#list of primary schools in malawi

[sitp-recs]

Hi! I just finished reading ‘Voices From The Fog’ by noeeon from your fic rec and now I’m craving drarry fics that are set in places outside of the uk. Can you please tell me if you know of any?- maybe in a similar situation where Draco and Harry just happen to run into each other? Thanks!!

Hi anon, love this ask! I have a bunch of recs and am probably forgetting some, so I’ll come back to update this list if I remember any other title. Hope you enjoy these :)

Light Years Away by @lettersbyelise (2019, M, 2.5k) - just a brief flashback scene, but oh so lovely!

No one told Harry about the training courses young Aurors and Curse Breakers have in common, just like Harry never told anyone about his one-night encounter with Draco Malfoy two months prior.

Between the Power Lines by @tackytigerfic (2020, M, 3.2k)

For Harry Potter, all roads eventually lead to Draco Malfoy.

Mending (in the Mountains, with Monkeys) by khalulu (2017, G, 3.3k)

Well along on the road to healing, Harry and Draco do some sight-seeing in Sichuan, amidst the monks and monkeys.

Big Hands by @fw00shy (2020, E, 4.5k) - Muggle AU

Draco Malfoy is a pianist who's just moved to Paris. Harry Potter, his new roommate, has the biggest hands he's ever seen. Draco is immediately obsessed.

Vintage by momatu (2017, T, 7k)

Of all of the vineyards, in all of the regions, in all of France, Draco's blasted editor sends him to Potter's....

in between two tall mountains (there's a place they call lonesome) by @oknowkiss (2022, E, 8k)

In the shadow of a mountain on the Oregon coast, there may or may not lie a shipwreck, on which there may or may not be a magical relic, lost hundreds of years ago. Harry's been tasked with finding it, and Draco is there to take notes, and they're stuck in a campervan pretending to be married, and it's all going to be just fine. That's what Draco's gotten rather good at telling himself, anyway.

Water, Water, Everywhere by JulietsEmoPhase (2018, E, 9.5k) - Muggle AU

Speakeasy 1920s Drarry AU. Draco is so terrified of being different, he doesn't recognize a good thing when it's right in front of his face.

Before Florence by dysonrules (2014, M, 9.6k)

Harry is visiting Florence, Italy, when he runs into an unexpected person. They decide to explore the city together and by the end of the night, everything that Harry thought he knew had changed.

The Spider and the Moth by marguerite_26 (2010, E, 10k)

Young Auror Harry Potter is sent to Morocco to investigate a potion smuggling ring. He quickly realises he’s in over his head with both the assignment and the primary suspect.

Old City Jasmine by SilentAuror (2005, E, 11k)

Harry is woken suddenly one night when Death Eaters break into his flat and is whisked away to Damascus and the wonder of the ancient world.

Beekeeping by khalulu (2014, E, 13k)

A few years after the war, Harry needs distance from the British wizarding world and volunteers abroad as a teacher in a poor rural school. Draco is a low-budget traveler, wandering wherever his curiosity leads him. Their paths cross in Malawi, “the warm heart of Africa.”

World's Edge by RurouniHime (2011, E, 15k) - mind the tags!

In the harshest environment on earth, Harry finds that escaping is harder than simply running.

Exiled by A_factorygirl_69 (2013, E, 16k)

Draco is declared persona non grata by the Ministry after the War. Harry has been tasked with keeping an eye on him, ensuring he stays out of England.

Sparks from the Fox’s Tail by khalulu (2013, T, 17k)

Draco is frustrated with his career as a travel writer, when a mini-tirade from Mrs Weasley and an encounter with the portrait of an intrepid great-great-great-aunt lead him to Finland to study wandless magic.

Crimson Neon by @xanthippe74 (2020, M, 20k)

Winter, 1999. Harry thought going to New York would help him get his head on straight, but all he has to show for it are sore feet and a fridge full of takeaway containers. And now he’s homesick on top of everything else.

Phantom Orchid by dysonrules (2013, M, 21k)

Auror Potter goes to Seattle in search of a smuggler and discovers a very familiar person in a quite unfamiliar setting. Is Draco Malfoy really who he is pretending to be?

Match Fit by ravenclawsquill (2019, E, 25k)

After picking up a groin injury just two weeks before the Quidditch World Cup Final, star Seeker Harry Potter reluctantly agrees to seek help from world-renowned Magi-Physiotherapist, Draco Malfoy. Cue sexual tension, naked sports massages, inappropriate erections and a healthy dose of acid-green lycra.

Midnight in the City of a Hundred Spires by @shiftylinguini (2019, E, 25k)

Harry Potter is a missing person. Draco Malfoy is a vampire. They are the last two people one would expect to bump into each other in a Creature Bar in Prague, yet to Draco’s absolute shock that is definitely Harry fucking Potter sitting across from him. Even more surprising is that Potter may have a case for him.

The Venice Job by nishizono (2007, E, 25k)

Harry Potter was one of the youngest Aurors in history. He was the Boy Who Lived, and the Boy Who Lived Again. He loved Guinness and Quidditch, and hated pineapple. He wrote letters to Hagrid every Thursday, and on Sundays, he visited Hermione and Ron. Harry Potter was also not gay.

Unexpected Turn by Oakstone730 (2015, Explicit, 27k) - Muggle AU

English real estate developer Draco Malfoy is in America to find his long lost cousin and escape a scandal. When his car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, his trip takes an unexpected turn.

Last City by @lol-zeitgeistic (2014, E, 27k)

Twenty-four Twenty-three men, six cities, and one unusual sexual requirement.

Faint Indirections by ignatiustrout (2019, T, 29k)

Draco Malfoy is the last person Harry expects to turn up in Boston, Massachussetts. But now he's here, and he won't stop requesting books from the library where Harry works.

Tourist: A Love Song by xErised (2019, T, 30k)

Harry is in New York City looking for inspiration for his next collection of paintings. He’s not expecting inspiration to appear in the form of a black-haired Draco Malfoy playing the guitar and singing with such a beautiful voice.

All Bets Are Off by dualwieldteacup (2019, M, 31k)

Harry Potter's latest security assignment brings him to Las Vegas for the International Wizarding Casino World Series. At a magic underwater hotel, he is tasked with guarding the legendary and mysterious gambler known as Snake Eyes. The stakes are high when both Galleons and emotions are involved.

Potential Gravity by @lol-zeitgeistic (2014, E, 32k)

Draco is not good at Cards Against Humanity, but Harry’s not good at being human, so it all works out. Except for the explosions. And Harry’s inability to live when Draco’s not around. The one with Beirut and video games.

Starkissed by @zigster-ao3 (2020, E, 32k)

Harry hopes an indulgent trip abroad will help shake him out of the doldrums of his life. What he finds once he gets to Venice is more than he ever expected.

Sæglópur by @femmequixotic (2011, E, 34k)

After a difficult breakup, Draco finds himself dragged to the land of magic, law, and natural wonders where, of course, nothing goes as planned.

All Roads by @korlaena and Saulaie (2019, M, 36k)

Draco hates his job at the Prophet. He hates it even more when he’s assigned to write an article on Harry Potter, who left the country three years ago after their falling out. Draco doesn’t want to face the truth about himself, but he’s stuck between Harry and his duty, and he’s out of options.

Aeternus Solem by @onbeinganangel (2020, E, 37k)

On December 1st, Harry Potter gets sent halfway across the world to attempt to break a possibly fatal curse on an unnamed British Unspeakable — except said Unspeakable is not unnamed at all and Harry has been in love with him for over four years.

Unseen by @Jackvbriefs (2020, T, 47k)

Harry Potter finally has the chance to leave England and its expectations for The Chosen One behind for good. All he has to do is survive one Auror training conference overseas with Draco Sodding Malfoy.

Against All Odds by momatu (2015, E, 53k)

Beauxbatons is hosting the first ever Quidditch Summer School for children from all over Europe, and Harry has promised to enroll Teddy as his birthday present. Meanwhile, Draco is stuck in his office, putting together the first ever Quidditch Summer School for children from all over Europe during, when he should be enjoying summer holidays.

