Free distribution of soybean milk for malnourished children - Sustainable Lifestyle Challenge by Sofonie Dala - DAY 3

 Good morning ladies and gentlemen. A very warm welcome to the 3rd day of our Sustainable Lifestyle Challenge!

 Our everyday motto is: "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food"

Malnutrition is one of the main causes of child death in Angola. Children, with weaker bodies and health, are more vulnerable and suffer seriously from hunger. 

Therefore, the objective of this campaign is to distribute soybean flour and soybean milk as protein quality diet to improve nutritional status of malnourished children.

                                

The anatomy of a problem

In Angola many children continue to suffer from problems associated with malnutrition, lack of water, health, or protection. Malnutrition, a direct consequence of poverty, is a serious and troubling problem in Angola. Families can’t give their body as much food as it needs.

Malnutrition is the 7 disease that kills the most in Angola and it is estimated that 46 children die of malnutrition every day in the country.  Southern and central Angola are facing one of the worst climate shocks in recent years, including alternating droughts and floods. Vulnerable populations use untreated wastewater for consumption, such as stagnant and unprotected pond water, where animals drink and defecate, and rural populations seek water that is dangerous to drink, cook and feed their animals. 

Moreover, droughts, limited access to safe drinking water, and increased food insecurity also have a significant impact on the health and nutrition of the population, especially for children under 5.

The increase in malnutrition arising due to the coronavirus pandemic is expected to cause nearly 170,000 additional child deaths in the next two years.

Malnutrition and Poverty

Poverty accounts for the majority of malnutrition cases in children. Over 40% of Angolans live below the poverty line. This in turn creates a high rate of malnutrition, specifically in children who are more susceptible to the consequences of extreme poverty. Malnutrition is the main cause of child death, which the high infant mortality rate.

One can further break the causes of malnutrition down into food insecurity, unhealthy household conditions and inadequate health care. All of these causes tend to lead back to the overarching problem of poverty. Moreover, the potential causes of malnutrition in children are a result of both socio-economic and political factors in Angola.

The number of malnourished children is currently increasing with more than 2.4 million people and severe malnutrition in Angola affecting 85,000 children since 2019.

How To Unlock Positive Change In Angola’s Food System?

Our major task is to develop a simplified systems map to grasp and visualize the interconnections of different challenges: poverty in rural, local communities, education, malnutrition in children, agriculture and the role of governments and big corporations, all being part of the Angolan food system.

Angola ranks as number one for countries that have the weakest commitment to fighting malnutrition in children. This goes to show how malnutrition is a critical issue for Angolan children, which requires more attention. 68 per 1,000 live births is the mortality rate for children under 5 and 38% of children under 5 suffer from chronic malnutrition in Angola. In addition, more than 40 children die daily before even reaching this age, meaning thousands of children don’t get to celebrate their fifth birthday. Overall, an Angolan child is 84 times more likely to die before reaching their fifth birthday than in Luxembourg. Reasons range from malnutrition, poor sanitation and hygiene to contaminated water, amongst others.

Design your own meal

A healthy eating plan: Emphasizes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products. Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts. Limits saturated and trans fats, sodium, and added sugars.

RECOMMENDATIONS

To improve the nutritional status of malnourished under five children further intervention is needed in terms of education and training on soybean-based diet formulation.

FUTURE RESEARCH

More research should be done to increase the data base on soybean research in Angola and contribute to further development of improved products to combat malnutrition.

#AnatomyOfAction

#ActNow

#GlobalGoals

#ProteinSwaps

It’s DAY 3! Did you know locally grown food preserves genetic diversity and benefits the environment and wildlife?

#GrowYourOwn food and connect to where it comes from in order to save money and to reduce transport, packaging, and food waste.

If you can’t grow your own, source local produce and find your nearest farmer’s market.

AfricaLics Visiting PhD Fellowships 2022 for young African PhD Students (Fully Funded to Nairobi, Kenya)

Application Deadline: 15th October 2021. 

The aim of the visiting fellowship programme and the scholarships is to help African PhD students working in the field of Innovation and Development to strengthen their academic/research qualifications; improve quality of their dissertations and prepare for a career in innovation and development either within academia or outside (e.g. in the private sector or in government/policy making).

Requirements

Applicants must be enrolled as PhD students at African universities and must have completed their first year of PhD studies by December 2021. A maximum of four to six visiting scholarships are available for 2022, but final number of accepted visiting fellows will
Be enrolled as a PhD student at a university in Africa.

Benefits

Return flight costs from your nearest international airport (economy class) and health insurance will be covered on a reimbursement basis.
Students must take out their own health insurance for the study period, but the costs will be covered (reimbursed) by the AfricaLics secretariat.
The visiting scholars will receive a stipend of 90,000 KShs per month (equivalent to approximately 800 USD per month as of the exchange rate at the end of August 2021). This amount should cover all costs while in Nairobi related to living expenses and travel around Nairobi including to and from JOOUST campus.

A fixed amount is available to cover student participation in selected course activities (over and above the stipend).

