into a folded position.
His injury was too severe and expensive to be treated in Benin, where he lives in a poor community. After his injury, his mother sent him to live with an uncle in a distant village, where he couldn't see his parents for years. Despite the injury, Hyacinthe was not a stereotypical disabled child, but a boy determined to overcome the school bullies with his fiery and confident personality.
Hyacinthe heard of a ship docked at the port of Benin, offering free specialized surgery to the poor. He was among the thousands of Beninese who queued to be screened by doctors who had to make the difficult decision of who to help, and who to leave. But Hyacinthe was one of the lucky patients.
His story, along with those of 11 year old Fadila, a Muslim girl from Niger, and Ambroise, a 31 year old motorcycle taxi driver from the chaotic city of Cotonou, is told in an upcoming documentary by South African filmmaker Ryley Grunenwald. "The Dawn of a New Day" tells the true story of these patients as they are treated for burn contractures, tumors and congenital abnormalities of the nose and eyelid, and the story of the South African plastic surgeon Dr. Tertius Venter who volunteers on the Africa Mercy ship and helps to put them on the road to physical as well as emotional recovery.
The Africa Mercy is part of the non-denominational global Christian non-profit organization Mercy Ships, and operates on the West Coast of Africa. The ship has docked at countries like Senegal, Gambia, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, Togo, Benin and Sierra Leone for nine or ten months at a time and gives free specialized surgery to as many patients as they can accommodate. These surgeries include reconstructive, ophthalmic, dental, obstetric fistula and orthopaedic surgery. According to Mercy Ships Public Relations Liaison, Kathy Gohmert, they impacted over 300 000 people during their field service in Benin, performing more than 100 000 procedures on 67 000 direct beneficiaries.
The crew of 450 volunteers from 40 nations, like Dr. Tertius Venter, pay their own way to work on the ship as medical professionals, or even as cleaners. Dr. Venter works in Dublin, Ireland as a plastic surgeon for two months every year to support his family in South Africa and his volunteer work during the rest of the year.
Film maker Ryley Grunenwald arrived on the Africa Mercy when it was docked in Liberia in 2008 to work as a cleaner. This came at a time when she wanted a break from the film industry. Instead, she ended up working in the ship's communications department and eventually made a short film that inspired the full length documentary. Grunenwald says she was moved to tell the story of the work done by volunteers on the ship and the enormous impact it made on the lives of the patients, so she returned to the ship for four and a half months while it was docked at Benin to film the full length documentary. Her impression of Benin was of a country alive with possibilities. "It's so full of life. The people were incredibly friendly and warm, the food was fantastic, and there seemed to be a lot of construction going on, with more infrastructure than some neighboring countries."
Despite this sense of possibility, she says a huge part of the population live in poverty with no access to healthcare. A child born with a cleft lip in a developed country would probably have surgery at birth, while in Benin you would find a 15 year old girl with this condition that had never been treated. This is confirmed by a special report on Benin's progress towards the Millennium Development Goals compiled by the Beninese Government and the United Nations, which states that important progress has been made, especially with regard to primary education in the country with an increase of more than 100% in 2009. According to the United Nations Development Program, there are also favorable trends with regards to lowering the infant mortality rate and increasing access to drinking water. However, major challenges remain, with 51.6% of the population still living below the threshold of one dollar per day.
To make a lasting impact beyond surgery, the Africa Mercy focuses not only on medical health care when they are docked at a country, but also on building capacity to support the broad field of health care.
"Education and training for health care professionals increases the sustainability and delivery of service long after the ship sails to the next port," says Gohmert. "For example, in 2008, surgeons at the Porto Novo Hospital and the University Hospital in Benin performed only 320 cataract surgeries. In 2009, Mercy Ships trained five local surgeons in an effective, low-cost method of cataract removal. As a result of that training, surgeons at the two hospitals performed 159 surgeries in only four weeks. Costs were lowered, and if the surgeons continue at this rate, the two hospitals combined will now perform 2 000 surgeries a year. This equates to a 525% increase in the capacity of these hospitals."
