Showing posts with label NGO's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NGO's. Show all posts
Monday, January 12, 2009
Zambia - economically poor but rich in spirit!
Zambia is the most incredible place. It is peaceful and politically stable. The people are warm and friendly and the country is physically beautiful. However, in terms of economic development the country is desparately poor. Over 80% of the people live on less than £1 a... day, over half the adult population are unemployed, 25% of the population live with HIV and life expectancy (from birth) is only a fraction about 30. (only in Afganistan is life expectancy of a lower age!) In some countries in the so called developing world there is political instabilty and a lack of regard for the rule of law but this is not the case in Zambia. Of course, as with any econimically poor country there are corrupt elements within society, and often monies given through Government departments and even charities/NGO's is squandered, but unlike Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya or Zimbabawe for example, there is a real chance to make a huge difference in Zambia. With well targeted investment Zambia can escape poverty and potentially reach the same levels of economic security as Botswana. The key to Zambia's future is her young people. If they can be well educated and empowered then the future os very bright.
Saturday, September 23, 2006
ZAW's Past Activities
To date more than 600 groups have become affiliated to ZAW. ZAW now boasts of membership of 5000 registered individuals.
ZAW is well known and well regarded in Zambia. Unfortuantely, too many NGO's are 'all talk and no action.' It is tragic to hear that well funded executives of NGO's are driving around in 4x4's and living in plush houses whilst their organisations are neglected. These people tragically are the ones who know how to 'play the game' - they are the ones who effectively access funding. I am aware that ZAW has made a tremendous impact in Zambia but when Mrs Lubinda Tafira, the co-ordinator of ZAW, sort support from UK charities, including Oxfam, Christian Aid and CAFOD (three of my favourite charities incidently) she was turned down!!!
Fortuantely, ZAW has had some funding, all be it sporadic, and has been able to work effectively with many Zambia women in rural areas as this story illustrates.
Women are left out
ZAW is well known and well regarded in Zambia. Unfortuantely, too many NGO's are 'all talk and no action.' It is tragic to hear that well funded executives of NGO's are driving around in 4x4's and living in plush houses whilst their organisations are neglected. These people tragically are the ones who know how to 'play the game' - they are the ones who effectively access funding. I am aware that ZAW has made a tremendous impact in Zambia but when Mrs Lubinda Tafira, the co-ordinator of ZAW, sort support from UK charities, including Oxfam, Christian Aid and CAFOD (three of my favourite charities incidently) she was turned down!!!
Fortuantely, ZAW has had some funding, all be it sporadic, and has been able to work effectively with many Zambia women in rural areas as this story illustrates.
Women are left out
Saturday, July 08, 2006
HIV/AIDS in rural Zambia
The Zambian health deputy minister Chilufya Kazenene has raised alarm about HIV/AIDS in rural areas reaching alarming levels in the next few years if the current interventions are not scaled up as a matter of urgency.
It will be very sad if some rural areas in Zambia which currently have relatively low prevalence rates of HIV/AIDS start to experience an upward swing in the spread of this virus because very little is being done to ensure that things do not get worse in the rural areas. Zambia has areas like Northern Province with 8.3 per cent infection rate and North-Western Province with 9.2 per cent but very little is being done to help these provinces push down these rates. Obviously areas like Lusaka with 22 per cent infection rates and Copperbelt with 19.9 per cent will definitely require more resources to deal not only with prevention, but also treatment, but this should not mean that the areas with low infection rates should receive negligible attention because soon they will also catch up and it will be a question of closing the stables after the horses have bolted. More work and investment in rural areas can help keep the rates of infection under control.
It is so important that public health officials in Zambia realise that prevention of HIV is of paramount importance. The trouble is that when HIV/AIDS is concerned the culture is often one of 'fire fighting' rather than one of prevention. There is a lot that can be done to reduce or keep under control the prevalence rates in rural areas but not enough is being done. Zambia is spending a disproportionate amount of resources in dealing with the HIV/AIDS problem in urban areas than in rural provinces.
Most rural areas don’t even have testing centres. It is very difficult for our rural dwellers to access ARVs. And for those who have some access to ARVs, they have no proper assistance in how to administer this treatment. They also do not have access to periodic or regular CD-4 counts. Those who have some access to ARVs are not properly helped with administration of these drugs. Some of them are swallowing them like beans, endangering their health. These are very strong drugs that need proper management by competent people; they cannot be taken like aspirin or panadol. The money that various donor organisations have been pouring into the fight against HIV/AIDS does not seem to be reaching the intended people.
