An official of the National Malaria Control Program has disclosed that Liberia has the highest rate of malaria in West Africa. Malaria is a disease that is common amongst children and older people.
It kills children under five faster than any other age. Malaria is primarily caused by the mosquitoes. Mr. Tolbert Nyenswah said despite continuous support and effort put in place to combat the deadly disease, it remains the number one killing disease.
The Liberian government, along with international partners is doing everything to minimize the scourge of malaria in Liberia. He spoke at program marking the official launch of the community awareness activities in observance of the First Malaria Day on Monday in West Point.
It was held on the theme: “Malaria, Disease without Border.” The essence of the campaign is to awaken Liberia to re-double her effort so as to make it a healthy nation, free of malaria..
African leaders meeting in Abuja, Nigeria in 2001 agreed to celebrate April 25 as Africa Malaria Day. However, last year 2007, the entire world agreed to celebrate the day as World Malaria Day.
This means that the world has realized the lapses malaria had created at the job sites, in schools and homes and other places. He told the gathering that Malaria is a disease that has no border, and added that awareness amongst the community dwellers is necessary.
In order to get the message of malaria across, he said all Liberians must get involved. Since the sitting of the government, several communities received mosquitoes as part of the fight against the spread of the disease.
Counties like Lofa, Grand Gedeh, Bomi, Grand Cape Mount, Rivercess and Grand Kru benefited from the mosquitoes nets donation. The nets are provided by the German government.
Nyeswah said the Liberian government is committed to the fight against malaria, and that the observance of the World Malaria Day continues up to the 25th of this month.
Also speaking at the program, the Chief Medical Officer of Liberia, Moses Pewu said Africa must take the issue of malaria seriously because it has the power to reduce the population.
Dr. Pewu urged parents to make use of the donated nets, adding that it will help reduce to risk posed to their well-being and that of the children.
Confab On Writing Text Books Opens In Monrovia
Stakeholders in the country yesterday began a three-day National Conference on writing reading textbooks for primary schools in Liberia, the first of its kind in fifteen years
The conference is currently taking place at the W..V.S. Tubman High School on in Monrovia under the sponsorship of the Ministry of Education. The conference has some 60 participants from both public and private schools across the country.
They include County Education Officers (CEO) as well as representatives from two International Publishing Houses, (the Macmillan Education Foundation and the Longman Sedico from London, Great Britain).
Marking remarks at the occasion, Education Minister, Dr. Joseph Korto stressed the importance of the conference. Dr. Korto said the exercise is geared toward formulating new vision and setting new goals for the good of the country’s human resource development.
One of the keys objectives of the conference according to the Minister is to help build the capacity of Liberian writers and inspire them to write textbooks for the Country’s primary schools.
According to the Education Minister, reading is the foundation of teaching and learning process. He regretted that the teaching of reading skills, especially at the primary grade level is one of the areas that has received very little attention in the country’s educational system and as a result, Liberian are generally poor readers
He said the importance of the conference can't be over emphasized as children will learn well when they readily relate to the things, circumstances, and experiences being described in the books they read and presented to them during instruction.
Dr. Korto also noted that materials produced by Liberian writers will tell stories that are culturally related to the country’s cultural norms and values. He urged Liberian writers to take interest and respond meaningfully to this national call for the production of indigenous Liberian instructional materials for the benefit of the country’s primary school students
“We must also commit government through the ministry of Education to provide the necessary insensitive that will enhance the interest of Liberian writers,” the Minister said.
Dr. Korto said the Ministry has received several manuscripts from a number of Liberian writers, and he believes those are worth production. He said as the initial step the Ministry will make available US$125,000 before the end of the fiscal year for the sole purpose of printing and testing some of the manuscripts produced by Liberian writers
Also delivering a paper at the start of the conference was Deputy Minister for Instruction at the Madam Hester Williams Catakpa, who then told the gathering that the economic and social health of a country depends on building a literate nation of which Liberia is no exception.
Madam Catakpa stressed that this national vision by the President of Liberia, Madam Sirleaf and the Unity Party Government is taking strong initiative through the Ministry of Education to see it that it becomes a reality.
Gbarpolu Citizens Request Critical Information
Citizens hailing from Gbarpolu County are requesting what they called critical information from the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) regarding the Entity’s scopes of operation in their forest
The citizens are also requesting access to foundation data on the conduct of social economic surveys by FDA in Bokomu and Geu-Nwolaila Districts if there any, wherein the forestlands under private deed and, community ownership and tenure have been awarded under time sale contract and are been proposed as Forest Management Contract areas by the Authority.
They made the representation in a press release, which quoted a letter dated April 19, 2008 and addressed to FDA Managing Director John Woods.
The citizens through want the FDA provide them copies of the 2006 National Forestry Reform Law, the existing Forestry Regulations, and the Handbook on the preparations of Timber Sale and Forest Management contracts.
The jurisdiction and documents for awarding the TSCs and proposing the FMCs, as well as the comprehensive report covering the “Social Economic Surveys” validation awarding TSC and justifying proposing FMC, particularly in Bokomu and Geu-Nwolaila Districts.
The citizens also want report on minutes of meetings held with affected communities in the Districts endorsing the justification document of the Timber Sale and Forest Management contracts in their areas.
They also want a copy of comments from the Forest Management Advisory Committee (FMAC) on the draft of the strategy to the Board of Directors, a copy of the FDA Board’s resolution endorsing the timber sale contract in Bokomu District and any comment.
The release also said Gbarpolu citizens are also requesting that FDA provides them additional information including copies of the National Forest Management Strategy, resolution of the Board adopting the Strategy as well as accompanying documents that went along with the draft strategy to the Board of Directors covering information such as comments from the public and other stakeholders on the draft strategy, report on the validation process detailing analysis of the ecological and social-economic data gathered during the field exercise and any other relevant information.
According to the release, the citizens in their letter to Mr. Woods, stressed their unlimited right to information, noting that such right is consistent with Article 15-c of the Liberian Constitution, as well as Section 18>15 of the 2006 National Forestry Reform Law, which provides access to forest related information.
They reminded the FDA Boss that under the National Forestry Reform Law of 2006, private and deeded lands are excluded from being issued any Timber Sale Contract or Forest Management Contract.
Bokomu and Geu-Nwolaila Districts citizens then drew Mr. Woods’ attention to Section 5.4 of the National Forestry Reform Law of 2006 on timber sale contract.
It states that the authority may award timber sale contract following the requirement of legislation governing public concessions and that timber sale contract act or its successor consistent with the National Forestry Management Strategy in effect when the contract is awarded and the area must be validated locally as provided under Section 4.5 of the Law and the land involved must not include private land. |