Polar Night/Midnight Sun by toomuchplor (2023, E, 54k)

Harry travels to arctic Norway on the trail of dragon egg poachers, only to find he's been assigned to work alongside the only NorMagPol Auror north of sixty: one Draco Malfoy. It's been ten years since they crossed paths, and Malfoy isn't exactly what Harry expected or remembered. For one thing, he wears a lot more hand-knits?

I could be wrong, I could be ready by @harryromper (2018, M, 57k)

Harry Potter left Britain after the war and didn’t look back. Ten years later, when Gringotts discovers a vault containing his parents’ belongings—including their badly spell-damaged wedding rings—he’s forced to face up to friends and family who’ve grown in ways he could never imagine, a wizarding London rebuilt beyond his expectations, and the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. And if that wasn’t enough, there’s the entirely unforeseen problem of Draco Malfoy.

Heartlines by @shiftylinguini (2017, E, 72k)

Harry never expected he’d end up chipping away at his virginity while wandless and bonded to Malfoy in Northern Europe. He never expected that would turn out to be the least surprising thing to happen while out on their training expedition in the middle of nowhere, either.

Knead by laughingdog (2020, E, 83k)

This is not a story about Harry renovating Grimmauld Place. This is a story about coffee shops and brewpubs, about Ginny and Luna on a farm with creatures, about magical Oregon, coastal road trips, flying, friendship, and Draco Malfoy's lean arms.

I Am Not Who I Became by mab_di (2019, E, 93k)

Draco left England after the trials and has travelled the world meeting wizards and Muggles from different cultures and with vastly different relationships to magic, each other, and the natural world. Now he's a fisherman in Finland on commercial vessels. Harry has been struggling since the war and has become a recluse while trying to write his autobiography.

Way Down We Go by @xiaq (2019, T, 109k)

In which Harry and Draco both run away from their pasts and conveniently choose to hide in the same tiny American town.

Grounds for Divorce by @tepre (2019, E, 122k)

Malfoy finds a coin. Harry finds a letter. A story about histories, a story about families. A story about a lemon tree somewhere in Upper Egypt.

Left my Heart series by emmagrant01 (2004, E, 236k)

Auror Draco Malfoy has disappeared, and Harry Potter has been sent to San Francisco to find him.

[louisishj334]

How to lose $1 million and risk it all again

When Abbas Dayekh was 18 several years aged, he walked confidently to the reception of Sussex Location, London Enterprise University’s primary campus, and asked: “Where can I enrol?” Safety advised him he would have to wait a several years. Dayekh was in the wrong spot. He was in search of Regent’s University London, exactly where his parents experienced sent him to check a BA (Hons) in Worldwide Enterprise with French. Dayekh, ethnically Lebanese, is from Nigeria, the grandson of the textiles’ industrialist. He was sent to the united kingdom to achieve knowledge, then return and insert benefit inside the loved ones business.

Dayekh, CEO and founder of OyaNow, an application-primarily based shipping and delivery service in Nigeria, chuckles within the memory. It’s not the first time he has taken a detour in his life, and it possibly was one of many additional pleasant – and less expensive - events. With no doubt, one of the most tricky was having to notify his mom he experienced shed all her price savings – about $600,000 – that she invested in him to put in place a Beirut branch of distinctive Parisian couture model CLVII in 2012. “It absolutely was a buddy’s store. The purchasers are certainly top quality; elite footballers and these kinds of. It’s obtained a particular image.

“I ran CLVII notion capital for about a year, and afterwards the Syrian civil war escalated. Bombs started heading off in Beirut. The Saudis and Emirati holidaymakers – my buyers – they went household and didn’t return. I used to be trapped with a great deal of expensive couture and no funds”

I ran CLVII for around a year, and afterwards the Syrian civil war escalated. Bombs started off going off in Beirut. The Saudis and Emirati travellers – my prospects – they went residence and didn’t come back. I was stuck which has a large amount of pricey couture and no dollars. Involving my mom’s price savings, a buddy’s financial commitment of about $two hundred,000 and the money I’d expended in that two-year period, I’d managed to lose $one million.

‘Not a tech dude’

While Dayekh, from Kano in Nigeria’s northern province, felt upset that he’d Enable down his mom, his initial – and biggest – entrepreneurial flop did nothing at all to dampen his enthusiasm for the entrepreneurial route and his zeal to triumph. In actual fact, he reflects that it spurred him on to at some point found OyaNow, an application-primarily based logistics enterprise aiding enterprises to achieve Nigeria’s progressively related populace of just about 200 million by trustworthy and rapidly previous-mile shipping and delivery.

This Regardless of the simple fact Dayekh promises to generally be “by no means a tech man”. He laughs: “I'm able to’t code.” Dayekh has gained the Persons’s Decision Award while in the George Bernard Shaw Unreasonable Individual category at this calendar year’s Serious Innovation Awards (RIA) in recognition of his dogged perseverance to succeed Even with there becoming no fantastic rationale that he should really.

When he had The theory for OyaNow, he was pretty much broke, acquiring returned from Shanghai the place for 9 months he had been performing being an outsourcing broker for just a number of Nigerian clientele he’d managed to secure. “They had been tiny contracts and Therefore the Fee was little,” he claims. “I had return to Abuja for being with my mom and determine what I had been gonna do with my life. I barely experienced any revenue, but I nonetheless realized I used to be about to do my own factor.”

It transpired to him that buyer self esteem in Nigeria was zero. “There was no rely on in the market in Nigeria and not Considerably purchaser treatment possibly. I thought of the accomplishment of foods shipping expert services in Europe and The us like Deliveroo and Uber Eats. Nigeria is probably one of many final nations around the world on this planet with such a big inhabitants that remains so underdeveloped. I observed that hole as a huge possibility.”

But who was about to buy the coders? And to the bikes? In fact – this was Africa, not Europe. Banks don’t give financial loans to people with no property. Dayekh was fortuitous to have a network of Intercontinental experts and traders he cultivated from having long gone to one of the better boarding schools in the world in Switzerland. A friend came by with a few seed income Which paid out for creating the app and the main motorbikes.

Ideal time, right solution, proper place

“I realized This may be a really diverse proposition from Deliveroo and Uber Eats. For 1, we would want to supply total pastoral care to our riders – whom we contact Entrepreneurs – mainly because they could be coming from all around the country. We would have to give them a destination to Are living. They would be the brand. I needed to be sure that I did all the things I could to empower them for being entirely engaged in OyaNow and assist the manufacturer to accomplish its key performance indicators of reliability, usefulness and high quality of assistance usually.

“My uncles felt I were born which has a silver spoon in my mouth Which I'd volume to nothing exterior the relatives small business. I'd a burning desire to establish them Improper and clearly show the entire world I could allow it to be by myself”

OyaNow is definitely an abbreviation of the phrase indicating “we've been coming” in Nigerian slang English. It really is widely recognized throughout ethnic teams and tribes and was a great match with the operating product and to the cultural context. It soft released in Abuja, in advance of launching in Kano after which Lagos.

Starting up off to be a foods shipping service about 3 many years ago, OyaNow obtained an sudden fillip within the Covid-19 pandemic which noticed desire for its very last-mile supply provider go with the roof. Now, it delivers Pretty much anything at all that may be shipped and OyaNow has business associations with lots of factories across the country.

The organization now has about eighty five bikes and vans as well as other vehicles, microinvestors which is eyeing the subsequent stage of enlargement in other nations in Africa, but Dayekh can’t say too a great deal more at this time. The serial innovator also has enterprise passions in medical marijuana and hemp in Malawi by way of a Swiss-based startup called House Africa. Previously this yr, Malawi legalised the expanding, promoting and exporting of cannabis for professional medical use.

“Winning this award – the George Bernard Shaw Unreasonable Individual Award – I love it! It pleases me in excess of if I had been to generally be manufactured President of America! It appears that evidently I do new points on a regular basis. But, the truth is, there is a pattern. Africa is often a tough area to know if You aren't from listed here. Western organizations see likely during the economies here but are nervous to generate a transfer due to perception of danger and a lack of certainty.

