Friday, February 27, 2015

It Is Accolades to Generous America

IT was all smiles among the education sector fraternity on Tuesday when the nation received a generous donation of 2,500,000 science text books from the United States of America.
Indeed, the donation is a heartfelt gesture from the people of America. President Jakaya Kikwete witnessed the delivery of the books personally. The donation will help whittle down the current book-to-student ration from 1:5 to a delightful 1:2.
Well, it is hats off to the people of America. The books, which have been in short supply for a number of years, cover mathematics, physics, biology and chemistry.
Their manuscripts were collated by Tanzanian experts and printed in the US with close support from USAID. President Kikwete has expressed his appreciation to US President Barack Obama for his kind support to the country's education sector.
Efforts to acquire more books, however, must go on, for, the desired book-to-student ratio is 1:1. Over and above this, it should be mentioned here that problems that afflict secondary schools in this country are numerous.
Indeed, there is much more than meets the eye. Perhaps the most profound problem is shortage of school desks. But there is also a critical shortage of teaching and learning equipment and materials.
Some schools face shortages of water or electricity. Others have inadequate sanitary facilities including toilets. And there is the nagging shortage of teaching staff. It is these problems that should be shot down if the learning environment is to improve.
It is equally necessary to impress upon authorities that schools in rural Tanzania are much needier. Some are a pitiful sight. We understand the crucial role of education to the development of a country.
Education is the key to success ...education is power. We also acknowledge government efforts to solve problems facing the sector. It is clear that education is one of the sectors that need huge investment.
Given the country's social economic situation we appeal for more development partners to support Tanzania in this noble task.

Ebola Alertness Initiative Gets Big UN Boost

THE government, UN and Push Mobile have sealed a partnership pact to reach over 10 million Tanzanian mobile users with life-saving information on Ebola.
Through the partnership, Push Mobile, a mobile communication company providing SMS aggregation services across all the available mobile networks in Tanzania, commits to support the UN and the government's social mobilisation efforts on Ebola.
For a period of four months, the company will provide SMS push services to share information on Ebola.
As part of the agreement, Push Mobile and its UN and government partners will also provide Information on demand on Ebola: through this service, mobile users in Tanzania will be able to send the keyword EBOLA to short code and get free access to Ebola information.
"If an SMS can save lives, Push Mobile is committed to reaching as many mobile users in Tanzania as possible. Technology provides unique opportunities to boost Ebola preparedness and response activities.
"Through our partnership with the UN and the Ministry of Health, we hope to help communities acquire the knowledge needed to identify Ebola symptoms, to prevent and stop transmission of the virus," Freddie Manento, Chief Executive Officer, Push Mobile, said about the partnership.
Over the past months, Ebola's confirmed death toll has climbed past 9,000 with most deaths occurring in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. There have been over 23,000 reported cases of Ebola to date.
"Partnering with the tech industry is a powerful way to raise awareness of Ebola in Tanzania," said Mr Alvaro Rodriguez, the UN Resident Coordinator in Tanzania.
Tanzania has not yet been affected by the virus while the outbreak has now slowed across West Africa. But it would only take one infection for Ebola to threaten the lives of millions of people in the country.

Monday, February 23, 2015

Alarm as HIV/Aids prevalence among drug users soars


HIV infection fuelled by drug use is on the rise in Tanzania, according to a new report. The HIV/Aids prevalence rate among drug users in the country is 33.9 per cent, one of the highest in sub-Saharan Africa, Harm Reduction International (HRI) says in its report released in London last week.
It adds that high-risk injecting of drugs is compromising efforts in dealing with new HIV infections, and hampering efforts to further reduce the national prevalence rate that has drastically fallen over the years.
The report, however, puts Tanzania on the list of leading countries that have taken innovative steps in addressing the problem, but suggests that the country should scale up programmes to deal with new and emerging patterns of self-injection of drugs.
Tanzania is home to the largest government-run medically-assisted treatment project for the drug users in Africa, with over 1,200 people receiving methadone treatment since 2013. Another 20,000 drug users are assisted through an outreach group.
The number of treatment centres for needle syringe programmes (NSP) in Dar es Salaam has also increased from one to seven in two years to ensure drug users turn over a new leaf.
There is also a scaling up of community medically-assisted therapy centres in the city, rising from one, which was initially based at Muhimbili National Hospital, to three with the other two being based at Mwananyamala and Temeke hospitals.
In neighbouring Kenya, the government announced the initiation of NSP in 2012, resulting in ten operational sites by last year.
In South Africa, there is presently only one NSP site focused on homosexual men who inject drugs.
According to the HRI Executive Director Mr Rick Lines, the pioneering efforts of Tanzania and Kenya are a reassurance that the efforts to curb the problem are gaining momentum.
“It is at the same time critically important that these interventions are scaled up and adopted across the region where similar patterns of drug use may be emerging.
“Further HIV infections in sub -Saharan Africa driven by drug use are as concerning as they are avoidable,” he said.
In Zanzibar, the HRI report says, there are documented cases of high-risk injecting practices like blood-sharing, increased stimulant use and risky sexual practices that escalate the rate of HIV transmission.

