Want to Kick Out Malaria? Then Walk the Talk; Fight Poverty First

« KO! KO! KO! », shouted the crowd .Mind you, they weren’t participating in a boxing match, neither were they at a musical concert, they shouted KO! in response to the health officials that took turns in sensitizing the crowd of more than 5000 that gathered at the Douala Place du Gouvernement to participate in the 9KM sensitization Walk that was organized by the Cameroon’s Coalition of Businesses for the fight against HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis and better known by its French acronym CCATSIDA, Cameroon’s Ministry of Public Health, and other stakeholders (local and international) in the fight against Malaria this Saturday 20^th April 2013.

Being a participant, I could not help but be marveled at how engaged fellow participants were as we criss-crossed the streets of Cameroon’s most populated town. Young and old, and from diverse horizons, one thing united this people; that Malaria be kicked Out of Cameroon.

 This passion and demonstrated in the endurance of the participants all through the alertness of their  footsteps and the smile on their faces, could not however stop me from asking myself fundamental questions around the strategy for the fight against Malaria in my country. Thus, when  one of the thousands of spectators that had  amassed  at  streets corners shouted, “Where are condoms?”, there was  an outburst of laughter from the crowd, I began asking myself  what might have prompted this spectator to ask the question he did. As I thought about this, my eyes fell on the logo of the Cameroonian Coalition of Businesses for the fight against HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis and on the T-Shirt of the participant ahead of me, my answer was here. The words AIDS on this coalitions logo prompted the question from this spectator.

AIDS and its prevention methods are better known in Cameroon than Malaria and its means of protection.  This is paradoxical given that Malaria kills in Cameroon and Sub-Saharan Africa than HIV/AIDS. Mind you, I am in no way saying that resources (human and material) should be shifted from the fight against HIV/AIDS, which is causing havoc in Cameroon especially amongst youths, to the fight against Malaria. The point I am trying to make is that the fight against Malaria, HIV/AIDS, and Tuberculosis has for long been done as though they were isolated.

It is true that a person that has Malaria  or Tuberculosis is not automatically an HIV/AIDS patient, but  most often people suffering from HIV/AIDS in Cameroon are  victims of the  Malaria and tuberculosis given the milieu in which they live and  the little means they have to survive on.

I have for long being convinced that an effective fight against Malaria cannot be done in an isolated manner but must be inclusive; taking into consideration the vectors of the disease in various communities in Cameroon. A dirty environment provides good breeding grounds for Mosquitoes especially the female Anopheles mosquito, through which Malaria is spread, the fight against Malaria must start from there. If a clean environment is achieved through mechanism through efficient urban development and poverty reduction strategies, Malaria will be made history. After all, isn’t it common knowledge that prevention is better than Cure?

In Cameroon and I guess is the case elsewhere in the world, a change from a dirty and crowded environment to a cleaner environment is the main indicator that a person has emerged from poverty. This is so because people who could barely afford 3 meals a day will have little time to think about the environments in which they live talk less of women in this bracket going for prenatal consultation or even having time to take their infants to the hospital when they are sick. Thus, despite the bed-nets distribution campaigns that  have been organized all over Cameroon and despite the fact that  Malaria treatment is free for  children and pregnant women  in Cameroon, Malaria killed more than 3000 people most of whom children.

Without an efficient attack on poverty, which is fertile ground for poor living conditions, I am afraid our walk and much talk on the fight against Malaria will be in vain. For Malaria to be kicked out of this country, we must not only walk on occasions like those organized  to mark the World day for the fight against Malaria, we must truly walk the talk on the fight against Malaria daily, by  launching an immediate assault and poverty. Because Malaria is the consequence of a dirty environment which is its self a glaring consequence of poverty.

