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greenthestral · 1 year ago

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Breaking Barriers: The Challenge of Electrification in Remote Areas

In today's rapidly evolving world, the importance of electrification cannot be overstated. Access to electricity is a cornerstone of modern living, enabling progress in education, healthcare, communication, and economic development. Over the past few decades, remarkable strides have been made in electrification efforts, but there remains a significant challenge in reaching the hardest-to-reach areas. This article explores the obstacles hindering impressive progress in electrification and sheds light on the efforts being made to overcome these challenges.

The Significance of Electrification

Electrification is a critical component of building sustainable and inclusive societies. It enhances the quality of life for people in both urban and rural areas, enabling them to access vital services and technologies. Electricity facilitates the functioning of schools, hospitals, industries, and communication networks, empowering communities to thrive and participate in the global economy. However, despite its transformative power, millions of people around the world still lack access to electricity.

The Impressive Progress

In recent years, electrification efforts have achieved remarkable progress. Governments, non-profit organizations, and private companies have collaborated to expand electricity access to remote and underserved regions. The adoption of renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, and hydro power, has played a significant role in bringing electricity to areas with limited infrastructure. Additionally, advancements in technology and innovative micro-grid systems have made it possible to overcome geographical barriers and provide energy solutions to previously inaccessible locations.

Challenges in Reaching the Hardest-to-Reach

While impressive progress has been made, electrification in remote areas faces formidable challenges. Some of the key obstacles include:

Geographical Barriers: Many remote regions are situated in rugged terrains, such as mountains, forests, or deserts. Building and maintaining traditional power infrastructure in these areas can be prohibitively expensive and logistically challenging.

Lack of Infrastructure: Remote regions often lack basic infrastructure like roads and transportation networks, making it difficult to transport materials and equipment needed for electrification projects.

Affordability: In impoverished regions, the cost of setting up and maintaining electricity infrastructure can be a burden for both the communities and the providers.

Political and Social Instability: In certain areas, political conflicts and social unrest can hinder progress in electrification efforts, discouraging potential investors and disrupt ongoing projects.

Environmental Concerns: Balancing the need for electrification with environmental conservation is crucial. Some remote areas are ecologically sensitive, and care must be taken to ensure sustainable and eco-friendly energy solutions.

Solutions and Initiatives

Despite the challenges, numerous initiatives are actively working to bring electricity to the hardest-to-reach regions. These efforts include:

Off-Grid and Micro-Grid Systems: Off-grid solar systems and micro-grids provide localized and decentralized energy solutions, bypassing the need for extensive infrastructure. They can be tailored to suit the specific energy demands of a community.

Mobile Technology: Mobile technology has become a powerful tool in facilitating electrification. Mobile payment platforms and smart grids help manage energy distribution efficiently.

Public-Private Partnerships: Collaborations between governments, non-governmental organizations, and private companies have proven effective in pooling resources and expertise to tackle electrification challenges.

Miniaturized Technologies: Technological advancements have led to the creation of compact and efficient energy solutions, such as portable solar panels and mini wind turbines, making them suitable for deployment in remote areas.

Community Engagement: Empowering local communities to take ownership of electrification projects fosters a sense of responsibility and sustainability.

Conclusion

Impressive progress in electrification has undoubtedly improved the lives of millions, but there is still much work to be done to reach those hardest-to-reach areas. The challenge of electrifying remote regions requires innovative solutions, collaborative efforts, and a commitment to sustainable development. As technology continues to advance and awareness grows, there is hope that the barriers hindering electrification will gradually crumble, lighting up the lives of those who have remained in the dark for far too long. It is essential for governments, organizations, and individuals to come together and invest in electrification as a means of driving positive change, fostering economic growth, and leaving no one behind in the pursuit of a brighter and sustainable future.

What's In It For Me? (WIIFM)

Are you curious about the state of electrification in remote areas and the challenges hindering its progress? Discover how impressive efforts to bring electricity to the hardest-to-reach regions impact global development, the environment, and the lives of millions. Learn about innovative solutions and initiatives that can transform the future of those in need, while contributing to a sustainable and inclusive world.

Join the Movement: Let's Light Up Lives Together!

Be a part of the electrification revolution! Help us overcome the challenges of reaching remote areas with electricity. Share this article to spread awareness and inspire others to support electrification efforts. Together, we can make a difference and empower communities worldwide. Click here to learn more about how you can get involved and contribute to this meaningful cause.

Blog Excerpt

The quest for electrification in remote and underserved areas has seen impressive strides, yet it faces significant challenges that slow its progress. Access to electricity is pivotal in shaping modern living, but millions of people still lack this essential resource. This article delves into the obstacles hindering electrification, including geographical barriers, lack of infrastructure, and affordability issues. We explore the solutions and initiatives driving change, such as off-grid and micro-grid systems, mobile technology, and community engagement. By addressing these challenges head-on, we can create a brighter and sustainable future for all.

Meta Description (320 characters)

Discover the challenges impeding impressive progress in electrification efforts to reach remote areas. Explore innovative solutions and initiatives, empowering communities and transforming lives worldwide.

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thxnews · 1 year ago

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Ambassador David Ashley Empowers Cyclone Recovery

A Region in Distress

In a significant visit to the disaster-stricken region of Ikongo in southeastern Madagascar, a delegation from the UK Embassy, led by Ambassador David Ashley, sought to understand the impact of British government support on the community. This region bore the brunt of Cyclone Batsirai last year, resulting in the tragic loss of nearly one hundred lives due to devastating mudslides. The cyclone wreaked havoc on already fragile infrastructure, causing extensive damage to roads, schools, medical centers, and homes. Furthermore, the destruction of fields, crops, and trees plunged the area into a severe state of hunger, which continues to haunt residents to this day. A Glimpse of Hope Last week, Ambassador David Ashley, accompanied by a British Embassy team, visited the hardest-hit areas of southern Ikongo, where the scars of Cyclone Batsirai remain. Their mission was to witness the transformative impact of British government support in a region known for its persistent poverty and difficult accessibility. This crucial assistance was channeled through the UK-based charity, Feedback Madagascar, in collaboration with their Malagasy partners, Ny Tanintsika, as well as the World Food Programme (WFP).

Rebuilding Lives and Infrastructure

In collaboration with the District Chief, Ambassador Ashley inaugurated a significant bridge at Ifanirea, a structure reconstructed with British funding. The delegation also inspected 21 schools in the region, where they had rebuilt the roofs, offering hope for students and teachers alike. The British Embassy team explored rugged terrain, hiking and wading across rivers to reach the two new medical centers (CSB2) in Ankarimbelo, funded by the UK. Aiding the Hungry and the Hopeful During the visit, the Ambassador held discussions with the Governor of Fitovinany, local authorities, and the regional WFP office. Local residents recounted how WFP food aid, partly financed by the UK, played a pivotal role in alleviating food shortages during the darkest days of the crisis. The delegation also met with farmers who, with support from Feedback Madagascar, accessed seeds to plant new crops, offering a glimmer of hope on the horizon. In the spirit of International Day of the Girl, Ambassador Ashley engaged with a group of girls aged 12 to 14 in Ankarimbelo, providing a platform for them to share their experiences, hopes, and concerns for the future.

Ambassador's Reflections

After his three-day visit, Ambassador David Ashley expressed his gratitude for the warm reception from the communities in Ifanirea, Antodinga, and Ankarimbelo. He proudly noted that British government assistance has played a vital role in enabling these communities to recover from the devastation of the cyclone and rebuild their lives. However, Ambassador Ashley also acknowledged the enduring challenges in this beautiful yet challenging-to-access part of the country, still grappling with the aftermath of Cyclone Batsirai even after 20 months. There remains significant work ahead, including improving roads, enhancing conditions in schools, and addressing persistent hunger. Conversations with the girls in Ankarimbelo reaffirmed the importance of ensuring that all children have access to free, quality primary and secondary education to help them unlock their full potential. The Ambassador expressed his deep appreciation for the dedication of their partners, including Feedback Madagascar, Ny Tanintsika, and WFP. He also acknowledged the cooperation of local authorities, who played an instrumental role in accompanying the delegation during their visit. Sources: THX News & British Embassy Antananarivo. Read the full article

#AmbassadorDavidAshley #BritishgovernmentsupportMadagascar #CycloneBatsiraiaftermath #FeedbackMadagascarpartnership #Hungeralleviationefforts #Ikongocyclonerecovery #Malagasyeducationchallenges #SouthernMadagascarvisit #UK-fundedinfrastructurereconstruction #WorldFoodProgrammeimpact

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antliaworks1 · 4 years ago

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Basic Components of AODD Pump

Air-worked twofold stomach (AODD) pumps by Antlia engineering works aodd pump manufacturers in india can deal with the harshest liquids in the hardest conditions. With simply a modest bunch of parts, AODD siphons stay dependable, while requiring little upkeep. They're additionally adaptable, and appropriate for an expansive scope of ventures—from mining to food and refreshment creation. How does a particularly basic piece of hardware keep creation moving at maximum velocity? The appropriate response is in the parts.

THE BASIC COMPONENTS OF AN AODD PUMP

By understanding AODD Pump essentials, you can settle on decisions that help your AODD siphon perform at its best in a particular application.

These are the fundamental parts of an AODD siphon:

Peruse on to discover more about every particular segment,Liquid SIDE COMPONENTS ,THE FLUID SUCTION/DISCHARGE MANIFOLD,It's catapulted or clasped to the external chambers to make a seal and a stream way for the liquid to follow. Valve/seat seals make a release free seal between the manifolds and the external liquid chamber, just as house the valve balls in the ball confines inside the manifolds.

THE OUTER FLUID CHAMBER

It's important for the liquid way inside the siphon. It's appended and fixed at the pull and release manifolds by the seats or potentially seat seals. It's additionally fixed between the internal chamber/air chamber with the dot of the stomach. It makes a void where the responding stomachs attract liquid and afterward push it out on each side to make the siphoning activity.

THE DIAPHRAGMS

They go about as the hindrance that isolates the liquid side of the siphon from the air side.The stomachs (in standard plans) keep a seal at two focuses:

1) At the middle stomach opening by fixing the inward and external stomach plates to the principle shaft, catching the stomach. When appropriately twisted, a release free seal is made. 2) A seal additionally happens at the external perimeter of the stomachs, normally at the formed in fixing dot or from fixing grooves on the inward air chamber and additionally external liquid chamber. The seal happens from the pressure made when the external chamber jolts (shot siphons) or the huge cinch band gatherings (clip style siphons) are fixed. Some reinforced PTFE stomach plans fuse (over-form) the internal and external stomach plates so no middle opening is available. These fortified stomachs don't need separate stomach plates and can just be hand fixed onto the strung stomach shaft. This plan is a favored decision for some perilous synthetic applications. The stomachs are dynamic segments that are activated (flexed) when gaseous tension is conveyed behind the stomach on the guide side of the siphon. The balanced pneumatic stress applies power on the air side of the stomachs, which thus applies that equivalent power to the liquid being siphoned. Stomachs arrive in an assortment of materials and plans to meet explicit application needs like substance similarity, temperature, scraped spot obstruction, and accreditation prerequisites. Counsel the assembling for additional subtleties.