Saturday, February 21, 2015

People With Albinism Plan Demo

The National Chairman of the Tanzania Albinism Society (TAS), Mr Ernest Kimaya.

People living with albinism yesterday announced their intention to demonstrate peacefully next month to push the government to intensify the crackdown on criminals who abduct and kill innocent people whose only 'fault' is being melanin deficient.
The National Chairman of the Tanzania Albinism Society (TAS), Mr Ernest Kimaya, said the demonstrations, planned for March 2, are a response by the albinism-affected following the inhuman treatment meted on them spawning over a decade.
He noted with concern that some 76 people with albinism have been killed between 2005/2006 and this year; appealing for concentrated efforts to tackle the vice.
"We are now arranging the peaceful rally in which we would also like to meet President Jakaya Kikwete to tell him the ordeal that people with albinism go through," Mr Kimaya said on the sidelines of a meeting between political parties and organisations of people with disabilities.
Mr Kimaya said TAS would engage representatives from political parties, religious leaders as well as civil society organisations.
The event will include special prayers for the victims of albino killings. Some participants at the meeting linked the recurring abductions and killings to politics, noting that such incidences are usually on the rise when elections are approaching.
The Chairman of Tanzania Federation of Disabled People's Organisations, Mr Amon Mpanju, urged political parties to use their influence in the society to address and condemn the killings. "We are witnessing these incidents when the country is preparing for elections this year; it is my hope that the parties can play a role to curb the problem," Mr Mpanju noted.
On his part, the National Chairman of AFP, Mr Said Soud, said the society should be educated that wealth or leadership positions cannot be attained through human sacrifices of people with albinism.
"The killings happening in our society are a curse that will haunt our country; I call upon my fellow politicians to speak out against these killings. Existing legislations must be used to punish all those found to be guilty," he observed. During the past two months, the country has witnessed two abductions of young children in the Lake Zone.
They include Yohana Bahati (1) who was kidnapped last Sunday and her body recovered mutilated on Tuesday in Geita Region, as well as Pendo Emmanuel (4) who was kidnapped in December and is still missing. The body of baby Yohana was found mutilated in Shilabela Mapinduzi Sub-Village, a few kilometres from her home in Ilelema.
The infant was abducted on Sunday by unknown assailants when her mother was preparing supper in Ilelema village, Chato District. Meanwhile, political parties in the country were yesterday urged to accommodate the rights and interests of people with disabilities when drafting their manifestos ahead of the general election in October.
The call was made during a meeting convened by the Tanzania Federation of Disabled People's Organisations and attended by leaders of political parties to sensitise the parties to include them in democratic processes.
The foundation had formed a task force, which compiled a wish list in which they want political parties to implement during and after the elections. Presenting the proposals, a member of the task force, Mr Kaganzi Rutachwamagyo, said the parties ought to sensitise disabled people to register in the Permanent Voters' Registrar (PVR), ahead of the Referendum and General Election.
The parties should also indicate in their manifestos how they will protect people with disabilities and to ensure all resources are shared equally. The Chairman of the federation, Mr Amon Mpanju, suggested that presidential aspirants to be appointed by their respective parties to move around with interpreters to enable those with hearing impairment to get the message.
"Since presidential candidates move all around the country, it is ideal they are accompanied by interpreters to pass on the messages to people who cannot hear.
They should also have interpreters for reports to be televised," Mr Mpanju stressed. He challenged the political party Such efforts include appointing people with disabilities in leadership positions to enable them provide solutions to challenges faced by the group," Mr Shisha observed. He assured participants at the meeting that the pleas of the disabled will be considered in the CCM manifesto, which is currently being dratted.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

China donates 87.3m/- speed boat to cut hospital travel time from 3hrs to 20min




The inaugurated use of a speed boat ambulance in Lindi Region will cut down the time it takes to rush patients to hospital from three hours down to only 20 minutes.

