Science Journalist

COP17 ANOTHER LOST OPPORTUNITY TO DELIVER A DEAL RESPONSIVE TO AFRICAN REALITIES AND ASPIRATIONS

2011-12-10T02:43:00.001-08:00

By VIOLET MENGO

We have ultimately come to the end of the Durban climate change conference with no signals till now of the agreement that African peoples had aspired: second commitment period of Kyoto Protocol and fulfillment of the Bali Action plan.

We are worried that once more, the global community has lost an opportunity to deliver a deal that promises a better future for the poor and health of the planet.

It is however not lost. Anything can happen in the next few hours, and if there is genuine willingness, Durban can deliver a deal responsive to African realities and aspirations. In the last few hours of the climate negotiations we as African civil society want to send an equivocal message to our leaders to reaffirm the African common position that is based on science, justice and the rule of law. On the same note, we urge countries and regional blocs arm-twisting Africa to be “flexible” on their position and lower their ambitions that will ultimately threaten the livelihoods of Africans and our biodiversity to desist from such maneuvres.

The COP17 is the space to conclude talks on the Bali Action Plan with its two- track process in a legally binding form. This is the only credible process. It is essential that the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol with science-based targets of 40% emission reductions by 2017 and 95% by 2050 at 1990 levels by developed countries must be met without loopholes for inaction. We have noticed deliberate efforts to lower these ambitions and maintain the pledges based on the Cancun Agreements that will lead to a 6-degree temperature rise for Africa effectively a death sentence for the continent. The safe level is 1.5 degrees.

Africa also needs new, sustainable, predictable and reliable finance from public sources that is anchored in a democratic and effective architecture. In this regard we consider the Green Climate Fund (GCF) as the big hope to deliver on finance for Africa. The GCF must be able to stand the test of legitimacy as a legal persona and be accountable to the UNFCCC. This is the only way to ensure direct access to finance for the most vulnerable people on our continent. We denounce attempts to turn the GCF into a ‘Greedy Corporate Fund’ that will allow transnational corporations to bypass developing country preferences and community needs. The GCF must be driven by country needs and local level ownership. We reject any maneuvers for the Fund to be housed by any Multilateral Development Bank. We also call for immediate capitalization of the fund agreed at the COP17 and to be based on the scale of need.

We reiterate our support and commitment to the African Common Position and reject any attempts to develop a Durban Mandate which will be an escape from legally binding, ambitious commitments. We support the convergence of the work of the three levels of our African team including the technical negotiators, the ministers, and the heads of state. We call on them to be guided by our clarion call: one African Common Position reject any political compromise in Durban

KEY HIGHLIHTS OF THE TRANS AFRICAN CARVAN OF HOPE

2011-12-10T02:22:00.001-08:00

The motivation

The Trans African Climate Caravan of Hope was held as part of pan African mobilization that sought to galvanize the cross country stakeholder voices, with an ultimate aim of communicating the African story while making known the demands of Africa among its inhabitants and the rest of the world to not ony the Africna leaders but also the global ones. The Caravan was a huge mobilization and awareness creation opportunity for African civil society to highlight the challenges climate change poses to African’s efforts to extricate herself from poverty and attainment of Millennium Development Goals. The caravan travelled almost 10,000 Km covering 10 countries (Burindi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zmabia, Zimbabwe, Bostwana and South Africa). In addition Swaziland, Namibia and Mozambique joined as linking nodes. A total of 300 members of caravanites directly took part in the caravan with thousand more attending events at the peoples space and taking part in solidarity actions taht were orgnaised during the week of action in Durban. 42 of these were supported from Zambia with good geneder represenation of both women and youths.

The Highlights

The Caravan delivered peoples message to the various Heads of States in the repsective countries where it passed through and various political leaders also signed the peopels petions. A total of over 4 million signature were sollected and handed over to President Zuma in his capacity as not oinly a Head of state Republi of South Africa but also COP 17 Presidency.

In Zambia the Cravan received the highest political and governemnet solidarity led by the Minsiter of Local Government, Early Child Education and Environal protection who delivered teh solidraity message on behalf o the President of teh Republic of Zambia. Some of the key persons that addressed the caravanites included; Her Excellency Mary Robinson, former Ireland president met who addressed the continental caravanites at University of Kwa Zulu Natal. Her Excellency was there as she put it, ‘ to listen to the caravanites and help them articulate their voices on the floor of negotiations.’ An actress from China Hai Qing who serves as an Oxfam ambassador and travels the world creating awareness on various development issues received submissions from the Cravanites and addressed them.

Outside the Howard dome at the University of Kwa Zulu Natal, caravnites shared their experiences from across Africa. Hai heard about women in Zambia through Mailesi Banda a woman farmer who was part of the caravan. She told of how the rural woman suffers because of lack of access of modern facilities. She urged Hai, ‘to send the message to the right people in China that they needed to cut emissions.’ A woman from Lesotho also called Mama Anna had a requested Hai to let the leaders at the COP 17 know, ‘that the group knew they were talking on their behalf but could they ask us directly what we think since we can talk for ourselves.’

Now back to the hall where we are meeting. T-Boy a yough artists from Zambia communicated his message in song from his heart pointing out against the impacts of climate change.

Prof Patrick Bond, Director at Kwa Zulu Natal and also an economist acknowledged the sacrifice and the caravanites had undertaken to take such a stressful trip on rugged terrain and enmvirain with many vulgars. He called on Cop 17 to bring tge global temperature sise 1degrees. Failure to do this would render the COP by December 9th a conference of polluters

The once Bolivia Chief Negotiator addressed that Caravanites on underlining the fact that ‘what was going to be discussed in Durban infact remains debt that shall be increased more than 40%. If this happens Africa will suffer more than 8degrees Celsius increase,’ he passionately said. He added, ‘We want to stop the ecocide. Over 350,000 people die because of causes of Climate Change. Imagine a world that increases with 4degrees Celsius and an Africa that increases with 8degrees Celsius. They are burning and selling Africa.’ He said that if Africa failed to fight in Durban the rest of the continent will be wondering what happened to us.

Joe of Action Aid Internationalalso addressed the Caravanites emphasissing on concerns pertaining to ‘governments that may not do what they needed to do.

For future actions

The ns African Caravan of Hope exposed a significant number of ordinary communities to tell their own stories as far as the challeneg of cliamte chnag eis concerned and has put in motion a process of developing a critical mass of ordinary citizens with increase dengangement with the Cop processe.

Despite the many challanges the Zambian caravanites faced during the route and actual enagngement teh team made significant contribution to cause of one Aftrica one position and one mesage. The African voices were delievred up to Durbana nd byonmd. They also took part in various capscity biulding workshop as part of learning for the future. The caravanites departed for Zambia on the 4th December 2011 having been on a 15 days assigenment in support of climate jsutice.

The space of civisl soiety in the negotaitions depsite being limited remains an imporatnt spacet of adding value to teh outcome of Cop by taking ito account the issues of teh people.

Durban, Never trust COP

2011-12-10T02:20:00.000-08:00

By VIOLET MENGO

The negotiating process for a "legal framework" to make countries cut their carbon emissions after 2020 should "begin immediately", according to the draft text currently being debated by ministers and officials at Durban.

The text, seen by some journalists, follows most of the "EU roadmap" towards a new global agreement, which has been the subject of frantic negotiations in the final hours of the two-week conference, scheduled to end on Friday.

However, there are crucial differences, and it will be difficult for some countries, including India and China, to sign up to the text as it stands.

The text requires countries to "launch a process in order to develop a legal framework applicable to all" developed and developing countries. That means a framework agreement under which countries would commit to fresh targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions, "after 2020" when their current – but non-binding – targets run out.

The phrase "legal framework" falls short of the "legally binding treaty" that the EU wants, but may be vague enough to allow the US – which is wary of a new treaty – to agree.

That negotiating process should "begin immediately" and the negotiations should finish "as early as possible but no later than 2015", which is what the EU wants. The US, however, has strongly objected to setting such a date.

GEF CEO Monique Barbut Hosts Panel Discussion on Africa Land, Water and Forests

2011-12-10T02:13:00.001-08:00

By VIOLET MENGO

DURBAN, South Africa, December 8, 2011 – Monique Barbut, CEO and Chairperson of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), hosted a discussion of African leaders and international development organizations on the combined efforts to protect and enhance the key natural resources of sub-Saharan Africa.

The participants included representatives of South Africa, Ethiopia, Chad, Congo, Gabon and Senegal, as well as World Bank Vice President Rachel Kyte, African Union Commission Chairman H.E. Jean Ping, and Donald Kaberuka, President of the African Development Bank. All strongly support three initiatives aimed at restoring Central Africa’s key water resource, preventing the desertification of sub-Saharan Africa, and protecting the vast Congo Basin rain forest. The means to that end is climate-resilient development, so that economies can grow and livelihoods improve while the natural resources on which lives depend are protected and enhanced.

The GEF, world’s largest public funder of international environmental projects, is responsible for funding the projects and coordinating the cofinancing of the total $2.36 billion(including $14.8 million from the LDCF and $4.6 million from the SCCF) for the three initiatives together, said these initiatives reflect the importance of merging economic and environmental priorities.

“The nations involved, and their allies in the international community, seek ways to pursue sustainable development in sub-Saharan Africa through careful management and protection of natural resources, including land, water and forests,” GEF CEO Barbut said. “These nations, spanning a vast region from the Sahel to the Congo basin, fully understand what is at stake for their own people and their national economies. The lives and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of Africans depend on sustaining the health of these fragile ecosystems.”

The Great Green Wall project focuses on sustainability and resistance to climate change in the Sahel. Drought, land degradation and water scarcity, perennial problems in this region, are now exacerbated by climate variability. Careful management of scarce natural resources is critical not only to the livelihoods of millions in this region covering 5 percent of the continent, but also to survival. The Great Green Wall Initiative of the Sahel and Sahara integrates management of dryland forests, agroforestry parklands, agricultural landscapes, and pastoral systems.

The Congo Basin, home to the world’s second largest tropical rain forest, covers an area the size of India. These forests contain the largest repository of biodiversity on the continent, extending across five countries – Cameroon, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon and Central African Republic. The Congo Basin Partnership involves local, national and international entities in implementing a collective vision to safeguard these forests as assets for climate-resilient development. At the same time, preservation of this forest system would represent a major contribution by Africa to protecting the global climate.

Lake Chad is the second largest wetland in Africa and a lifeline for nearly 20 million people in central Africa. The freshwater and rich biodiversity in the lake and surrounding wetlands is shared by Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. But the surface area of the lake has shrunk dramatically, declining from 25,000 square miles 45 years ago to 2,500 square miles today.

Today’s event comes one year after COP 16 in Cancun, where Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia, speaking on behalf of Africa, presented these three initiatives as priorities of the African Union. The situation is urgent: Climate change projections indicate that nearly one-third of the land base in Africa is under threat of desertification, and the continent as a whole is on a path to be hit hard by deforestation and drought, along with the reduction of available fresh water and consequent food insecurity. The wellbeing and livelihood of 70 percent of the continent’s population is at stake.

High Level partnership Launched of Africa Climate Solution at COP17

2011-12-09T03:08:00.000-08:00

By VIOLET MENGO

As the United Nations Climate Talks gets to its conclusion this week of the negotiation, a tripartite agreement , on climate change was on Monday 5^th December 2011 launched by three Regions Economic Communities (RECs) in Africa aimed at harmonizing programmes approaches in Eastern and Southern Africa. The partnership is with the European Union, Royal Norwegian Government and the United Kingdom.

The partnership involves Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Eastern African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Speaking at the launch of the initiative at a high level side events of the UN Climate talks, COMESA Secretary General Sindiso Ngwenya said the COMESA-EAC-SADC Climate Change initiative is “novel that not only occupies a contiguous space on the continent but also have overlapping memberships which stems from the need to harmonise programme approaches among these three regions”.

The first flagship programme of the Tripartite is the creation of a grand Free Trade Area from Cape to Cairo, followed by an ambitious infrastructure development programme that will seamlessly interconnect the eastern and southern Africa. The three RECs constitute half the African continent.

Comoros Vice President Fouad Mohadji who officially launched the initiative said the new partnership is a testimony of the engagement of the countries’ partnership.

The vice president is of the view that the partnership will help upscale agriculture programmes and contribute to the growth of local communities in the three regions.

The main aim of the Tripartite Climate Change initiative is to support the African effort at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to ensure that agriculture is accommodated in a manner that is responsive to the interests of Africa and its people.

Africa has always been about additional resources, technology and enhanced capacity to enable the continent to adapt to climate change as well as realise its full adaptation and mitigation potential. Capacity building is required for stakeholders in Africa to articulate, mobilise and sustainably implement adaptation and mitigation interventions that benefit the majority of Africans.

As indicated, the tripartite initiative is supported by Norway, EUC and DfID in a multi –donor financial arrangement. It initial focus is to up-scale climate smart agriculture among the most vulnerable smallholder farmers many of whom are women.

