Drivers awarded for their skills in East African region competition

Top drivers who work for humanitarian organizations in East Africa were feted over the weekend for exuding great skills in their area of work in the 1st Driver Recognition Programme DRP in the region.

The DRP 2016 which took place in Machakos County in Kenya over the weekend, attracted a pool of 14 drivers from the region in an effort to test their driving abilities and also to motivate them.

“Drivers have an extremely important role in humanitarian work. They take care of transportation of supplies in emergency areas in order to reach beneficiaries. They also ensure safety of staff members.They can make or break the success of an organization,” said Executive Director Paul Jansen, Fleet Forum whose company organized the competition.

The event co-hosted by World Vision and World Food Programme WFP, saw Simon Njaramba from WFP emerge as the winner.

An elated Njaramba who won a prize of $500 dedicated his prize to his family members.

“I was not sure if I would win but I did my best. Driving has its challenges but I still advice all drivers to be dedicated to their duty,” he continued.

The 1st runners up and 2nd runners up were Benson Nyundo from World Vision and Adero Dickson from UNDP Somalia.

“One of the essentials of this competition was that the driver took into consideration safety of his passengers. We were also interested on how the driver would engage his gears when encountering a rough terrain and steep slopes,” said Ngoni Mariga, an assessor during the competition from Globaltrack.

Uzel Tole from World Vision Kenya explained that even if he did not win, he would make an effort to apply what he had learnt and emerge winner during next year’s competition.

“The main aim of this event was not only to test their driving skills but also to bring out the importance of a driver’s work and train them on how to overcome the numerous obstacles that they would face while working,” explained Jansen.

Different drivers from the participating countries of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Somalia and Ethiopia all agreed that they faced difficulties while dispensing their duties.

“During the El Nino rains it was difficult to deliver supplies in some affected regions,” said Ellypenda Niboye, WFP Tanzania.

Wolde Nidaw from Goal Ethiopia complained of rough terrain and insecurity challenges in his country.

HIV and AIDS Treatment Targets Surpassed, UNAIDS Survey

A recently released international report on People Living with HIV and AIDS has revealed that the number of people accessing treatment has surpassed the 2015 global target.

The Global AIDS update 2016 states released in Nairobi reveals that an estimated 17 million people were accessing life-saving antiretroviral medicines at the end of 2015 with an additional 2 million people gaining access over a 12-month period.

 

The 15 million target was set up by the United Nations General Assembly in 2011.

The latest UNAIDS data covering 160 countries explains that since the first global treatment target was set in 2003, annual AIDS-related deaths have decreased by 43%.

‘The full potential of antiretroviral therapy is being realized. I urge all countries to seize this unprecedented opportunity to put HIV prevention and treatment programmes on the Fast-Track and end the AIDS epidemic by 2030,’  said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. 

Nduku Kilonzo the Executive Director National AIDS Control Council NACC agrees with Sidibé despite the progress made in Kenya,’ We are wiping the floor but the tap is still running. We must invest in prevention. The world must have a target for prevention and allocate dedicated resources to prevention.’

Cabinet Secretary for Health Cleopa Mailu has called for continued collaboration with NACC, UNAIDS amongst other stakeholders in an effort to reduce prevalence.

 ‘We must catalyze investments across different sectors, with a focus on cost-effective and socially inclusive programmes if we are to succeed.  The Kenyan government has attached importance to HIV and AIDS and has treated it as a strategic issue for social stability and economic prosperity,’ he continued.

The Global AIDS update 2016 he world has committed to ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.

This comes as world leaders prepare to gather for the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS, to take place in New York, United States of America, from 8 to 10 June 2016.

Strathmore Business School Signs Pact with National AIDS Control Spread of HIV and AIDS Virus

Strathmore Business School SBS, Institute of Healthcare Management have partnered with National AIDS Control Council NACC in a collaborative for training and policy analysis program for HIV and AIDS Prevention, Care and Management.

The alliance targets  to  advance the fight against HIV and AIDS in Kenya with the aim of getting to zero new infections, zero AIDS related deaths and zero stigma and discrimination, leveraging on the comparative strengths of each institution.

NACC and SBS will develop and deliver short courses in HIV Programming in Kenya and Graduate Programmes in HIV prevention.

“For us to deliver on the Maisha strategic plan, we must be ready to work with the people whose core competence are on training,” remarked Dr. Nduku Kilonzo, Director NACC.