I've realised that I may be that bridge that inbound links Africa With all the West. It is a fairly distinctive situation to be in and I am just getting started.”

six tips about entrepreneurship from OyaNow founder Abbas Dayekh

Being an entrepreneur seriously isn’t straightforward. You require conviction and dedication. It’s probably a cliche but You can not succeed devoid of it. It’s a lonely highway. You may get dangers. You will upset the established order, and people don’t like that. Men and women like it any time you fall short. Personally, when I turn into devoted to a thing, no one can cease me.

The most important enterprise lesson I've discovered was the four Ps: value, products, promotion and spot. They're the key elements for achievement. OyaNow delivers all 4 together beautifully.

Failure is Studying and almost nothing to become ashamed of. Be honest with your self about what went Mistaken and go forward, striving not to generate precisely the same mistakes once more.

Entrepreneurship can be difficult on your own mental health and fitness. You can find every day considerations about cashflow, and regardless of whether you'll have enough funds to pay your charges; to pay your employees. Even now, I put up with panic assaults. It might be very difficult to repeatedly need to project a façade of strength for your personnel, buyers and the market when deep down you don’t know wherever your following tranche of cash will originate from to maintain heading. Be sincere with oneself about whether or not you can handle this strain.

Any time you expand, empower your personnel. They can be your small business. They will be the distinction between accomplishment and failure ultimately. Be humble as a pacesetter and hear your staff. Apologise for the mistakes. They must invest in into your eyesight. Empower them to co-create that eyesight mainly because it evolves.

Use a disproportionate number of Gals in the management staff. Females tend to be a lot less self-centred and aggressive. Coming from the patriarchal household business enterprise dominated by warring factions, I wish to be surrounded by Girls, who often carry balance and direct for your greater great rather then individual acquire.

The Real Innovation Awards is undoubtedly an once-a-year ceremony celebrating business innovation all over the world, hosted via the London Business Faculty’s Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE). To determine this year’s celebration occurring on ten December 2020 and hear insights on ‘Innovating in Adversity’ sign up below.

[i-am-elita]

Education as an equalizer; my thoughts on the UNIMA selection list

Isn’t it ironic that in Malawi the most important equalizer when it comes to inequalities, also happens to be the sector that is facing some of the highest inequalities? Yes, I am talking about education!

Education has long been recognized as a human right necessary for the greater fulfillment of many others such as civic, political, economic and social rights. Although primary education is compulsory in Malawi, in my view I would argue that, equality and equity within the system is not. This is quite surprising given how research shows that education (particularly for girls) is one of the most effective and least expensive ways to reduce poverty and to catapult growth! Okay. Fine. But, what am I getting at with all this?

Well I recently caught sight of the newly released UNIMA selection list and one observation in particular struck a chord in me. But before I get into explaining all that, firstly let me start by congratulating all who have recently been selected to UNIMA to pursue studies in various programs! I am so excited for every one of you. Actually, I know how nervously expectant you might be feeling right now because 10 years ago (oh my days, it’s been a whole 10 years already??!) I too was selected for UNIMA and that set me on a whole trajectory (more than just academically) which quintessentially has contributed to the person that I am today.

Now back to the topic at hand, for those of you who have had the time to scan through that selection list, can you for a moment recollect with me what stood out to you. For me, what I noticed right off the bat was the schools where the successful applicants have been selected from – a majority of the selected students are from private high schools or mission secondary schools. Typically the selection list is often skewed in this manner every year, but this year you can observe with me that it is steeper skewed than most. Now, let me be forthright by applauding the selected schools for maintaining comparatively good standards for the benefit of whom they are educating. However, I cannot help but think that not everyone has an opportunity to go to one of those schools. In fact the substantial lot of adolescents in Malawi are currently enrolled in community day secondary schools (CDSS) where academic resources such as libraries and laboratories are in poor shape (if existent at all); where teachers are few and classrooms are overcrowded; where students are excluded from technologies such as computers and where school funding struggles to trickle from the top-down. If you read between the lines of the UNIMA selection list, you will see that it is telling a story – sadly it is a story of gaps and inequalities. 

Let’s not give a deaf ear to this story because education inequalities between, for example, a CDSS in rural Malawi and a high school in a peri-urban suburb, is a rough but informative indicator that inequalities will/do re-surface in many other areas of our country and not just here on a university selection list. Education inequalities have a tendency to re-surface in people’s access and attainment of a long list of things such as land, property, information, employment, financial assets, resources and opportunity, just to name a few, as well as active citizen participation (or lack thereof depending on which side of the divide one falls); If you look closely at these mentioned here, they are all catalysts for development. Therefore, strengthening our system so that Malawi’s education disparities are narrowed is so RELEVANT for sustainable development not only for change in the present but for the generations following behind us!

What would it look like for all youth in Malawi to have equal and QUALITY education (because by no means should equality mean compromising quality – that would just defeat the purpose)? I think its about time at national and community level that we need to start to demand and prepare for it (the weakness with the 1994 FPE policy was not the lack of demand but the lack of preparation to meet the demand). But more than just asking ourselves what would it look like, I think the more important question is what would it take?

[parks2malawi]

Few Days

With merely a few days left here in Malawi, we have been working pretty hard to tie up all of the loose ends. About half of our time has been spent playing and running clubs with the 160 or so children here at the orphan care school, and the other half of our time has been spent to assist on the organizational levels, helping them with digitization of their information, interviewing the primary caregivers for the children's family and medical history, and finding ways to provide a bit of relief for the full time workers here in getting one-time projects done.

A lot can be said about digitization. (And a lot of yawns come along with what can be said about it too.) What seems to be very easy thing to do with facebook, doodles, and outlook is difficult to do here because of lack of data infrastructure, knowledge, experience and equipment. Much of our data gathering was done via pen and paper (feeling quite sorry for those who will have to read my handwriting) because at the villages, internet and power were unreliable. Once the data was digitized after hours of looking at lists and results of our interviews, training the local staff on how the digitzed data can be used for their work was also a tough part, and a part I underestimated.

I had an opportunity to show a few tricks on Excel to help them. They weren't complicated things-- count, sum, average and moving data around. Alphabetizing and sorting by dates. Countif and creating graphs. These functions were new to the local staff. I only wished we had more time to do even more training to help. While our philosophy on these things is not to impose our way of doing work and running organizations to those outside of our home, everyone agreed that digitization of this data will be really useful for them going forward as they look to serve even more children in this area.

With our trip back to Canada coming soon, we are trying not to think about what lies ahead of us, or the eventual moment when we will have to say our goodbyes, but focusing on finishing strong and helping wherever we can.

[mattkennard]

African Governments Are Paying for the World Bank’s Mauritius Miracle

Published: Foreign Policy (18 October 2018) w/ Claire Provost

PORT LOUIS, Mauritius—The security guard at Malawi Mangoes’ registered address at an office at the St Louis Business Centre in downtown Port Louis is not sure if we’re in the right place. The staff at the front desk are bewildered by our request to speak to someone from the company. The otherwise modest office block has flat-screen televisions on the walls and glossy magazines with titles like Savile Row and Family Business on a table in a small waiting area.

After about 20 minutes, a woman in a suit appears, bearing apologies—she had been out to lunch. At first, she seems to mistake us for investors in Malawi Mangoes. We jump in to clarify: We’re journalists looking to talk to someone from the company, which in 2014 received a $5 million loan from the private investment arm of the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Our interlocutor appears confused, as if she knows little about the business, or why we might be attempting to learn more about it in Port Louis, Mauritius.

She confirms that Malawi Mangoes, a company whose plantations and juice-making operations are located over 1,500 miles away in Malawi, is indeed registered at this address, but she declines tell us anything else. There is no one from the company here to speak to, no one to interview, no pamphlets or brochures we can read.

Mauritius sits 1,200 miles off the eastern coast of southern Africa, in the Indian Ocean. It’s an isolated island, without an endowment of exploitable natural resources like oil or minerals. Simon Springett, the United Nations resident coordinator for the island, told us that when the country became independent from the United Kingdom in 1968, “economists basically said there’s no way Mauritius can survive as an independent nation-state.”