Europe and the EU Commission teamed up with Africa to come up with a new cooperation arrangement that will support Africa to address the most pressing challenges to food security through the wide adoption of climate smart agriculture; building the capacity of African institutions to handle climate change and lay the foundation for the continent’s sustainable and green growth and development.

A sum of US $20 million will be given to the initiative to undertake programmes that focus on up scaling climate smart agriculture among the most vulnerable smallholder farmers many of who are women for a period of five years.

Speaking at the launch, United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Special Representative on Climate Change John Aston said there is need to rebuild the development model which he says has been broken.

“We are biting much already; we will not have security unless we lay a foundation on the four basic pillars that include water, food, energy and shelter.”, he said. “ Every time I come to Africa I wish that our financiers would come and learn from Africa lessons on resilience We have lost value of resilient” The royal Norwegian govenemnt was represented at the event by Mr Arvin Godgil, deputy minister for environment who immidetely announced a a Euro 20 million in support of the programme.

Mr Aston said the partnership will give Africa a voice that has in the past been weak. He said the initiative offers a great opportunity for security and a stronger response to climate change.

And SADC Deputy Secretary General Joao Kaholo said to Africa climate change means drought, flood and loss of productivity due to human activity. “To have this partnership that will support the enhancement of climate change programmes in Africa is commendable,” he said.

The Deputy Secretary General of EAC Jean Claude Nsengiyumva, praised the partnership and thanked COMESA for spearheading , the initiative

About the COMESA-EAC-SADC Climate change solution

The tripartite Climate Change solution that was launched on Monday 5^th December 2011;

Places a priority on increasing the resilience of the poor to climate related changes by scaling up climate resilient farming practices such as conservation agriculture and agroforestry.

The support to the programme will enable evidence-based policy interventions to increase climate resilience, particularly linked to food security, across countries in Eastern and Southern It will also provide targeted evidenced-based training to small-scale farmers to introduce climate resilient agriculture practices. Demonstration of successful trials and scaled up practices will be used to access climate finance through the championship of the Tripartite.

Expected results include: 250,000 small scale farmers using climate resilient agriculture practices; a 10% increase of farmed land in key countries under climate resilient farming systems; a 20% increase in yields amongst trained farmers; at least 10 countries more climate resilient through strengthened assessment and analysis of vulnerability; and US$300m climate finance leveraged. Donors supporting the Africa Climate Solution are UK,Norway and the EU.

African Anger at European Calls for 'New Mandate'

2011-12-09T03:01:00.000-08:00

By VIOLET MENGO

DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA - Today - Civil society leaders from across Africa, with support from global movements, launched a letter to climate negotiators that warns that focusing on launching a new mandate at the Durban talks risks backtracking on promises to the poor and the planet.

The letter calls on developed countries to urgently scale up the ambition of their emission reduction targets and reminds negotiators that current emission reduction pledges will lead us to a world that is 5°C warmer. For Africa, this means 7 or 8°C of warming and unimaginable human suffering.

Michele Maynard from the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) said:

"Following what some delegates say you would think that the purpose of these negotiations was a 'new roadmap' - that's just not true. Of central and agreed importance is the need to negotiate deep emission cuts as a part of a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. Coming up with new 'mandates' and 'roadmaps' is a distraction from that very necessary action. It's also a breach of faith, in 2007 all countries agreed to do this."

"A climate agreement that does what is necessary to protect Africa is like cooking a good recipe. It needs just enough emission cuts and a dollop of finance and technology for responding to climate impacts. We've got the recipe from the Bali Action Plan, we've got all the ingredients, even started cutting up some of the vegetables, but now some people want to cook something else. That's a recipe for doing-nothing and delay."

"This letter is a clarion call to negotiators - you either see the science and recognize its urgency; or you don't. You either hear what the world's poorest people are saying and care; or you don't. Any outcome which locks in the current proposed emission cuts or puts off talking about how to bring those cuts into line with the science is utterly unacceptable."

The letter, signed by movements representing hundreds of organisations across Africa and the world, includes the follow quotations:

"Agreeing to a new mandate that replaces the Kyoto Protocol would mean action is effectively delayed for five to ten years. A new treaty will take several years to negotiate with several more years needed for ratification. Further, there is no assurance that countries that have repudiated the existing legal architecture, like the United States, will agree to or ratify a new agreement, nor that such agreement will not be a weak and ineffective "pledge and review" system."

"While many developed countries seek to end the Kyoto Protocol, they simultaneously attempt to retain and expand their favored elements of the Kyoto Protocol, like the CDM, in a new agreement and shift their responsibilities onto developing countries. Without legally binding emission reductions under the Kyoto Protocol, developed countries must not be allowed to have access to the carbon markets."

African Group sets out key demands as talks enter final stages

2011-12-09T02:58:00.000-08:00

By VIOLET MENGO

COP17, Durban, South Africa - The African Group of negotiators have set out their five key demands as UN climate talks in Durban move into the high level stage of negotiations today.

The Group, which represents 54 African countries and is chaired by Mr. Tosi Mpanu Mpanu of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, are demanding:

A multilateral agreement that respects the principles and provisions of the Convention, and matches the ambition and substance set out in the Bali Action Plan
A second and subsequent commitment periods under the Kyoto Protocol with ambitious, science-based mitigation targets for developed country Kyoto Parties and provisional application to avoid a gap in the legally binding regime; and comparable efforts by developed country non-Kyoto Parties (United States) under the Convention, including ambitious, legally binding, economy-wide emission reduction commitments;
Agreement on long-term sources and scale of finance commencing in 2013, including a process for determining the levels of finance necessary for implementation of the Convention in a predictable and identifiable manner;
Full operationalization of the outcomes and institutions agreed in Cancun including the Green Climate Fund
Agreement on a work programme on adaptation to establish an international mechanism on loss and damage from climate change for developing countries.

Mr Tosi Mpanu Mpanu said:

"As a world leader on climate change, a major player in the UN climate change negotiations, and hosts of an "African COP" Africa must continue to play an important and growing role in the climate negotiations.

"The Durban Package must respond to Africa's needs and potential. We are talking to the developed countries about how they meet their historical responsibilities to deliver a fair and just climate deal for the world."

ENDS

G77 and China: Saving Tomorrow Today

2011-12-09T02:57:00.000-08:00

DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA - Yesterday - The opening of the Joint High Level Segment of the COP17/CMP7 in Durban was inaugurated by the President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, as well as the President of the Conference and Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Africa, Ms. Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and the Executive Secretary of UNFCCC, Ms. Christiana Figueres.

President Zuma highlighted that Durban is proving to be "a decisive moment" in the UNFCCC process, and called all parties to show flexibility in defense of the system. "We need to show the world that parties are ready to solve the problems in a practical manner and are willing to forgo national interest for the interest of humanity, no matter how difficult this may be".

The Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship of Argentina presented a statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, emphasizing the urgent need to address climate change, which for countries within the G77 and China is a matter of survival.

He added: "Developing countries are now more than ever experiencing the very real impacts of climate change, which are undermining our development prospects and aggravating preexisting vulnerabilities. This has been confirmed a few days ago by the Special Report (SREX) that was adopted by IPCC member governments, highlighting that fatality rates and economic losses expressed as a proportion of GDP are higher in developing countries."

The Vice Minister of Argentina made a strong appeal to all parties, "we believe this process has to deliver". He reiterated that the continuation of the Kyoto Protocol is the cornerstone of credible efforts in addressing climate change, i.e. a second commitment period that is fully legally binding and ratified. He added that further political commitment was needed to raise the level of ambition of developed countries pledges, in line with what is required by science, equity and historical responsibilities.

He reminded participants in the very crowded Baobab Plenary room that developing countries are already undertaking bold action in mitigation and adaptation activities, including with our own resources, in a scenario where the provisions of the Convention regarding the support of finance, technology transfer and capacity building by developed countries parties are far from being met. We are willing to do more, but the available international cooperation for national mitigation and adaptation actions clearly needs to be scaled up.

"We believe that resolve and progress in this front could be the key to a leap forward in mitigation actions by developing countries", added Vice Minister D'Alotto. Also, "setting in motion the Green Climate Fund created in Cancun must include its initial capitalization, from public financial resources as soon as possible, to appease the fears of an "empty shell" structure."

The Group of 77 and China expressed the hope and determination to make all needed efforts to achieve an outcome that is comprehensive and balanced, enabling the full, effective and sustained implementation of the Convention through long-term cooperative action now, up to and beyond 2012, pursuant to the results of the thirteenth and sixteenth sessions of the Conference of the Parties, addressing both implementation tasks and issues that are still to be concluded as per the agreed agenda. Such an outcome, on the basis of equity and taking into account the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, demands a decision on establishing the commitments of the second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol here in Durban.

"I don't think you want to disappoint the citizens of the globe", said President Zuma. We all agree that the Earth is in danger. The Group of 77 and China calls on all Parties to engage meaningfully and to stop attempts to water down the existing process under the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol and to resolutely move forward for their full implementation and strengthening.

As stated by Argentina on behalf of the Group of 77 and China at the session: "We are fully committed with you in "SAVING TOMORROW, TODAY."

African Agriculture Already Struggling From Climate Change

2011-12-09T02:54:00.000-08:00

By VIOLET MENGO
(Durban, South Africa) New research reveals Africa will face significantly lower crop yields in the next 10 years as a result of increasing temperatures, threatening the food security of millions.

The new report on climate change and African agriculture, published by the African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC), the technical arm of the Climate for Development in Africa (ClimDev Africa) programme, based at the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), examined the extent of climate change impacts in Africa and their effects on food security, and found that even small temperature increases were likely to affect yields.

The report is published against the backdrop of the UN climate talks in Durban, South Africa, where future action to limit temperature increases is being discussed.

"This report provides an important context for the talks in Durban," Dr Seleshi Bekele, Senior Water and Climate Specialist at the ACPC said. "Agriculture is the lifeline and mainstay of livelihoods for three out of four Africans, and therefore adaptation to climate change in this critical sector is not an option but a necessity".

The report's author, Prof Doreen Stabinsky said "Global temperature rise must be limited urgently to avoid serious impacts on African agricultural production. International offset programmes, which provide a substitute for action in developed countries, are actually further threatening food security in Africa." She reiterated further that "African farmers and pastoralists are already seeing changes in the timing of rains, in the severity of rains, in temperatures, and in the progressive drying of their soils."

Recent research summarized in the report concluded that from 1980-2008, due to rising global temperatures, global maize and wheat yields have already decreased by 3.8% and 5.5% respectively.

"All of these impacts are being felt before we even see a temperature rise of 1°C," Stabinsky warned.

"African countries are highly vulnerable to climate change, and the agriculture sector is a good indicator of vulnerability given its importance to livelihoods and the economy. The impact that current and historic GHG emission is having on agriculture in Africa needs to be better understood in order for African negotiators to negotiate effectively, armed with the kind of information outlined in this report" said Seyni Nafo. Spokesperson of the African Group.

At the current rate of temperature increase, global average temperatures will have increased 1.5°C by 2050. Studies quoted in the report estimate average production losses by 2050 for African maize at 22%, sorghum 17%, millet 17%, groundnut 18%, and cassava 8%. "Warming as low as 1.5˚C threatens food production in Africa significantly." added Stabinsky.

The research also shows that warming over 1.5°C will mean severe crop loss, displacement of pastoralists and agricultural production, and dangerous impacts on food security for millions of people.

African governments should demand a work programme on agriculture under the Adaptation Framework, as recommended by the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment, both to ensure food security and address slow onset temperature rise and the yield declines that will follow, Stabinsky added.

The report covers many of the current and projected climate impacts in Africa, including:

Impacts of extreme temperatures and slow onset temperature rise on crop yields;
Global warming contributions to the Sahel and Horn of Africa droughts;
Impacts on tea and cocoa production in Africa from changing climates; and
Risk of continued emissions from Annex I countries for African agriculture.