The boat will serve residents of Songosongo island and is a donation from the China Petroleum Technology and Development Corporation (CPTCD) meant to improve access to medical aid especially in case of emergencies.

The boat is valued at USD 50,000 (87.3m/-) according to the firm and will serve to transport patients to Kilwa-Kivinje District Hospital.

“The boat takes only twenty minutes from Songosongo to Kilwa…the old ferry took almost three hours to cover the same distance putting the lives of patients at risk,” CPTDC Deputy Project Manager for Songosongo and Mtwara Processing Plant and Transportation Pipeline Project, Zhao Liyun,  .

Speaking shortly after handing over the boat earlier this week, Deputy Project Manager Liyun said the donation is part of the firm’s commitment it made to the isles residents last year and is part and parcel of their social corporate responsibility.

“We had a meeting with residents and Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) last year,” he explained.

“The residents mentioned some of the challenges they were facing to include lack of clean and safe water and an ambulance boat,” Liyun explained.
“After the meeting we agreed to start by providing this boat and other things will follow,” she went on to say.

She pledged that the firm will now start working on building water infrastructures to help the resident access clean and safe water directly from the Songosongo plant.
 
She also took the opportunity to commit to handing over the gas pipeline project to the government in June this year.
 
“These two countries have a long standing friendship, we want to strengthen it by ensuring that the critical challenges facing these residents here get solved,” she said and noted that “…this is to be done before we handover the project so that the residents remember the firm for good things.” 
 

Kidnap of Tanzanian Albino Child Sparks Call to Enforce Witch Doctor Ban



The abduction of an albino child in Tanzania sparked calls on Tuesday for greater action to enforce a newly-imposed ban on witch doctors to stop the killing of albinos whose body parts are prized in black magic.
The one-year-old boy was grabbed from his mother in his home in the Geita region of northwestern Tanzania on Sunday, a month after the government announced a nationwide ban on witch doctors who are accused of fuelling a wave of attacks on albinos.
More than 70 albinos, who lack pigment in their skin, hair and eyes, have been murdered in the east African nation in the past decade, according to U.N. figures, many hacked to death and their body parts removed to make charms and spells that witch doctors claim bring good luck and wealth.
Joseph Konyo, Geita police commander, said the boy, Yohana Bahati, was snatched by an armed gang in his home from his mother, Esther Bahati, 30, who was hit with a machete as she tried to protect her son at Ilemela village in Chato district.
"Unfortunately this family resides in a protected forest area ... so it was extremely difficult for the police to immediately arrest the suspected robbers," Konyo told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
The police, who have launched a manhunt for the boy, said two other albino children in the house were not harmed.
"We have stepped up security in the area to ensure that no one else is hurt," Konyo said.
This is the second abduction of an albino child in the northwestern area in two months. Pendo Shilinde, a four-year-old girl, was abducted in December by an armed gang accompanied by a traditional healer from her home at Ndami village in Mwanza region. She is still missing.
Konyo said in both cases police arrested the father of the abducted child. No charges have been brought and investigations continue.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Women challenged to turn economic hurdles into opportunities

Mary Rusimbi, Executive Director of Women Fund Tanzania

Tanzanian women have been challenged to turn economic hurdles into opportunities while youth have been commended for their involvement in awareness initiatives.

The observation was aired at the One Billion Rising global campaign to end gender violence that was observed nationally over the weekend at the Coco Beach grounds in Dar es Salaam.

Addressing the multitudes gathered, the guest of honour, Executive Director of Women Fund Tanzania Mary Rusimbi was keen to commend ‘increased youth awareness and participation’ that she said is ‘very encouraging and vital to the cause.’

“I am very happy to learn that this global campaign has been embraced and nationally led by Tanzanian youth,” she said.

“The campaign has become an advocacy platform raising awareness that gender violence is not a women’s issue rather, a violation of human rights and is a global plight,” she added.

“Gender violence is a cross cutting issue…it knows no boundaries not of age, race nor of religion…it affects both rich and poor,” she noted and pledged continued support to community initiatives to end gender violence.
“I am again very impressed to see youth show such good examples aimed at bringing about social change,” she summed up.