The Africa Mercy also partners with local organizations and NGOs on projects including administrative training for local hospital staff, training agricultural workers in natural organic farming, holding conferences for local church leaders; and training corrections officers and other prison workers in mental health awareness and anger or stress management. Grunenwald says she was inspired to make the film because she wanted viewers to be moved by the patients' story and realize that, even in their own communities, there were opportunities to get involved and live a life bigger than themselves. She received funding for the documentary from the South African National Film and Video Foundation and the Gauteng Film Commission, and says she received a lot of support from the Mercy Ships organization, even allowing her to film in the operating rooms to tell the story of the patients' journey to recovery.
Grunenwald explains that the documentary follows the three patients from when they are chosen for plastic surgery, and documents themes of restoration, love, sacrifice and not only physical healing, but also the emotional healing that comes through the process of surgery. While the challenges facing Africa may seem daunting, especially in the area of healthcare, "The Dawn of a New Day" is testament to the fact that a commitment to bringing healing channeled by passionate people from across the world can make a difference in the life's of thousands like Hyacinthe, Fadila and Ambroise.
By Linda Krige
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
International recognition for World Cup stadium
South Africa's most famous World Cup stadium, Soccer City, in Soweto, has recently come out tops in an international architectural awards ceremony in London. Soccer City, which hosted the opening and final matches of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, has won two categories in this year's Leaf Awards recently held in London. The stadium built in the shape of a calabash won in the "Best Public Building" category and beat nine other category winners to take the overall winner's prize.
Since hosting world leaders and celebrities during the World Cup in June and July this year, the stadium has gone on to host other important soccer and rugby matches, including a Tri-Nations match between the South African and New Zealand national rugby teams. Now in its seventh year, the LEAF Awards honors the architects designing the buildings and solutions that are setting the benchmark for the international architectural community. In a statement about the awards, Leaf Awards says, "An exclusive praise must be given to our Overall Winner - Soccer City National Stadium - "The Melting Pot", Johannesburg, South Africa constructed by Boogertman & Partners.
The already world-famous project was chosen for its outstanding design and integral practical solutions. The judges and international architectural community was captivated by the excellence of the project. The architecture of Soccer City integrates the urban context of Johannesburg, its society, the historical mining industry of South Africa, and African culture as a whole." "The facade design finished in shades of brown brings human scale to a monumental building giving it instant appeal, warmth and accessibility."
"A wonderful exuberant design that seems almost uncannily to represent the continent in which it is constructed, the judges felt this would be an iconic building for Africa for years to come
Good News.
Since hosting world leaders and celebrities during the World Cup in June and July this year, the stadium has gone on to host other important soccer and rugby matches, including a Tri-Nations match between the South African and New Zealand national rugby teams. Now in its seventh year, the LEAF Awards honors the architects designing the buildings and solutions that are setting the benchmark for the international architectural community. In a statement about the awards, Leaf Awards says, "An exclusive praise must be given to our Overall Winner - Soccer City National Stadium - "The Melting Pot", Johannesburg, South Africa constructed by Boogertman & Partners.
The already world-famous project was chosen for its outstanding design and integral practical solutions. The judges and international architectural community was captivated by the excellence of the project. The architecture of Soccer City integrates the urban context of Johannesburg, its society, the historical mining industry of South Africa, and African culture as a whole." "The facade design finished in shades of brown brings human scale to a monumental building giving it instant appeal, warmth and accessibility."
"A wonderful exuberant design that seems almost uncannily to represent the continent in which it is constructed, the judges felt this would be an iconic building for Africa for years to come
Monday, September 20, 2010
Hard hit Africa leads fall in new HIV infections,
African nations whose populations have been devastated by AIDS have made big strides in fighting HIV, with new infections down 25 percent since 2001 in some of the worst hit places, a U.N. report said on Friday. African countries with the biggest epidemics like Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe are leading the decline, thanks to better use of prevention methods and greater access to life-preserving drugs, the United Nations AIDS programme (UNAIDS) report said. "For the first time change is happening at the heart of the epidemic," executive director Michel Sidibe said in a statement. The report charts progress towards a globally agreed Millennium Development Goal to halt and start to reverse the spread of AIDS by 2015.
Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region hardest hit by HIV, accounting for 67 percent of all people living with the virus worldwide, 71 percent of AIDS-related deaths and 91 percent of all new infections among
children.The report said that between 2001 and 2009, new HIV infections fell by more than 25 percent in 22 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. However, Sidibe warned that a $10 billion shortfall in the funding for AIDS in 2009 could put further progress at risk.UNAIDS said an estimated $15.9 billion was available for the global AIDS response, which is $10 billion short of the estimated need.
Although the number of new HIV infections is steadily falling or stabilizing in most parts of the world, the report said major problems still existed in certain regions and among particular high risk groups.
Eastern Europe and Central Asia have rapidly expanding HIV epidemics - the disease is spreading in that region at a rate of 500 new infections a day - and in several high-income countries there has been a resurgence of HIV infections among gay men. World leaders are due to meet in New York next week to take stock of the Millennium Development Goals, which were agreed a decade ago and aimed at drastically reducing poverty and hunger.
UNAIDS said access to treatment for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) - an incurable viral infection that causes AIDS and infects around 33.4 million people around the world - has increased 12-fold in six years, and 5.2 million people are now getting the drugs they need. But another 10 million who need AIDS drugs don't get them. "To sustain the gains we are making, further investments in research and development are needed - not only for a small wealthy minority, but also focused to meet the needs of the majority," Sidibe said.
UNAIDS recommends national governments allocate between 0.5 percent and 3 percent of government revenue to HIV and AIDS, depending on the prevalence of disease in their country. The report said that while domestic investments in AIDS have increased over the past decade, for a majority of the countries severely affected by the disease, those would not be enough to meet their needs.
Reuters
Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region hardest hit by HIV, accounting for 67 percent of all people living with the virus worldwide, 71 percent of AIDS-related deaths and 91 percent of all new infections among
children.The report said that between 2001 and 2009, new HIV infections fell by more than 25 percent in 22 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. However, Sidibe warned that a $10 billion shortfall in the funding for AIDS in 2009 could put further progress at risk.UNAIDS said an estimated $15.9 billion was available for the global AIDS response, which is $10 billion short of the estimated need.
Although the number of new HIV infections is steadily falling or stabilizing in most parts of the world, the report said major problems still existed in certain regions and among particular high risk groups.
Eastern Europe and Central Asia have rapidly expanding HIV epidemics - the disease is spreading in that region at a rate of 500 new infections a day - and in several high-income countries there has been a resurgence of HIV infections among gay men. World leaders are due to meet in New York next week to take stock of the Millennium Development Goals, which were agreed a decade ago and aimed at drastically reducing poverty and hunger.
UNAIDS said access to treatment for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) - an incurable viral infection that causes AIDS and infects around 33.4 million people around the world - has increased 12-fold in six years, and 5.2 million people are now getting the drugs they need. But another 10 million who need AIDS drugs don't get them. "To sustain the gains we are making, further investments in research and development are needed - not only for a small wealthy minority, but also focused to meet the needs of the majority," Sidibe said.
UNAIDS recommends national governments allocate between 0.5 percent and 3 percent of government revenue to HIV and AIDS, depending on the prevalence of disease in their country. The report said that while domestic investments in AIDS have increased over the past decade, for a majority of the countries severely affected by the disease, those would not be enough to meet their needs.
Reuters
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Vietnam and China to boost agricultural ties with Africa
Vietnam has "huge potential" for further collaboration with Africa on agriculture as part of its policy towards the continent, one of its leaders has told a forum on cooperation with Africa in Hanoi. More than 300 Vietnamese agricultural experts have worked in African countries since 1996, Diep Kinh Tan, vice minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, said at the three-day forum 'Vietnam-Africa: Cooperation for Sustainable Development' held last month (16-20 August). "We have huge potential for further cooperation," Tan added.
Vietnam is the world's second-largest rice exporter after Thailand. African delegates said they hope to learn from Vietnam's agricultural example."We are impressed by the way Vietnam has changed from a net importer of food, particularly rice, to the second-largest exporter of rice just within ten years," Moses Adewuyi, director of agro-processing in Nigeria's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, told SciDev.Net.