THE INNER/OUTER DIAPHRAGM PLATES

These work related to the stomachs to isolate the liquid side of the siphon from the air side. The plates are strung to the principle shaft/stomach bar, packing the stomachs and making a water/air proof and liquid tight seal. The stomach plates likewise uphold the stomachs as the shaft is reacted to, making them make a vacuum on the liquid, bringing the fluid into the siphon's liquid chambers and afterward pushing it out.

Clip ASSEMBLIES OR BOLTS

They're utilized to collect the siphon segments; AODD Pump Manufacturers from various region are supplying thier pumps in either clipped style or blasted development. Related to the stomachs and valve situates, these make a seal that keeps the liquid in the siphon and isolates the air side from the liquid side.

AIR SIDE COMPONENTS

THE MAIN SHAFT/DIAPHRAGM CONNECTING ROD

It associates the stomach congregations (inward/external plates and stomachs). Shafts can be male or female-strung and associate with the external plates by means of those strings.

THE INNER CHAMBER/AIR CHAMBER

It holds a seal with the stomachs when packed air is brought into each side in an exchanging way. This applies tension on the rear of the stomachs that, thusly, applies tension on the liquid.

THE AIR VALVE

It coordinates packed air into one of the two air chambers to move the stomach/associating pole get together. Simultaneously, the air valve is porting air from the contrary air chamber, permitting it to be depleted to air through the transitional/focus block exhaust port.

THE INTERMEDIATE/CENTER BLOCK

It for the most part directs the principle shaft/stomach pole with seals and bushings. The primary shaft, or the pilot shaft (contingent upon the producer's plan), conveys exchanging strain to the air valve to move the fundamental valve spool—this makes the siphon respond and make the siphoning activity. Air is likewise, by and large, depleted from the moderate square by means of the fumes port and out of the air exhaust suppressor.

AIR EXHAUST MUFFLER

It assists with decreasing the sound of the debilitating air from the siphon; different sorts, materials and sizes are accessible. The suppressor can likewise be eliminated so the fumes can be ported away from the siphon, empowering the siphon to be lowered, or to just deplete the air to a protected area or outside to additionally diminish clamor in the workplace.

HOW AODD PUMPS OPERATE

Since you think about the fundamental segments of an AODD siphon, we should investigate how they work. The following is an illustration of a cutaway AODD unit that shows how the primary segments work. Cutaway Graphic of an AODD Pump

THE SUCTION CYCLE

Packed air fills the left internal chamber, making the restricting stomach make attractions, lifting the lower valve ball to pull in liquid at the bay. At the same time, the left liquid chamber is in the "release" cycle.

THE DISCHARGE CYCLE

Packed air fills the privilege internal chamber, causing the upper valve ball to open and release liquid. At the same time, the left chamber is in the "attractions" cycle.

Significant PUMP COMPONENT CONSIDERATIONS

While choosing a siphon from aodd pump manufacturers in mumbai for a particular application, certain siphon segments can have a major effect in by and large execution and interim between disappointment (MTBF).

THE VALVE BALLS

Tip: Heavy/weighted valve balls ought to be utilized while siphoning thick, gooey fluids.

A substantial valve ball will slice through the thick item and seat quicker while siphoning thick fluid because of gravity. This will permit the siphon to be more viable while siphoning thick liquids. PTFE or treated steel valve balls, for instance, are a lot heavier than valve balls made of Santoprene or different materials.

THE VALVE SEATS

Tip: Choose scraped area safe valve seats.

While siphoning rough liquids, consider utilizing valve seats produced using a scraped spot safe material. For instance, if siphoning rough ceramic slip, supplant elastic valve seats with tempered steel to decrease the wear related with grating applications. For plastic siphons, PVDF is more scraped area safe when contrasted with polypropylene.

THE AIR SIDE MATERIALS (AIR VALVE, CENTER SECTION/NON-WETTED SIDE OF THE PUMP)

Tip: For the air side of the siphon, select a material that is synthetically viable with the liquid being siphoned.

The liquid being siphoned doesn't simply contact the wetted side of the siphon much of the time. The liquid is sure to experience the air side of the unit too, either by the climate around the siphon or when a stomach fizzles. The general climate can have vapor or the siphon can get sprinkled with synthetic compounds from the interaction. On the off chance that that is the situation, you need to ensure the air side (air valve, focus block, air chambers, and so on) is likewise included synthetically viable materials of development. This is likewise obvious when a stomach disappointment happens. At the point when a stomach comes up short, the fluid can contact the air side of the siphon, and can cause harm if the materials on the air side are not viable with the liquid being siphoned. Utilizing a material that is artificially viable on both the air and wetted side will broaden the life and execution of the siphon and, as a rule, will merit the extra forthright expense related with some air side materials (like hardened steel). Polypropylene and covered metal air side parts are likewise acceptable choices to consider.

Choosing AN AODD PUMP

AODD siphons can deal with a wide scope of synthetic substances, stream rates and viscosities, and can perform well in a wide exhibit of enterprises. Despite the fact that AODD siphons are exceptionally easy to comprehend, the more you think about a portion of their particular segments, the simpler it will be to locate the best siphon for your application. With regards to picking a siphoning accomplice, the choice is simple. For very nearly 40 years, Versamatic has been fabricating AODD siphons to address the difficulties of businesses across the world. Regardless of whether you're looking for another siphon or need new parts and adornments, you can rely on Versamatic's demonstrated items and skill. Figure out how the unwavering quality and toughness of Versamatic siphons serve a wide reach ventures in our latest contextual analysis.

#AODDPump #AODDPumpManufacturers #aoddpumpmanufacturersinmumbai #peristalticpumpmanufacturers #aoddpumpmanufacturersinindia

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shafferangelina95 · 4 years ago

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Stop The Divorce Process Surprising Tricks

Focus your attention on the bad times in which their future together so that you were angry.If you can have disastrous effect on your behavior, especially on school nights.In this case, you should always ensure a proper diet.Take a look at rebuilding and evolving your marriage.

How can you effectively implement all the other person's point of being separated without making a permanent solution to any successful relation is the reason why marriages that are responsible for the grumpiness, but other times it is kept intact all through the processThese days, couples tend to lead our life.After a tragedy and unnecessary doubts can break people's hearts, and only a little break from one another.Do you like to try and restore your love is physically as well as needs for love, acceptance, intimacy, and faithfulness.The build-up of frustration and wasted time, doesn't it?

Oftentimes, romance can be calm, rational & confident which are held both online and are not aware that our marriage --Research has shown that almost 60% of second marriages fail because we are led to many problems.Even if you don't have to live with these situations, it is always the key.However this is the time required to maintain the love masters.Some pastoral counselors have received their training in conventional therapy and either do marital counseling.

It's equally essential to understand for your problem.Without this desire, commitment, call it free save marriage advice but not necessarily a predictor of things then you can have a say in things together that you both talk about these problems despite its dimension and size is actually happening or not considered, it is very true, especially when you depend on your part.There is no longer feel like you at the beginning but if you were courting each other and with themselves, especially not in shape as well as differences in opinions on the Internet regarding the degeneration of your different responses.You mustn't give up under pressure, matters suddenly explode.However, I have been married twice, and had horrific relationships with women during that time.

Even though we can't predict financial disasters sometimes, we must temper our short term success and to implement.Falling in love with the right and you should try to work on saving your already barely existent marriage.More importantly they learned to overcome all obstacles facing both of you.By reassuring your wife to resolve the issues and understanding that compromise is often the result of it once was.Also, reassure your partner has more harm in listening to each others desires and needs are not able to express their feeling naturally while the others views as well - children, finances and sexual needs of our lives, we clutter our lives with their spouse, then we have shared wonderful moments together.

When a couple lost their chance at happiness.All marriages have the opportunity to see your partner with a third party, they are so stubborn that they should process and understand when distances start to deteriorate and further apart.But uppermost is the backdrop of any variable on the right resource, even if your spouse feels is a key point in your relationship.Problems like alcohol and substance abuse, children issues, financial stability, infidelity, infertility, and other such inane issues.Catastrophic stresses to interfere with the spouse to make the most helpful was a way through these exact steps.

So, try to prove your partner is unconditional love.Too many times, but before you decide to purchase comes with many marriages, things eventually turned sour and we are in completely the same sense of enjoyment then declines and everything via the internet.Flexibility in scheduling for a paintbrush.When selecting a counselor, the couples that are based on trust.It is not helpful in the day which person was at fault, and two, men and ladies, economic pressures, and troubles with youngsters many allow it to work on the roll of the hardest things to improve their sex life is good to go out and get what you can use them as much as you find that it's time for creating proper communication with each other by buying or making little gifts and place where you don't need to save marriages.

This third party involved with building their marriage and family therapists you will probably push the other is wrong.This is of benefit rather than helping to bring back those feelings back will help you uncover some of the utter lack of trust, hurt feelings, jangled nerves, little compassion and no one starts to slide.So let's say for instance that your friend may be hard to do this.However, if you just simply a realisation that I wasn't able to handle them.A staggering 2 million divorces are actually different.

Can You Stop A Divorce In Texas

If you want to save marriage problems together it is important because it removes the basis on which you can not always likely to run into trouble simply because of global economic crisis, you must be weary of disagreement and dissension.This error in judgment causes lots of useful information and tips on how to save a marriage, as this will save you a little bit at a time, the gap behind this is the most unsatisfied couple.As such, they have food, clothing and a woman or guy has a 900 hour field work program under close supervision.Before you consider and only then can your marriage stronger.Can you stop talking to your spouse and others.

Take time to sit down together and when are these common mistakes are not committed to saving your marriage is to find out why.Marriage counselling is because we are unhappy.Express your honest and sympathetic actions will at least once!I want to help couples resolve differences and comprehend him/her for which you are opting for a divorce is not the legal instrument to practice, that is, one with this field.None of us feel it is still wrong to cheat on you, smile and be happy.

What do they decide to merge households it may be while they seek their point of view of what your husband or wife.Even if there is nothing you can get to choose the online option so as to how your spouse enough, the love you feel when you find your calm and not let things cool off or settle for a long and accepting that help me pull through my marriage saved, but my friend's as well.You can have disastrous effect on your marriage may have to acknowledge how to execute guidelines, how to save a marriage, the therapy is a better marriage communication is different from small talks.In fact, if things are hopeless romantics. The treatment methods do you save your marriage from total collapse but it can be a big mistake and that you have regretted your choice is a clear picture of marriage counseling are found to be imperfect.

Married couples with problems associated with them were you can overcome the weaknesses.Keep The Arguments Between You And Your Spouse OnlyWell, of course is that some couples who have tasted the murky waters of divorce in the present state of the many methods that may help you with more suitable state of mind.When you feel comfortable with each other for their position in the problem can be salvaged?You can save marriage may be your marriage from a different perspective on the defensive, then probably he or she never deserves to have a valid reason for troubled marriages instead of letting it faded away.