Sugar cane had been the country’s core crop for centuries. Sugar is still produced in Mauritius, but the island owes much of its modern prosperity to the development of another more controversial industry.

In 2018, Mauritius has an international reputation built around extremely low taxes—a flat corporate tax rate of 15 percent and an effective rate as low as zero to 3 percent for offshore companies—as well as high levels of financial secrecy. Global businesses registered in Mauritius have assets valued at more than $630 billion, almost 25 times the country’s own GDP of $26 billion. Its offshore financial industry includes more than 21,000 registered businesses —almost 70 times the number of primary schools in the country. However, these firms don’t take up a lot of space; many of them exist only on paper, set up to benefit from the island’s cut-rate taxes and its “ask no questions” attitude.

Since the early 1990s, Mauritius has remade itself into an African tax haven, where multinational corporations and ultra-rich individuals can stash their cash and profits and minimize their tax bills, away from the prying eyes of other governments and the public.

As the private investment arm of the World Bank, the IFC is tasked with investing in businesses in developing countries to help “end extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity,” while also making money to support the bank’s other programs. Despite its mandate to help the world’s poorest people, it seems to have largely turned a blind eye to the controversial role Mauritius plays in the global tax system—and, in some cases, it has likely profited from the country’s remoteness and opaque financial services itself.

The IFC has approved loans and investments in more than 1,600 companies since 2012. According to our analysis of their project disclosures, at least 50 of these were for companies registered in Mauritius but operating elsewhere. Many of these companies, including Malawi Mangoes, are based in sub-Saharan Africa, and their registration in Mauritius may be depriving African governments of much needed-tax revenue.

Last year, the African Business Review reported that nearly 60 percent of investments made by international companies registered in Mauritius were destined for mainland Africa. Mauritius has been accused by civil society groups such as Oxfam of draining public resources from poorer countries by allowing multinational investors to shift their profits here, enabling them to pay much less than their fair share of taxes in the countries where they actually operate. And in 2013, the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa criticized the island as “a relatively financially secretive conduit” that facilitates illicit financial flows across the continent.

Malawi Mangoes is one of the companies in which the IFC has invested. It was founded in 2009 by a pair of British entrepreneurs, Jonathan Jacobs and Craig Hardie. From the Salima district in central Malawi, it produces mango and banana puree and fresh fruit for export around Africa, to the Middle East, and to Europe.

When the IFC approved its $5 million investment in Malawi Mangoes in 2014, it was described as an agribusiness project in the soft drink sector, with the loan going to support the company as it tried to establish itself in the country. This would create much-needed rural jobs, the IFC argued, “thus injecting money to the local economy through wages and benefits paid.” Economic growth in poorer countries like Malawi is being held back, the IFC contends, by “the lack of risk capital” needed to “build the dynamic, job-creating companies that drive prosperity.”

To even be eligible for its support, projects must be located in a developing country and “have good prospects of being profitable”—but also “benefit the local economy; and Be environmentally and socially sound.” And though the IFC’s investment location is listed as Malawi, the funds actually go to “Malawi Mangoes (Mauritius) Limited.”

Company records in Mauritius and the United Kingdom, where the owners have filed paperwork, reveal that Malawi Mangoes moved its business to Mauritius after it had already started working in Malawi. This is significant because it appears to contradict claims that Mauritius is encouraging investment in Africa that wouldn’t otherwise happen.

Malawi Mangoes was incorporated in the United Kingdom in 2009, according to financial records filed in London. This U.K. entity was dissolved in 2015. By then, Malawi Mangoes had incorporated two companies in Mauritius (in 2012 and 2013), under the island’s global business system. In other words: Mauritius didn’t facilitate the company’s entrance into Malawi. It had already happened.

This suggests that Malawi Mangoes was attracted to Mauritius by something else: not the chance to move into Africa for the first time, but more likely its low taxes, high secrecy levels, and what the World Bank touts as its “ease of doing business.”

Despite the IFC’s poverty-reducing mandate and its requirement that projects benefit the local economy, the institution, and the World Bank as a whole, has been criticized for years for investing in commercial projects with dubious impacts on poor communities, including five-star hotels, upmarket shopping malls, and even agribusiness projects that have displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

On its website, the IFC explains how potential investments are reviewed, with proposals that are supposed to contain information such as the company’s finances and expected profits. IFC teams assess whether projects will comply with environmental and social performance standards, which cover issues such as labor conditions, land acquisition, and biodiversity—but not taxation, let alone tax justice.

The IFC’s disclosure explains that Malawi Mangoes is majority-owned by BXR Group, a private investment group in Amsterdam, and that the second-largest shareholder is “well-known fund manager and philanthropist” Stewart Newton. The project’s environmental and social review says Malawi Mangoes (Mauritius) Limited is “a holding company that runs an operation in Malawi.” No explanation is provided in the disclosure, however, as to why a company structured like this was deemed a suitable investment for the IFC, or why the entity receiving IFC money would be based on the Indian Ocean island.

Because this company is registered in Mauritius, where such information is not disclosed, we could not determine its annual revenues, profits, or how much tax it pays. However, it was reported locally in Malawi earlier this year that the company had secured 1,700 hectares of farmland near its existing plantations to expand its operations, and that its mango exports so far have already been worth more than $1.4 million.

The IFC’s disclosures also hint at possible problems on the ground in Malawi. In 2014, it said Malawi Mangoes had more than 600 employees, with the lowest-paid workers making just $35 a month. Though this is described as 20 percent higher than Malawi’s minimum wage, the company has also subsidized maize purchases for its workers during periods of the year when they could not afford it. And while the company does buy fruit from small-scale farmers through so-called outgrower schemes, it does not appear that local farmers or the Malawian economy are the main beneficiaries of the company’s activities.

Last year, a report in Malawi’s Maravi Post claimed that a senior chief in the Salima district “made shabby land deals” with Malawi Mangoes for which she allegedly pocketed proceeds and left “affected families” largely uncompensated.

Vigils were reportedly organized for 18 days at Salima District Commission offices to demand her removal as chief. “This land was sold dubiously to foreigners, without consultations but only telling us that it was government which allocated it,” one of the demonstrators, Muhamad Chingomanje, was quoted as saying. “We are not against developmental projects on our land, but … we want to benefit from its proceeds.”

The U.N. Economic Commission for Africa says illicit financial flows from Africa could be worth as much as $50 billion per year—double the amount of official international aid budgeted for the continent—with impacts including drained foreign exchange reserves and worsening poverty. Tax havens enable this, it explains, by allowing for the creation of “disguised corporations, shell companies, anonymous trust accounts, and fake charitable foundations.”

The secrecy afforded in places like Mauritius may facilitate illegal practices—though the real story is how tax havens enable aggressive tax practices and legal tax avoidance on a massive scale, with companies taking advantage of gaps and mismatches in tax rules to shift their profits and declare them not where their real business is, but where they’ll pay less. This is part of a larger story about how countries have been sucked into competing with one another to offer the best deal to corporations, regardless of the impacts on their economy and their citizens. Then there is the impact on countries like Malawi, which is even worse for the public purse.

According to the IMF, developing countries’ revenue losses from what’s called “base erosion and profit-shifting” may exceed $200 billion.

This issue has been acknowledged at the very top of the World Bank as well. In 2015, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim said: “Some companies use elaborate strategies to not pay taxes in countries in which they work, a form of corruption that hurts the poor. More equitable taxation could easily eclipse official development assistance received by countries.”

Mauritius is an epicenter of this sort of profit-shifting. In addition to its flat tax rate of 15 percent, there is no capital gains tax and no tax on dividends or interest paid to nonresidents. Companies don’t even need to have a direct physical presence with staff on the island: This can also be outsourced to agents of financial services firms, whose employees may act as representatives for many companies at a time—just like those we met in Port Louis, at Malawi Mangoes’ registered address, who appeared surprised to be asked questions about the firm.

Once in Mauritius, it also helps for a business to have more than one subsidiary to take advantage of different incentives offered to different types of companies. Malawi Mangoes’ company records list two businesses in the country: Malawi Mangoes (Mauritius) Limited, incorporated in April 2012, and Malawi Mangoes Management (Mauritius) Limited, set up in January 2013. Both are incorporated as offshore companies within the island’s global business system and registered to the same address: “St Louis Business Centre, CNR Desroches & St Louis Streets, Port Louis.”

