Battling malaria in Anam with help from Rotary: sharing mosquito nets in Ebenebe

The Dr. Aloy & Gesare Chife Foundation is developing a comprehensive package of community-based health interventions in Anam. The malaria initiative is one of the first programs initiated by the Chife Foundation and is implemented in partnership with High Noon Rotary Club Colorado, USA. The goal of this particular campaign is to eradicate malaria in the region of Anam and is a prelude to the coming construction of the Anam Hospital, which will break ground in November after the rainy season.

The first distribution of the insecticide mosquito net was led this week by Mrs. Gesare Chife in Anam City and witnessed a high turnout. The women and children of Anam were excited to see Mrs Chife visiting their homes to share the bed nets with them. She also took time to educate the village women on how to use the mosquito nets to avoid effects to their skin, as well as using her training as a nurse to issue medical diagnosis to many of the children.

The team plans to distribute more than two thousand long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets this year in the immediate village, and hopes to expand with over 10,000 regionally. These high-quality bed nets are designed to be effective without further treatment and for up to five years.

In Zone 1 of Ebenebe village, nets have been distributed to each family; this means every person in the zone is able to sleep under a mosquito net each night. This represents a ratio of two nets per household. The next zone to receive distribution will be Umuoba-Anam Otu-ocha, where another 1,000 will be shared this month. The Chife Foundation will implement a follow-up assessment to verify the percentage of nets being regularly used. On-going education in the target villages is also planned, in an effort to significantly reduce the spread of malaria in Anam.  Treated nets were chosen from among many available methods as one of the more effective ways to prevent the spread of malaria, especially amidst the climate of drug resistance and misuse that is growing in West Africa.

The Anam community and Chife Foundation greatly appreciate support provided by the High Noon Rotary Club of Durango Colorado who’s partnership has made this programming possible.

 

 

Launching the Sand Dredger in the Ezichi River

With the first dredger ever on the Ezichi River, this milestone allowed the ongoing Anam City project to take on a new trajectory. This is the first time the Ezichi River has been mechanically dredged; currently local source sand from the river manually using a process that is slow and unsafe. The mobile dredging boat will allow increased  flexibility for year-round provision of sand at volumes required for the construction of the city project.

The construction of the Anam dredger was initiated in January 201 to augment the scarcity of sand in the region and, specifically at the Anam City site. Before now, the process of bringing sand to the site has been a very difficult task. This is because the only alternate beach is at Otuocha, where a tipper can purchase sand and deliver by road. Otu-ocha is a town 50-kilometer away from Ebenebe Anam.  The newly installed dredger at Ezichi River will make sand available for the New City.  Construction of the boat has finally come to completion as the dredger has fully commenced operation today.

Dredging is an excavation activity usually carried out underwater with the purpose of gathering up bottom sediments and disposing of them at a different location. This technique is often used to keep waterways navigable.  In our case, it is the next in our series of ‘seed businesses’ that can help to generate jobs and funding, as well as providing an immediately local resource (i.e. sand) vital in the construction process.  The dredging business is an exciting economic development angle for the Chife Foundation, as it has potential to generate funds that can further support the initiatives underway in Anam. 

Dredging is also used as a way to replenish sand on some public beaches, where sand has been lost because of coastal erosion.   The process of dredging creates spoils (the excess material), which are carried away from the dredged area. Dredging can also produce materials for land reclamation or other purposes, usually construction-related.

Because dredging involves the removal of accumulated bottom sediments it is also used to maintain or enlarge a navigation channel or for the purposes of waterfront construction, utilities placement and environmental remediation.    Anam farmers have indicated that the Ezichi has reduced in size and depth significantly in the past 10 years due to erosion (caused by recent tree cover loss) which has augmented the problem of sedimentation in the Ezichi River.  Many will be glad to see the river dredged as it can help to keep it navigable.

There is some concern over the environmental effects of dredging and disposal of dredged material (sometimes contaminated), the increasing unavailability of suitable disposal sites and dredging role in supporting waterborne commerce have combined to raise public interest in dredging and disposal of the material.

Clinton Global Initiative awards honorary membership to Chife Foundation

We are proud to announce that the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) has extended an honorary membership to the Chife Foundation for 2012.     Each year, CGI offers a limited number of complimentary membership invitations to nongovernmental and nonprofit organizations such as our own.  Bridging knowledge and action, our work was recognized for its merit in the track of sustainability in the built environment.

CGI was created by President Clinton in 2005 in an effort to translate ideas into action. The mission of the Clinton Global Initiative is to inspire, connect, and empower a community of global leaders to forge solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.

“I have the utmost respect and admiration for President Clinton and the impact he has made both nationally and globally,” Executive Director of the Chife Foundation, Mrs. Gesare Chife said learning of the invitation.  “This is a great opportunity for the Foundation to build awareness around the wonderful work happening in Anam and to connect with organizations that share our commitment to action.”

Mrs. Chife will attend the CGI Annual Meeting in September, where of heads of state, government and business leaders, scholars, and NGO directors gather to analyze pressing global challenges, discuss the most effective solutions, and build lasting partnerships that enable them to create positive social change.

Chife Foundation staff will also attend the Mid-Year Meeting on Monday June 25th in New York City.

Mega-Developments: Leap-frog existing cities? [FUTURE CITIES]

As the first morning of the Future Cities conference wrapped up, discussion focused on the economic and environmental advantages of large-scale extra-governmental development projects.  Arnold Meyer, head of Real Estate Africa at Renaissance Group, the morning’s penultimate speaker, claimed that these mega-developments could “leap-frog” existing cities in terms of social, economic, and environmental conditions.  David Frame, managing director of the massive Eko Atlantic project in Lagos, spoke during the following panel about how by “reclaiming” and stabilizing a stretch of land on Victoria Island, they are radically improving the business environment, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs, and thereby substantially improving the standard of living of Lagos.

These speakers championed large-scale top-down development models, with little resistance from the discussion moderator or conference attendees.  What, one might ask, happens to the existing cities?  What are the repercussions of increasing the rich/ poor divide?

What is livability by African standards? | World Bank and UN talk mobilization [FUTURE CITIES]

What makes the African city livable by African standards?   What are the two issues that you think define a livable city in an African context, panelist and delegates discuss:

Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly, Country Director for Nigeria, World Bank 

1. Transportation
2. Power

Daouda Touré, Resident Coordinator, United Nations Nigeria

1. Clean energy
2. Availability of social infrastructure (health, training facilities)

Audience comment from Dr. Didas Massaburi, Mayor of Dar Es Salaam 

1. Increased security
2. Community involvement

Access to transport, power, security, and social infrastructures are lacking and can facilitate a mobilized economy in Africa – but who is responsible for this?