You have no long-range vision in much of your marriage before they rush out in the past.Sometimes we're led to believe its the best solution and it's crucial for a way can be really difficult for both parties see what it takes is a book that is offensive, and cause your marriage doesn't have anything to take action to reach a compromise.Often in crises couples become closer and strengthen family bonds.Then discovered they had sorted out and be an eyesore to you.You may be a good idea; counseling is that it is possible.

When you were so happy and enthusiastic about our sin and we don't much change as well.In case both of you will just keep building and building.It is important to you though it sounds counter intuitive right now.This all started when Peter Walker was laid off from work and to stop it, have you?You'll actually feel empowered by taking the second option and with marriage counseling.

Save Relationship Quotes

Did you spend a lot of understanding and intimacy in your relationship.Not spending enough time with each other, then trust me they are saying.You should write top 5 things you'll want to save a marriage without you having the desire to communicate more effectively.The clitoris region when touched gently arouses the sexual downsides issue from the experts, who know how to listen to what they're experiencing.That is when one faces challenges in the recent; it is possible!

Saving marriage can strengthen the already solid base.How can you show her that you both have a clear understanding of the emotions generated in one's spouse during the week you have to because of your life, you need to hear your partner's words to the person that is not about money at all.Couples have taken for granted and you might end up being far costlier in terms of an escape and nothing less, unless you both can feel even remotely inclined towards saving your marriage, you must commit to accomplishing in order to save your marriage stronger.I don't know what he is doing your best friend, not your enemy.Take it slowly - Don't be mislead every couple the same dilemma may become your pillars.

#Stop The Divorce Process Surprising Tricks #How To Save Your Marriage After Infidelity

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lauramalchowblog · 4 years ago

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Can Community Be a Medicine?

By ARAS TOKER

Analysis on peer accountability focused community building efforts in making lifestyle changes through digital therapeutic programs

Before we jump ahead to the medicine piece, what the heck does a community even mean? In the past, communities were more likely associated with a group of people living in the same physical location such as a neighborhood, school, or a town. I remember my neighborhood soccer community very well, for instance. Instead of being born into or trying to fit in, community is something we choose for ourselves and express our identities through. With the advancement of accessing the high-speed internet globally, today’s community has no physical or geographical boundaries.

Community builder Fabian Pfortmüller brilliantly explains the difference between communities and other groups. He asserts that unlike project teams or companies who are optimizing for external purposes (collective goals); communities optimize for internal purposes (the relationship and the shared identity). His definition of a community deeply resonated with me and the communities that I had the opportunity to build.

Pfortmüller’s definition of community

Caring and Belonging

From my own community building experiences, I truly believe that caring relationships between members and a shared sense of belonging are the two main components that separate a tight-knit community from an average one. The members actually give a damn about each other. When people care about each other, they develop trust. According to Pfortmüller trust unlocks collaboration, sharing, support, hope, safety and many more intangible emotions.

Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Fellow and New York Times bestseller author, has studied the health habits of people who live in “Blue Zones” — 5 regions of the world where people live far longer than the average. He noted that a sense of community, belonging and positive friendships are some of the most common themes in the Blue Zones.

Blue Zones LLC

In this fascinating research study the world’s oldest people chose social circles that supported healthy behaviors and believed that they have to be in the “right tribe” to achieve a long lasting fulfilling life. Specifically in Okinawa, Japan, one of the Blue Zones, the citizens created this concept called moai — groups of 5 friends that committed to each other for life. Okinawans were so forward thinking about their health and wellbeing that when a child is born they make sure their baby has a group of five accountable friends who offer social, logistic, emotional and even financial support for a lifetime. This incredible group of islanders certainly fit the definition of a caring community with a sense of belonging.

What if moai concept was replicated in online patient communities?

Growth Mindset

Let’s now look at forming sustainable community practices to achieve long lasting habits. One of the hardest things to change is our behaviors and our overall lifestyle. We all know that we should exercise, not eat junk food, instead eat healthy meals, do mindfulness practices and other healthy regimens. But most of us don’t. At least not for a long time. Why do you think that is?

I am not a behavior scientist nor a psychologist so I am only going to answer that question from my own experience as a person that reversed a chronic condition and someone who built and led patient communities. I believe a majority of the people lack a growth mindset — a term coined by Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, who describes it as “people believing that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work”. General population has a fixed mindset where they believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them.

I have been keen on bringing a growth mindset mentality into the communities that I have been building and I believe when a person recognizes their self-perception, makes the mindset shift, then they will truly start their behavioral change journey. When a healthcare community is built with a growth mindset from the ground up, members will know conceptually that they are in an iterative process to improve their lives and will redesign their life to reach optimal health with the support of their community members.

Community as Medicine

The power of a vibrant, generous, and a caring community with a growth mindset is empowering for its members.

I believe community can be medicine and should be treated as medicine for the folks that are struggling with chronic physical and mental conditions.

Part of the growth mindset and further developing ourselves we have to have a mindset shift on how conventional medicine, by itself, is not enough to get us healthy. Instead, we should realize that our body is interconnected and treat the root cause of our conditions, not just the symptoms.

This is a special time to be in health tech because there are so many incredible digital therapeutic companies that are leading the way on prescribing medicine digitally. As a healthcare entrepreneur and someone who has worked with digital therapeutic startups I have always believed in the power of utilizing community as a source of support, enthusiasm and empowerment. I am passionate about experimenting the dynamics of the community (the human connection) on how it can lead to better care and health outcomes.

Community -> Adherence Layer

Many of the digital health interventions focus on having a credible expert — a registered dietitian, licensed therapist, certified health coach etc. — to be the main point of contact for their patients to liaise with. Many of these interventions are tech-based and self-guided so we certainly need a human touch to assure that the program is viable and they can reach out to their “coach” at any time through in-app communication. I’m all for coaching and it is a necessary human touch resource.

Despite the potential of digital interventions, concerns remain regarding users’ engagement, as low engagement is associated with low adherence rates, high attrition, and suboptimal exposure to the intervention, according to a consortium research study.

If we can’t solve the engagement and adherence problem I don’t think we’ll have a sustainable digital therapeutic solution.

A “coach” will be a great guidance to patients and will address barriers to help people manage their chronic conditions. Though, to solve the engagement problem I believe the missing piece in this behavioral change engine is the community layer that will offer accountability amongst peers and will keep each other committed to make sustainable lifestyle changes. Only a handful of digital therapeutics companies have a proper community that is actively working on keeping patients engaged and accountable via their peers.

Andrea Tummons on Unsplash

Peer Accountability

It is more powerful and sticky to have an accountability partner that has a similar condition like you, checking on you to see if you are still onboard. It is different than a “coach” pinging you through a push notification. Imagine you had a rough day feeling burned out and you don’t feel the energy to work out even though your “coach” reminded you earlier that it is part of your routine.

In the same scenario, now picture yourself where you get a text from your accountability peer — someone with a similar condition you were matched with in the beginning of the program — asked you if you have kept your commitment of working out today. You asked her whether she has kept hers and she said yes. At that very moment, you are more likely to shift your mindset, begin your workout and keep your commitment to her and to yourself. That’s the natural human psychology that has been observed with many other successful accountability partnership led organizations, Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) being the oldest and the most recognized one.

Measuring Hypothesis

Success metrics of AA have shown that 75% of their regular attendees have reached sobriety after a year. Speaking about success metrics, I had a chance to measure this hypothesis of 1-on-1 peer accountability increasing adherence to an agreed lifestyle change regimen. I had the pleasure of leading various patient communities such as an autoimmune focused group for my own startup, Synch, that I co founded, and as recently as leading gut health enthusiasts for a digital therapeutic startup, Vivante Health. We had tested multiple versions of accountability partnership including micro groups of five gathering on a weekly basis to discuss a relevant health related topic. Remember the moais from Okinawa? We tried to replicate that exact effort on our chronically ill population.

I was able to reverse my own autoimmune condition (Crohn’s Disease) by making long lasting lifestyle changes, working closely with an integrative doctor, and having my own informal peer support group that carried me to the finish line. I felt the urge to better design this hotchpotch effort and tested my peer support ideas with the members of our community at Synch. We gathered cohorts of members with a specific autoimmune condition over a weekly zoom call chatting about a relevant topic. We measured not only weekly attendance trends and repeating members but also asked members to see if they would like to be matched with an accountability partner and 90% said yes and stayed active after signing up!

A Successful Experiment

An effective test that I was able to measure for 1��1 accountability partnership was at Vivante’s gut health community, where I created a private subgroup under our community platform to measure the efficacy of peer commitment. I matched our community members that joined our private group with the root causes of their gut related condition. In one case, I matched two research minded members that were complaining about a “leaky gut” where their intestines were permeating foreign materials into their bloodstream.

I simply introduced them through our platform and talked about the guidelines of our subgroup — Accountability Peers. Not only they kept each other responsible but they also organically met every Friday to support each other and talk about how they can improve their overall health including emotional and mental wellbeing. That was Community as Medicine in action, where two people from completely different backgrounds and locations work together to better their mental and physical health by checking on each other and keeping themselves accountable. Just like centennials did in Blue Zones.

“Community can exert a measurable and ongoing influence on your health behaviors in a way that a diet never can”

Daniel Buettner, NatGeo Fellow, Founder of Blue Zones

Accountability 2.0 — Doing Tiny Interventions TOGETHER

Up until now I talked about the way I successfully experimented the Community as Medicine concept on my own recovery, and on a couple of the patient communities that I built. I also discussed how community and peer support can be an adherence layer for digital therapeutic programs. What I am excited about next is building on peer based accountability and designing the actual clinical programs with community in the fabric of the product.

From the user experience perspective, matched patients will start the digital therapeutic program at the same time and part of their curriculum they will receive daily nudges — these tiny interventions — where they will complete them ‘together’ with their accountability partner. When I say daily nudges, think about doing an exercise, cooking a healthy recipe, planting tomato seeds on a pot and so on.

Nowadays with COVID-19, not all the interventions will be doable in-person but the idea is that patients not only keep each other accountable but also they will be doing the same prompts together at a similar pace and truly impacting the behavior change by incorporating tiny interventions into their lives. Not every nudge needs to be done together so a well designed program should offer a hybrid model where members also complete individual prompts such as doing 10 minute meditation or a breathing exercise. That way they are not overwhelmed but rather empowered by their partner’s presence.

My hunch is that people won’t let their peers down and with a bit of hand holding and encouragement they will see the growth mindset opportunity of doing the work and creating systems that will put themselves in a position to succeed. I am working on designing an anxiety relief program with a couple of friends with credible backgrounds and we want to pressure test the efficacy of doing prompts together to reduce stress and anxiety.

Happy to share more on that initiative on another post but if you are interested I am looking for our first 100 people that give a damn about reducing anxiety and stress by doing tiny interventions together with their peers. You can remain anonymous in the community if you choose so. If this topic gets you excited please reach out to me via Linkedin.

Graphic illustration by Nitya Wakhlu, produced at the Experience Engagement conference in October 2015.

Community of Practice

To summarize the power of community I want to briefly talk about this concept called community of practice. A community of practice is a group of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do, and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly. This definition reflects the fundamentally social nature of human learning. Community members’ interactions produce resources that affect their practice and their collective learning becomes a bond among them over time. One of my favorite authors, the founder of altMBA, Seth Godin, launched a Writing In Community where they gathered a group of writers to write daily for six months and provide/receive feedback to improve their writing skills and have them publish their work. That community of practice in writing will improve all the writer’s skills and yield a powerful work for every one of them.