This is where we went in Mauritius, to ask about the company’s business and why it was running an operation in Malawi from an island so far away. But it’s just a care-of address, at the offices of a financial services firm called Rogers Capital, which helps its customers set up and manage offshore entities, lends its address for their registration forms, and keeps their details under wraps.

That pattern holds for other IFC investments in sub-Saharan Africa, made via Mauritius instead of directly in the countries of operation. In the capital of Port Louis, we had more Kafkaesque experiences. In one small office, on a narrow road in the city’s Chinatown, we found the registered office of CSquared, a broadband internet infrastructure business operating in several countries including Ghana and Uganda that counts Google among its investors. There, the man we spoke to would not even confirm the address of the building we were sitting in.

The IFC says clearly on its website that “tax evasion is unacceptable in any part of a transaction in which the World Bank Group is involved.” It insists that it “exercises due diligence to confirm that the structures in which it invests are chosen for legitimate reasons” and that it’s “committed to advancing the international tax transparency agenda.”

This sounds serious, but the language used also carefully limits the problem to illegal activity. Tax evasion is the illegal nonpayment or underpayment of tax. But for multinational companies, there are many strategies to limit tax bills that may be currently legal but still highly questionable—particularly for an institution, backed by the world’s governments, with an explicit mandate to help end poverty and boost “shared prosperity.”

Anti-poverty and tax justice nongovernmental organizations have argued for years that the IFC shouldn’t be investing in companies using tax havens at all, as such structures enable information on money made and taxes paid to be hidden from governments as well as the public. Legitimate reasons for companies to incorporate in tax havens may be a matter of interpretation, but it cannot be publicly scrutinized or debated if businesses’ information is never disclosed.

In 2016, Oxfam accused the World Bank of “turning a blind eye” to the use of tax havens by the companies that the IFC invests in. It also scrutinized IFC disclosure information and found that 25 percent of all of the organization’s investment projects in sub-Saharan Africa in 2015 were directly allocated to companies incorporated in tax havens, with almost 9 percent of the projects in Mauritius. What’s more, it found that a large majority of firms receiving IFC financing use tax havens, apparently unconnected to their core business, at some point in their corporate structure.

Oxfam demanded that the World Bank “ensure that its clients can prove they are paying their fair share of tax” and confirm that these businesses aren’t taking “advantage of the weakness of the system to reduce their tax bill to the minimum, especially through the artificial shift of profits” to countries like Mauritius. The organization suggested specifically that “responsible corporate tax considerations—beyond legal compliance” should be incorporated into the IFC’s environmental and social performance standards immediately and used to review and monitor their array of investments.

At the time, an IFC spokesperson responded by inaccurately characterizing the NGO’s criticisms as focused on illegal tax evasion, again stressing that “there are legitimate uses for offshore structures.”

This week, an IFC spokesman told Foreign Policy that the organization would only invest in a company if it was “satisfied with the integrity of the client and that the structure of the transaction is legitimate and not designed to be used for tax evasion.” The spokesman reiterated the argument that “Offshore Financial Centers can play a key role in cross-border investment,” especially when a host country lacks certain laws, contract enforcement mechanisms, or shareholder protections. “Appropriate use of intermediate jurisdictions,” he argued, “enables increased mobilization of private capital for investment that helps the poor.”

According to the spokesman, the IFC’s investment in Malawi Mangoes was “to support rural incomes through development of commercial production and processing of mangoes and bananas in a region where poverty is high” and that it was subject to the “policy on use of intermediate jurisdictions” and found to be acceptable. The IFC also pointed out that its performance standards “were developed before some of the public focus on tax and illicit financial flows” and that it was now updating its policies based on new and evolving international standards. It is unclear if Malawi Mangoes would qualify under the new standards.

According to the IFC, Malawi Mangoes has failed to ramp up its production and never generated any profits. This, of course, does not alter the nature of the tax arrangements the company set up for that eventuality.

Malawi Mangoes did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Last October, the prime minister of Mauritius, Pravind Jugnauth, revived the old narrative of the island’s dim economic prospects in an interview with the Financial Times. “We are a small island that is limited in many ways. We don’t have any natural resources,” he told the newspaper.

“We need to have an edge over others to be attractive,” Jugnauth added. “I think the advantage in taxation is important.”

At the World Bank office in Port Louis, the argument is much the same. Alex Sienaert, the country representative for Mauritius, said the offshore industry has benefited the island, providing a source of foreign exchange and encouraging kids to stay in school and work hard to get offshore office jobs. He said there is a sense among young people in the country that if “I can qualify as an accountant or a lawyer, there’s a good job for me, an office job, on the island. … That’s been going on for well over a generation now.”

But he acknowledged that “you do hear some concerns.” The offshore industry in Mauritius employs a surprisingly small fraction of the population—just 5,000 workers directly in a country of over 1 million people. And not all boats have been lifted equally by the island’s transformation into a corporate utopia. In March, the World Bank warned in a new 147-page report that inequality among Mauritians has “widened substantially” over the last 15 years, “threatening the standards of living of the poor.”

According to the report, the gap between the incomes of the poorest and the richest 10 percent of households increased by 37 percent from 2001 to 2015. One of the report’s authors attributed this to structural changes, including a “progressive shift from traditional and low-skills sectors to services, notably professional, real estate, and financial services,” which not all workers benefited from. Women, in particular, did not share in the gains, with only 57 percent of them in the labor force by 2015, and women in the private sector have been paid on average about 30 percent less than men.

Sienaert at the World Bank told us, “there’s no question that the tax appeal of Mauritius is an important part of the story,” acknowledging that this is “an increasingly less sustainable way to go.” It would be better for Mauritius to become “a conduit for international companies to come into Africa perhaps for the first time, facilitating new activity that wouldn’t otherwise exist,” he said. “Then you’re in win-win territory.”

“That’s not to say it’s going to be an easy transition,” Sienaert added. Like the March report from the World Bank, he had nothing to say about the IFC’s investments via Mauritius and gave the impression that he didn’t know they existed. And much like the staff at the office where the headquarters of Malawi Mangoes is registered on the island, he appeared surprised by our questions on the topic.

Last weekend, the World Bank brought together country delegations and development experts at its annual meetings in Indonesia. The IFC was there, too. At such conferences, grand statements are made while attendees tend to mill around banners bearing pledges to better the world.

Rather than repeating tired mantras about job-creating companies bringing prosperity to the poorest corners of Africa, these powerful international institutions—whose mandates are built around expanding shared prosperity and alleviating poverty—should be asking about the mango farmers in Malawi’s Salima district, and who profited (or didn’t) from the IFC’s support.’

[architectnews]

A decade of building growth in Rwanda, East Africa

A decade of building growth in Rwanda, East Africa Business Investment, Urbanisation, Architect

A decade of building growth in Rwanda

23 September 2021

A decade of building growth in Rwanda, Africa

Leading East African planning, design, architecture and engineering practice FBW Group is celebrating its 10th anniversary in Rwanda as it looks to further build its presence in the country.

And as it marks the milestone the business is committed to continuing to play its part in the nation’s development, nurturing Rwandan talent and having a key role in sustainable projects across a wide range of sectors.

FBW is also heavily involved in the development of a circular economy in Rwanda and it is at the forefront of work to recycle more resources and the use of natural local materials in building projects to achieve that aim.

Rwanda cricket ground:

FBW’s business ethos is closely aligned with Rwanda’s Vision 2050 economic strategy. Paul Semanda, FBW Group’s Rwanda country director, said: “Over the past decade we have worked hard to establish ourselves as a major multi-disciplinary practice, making a positive contribution to Rwanda’s development through a range of projects.

“We are committed to supporting the aims of Vision 2050, and that includes developing local talent, as well as working on developments to improve healthcare, education and infrastructure.

“As we move forward the importance of a circular economy will continue to grow as Rwanda, like other countries in Africa, works to meet the challenges of fast-growing urban centres and populations with a need for self-expression and global participation.”