Implications of Canada’s potential withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol before the end of the

2011-12-09T02:47:00.000-08:00

All reasonable efforts have been made in providing the following information. However due to the
circumstances and the timeframes involved, these materials have been prepared for informational
purposes only and are not legal advice. Transmission of the information is not intended to create, and
receipt does not constitute, a lawyer-client relationship. Those consulting this Paper may wish to obtain
their own legal advice. To the extent permitted by law any liability (including without limitation for
negligence or for any damages of any kind) for the legal analysis is excluded.
This document is an output from a project funded by the UK Department for International Development
(DFID) for the benefit of developing countries. However, the views expressed and information contained in
it are not necessarily those of or endorsed by DFID, which can accept no responsibility for such views or
information or for any reliance placed on them.
Introduction:
1. This briefing paper analyses the process and legality of Canada’s alleged pending withdrawal from
the Kyoto Protocol (“
December 2012. After summarising the process which Canada would have to follow to withdraw
from the KP, this briefing paper examines the limited recourse available to international bodies
and the parties to the KP to preserve Canada’s status as a party, the legal implications of Canada’s
withdrawal, as well as the possibility of assessing Canada’s compliance with its emission reduction
targets on a
responsibility in relation to their withdrawal from the KP.
KP” or the “Protocol”) prior to the end of the first commitment period on 31pro-rata basis. This paper has not addressed the issue of Canada’s international
Right of Withdrawal under the Kyoto Protocol:
2. Canada is a party to both the KP and the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (“
Article 54 of the VCLT provides that a party to a treaty may withdraw from a treaty in conformity
with the provisions of that treaty. Pursuant to Article 27 of the KP, a party may withdraw from the
Protocol by giving written notification to the UN Depositary. Any such withdrawal will take effect
one year from the date of receipt by the Depositary of the withdrawal notification or such later
date as specified in the notification (the “
Canada may withdraw from the Protocol at any time, such withdrawal taking effect no less than
one year after the date of receipt by the Depositary of the notification of withdrawal.
3. Should Canada effect its rights under Article 27 and withdraw from the KP, it is unlikely that either
of the Conference of the Parties (“
Change (“
(“
recourse against Canada. There also does not appear to be any legal basis on which the COP, CMP,
UN Depositary or any individual party to the KP may delay or prohibit Canada’s withdrawal from
the KP if Canada were to decide to withdraw from the KP pursuant to Article 27.
VCLT”).Cooling Period”). Consequently, as a party to the KP,COP”) to the United Nations Framework Convention on ClimateUNFCCC”) or the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the PartiesCMP”), as multilateral bodies, nor any of the individual parties to the KP, would have any legal
Legal Implications of Canada’s Withdrawal:
4. The first legal implication of Canada’s potential withdrawal from the KP prior to the end of the
first commitment period is that it would render any enforcement or penalty provisions under the
KP inapplicable to Canada. During the one year Cooling Period Canada would still be bound to
strive towards its emissions reduction target for the first commitment period. However, notifying
Page 2 of 2
the UN Depositary prior to 31 December 2011 of its intention to withdraw from the KP would
mean that the enforcement branch of the KP’s compliance committee would have no power
under decision 27/CMP.1 to assess Canada's compliance with its annual assigned amount of
greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions. This stems from the fact that the enforcement branch can
only assess the compliance of a party to the KP at the end of the first commitment period. If
Canada is not a party to the KP at the end of the first commitment period, the enforcement
branch would have no jurisdiction to assess Canada’s compliance, save perhaps a declaration of
non-compliance .
5. Secondly, having withdrawn from the KP, Canada would not be subject to any emission reduction
targets in the second commitment period, assuming one is agreed in Durban.
6. Finally, a practical consequence of Canada’s withdrawal from the KP prior to the end of the first
commitment period is that Canada would avoid having to submit its final national inventory
report, due by 15 April 2014, for annual GHG emissions data for the period ending on 31
December 2012. Since by that point Canada would no longer be a party to the KP, it would not
need to purchase carbon credits during the “true-up period” in order to comply with its first
commitment period target (whether pro-rated or not).
Possibility of assessing Canada’s compliance with its emission reduction targets on a
pro-rata basis
7. Should Canada choose to withdraw from the KP, there does not appear to be any basis under the
Protocol or any related rules that would allow its emission reduction targets for the first
commitment period to be assessed on a
1 and 7, states that the reduction targets are calculated on the commitment period as a whole. By
virtue of withdrawing from the KP
exempt itself from having to meet its emission reduction commitments under the KP.
8. While the option of attempting to amend the KP to allow for pro-rated emission reduction
calculations would be open to the parties, such a process could not ultimately prevent Canada’s
withdrawal from the KP, should it choose to do so as described above. An amendment to the KP
may only be adopted at a CMP session, with notice of the proposed amendment provided to all
parties to the KP at least six months prior to such session. While this notice period is shorter than
the Cooling Period required by parties who have given notice of their intention to withdraw from
the KP, by the time the relevant amendment entered into force, the withdrawing party would no
longer be a party to the KP.
9. More fundamentally, however, pursuant to Article 20(4), amendments to the KP are only binding
on those who accept them and it is inconceivable that Canada would choose to adopt and ratify
an amendment which would allow for their first commitment period obligations to be pro-rated in
such a way that it could make Canada internationally responsible for breach of the KP.pro-rata basis. Article 3 of the KP, specifically paragraphsduring the first commitment period, Canada would essentially

GEF CEO Monique Barbut Hosts Panel Discussion on Africa Land, Water and Forests

2011-12-09T02:45:00.000-08:00

By VIOLET MENGO

The GEF, world’s largest public funder of international environmental projects, is responsible for funding the projects and coordinating the cofinancing of the total $2.36 billion(including $14.8 million from the LDCF and $4.6 million from the SCCF) for the three initiatives together, said these initiatives reflect the importance of merging economic and environmental priorities.

“The nations involved, and their allies in the international community, seek ways to pursue sustainable development in sub-Saharan Africa through careful management and protection of natural resources, including land, water and forests,” GEF CEO Barbut said. “These nations, spanning a vast region from the Sahel to the Congo basin, fully understand what is at stake for their own people and their national economies. The lives and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of Africans depend on sustaining the health of these fragile ecosystems.”

The Great Green Wall project focuses on sustainability and resistance to climate change in the Sahel. Drought, land degradation and water scarcity, perennial problems in this region, are now exacerbated by climate variability. Careful management of scarce natural resources is critical not only to the livelihoods of millions in this region covering 5 percent of the continent, but also to survival. The Great Green Wall Initiative of the Sahel and Sahara integrates management of dryland forests, agroforestry parklands, agricultural landscapes, and pastoral systems.

The Congo Basin, home to the world’s second largest tropical rain forest, covers an area the size of India. These forests contain the largest repository of biodiversity on the continent, extending across five countries – Cameroon, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon and Central African Republic. The Congo Basin Partnership involves local, national and international entities in implementing a collective vision to safeguard these forests as assets for climate-resilient development. At the same time, preservation of this forest system would represent a major contribution by Africa to protecting the global climate.

Lake Chad is the second largest wetland in Africa and a lifeline for nearly 20 million people in central Africa. The freshwater and rich biodiversity in the lake and surrounding wetlands is shared by Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. But the surface area of the lake has shrunk dramatically, declining from 25,000 square miles 45 years ago to 2,500 square miles today.

Today’s event comes one year after COP 16 in Cancun, where Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia, speaking on behalf of Africa, presented these three initiatives as priorities of the African Union. The situation is urgent: Climate change projections indicate that nearly one-third of the land base in Africa is under threat of desertification, and the continent as a whole is on a path to be hit hard by deforestation and drought, along with the reduction of available fresh water and consequent food insecurity. The wellbeing and livelihood of 70 percent of the continent’s population is at stake.

COP17 final day

2011-12-09T02:40:00.001-08:00

By VIOLET MENGO

120 countries, including Brazil, Japan, Canada and many African nations, have lined up behind the EU's proposal for a roadmap towards a new global agreement. The plan would involve the major emitters from both the developing and developed world to sign a deal in 2015 which would come into effect in 2020.

There was some confusion on Thursday when the US lead negotiator Todd Stern appeared to endorse the EU's position (he used the term "roadmap" approvingly twice in a press conference). He later rowed back from that though and seems to favour a more flexible time-table.

Meanwhile, India has been strongly opposed to any plan that would mean it and other large developing economies should take on legally-binding cuts to carbon emissions. China's position is ambiguous. It has made some warm noises about the EU plan but appears also to be some way from accepting legally binding cuts.

If there is to be a deal, the talks may well spill over into Saturday – and there are even rumours that delegates are preparing for the talking to continue into Sunday.

Couples testing together for HIV essential

2011-09-28T08:20:00.000-07:00

By VIOLET MENGO

28/09/2011

EMELIA Phiri, 33, a married woman with four children, a resident of George township in Lusaka, found herself pregnant again. She is scared because she has had three miscarriages which she has been suspecting her mother-in-law of being responsible for, through witchcraft.
She went to her local health centre for antenatal services at 24 weeks. She is one of the 16,000 newly pregnant women seeking antenatal services in the clinics of Lusaka in a month.
Because she did not want anything to happen with her pregnancy, she decided to take an HIV test and to her surprise she was found HIV-positive. When her husband learnt her results, she convinced him to be tested as well, partly because he had become ill several months earlier and was worried. He too was found HIV-positive.
The couple found great help and comfort in the supportive follow-up and counselling for HIV and AIDS and infant feeding that they received at the clinic. Ms Phiri delivered a healthy baby boy weeks later.
After assessing the infant feeding options presented by the counsellor, the couple decided to breastfeed exclusively for six months. The child is currently growing well.
Mary Chakulunta, a 24-year-old married woman with two children, early this year decided to attend Matero Clinic to seek family planning services.
After participating in health education on HIV and AIDS, Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) and the benefits of voluntary counselling and testing, she decided to take an HIV test.
She realised that she could be at risk because her spouse has had extra marital affairs which had strained their marriage considerably.
Ms Chakulunta learnt that her tests were negative, later she tried to convince her husband who also tested and his results were negative. The couple was very happy and is now able to discuss their relationship more openly.
Miriam Daka and Osward Bwalya, a young couple who live together, have big plans to get married and grow old together and so they have much to smile about.
With such big plans, they say, it only made sense to start their journey together by getting tested for HIV as a couple.
“By getting tested together, we will know the truth together from the start,” said Mr Bwalya, a carpenter at Garden market. “It’s a way of showing commitment to one another.”
Against such circumstances, Zambia Emory HIV Research Projects (ZEHRP), a pioneer in couple voluntary counselling and testing has been encouraging couples and partners living together to know their HIV status.
ZEHRP director William Kilembe said couples’ voluntary counselling and testing has been low in Zambia despite the organisation’s continued sensitisation.
Couples are defined by ZEHRP as two people who are married, cohabiting, pre-marital partners contemplating marriage, sex partners, or pre-sexual partners.
Dr Kilembe said couples often won’t test together because of conflicting work schedules or because so many married couples in Zambia live great distances from each other due to work.
He said testing together as a couple actually eases the burden of disclosing results to partners. “It can be a difficult thing to tell your partner your HIV status. But if they are counselled and tested at the same time, and they are together when the results come, that added pressure is taken away,” he said.
Making a presentation at a recent Couple HIV Voluntary Counselling and Testing (CHVCT) at the Hotel Intercontinental, he said couples need to consider VCT as an important component of their life in terms of planning.
Dr Kilembe said the research conducted by the organisation in Lusaka and Southern provinces revealed that there is still a lot needed to be done to encourage couples to test together.
The study showed that from 1994 to 2002, a total of 10,000 couples tested, while in from 2002 to 2007, 15,000 couples tested.
Dr Kilembe said from 2008 to first half of 2011, a total of 14,297 couples tested while during the same period in Southern Province 15, 290 couples tested.
He said as the HIV and AIDS epidemic escalates, it is increasingly vital that services including VCT are provided along with information and education about HIV and AIDS.
“VCT is an important tool for preventing the spread of HIV especially in communities with generalised epidemics. Testing allows couples to know their own status and to evaluate their behaviour,” he said.
Dr Kilembe said a negative test result offers a key opportunity to reinforce the importance of safe and risk reducing behaviours, while the positive test should allow a couple to receive referrals for counselling, care and support.
Dr Kilembe said the low VCT turnout by couples has forced the organisation to enhance its services.
From 2007, ZEHRP has been conducting VCT stand-alone services with influential network agents and leaders such as faith-based organisations, health non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the private sector.
Dr Kilembe said: “From 2008 onwards, integrated services into government clinics are done on weekends; nurses have been trained in Couple Voluntary Counselling and Testing (CVCT). The response has been overwhelming.”
He said integrating CVCT with antenatal programmes is key to identifying many pregnant women who in turn can come with their spouses for VCT.
Dr Kilembe said there is need for a comprehensive, structured and consistent referral system between Couples Voluntary Counselling and Testing and Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission.
Professor of Medicine and Public Health at the Emory University and Founder of ZEHRP Suzan Allen said with Government support in enhancing the lives of the people of Zambia, the CVCT is likely to be a success.
Dr Allen, who gave a presentation of how couples CVCT worked out in Kigali, said Rwanda’s Ministry of Health endorsed testing of male partners in antenatal while weekend programmes were set to accommodate both partners together.
“All parents want the best for their babies,” Dr Allen said. She said knowing one’s status allows couples to better decide their future and to have healthy babies.
She said: “The Kigali process to having a national CVCT programme a success took a lot of commitment from all stakeholders and government.”
It is said that one can really know the partner when you know each other’s HIV status. Testing is an act of love for each other.
She said from the lessons learnt, it is evident that successive implementation depends on support from government, funding agencies and leaders in influential positions in communities and faith-based organisations.
She said there is enthusiasm for CVCT, but tools, resources and political will are lacking . Advocacy and active promotion of couples testing together is critical to creating demand, as most Africans do not know that one partner can be HIV-positive while the other one negative.
Dr Allen said many approaches to HIV prevention and care require people to know their status. The importance of VCT has brought about wider promotion and VCT services.
However, since the majority of countries where HIV has a major impact are the poorest, the lack of resources has meant that VCT is still not widely available in the highest prevalence countries.
For VCT to be prioritised and for resources to be provided, demonstrating the effectiveness of VCT is essential.
ZEHRP has supported the training of health workers and HIV counsellors from public, private and civil society in CVCT.
As a result of the training, a good number of public clinics now target couples testing as part of the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) programme.
Zambia Prevention Care and Treatment (ZPCT) senior advisor Andrew Kumwenda said the organisation has been conducting capacity building among community leaders to enhance couple counselling and testing.
Dr Kumwenda said community sensitisation and mobilisation through the involvement of traditional leaders and other influential community members are vital.
“We have operated in Luapula and we have seen that the involvement of traditional leaders and other community leaders significantly improve couple counselling and testing,” he said.
Society for Family Health (SFH) has been running Partner for Social Marketing (PRISM) which focuses more on couple counselling and testing.
Since 2009 to date, a total of 134,656 couples have been tested in seven districts of Zambia.
The National VCT day this year placed emphasis on getting tested now and together.
The government, civil society and the private sector have been working to enhance and ensure that couples get tested together as this will build confidence and enhance the love for each other.
As they continue in their quest to encourage more couples to come out and test, issues of polygamous marriages need to be addressed because most data collecting tools only require two people.