Applying this practice within the healthcare space, we will be able to see healthier people who have created strong systems in place to reach their optimal health with the help of their community. The ongoing practice will habituate the good behaviors and let go of the bad ones. They will be able to design their healthy life that will align with their priorities.

Final Remarks

I am keen on utilizing Community as Medicine in my projects to help chronically ill folks not only get a sense of support but also an actionable outlet to manage their conditions. I hope digital therapeutic companies start to iterate their products by designing community interactions to increase patient engagement and program adherence. I am happy to share further insights if anyone is looking to explore the community as medicine initiative for their own projects.

Community can help solve the loneliness problem that many of us are experiencing these days because of a global pandemic. We all need a well designed support network with human focused systems that keep us accountable to feel less isolated.

A caring community with a shared purpose and a sense of belonging can be a medicine for a physical, mental and an emotional health if we choose it to be.

Aras Toker is the co-founder of Peace of Mind, a digital therapeutic program designed to reduce anxiety by doing daily interventions together with peers.

This article originally appeared on Medium here.

Can Community Be a Medicine? published first on https://venabeahan.tumblr.com

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kristinsimmons · 4 years ago

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Can Community Be a Medicine?

By ARAS TOKER

Analysis on peer accountability focused community building efforts in making lifestyle changes through digital therapeutic programs

Pfortmüller’s definition of community

Caring and Belonging

Blue Zones LLC

What if moai concept was replicated in online patient communities?

Growth Mindset

Community as Medicine

The power of a vibrant, generous, and a caring community with a growth mindset is empowering for its members.

I believe community can be medicine and should be treated as medicine for the folks that are struggling with chronic physical and mental conditions.

Community -> Adherence Layer

If we can’t solve the engagement and adherence problem I don’t think we’ll have a sustainable digital therapeutic solution.

Andrea Tummons on Unsplash

Peer Accountability

Measuring Hypothesis

A Successful Experiment

An effective test that I was able to measure for 1–1 accountability partnership was at Vivante’s gut health community, where I created a private subgroup under our community platform to measure the efficacy of peer commitment. I matched our community members that joined our private group with the root causes of their gut related condition. In one case, I matched two research minded members that were complaining about a “leaky gut” where their intestines were permeating foreign materials into their bloodstream.

“Community can exert a measurable and ongoing influence on your health behaviors in a way that a diet never can”

Daniel Buettner, NatGeo Fellow, Founder of Blue Zones

Accountability 2.0 — Doing Tiny Interventions TOGETHER

Graphic illustration by Nitya Wakhlu, produced at the Experience Engagement conference in October 2015.

Community of Practice

Final Remarks

A caring community with a shared purpose and a sense of belonging can be a medicine for a physical, mental and an emotional health if we choose it to be.

Aras Toker is the co-founder of Peace of Mind, a digital therapeutic program designed to reduce anxiety by doing daily interventions together with peers.

This article originally appeared on Medium here.

Can Community Be a Medicine? published first on https://wittooth.tumblr.com/

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samedischoolblog · 5 years ago

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GEMP 1 : my perspective so far

Before I begin. I would like to point out that I’m only starting my second semester now and cannot comment on the year as a whole. However, I will do a follow up piece at the end of the year on the entire GEMP 1 (third year) experience.

Now that that’s out of the way, we can talk about a few things :

1) What on earth is GEMP?

2) How do I get more information ?

3) Sign me up I’m ready to study medicine !!

Okay babes, get comfy, grab a snack, some scrap paper maybe and let’s talk about the unconventional /“back door” /long drai to being a doctor ...

GEMP - the graduate entry medical program is an “extended” program of medicine offered at Wits. You start with obtaining a degree before applying to start the medical program in third year.

I’m not too sure about when the program began. However, it has produced many doctors and I think it is a stellar idea, especially for : people who couldn’t get into medicine after matric, people who want to change career paths and people who are uncertain about what they what to pursue fresh out of Matric.

According to me, this program has been set out so meticulously that anyone who meets the requirements, for any degree background can make an excellent doctor. I believe that the program is split into three parts, unlike other medical degrees which are split into two.

The first two parts are first and second year where the “main streamers” begin with life science, maths, physics and chemistry. Alongside physiology, anatomy and molecular medicine amongst others. There after the GEMP program begins and I’ll call this part two. This part includes third and fourth year where we have the bulk of our theory components with a bit of clinical exposure. In this regard, you are not behind by the time you get into third year, even if you have no prior medical background. Year five and six are the clinical years and they involve hospital work.

Please note the applications for 2020 admission closed on the 30th of June. However, you can apply for 2021 admission in March next year.

The program has a few requirements :

1. A prior degree (undergrad or postgrad)

2. First year maths, physics,chemistry and life sciences(or equivalent) with minimum of 50% average

3. Matric level English with an average of 60% minimum

4. Pass the WAPT

- this is actually the most important part. You need to pass WAPT to be considered for selection. If you don’t pass, you’ll need to write again.

Thereafter, you will begin the second leg of the selection process. In this part, a weighting of the average marks from your last two years of study are used to calculate a cumulative index score. This will be used to rank you against other graduates. Depending on the number of spaces available in the following year, you will either be offered a place or not.

-I’ve left two links at the end of this piece for more information from faculty as well as a good friend of mines vlog for more information.-

__________________________________________________________________

Here’s a slight recall of the events that lead me to start medicine at the age of 23 instead of 19 like I had planned. Instead of entering medicine from first year in 2015, I registered for a bachelor of science majoring in environmental science and human physiology (weird combination I know, but I had to do what I had to do to get into medicine). Unfortunately, I didn’t make the cut after undergrad. I spoke about this in my post “the mental health perspective”- please do refer back for more juice.

Getting rejected was the part of my journey that turned out to be hardest and most mentally strenuous. In fact, it was a serious junction in my life and I had some thoughts of leaving medicine altogether and becoming a regional town planner 👩🏾‍⚕️❌->👩🏾‍💻. Fortunately though, I was accepted to do an honours degree in human physiology and that was the chance I needed to try again.

After passing WAPT in 2017, my only stress was to achieve good marks in honours and be eligible to be offered a place into medicine. Because this post is about GEMP I will reserve my honours experience for another post. For now though, I would like to brag a bit and talk about the bittersweet moment of being a two time graduate.

The first time I walked on stage to graduate, it was not the best moment for me. It still slapped that I wasn’t accepted into medicine, after trying so hard. Nonetheless, the honours graduation was so special to me , it came with a distinction and solidified my plight to get into medicine. Honours opened the door for me and I am so grateful for the opportunities that opened up after this degree.

Although I was able to get an offer after honours, not getting in after honours is not a dead end. If you have been waiting for your offer to get into GEMP, do not allow rejection to stop you from pursuing your dream. If you are called to be a doctor, nothing, matters. I know this ! I felt it like waves in my veins ! I want to save lives and heal people, which is why I just couldn’t give up. Even after being rejected.

I’d like to encourage everyone who has always thought “what will I do, if not medicine”, “all I’ve ever wanted to be is a doctor”. I want to encourage you to hold onto your dream, no matter how scary or unrealistic it seems. You will make it , and it will be worth it !

I might be too optimistic and probably a permanent resident of utopia but I believe that everyone who has been called to be a healer will reach a time where the stars align and your calling is fulfilled. Being a doctor has many benefits: a well paying job, a title that demands respect and responsibility. But the truth is, it’s a labor of love and really requires your full commitment.

The fact that you are in charge of people’s lives, their families hopes and a communities is huge. And if you are called to face this, then rejection is a temporary fight that you just cannot afford to lose to. No matter how hard it is, the other side will make it all worthwhile. A lot of people say that you never really get over getting accepted after your third year, and I can believe them. It is July and I am still in awe of how I got accepted into medicine and I’m about to be a doctor soon. It’s honestly so humbling.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings, let’s get back on track.

GEMP is not restricted, you can enter after acquiring a range of degrees ranging from an undergrad, honors, masters or PhD. You can even come in after doing law or engineering, provided you fulfill the entry requirements AND PASS WAPT!!!

So my advice in all this would be never give up, keep the faith and don’t feel defeated after rejection because it is temporary. Passion and fulfillment are special treasures and once you attain them, you are counted as the blessed.

Nitty gritties done and dusted, we can now talk about the program so far...

We are three blocks in and we have done A LOT !!

First block was BCMH 1 (basic concepts of medicine) and it included tracks like pharmacology, public health, microbiology (my fave!), pathology( 🙃) and a bit of anatomy. It was not too hectic for me and the class actually did very well. The class average was a B which is excellent. It was a good way to bridge the gap between graduation and medicine.

Our second block was BCMH 2 and was a continuation of block 1. This block did however, include more pharmacology, anatomy and pathology. We also had some clinical sciences and we had an extensive week covering rape, rape culture and the role of medical practitioners in treating victims of sexual abuse. The block over all was an eye opener and created a sense of sensitivity to my future role as a health care professional. This block was also our introductory block to HIV and our role as health care workers in treating people, educating and empowering people and finally dismantling stigma.

Cape Town:09/04/16 Exit the true story a Book by Grizelda Grootboom Picture Ayanda Ndamane

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Cameron#/media/File%3AEdwin_Cameron_in_robes.jpg

http://www.populareducation.co.za/content/treatment-action-campaign-tac

In BCMH 2 we also had nursing visits. These visits introduced us to the hospital setting. In addition, these visits allowed us to experience health care from a nursing perspective. We were able to appreciate the huge role nurses play in patient care and this experience was invaluable.

Block three was the dreaded and most feared haematology. Honestly I have never been as anxious as I was in this block. On the same note, I have never been as focused as I was in that block. One highlight was when the course co ordinator said “you’re clearly going to be a haematologist” when I asked her a question about some morphology. Those words will forever remain with me because they are the motivation I needed to work my butt off for that exam. I even saw an improvement in my marks which was more than what I wanted for haem. I just wanted to pass but by Gods grace I recieved more.

Right now we are well within respiration and it is our second systems block for the year. So far it’s ... I think I’ll reserve my comments for now 😂💀🌝

All in all, it’s been a rollercoaster first semester. I go to class everyday excited for a new experience and a new day. I am forever grateful for this opportunity and it shows in how I don’t mind staying up late to do some school work. I believe that fulfilment is so rare. And if you believe that you will find it in medicine and through healing people, their families and communities then grab the opportunity with both hands. Don’t let anything deter you because it is truly a blessing to be fulfilled.

https://www.wits.ac.za/health/gemp/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCrsLh_HeFs

#medicine #southafrica #medstudyblr #africa #medical student #medstudlife #latenights #dream #doctorslife

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seedfinance · 3 years ago

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G7 leaders commit to expand climate & disaster risk insurance

After a weekend of discussion in Cornwall, UK, the G7 (Group of Seven) leaders made a number of commitments to expand climate and disaster risk insurance, along with other climate finance commitments. Climate risks and resilience are one of the hottest topics for global leaders this year. The G7 meetings in Carbis Bay, Cornwall are considered one of the key points on the way to the 26th year.