Friday, February 13, 2015

Fredrick Shayo wins 10m/- for business ideas competition via Twitter


IPP Executive Chairman Dr Reginald Mengi presents a cheque for 10m/- to the winner of his "3N Business Ideas Competition" for last month, Frederick Shayo, at a ceremony in Dar es Salaam yesterday.

The first winner of IPP Executive Chairman Dr Reginald Mengi’s Twitter business idea competition Fredrick Shayo, has won 10m/-. 

The business idea competition is dubbed: ‘Nitabuni, Nitatekeleza, Nitafanikiwa’ (3Ns) and awards ten top competitors with runner ups recieving1m/- each.

In order to participate in the 3Ns, one has to post a good business idea to the twitter account - @regmengi as many times as possible.
Speaking moments after handing over the awards, Dr Mengi urged for the national curriculum to be revised so as to create self employment opportunities for university students.

He pointed out that lecturers should encourage students to be creative, noting that many times students develop bright ideas which if supported would turn them to young entrepreneurs and creative employees and employers.

Dr Mengi called upon the youth to prioritise self employment and create implementable business ideas that can also be useful to others.
He said the government alone and the private sectors cannot employ all graduates on a yearly basis.

“I want everyone to always stand up and say I am number one, don’t put yourself number two…. if you want to do anything you must  be confident and have faith that you will be successful and become rich like others,” he encouraged youth.

He said Tanzanian youth can overcome unemployment challenges if they focus on self employment. However, he said for the youth who want to be employed, they should work hard, be focused and should not choose jobs.

According to Mengi, many people see a lot of things but do not see the opportunities therein. He cautioned that without a particular eye for opportunities it is hard to succeed in life.

“There is a wide gap between the rich and poor in the country. One of the ways of reducing this gap is by ensuring that the country’s resources are well utilized,” noted Dr Mengi.

The IPP Executive Chairman called on the citizenry not to be discouraged by the few who calim that Tanzania cannot create millionaires.
However, Dr Mengi said Tanzanians should not ‘adore’ millionaires from other countries and instead they should have an eye for opportunities and use such opportunities to become millionaires.

Speaking after receiving the prize, Fredrick Shayo who graduated last year with Bachelors of Economics degree from the University of Dar es Salaam said his business idea was to construct and incubator to rear chicks.
He said the idea is to use old fridges and put new electric heating systems in them. He said the incubator will use small amount of electricity making it easier for small scale farmers to afford buying and using it.

The winner said incubators will help increase production of local chicks based on the fact that the price for local chicken more than triple that of hybrid ones.

“The 10m/- I have received will help me to increase my capital…I will buy more old fridges and make more incubators,” he said.
“For small scaled farmers to buy incubators from the shops it’s just very expensive so I want to help them get produce more chicks at affordable prices,” he added.

Shayo called upon the youth to continue creating business ideas and he also thanked Dr Mengi for thinking about youths and coming up with the competition.

He said the competition gives the youth a chance to employ themselves instead of seeking for employment.
Earlier, the 3Ns Chief judge Dr Donath Ulomi said the competition attracted a total of 1680 business ideas in January from which top ten winners were shortlisted.

He encouraged youth all over the country to participate in the competition as a potential means of liberating themselves from poverty and become rich.
Earlier, last month, Dr Mengi launched the 3Ns competition which will run for six months from January 8 to June 30 this year.

The competition will see the winner scoop 10m/- every month and nine runners up win 1m/- each.

Dr Mengi’s twitter business ideas competition started in 2013 and was also held last year.

In those two years, only three winners were shortlisted  with the first winner getting 1m/-, the first runner 500, 000/- and the second runner up got 300,000/-.  

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Most Tanzania children with disabilities do not access basic rights: TAS


About 97 percent of children with disabilities in Tanzania do not get access to some of their basic rights, including education, says an official with the Tanzania Albinism Society (TAS).
 
The TAS Public Relations Officer, Joseph Torner accused parents of hiding children with disabilities because of various reasons. He said they include the fear of being laughed at by other people and being considered as a burden to the family.
 
Torner said this yesterday in Dar es Salaam during a media briefing on next month’s international conference on children with disabilities to be held in the city. 
 
He said: “Only three percent of children with disabilities go to school, this is discouraging because being a disabled does not mean that you do not deserve to be educated,” he said.  He therefore urged parents and guardians to change their attitude  that disabled children are a curse from God. 
 