Zambia has a myriad of non-governmental organisations that have been created to deal with the HIV problem - a good thing in itself. But most of these organisations (NGOs) really do not benefit the people they are intended to serve. Instead, the greatest beneficiaries are those who run them. Money is spent much more on HIV/AIDS workshops and seminars while even the wisdom that comes from such meetings never reaches the intended beneficiaries, especially those in rural areas.
It is very difficult for rural dwellers living with HIV to fight even the most controllable of opportunistic diseases. Most of the rural clinics or health centres do not have even the minimum facilities to diagnose opportunistic diseases like tuberculosis, let alone the means to treat it. The rural clinics and health centres don’t even have drugs for simple diarrhoea and other health complications that people living with HIV are usually open to. To this is added the problem of hunger. HIV patients, especially those on ARVs, need reasonable access to food. But there are so many people in the rural areas taking HIV drugs on empty stomachs.
We therefore urge those who have made fine use of their resources to help us fight the HIV pandemic in this country to start focusing their attention and money on rural areas. Of course, this shouldn’t be at the exclusion or abandonment of urban areas where the problem has today reached very alarming levels. Doing so will be self-defeating. We are calling on them not to forget the rural areas as they battle with the problem in our urban centres. We should not allow the prevalence levels in our rural areas to ever reach those of the urban centres. If this is allowed to happen, we are likely to see an extinction of the rural populations. Let’s act now on the rural HIV problem - tomorrow may be too late. Let’s scale up our efforts, especially in the rural areas, in fighting this horrible virus.
It will be very sad if some rural areas in Zambia which currently have relatively low prevalence rates of HIV/AIDS start to experience an upward swing in the spread of this virus because very little is being done to ensure that things do not get worse in the rural areas. Zambia has areas like Northern Province with 8.3 per cent infection rate and North-Western Province with 9.2 per cent but very little is being done to help these provinces push down these rates. Obviously areas like Lusaka with 22 per cent infection rates and Copperbelt with 19.9 per cent will definitely require more resources to deal not only with prevention, but also treatment, but this should not mean that the areas with low infection rates should receive negligible attention because soon they will also catch up and it will be a question of closing the stables after the horses have bolted. More work and investment in rural areas can help keep the rates of infection under control.
It is so important that public health officials in Zambia realise that prevention of HIV is of paramount importance. The trouble is that when HIV/AIDS is concerned the culture is often one of 'fire fighting' rather than one of prevention. There is a lot that can be done to reduce or keep under control the prevalence rates in rural areas but not enough is being done. Zambia is spending a disproportionate amount of resources in dealing with the HIV/AIDS problem in urban areas than in rural provinces.
Most rural areas don’t even have testing centres. It is very difficult for our rural dwellers to access ARVs. And for those who have some access to ARVs, they have no proper assistance in how to administer this treatment. They also do not have access to periodic or regular CD-4 counts. Those who have some access to ARVs are not properly helped with administration of these drugs. Some of them are swallowing them like beans, endangering their health. These are very strong drugs that need proper management by competent people; they cannot be taken like aspirin or panadol. The money that various donor organisations have been pouring into the fight against HIV/AIDS does not seem to be reaching the intended people.
Zambia has a myriad of non-governmental organisations that have been created to deal with the HIV problem - a good thing in itself. But most of these organisations (NGOs) really do not benefit the people they are intended to serve. Instead, the greatest beneficiaries are those who run them. Money is spent much more on HIV/AIDS workshops and seminars while even the wisdom that comes from such meetings never reaches the intended beneficiaries, especially those in rural areas.
It is very difficult for rural dwellers living with HIV to fight even the most controllable of opportunistic diseases. Most of the rural clinics or health centres do not have even the minimum facilities to diagnose opportunistic diseases like tuberculosis, let alone the means to treat it. The rural clinics and health centres don’t even have drugs for simple diarrhoea and other health complications that people living with HIV are usually open to. To this is added the problem of hunger. HIV patients, especially those on ARVs, need reasonable access to food. But there are so many people in the rural areas taking HIV drugs on empty stomachs.
We therefore urge those who have made fine use of their resources to help us fight the HIV pandemic in this country to start focusing their attention and money on rural areas. Of course, this shouldn’t be at the exclusion or abandonment of urban areas where the problem has today reached very alarming levels. Doing so will be self-defeating. We are calling on them not to forget the rural areas as they battle with the problem in our urban centres. We should not allow the prevalence levels in our rural areas to ever reach those of the urban centres. If this is allowed to happen, we are likely to see an extinction of the rural populations. Let’s act now on the rural HIV problem - tomorrow may be too late. Let’s scale up our efforts, especially in the rural areas, in fighting this horrible virus.
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