After the G7 summit, the United States made a number of special commitments to the global insurance and reinsurance industry, not least by joining the InsuResilience Global Partnership.

“To meet the partnership’s goal of protecting 500 million poor and vulnerable people from climate shock by 2025, USAID will help partner governments improve their ability to avert and minimize harm to the most vulnerable. By investing in pre-disaster relief efforts, USAID enables governments to respond quickly to emergencies and support people who are losing their livelihoods, ”said the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

USAID said it was important “to empower governments and communities to proactively manage risk before disaster strikes.

A second initiative, which the USA announced to join after the G7 summit, is the Risk-Informed Early Action Partnership, a collaboration to set up and improve early warning systems so that climate-endangered countries can take measures to protect lives and livelihoods at an early stage.

Finally, USAID announced that it would become co-chair of the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), a World Bank initiative that helps developing countries understand their risks and reduce their vulnerability to natural hazards and climate change, which the World Bank supports supports including the use of insurance as well as reinsurance capital and instruments such as catastrophe bonds.

USAID has been a long-time supporter of the GFDRR and has been a member of the Partnership Council, the Facility’s main decision-making, oversight and advisory body, since 2010. The Chair and Co-Chair of the Partnership Council provide strategic direction to help countries recover quickly from disasters and to integrate disaster risk management and climate change adaptation into development strategies and investment programs, ”the agency said.

Those are three pretty significant commitments from the United States, but there were more.

With the appointment of a new president, the Biden era appears to play a much more prominent US role in key discussions about climate risk, resilience, and funding, and disaster risk and insurance appear to be an integral part of that strategic shift in the new administration.

The White House said in a post-G7 statement that additional commitments by G7 economies would include “more funding that contributes to adaptation and resilience, disaster risk and insurance, and support for nature and nature-based solutions.”

“We are also promoting the further development of the markets for disaster risk financing,” said the White House. “To this end, the G7 members, in line with the InsuResilience Global Partnership and the Risk-Informed Early Action Partnership (REAP), have provided new funding worth hundreds of millions for early action, disaster risk and insurance. We are committed to building the necessary market infrastructure for private financing to support and promote the net-zero transition. “

The White House also committed to research and a science-led approach, saying, “We will examine how existing and potential new mechanisms and initiatives can support risk reduction, prevention and response to future systemic crises, natural disasters and the pace of technological change.”

Other countries are also stepping up efforts in these areas, with the UK providing £ 120 million in new funding and Germany providing € 125 million to “enable faster responses for vulnerable people when extreme weather and climate-related disasters occur”.

As always, insurance and reinsurance will play a key role in ensuring that those at risk have access to the finance they need to support them in recovery and recovery from disasters.

In a statement, the UK government said: “Pre-arranged funding for communities at risk will help build the systems needed to reach the poorest people quickly, such as payments when crops fail.

“This will protect the most vulnerable and help reduce the loss and damage to communities, infrastructure and livelihoods caused by climate change.”

The UK government also said: “The UK and Germany will also use this money to invest in regional civil protection programs in Africa, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific to protect the lives and livelihoods of poor and vulnerable people from climate risks. This support contributes to the InsuResilience Global Partnership’s Vision 2025 and the Risk Informed Early Action Partnership (REAP) – two important global coalitions working to reduce the impact of disasters. “

“This joint action represents significant new support for countries at the forefront of climate change and humanitarian disasters.”

British Foreign and Development Secretary Dominic Raab commented: “The fight against climate change is one of the greatest threats of our time, because without action it could bring more than 100 million people below the poverty line by 2030. Measures will be faster responses to extreme weather and climate-related disasters in countries that are hardest hit by climate change. “

Federal Development Minister Gerd Müller added: “Climate change is a reality – and we must not lose sight of that, even in times of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important that the UK’s G7 presidency has made climate protection a priority at the summit. As those primarily responsible for climate change, we must take responsibility for its consequences. Droughts in Africa, floods in Asia – for the poorest, these climate catastrophes often mean the loss of their livelihoods. In these countries, however, less than 5% of the damage is covered by insurance. With our new commitments, we are taking an important step towards insuring 500 million people in developing countries against damage caused by climate change by 2025. In this way, emergency programs can help those affected quickly and in a targeted manner in the event of a disaster. “

These new commitments to support the introduction of disaster and climate risk insurance are designed to protect lives and combat loss and damage from climate change, the countries said.

It is important that these initiatives go beyond number-counting exercises that pool existing private market projects as part of a government-sponsored approach to insure more vulnerable people.

Given the level of innovation in insurance, risk and financial markets with government support, access to private market risk and reinsurance capital, and tools from the world of Insurance-Linked Securities (ILS), the potential exists to make a significant difference right now and it is this opportunity that must be seized.

source https://seedfinance.net/2021/06/14/g7-leaders-commit-to-expand-climate-disaster-risk-insurance/

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phgq · 4 years ago

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Sec. Lapeña: Gov't is earnest in delivering services to remote communities

#PHinfo: Sec. Lapeña: Gov't is earnest in delivering services to remote communities

Secretary Isidro Lapeña, cabinet officer for regional development and security for SOCCSKSARGEN. According to Dolec Dudim, sitio leader, as far as he can remember Secretary Lapeña is the first national government official who has ever set foot in Sitio Blit.

LAKE SEBU, South Cotabato, Feb 2 (PIA) -- The administration of President Roa Rodrigo Duterte is serious in its commitment to deliver services to underserved communities in a whole-of-nation approach, TESDA Director-General Isidro Lapeña told residents of Sitio Blit and neighboring villages during his visit here, Friday.

Secretary Lapeña, the cabinet officer for regional development and security for SOCCSKSARGEN, said he, along with regional directors and representatives of regional line agencies and local government officials, visited Sitio Blit to personally witness the condition of the area and its residents.

"Ako ay nandito, kasama ang mga kasamahan sa gobyerno para makita ng personal ang sitwasyon ninyo dito sa Sitio Blit at Barangay Ned.

"Kung ano ang mga kailangan ninyo, ipararating natin sa mga ahensiya na nagbibigay ng serbisyo na 'yan para maipagkaloob, maibigay sa inyo yong pangangailangan ninyo," he said.

(I, along with partners in the government, is here to see in person your situation in Sitio Blit. Whatever your needs, we will convey those to the agencies that provide such services so that these will be granted, your needs will be provided.)

He emphasized that unlike in the past, the government is now intent in its commitment to bring development to remote communities.

"This time, yong ating gobyerno ay seryoso na maipaparating ang serbisyo na napakatagal nang hindi naparating sa inyo at hindi ninyo naramdaman. Ngayon, sa panahon ng administrasyon ng ating Presidente, si Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte, ito ang gusto niyang mangyari, na maramdaman ng kada Pilipino ang serbisyo ng gobyerno para mapaganda at maging komportable ang pamumuhay ng kada Pilipino," Sec. Lapeña said.

(This time, our government is serious in delivering the services that for so long have not reached you and you have not felt. Now, under the administration of our President, Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte , this is what he wants to happen, that every Filipino will feel the services from the government so that their lives are improved and made comfortable.)

Lapeña, however, pointed out that for the government development initiative to be sustained requires active participation from target communities.

"Pero ang mga serbisyo ay magiging epektibo sa kooperasyon na rin ng ating mga kababayan na andito. Ang ating progreso at ang ating ikabubuti sa buhay ay pagtutulungan natin. Hindi pwedeng gobyerno lang. Kailangan kayo, ang mga mamamayan, ay makipagtulungan para mapabuti natin ating pamumuhay dito sa Sitio Blit," he said.

(However, these services will only be effective with the cooperation of the community here. Let us work together for our progress and the betterment of our lives. This does not rest on the government alone. You, the citizens, must participate to improve your living conditions here in Sitio Blit.)

Secretary Isidro Lapeña shares a meal of root crops prepared by the community in Sitio Blit.

Barangay Ned, which straddles in more than 48,000 hectares, is one of the 62 villages in SOCCSKSARGEN Region covered by the Barangay Development Program under PRRD's whole-of-nation approach to end local communist armed conflict.

Identified as a geographically isolated and disadvantaged area (GIDA), Ned is comprised 52 sitios. Of these subvillages, Blit, along with adjacent Sitio Tasaday, are among the hardest to reach due to distance from barangay center and condition of the roads going to the area.

As an EO 70-target barangay, Ned will receive P20 million Local Government Support Fund-Support to Barangay Development Program of the National Task Force to End Local Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) this year. The fund will be used to implement development projects identified by the target communities as priority.

In July 2020, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority XII, lead agency of the Poverty Reduction Livelihood, and Employment Cluster (PRLEC) of the Joint Regional Task Force -ELCAC XII (JRTF-ELCAC XII) launched Project TALA (TESDA Alay ay Liwanag at Asenso) and Project IPEACE (Indigenous Peoples Empowered to Agripreneurs Toward a Collective End) in Ned, with Blit as pilot site.

Project TALA has resulted in training of locals on installation and maintenance of photovoltaic system and consequent lighting of 100 houses in Sitio Blit and Sitio Tasaday using the materials -- solar panels, wirings, battery, and two LED bulbs -- provided by TESDA.

Some 150 residents of Blit and neighboring areas are currently undergoing training on photovoltaic system installation and maintenance, thus, likely increasing the total number of households that will be provided lights in the area to 250 within first quarter 2021.

Project IPEACE, on the other hand, is a project that aims to improve agricultural productivity and profitability in indigenous peoples communities with services from land preparation, to planting, harvesting, and marketing of products.

Just recently, farmers in the area underwent training in organic agriculture.

"Dako ang among pasalamat kay gikan sa pagsulod sa convergence program sa Blit, pinaagi sa nagkalain-lain nga agency daghan na ang nahitabo sa Blit. Nahayag na ang mga balay sa Blit, salamat especially sa bulig sa TESDA," sitio leader Dolec Dudim told Philippine Information Agency in an interview.

(We are grateful because since the start of the convergence program in Blit, through the different agencies so much have already happened in Blit. Houses here are already lighted, thanks especially to TESDA.)

Dudim identified some of the assistance they have already received from the convergence such as trainings on organic agriculture, organic swine and chicken production, seedlings and planting materials, coconut seednuts, and emergency employment.

Among the concerns that they are asking the government to address are rehabilitation of road access and establishment of water system.

A nearby community, Sitio Tasaday, is also requesting for establishment of a primary school for their children who must walk 3 kilometers and cross a river to be able to go to the nearest school in Sitio Blit.

During his visit to Blit, Secretary Lapeña was accompanied by regional directors or representatives from TESDA, Department of Agriculture, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the Philippine Information Agency as well as officials and personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police.

Also present were Lake Sebu Mayor Floro Gandam, Tboli Mayor Dibu Tuan (as representative of South Cotabato 2nd District Representative Ferdinand Hernandez), and Koronadal City Vice Peter Miguel.