Doctors Without Borders conduct measles vaccination

2011-09-28T08:01:00.000-07:00

By VIOLET MENGO

DOCTORS Without Borders are in Mpika to conduct a mass measles vaccination campaign and Vitamin A supplementation for children between six and 15 years.

The doctors, who were found in Mpika vaccinating children, said the exercise was intended to reduce cases of measles in the district.

Delegation leader Kim Gateii said Doctors Without Borders, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and UNICEF, decided to conduct the vaccination because of the increase in measles cases in the area.

Dr Gateii said four districts were being covered including Kasama, Mpulungu, Chilubi and Mpika, and 500,000 children have been targeted. He said the exercise has been going well and that rural communities have responded well to the exercise.

"Doctors Without Borders have been going through communities vaccinating children against measles and we deliberately extended the age requirement to 15 years so that we cover as many children as possible," he said.

He said the response has been good, except that many areas in the district are far and hard to reach, making the exercise difficult. And Mpika district commissioner Malama Sokoni said the increase in measles cases is as a result of visits from people from the Copperbelt who harvest caterpillars in the district. Mr Sokoni is hopeful that through the mass measles vaccination campaign, a lot of children will be vaccinated.

ENDS

Bangweulu Wetlands projects to improve locals welfare

2011-09-28T07:59:00.000-07:00

By VIOLET MENGO

11/06/2011

THE Bangweulu Wetlands Projects, a partnership of the community, Government and the African Parks, is improving living standards in the Bangweulu plains through sustainable management of the game management area.

The project covers six chiefdoms, namely Senior Chief Kopa, Kabinga, Chiundaponde, Chitambo, Nsamba and Chief Bwalya Mponda.

The project's goal is to make Zambia a tourism destination of choice through the national Protected Areas System. Project co-ordinator Craig Reid said the aim of the project is to find sustainable means of financial resources for locals, which will translate into better living conditions.

Mr Reid said by working with the community and the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA), which is the lead organisation, the Bangweulu Wetlands project has built bridges, staff houses and has contributed to improving the quality of health.

Mr Reid said the Bangweulu plains hold one of the largest Black Lechwes in the world and if well managed would help to improve tourism in the country. The project is a partnership of the community, Government and private sector. I

ts emphasis has been infrastructure development and so far, houses for all its staff have been built, some bridges have been repaired and support to health and education in the Bangweulu Wetlands has been enhanced.

"We still need to do a lot of sensitisation so that the community can fully accept and become more aware of their benefits," he said.

District commissioner Malama Sokoni said locals should exercise patience with their expectations from the project because it is a long-term project whose benefits will spill over to other sectors of the economy.

"My appeal to communities is to exercise patience as this project gets rooted. We have an opportunity to expand the tourism sector because of the Black Lechwe, which the project is trying to promote, so we have to give them time to do this work," he said.

Mr Sokoni said the Bangweulu Wetlands project is trying to improve and protect wildlife for the good of communities and contribute to growth in other sectors of the economy, including road rehabilitation, health and education infrastructure development.

Mr Sokoni also said the project has already created employment for some community members.

ENDS

Reduced poaching attributed to Bangweulu Wetlands project

2011-09-28T07:50:00.000-07:00

By VIOLET MENGO

11/06/2011

MPIKA District Commissioner Malama Sokoni has attributed the reduction in poaching in the district to the new Bangweulu Wetlands Project which has been implemented to manage game in the district.

Mr Malama said in Mpika that the district has recorded a reduction in poaching due to the enhanced law enforcement put in place by the Bangweulu Wetlands project.

The project that has been in existence for the past two and a half years is targeted at improving the lives of communities through better management of natural resources. It is a partnership of government, private sector and the community.

The district commissioner said poaching levels were high in the past, which called for law enforcement to be a priority through the good organisation of the scouts and other partners involved in the project.

Mr Malama said he has seen a lot of changes taking place since the project started and added that the project's continuity mostly depends on the communities' response.

"All our communities need for now is patience if they are truly interested in yielding real benefits from the project. We have already seen its contribution to the health, education and road network in the few years of its existence," the district commissioner said.

And Bangweulu Wetlands director Craig Reid said the efficiency of the scouts has improved through intensive training and refresher courses like parade drills, physical training musketry, navigation and tactical patrols.

It also focused on emergency first aid, law, communication system, report writing and data collection. Mr Reid said in 2010, the team performed well with over 8,600 patrol man days conducted.

"Seventy-five suspects were arrested and over five tonnes of bush meat, 16 firearms and other equipments confiscated. Additional firearms supplied to the project through Zambia Wildlife Authority, there is still a shortfall, which remains a constraint on patrolling activities, Mr Reid said. He said despite the efforts and successes of the law enforcement team, poaching remains at worrying levels.

ENDS

Mpika DC Sokoni bemoans illegal fishing

2011-09-28T07:45:00.000-07:00

By VIOLET MENGO

11/06/2011

MPIKA District Commissioner Malama Sokoni has bemoaned the use of illegal fishing methods in the district. Mr Sokoni said many people use mosquito nets for fishing leading to the depletion of fish in most rivers and lakes.

He charged that some residents use mosquito nets for fishing while other use them as wedding dresses. "The district received a total of 65,000 mosquito nets from the Ministry of Health (MoH), these are not being used to sleep under, but fishing and depleting the small fish that is growing, "the DC said.

He said illegal fishing is a concern to the district which has embarked on an education campaign to address the problem though the exercise has not yielded any positive results

Mr Sokoni said it is naturally difficult to get people change their mindset if an activity like fishing is their only source of income and livelihood. "We are also looking at alternative means to income generation like agriculture so that these people whenever there is a fish ban can have alternative means of survival," he said.

The people of Mpika mostly depend on fish and hunting and this makes any exercise meant to improve the management of fish and game hard. Mr Sokoni said ZAMBEEF has also come on board to train communities on the best fishing methods in selected areas of the district. A total of 60 community members in Kopa village are undergoing training in fish management.

He said community members will be trained in the management and sustainable use of fish. Mr Mulenga said ZAMBEEF also provided an ambulance to the Kopa health Centre which is also being managed well.

"About 60 community members will be trained and the exercise is meant to improve the daily lives of the people through improved nutrition and food security.
ENDS

ENDS

Tembo Construction guru in making

2011-09-28T07:38:00.000-07:00

By VIOLET MENGO

THE First time he set his feet in the city from the village was when he was accepted at the Copperbelt University (CBU) but Liver Tembo cares less about his background because today he is a proud owner of two companies.

No-one ever thought that Tembo could have a workforce of 27 with branches in Botswana, South Africa and Zambia from his two companies namely the Zambian Business and Construction News and L.T and Associates, where he is the founder and managing director.

It never crossed to Tembo's mind when he was leaving Eastern Province that one day he would be a voice for the voiceless in the construction industry. However, when he trekked from the countryside into the city, that is CBU, he was scared of being robbed following a warning from his mother to be careful of city tricksters.

"My first time to be in the City was when I was accepted at CBU. However, when I visited the city for the first time I pretended that I knew the place for fear of the tricksters I was warned of by my mother while in the village," he says.

Tembo possesses a Bachelor of Science in building, has a certificate in engineering economics for project managers and certificate in project management. He is a member of the Association of South African Quantity Surveyors.

"I am also a member of Botswana Institute of Quantity Surveyors and at the same time a member of South African Institute of Arbitrators and currently pursuing Masters in International Construction Management," he says.

Tembo, who was born on July 31, 1961, describes himself as a hard worker and a fighter who is set to transform the construction industry in Zambia. He says he hails from Eastern Province where he did his primary and secondary school at Chizongwe Secondary School and completed in 1977.

He later proceeded to CBU where he was among the first group to graduate in the School of Environmental Science with a bachelor of science in building in 1985. In his 3rd year at the university, Tembo obtained a scholarship from Apollo Enterprises Construction Company for his remaining two years of study.

He was the first student to acquire a private scholarship in his group when all others were depending on Government bursary scholarship. Upon completing his studies in 1985, he joined Apollo Enterprises as an assistant quality surveyor where he worked for a year later joined a company in Kitwe.

"I also worked for Lendor Burton Construction where I was a contracts administer from 1987-1989.At the time my main duties were to manage the project for the rehabilitation of the Kafue Gorge power project," he says.

In 1989, he rejoined Apollo Enterprises as a principle quantity surveyor responsible for Southern Region based in Lusaka. His duties included management of all projects in southern part of Zambia. After gaining more experience, Tembo left for Bostwana where he worked for Kerbot Construction for a year before he started his first company- Liver Tembo and Associates.

"I started without any capital, instead I was doing freelance consultancy services. After realising that there was so much work in Botswana most local contractors could not have a fair share of business because of lack of experience," he says.

Since the formation of the company, L.T and Associates has developed niche market in contract auditing, direct project management, building surveying, quality surveying with major clients being Botswana government, Kingdom Finance and FNB Botswana.

Tembo has also keen interest in property development having acquired some properties in Botswana where is he currently developing a 36- unit block of flats.

He says as an achiever, he does not believe in failure hence, decided to relocate his business to Zambia to be a voice for the voiceless of the small-scale constructors. He says the problems in the Zambian construction sector which then favoured foreigner constructors at the expense of the local, were an opportunity for his company to penetrate the local market.

"I believe that where there is a problem, there is a business opportunity. It is sad that as Zambians we like to complain and talk but I have chosen to act each time I am faced with a challenge," he says.

He says instead of complaining along with other constructors and key players in the sector, his company is focusing on offering solutions. He says currently the sector is being hampered by financial muscle which most local constructors fail to raise in bid, performance and advance payment bonds each time they are awarded a major contract.

"This has made most companies fail to participate effectively in the sector because they cannot afford to raise the initial finances required," he says.

To this effect, Tembo is planning to set up a first Public Private Partnership (PPP) consortium in Zambia whose aim is to spear head property development through PPP scheme.

"In the next three years, I will set up the consortium company which will help drive the sector by allowing more participation from the locals who have been marginalised for a long time," he says.

He says Zambia offers opportunities in construction projects through PPP but Zambians are not taking advantage of good government policies hence, all the PPP projects are currently being handled by foreign firms.

"It's time to educate enterprising Zambians to take full advantage of the economic growth instead of spending time blaming the Government," he says. One wonders if Tembo took advantage of the economic boom,,."Yes I did. As you know I'm not only in construction but in media as well following my establishment of the second company in 2010."

He says the idea of starting a newspaper started in 2004 while he was in Botswana where he first got interested in the media business. He set up his first newspaper called Construction and Property Review in 2004 which was a fortnightly newspaper focusing on construction and property news.

The paper did not last long. It only managed to run six issues and nose dived. The main season for stopping was be that we could not get sufficient advertising to support our publication as the readership was small," he reflects. This setback did not shut his dream of owning a newspaper.

Tembo decided to open an office in Zambia in 2009 after realising that the local economy was doing well and the construction sector was growing at a fast rate.

"By mid June 2010 I realised that Zambia was the best place for me to realise my long time dream of investing also in the media industry hence, on 1st November 2010, I launched the Zambian Construction News which was later changed to Zambian Business and Construction News which is a weekly publication," he says.

He says the newspaper currently has a monthly turnover of K300 million with a countrywide circulation. Talking about his family, Tembo says he is the first- born child in a family of six his father being Joseph and mother Tissah Tembo.

He got married to Miriam, with whom he has four children namely Tissah, Chikumbutso, Tokozile and Towera. Tembo commended his family for being supportive in his business ventures adding the family is key in ensuring that the business stands the test of time, especially in this era where other people care less about one's vision and dreams.