However, he called on the government to ensure that it there is a conducive environment for children with disabilities to get education, including improvement of education policies.
 
On the coming conference, Free Pentecostal Church of Tanzania (FPCT) Secretary General, Elias Shija, said it will be attended by participants from Sweden, Rwanda and Tanzania.
 
The conference has been organised by the Free Pentecostal Church of Tanzania (FPCT) in collaboration with TAS and the Swedish National Association for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (FUB). It  will be officially opened by the Minister of Community Development, Gender and Children Sophia Simba while Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda is expected to close it.
 
Shija mentioned some of the conference objectives as discussion on challenges facing children with disabilities and how to solve them.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Dar health centre gets 24m/- well from brewers


TBL Communication Officer, Doris Malulu.

Tanzania Breweries Limited (TBL) has donated a water well valued at 24m/- to Mbagala round table health centre in Temeke Municipal, Dar es Salaam.
The well was handed over to the health centre officials over the weekend and is expected to serve more than 2000 patients per week.
 
Speaking at the handing over ceremony, TBL Communication Officer Doris Malulu, said the project is part of their corporate social responsibility.
 
“It is about giving back to the community some of the profit we have generated as well as joining efforts with the governments in addressing the various community problems,” she explained and called on the health centre staff to commit themselves in protecting the water infrastructure.
 
Speaking at the event, Mbagala Health Centre Doctor In-charge, Dr Batuli Luhanda said the project will solve water problems which have prevailed at the centre for a long time.
 
“We are serving more than 2000 patients a week but our major challenge in providing better health care is water shortage,” he noted.

“We offer surgical and maternity services and without water, we operate under very difficult conditions because all of these services require plenty of water,” Dr Batuli added.
 
Dr Samwel Lema who received the project on behalf Doctor Medical Officer (DMO) for Temeke Municipal said the reliable water supply will attract more patients from various areas who would otherwise not seek professional medical care.
 
Hadija Ally a patient at the Centre said, “I remember when I delivered my child…I came with seven bottles of water.” 

“Now mothers will give birth in clean environment safe for them and their children,” she added.

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Now there’s a way to diagnose HIV with a smartphone

Researchers at Columbia University have developed a gadget that can test for syphilis and HIV via a smartphone or tablet.

Here’s how it works: The “dongle” device takes a prick of blood and tests it to see whether there are a higher-than-normal number of the antibodies that fight HIV and syphilis in the blood. That immune system reaction indicates that the patient is positive, explains Wan Laksanasopin, a biomedical engineering PhD student at Columbia who helped develop the device.
The dongle attaches to any smartphone or tablet through the audio jack, and the device’s app reads the results, giving a diagnosis in about 15 minutes, Laksanasopin tells Quartz. (The team has so far only developed an iOS app for Apple devices.) The app provides directions to the health care worker administering the test, as well as the results.
Offering a simple, mobile method to test for HIV and syphilis could make a big difference in developing countries, particularly in helping to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Syphilis can put a child at greater risk for HIV, and for pregnant women it can cause birth complications or neonatal death, says Laksanasopin.
The mobility of the device means that health care workers can go door to door to provide tests, instead of requiring people to come to clinics, which patients may avoid for reasons ranging from stigma against HIV to transportation difficulties.
The dongle costs $34 to make (much less expensive than other options), while the cartridge needed for each test costs $2, Laksanasopin says.
While promising, the dongle still has some bugs, and isn’t ready for widespread use just yet. The researchers tested the device with 96 patients in Rwandan clinics and testing centers, and found that it sometimes results in false positives, Laksanasopin said. The results of those tests were published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
This isn’t the first attempt to develop HIV-testing technology for remote places. The US National Institutes of Health funded the development of a device that uses a chemical reaction to test blood samples for HIV, for example, though that process can take longer than an hour.




Labs directive: Regions have until June, says PM

Prime Minister Hon. Mizengo Pinda.
The Government has instructed all regions that failed to accomplish President Jakaya Kikwete’s directive for construction of three laboratories in each public secondary school to make sure that they accomplish the task before June this year.

Speaking in the National Assembly before adjoining the parliamentary session yesterday, Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda said that only three out of 25 regions in the country have completed the exercise by more than 50 percent. 
The three regions are Njombe  at 96 percent, Ruvuma at 81 percent and Morogoro at 53 percent, he said.