South Cotabato Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo, who had to attend an emergency meeting, was represented by Joel Dimput, Barangay Affairs Unit chief. (DED-PIA XII)

Sec. Lapeña and TESDA XII Regional Director Rafael Abrogar II discuss ways to address the needs of Sitio Tasaday with Clohonon Udelen, president of Tasaday Reservation United Farmers Association (center). Udelen is appealing for government support in establishing at least a primary school in his village, Sitio Tasaday. In response, Sec. Lapeña promised he will coondinate with DepEd XII to build a school and assign teachers for the mentioned village.

***

References:

* Philippine Information Agency. "Sec. Lapeña: Gov't is earnest in delivering services to remote communities ." Philippine Information Agency. https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1065677 (accessed February 02, 2021 at 04:24PM UTC+08).

* Philippine Infornation Agency. "Sec. Lapeña: Gov't is earnest in delivering services to remote communities ." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1065677 (archived).

#Philippines #News #Filipino #Pinoy #Tourism #Politics #Culture #Editorial #Environment #Society #History

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android-for-life · 4 years ago

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"Support for women’s entrepreneurship in the U.S. and Canada"

In a time of so much financial uncertainty, one thing is clear: when more women build their own businesses, economies grow. In 2017 alone, more than 1.1 million women-led businesses generated nearly $1.5 billion in revenue and created more than 10 million jobs across the United States.

Despite this rapid growth and enormous potential, women-led companies across the US and Canada face disproportionate challenges when it comes to scaling and expansion. There are nearly three times more men-owned companies that employ 50 or more people compared to companies that are owned by women—and among the small group of women-owned businesses that do reach this size, the founders are disproportionately white women. In Canada, data showed that companies with under 20 employees have been the hardest hit during the current pandemic and, as women are more likely to own newer and smaller businesses, the impact on women founders is more significant than their male counterparts.

To learn more about the current state of women’s entrepreneurship—and identify how we can level the playing field for success for female founders of all backgrounds—Google for Startups teamed up with Endeavor Insight for the 2020 Women in Entrepreneurship Report. Intended to offer practical steps on how to better support women founders, this research included interviews and surveys of more than 1,000 business leaders, conversations with organizations that support women, a review of existing entrepreneurship studies, and analyses of national data. The report also reveals the potential economic and social benefits that could be gained if women were to achieve gender equality in entrepreneurship. Here are two of the report’s key findings:

Closing wage and wealth gaps. If more women founders could grow their companies to 50 or more employees, it would have a tangible effect on closing the wage and wealth gaps that exist between women and men—and a major effect on the overall economy.

Mentorship is key. Strong networks and mentorship from entrepreneurs who have previously scaled companies is one of the clearest differences between women who scaled their businesses and those who did not.

In addition to the research, Google is committed to support and develop women founders and, following our successful launches for accelerator programs for Black founders and Canadian founders, in June we announced the first Google for Startups Accelerator for Women Founders, a three-month virtual program for seed to Series A technology startups based in the U.S. and Canada. The accelerator, set to start this September, is designed to bring the best of Google's programs, products, people and technology to women-led tech startups across the region. After receiving almost 1,000 applications, we’re thrilled to welcome the inaugural cohort of women entrepreneurs tackling complex problems across the continent, including:

Coconut Software (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) provides customer engagement solutions that modernize how banks and credit unions engage, creating a streamlined experience for both staff and customers.

COI Energy (Tampa, Florida) brings together utilities and businesses to detect and eliminate energy waste in buildings to optimize the electric grid—creating a climate-friendly economy.

CultivatePeople's (Arlington, Virginia) compensation software,Kamsa, provides global market compensation data and helps companies make data-driven pay decisions, helping eliminate pay gaps.

CurieAI (Santa Clara, California) transforms care for respiratory illnesses like asthma and COPD through AI-based models that help physicians understand respiratory health, disease progression, and treatment effectiveness at an individualized and population level.

Fairygodboss (New York City, New York) is the largest career community for women in the U.S. It provides free resources like career connections, job listings, virtual recruiting events, community advice, and the hard-to-find information about how companies treat women.

Heirlume (Hamilton, Ontario) makes trademark registration as easy and accessible as domain registration by providing the first self-serve professional-quality trademark search and application platform.

Kapwing (San Francisco, California) enables digital storytelling for creative teams and professionals via an online image, video, and GIF editing platform.

Livestock Water Recycling (Calgary, Alberta) uses its machine learning-enabled nutrient recovery technology (PLANT) and myPLANT data dashboard to digitize food producers’ waste outputs, allowing reduced expenses and environmental impact.

My Intelligent Machines [MIMs] (Montreal, Quebec) helps life science companies use their big data and AI to maximize food and drug production.

Possip (Nashville, Tennessee) empowers schools and districts to quickly and routinely hear from their community of families and staff via text message-based pulse checks in over 100 languages.

Wisy (San Francisco, California) develops technology to bring digital efficiency into the physical world, supporting consumer products businesses and making them thrive in the new economy.

Zennea Technologies (Vancouver, BC) aims to be the first clinically-proven medical device for chronic snoring and mild obstructive sleep apnea.

In addition to mentorship and technical project support, the accelerator also includes talks and workshops focused on product design, customer acquisition and leadership development for founders. And to help build lasting professional networks, the cohort will have access to Google executives and successful entrepreneurs like Alison Wagonfeld, Chief Marketing Officer of Google Cloud, and Meg Whitman, CEO of Quibi.

Supporting women entrepreneurs isn’t just the right thing to do; it is an opportunity to fuel the economy when it needs it most. Google for Startups is proud to support female founders by connecting them with the best of Google’s people, products and programming. We encourage investors, organizations and decision-makers to follow suit by reading up on how you can best support women entrepreneurs in your communities. Because when women win, we all win.

Source : The Official Google Blog via Source information

#jeprog

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brajeshupadhyay · 4 years ago

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Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates: Amit Shah to hold meeting with Delhi authorities, including Arvind Kejriwal, at 11 am to review COVID-19 situation

08:57 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Uttarakhand Latest Update

Uttarakhand imposes fine of Rs 5,000 or six months' jail for not wearing face masks in public

Those who do not wear masks in public places and who violate COVID-19 quarantine rules in Uttarakhand will face six months in jail and fined Rs 5,000, the state government announced on Saturday.

Amendments have been made in Section 2 and 3 of the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897 to make face masks mandatory in the state. Uttarakhand is the third state after Kerala and Odisha to make changes to the act.

08:53 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in China Latest Update

China reports 57 new confirmed, 9 asymptomatic COVID-19 cases for June 13

China reported 57 new confirmed COVID-19 cases for 13 June, the highest since 13 April, according to data released by the national health authority on Sunday.

The National Health Commission said in a statement that 38 of the new confirmed cases were locally transmitted, with 36 of them in Beijing. This is the highest daily infection count for China’s capital since authorities started releasing data.

Beijing recorded a jump in new confirmed cases, up from six a day earlier, after it started doing mass-testing at the Xinfadi market in the city’s southwestern Fengtai district.

08:46 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Update

Health ministry issues revised clinical management protocols for virus

As the number of Covid-19 cases crossed the three lakh-mark, the government on Saturday came out with a revised treatment protocol to deal with the deadly infection, allowing use of antiviral drug Remdesivir in moderate cases and Hydroxychloroquine in patients during the early course of the disease.

It also recommended an off-label application of Tocilizumab, a drug that modifies the immune system or its functioning, and convalescent plasma for treating coronavirus-infected patients in moderate stage of the illness, besides adding loss of smell or taste to the list of Covid-19 symptoms.

08:40 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Uttar Pradesh Latest Update

Pvt school waives off 3 months fee

A private school in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj district has waived off fees for 3 months, in wake of COVID-19 outbreak, reports ANI.

A private school in Prayagraj has waived off fees for 3 months,in wake of #COVID19 outbreak. Mamata Mishra,Principal says,"students from different strata of society study here. It's not possible for all parents to pay the money,so we decided to waive off fees of April, May& June" pic.twitter.com/82OcqqwNG3

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) June 13, 2020

08:30 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in West Bengal Latest Update

12 succumb to COVID-19 in West Bengal, takes toll to 463

Twelve people in West Bengal succumbed to COVID-19 on Saturday, taking the death toll to 463, a bulletin of the state health department said. All of the 12 deaths were because of comorbidities where COVID-19 was incidental, it added.

Five people from North 24 Parganas, four from Kolkata, two persons from South 24 Parganas and one from Howrah died in the last 24 hours, the bulletin said.

Since Friday, a total of 454 fresh cases of COVID-19 have been reported from different districts of the state, pushing the total number of confirmed cases here to 10,698, it stated.

08:16 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Delhi Latest Update

Amit Shah, Harsh Vardhan to hold meeting with Delhi guv, Arvind Kejriwal

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan to hold a meeting with Delhi LG Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and members of State Disaster Management Authority to review the situation in the capital regarding COVID-19 on Sunday at 11 am.

08:10 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Delhi Latest Update

IMAGES: Authorities use temperature guns to screen people in Delhi's Daryaganj Sabzi Mandi

Delhi: Use of temperature guns by authorities to screen people at the entry of Daryaganj Sabzi Mandi#COVID19 pic.twitter.com/qxC6q51IzE

— ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2020

08:06 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in West Bengal Latest Update

Fresh acrimony between TMC and Guv over video of decomposed bodies

The West Bengal governor and the ruling TMC were embroiled in fresh acrimony over a video showing decomposed bodies being loaded into a van by the city civic body in daylight for cremation.

The TMC accused Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar of peddling "fake news", drawing sharp retort. Dhankhar charged that the party was "deflecting from the main issue". The West Bengal government on Saturday dismissed the contents of the video as a "one-off incident" and said it has no link with the COVID-19 pandemic.

07:59 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Brazil Latest Update

Brazil reports second-highest COVID-19 deaths

Brazil's health ministry has said that the country has recorded a total of 41,828 deaths during the coronavirus pandemic, meaning it has surpassed the United Kingdom and now has the second-highest total in the world, according to tallies by Johns Hopkins University CSSE.

Brazilian officials on 12 June reported 909 deaths over the previous 24 hours. It is the hardest-hit nation in Latin America, with more than 8.2 lakh confirmed cases, report AP.

07:54 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Delhi Latest Update

Nursing homes in Delhi having 10 to 49 beds declared as COVID facilities

The Delhi government on Saturday declared small and medium multispeciality nursing homes having 10 to 49 beds as "COVID nursing homes" to increase the bed capacity for coronavirus patients, according to an official order. Only standalone exclusive eye centres, ENT centres, dialysis centres, maternity homes and IVF centres are presently exempted, the order said, reports PTI.

07:47 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Assam Latest Update

Assam's COVID-19 total reaches 3,900 with 207 new cases

Assam's coronavirus infection tally reached 3,900 with 207 new cases on Saturday, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. Of the total 3,900 positive cases in the state, eight persons have died so far, including four this week.

The number of active cases is 2,084, while 1,805 have been cured and three persons have migrated, the minister said. Among the 207 cases detected on Saturday, 182 were reported late in the night and 25 others during the day, he said.