ENDS

Fight against TB, HIV intensifies

2011-09-28T07:26:00.000-07:00

30/06/2011

By VIOLET MENGO

AS TUBERCULOUS (TB) and HIV continue to ravage Zambia and many other sub-Saharan countries, researchers at the Zambia AIDS Related TB Project (ZAMBART) are leading a study whose results will help establish whether a mix of community-level interventions can halt the spread of TB and HIV in Zambia.

TB is the biggest killer of people with HIV, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. The scientific community is aware of the link between the two diseases but communities where many people are hardest hit by the HIV plus TB may be unaware of the link between the two.

Formed in 1989 following a collaboration between the University of Zambia's School of Medicine and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the United Kingdom, ZAMBART is working with learning institutions in Zambia and around the world with the aim of coming up with a new method of tackling the co-epidemics.

For example, ZAMBART is currently finalising its Zambia-South Africa TB and AIDS Reduction (ZAMSTAR) study.

The ZAMSTAR study is a seven-year (2004 - 2011) US$15 million study, seeking to test interventions that can limit the spread of TB at the community-level. The study is a randomised trial that took place in 24 communities - 16 in Zambia and eight in Western Cape of South Africa. This study, the largest ever of its kind, touched over 1.2 million people.

The ZAMSTAR study is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through the Consortium to Respond Effectively to the AIDS and TB Epidemics. TB is a bacterium that infects the lungs, and spreads between people living in over-crowed conditions. It is particularly a problem for people living in poverty, and for people infected with HIV.

In fact, TB is the leading cause of illness and death among people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) in Zambia. About 70 percent of PLWHA are co-infected with TB and HIV, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Diagnosis depends mostly on a century-old approach of microscopy to look at smears of patients' sputum to identify the TB organisms visually, or through laboratory culture, which can take six to eight weeks.

For a period of three years (2006 - 2009), the ZAMSTAR study implemented a number of interventions at community level with the support of the District Health services.

The interventions included helping TB and HIV services work together (integration of TB and HIV service and care), finding more TB cases (enhanced TB case finding) and delivering TB and HIV care directly to households through a TB patient (household counselling).

In order to reach communities with messages on TB and HIV, the ZAMSTAR study utilised an array of different social mobilisation techniques. These included: drama performance, distribution of information, education and communication (IEC) materials, providing health talks within the community and at the clinic, going to schools and educating school children on TB and HIV with school quizzes, sport and health debate.

In each community team, ZAMSTAR members were embedded in the District Health Management Team and in the Ministry of Health facilities. Through the ZAMSTAR interventions, researchers are trying to measure how effective the interventions are at reducing the spread of TB and HIV at the community level.

"The ZAMSTAR has had a number of successes, it has been most rewarding to see, my greatest pleasure is to see that communities are much more aware about the link between HIV and TB and how it is important for them to seek prompt treatment from health centres," says Justin O'Brien.

ZAMBART Project Policy Advocacy and communication manager. The Zambian government through the Ministry of Health (MoH) also authorised ZAMBART to pilot Ionized Preventive Therapy (IPT) in all the communities where the ZAMSTAR study is being conducted.

IPT is given to individuals living with HIV but without TB to reduce their risk of developing TB. Past research has shown that IPT reduces incidence of TB by as much as 33 percent in those who take it.

In addition, IPT offers several key benefits which include: well tolerated with few side-effects, improves the quality of life of beneficiaries, leads to overall reduction of TB cases, reduces TB transmission within the family and the community and reduces the burden on the health care system.

ZAMBART installed four containerised laboratories within Zambia to process sputum samples and conducts extensive data collection training for its field teams.

These containerised TB laboratories, called ZamLab CTLs, were introduced in the country in an effort to conduct a large-scale TB prevalence survey in a less-developed country with a poor transportation network.

The use of these ZamLab CTLs in Zambia has proven so successful that labs are being ordered and constructed all over the world in countries such as Haiti, Kenya and Botswana. Treatment for TB involves drugs such as Rifampicin and Isoniazid, which takes six months to complete the treatment, and then six months of hospital visits to make sure the infection has been cleared. TB is curable when one finishes their treatment.

The Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ) is another non-governmental organisation which has been working with TB- related research in Zambia since 2008. One area of research focus is defining the best strategies for screening and treating patients infected with both HIV and TB. For example, CIDRZ recently completed an international study with AIDS Clinical Trials Groups (ACTG) on the best time to start antiretroviral drugs (ART) in patients with both TB and HIV.

All the TB studies we do at CIDRZ are relevant to Zambia and other resource- limited settings," CIDRZ Medical Director Dr Stewart Reid says. He says CIDRZ works closely with the Ministry of Health and the UNZA Biomedical Research Ethics Committee and external independent monitors to ensure that all ethical issues in research are adhered to.

The ACTG treatment study found that for patients with both TB and HIV, it is important to start ART early, especially in patients with advanced HIV disease. These results were shared with Dr Nathan Kapata, manager of the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Programme at the Ministry of Health.

Sharing of information about research results between Zambia-based researchers and the MoH ensures that proven evidence identified through ethical research may be incorporated into policy so that Zambians benefit from the research done in the country. CIDRZ also works closely with the MoH in improving TB diagnosis in district clinics.

Dr Nzali Kancheya, head of CIDRZ TB Department, says there are many challenges in TB screening in HIV-positive patients. She explains that it is difficult to find the TB germ when the standard sputum smear microscopy is done. Up to 50 percent positive patients may be missed if smear alone is used.

As a result, CIDRZ is trying to investigate better ways of diagnosing TB in HIV-positive patients. "We are looking for more accurate, shorter and easier ways of diagnosing TB, Dr Kancheya says. One way of doing this is with a new instrument called Xpert MTB/RIP which has recently been approved by World Health Organisation (WHO).

It provides accurate results in less than 90 minutes and is more sensitive than older methods for diagnosing TB especially in HIV- infected individuals.

In addition to diagnosing TB, it can be used for rapid detection for multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) and is recommended for use worldwide at district and sub-district level as a "point of care" diagnostic tool. CIDRZ along with the MoH is planning clinical trials of this promising tool in Zambia this year. With renewed interest in more research and funding, the fight against TB has moved a notch higher and may soon be won.

ENDS

Safe water access foundation to good health - Luangwa DC

2011-09-28T07:08:00.000-07:00

By VIOLET MENGO

LUANGWA District Commissioner (DC) Musole Siachisa says over 80 boreholes have been sunk in the district to provide clean and safe drinking water for the people.

In an interview in Luangwa, Mr Musole said the district is characterised by poor water and sanitation facilities, but the provision of the boreholes has helped improve the livelihood of the people through reduction of diseases.

He said government is committed to providing the residents of Luangwa with clean and safe drinking water.

"Government recognises that access to safe drinking water is the foundation of good health especially among children," he said.

Mr Musole said although the demand for clean and safe water is still huge, efforts to address the challenge are being made by government and non governmental organisations.

The DC said government seeks to create, promote and support conditions within which access to improved water and sanitation can be based.

He said the boreholes have also helped to reduce the cases of water-borne diseases that are common in the district. And Childfund Zambia launched an improved water project in the district aimed at enhancing access to clean and safe water.

Twelve boreholes will be sunk in three communities at a cost of K1.2 billion. The villages are Chikonwelelo, Tigwilizane and Mandombe. National director Ely Keita said ChildFund believes that improved access to clean and safe water greatly reduces the number of children who die from water-borne diseases.

He said 12 boreholes willbe sunk and solar powered pumps to supply water to 10 000 litre pumps. "We have trained selected members of the communities who will help in maintaining the facilities that we are going to put in place," Mr Keita said. The improved water project will be extended to other parts of the district once the drilling in the three communities is completed.

ENDS

Mukonka Medical genius enters political arena

2011-09-28T07:05:00.001-07:00

Lusaka General Hospital adds value to health sector

2011-09-28T06:48:00.000-07:00

By VIOLET MENGO,

SINCE President Rupiah Banda assumed power in 2008, Government has been working round the clock to deliver on the promise and three years down the line many infrastructural developments have seen the light of day.

One of the major infrastructure developments the government of President Banda initiated is the Lusaka General Hospital (LGH). The multi-billion kwacha hospital built with the help from the Chinese government was on Monday commissioned by President Banda.

Mr Banda has put the improvement of the health sector top on the agenda and the opening of the Lusaka General Hospital is proof that the health delivery system is getting closer to the people.

Mr Banda commissioned the K48 billion new Lusaka General Hospital with a call on the district health management team to devise new and more effective ways of looking after public infrastructure and appealed to the public to desist from vandalism.

"My only plea to all of you is that you play a serious part in looking after these facilities and guard them jealously. Please play a role in discouraging vandalism, the hospital has been built for you at great cost and you must benefit from its services for a long time to come," said Mr Banda.

The opening of the 150-bed second level hospital is yet another indication of President Banda's desire to preside over an administration that is committed to taking quality and affordable health care as close to the people as possible.

The construction of the hospital is aimed at decongesting the University Teaching Hospital (UTH). Other clinics in Lusaka, such as Matero, Kanyama, Chawama and Chipata, have already been upgraded to mini-hospitals. The Lusaka General Hospital was constructed by China Jiangsu International Economic Cooperation under a grant by the People's Republic of China.

The newly-constructed hospital covers a floor space of 7,500 square metres with 150 sickbeds. Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Zhou Xiao said departments such as internal machine, surgery, gynaecology and Obstetrics, paediatrics, emergency, imaging and radiology will be set up to facilitate comprehensive medical services. Mr Zhou said China has equipped the hospital with 128 categories of modern medical equipment, laboratory facilities and auxiliary installations.

Other equipment include CT scanner, a digital X-ray machine, a coloured ultrasound system and fibre gastro scope.

Mr Zhou said more equipment would be made available to the hospital by China to meet the increasing needs. President Banda's Government has in the last two years built hospitals, health centres, health posts, training schools and houses for medical staff to enhance access to quality health care countrywide.

"My Government is determined to improve the health delivery system in the country so that our vision to provide Zambians with equity of access to cost- effective health care as close to the family as possible is realised. We are doing this by building modern district hospitals throughout the country," Mr Banda said.

The President said the Lusaka General Hospital is a high- tech shining example of the reliable and mutually beneficial relationship Zambia enjoys with the People's Republic of China.

Government is not only building hospitals, but also ensures that the facilities have sufficient drugs and are manned by a professional and motivated workforce in order to ensure that the hospitals have adequate manpower.

Mr Banda said a recruitment drive for manpower has been embarked upon both locally and abroad. For this year alone, Government allocated K52 billion to the Ministry of Health for the recruitment of different categories of health workers, and the process is ongoing.

"We have opened a new medical school at the Copperbelt University to train more medical and dental surgeons. We also hope to increase the intake of students in our institutions by expanding learning facilities and opening new ones," he said.

The introduction of new training programmes such as the direct entry training for midwives and parallel enrolment schemes for clinical officers have led to a significant improvement in the number of personnel in the country.

China has also decided to attach 11 Chinese volunteer doctors to the hospital while the 16th team with another 28 doctors is ready to leave China for Zambia anytime soon.

From 1978 to date, China has made 500 scholarships available to Zambia. 150 have completed their studies while others are still studying medical science in China. Among the 44 students who are going to study on Chinese scholarships this year, 13 of them will major in medicine.

The medical scholarships are aimed at helping Zambia's capacity building in the health sector, which is equally as essential as hospital building.

Mr Banda said the commissioning of the new district hospital in Lusaka is an affirmation of another great achievement Government has recorded for the people of Zambia. He said the new hospital is another demonstration of what Government is accomplishing to improve health service delivery to the people.

In the last two years Government has built hospitals, health centres, health posts, training schools and houses for medical staff to enhance access to quality health care.

All Zambians who appreciate the services being offered at various medical facilities in the country will admire and support the work Government is doing.

"We have been able to plan for the increasing demands by constructing the modern hospital. My Government is also aware that Lusaka faces many other health concerns such as HIV and AIDS, maternal health demands and critical injuries arising from road traffic accidents which will now be ably handled at the new hospital," Mr Banda said.

A Lusaka resident Margarate Chibwe, who witnessed the official opening of the hospital, commended Government for bringing the health facility closer to the people. Ms Chibwe, who lives in Chainama near the hospital, said the facility will help them access medical attention easily without having to incur a lot of costs on transport to UTH. She said.

"This is the development that we have been waiting for, health is key to any nation and we are grateful that the facility has been brought close to us."

These developments that are taking place are in line with the Sixth National Development Plan 2011- 2015.

The vision for the health sector is equitable access to quality health care by all by 2030; its goal is to improve the health status of the people in Zambia in order to contribute to socio-economic development.

The ambassador said managing a modern hospital well is not easier than building it and he pledged his country's support to work closely with Zambia to make the hospital fully functional as early as possible.

ends

Zambia's fight against HIV/AIDS hampered by TB

2011-09-28T06:36:00.000-07:00

Violet Mengo

The Daily Mail, Zambia

IT IS NOT ZAMBIA ALONE BUT MANY OTHER COUNTRIES ALSO ARE IN A SIMILAR SITUATION OF DIFFICULTIES WITH TB HIV CO-INFECTION"

Zambia's fight against HIV/AIDS is being hampered by the preventable and curable disease - tuberculosis (TB).

