Invest in access to clean water to avert diseases, A new report suggests

BY SAMUEL NABWIISO

A new report by WHO and UNICEF, released on Global Handwashing Day, reveals that giving everyone in the world’s poorest countries access to handwashing with soap and water, would cost around $11 billion. That would transform the life-chances of people who are currently unable to simply wash their hands at home.

“Millions of lives could be saved and billions of dollars in untapped economic potential could be unlocked for the equivalent of just $1.40 per head of the global population”, says WaterAid.

As G20 leaders prepare to gather in Rome to improve pandemic preparedness, WaterAid warns that government investment must be made to provide handwashing for all as it plays a critical role in the fight against preventable diarrhoeal diseases and respiratory infections

Washing hands with soap and clean  water can reduces the out brake of diseases  

According to latest estimates from WHO and UNICEF, three in 10 people worldwide cannot wash with soap and water at home, and at current rates of progress, 1.9 billion people – families and children – will still be unable to so by 2030.

WaterAid’s own recent analysis in its Mission Critical report, concluded that trillions of dollars could be unlocked over the next two decades through universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene. Achieving this could generate a net benefit of $45bn per year, and even just providing a tap in every household could yield $37bn USD annually.

WaterAid warned  that progress is worryingly slow. For everyone to be able to wash their hands at home by 2030, one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, governments need to make progress at least four times faster than they currently are. However, the economic value of handwashing for all, alongside water and sanitation services, is vastly underestimated by governments, business and donors, resulting in chronic under-investment.

Investing in water, sanitation and hygiene brings multiple wins for governments, WaterAid says: it is value for money, it helps achieve health targets and it increases productivity to support economic growth. If governments invested in even basic water, hygiene and toilets it would bring a return on investment of up to 21 times the cost.

Small scale farmers are holding their 3rd Annual National Organic Week

BY SAMUEL NABWIISO

Small Scale Farmers in Uganda are holding their 3^rd Annual National Organic Week where farmers especially small holder ones across the country meet and show cases on how  to promote Organic Farming in the Country .   

 Organic agriculture is described as a system that emphasizes environmental protection and the use of natural farming techniques. It is concerned not only with the end-product, but with the entire system used to produce and deliver the agricultural product and many Organic farmers rely instead on natural farming methods and modern scientific ecological knowledge in order to maximize the long-term health and productivity of the ecosystem, enhance the quality of the products and protect the environment.

According to the National Chairman of the Eastern and Southern Africa Small holder farmer’s forum (Uganda Chapter) Hakim Baliraine said that small-scale farmers across the country are subconsciously practicing organic agriculture though need more information on organic markets and enhancing capacity on organic agriculture practices in order to motivate uptake

Baliraine further added that there is a need to sensitize the general public about the many benefits of consuming organically produced foods because of the health benefits it offers to the consumers, he said that there’s also high economic benefits which comes with the farming of organically Agricultural products since the market for such products is available both on the local market, Regionals ones and International   

“Over the last decade, the global production and trade in Organic Agriculture has been expanding exponentially. The unfolding market opportunities globally especially in the developed countries of Europe and North America, shifts in consumer preferences to safe and hazard free organic food, increasing consciousness about conservation of the environment as well as health hazards associated with agrochemicals are some of the major factors for the growing interest in Organic Agriculture” He said.

small holder farmers practicing Organic Farming 

Over time, ESAFF Uganda has been organizing different interventions that aim at promoting seed rights and organic agriculture such as creating awareness and enhancing farmer’s capacities on seed rights and organic agriculture, setting demonstration gardens, farmers seed sovereignty using different approaches. It’s on that note therefore that ESAFF Uganda has organized the 3rd National Organic Week 2021 under the theme: “Go organic, It’s only Natural”

 

During this 3rd Annual National Organic Week (NOW) 2021, ESAFF Uganda has organized different activities such as the National dialogue, tree planting caravan, cookery demonstrations and seed fairs, community dialogues and radio talk shows in different districts.

 The NOW 2021 aims at raising awareness on farmers seed rights and the benefits of locally produced organic food and increase consumption frequency among small scale farmers and other stakeholders and providing a platform for SSFs to engage different stakeholders and exhibit how ecological agriculture systems are a critical solution to the realization and food and nutrition security amidst the climate change crisis.

About, the Eastern and Southern Africa Small-scale Farmers’ Forum (ESAFF) Uganda is the largest small-scale farmer-led policy influencing movement in Uganda. ESAFF Uganda was established to bring together small-scale farmers into a social movement to build common aspirations, learnings and linkages. farmers’ organizations in other 15 countries in eastern and southe

Address other other Health needs of the population CSO, urges Ugandan Government

BY SAMUEL NABWIISO

Civil societies advocating for free HIV /AIDS society especially among the young people are calling up on Government not to give more priority in the fighting of the spread of COVID-19 but also put more emphasis on other diseases that are claiming the lives of many Ugandans.

 The civil societies under the leadership of Uganda Network of young people Living with HIV/AIDS (UNYPA) says that Government should come up with comprehensive Health / Medical Interventions that addresses all the health needs of the ordinary people in the country.

 According to Awori Ruth, the Programme manager at UNYPA says that many young people living with HIV/AIDS have lost their lives due to the pronounced lock down measures which government declared as way of means to combat the spread of Corona Virus.

>“We congratulate our Government towards the combating of COVID-19 but the measures have greatly affected the young people living with the HIV virus, the measures especially those that restricted the movement of people hindered the youth to access to heal facilities where they go for the HIV/AIDS related health service s such as access to counseling and HIV /AIDS related drugs” Awori said

 Among other diseases which the civil societies wants government to priorities alongside the combating of COVID-19 include HIV/ AIDS, Tuberculosis, Mental health, Cancer among other diseases, she said that the government should ensure that the local people suffering from such illness access to quality health / medical services for the better of their lives.

 The officer made the appeal during the Launch of the 8th Edition of the younger people living with HIV/AIDS beauty pageant at the Kampala Serena Hotel.

 Speaking at the same event, the Executive Director of UNYPA Isaac Lekdyang said that fighting HIV /AIDS among the young people require more approaches that ate friendly to them that is why they have resorted to organism Beauty pageant competitions for the younger people living with the virus which he said it has helped I fighting stigma among the communities towards young people living with the virus.

 “As an organization we have been organizing theses Beauty pageant for the last over six years this is our 8th edition through edition we have managed to get winners from the regions of Uganda who later becomes our Ambassador’s in the lower communities towards the fight against HIV/ AIDS “ He explained. 

 The Young Positive Beauty Pageant is an annually campaign aimed at fighting stigma and discrimination as well as addressing the structural drivers of gender based violence and other HIV /Sexual reproductive Health issues against young people living with and affected by the HIV/AIDS.

 Furthermore, the beauty contest also addresses both self-stigma faced by young people living with the virus and the community stigma driven by the environment towards Young people living with the virus by uplifting their plight and harnessing the power of empowered young people living with the virus.

 The objective of the competition is to improve care and support within the health sector and home based care giving. This will be achieved through engagement of young positive living youth Ambassadors who will continuous sensitize their host communities about HIV /AIDS. Second to that the campaign also aims at reducing the challenge impediment to public health programs, leading to a reduction in further HIV infections, the provision of adequate health care and support as well as mitigating the impact of HIV/ AIDS.