“National health strategies have been rather reactive to epidemics, limiting the power of national institutions and other stakeholders to properly harness resources in building strong and sustainable health institutions. We hope that this MoU will provide relevant solutions to Kenyans.” explained Prof. Gilbert Kokwaro, Director Institute of Healthcare Management- SBS.

The signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding between National Aids Control Council and Strathmore Business School on Tuesday was presided over by Dr. Nduku Kilonzo, Director NACC, John Kamigwi, Deputy Director NACC, Prof. Gilbert Kokwaro, Director Institute of Healthcare Management- SBS, Dr. Angela Ndunge, Faculty Director- SBS, amongst other dignitaries.

According to the latest HIV/AIDS prevalence reports as highlighted by Dr. Kilonzo, there are 1.6 million people who are living with HIV/AIDS, 900,000 currently under treatment, which accounts for 66%. HIV/AIDS is the leading killer of adolescents and young people in Kenya, from ages 15-24.

‘The number of new infections are higher than the mortality rate which is an indication of insignificant control over epidemics. In order to stabilize the rate of new infections, we must be ready to train, inform and deliver on the core competencies across all players. Managing HIV/AIDS has to be a multisectoral task,” said Dr. Kilonzo.

Dr. Kilonzo continued that the current cost of treatment for people living with HIV and AIDS is sh. 18 billion against a National health budget of sh. 60 billion .

 “We are hopeful that our engagement with Strathmore Business School will culminate to the development of a framework on how to develop and make use of local research, mobilize resources and efficiently account for the expenditure. Advancement of local research must translate to policy and practice,” concluded Dr. Kilonzo.

Pass Conservationist Laws To Save Lives, advises UN

The United Nations UN has advised its member states to pass legislations to conserve the environment as a means of preventing deaths that occur as a result of pollution.

This is according to a new report titled Healthy Environment, Healthy People  published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and World Health Organization (WHO) amongst other stakeholders.

A recently released report by the United Nations Environment Assembly UNEA has revealed that environmental degradation and pollution is estimated to cause up to 234 times as many premature deaths as caused by conflicts annually.

The report finds that in 2012, an estimated 12.6 million deaths were attributed to deteriorating environment conditions.

‘It is up to us ministers of environment globally to consult and put across an agenda to use budgets and means at our disposal to make public policies to improve lives of our people,’ said UNEA President Edgar Gutierrez.

The Global Affairs and Policy Office of International Affairs has reiterated that air pollution is very serious and is a cause of major respiratory diseases.

‘Air pollution causes 7 million deaths annually and it is the 8^th leading cause of deaths. Of these, 4.3 million are down to household air pollution, particularly among women and young children in developing countries,’ said Walker Smith the Director Global Affairs and Policy Office of International Affairs.

Chief Scientist Jackline McGlade has explained,’ If you tackle environment issues holistically then health threats will be averted. 

‘By depleting the ecological infrastructure of our planet and increasing our pollution footprint, we incur an ever-growing cost in terms of human health and well-being. From air pollution and chemical exposure to the mining of our natural resource base, we have compromised our life support systems,’ UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said

‘A healthier planet is a rising tide that lifts all boats, including human health, but also economies and societies. By grounding development and progress in environmental health, we safeguard our own well-being. At UNEA-2, the world is focusing on pathways to ensure that the environment sustains human health rather than threatening it.’ Steiner continued.

 Deaths related to non-communicable diseases are said to be rising in all regions: three quarters of people who died from non-communicable diseases in 2012 lived in low and middle income countries.

The report also points to drivers of the environmental health-related impacts – including ecosystem disruption, climate change, inequality, unplanned urbanization, unhealthy and wasteful lifestyles and unsustainable consumption and production patterns – and outlines the massive health and economic benefits that action would bring. 

Healthy Environment, Healthy People is published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer, and the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions  looks at the dangers posed by air pollution, chemicals, climate change and other issues linking environmental quality to human health and well-being.

Climate change is exacerbating the scale and intensity of environment-related health risks. Estimates from the WHO indicate that 250,000 additional deaths could occur each year between 2030 and 2050, mostly from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress, as a result of climate change.

Kenya is currently hosting UNEA from May 23^rd to May 27^th.

Leaders from 193 nations and over 2,000 participants among them top scientists and environment experts from around the globe, ministers of environment,health and finance led by Costa Rica Minister for Environment Edgar Gutierrez who is also the UNEA President are also present.