Incest: The Ugly Face of a Rising Evil Practice

A 24 year old suing her father. This is a very rare phenomenon in Cameroon which has a culture which makes it taboo for the dirty linens of the family to be washed public. Even more rare is when it is a young girl suing her father and for an atrocious practice which though seen as such by a majority of people in this part of the world is growing in intensity because of inaction on the part of society, guilt and shame on the part of the victims and, desire by most stakeholders not to tarnish the family’s image.
But Elsa II Jacqueline Nyatè, a 24 year old who has been victim of a victim of incest for more than 10 years now took the bold step and sued her father for rape, sexual violence, and incest. Her father, a man whose appetite for his children seems to be unquenchable now sleeps in the same room with Vanessa’s 15 year old kid sister whom Vanessa is more than convinced is Being subjected to rape and repeated assaults by their divorced father. It is conscious of the effects her 10 years ordeal now has on her and what these effects could be on her kid sister that Vanessa has decided to speak out on this rising evil.
The Cambridge Advanced Learners dictionary describes incest as: a sexual activity involving people who are closely related and not to legally permitted to marry. In Cameroon, just as is the case with most societies in our world, incest is a forbidden practice and feelings of guilt, shame, unworthiness, and other post traumatic disorders abound among rape and incest victims.
A study recently carried out by an NGO, Réseau National des Tantines (RENATA), indicates about 10% of unmarried mothers had their pregnancy or an incestuous relationship. Shocking as these figures may be, they are very insignificant compared to the reality as the number of undocumented cases and silent victims far out-number those who are speaking out. More shocking to me is not the incestuous act itself but the violence the victims, who are often daughters, sisters, cousins, and nieces of the perpetrators of acts of incest has to go through-they are molested, beaten, and subjected to all sorts of harsh conditions which will contribute in keeping secret the incestuous relationship
But things are fast changing and need to change even further because despite the taboo surrounding the making public by victims of this demeaning and senseless act, rarely does a day go-by in Cameroon without people in one of its major towns being informed of a victim of incest coming out to denounce the incestuous family member. That the rate at which victims of incest are speaking out is rising is good news. But I am convinced that, though, a necessary step this alone is sufficient. The fact that mothers most victims of incest whom I have known keep a blind eye or helplessly watch their husbands ruining their child’s future pains me so much, the delay in the rendering judgment in cases of incest makes me wonder why the judicial system should exist if it has to cover up perpetrators of hideous acts.
Elsa has knowingly or unknowingly through this heroic act in my opinion become the symbol of the rising rebellion against this rising evil practice-incest-which has long lasting physical and psychological effects on the victims. But we all as a society have to act by denouncing perpetrators of this evil practice and demanding justice for their victims. It’s our duty to spare the children in and around us of this abuse. Together, and only together can we overcome incest in our society.

Only a Clean Environment Sustainably Kicks Out Malaria

Cause of the death of a child every second, infects 350-500 million people every year, and kills more than 1 million people in the world. These are the numbers, which according to the United Nations’ Children Funds(UNICEF), which best describe the toll of Malaria on  our world’s inhabitants- especially  those in Africa where more than 90% of  Malaria deaths occur and where Malaria accounts for more than 20 % of child deaths(UNICEF)

Women and children suffer from Malaria. When infected during pregnancy, the toll of Malaria is heavier not only on the mother but above all on the child. This is because Malaria is associated with severe anaemia and a host of illnesses affecting the pregnant woman and her unborn baby. The health of the pregnant woman thus made fragile, the risk of giving birth to a child with high exposure to sub-optimal growth and development hazards which are also leading causes of infant mortality.

Recent research has proven that a combination of Malaria and HIV is an explosive cocktail. According to scientists, Placental malaria increases the risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission. This besides the above makes Malaria the number one killer disease in Africa (http://www.thebody.com/content/art13512.html)

The above statistics and facts from the United Nations Children Fund(UNICEF) on Malaria leaves no one indifferent and is the reason why Combating Malaria has in recent times become such a priority to governments in Africa and the rest of the developing world. The fight against Malaria by the international community it should be acknowledged has transcended speeches and declarations to become effective action. Thus in a bid to eradicate this disease and its effects on the maternal and child health, many initiatives have been taken.