Since the opening of its office in Kigali a decade ago, the FBW team has worked to help deliver several high-profile projects in Rwanda – with more in the pipeline.

FBW has recently completed a masterplan and extension for a medical university in Butaro and luxury hospitality lodges in Musanze, northern Rwanda, committed to environmental, sustainable conservation and local community engagement.

The group has also delivered several mixed-use city developments, including a retail, commercial and transport hub in Kigali and a signature library building for the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology.

Paul Semanda, FBW Group Rwanda country director:

It has also been involved in the creation of special ‘trade and logistics clusters’ near borders and points of entry with regional countries, with advanced ‘plug-in’ industrial units in the special economic zones.

And FBW engineers played a major role in the creation of ‘the Lord’s of East Africa’ – Rwanda’s internationally acclaimed national cricket stadium. Other notable FBW Rwandan projects include designs for new affordable housing estates, creating living spaces with more than 3,000 homes.

FBW looks to incorporate the Rwandan identity and unique culture into its design work, along with delivering sustainable, green developments. The group’s 10th anniversary in Rwanda comes amid growing European Union interest in the country and increasing investment support for green sustainable projects, an area the practice remains at the forefront of.

Paul Semanda said: “The EU’s increased interest in Rwanda, including its focus on inclusive development, is set to deliver multiple benefits as the country looks to emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic.”

FBW is a major player in East Africa’s construction and development sector. With offices in Uganda and Kenya as well as Rwanda, the multi-disciplinary planning, design, architecture and engineering group currently has a workforce of more than 30 professionals delivering high value construction and development projects across the region.

Comments for this A decade of building growth in Rwanda, East Africa: FBW Group News page are welcome

Previously on e-architect:

Building Green Cities across Africa image courtesy of architects Building Green Cities across Africa

£9.5m medical training centre plan is a game-changer in Malawi’s medical future Design: Cassidy + Ashton with structural engineering specialist TRP Consulting image courtesy of architects USA Africa Investment Advisor Programme

Location: across Africa, including Malawi

African Buildings

Africa Architectural Projects

African Architecture Designs – chronological list

The Legson Kayira Community Center & Primary School Malawi Design: Architecture for a change image courtesy of architects The Legson Kayira Community Center & Primary School Malawi

African Architecture News

African Buildings

New African Building Designs

Butaro Hospital, Burera District, Rwanda MASS Design Group, USA image courtesy of architects African Hospital Building

Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt Design: Snohetta Architecture Alexandria Library Egypt

British High Commission Kampala, Uganda Design: Kilburn Nightingale Architects British High Commission Kampala

Comments / photos for the A decade of building growth in Rwanda, East Africa: FBW Group News page welcome

The post A decade of building growth in Rwanda, East Africa appeared first on e-architect.

[edvistas2018]

Right To Education Returns!

Education is a powerful instrument for reducing poverty and inequality. The Indian education system has made significant progress in recent years to ensure that educational opportunities are available to all segments of the society. According to the 2009 Right to Education Act, schooling is free and compulsory for all the children from the ages of 6 to 14.

However, most of the provisions guaranteed in the Act are yet to be fulfilled, like the availability of trained teachers, high student pupil ratio, books/stationary not coming in time, technological advancements in education, lack of basic infrastructural facilities like functional toilets with water facilities, safe drinking water, electricity, library, laboratories, etc. These gaps lead to many children, especially girls to drop out of school as they grow up. The Government of India and other private organizations are taking various measures to motivate the people of the country to send their children to schools. However, improvements are slowly being made and disadvantaged groups may still not have adequate access to education. The Indian Education System is explained in the following diagram. Primary education is from the age of 6 to 11, secondary education is from 11 to 15, higher secondary

education is 16 and 17 and graduation in any field of interest can be done after 17. So the Indian education system is focused on giving basic education to all the segments of our society. In a recent report “The World Bank” has warned of a learning crisis in global education particularly in countries like India. The report talks about how schooling without learning is not just a wasted development opportunity, but also a great injustice to children worldwide. The report says that millions of young students are affected in their present business world as they are unable to match the knowledge of the current business competitors as they lack a good foundation from primary and secondary schooling. The report says that India ranks second after Malawi in a list of 12 countries wherein a grade two student could not read a single word of a short text. India also tops the list of seven countries in which a grade two student could not perform two-digit subtraction.

The situation is even more worse in rural India as three-quarters of students in grade 3 could not solve a two-digit subtraction and by grade 5 half could still not do it. Even after several years of schooling millions cannot read, write or do basic math.

The social divide which should be narrowed with the help of education is now widening due to the lack of Learning. The report also said that the kids who are already disadvantaged by poverty and other socio economic crisis will reach their adulthood without the most basic life skills.

Task in Hand:

As an Entrepreneur looking at this opportunity come up with a detailed Business plan in order to overcome the learning crisis in India.

a) You are required to come up with a practical Business plan to increase the efficiency of the education being provided to the pupil at large

b) You are also required to bring in a touch of the AI ( artificial intelligence ) in your Idea and execution.

Your B plan must comprise a minimum of the table of contents which will be provided in the next update.

DELIVERABLES:

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN (PHASE WISE)

3. FEASIBILITY ANALYSIS 

5. MARKETING (CONVENTIONAL, UNCONVENTIONAL, 4Ps, STP)

6. SWOT ANALYSIS

7. DETAILED HR PLAN

8. PR STRATEGIES

9. FINANCES (SOURCES AND ALLOCATION)

10. PRINT AD

SUBMISSION:

Soft copy - Tuesday 10th July, 9 am

Hard copy - Before 2pm in 901, 903

Give the Indians their Right To Education to earn your right to top 5!

[politicoscope]

Rebecca Akufo-Addo Biography and Profile

New Post has been published on https://www.politicoscope.com/rebecca-akufo-addo-biography-and-profile/

Rebecca Akufo-Addo Biography and Profile

Rebecca Naa Okaikor Akufo-Addo was born on the 12th of March, 1951 to Justice Jacob Hackenburg Griffiths-Randolph, speaker of Parliament in the Third Republic of Ghana and Frances Phillipina Griffiths-Randolph (nee Mann). She attended the Achimota Primary School and continued at the Wesley Grammar School in Accra and then to the Government Secretarial School where she qualified as a Secretary. She worked at the Merchant Bank in Ghana before relocating to the United Kingdom. She qualified as a legal secretary in the United Kingdom and worked for Clifford Chance and Ashurst Morris Crisp both multinational law firms.

She is married to the President-Elect of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and they have five daughters and five grandchildren. Rebecca Naa Okaikor Akufo-Addo and her husband are both staunch members of the Accra Ridge Church and are committed Christians.

Her hobbies include floristry, interior decoration and reading. Rebecca Naa Okaikor Akufo-Addo loves children and is the patron of Infanta Malaria a charity dedicated to the prevention of Malaria in children. She has always been supportive of her husband’s career and has maintained an unshakeable belief in his ability to “Move Ghana Forward”. As the first Lady of the Republic of Ghana her interests will include early childhood malnutrition and education.

Who is Rebecca Naa Okaikor Akufo-Addo?

Helping Infertile Couples

First Lady of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Mrs Rebecca Naa Okaikor Akufo-Addo has admonished society against mocking and stigmatizing perceived infertile couples, rather, empathize with them and influence national policies on enhancing fertility care.

Mrs Akufo-Addo expressed the concern when she formally welcomed First Ladies from Africa and Asia, to the 6th edition of the Merck Africa Asia Luminary 2019 at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra today.

The conference which also marks the second (2nd) anniversary of Merck Foundation is being co-chaired by Mrs Akufo-Addo and CEO of Merck Foundation, Dr. Rasha Kalej.

In a brief speech, Mrs Akufo-Addo said this year’s conference will deliberate extensively on infertility to identify avenues of changing mind-sets towards perceived infertile couples and resourcing further research to build fertility care capacity in Africa and developing countries.