Click here to apply: https://bit.ly/3kOx92m

Solution Journalism Network LEDE Fellowship 2022 -a yearlong opportunity for journalists ($3,500 honorarium)

Application Deadline: October 17th, 2021 

For the third year running, the Solutions Journalism Network is seeking proposals from journalists who are leading or want to lead a project that will produce solutions journalism stories — and take others with them to spread the approach. The LEDE Fellowship is a year-long opportunity for journalists to conceptualize and execute such projects alongside other entrepreneurs committed to extending the reach of solutions journalism and becoming the face of its future.

Requirements

Ability to execute a project that accelerates the spread of solutions journalism in a community;
Commitment to the spirit of “all-teach, all-learn,” capacity to seek out expertise (and offer your own) among peers and constituents;
Entrepreneurship, with an inclination to collaborate and “take others with you”;
Diversity of identity, geography, experience and role;
Deep understanding of journalism and its current challenges;
Passion, enthusiasm and curiosity.

Benefits

All fellows are eligible to receive up to $3,500 in unrestricted funding to support their projects.

Each fellow receives half the stipend at the start of the fellowship. At the six-month mark, following an assessment of the project’s progress by the fellow and the project manager, fellows who are on track toward fulfilling their goals will receive the remainder of their stipend.

Click here to apply:

https://bit.ly/3F0hUeM

Betty Campbell: Statue of Welsh black heroine unveiled

A monument to honour Betty Campbell, Wales’ first black head teacher and black history campaigner, has been unveiled in Cardiff.

It is believed to be the first statue of a named, non-fictional woman in an outdoor public space in Wales.

Mrs Campbell, who died in 2017, proved her doubters wrong after being told as a child that her dream job as a head teacher was “insurmountable”.

The statue was commissioned following a BBC Wales Hidden Heroines poll.

IMAGE SOURCE,MIRRORPIX

image caption,Betty Campbell, Wales’ first black head teacher, was told as a child her dream job was unachievable

Prof Uzo Iwobi, founder of Race Council Cymru, said: “Wales has shown that this black woman truly matters to us all”.

Geraldine Trotman, Black History Patron for Wales, said the unveiling of the statue of Mrs Campbell would be one of the greatest moments for Butetown and everyone who lives in Wales.

image caption,A choir sang ahead of the unveiling of the statue

image caption,The event has attracted lots of media interest

A UK-wide survey of statues, carried out in 2018, found that just one in five statues in Britain were of women, with most of fictional characters or unnamed figures.

Last year an audit, commissioned in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests, found there were no statues of any named individual of black heritage in outdoor public spaces in Wales, with just “an anonymous statue group in Cardiff Bay”.

The statue of Rachel Elizabeth Campbell – known as Betty – was unveiled in Central Square, in Cardiff on Wednesday.

It had been due to take place in 2020, but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Inspire the next generation of Welsh women

IMAGE SOURCE,BETTY CAMPBELL

image caption,Betty Campbell pictured with her parents Simon and Honora

Thousands voted for a statue of Mrs Campbell from a shortlist of five Welsh women.

It came after a panel of experts made a list of 50 historic Welsh women, after finding there were no statues celebrating heroines in Wales.

Helen Molyneux, founder of Monumental Welsh Women, said she hoped the statue would “inspire the next generation of Welsh women”.

“Betty’s impact during her life was incredible, but, as with so many women throughout history, likely to be forgotten or overlooked by future generations unless something was done to bring her to people’s attention,” Ms Molyneux said.

“The monument created by Eve Shepherd will certainly achieve that. It is a truly iconic, beautiful piece that will attract the world’s attention to Cardiff.”

Who was Betty Campbell?

image caption,Betty Campbell taught at Mount Stuart school in Butetown for 28 years and helped found Black History Month

Betty Campbell was born in 1934 in Cardiff’s docklands area, better known as Tiger Bay, to a Jamaican father and Welsh Barbadian mother.

She worked as a teacher in deprived multi-racial areas of the city, first in Llanrumney and then at her local Mount Stuart Primary School.

She became the headteacher there, despite being reduced to tears as a child when her teacher told her there were too many barriers for her to become a head teacher.

• How many UK statues are of women?
• The fight to celebrate great women on Britain’s streets
• Betty Campbell’s fight for childhood dream

Throughout her life, she championed her nation’s multicultural heritage, and put black culture on the curriculum at her school.

She was a county councillor for Cardiff’s Butetown ward and was a member of the preparation committee for the opening of the National Assembly in 1998.

She was on the race relations board between 1972 and 1976, a member of the Broadcasting Council for Wales from 1980 to 1984, a member of the Home Office’s race advisory committee and served in many educational roles.

A positive role model

Her daughter, Elaine Clarke said she was extremely proud and privileged to have her mother remembered in such an iconic way.

“Through her sculpture, [sculptor] Eve encapsulates Betty’s legacy of determination, aspiration and inspiration that reflected her passion for diversity and equality making her a truly positive role model for many in the community and beyond,” she said.

image caption,Betty Campbell’s face was projected on the side of BBC Wales’ Central Square building as the winner was announced

Chantelle Houghton, who attended Mrs Campbell’s school as a pupil, said she had been a pioneer for change, decades before black history is set to be taught in all Welsh schools under the new curriculum.