 LAUDABLE BUT NOT VERY EFFICIENT APPROACH TO KICK OUT MALARIA

While international donors, governments, and Non-Governmental Organizations are to be lauded for these initiatives, the efficiency of the approaches adopted by policy makers to fight against Malaria is questionable and merits to be carefully reconsidered.

‘Malaria is a very bad disease; Malaria is a very bad disease. We must drive mosquitoes away’. This is the chorus of a song we sang during our hygiene classes in primary school. This song moves on to say how we must keep our environment clean by avoiding stagnant waters around the home to drive Mosquitoes away. As illustrated by wordings from this primary school song, the environment in which one lives determines how prone one is or is not to been infected by Malaria.

THE BEST DEFENCE IS ATTACK

In a country with majority of its people in rural areas and living below the poverty line and where poor housing and horrible living conditions are the order of the day , the fight against malaria should not be limited to the distribution of Mosquito treated bed nets and making the treatment of Malaria free to children below 5 years. While these moves are laudable, their sustainability is in doubt as this could be fairly compared to problem reduction rather than problem solving.

Most people in Cameroon, daily use the saying that, the best way to defend one’s self or property is to attack all those who are considered as threats. Personally, I do not totally agree with this saying but when it comes to the fight against malaria, I think the saying makes sense. Conscious of the  fact that  warm climates, which are predominant in Africa,  are a very important factor to  the development and survival of both  the mosquito and  malaria parasite(http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100303162906.htm ), it is but normal it is a reality that the fight against malaria would be more efficient if the fight is not against malaria but against Mosquitoes and I think there is no better way of attacking them than by attacking their habitat.

SUSTAIN THE ENVIRONMENT TO SUSTAIN GAINS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST MALARIA

I am intimately convinced that, if people keep their environment clean and avoid all those behaviours which are favourable conditions for the establishment and proliferation of mosquitoes, Malaria will be made history. Such behaviours will of course only be sustained by government’s action in this light. Thus, if accompanied by laws and policies which encourages individual initiatives to keep the environment clean, safe, and free of mosquitoes  while punishing not only individuals but also the business community for any acts perpetrated by them which are harmful to the environment Malaria will be out powered. Trying to make Malaria history by merely providing   insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), as it s done now, will only contribute to making this dream a nightmare.

Therefore, as governments and international funding bodies involve in the fight against malaria organize events and activities to mark this year’s World Malaria Day(celebrated under the theme: Sustain Gains, Save Lives: Invest in Malaria) on April 25th, they must keep in mind for any  fight against Malaria and its effects on infant and maternal health to bear fruits that will last, environmental protection   must be  put at the heart of Malaria eradication programs and  the living conditions of the people in Malaria prone areas , through various empowerment and poverty alleviation  programs,  must be improved upon. This is imperative if Cameroon, which is ranked 18th amongst the 20 countries in the world with the highest mortality for children under the age of 5, is to achieve the Health related Millennium Development Goals(MDGs) and make real its dreams of becoming an emerging nation by 2035.

Besides the above, environmental  policies which severely punishes  corporations, which through industrial activities, contributes to making our climate  warmer, thereby providing a fertile ground for the proliferation of mosquitoes and spread of Malaria, should put in place by governments to reduce global warming and the spread of Malaria.

Truly, to sustain gains and save Lives from the wrath of Malaria, we should invest in making our environment cleaner, safer, and more sustainable.

Water:Sustaining Lives, Sustaining Development

Being part of a world where according to statistics from the World Health Organization at least 1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking-water and 2.4 billion persons live without access to sanitation systems with 5000 children dieing everyday from avoidable water-related diseases, and at the heart of a continent(Africa) where only 5% of its rural area dwellers(the majority of its population) have access to safe drinking water (http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/hygiene/en/), Cameroon is one of those countries in which this year’s world water day’s theme: Water and Food security has a particular meaning.