The Premier stated that the deadline for accomplishing the exercise was June last year but until then only three regions had over 50 percent  “There are six regions which could not even attain above 22 percent,” he said, listing them as Mtwara 21 percent, Lindi 20 percent, Tabora 17 percent, Dodoma 12 percent, Rukwa 11 percent and Kigoma 10 percent.

“I would like to inform all regions that failed to accomplish the construction exercise as per the president’s directive to finish before June. There will be no more additional time,” he stressed.

 Regional commissioners in collaboration with district commissioners and the Prime Minister’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Governments) need to make sure they complete this exercise on time, he said.
 “You need to make sure that all laboratory rooms are quality compliant,” he said, intoning that this means that they use money channeled to them accordingly.

By December, there were 3,607 laboratory rooms equivalent to 34 percent of needs that were already in use and 6,249 laboratory rooms or 59 percent still being constructed.

On November 3, the government directed councils in the country to seek consent of civil servants before they deduct their salaries to finance the laboratory building exercise in public secondary schools before the end of the month.

Speaking during a fundraising event for the construction of laboratories for secondary schools in Bukoba, the deputy minister for Regional Administration and Local Governments Kassim Majaliwa said public servants should not have their salaries deducted by force.

“President Kikwete’s directive for the construction of three laboratories in each public secondary school by November 30 should not be interpreted to mean an automatic and mandatory deduction of workers’ salaries without their consent,” he cautioned.

Benki ya Exim yaadhimisha Siku ya Saratani Duniani na Watoto wenye Saratani Hospitali ya Taifa Muhimbili


Mkuu wa matawi wa Benki ya Exim, Bi. Elizabeth Mayengoh, akikabidhi vitabu kwa mmoja wa watoto waliolazwa katika hospitali ya Taifa ya Muhimbili kwenye wodi maalum ya watoto wanaougua ugonjwa wa saratani katika kuadhimisha siku ya saratani duniani. Wanaoshudia ni baadhi ya wafanyakazi wa benki ya Exim na wazazi wa watoto hao. Benki hiyo ilikabidhi vifaa mbalimbali vikiwemo vyakula, vifaa vya kuchezea, sabuni, vifaa vya shule nk, lengo likiwa ni kujenga uelewa kuhusiana na ugonjwa wa saratani mpango unaoendana na kauli mbiu ya mwaka huu ya Siku ya Saratani Duniani inayosema kuwa tatizo la saratani “lipo ndani ya uwezo wetu”.

Meneja masoko msaidizi wa Benki ya Exim, Bi. Anita Goshashy akishikana mikono na Dr. Livin Mumbari  Daktari wa watoto katika Hospitali ya Taifa ya Muhimbili, muda mfupi baada ya benki hiyo kukabidhi vifaa mbalimbali kwa watoto waliolazwa hospitalini hapo kwenye wodi maalum ya watoto wanaougua ugonjwa wa saratani katika kuadhimisha siku ya saratani duniani. Wanaoshudia ni baadhi ya wafanyakazi wa benki ya Exim na wazazi wa watoto hao. Benki hiyo ilikabidhi vifaa mbalimbali vikiwemo vyakula, vifaa vya kuchezea, sabuni, vifaa vya shule nk, lengo likiwa ni kujenga uelewa kuhusiana na ugonjwa wa saratani mpango unaoendana na kauli mbiu ya mwaka huu ya Siku ya Saratani Duniani inayosema kuwa tatizo la saratani “lipo ndani ya uwezo wetu”.

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

World Cancer Day 2015- Theme: ‘Not beyond us’



Each year on 4 February, WHO and International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) supports Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to promote ways to ease the global burden of cancer.

Cancer is the uncontrolled growth and spread of cells. It can affect almost any part of the body. The growths often invade surrounding tissue and can metastasize to distant sites. Many cancers can be prevented by avoiding exposure to common risk factors, such as tobacco smoke. In addition, a significant proportion of cancers can be cured, by surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy, especially if they are detected early.
Taking place under the tagline ‘Not beyond us’, World Cancer Day 2015 takes a positive and proactive approach to the fight against cancer, highlighting that solutions do exist across the continuum of cancer, and that they are within our reach. The campaign explores how we can implement what we already know in the areas of prevention, early detection, treatment and care.
Key Facts:
  • Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for 8.2 million deaths in 2012.
  • Lung, stomach, liver, colon and breast cancer cause the most cancer deaths each year.
  • The most frequent types of cancer differ between men and women.
  • About 30% of cancer deaths are due to the five leading behavioral and dietary risks: high body mass index, low fruit and vegetable intake, lack of physical activity, tobacco use, alcohol use.
  • Tobacco use is the most important risk factor for cancer causing 22% of global cancer deaths and 71% of global lung cancer deaths.
  • Cancer causing viral infections such as HBV/HCV and HPV are responsible for up to 20% of cancer deaths in low- and middle-income countries.
  • About 70% of all cancer deaths in 2008 occurred in low- and middle-income countries.
  • Deaths from cancer worldwide are projected to continue rising, with an estimated 13.1 million deaths in 2030.