She said she was optimistic that after five years of providing the platform for brilliant, engaging scientific discussions that have raised awareness and collaboration around Diabetes, Fertility, Oncology and other health issues, the 6th edition of the Merck Luminary would end with the formulation and planned implementation of programmes that will address the challenges of infertility.

The First Lady of Ghana expressed immense gratitude to her fellow participating First Ladies from Liberia, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Central African Republic, Chad and Nigeria for being part of the great movement against infertility in Africa, stating that “this is a movement of empathy, respect, empowerment and recognition.of which your collective involvement is imperative to its success”.

The 6th edition of the Merck Africa Asia Luminary 2019, was officially opened by H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana

Tackling Malaria in Ghana

The First Lady, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo has charged stakeholders to prioritize and ensure judicious use of available resources in the fight towards zero incidences of malaria in Ghana.

According to her, “malaria is a preventable disease and we have evidence of proven tools that can change our story. What is needed is renewed and vigorous commitment to the fight against it”

The First Lady made this known at the launch of the 2019 World Malaria Day in Somanya – Akutunya Lorry station in the Yilo Krobo Municipal Assembly under the theme ‘Zero malaria starts with me.”

“In July 2018, at the African Union Summit, President Akufo-Addo pledged his commitment to champion innovation, to reduce the malaria burden. Since that pledge, I am aware the Ministry of Health together with our partners, have intensified efforts in the fight against malaria. The country has scaled up existing interventions and is on track to pilot the malaria vaccine.” She said.

She stressed that “it is of great pride to me to have met the target for reduction of the mortality indicator as promised by the President.”

Despite these significant results, she disclosed that “people still die from malaria and the disease continues to be the number one cause of out-patient attendance in our health facilities” and expressed worry Ghana is listed among the 10 African countries with a high burden of malaria in the world.

Looking forward, the First Lady was confident that, “it is possible to achieve zero malaria. Globally, more countries, are moving towards zero indigenous cases. In 2017, more countries reported fewer than 10 000 cases, as compared to 2016 and 2010. The number of countries with less than 100 indigenous cases, which is a strong indicator that elimination is within reach, increased from 15 countries in 2010 to 24 countries in 2016 and 26 countries in 2017.”

“We can also do it, if we all work together and follow guidelines established by the WHO and our national strategy.” She emphasised.

Describing the theme, ‘’Zero Malaria starts with me’’ as a call to action, he said it requires all of us to take advantage of the existing interventions for control of malaria in the country.

The First Lady, in collaboration with the Infanta Malaria Prevention Foundation has for 14years fought to reduce and eradicate the incidence of malaria, especially in children and mothers in Ghana.

Rebecca Foundation

Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, the First Lady of the Republic of Ghana is the Executive Director of the Rebecca Foundation. The foundation works in partnership with governmental agencies, the private sector, development partners, civil society and non-profit organizations in the execution of its initiatives.

Since its inception in 2017, the foundation has spearheaded the construction of a new mother and baby unit at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, assisted the schools for special needs children in Akwapim, supported various children from across the country to undergo urgent medical interventions and has also resourced many orphanages in the country.

The foundation has funded the construction of a community bridge in Zenu – a low income highly populated community in the Greater Accra Region, and the renovation of a community clinic in Abamkrom in the Central Region. Additionally, The Rebecca Foundation has trained about 200 women in the Eastern and Northern regions of Ghana in bead making, batik making and entrepreneurship. The foundation is also helping to improve learning outcomes for Ghanaian children.

Merck Africa Asia Luminary Conference

First lady of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Mrs. Rebecca Naa Okaikor Akufo-Addo in collaboration with Merck Foundation will open the Merck Africa Asia Luminary Conference 2019 on Tuesday, 29th October, 2019 at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra. at 8.30 am.

The event, the 6th edition in its series will bring together policy makers, technical experts and stakeholders to discuss educational, social and technological developments in the management of fertility, oncology, women’s health, diabetes and cardiology.

The programme which will be co-chaired by Mrs. Akufo-Addo and CEO of Merck Foundation Dr. Rasha Kelej, will be officially opened by the President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo,

According to Press Aide at the Office of the First Lady, Mr. Richard Darko, the event which is in consonance with the mission of The Rebecca Foundation to identify and implement initiatives that support government efforts to improve the lives of Ghanaians, especially women and children, will afford stakeholders the conducive platform to work on strong strategies to build healthcare capacity and provide the necessary training to establish a strong platform of experts in Diabetes, Hypertension, Cancer and Fertility care and define interventions to break infertility stigma.

In attendance will be First Ladies of several African countries including Liberia, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Central African Republic,Chad and Nigeria, as well Ministers of Health, Gender, Information and Education and over a 1000 healthcare providers and policy makers to lend technical and political support to the formulation and implementation of policies and decisions at the programme.

Vision The Rebecca Akufo- Addo Foundation (RAAF) seeks to deliver excellence as a team and impact positively on the lives of Ghanaians

Mission Our mission is to identify and implement initiatives that support government efforts to improve the lives of Ghanaians, especially women and children.

Rebecca Akufo-Addo and Nana Addo Family

Rebecca Akufo-Addo and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo have been married for over 20 years. Children: Gyankroma Akufo-Addo, Edwina Nana Dokua Akufo-Addo, Adriana Dukua Akufo-Addo, Yeboakua Akufo-Addo. Rebecca Akufo-Addo Parents: Jacob Hackenburg Griffiths-Randolph, Frances Philippina Griffiths-Randolph.

Rebecca Akufo-Addo Biography and Profile

[tripstations]

5 reasons to make Lake Malawi your next destination

In the event you haven’t thought-about Lake Malawi as a vacation spot already, a picture of her azure blue water and film excellent seashores will most likely do the trick. However in case you want somewhat extra, listed below are 5 causes that may make you would like you have been already there…

1. You get to journey on the MV Ilala

The MV IlalaFerry is known. This woman of the lake was inbuilt Scotland and began her weekly journey across the nation in 1951, offering a lifeline to the islands and lots of distant villages on the lake shore. Touring on this mini Titanic, along with her wood decks, brass ornaments and pleasant employees is a not-to-be-missed expertise. From the bar on the highest deck, you’ll be able to benefit from the shoreline or the gorgeous lake whereas the ship slowly makes her option to your vacation spot. It’s a great spot to satisfy attention-grabbing characters and swap tales of your travels. Think about your self sitting on the deck, the wind blowing by means of your hair, the African solar nonetheless glowing in your pores and skin and a Malawi gin and tonic in your hand.

That is undoubtedly one of the best place to expertise the true fantastic thing about the ‘Lake of Stars’. Lake Malawi was given this nickname by the 19th century explorer, David Livingstone who noticed the fantastic thing about the lake by evening. It’s a magical sight when the Milky Means exhibits her gorgeous face within the skies above the lake whereas the fishermen, of their small dugout canoes, dot the horizon with their glowing lamps that they use to draw fish. On board is a surprisingly good restaurant (we advocate the hen salad) and the cabins in your in a single day journey are small however adequate. The Ilala leaves Monkey Bay within the South on a Friday, reaches Chilumba within the North on a Sunday stopping off at varied factors alongside the best way, then back-tracks South to reach in her residence port on a Wednesday.

2. You get to swim with the cichlids

Snorkelling and diving within the lake is like swimming in a freshwater model of ‘Discovering Nemo’! The clear waters on the shoreline play host to many fish. Most of them species of cichlid: small and vibrant freshwater fish indigenous and infrequently distinctive to Lake Malawi. Over 1000 species have been described, and new species are found yearly.

It’s not simply their colors and patterns but additionally their extremely organised breeding actions that make them very attention-grabbing. All species present some type of parental take care of each eggs and larvae, typically nurturing free-swimming younger till they’re weeks or months outdated. Many cichlids are mouth breeders. They incubate their eggs of their mouths as quickly as they’re laid. If��you might be fortunate you will notice a mom cichlid scoop up her fry along with her mouth when hazard (most likely you) approaches. Don’t fear, she isn’t going to eat them. She is going to launch them as soon as the hazard is gone. Her mouth is their secure place. Would you wish to expertise this for your self? Most lakeshore lodges have snorkel units that you would be able to borrow or lease and there are scuba diving amenities on Likoma Island in addition to in a number of locations on the mainland.