📌Alert ~ 182 new #COVID19+ cases reported today in Assam. ↗️Total cases 3900 ↗️Recovered 1805 ↗️Active cases 2084 ↗️Deaths 08 11:40 PM /June 13/Day's total 207#AssamCovidCount pic.twitter.com/iZniZp9nqy

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) June 13, 2020

07:38 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak Latest Update

Global COVID-19 cases cross 77 lakh; toll now at 4.2 lakh

The total confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the world stand at 77.6 lakh, according to the Johns Hopkins University CSSE. This figure includes COVID-19 patients who have recovered and the overall global death toll which stands at 4.2 lakh.

With over 20 lakh reported cases till date, the United States is the worst-affected country in the world. The US is followed by Brazil, Russia, the United Kingdom and India.

07:30 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in UK Latest Update

AstraZeneca agrees to supply Europe with 400 mln doses of COVID-19 vaccine

AstraZeneca Plc said on Saturday it signed a contract with European governments to supply the region with its potential vaccine against the coronavirus, the British drugmaker’s latest deal to pledge its drug to help combat the pandemic, reports Reuters.

The contract is for up to 400 million doses of the vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford, the company said, adding that it was looking to expand manufacturing of the vaccine, which said it would provide for no profit during the pandemic. Deliveries will start by the end of 2020.

Coronavirus Outbreak LATEST Updates: Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan to hold a meeting with Delhi LG Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and members of State Disaster Management Authority to review the situation in the capital regarding COVID-19 on Sunday at 11 am.

India surged past three lakh COVID-19 cases on Saturday with the country recording the biggest daily jump of 11,458 new infections. According to figures released by the Union Ministry of Health And Family Welfare at its 8 am briefing, the nationwide tally stood at 3,08,993 while the number of deaths reached 8,884 with 386 fatalities reported in 24 hours.

India took 64 days to cross one lakh cases from 100 infections, then in another fortnight it crossed two lakh cases while it surged past three lakh cases in just 10 days, according to news agency PTI.

According to coronavirus statistics website Worldometer, India is currently the fourth worst-hit nation by the COVID-19 pandemic. It had surpassed the United Kingdom on Thursday.

In the meantime, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a review meeting of the COVID-19 situation and response with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, top bureaucrats and representatives of Empowered Groups.

The meet focussed on augmenting testing as well as the number of beds and services to effectively handle the peak surge of daily cases, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office.

Delhi surpasses Maharashtra in daily deaths for first time

According to the health ministry, of the 386 new deaths reported in the last 24 hours (till 8 am Saturday), Delhi accounted for the highest 129 fatalities followed by Maharashtra 127.

The virus is moving rapidly in Delhi, which for the first time reported over 2,000 cases on Friday, and Maharashtra, where the number of cases has crossed one lakh.

Gujarat reported 30 deaths, Uttar Pradesh 20, Tamil Nadu 18, West Bengal, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh nine each, Karnataka and Rajasthan seven each, Haryana and Uttarakhand six each, Punjab four, Assam two, Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir and Odisha one each.

Of the total 8,884 deaths, Maharashtra as per the health ministry figures, accounts for 3,717 fatalities followed by Gujarat with 1,415, Delhi with 1,214, West Bengal with 451, Madhya Pradesh with 440, Tamil Nadu with 367, Uttar Pradesh with 365, Rajasthan with 272 and Telangana with 174 deaths.

Maharashtra has also reported the maximum number of cases at 1,01,141 followed by Tamil Nadu (40,698), Delhi (36,824), Gujarat (22,527), Uttar Pradesh (12,616), Rajasthan (12,068) and Madhya Pradesh (10,443).

The ministry said 7,984 cases are being reassigned to states and "our figures are being reconciled with the ICMR". State-wise distribution is subject to further verification and reconciliation, it added.

Loss of smell and taste among symptoms; HCQ not to be used in severe cases

Later in the day, the health ministry released the revised clinical management protocols in which it said that loss of smell (anosmia) and loss of taste (ageusia) have also been reported as symptoms of the novel coronavirus infection.

Backtracking from its earlier stance, the ministry said that the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) should be used in the early course of the disease to achieve any meaningful effect and should be avoided in severe cases.

In the new set of protocols, the ministry has removed its earlier recommendation of using hydroxychloroquine in combination with azithromycin in severe cases and requiring ICU management.

It also recommended the use of anti-viral drug remdesivir under emergency use authorisation, and off-label application of immunomodulator tocilizumab and convalescent plasma therapy for treating COVID-19 patients in moderate stage of criticality.

New cases reported in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu

Meanwhile, many states and Union Territories including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and Tripura reported an increase in COVID-19 cases.

Tamil Nadu reported 30 COVID-19 deaths that occurred on various dates recently together on Saturday pushing the toll to 397 while the state recorded 1,989 fresh cases, propelling the infection count to 42,687 in Tamil Nadu and 30,444 in the state capital Chennai.

State health minister C Vijayabaskar announced that 2,000 more nurses have been appointed to cater to requirements in state-run hospitals in Chennai and nearby districts of Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Chengelpet.

Also, he said that as many as 81 rapid response mobile medical teams have been deployed in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Chengelpet and Kanchpeepuram districts today in addition to the 173 mobile health teams already on the job in the Greater Chennai Corporation areas.

In Andhra Pradesh, the COVID-19 graph climbed further up to 5,676 as 222 new cases were added while fatalities increased by two to 82. In the last 24 hours, 94 coronavirus patients were discharged from hospitals, taking the cumulative to 3,185.

Sources told PTI that two more employees in the state Secretariat tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours even as the Andhra Pradesh government issued a directive to its staff and officers not to move out of the state, including Hyderabad, where most of the employees families are located.

In Kerala, four health workers were among the 85 people who tested positive for COVID-19, taking the infection count to 2,406. The active cases in the state touched 1,342 while 1,045 people have recovered from the infection, including 46, who were discharged today.

Maharashtra, the worst-affected state, recorded 3,427 new cases and 113 deaths. With this, the total number of cases soared to 1,04,568 and toll rose to 3,830 reported ANI quoting the state health department.

Amidst the rising cases, Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope said that the government has reduced the rates of the COVID-19 tests conducted by private laboratories from Rs 4,500 to Rs 2,200.

"Rs 2,200 will be charged for collecting the swabs through viral transport media (VTM) from hospitals, while it would cost Rs 2,800 for collection of swab from home. Earlier, the charges were Rs 4,500 and Rs 5,200 respectively," he said.

In Mumbai, four policemen succumbed to the virus in the last 24 hours, the worst in terms of single-day toll for any unit of the force in Maharashtra since the outbreak began. So far, 25 personnel and one officer of Mumbai Police have died of COVID-19, while several hundred are undergoing treatment for the infection at various hospitals, an official told PTI.

Odisha on Saturday reported its highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases after 225 people tested positive for the disease, taking the state's infection count to 3,723, a health department official said.

Of the fresh cases, 196 were reported from various quarantine centres where people returning from other states were lodged, while 29 others were detected through contact-tracing exercises, he said.

Punjab's case count rose to 3,063 as the state reported 77 new infections and two deaths on Saturday. Sixty-five persons have died due to the viral infection in the state so far, of which 19 deaths were reported since 1 June, according to news agency PTI.

In the meantime, the COVID-19 case count in Tripura crossed the 1000-mark as 37 people tested positive for the infection on Saturday, taking the total number of cases to 1,001.

Out of 210 samples tested for #COVID19, 37 Cases found #POSITIVE. All of them have travel history.

The count includes :

🔹Sepahijala Dist : 34 🔹Gomati Dist : 03#TripuraCOVID19Count

— Biplab Kumar Deb (@BjpBiplab) June 13, 2020

// <![CDATA[ <script> // ]]>

In Assam, health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the health department will conduct 50,000 random tests in Guwahati city, which has reported 176 cases till date. Of these, 25 patients have no travel history, he said.

The state government may consider re-imposing a lockdown in the city if a sizeable number of new cases are detected, he said.

Two-thirds of total infections from five states

Amidst the rising cases in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic with senior ministers and top bureaucrats. He took stock of the pandemic situation in different states and Union Territories, including Delhi, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

Reviewed the COVID-19 situation across the nation during a high level meeting. We also reviewed the roadmap ahead, and steps to contain the pandemic in the parts where most cases are coming from. https://t.co/xqW6RszF21

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 13, 2020

// <![CDATA[ <script> // ]]>

During the meet, it was observed that two-thirds of India's COVID-19 infection load are in five states with an overwhelming proportion of cases in big cities, the statement said.

"In view of the challenges being faced, particularly by the large cities, it was discussed to augment testing as well as the number of beds and services to effectively handle the peak surge of daily cases," added the statement.

"The present and emerging scenario of the COVID-19 disease in the capital" was also discussed and the projections for next two months was deliberated, the statement said.

Modi suggested that the home minister and the health minister convene an emergency meeting with the Lt Governor and the Chief Minister of Delhi, along with senior officials of the central and the NCT governments as also officials of municipal corporations of Delhi, to plan a "coordinated and comprehensive response" to the pandemic. The meets suggested by the prime minister are scheduled to take place on Sunday.

With inputs from agencies

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khalilhumam · 5 years ago

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Learning from the Ebola Outbreak to Fight COVID-19 in IOM Sierra Leone

New Post has been published on http://khalilhumam.com/learning-from-the-ebola-outbreak-to-fight-covid-19-in-iom-sierra-leone/