Efforts to address this challenge has resulted in a global meeting scheduled for New York where government, public health and business leaders, heads of UN agencies and advocates will acknowledge HIV/TB as an urgent priority. VIOLET MENGO reports.

THE first ever HIV/TB Global Leaders' Forum, convened by Dr Jorge Sampaio, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Stop TB, seeks to galvanize leadership at all levels in curbing the scourge.

At this meeting Dr Sampaio is expected to report back to the UN General Assembly High-Level meeting on AIDS which would take place a day after the leaders' forum on the results of the HIV/TB Global Leaders' Forum. It will be a call to action.

This is against a background of calls for bold leadership at all levels to cut the number of deaths from TB among people living with HIV in the world.

With the emergence of drug resistant strains of TB, which are particularly lethal in populations with high rates of HIV infection, HIV/TB has become a global security issue.

It is also believed that drugs, diagnostics and vaccines currently available are not appropriate for people with HIV/TB co-infection. The call is for new tools that work in the presence of co-infection.

HIV and TB are major constraints for socio-economic development and investing in joint TB and HIV/AIDS interventions would strengthen health systems and contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals on poverty reduction by keeping people healthy and productive.

The leaders' forum provides a platform on which to ensure that HIV/TB prevention and treatment is secure.

It is expected that leaders at the forum will take the opportunity to reaffirm their commitment to addressing this dual threat.

Many countries in the world, and Africa in particular are making impressive gains in treating people living with HIV, but this investment and progress is squandered by TB.

Without proper treatment with anti-TB drugs, approximately 90 per cent of people living with HIV die within two to three months of becoming sick with TB, even if they are receiving anti-retroviral treatment.

Worldwide, nearly a quarter of a million people die from HIV/TB co-infection each year. This dual threat is a barrier to keeping people healthy and productive, and impacts poverty reduction plans and the broader development agenda.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) reports that the HIV/AIDS epidemic has lowered the growth of gross domestic product (GDP) worldwide by US$25 billion per year.

A number of studies, including one released by the World Bank last month, have also found that the direct and indirect costs of inaction on HIV are far greater than the costs of treatment.

As for TB, a 2007 World Bank research report stated that countries heavily affected by TB could collect at least 9 times their investments in TB control.

In Zambia, TB incidences have greatly increased in the last 10 years. DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment Short Course), the internationally recommended TB control strategy that includes standardised case detection, treatment and patient support that requires consistent drug supply and effective monitoring systems is in place.

Zambia has adopted and implemented DOTS since 2000. Full national DOTS coverage was reportedly achieved at the end of 2006 with an estimated treatment success rate of 90 per cent.

But is it really time to focus on DOTS more intensively?

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), drug resistant TB is a symptom of poor programme performance.

It is said that if it is hoped to change the outcome and decrease the proportion of drug resistant TB, the DOTS model should to be adapted or its implementation improved. More of the same might only compound the TB drug resistance threat.

Despite the recent DOTS coverage gains in Zambia, many communities in the rural areas are lagging due to a number of reasons.

Rural settings, poor communities and mobile populations, for example are subject to social and economic factors that often lead to incomplete or inappropriate treatment.

In addition, TB diagnosis is difficult in people living with HIV- a growing proportion of people with TB today.

Better strategies to make TB control programmes work more effectively for the most vulnerable and hard to reach communities are also essential to improving treatment adherence and as a consequence reducing drug resistance.

The Ministry of Health 2006 annual report highlights Multi Drug Resistant TB (MDR-TB) as having been encountered in Zambia and its presence in HIV programme.

MoH spokesperson Dr Canisius Banda said the ministry had continued to experience challenges in addressing HIV/TB.

He said the ministry was working on addressing the challenges of HIV/TB with help from partners.
"The challenge of HIV/TB challenges is being felt and efforts to address this problem were being addressed. It is not Zambia alone but many other countries also are in a similar situation of difficulties with co-infection. We are partnering with the private sector to expand service provision," Dr Banda said.

He said concerted efforts from higher levels were the best way of answering the challenge of co-infection in Zambia and the region as a whole.

Dr Banda called for effective TB treatment for those with TB and preventive therapy to those with the disease.

"A six months treatment costs less than US$20 while a preventive drug therapy costs US$2, an amount many Zambians can easily afford. Many people are not keen on prevention," he said.

In Zambia, progress remains slow on the more challenging front of detecting and treating TB among people cared for in HIV treatment settings.

Dr Banda said that 90 percent of people with TB were also HIV positive; he said this was very common in many patients in Zambia.

Zambia's HIV activist and a person living with HIV/AIDS Winstone Zulu urged the Government to help stop TB especially among people living with HIV.

Mr Zulu, who is also a TB Partnership Kochon Winner (2007), said it would be good to see a unified response to the challeng

MoH employ Mother Baby Pack to address HIV in pregnant mothers

2010-12-18T02:56:00.000-08:00

Preventing the further spread of HIV is government’s great concern; programmes have been carried out in an effort to reduce the escalating numbers of people living with the virus. Recently, the Ministry of Health launched a new innovation called the Mother Baby Pack, aimed at stopping the transmission of the virus from mother to the baby as VIOLET MENGO reports.

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THE YEAR 2010 was to be a landmark in the global response to HIV and AIDS.

This follows the endorsement by the member states of the United Nations (UN) at the 2005 UN Millennium Summit to reach access to HIV universal treatment, prevention and care.

But it came as no surprise at the July 2010 AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria that this goal is far from being met, despite substantial progress in delivering antiretroviral therapy to those in need.

This is a step backwards in terms of commitments made by political leaders to enhance the fight against HIV. But still a lot is being done to fight the epidemic and help reduce the further spread of the virus especially from mothers to their born babies.

The face of HIV is increasingly young and female. If a woman living with HIV becomes pregnant, there is a 35 percent chance that she will transmit the virus to her newborn if no preventive action is taken.

At the end of 2007, there were over 2.5 million children under age 15 living with HIV, most of whom contracted the virus from their mothers during pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding (UNAIDS).

Fortunately, pregnant women who are living with HIV can reduce their chances of passing the virus on to their newborns by 50 percent by taking antiretroviral drugs (UNICEF).

Preventing mother to child transmission of HIV is very critical in saving lives and curbing impact of the epidemic particularly in Sub Saharan Africa where the majority of women living with HIV live and infant mortality remains high.

In Zambia, an innovation called Mother Baby Pack is expected to help reduce the transmission of the virus to the children. The project is being undertaken by the Ministry of Health with its partners complementing on the existing on the existing Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission

The PMTCT programme is a strategy where an HIV pregnant mother is given one type of antiretroviral drug (niverapine) during child birth to reduce the chances of the baby to be born with the virus.

PMTCT in Zambia has been running since1999. From the initial six centres, the programme now runs in more all the districts countrywide.

Zambia

has made strides in increasing PMTCT coverage. Government data released last December found that 63 percent of pregnant women who are living with HIV and AIDS received ARV medicines that are highly successful in blocking the transmission of HIV from mother to child.

The ministry of health has been happy with the performance of the programme but has in addition introduced the Mother Baby Pack to ensure the safety of both the mother and child.

The aim of the Mother Baby Pack is to increase uptake of ARVs HIV positive pregnant women and reduce the mother to child transmission of HIV.

A Mother Baby Pack is a color coded and pre packaged set of prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV medicines. The pack consist of maternal and baby prophylactic anti retroviral (ARVs) medicines and Cotrimoxazole based on the WHO 2010 guidelines.

The medicines comes in a portable box with clear direction for when a mother should take the drugs and also when and how to give them to her new born child. The diagrams and colours are designed to help a mother understand the changing schedule of PMTCT medicines and dosages that she and her infant require during pregnancy, birth and during the child’s first month of life.

Ministry of Health (MoH) PMTCT specialist Dr Maximilliam Bweupe said the Mother Baby Pack aims to address the gaps that have been observed in the implementation of PMTCT services and in the provision of quality continuum of care for pregnant women, mothers and their infants.

Dr Bweupe said the Mother Baby Packs are meant as a vehicle for delivering more officious PMTCT regimens to mother who are living with HIV and AIDS and their children.

He said: “It is gratifying that the provincial heads and districts medical officers have embraced the concept enthusiastically and we look forward to the goal of virtual elimination of HIV in children.”

According to Dr Bweupe, women would be able to get combination of ARVS unlike before when they would only get one type of ARVS.

He said the Mother Baby Pack makes logistics easier because one pack to one mother.

The objective of the mother baby pack is to provide a pre-packed set of PMTCT medicines including co-trimoxazole to help HIV positive pregnant women on first contact at ANC for use from 14 weeks or thereafter, that will cover the ANC, intra partum and post natal period for the woman and her exposed baby.

Through the implementation strategy, reach 10 300 HIV positive women in eight selected districts of Zambia within one year period.

Eight districts have been selected for the pilot of the programmes namely Katete, Chipata, Choma, Luanshya, Chibombo, Chongwe, Kabwe and Kawambwa.

The criteria for selection of the districts included district with health centres providing PMTCT services, presence and support of a strong implementing partner and facilities with community structures supporting the delivery of health services. Districts that have rural and semi-urban facilities with varied geographical accessibility, district that has a high HIV burden and a district with a strong management team.

UNICEF Zambia representative Dr Iyolumun Uhaa said it is forecast that the packs would have a great impact in rural areas where it is more difficult for women to access clinics and hospitals.

MoH spokesperson Kamoto Mbewe encouraged and thanked all partners that have embraced the concept of the Mother Baby Pack and are committed to making it a success.

The Mother Baby Pack is being supported by a broad partnership including Family Health International, the centre for Infectious diseases, Research in Zambia and the Catholic Relief Services.

Elizabeth Glaser country Director in Zambia for Paediatrics AIDS Foundation, Dr Suzan Strasser said the foundation was supporting the Mother Baby Pack initiative because it shows great potential in eliminating HIV infection in children by reducing missed opportunities for care and promoting infant feeding through the use of ARVs during the breastfeeding.

“The Mother Baby Packs provide mothers who are living with HIV with the drugs they need before, during and after giving birth. An important component of the pack is the addition of medicines for the breast fed baby. An HIV positive mother will now be able to breastfeed their newborns more safely with reduced risks of transferring the virus. This will help build an HIV free generation in Zambia, “Dr Strasser.

Zambian Government sms system for HIV test Results

2010-09-30T07:02:00.000-07:00

By Violet Nakamba Mengo

HIV-positive Bupe Mwamba, 22, lies next to her newborn baby girl at the rural clinic she just gave birth in and wonders if her baby is HIV-positive too.

She has been for counselling throughout her antenatal check-ups and knows there is a chance her baby girl may be HIV-negative. But it still does not eliminate her fears and anxieties.

"It is a moment of reflection about the future of your child and how your child will cope being HIV-positive. It cannot go without (me feeling) some kind of fear as a human being," she said.

Here at the Chipulukuso rural health centre in Ndola, Zambia's Copperbelt province, when an HIV test was done, blood samples were taken and then transported to a central regional hospital for analysis. The results were then sent back to the rural centre in a process that used to sometimes take up to 10 weeks.

And in the lifetime of a newborn baby, it was valuable time wasted during which the HIV-positive infant could have been placed on antiretroviral treatment (ART).
But Mwamba is fortunate. She will not have to wait so long to know her baby's status.
Because of the delays in sending and receiving HIV test results the ministry of health has piloted a short messaging service (SMS) that will now send HIV results of children less than 18 months back to health centres within three to five days.

The blood sample taken from Mwamba's baby, together with other samples from other rural health centres, are couriered to Ndola Arthur Davison Hospital, the central hospital on the Copperbelt region. Here the blood samples are tested for HIV.

The test results of the infants are then sent back to the health centres via a machine that receives information in the form of short messages. The test results will be printed out and the relevant doctor will be able to pass on the diagnosis to the parent.

Director of Public Health in the ministry of health, Victor Munkonka, is optimistic that the programme, once implemented nationally, will reduce the country's infant mortality rate by more that 50 percent.

Mukonka explained that the delay in administering ART to children who are less than 18 months old was contributing to the high death rates of babies in the country.
"We realised that we were losing many babies because of the delay in testing them for HIV, this is mostly because of lack of proper diagnostic machines to detect the virus in infants," he said. He also noted that those in remote areas had difficulty receiving their results once the blood samples were sent to the central hospital.
Mukonka said the SMS project started in January 2010 at selected health centres located in the rural areas of Zambia's Copperbelt, Central and Northern provinces.
"We are targeting 10 health centres on the pilot project which will be assessed after six months. During this period, tests that are sent to Arthur Davison from these health centres will be sent back using SMS within a short period of time," Mukonka said.
Mukonka said the SMS system will save infants' lives through prompt diagnosis and treatment.