Monday, February 2, 2015

China defends aid role in Africa


China on Wednesday offered a spirited defence of its aid to Africa, rejecting charges of "concrete diplomacy" following a major infrastructure deal with the continent.
China and the African Union (AU) announced on Tuesday an ambitious plan to develop road, rail and air transport routes to link capitals across the continent, though few details were released and the deal was described as a commitment to develop the infrastructure.
The memorandum of understanding was signed at AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, ahead of a summit meeting of the leaders of the 54-nation pan-African bloc on Friday.
China is the continent’s largest trading partner.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying defended Beijing’s role when asked to comment on accusations that China’s infrastructure projects in Africa amounted to "concrete diplomacy" and sought only to extract the continent’s resources.
"A well-functioning road will lead wealth to your place," she said, adding that projects under the agreement will help African countries "enhance their connectivity" and "break their development bottleneck".
China had completed 1,046 projects in Africa, building 2,233km of railways, 3,530km of roads and 132 schools and hospitals, she said.
"We hope that more countries can act like China to demonstrate their sincerity and do something really good for African countries," she added.
AU Commission chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma praised the memorandum of understanding on Tuesday as "the most substantive project the AU has ever signed with a partner".
Africa is in dire need of better transport infrastructure, and the quickest route to get from one side of the continent to the other can involve flight connections via Europe.
AFP

Govt admits it’s broke as development projects stall

 Finance Minister Saada Mkuya.
The government has admitted that it has been operating on a shoestring budget for the past six months.
Parliamentary committee reports and MPs have confirmed that many development projects have stalled due to a shortage of funds.
Finance minister Saada Mkuya said on Saturday that the government has largely been depending on Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) collections to run its affairs for the past six months.
However, averaging Sh800 billion monthly, the collections are only enough to meet first charges account which involves salaries and servicing national debt, leaving other expenditures in limbo.
Numerous reports tabled by parliamentary committees last week indicate only one thing – the government has failed to finance development activities.
In their contributions, numerous MPs hammered on the reality of the situation by complaining that government has not released funds for development projects in their constituencies.
Ms Mkuya finally admitted on Saturday that government finances were in serious trouble.
It was apparent that the decision by donors to withhold their general budget support of nearly Sh1 trillion pending the outcome of the Tegeta Escrow account scandal has affected the government’s fiscal plans.
“In the past six months, the government has continued to work on the little it collects from its own sources. It is this small amount we have also struggled to disburse for development activities. But in this last six months, the government has continued to depend on its own collections.
“We are fighting, we are struggling, we send money where we can at that small rate of five per cent of development money but we have been operating on our own cash,” said Ms Mkuya when responding to the views of MPs and House committees.
Ms Mkuya argued that what happened during the first six months of this financial year should serve as a lesson to Tanzanians that they need to do away with donor dependency in managing the national budget.
First hints that the government was in a precarious financial state were dropped by the Budget Committee, whose annual report noted that financing development budget has been problematic.

German President, First Lady in Dar





The President of the Federal Republic of Germany Joachim Gauck and Germany’s First Lady Daniela Schadt are in Dar es Salaam on a four-day state visit to Tanzania.

 While in the commercial port city, President Gauck will have political talks with President Jakaya Kikwete, representatives of political parties and civil societies.

Apart from Dar es Salaam, he will also visit Zanzibar and Arusha.
In Zanzibar, he will be welcomed by President Ali Mohamed Shein and will meet representatives of different religions.

In Arusha, he will visit the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights and give a speech at the East African Community before heading to Serengeti National Park to inaugurate the new “Operations Command Centre” of the Frankfurt Zoological Society.

President Gauck will be accompanied by Members of Parliament, religious leaders and a high-ranking economic delegation