CHOLERA IS THE MOST VISIBLE TIP OF THIS ICE BERG

In the last 3 years, Cameroon has experienced a series of acute cholera outbreaks which have affected thousands and killed more than a thousand others(http://www.ifrc.org/en/news-and-media/news-stories/africa/cameroon/cameroon-cholera-continues-to-claim-lives/).The recurrence of Cholera outbreaks in a given place is indication that basic hygiene and sanitation facilities and practices are absent and when this happens in a country like Cameroon where according to official statistics more than 50% of consultations and 60% of admissions in health units is related to diseases caused by poor sanitary conditions and by water-borne, water-related, water -based and water-scarce diseases such as cholera, typhoid, malaria, yellow fever, river blindness, guinea worm, trachoma, scabies, and diarrhoea, the resulting effect could not but be felt on all spheres of the society.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) in its report titled: Strengthening interventions to reduce helminth infections: an entry point for the develop-ment of health-promoting schools, the incidence of water-borne diseases and related infections is highest among the poor, especially school-aged children and more than 2.2 million people from developing countries die each year from preventable diseases caused by inadequate access to safe drinking water and poor hygienic conditions.

Conscious of the fact that a significant portion of children in Cameroon’s rural communities do not go to school because they have contracted a water-related disease, and having witnessed the numerous cases of child deaths linked to water-related diseases in my community, instead of sitting comfortably and waiting for the government to come and salvage my community from the cholera outbreak, I decided to act for my people.

WE CAN ALL DO SOMETHING HOWEVER SMALL

Convinced that for any fight to be effective those most affected by the ill against which the fight is directed should play a key role and conscious of the fact that only a few of my community’s inhabitant had knowledge of the MDGs, I set out in September 2010 to change people’s mentalities and perception about sanitary conditions ,community development and nation building. I started a one-on-one outreach which consisted of personal discussions with various community stakeholders during which I sensitized them on things to do to avoid being victims of cholera.

After realising how fundamental Water, Sanitation, and Health(WASH) were to the achievement of all the MDGs, I started an initiative called: the MDGs Participative Achievement Program, which sensitized pupils and students on how they-as individuals-could effectively combat Cholera in their various schools, communities, and families by observing simple hygiene rules and by so doing contribute to the achievement of all the other MDGs.
After reaching out to more than 1000 pupils and students, this program came to an end in March 2011( after last year’s world water day) due to lack of resources. But our fight for our people’s right to water,their right to live in a safe environment, and in a comfortable house should be recognised by policy makers has just begun and nothing, not even the lack of resources will stop us.

WHEN THE SEARCH FOR WATER BECOMES DANGEROUS

Where I come from in Cameroon and like in most developing countries, rural women produce between 60–80 per cent of food for household consumption(www.fao.org/SD/FSdirect/FBdirect/FSP001.htm) and it is a tradition that, men fetch fire wood(generally tree branches used for cooking) and women fetch water which they use to cook, do laundry, and water crops they have planted. This tradition is fast becoming a burden too heavy for my people-especially the women to bear. This is because water sources are drying up and the distance separating my people from the few sources of potable water is widening and the number of rapes of girls who have to move long distances using very dangerous paths through a thick bush to fetch water. These young girls are not only exposed to repeated rapes, but also have to miss classes because they at times have to walk for an hour or two to fetch water for household use. Those among these girls that are most determined to go to school thus have to leave home as early as 5A.M to walk to and from these water sources and then cook food(that will serve as breakfast for a family) before they go to school.

The above, all negatively affects the education of the girl child in my village and are amongst the first causes of the high rate of school drop outs among the female student population in this rural community.