“The thought of Betty’s statue fills me up and the wonderful opportunity this memorial brings for Mrs Campbell’s story to reach so many more from here on,” she said.

………………………………………………………

All 39 trapped Canadian miners rescued after three days

All 39 miners trapped deep underground in central Canada have been brought to the surface, three days after an accident damaged the mine’s lift.

The workers at the Totten mine in Sudbury, Ontario climbed up to 4,000ft (1.2km) using a series of ladders, with the support of a rescue team.

The rescued miners were all in good health, according to Vale, the company responsible for the mine.

They had been underground since Sunday.

Vale Chief Executive Officer Eduardo Bartolomeo thanked the rescue team for their efforts and said bringing the miners safely to the surface had been a “top priority”.

They “deserve our deep respect for their perseverance and strong will”, he said in a statement early on Wednesday morning.

After they reported for the day-shift on Sunday, the miners became trapped after a heavy scoop bucket crashed into the lift system and blocked the shaft, Vale said.

After the incident, the miners proceeded to refuge stations, where they had access to food and water, and remained in contact with their families and staff outside the mine.

The workers are using a secondary ladder system to leave the mine, with rest stops along the way. They had to climb between 1,800 feet and 4,000 feet to the surface, depending on where they were underground.

Some 58 responders from both Vale’s Mine Rescue team and Ontario Mine Rescue, a training and safety programme, helped with the extraction efforts.

The rescue in the northern Ontario mine was a “complex situation”, said local United Steel Workers union president Nick Larochelle in a statement.

The ladder climb out of the mine was “a physically and mentally taxing feat”, the union said, adding that the miners who have been evacuated are now resting at home.

Vale, a Brazilian firm, said the company would investigate what happened in order to prevent similar future incidents.

Totten mine employs about 200 people to produce copper, nickel and

…………………………………………………………

La Palma volcano: Toxic gas fears as lava reaches ocean

Lava from an erupting volcano on Spain’s La Palma island has reached the Atlantic Ocean, raising fears of toxic gases being released and explosions.

Clouds of white steam were seen rising as a red-hot current made contact with the water in the Playa Nueva area.

This could trigger a chemical reaction which can irritate the skin and eyes and affect breathing.

Hundreds of homes have been destroyed since the Cumbre Vieja volcano in the Canary Islands erupted on 19 September.

About 6,000 people have been evacuated, as the lava was engulfing houses, schools and some banana plantations.

On Wednesday the EU’s Copernicus service estimated that the lava had had covered 267 hectares (2.7 sq km) and destroyed 656 homes on its way to the ocean.

• A visual guide to the La Palma volcano eruption
• Family’s anguish as lava destroys ‘miracle house’
• ‘You can hear the volcano rumbling in the background’

The lava reached the ocean late on Tuesday, the Canary Islands Volcanic Institute (Involcan) tweeted. Footage broadcast on local TV showed a river of lava pouring off a cliff into the water, triggering plumes of vapour and gas.

There are also fears that parts of the shoreline could now collapse, triggering explosions.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

Three coastal villages were earlier locked down in anticipation of the lava making contact with the water.

Residents on the western coast had been told to stay indoors and seal all doors and windows with tape and wet towels. The advice remains in force, but authorities have played down the threat posed by toxic gases.

“The eruption has not affected air quality, which is perfectly breathable,” the La Palma Council said on Twitter.

IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS

image caption,A huge cloud of white steam has been rising from the area where lava has been flowing into the ocean

The Spanish government has declared La Palma – the most north-westerly island of the archipelago off the north African coast – a disaster zone, pledging financial support for all those affected by the volcanic activity.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he would go to the island to co-ordinate aid for the residents of La Palma.

The president of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres, said streams of lava up to 600m (1,968 ft) wide had devastated the landscape in some areas.

The people of La Palma “have been cowering in fear with a tremendous sense of desolation” since the eruption began, the president told Spanish radio.

Last week, he had estimated the damage incurred by the eruption would exceed €400m (£346m; $466m).

The dangers of lava

When lava comes into contact with ocean water, it produces a gas plume known as laze – lava and haze.

Laze forms through a series of chemical reactions as hot lava boils the colder sea water.

“It creates a steam of hydrochloric acid, water vapour and bits of ash,” science journalist and volcanologist Dr Robin George Andrews told the BBC when the volcano first erupted. “Obviously, it’s not good to breathe in.”

Laze plumes can cause eye, lung and skin irritation but should not be a problem if residents keep their distance, he said.

IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS

image caption,A Copernicus satellite image shows the eruption on the west slope of the Cumbre Vieja

Volcanic explosions were also possible, he added, because lava entering sea water creates “a pressure-cooker situation” that “might fling out volcanic debris”.

There was an incident in Hawaii where a chunk of molten rock, known as a lava bomb, crashed into a tourist boat off Hawaii’s coast in 2018, injuring 23 people.

Authorities have set up an exclusion zone around the lava, including in the sea, to keep people away from any potential danger.

……………………………………………………………