Media Network on Child Rights and Development chairperson Felistus Chipako said the decision by the ministry of health to introduce the SMS to address paediatric HIV is a good development.

Chipako said Zambia has in the recent past struggled to address child mortality, which is among the highest in Sub Saharan Africa. Zambia's 2008 Demographic Health Survey showed the country's under-5 mortality rate was 119 deaths per 1,000 live births.

She said the intervention would help treat HIV-positive children in a more prompt manner than has been the case. "The system also calls for intensive counselling for mothers on how to handle the whole thing when given the results," she added.

Mwamba, however, said that the new method of receiving results was exciting, and that she was looking forward to the service working quickly.

Mwamba was discharged the day after her delivery and was scheduled to return to hospital with her baby for a check-up a week later.
When she returned seven days later, she also received the results of her child's HIV test.
Her baby girl is HIV-negative.
"I feel relieved that my baby is HIV negative, I spent the past six days pondering about what life would have been like for the little one living with the virus," Mwamba said.

However, Mwamba was encouraged to bring back her daughter for another HIV test when she is three months, then at six months and finally at 18 months for the last test. This is done to ensure that the baby is truly negative, since Mwamba is breastfeeding her baby.

"I am positive that the project will work if the health staff remain committed to it," she said.
Mumba said she cannot forget the fear, pain and anxiety in waiting for her baby's test results.

Journalist called to step up in the fight against HIV and TB

2010-09-30T06:39:00.000-07:00

By Violet Nakamba Mengo
Journalists must do more to report effectively on HIV, AIDS and TB issues in Africa, according to prominent health organisations.

Speaking at an international training workshop for journalists in Cape Town, South Africa on Thursday, Anthony Harries, head of the Paris-based health organisation International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IUATLD) challenged the media to be responsible for highlighting the pandemic.

“TB is a major killer in Africa,” Harries said. “A lot is still required to be done. Journalists write on it and speak on it, for the African continent to change.”

Awarding wining health experts concurred with a call from journalists demanding African governments to appoint HIV and AIDS ministers to specifically look on the epidemic. Harries, however, declined to be drawn to the political will behind the matter.

The four-day workshop, organised by National Press Foundation (NPF) under its Journalist-to-Journalist programme, is aimed at training journalists on how to report on HIV and AIDS. Fifty-six journalists from around the world gathered for the Cape Town, South Africa training in preparation of the 5th International AIDS Society Conference on AIDS pathogenesis, treatment and prevention that starts on 19 July.
IUATLD is an international union against TB and lung disease. Its mission is to bring innovation, expertise, solutions and support to address health in low and middle income populations.

The union has its headquarters in Paris and regional country offices serving the Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, North America and South East Asia regions. Its science departments focus on tuberculosis, HIV, lung health and non communication diseases, tobacco control and research.
Harries also emphasised the urgent need for new tools in early TB detection.

“We need a new diagnostic tool for TB that will allow quick detection of the diseases just like the rapid diagnostic for AIDS,” he said.

Harries said for a long time the TB detection tool has in some cases failed to identify the disease in its infancy until when the disease is in the advanced stage.

School Policy for Teen Mothers a Partial Success

2010-09-30T06:26:00.000-07:00

By Violet Nakamba Mengo

Naomi Mulenga is determined to beat the odds by finishing her school education and becoming a nurse - despite being a teenage mother.

At 13, she is the mother of a seven-month-old baby she raises on her own since the father denies responsibility for the child.

Mulenga says she feels bitter about the turn of events in her life, especially because she also heads a household since her parents' death in 2007, and takes care of a younger brother and sister.

Lack of parental guidance coupled with sexual inexperience and peer pressure landed Mulenga in the arms of a young man who promised her marriage, but instead made her pregnant and abandoned her.

Luckily, Mulenga's teachers were understanding and encouraged her to attend school until she gave birth and to return after the delivery of the baby. She currently attends grade eight at Kanakashi Basic School in Kasama, in Zambia's Northern Province, where she is one of the top pupils in her class.

"When the (exam) results came out in January, I was among the girls selected for grade eight. I was happy but also saddened because I did not have the money (to continue to go to school," Mulenga recalled.

Eventually, she was offered a bursary to finish secondary school and enroll for tertiary education through the department of education's Girls Re-entry Policy aimed specifically at teenage mothers. She also received an additional child support grant for poor households.

Mulenga says she is working extra hard to show other girls in similar situations that falling pregnant does not have to be the end of the road. While she is at school, her six-year-old sister takes care of the baby.

Deputy Minister of Education, Clement Sinyinda, explains the Re-Entry Policy tries to address gender
inequalities that have disadvantaged girls from accessing education in the country for many years. The policy is part of a wider strategy to improve education for girls, he explained.

Until 1997, pregnant girls were expelled from Zambian schools, while teenage fathers were not held responsible.

The numbers of teenage pregnancies have been on a steady increase countrywide, according to the education department, with 9,111 reported pregnancies of school-going girls in 2005, compared to 12,370 in 2008.

But thanks to the financial support offered through the Re-entry Policy and the child support grant, more than a third of those teenage mothers returned to school after giving birth, the department noted.

"The ministry is seriously trying to address the challenges of girls becoming pregnant whilst in school," promised Sinyinda. Apart from financial support, strategies include career guidance and counseling sessions, as well as sexual education, he says.

However, the deputy minister admitted that while the Re-entry Policy has helped to increase school enrolment of girls, achieving universal access to education for all still remains a big challenge - not only due to teenage pregnancy, but also because of widespread poverty.

To assist all poor children in the country, government offered almost 95,000 children in grades one to nine bursaries in 2008, with half of them being awarded to girls. This is a more than ten percent increase in bursaries since 2005.

"The provision of a bursary to support orphans and vulnerable children is another intervention to promote the participation of children who could not afford the cost of education," Sinyinda explained.

Permanent secretary of the ministry of tourism, environment and natural resources, Lillian Kapulu, agrees that the Re-entry Policy needs to be combined with a more general educational grant to give all children a second chance at life. "It is difficult, in villages, for parents to find money for school fees and uniforms, so many force their children out of school after grade seven," she said.

But despite the financial support, many teenage mothers continue to drop out of school because they find it difficult to balance their education and the obligations that come with being a parent, notes Kapulu.

Mulenga confirms that life has remained tough. The grant of 30 dollars a month is hardly enough to pay for the daily needs of her siblings, her baby and herself, she says. To put food on the table, she plants maize and vegetables on a small piece of land next to her house.

"It is difficult to be both a parent and a student, because sometimes you lose concentration, especially when the baby is not well and you are in school," Mulenga told IPS.

Unfortunately, one additional avenue of support - an education programme for teenage mothers run by American non-profit organisation Family Health Trust (FHT) - was closed down at the end of last year.

FHT's Community Health and Nutrition, Gender and Education Support (CHANGES) programme ran for three years and helped more than 3,500 teenage mothers to return to school, says FHT acting programmes manager Kilby Lungu.

Zambia tacles CARMMA

2010-09-30T05:44:00.000-07:00

By Violet Mengo,

It is one of the most depressing to lose a life due to preventable health causes, worse off for a mother loosing her life in order to give life. However, this is a reality for thousands of expectant mothers the world over that have continued to die everyday from complications arising from pregnancy and childbirth.

Death of mothers due to known and mostly avoidable causes at delivery reduces by almost half chances of survival of their new babies. Statistics on the number of women and newborn babies dying from preventable causes around the world have shown that tackling maternal complications remain a challenge for many countries.

In Africa, the maternal mortality rate continues to be one of the continent‘s major health problems. The rate remains high despite political commitment evidenced by the adoption of various policies and strategies.

These include the Cairo Consensus in 1994, Maputo Plan of Action in 2006 and the African Health Strategy 2007 to 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

While several countries have managed to record some successes in addressing maternal health, a lot remains to be done in ensuring that every woman’s right to health and life is upheld.

Better health facilities will entail that every woman, regardless of location, station in life, experiences safe motherhood and that her life and that of her baby are saved within 42 hours following delivery.

The major causes of maternal death are from various medical complications including hemorrhage, sepsis, eclampsia, obstructed labour, abortion and other direct and indirect causes, notably cultural and traditional practices.

Neonatal sepsis is a serious blood bacterial infection in an infant less than four weeks of age while eclampsia is a condition in pregnancy characterised by abrupt hypertension.

Adolescent pregnancy, harmful traditional practices, low social status of women and high fertility rate, low male involvement and participation in reproduction health, poverty and HIV and AIDS contribute significantly to maternal deaths.

The causes of new born deaths include sepsis, tetanus, diarrhea, preterm and asphyxia (impaired or impeded breathing). Other causes are complications during pregnancy and delivery, poor care of newborns at household level, inadequate health care for sick newborns and poverty.

The African Union’s response to tackling maternal mortality was the 2009 launch of the Campaign on Accelerated Reduction on Maternal Mortality for Africa (CARMMA) with the theme: Africa Cares, no woman should die while giving birth.

The CARMMA concept aims to accelerate and scale up high impact interventions through high level advocacy and sensitisation. And because of the direct impact the campaigns has on individual countries in terms of reducing maternal mortality rate, many African countries including Zambia, have adopted and are localising CARMMA.

Zambia

launched CARMMA in June 2010, joining Ethiopia, Rwanda, Mozambique, Malawi and

Swaziland

. For Zambia CARMMA means raising awareness among Zambians on maternal mortality and how it can be prevented.

The campaign also aims to raise the profile of maternal mortality to elicit the vital high political will and commitment at national level and accelerate the reduction of maternal mortality.

The implementation of CARMMA includes safe motherhood activities in selected districts of the country, family planning, postnatal care and using men in advocacy at antenatal clinics.

Zambia

, one of the countries with the highest maternal mortality in the world, has recorded a decrease in maternal mortality from 729 to 591 per 100 000 live births. The neonatal mortality rate is at 34 per 1000 live births.

Zambia

, the first lady Thandiwe Banda is making tremendous impact on the lives of women. As soon as her husband, President Rupiah Banda won the 2008 elections and assumed office, the first lady set to work and has contributed tremendously in improving health care delivery in

Zambia

She is the patron for CARMMA and has been traveling throughout the country to promote the campaign.

“We aim to ensure that the lives of mothers and babies are saved before, during and after delivery as poor maternal and newborn health have diverse consequences and impact negatively on the development of any nation, Mrs Banda said.

The first lady said it was unfortunate that hundreds of women and newborn babies continue to die every day from preventable causes.

She said it was important for all people to get involved and advocate for improved health services for expectant mothers and newborn in

Zambia

However in order to reap the intended benefits, strengthen policy and programmatic environment to accelerate the attainment of MDG four and five, the campaign has incorporated some stakeholders such as media, private sector, NGO and business house.

Ministry of Health Director Public Health Dr Victor Mukonka said it was important to highlight progress and challenges affecting maternal mortality so that women can be educated on the importance of seeking healthcare service when they fall pregnant.

About K16 billion has been set aside for the effective implementation of CARMMA.

Zambia

expectant mothers are discouraged from carrying their own bucket and use the ones provided by hospitals. The directive was made by Minister of Health Kampembwa Simbao.

“We shall no longer allow pregnant mothers to go with buckets to hospitals when the time for delivery comes, all hospitals have been stocked with enough buckets for expectant mothers,” the minister said.

Ministry of Health spokesperson Dr Kamoto Mbewe said the decision to make women's and children's health the theme of this summit was a sign Africa's policymakers are getting the message.

"Issues of maternal mortality need the urgent action of our heads of state if we are to reverse the negative image of women dying on our continent," said Dr Mbewe.

He said the health of women is important and must be protected. Health women contribute to

Zambia

’s economy.

He said “it is important to scale up interventions and sensitise people on the interventions. This is the only way they will be able to make informed decisions on their health.

To improve the health status of women and children,

Zambia

needs to accelerate effective interventions against maternal mortality.

The country risks losing investments not less than K1 trillion if no improvement is made in maternal health.

Zambian First Lady urges women to demand safe sex

2010-08-24T01:18:00.000-07:00

By Violet Mengo

Zambian first Lady Maureen Mwanawasa is encouraging women to demand safer sex from their partners, not negotiate for it. Ms Mwanawasa recently made the statement at the launch of the FC2 female condom campaign at the Lusaka City Market, handing out condoms to the public.

"Negotiating for safer sex is a term that has become accepted world wide, yet, it puts a woman at the mercy of a man," Ms Mwanawasa told the Lusaka market crowd. "I do not believe that a woman should negotiate for safer sex, but demand safer sex."

Ms Mwanawasa added that safer sex is achievable if leaders, and women themselves, take up the challenge. Ms Mwanawasa's statements point out how important women's empowerment and gender equality is to reducing the escalating numbers of women living with HIV.

With World AIDS Day just less than a month away, the new product is a welcome addition to the market in the country. Zambia, like other countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa, is struggling to cope with the impact of HIV/AIDS. Women are the hardest hit.