WATER IS INDISPENSABLE TO MAKE POVERTY HISTORY

There is therefore no doubt as to the fact that water plays a fundamental role in worsening or improving the quality of life of people in any community. Thus to effectively tackle ills plaguing rural communities such as illiteracy conditions, poverty, rape, violence against women, and hunger, every single soul should easily access water which is safe and affordable.

Making water available safe drinking to rural community dwellers in a place closer to where they live and work(most rural area dwellers in Cameroon have agriculture as a means of subsistence), will have a great impact on its present and future generations. Girls will substitute the time they spend in walking to far away places to fetch water with studies, rapes will be reduced(since water sources will be closer to their homes), and community efforts to sustainably manage their water source will be enhanced.

As we celebrate world water day today, policy makers should know that if they prefer tarring a road to making water safe, accessible, and affordable, all the policies they will formulate and implement will backfire and the achievement of MDGs will forever remain a dream.
Water needs to be given the place it deserves in policy. World leaders must move beyond the much talk at international conferences to taking concrete actions that will not only lead to the achievement of the MDGs but above all save the lives of more than a billion persons. Water is indispensable for Live, Water is indispensable for development.

You can also read this blog at:
http://www.amplifyyourvoice.org/u/Gastonkwa/2012/3/22/Water-Sustaining-Lives-Sustaining--Development

For An Emmerging Cameroon:More than machinery we need humanity!

February 11th is Youth day in Cameroon, and today like every other February 11th, the Cameroonian youth is celebrated.This year, we celebrate the 46th Youth day in Cameroon under the theme: the Role of youths in the major achievements in an emmerging Cameroon. As is the traditio , there is going to be more dancing and eating than thinking. Beyond the march past and other practices which do not really contribute to the empowerment of the Cameroonian youth,  I am proposing that youths all over the world and Cameroon read the speech made by Charlie Chaplin in his comedy film:The Great Dictator

I'm sorry but I don't want to be an Emperor, that's not my business. I don't want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone if possible, Jew, gentile, black man, white. We all want to help one another, human beings are like that. We all want to live by each other's happiness, not by each other's misery. We don't want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone and the earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful. But we have lost the way. Greed has poisoned men's souls, has barricaded the world with hate; has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed but we have shut ourselves in: machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical, our cleverness hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little: More than machinery we need humanity; More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost. The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in men, cries out for universal brotherhood for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world, millions of despairing men, women and little children, victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people. To those who can hear me I say "Do not despair". The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress: the hate of men will pass and dictators die and the power they took from the people, will return to the people and so long as men die [now] liberty will never perish. . . Soldiers: don't give yourselves to brutes, men who despise you and enslave you, who regiment your lives, tell you what to do, what to think and what to feel, who drill you, diet you, treat you as cattle, as cannon fodder. Don't give yourselves to these unnatural men, machine men, with machine minds and machine hearts. You are not machines. You are not cattle. You are men. You have the love of humanity in your hearts. You don't hate, only the unloved hate. Only the unloved and the unnatural. Soldiers: don't fight for slavery, fight for liberty. In the seventeenth chapter of Saint Luke it is written: "The kingdom of God is within man" Not one man, nor a group of men, but in all men; in you, the people. You the people have the power, the power to create machines, the power to create happiness. You the people have the power to make life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure. Then in the name of democracy let's use that power, let us all unite. Let us fight for a new world, a decent world that will give men a chance to work, that will give you the future and old age and security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power, but they lie. They do not fulfil their promise, they never will. Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people. Now let us fight to fulfil that promise. Let us fight to free the world, to do away with national barriers, do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men's happiness. Soldiers! In the name of democracy, let us all unite! . . . Look up! Look up! The clouds are lifting, the sun is breaking through. We are coming out of the darkness into the light. We are coming into a new world. A kind new world where men will rise above their hate and brutality. The soul of man has been given wings, and at last he is beginning to fly. He is flying into the rainbow, into the light of hope, into the future, that glorious future that belongs to you, to me and to all of us. Look up. Look up.