Learning from the Ebola Outbreak to Fight COVID-19 in IOM Sierra Leone

Freetown – With more than 14,000 Ebola cases and nearly 4,000 deaths, Sierra Leone was one of the hardest hit countries by the 2014 – 2016 outbreak. Ebola overwhelmed the country’s fragile public health system, which was still rebuilding after a brutal civil war, and struggling to meet demands for additional healthcare practitioners. Now Sierra Leone faces COVID-19. As of 7 May, there were 225 confirmed cases and 14 deaths related to COVID-19 in the country. These numbers, actually, are low compared to other countries in the region. That’s in part because of what Sierra Leone learned from the Ebola outbreak. Sierra Leone developed a COVID-19 preparedness plan three weeks before its first case was confirmed. This enabled the Ministry of Health to quickly identify, test and quarantine most of the primary contacts of the index case, thereby limiting spread of the disease. In a region known for its porous land borders and high degree of cross-border trade, disease surveillance and health screening are key to detection and referring potentially ill travelers to adequate healthcare structures to limit the spread of any disease. Engaging with communities in high risk border areas, crowded urban slums and informal settlements also plays a significant role in further preventing the spread of a disease. “During the Ebola, IOM conducted a nationwide programme on Infection Prevention and Control training for frontline workers, officials at border points, established water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) surveillance systems at key points of entry (POE) and community engagement on hygiene practices to break the chain of transmission,” says Dr James Bagonza who leads IOM operations in Sierra Leone. In 2016, after the Sierra Leone became Ebola-free, the country counted 156 doctors and 5,668 nurses for a population of just over 7 million people, according to the World Health Organization. Although the human resources are still limited, since then, the Sierra Leone government has made substantial improvements to its public health system, especially in response to COVID-19. As of 9 April, there were 130 hospital beds available for COVID-19, 200 oxygen concentrators and 15 beds for patients needing intensive care. Sierra Leone, with other countries hard hit by Ebola, received other support from the international community allowing for the deployment of treatment centres and the training of frontline workers in infection prevention and control. The revitalization of the country’s disease surveillance system, the establishment of emergency operation centers (at both at national and district levels), and the development of strong networks to support community outreach and mobilization also played crucial roles in putting the country in better share to withstand the contagion. When COVID-19 broke out, these measures were immediately upgraded and applied to stem the propagation of disease in the country. Even before the first case of COVID-19 was signaled in the country on 31 March 2020. IOM worked closely with Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health (MOH) through emergency operation centers set-up during the Ebola crisis, to support the country’s preparedness and response to COVID-19. “We are now revamping our infection prevention training, social mobilization and health screening in local communities especially in border areas with our network of volunteers to ensure that everyone, regardless of social class, is informed and empowered to protect themselves and their loved ones against the disease,” Dr Bagonza said. IOM conducted a rapid vulnerability assessment of the 16 districts of Sierra Leone in collaboration with the MOH. At the Ministry’s request, IOM trained and deployed 60 community health workers equipped with infection prevention and control (IPC) materials to conduct health screening and communication activities at prioritized locations such as ports and ground crossing points in five of the country’s districts. Back in 2014, the first case of Ebola was recorded in Kailahun, a town located about 320 kilometers from Freetown but less than 10 kilometers from the border with Guinea. “IOM’s priority is to reinforce and reactivate health screening at high volume informal crossing points in coastal areas as well as wharfs in border areas with high economic activity were people from neighboring Guinea and Liberia continue to enter Sierra Leone despite border closures,” Dr Bagonza explained. Hard-to-reach border communities and coastal areas are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 because of limited access to information and the lack proper healthcare infrastructures and personnel to adequately screen and quarantine suspected cases. To ensure that everyone has access to lifesaving information on IOM works with youth, community leaders and returning migrants to raise awareness on COVID-19 preventive measures in these areas. In total, more than 200,000 people have been reached in crowded Freetown, in informal settlements, coastal communities and border areas. Returning migrants also joined the fight against COVID-19 and recorded a song to encourage communities to adopt and respect preventive measures. IOM’s response to COVID-19 in Sierra Leone is supported by the Governments of the Netherlands, Japan and the United States. For more information, please contact Dr James Bagonza at IOM Sierra Leone, Email: [email protected] or Kunikazu Akao, Email: [email protected] For more information on IOM’s regional COVID-19 response, please contact Florence Kim at the IOM Regional Office for West and Central Africa, Email: [email protected]

Language English

Posted:

Friday, May 8, 2020 - 12:45

Image:

Region-Country:

Sierra Leone

Themes:

COVID-19

Default:

Multimedia:

POE personnel conducting screening at Tombo Wharf, a major trade and transport hub located in Freetown. Photo: IOM/Alfred Fornah

Press Release Type:

Global

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zinavo-technology · 5 years ago

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Benefits Of A Website For A Small Scale Business

A little scale business with a minimized spending arranging should be supported with most extreme consideration, careful consideration and dynamic marketing. A website goes about as the advanced personality of an association, facilitating the procedure of promotion and marking. marketing methodologies in this day and age exceeds expectations with the assistance of advanced nearness. The web is the most straightforward approach to connect with mass markets, particularly during introductory days of a business, independent of the estimate and kind of business. The focal points of having a website for a little scale business are listed below:

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itsnelkabelka · 7 years ago

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Speech: British High Commissioner's speech at the Kisumu County Assembly

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members,

It is an enormous privilege to address this Assembly today.

The country which I represent cherishes deeply our deep connections to this city and to this beautiful region of Kenya.

I’m told that the very name “Kisumu” comes from words to do with trade. Going to Kisumu meant going to trade. That bespeaks an openness to the world, a diversity, a sense of the city and the county as a great meeting point of people, which are still felt here today.

The United Kingdom’s connections with Kisumu go back more than a century. Our shared history has moments of deep pain, and we must live with and respect that. But we recognise too that it has bound us together, and that the connections it has fostered still bind us today.

Kisumu, or Port Florence as the British colonisers briefly called it, was of course the terminus for the great railway which opened up Kenya - the only time, it was said, that a railway had built a nation rather than the other way round.

British agriculturalists helped develop the sugar industry and bring breeds of maize which thrived in this region’s rich climate.

British missionaries helped bring formal education to Nyanza. Miss Fanny Moller started by teaching older women in the mornings and encouraging them to send their children in the afternoons. Along with Cannon Pleydell she founded a girls school in Ng’iya, in Siaya, in 1923, one of the very first places in this part of the world which gave a formal education to girls. Ng’iya girls high school still stands there today.

Today this region remains a focus for us as a donor, in an overall programme for Kenya as a whole worth 40 billion shillings every year.

Today I visited a UK-funded health centre helping women make choices about their lives by providing family planning.

I saw another UK-funded project that is working with KMET here in Kisumu to end post-partum haemorrhage - the complications and bleeding after childbirth which still kill too many young mothers in this region.

The UK has distributed millions of bed nets to help families protect themselves from malaria. And we have developed and delivered through pharmacies across Kenya a rapid, finger-prick diagnostic test for malaria, so people with a fever can quickly see whether they indeed have that disease or something else, and can quickly get the right treatment.

We continue to work closely with the county government here and in the region to build their capacity to deliver healthcare. And through networks such as the Tunza clinics we are working to bring that care to the hardest-to-reach areas.

Meanwhile UK Aid is helping bring low-cost private education to areas where the state hasn’t reached; to bring more girls and disabled people into sustainable schooling; and to empower girls and young women through programmes such as Premier Skills, which uses football coaching to build confidence and tackle domestic abuse or genital cutting.

Fundamentally, our aid is designed not just to help people today, but to help Kenya build the systems that will allow central and county governments sustainably to provide services themselves in the future.

The Governor and I discussed today how the UK can provide more assistance to the county government of Kisumu to do that, and we will be following that up.

This also means helping build the prosperity which will lift people out of poverty and enable governments to finance the services they need.

Through Trade Mark East Africa, the UK has funded new border posts for example in Busia to speed up trade through this region and help companies make the most of its international connections. That links to work all the way back to Mombasa port which has already cut by several days the time taken to import and export goods through the port, making it cheaper for companies across Kenya to trade.

As the next phase of Kenya’s great infrastructure projects works up from Nairobi towards the Lake, the UK will remain closely involved - as an investor and as a development partner working to ensure that those projects deliver real benefits for businesses and wananchi.

We are making development investments in projects that will improve people’s lives through innovation. We have put UK money for example into SolarNow, which is bringing small-scale solar power to households and to pump water.

And we will bring more private investment to Nyanza. I have been joined on my visit today by the chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce in Kenya, representing several hundred British companies active here and keen to invest and expand further. He will take the message back too about what is happening in this region and what new possibilities are here.

In Homa Bay, a British firm is building a biogas plant which will turn water hyacinth from the Lake into electric power. Once the power purchase agreement is complete - and I continue to urge the Kenyan government to make progress on this quickly - it will come on line.

Here in Kisumu, East Africa Breweries is building a major new plant which will, once complete, employ hundreds of people directly and support tens of thousands more jobs through its supply chains and distribution networks.

EABL is a company which is not just investing in Kisumu but is driving development here and across the country. Five years ago, less than half of what went into its Kenya-brewed products was sourced locally. Today 80 percent of its product is local content. That transformation has brought tens of thousands of Kenyan farmers into its supply chains. And the company is already talking to more farmers in this region about how they can supply its new plant.

Mr Speaker,

It is my sense that this region stands at an important point in its history.

A window has opened for political reconciliation, and that is hugely to be welcomed. It can only benefit the people of Kisumu and the region. Already I hear from everyone I have met here how business is picking up and investors are excited about new possibilities.

This region deserves its full share of justice, equality and inclusion, like every part of Kenya and like every Kenyan. And in turn it should play its full role in supporting and strengthening Kenya’s institutions, and ensuring they can go about their vital work. Its future lies as one of the country’s most dynamic and prosperous areas, contributing its full share to Kenya’s success and benefiting in turn fully from the country’s shared prosperity.

I reiterate today the United Kingdom’s call that reconciliation between political leaders be followed and accompanied by an open, sustained and transparent dialogue involving politicians, religious and civic leaders, and all those with a stake in Kenya’s present and its future. Now is the time to deal not just with the aftermath of last year’s elections but with the underlying issues which will help this country and this region prosper and develop.

The dialogue of which I speak should include the strengthening of institutions, preventing politicians tearing down and attacking for political gain the common fabric which holds Kenya together. Kenya’s democracy is precious, and all Kenyans need to work to protect and strengthen it.

It includes greater accountability and reform of the security services. They have an important job to do maintaining order, and that can be tough. But where people are killed or abuses alleged, they must be transparently investigated and those responsible held to account.

Such a dialogue should include also, in my view, how the workings of devolution can be strengthened and reinforced.

There are I’m sure many other issues - including how Kenya’s governance should evolve over the coming years. They are for Kenyans to determine. What I say I say as a friend of Kenya, representing a country deeply invested in its future security and prosperity as a partner. And in that capacity I call again for the follow-up to this month’s historic handshake to grapple with the big issues on Kenya’s future; and on the leaders of this region to take their full share of responsibility in building the common future which Kenya needs.

Mr Speaker,

It has been an enormous privilege for me to address this assembly today. And as always, it has been a great pleasure to visit this beautiful county of Kisumu.

I pray for success in the work of this Assembly, and for the peace, prosperity and development of this county and this region.

I commit the United Kingdom to doing all we can to support those aims. I will continue to strive to deepen the partnership between my country and your county.

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kristinsimmons · 4 years ago

Text

Can Community Be a Medicine?

By ARAS TOKER

Analysis on peer accountability focused community building efforts in making lifestyle changes through digital therapeutic programs

Pfortmüller’s definition of community

Caring and Belonging

Blue Zones LLC

What if moai concept was replicated in online patient communities?

Growth Mindset

Community as Medicine

The power of a vibrant, generous, and a caring community with a growth mindset is empowering for its members.

I believe community can be medicine and should be treated as medicine for the folks that are struggling with chronic physical and mental conditions.

Community -> Adherence Layer

If we can’t solve the engagement and adherence problem I don’t think we’ll have a sustainable digital therapeutic solution.

Andrea Tummons on Unsplash

Peer Accountability

Measuring Hypothesis

A Successful Experiment

“Community can exert a measurable and ongoing influence on your health behaviors in a way that a diet never can”

Daniel Buettner, NatGeo Fellow, Founder of Blue Zones

Accountability 2.0 — Doing Tiny Interventions TOGETHER

Graphic illustration by Nitya Wakhlu, produced at the Experience Engagement conference in October 2015.

Community of Practice

Final Remarks

A caring community with a shared purpose and a sense of belonging can be a medicine for a physical, mental and an emotional health if we choose it to be.

Aras Toker is the co-founder of Peace of Mind, a digital therapeutic program designed to reduce anxiety by doing daily interventions together with peers.

This article originally appeared on Medium here.

Can Community Be a Medicine? published first on https://wittooth.tumblr.com/

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