Promoting food security in Africa is consistent with Vietnam's "expansion and deepening of cooperation" with African nations, deputy prime minister Pham Gia Khiem told the meeting.
Khiem said he hoped that Vietnamese companies will build infrastructure, hospitals and schools, as well as extract oil, gas and precious metals in African countries.Jean-Paul Adam, minister for foreign affairs of the Republic of Seychelles, told the forum that the rise of China and India as important players in global trade is now followed by Vietnam, which is becoming an economic force in Africa. But how far Vietnam's role in Africa will extend is unclear.
David Koh, a senior fellow at the Institute for Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore, said that Vietnam's "forays into Africa" are likely to be part of its foreign policy of "widening cooperation and making as many friends as possible". "Vietnam has also been quite successful in its agriculture - especially in higher productivity rice. It can share its experiences, and Africa does need help," Koh told SciDev.Net.
The forum followed soon after a Beijing meeting of the China-Africa Agriculture Forum last month (11 August), in which Chinese vice premier Hui Liangyu also proposed stepping up agricultural cooperation with Africa. Delegates there agreed to enhance cooperation in the fields of agricultural technologies, information, and produce processing; crop varieties; the fostering of talent; and infrastructure. The meeting, which was attended by about 400 representatives from Chinese and African political parties, government departments and enterprises, established guidelines for cooperation, according to Guo Jianjun, a researcher from the Development Research Center of the State Council.
"Our goal is to help African countries solve their own food problems, make them less dependent on the international food market, and strengthen Africa's food security," he told SciDev.Net, adding that this would stabilise the international food market, thus benefiting China. A core message that emerged from the forum was that China's private sector should be encouraged to do business in Africa, he said. The forum proposed a China-Africa agriculture cooperation fund to help Chinese companies who intend to enter the African market. African representatives proposed that this fund should also provide help to African companies.
SciDev.Net
Vietnam is the world's second-largest rice exporter after Thailand. African delegates said they hope to learn from Vietnam's agricultural example."We are impressed by the way Vietnam has changed from a net importer of food, particularly rice, to the second-largest exporter of rice just within ten years," Moses Adewuyi, director of agro-processing in Nigeria's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, told SciDev.Net.
Promoting food security in Africa is consistent with Vietnam's "expansion and deepening of cooperation" with African nations, deputy prime minister Pham Gia Khiem told the meeting.
Khiem said he hoped that Vietnamese companies will build infrastructure, hospitals and schools, as well as extract oil, gas and precious metals in African countries.Jean-Paul Adam, minister for foreign affairs of the Republic of Seychelles, told the forum that the rise of China and India as important players in global trade is now followed by Vietnam, which is becoming an economic force in Africa. But how far Vietnam's role in Africa will extend is unclear.
David Koh, a senior fellow at the Institute for Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore, said that Vietnam's "forays into Africa" are likely to be part of its foreign policy of "widening cooperation and making as many friends as possible". "Vietnam has also been quite successful in its agriculture - especially in higher productivity rice. It can share its experiences, and Africa does need help," Koh told SciDev.Net.
The forum followed soon after a Beijing meeting of the China-Africa Agriculture Forum last month (11 August), in which Chinese vice premier Hui Liangyu also proposed stepping up agricultural cooperation with Africa. Delegates there agreed to enhance cooperation in the fields of agricultural technologies, information, and produce processing; crop varieties; the fostering of talent; and infrastructure. The meeting, which was attended by about 400 representatives from Chinese and African political parties, government departments and enterprises, established guidelines for cooperation, according to Guo Jianjun, a researcher from the Development Research Center of the State Council.
"Our goal is to help African countries solve their own food problems, make them less dependent on the international food market, and strengthen Africa's food security," he told SciDev.Net, adding that this would stabilise the international food market, thus benefiting China. A core message that emerged from the forum was that China's private sector should be encouraged to do business in Africa, he said. The forum proposed a China-Africa agriculture cooperation fund to help Chinese companies who intend to enter the African market. African representatives proposed that this fund should also provide help to African companies.
SciDev.Net
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