At the end of 2005, UNAIDS and the World Health Organisation estimated that in Zambia 17 percent of people aged 15-49 years old were living with HIV or AIDS. Of these million adults, 57 percent were women. Young women aged 15-19 are around six times more likely to be living with HIV than are males of the same age.

One of the reasons for greater vulnerability is gender inequality. Women disproportionately bear the burden of poverty and continue to be victims of widespread and persistent discrimination in all areas of life. They are also the primary agents of child welfare and put their lives at risk every time they become pregnant.

Zambian gender activists hold that women also play an indispensable role in the management of natural resources, economic development, and education. They have the right to gain as much as men from the benefits brought by globalisation. If not addressed, HIV/AIDS will make it even harder for women to play their role in the development of the country.

The first lady took time hand out free samples of the female condom and talk to the pressing market crowd, made of mostly women, to explain the advantages of using protective measures during sex. Her actions should be an example in the country, and the region as a whole, to inspire both individuals and leaders to ensure protection of women.

"Our first lady must be commended for the job well done, it is the first to happen in Zambia where the first lady goes to mix with women from the densely populated areas and distribute the condoms herself, women must emulate her," said one of the recipients of condoms at the market.

In Zambia, women often have very limited opportunities to demand safer sex, due to unequal power relationships within relationships. Interventions are rarely designed to be more user-friendly, accessible and available to them. Designing products made for women is one way to assist women to demand safer sex.

Producers of the newly launched FC2 condom say that it is a better version of the other female condoms currently on the market and urge women to take advantage of the product.

The UN's Population Fund (UNFPA) resident representative Deji Popoola, who was present at the launch and distribution of female condoms, said the condoms would be available on the market. Mr Popoola called on men to support women's rights and gender equality, especially when it come reproductive health.

Two hundred thousands condoms are available for free distribution. Yet, urban women are at a greater advantage, as such things as condoms are much more easily found in the cities and towns. For rural women, these condoms are unlikely to be within easy reach.

Ms Mwanawasa, who is also the president of the Organisation of African First Ladies (OAFLA) against HIV/AIDS, has taken the lead in empowering women to stand up for their rights. OAFLA's key strategy is to promote the development of effective strategies to empower women and address issues of gender inequality, as well as challenge gender norms that predisposed women to infection.

Unless governments and service providers address these gender inequalities, it will be difficult for women to protect themselves. First Lady Maureen Mwanawasa has pointed out that it is time for women "to demand the protection and equality that is their right."

By Violet Mengo. Ms Mengo writes for the Daily Mail in Zambia and is a member of the Gender and Media Southern African (GEMSA) Network.

© afrol News / Gender Links

UN, UNZA partner for climate change schooling

2010-08-23T07:07:00.000-07:00

By Violet Mengo

A United Nations agency working in Zambia has partnered with the University of Zambia to address climate change by including climate change in human development studies. The joint venture has seen several activities being undertaken, among them a seminar for students of human development.

For University of Zambia (UNZA) students, it was a great opportunity to learn more about climate change, the world’s most topical subject currently topping the agenda of most global meetings.

A short documentary on the impact of climate change was enough to trigger discussions on the effects of climate change, most of which have no immediate solutions.

The documentary filmed in December 2009 prior to the 15th session of the Conference of Parties, which took place in Denmark highlighted some of the problems Zambia is facing as a result of climate change.

It made specific reference to Southern Province, once the country’s food basket, which has now become perpetually prone to drought, floods and deforestation.

Virgin land, where trees can grow undisturbed alongside natural vegetation, is slowly being depleted and becoming bare, rivers are drying up and farmers face difficulties in growing crops because of constant changes in weather patterns.

The documentary showed that changes in rainfall affect planting and harvesting periods and result in hunger and poverty, particularly among people who depend entirely on agriculture for their survival.

It also depicted families directly affected by the disruptions in weather patterns and how they are adapting to the changes. As the students watched the documentary in silence, their faces were getting gloomier by the minute.

There is no doubt that climate change has affected Zambia in so many ways. As the students focused on the documentary, lots of unanswered questions were flashing in their minds.

This explained why one student, Given Mulenga’s mother had become bankrupt. A loan invested in a farm cannot be recouped because the rains kept washing away the crops.

And Aaron Shawa, a student from Mwinilunga in North Western Province is not sure of completing his studies as his peasant farmer father can no longer support him financially. Income from farming has dwindled beyond comprehension.

However, according to UNDP, not all hope is lost, hence the need to involve students in efforts to address climate change, with the hope that future generations might have a different tale for their children.

The partnership between UNDP and UNZA is solely intended to ensure development and enhancement of preparedness for natural calamities. The partnership also aims at developing capacity among students, to empower them to make beneficial choices about their lives.

UNZA Dean of Humanities Vincent Chanda said climate change threatens to erode human freedom and limit choices.

Mr Chanda said poor people across the globe are already being forced to cope with the impact of climate change.

“The effect of changes in weather patterns is preventing people from building a better life for themselves and their children, “he said.

UNDP Country Director Viola Morgan said although most countries are off-track in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, a lot has been achieved by many others.

She, however, said climate change is hampering efforts to deliver the MDGs promise.

“Looking into the future, the danger is that it will halt and then reverse progress built up over generations, not just in cutting extreme poverty, but in health, nutrition, education and other areas,”she said.

Ms Morgan said the effect of climate change will constrain Zambia’s ability to reach its development objectives under the MDGs.

UNDP is the UN’s principle provider of development advice, advocacy and grant support to developing nations, including Zambia.

With 166 country offices, the UNDP has long enjoyed the trust and confidence of governments and non-governmental organisations in many parts of the developing and developed world.

Ms Morgan said the agency’s support for human development puts partnership at the centre of all aspects of its work.

In 2006, UNDP introduced a course at UNZA to promote the human development paradigm.

The objective of the course was to introduce the relevant issues of the human development model to students to help deepen and expand students’ understanding of and familiarity with the concept of sustainable human development, teaching students the theoretical foundations of human development and raising their awareness about how it relates to real life policy issues in the sphere.

“Human development is a complex process, which requires the participation of many different players,” she said.

Ms Morgan said UNDP recognises that universities harbour significant pools of knowledge and excellence, which can be tapped to promote the human development standard.

The UN agency’s expectations are that in the long run, national policy dialogue on human development would increasingly involve more appropriately equipped participants who have benefitted from the course.

“With this in mind, we are planning to extend this partnership to other higher learning institutions. Discussions have already begun with Mulungushi and Copperbelt universities,” she said.

In 2008, UNDP adopted a climate change policy, which presents new approaches for supporting efforts of developing countries and vulnerable groups to scale up mitigation and adaptation action and successfully meet the challenges of climate change and attain MDGs.

Ms Morgan said climate change is directly linked to human activity and everyone should adopt a Chinese proverb: One generation plants a tree, the next generation gets the shade.

She said the manner in which climate is dealt with today has a great bearing on future generations and human development.

“Climate change has become more and more visible to all of us, with its impact affecting human development. The importance of this seminar cannot be overemphasised,” she said.

Ms Morgan said it was important that the students found time to learn and share information dealing with climate change.

Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources Climate Change Facilitation Unit technical coordinator Professor Prem Jain said in his presentation of the science of climate change that the earth is warming up.

Youth take on climate change

2010-08-23T06:37:00.000-07:00

By Violet Mengo
Inspired by the International Youth Conference in Denmark in December 2009, climate change ambassadors from selected schools in Zambia convened at Mulungushi International Conference Centre for the first children’s national conference on climate change. The young ambassadors want children to voice their concerns about various issues affecting them. VIOLET MENGO attended the conference and now reports:

THE saying: The early bird catches the worm is applicable to various situations. In many ways, it also suits 14-year-old Luyando Katenda who is already mentoring his peers on climate change.
Luyando is determined to make a positive contribution to addressing the effects of climate change in Zambia because he is passionate about conserving the environment.
Being one of the four climate change ambassadors in Zambia, Luyando always finds time to talk to groups of fellow pupils at his local school (Chimwemwe Basic School in Lusaka) about the importance of conserving nature.

His wish is that more children could become effective ambassadors on climate change in particular, which is threatening to wreak havoc on poor countries. He is part of the team which facilitated a national conference for children in Lusaka.

Every Tuesday and Thursday, he uses part of his afternoon break to discuss climate change and the environment with his peers as part of efforts to increase awareness on the subject.
“My exposure at the youth international conference in Denmark last year has given me the confidence to share information and remind ourselves of our role in addressing climate change,” he said.
Luyando describes the time he spends with his friends as exciting. He has learnt basic science, although he acknowledges that some scientific terms on climate change are still difficult to translate into local languages.

At Chimwemwe Basic School, Luyando is well-known as an environmental activist who talks to just about any youngster he comes across, on the environment and climate.
Luyando says more people need to share what they know about the climate and learn whatever they can to help them contribute to saving their planet.

“No man is an island, we are all connected to each other and to animals. The time I spend with my friends is helping us to understand science more and develop ideas on how we can contribute to saving the earth,” he said.

The international conference in Denmark was about empowering young people from across the globe with information which could help to intensify efforts to address climate change.
Luyando said in an effort to make the world a better place to live in, inhabitants should go the extra mile to make their own contribution as individuals and as communities.

“Changing the world does not require us to do huge tasks. We can even do simple work, individually, like telling our friends about climate change or picking up garbage in our neighbourhoods. Adverse climatic changes also affect our lives, so it is up to us to make a difference,” he said.

His aim is to get the message of climate change to everyone, especially to the grassroots, to help them understand their environment and become part of the solution.
There is no doubt that children are the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, as all sorts of disasters threaten their life span. The more endangered the world is, the more the future of children is threatened.

It was against this backdrop that UNICEF, partnering with the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources organised the national children’s climate change conference.
The three-day conference was aimed at educating the children on climate change and environmental sustainability to inspire them to become environmental activists.

The conference was held as part of the resolutions of the youth international climate change conference in Denmark in December 2009 where children agreed to be agents of change in their respective nations, by making a contribution to mitigating the effects of climate change.

Zambian children participated actively in organising the conference which scores of children from across the globe attended. UNICEF Zambia sponsored four children to represent Zambia.
It was at this conference that Luyando and three others participated in several activities to help them become environmental ambassadors.

The four children won a UNICEF competition which guaranteed their participation in the international youth conference. Luyando said it was important for children to be involved in addressing the effects of climate change so that they can grow up with a better understanding of prudent environmental management.
He said the only way to make the climate everyone’s business is to engage children at a very early age and talk about it more on radio, TV and other mediums of communication.
Sixteen-year-old Kasaka Katengo is another child ambassador who is eager to add her voice to saving the environment.
Kasaka said it is high time people realised that the existence of mankind on earth is becoming increasingly threatened. Everyone must be sensitised on curtailing activities which increase carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere like burning bushes, improper gas disposal, non-recycling of waste and deforestation among others.

“Climate change has become a new reality with deadly effects. The ecosystem, agriculture, water needs and supply, and food production are all adversely affected,” Kasaka said.
Climate change has a cumulative effect on natural resources and the balance of nature. It is clear that Zambian children like Luyando and Kasaka are aware that Zambia, like many other developing nations has contributed very little to the emission of carbon gases into the atmosphere which cause negative climate changes.

They also know that African countries and other developing nations are more affected by climatic changes because they do not have the means to adapt to the effects of climate change.
Minister of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources Catherine Namugala said at the conference that children are the future of any society and are entitled to participate in decisions affecting them, be it negotiations on climate change or adaptation and mitigation measures.
Ms Namugala said young people are naturally innovative, vibrant and determined and they would be a critical voice on climate change both within Zambia and at international level.

She said children are affected by the effects of climate change—prolonged droughts or floods which hamper food production, resulting in increased nutritional insecurity and deficiency.
“Children in rural areas help parents to undertake chores like fetching water and firewood but with climate changes having a direct impact on these resources and making them scarce, the time spent on these tasks will be longer and school time will be affected,” she said.

Ms Namugala said women and girls are often the ones who fetch water and are forced to walk the extra distance when wells run dry. For children, this is done at the expense of schoolwork and play, both of which are critical for their development.

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) report released in 2009 says climate change could leave an extra 25 million children malnourished by 2050, unless there is heavy investment in adaptive measures.

The report predicts that climate change will eliminate much of the gains achieved in the nutrition of children.

UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa (ESARO) regional director Elhadj Amadou Gueye said combating climate change must be a concern for children everywhere.
Mr Gueye said children in Zambia have the potential to become agents of real change on various issues affecting them.

“It is important that children are able to discuss and suggest measures to help their country adapt to climate change and mitigate its impact,” he said.
Mr Gueye said children can take a major role in reminding their own families and communities of the importance of these measures.

Chief Macha of the Tonga people of Choma, who is an ardent climate change activist, said there can be no better time to hold the children’s conference than now when Zambia has already started experiencing floods and droughts.

He said climate change is real. Scientists have proved that the earth is warming up and climate change can have devastating consequences on human life, flora and fauna.