3. You get to go to an surprising tropical island

Suppose clear blue water, stunning seashores, spectacular granite rock bays, baobab bushes and a pleasant island vibe. You might have simply described Likoma! Likoma, and her smaller counterpart Chizumulu, are located on the Japanese aspect of the lake. They’re little elements of Malawi in Mozambican waters. In 1861, Likomawas positioned on the Anglican map by bishop ChauncyMaples who based an Anglican mission publish on the island. This stayed the major quarters of the Anglican church in Malawi till after the Second World Conflict. Due to this, most islanders loved good schooling and nearly everyone may learn and write.

Probably the most recognisable constructing on the island, the gorgeous St Peter’s cathedral, is certainly value a go to. It’s surprisingly large, the identical measurement because the Winchester cathedral within the UK. The church was constructed between 1903 and 1905 with domestically sourced granite and plenty of dedication. Probably the most hanging elements are the skilfully made stained-glass home windows and the crucifix that’s minimize out of a tree from Chitambo (in Zambia), the village the place David Livingstone died in 1873. Likoma is a divers’ paradise, it has amenities for a lot of completely different water sports activities, is nice for hen watching and cultural visits and it’s, nicely… enjoyable.

4. You get to take pleasure in a few of the world’s whitest seashores

You recognize what the issue is with lots of these seemingly image excellent seashores? They’re typically disappointing. Whenever you lastly arrive, they’re typically not as clear and white as they have been within the photoshopped image. Or, it is advisable to share them with many different travellers who have been additionally searching for their excellent paradise. If you wish to keep away from this, it is best to hop throughout the lake to the Mozambique shore from Likoma Island and you’ll have probably the most idyllic white seaside, on the sting of a thick lush forest all to your self.

Nkwichi Lodge within the Manda Wilderness is a tranquil oasis and the right backdrop for a soothing vacation. The sand right here is so fantastic and tender that it really squeaks once you stand on it. Within the native chiNyanja language, Nkwichi means ‘squeaking sands’. The lodge is dedicated to supply sustainable tourism with a willpower to protect each the atmosphere and the encircling communities. The spacious chalets are artfully built-in within the atmosphere and provides loads of privateness. The lodge’s outside bathtubs and star beds are the sort of experiences that seem on bucket lists and it is best to attempt them for your self to really feel totally spoiled and relaxed. If you’re searching for an indulgent escape out of your on a regular basis enterprise (and that excellent seaside) you may have discovered your vacation spot!

5. You get to hike in a novel and largely untouched hiker’s paradise

Journey to the rugged Northern a part of the lake shore and you’ll encounter a world so distant, that it might as nicely be on an island. No roads join this place to the remainder of the mainland as a result of the steep mountains make it unimaginable to construct one. You possibly can select to discover this area by boat however to make it actually come alive you’ll be able to come ashore and hike from one place to the subsequent. It seems like you might be touring again in time as you make your means on the centuries-old lakeshore path previous steep mountains, deep waters and small fishing villages. There aren’t any automobiles or motorbikes, simply boats and pleasant individuals who will just be sure you by no means get misplaced.

Whenever you stroll over the seashores you will notice that fishing is the primary supply of earnings. Nonetheless, don’t count on large trawlers lining the shore. Fishing is finished with the quintessential dugout canoes and small wood boats. Touring slowly by means of this piece of the nation makes you acquire a deeper understanding of what it should be wish to stay in a spot so distant. There are two lodges on this stunning strip between Nkhata Bay and Mlowe.

Kelly White is Director of the Malawi Journey Advertising Consortium. Malawi Journey Advertising Consortium goals to give you one of the best info to make Malawi your tourism vacation spot.

If you want to be a visitor blogger on A Luxurious Journey Weblog with a view to elevate your profile, please contact us.

The post 5 reasons to make Lake Malawi your next destination appeared first on Tripstations.

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[cohcommunity]

Rebecca Writes Her Name

by Emily Roller

My father always joked that when he was a kid he had to walk to school barefoot, in the snow, uphill both ways. It’s a popular joke among parents of my generation, but not a joke I will ever be able to make as a privileged millennial. Every year, the world becomes a little more convenient for the privileged. We get water out of the tap—drinkable! We have school buses to pick up our children. We use our phones to connect with our friends that live far away; Skype lets us see them while we chat; planes carry us around the world in a day! Technology improves countless aspects of our lives. For a large part of the world, however, most of this technology is too expensive to even imagine.

In many countries today, you’ll still see students walking to school, barefoot. This is true of Malawi. Most of our students come to school barefoot. We enforce the rule of wearing a uniform in the attempt to keep their bodies covered and decent. Most of their mothers have less than a third-grade education. And many of our children drop out in the middle of primary school. Before their formative education has really begun, something gets in the way.

That something is poverty. Children drop out of school to help work and support the family, mostly on the farm or someone else’s farm. Very few jobs are available to primary school drop-outs. Getting ahead is impossible without a good paying job—after all, subsistence farming is not a lucrative career. The children grow up farming a small piece of ground, divide it among their siblings, have children, and need their children to work on the farm that only grows enough for them to live part way through another year. And on and on and on.

What can we do? How can we BREAK this cycle?

The first and best way to end the cycle of poverty is through education. Knowledge is power, the saying goes. This summer, Melissa, a team member, spent several weeks teaching a young girl, Rebecca, how to write her name. The task seems simple and unnoticeable. For Rebecca, it was the first step towards literacy. In a country where more than 50% of women can barely scribe an X when asked to sign their name, the fact that Rebecca can write her name is AMAZING! Wonderful! FANTASTIC! The opening of a doorway to a whole new life with possibilities and dreams! When we teach a child how to read and write, what doors are we opening? When we teach a boy how to create a story, or teach a girl how to count, what are we unlocking in their lives? The chance to become a writer? The opportunity to go to medical school? The possibility of a life not chained to one house, one farm, one future?

In my dad’s story, he walked uphill both ways, through the snow, barbed wire wrapped around his feet (the tale continues to grow with the passing years); what’s your story? How did you get to school? What miracles, transformation and development moved you along the way? Not long ago, one of our sponsors decided to go back to school after 34 years so she could get a better job, have a better life. We are privileged to have that opportunity here in America.

With your help, our children in Malawi have access to the gift of Education. With your support our children receive hot meals (breakfast and lunch), learn about Jesus, learn to write, read, do math. They learn to dream and hope for a future beyond the subsistence farm, as a nurse, a doctor, a teacher, a pastor, a president, a soldier, a journalist, a caterer, a professional soccer player and the list goes on. Grace Primary School is an integral part of creating a sustainable future for the communities we serve. And YOU are an integral part of our story.

Thank you for your generous gifts that help us lift children out of poverty, setting their feet on a firm foundation! Here are three ways you can help today:

1.      Sign up to pray for our school

2.      Give a gift to buy food or build a classroom!

3.      Raise money with our exciting new peer-to-peer fundraising app by sharing with your family and friends.

[wionews]

World Bank warns of learning crisis in countries like India

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The World Bank has warned of a learning crisis in global education particularly in low and middle-income countries like India, underlining that schooling without learning is not just a wasted development opportunity, but also a great injustice to children worldwide.

The Bank in a latest report yesterday noted that millions of young students in these countries face the prospect of lost opportunity and lower wages in later life because their primary and secondary schools are failing to educate them to succeed in life.

According to the World Development Report 2018, "Learning to Realise Education's Promise", released on Tuesday, India ranks second after Malawi in a list of 12 countries wherein a grade two student could not read a single word of a short text.

India also tops the list of seven countries in which a grade two student could not perform two-digit subtraction.

"In rural India, just under three-quarters of students in grade 3 could not solve a two-digit subtraction such as 46 - 17, and by grade 5 half could still not do so," the World Bank said.

The report argued that without learning, education will fail to deliver on its promise to eliminate extreme poverty and create shared opportunity and prosperity for all.

"Even after several years in school, millions of children cannot read, write or do basic math. This learning crisis is widening social gaps instead of narrowing them," it said.

Young students who are already disadvantaged by poverty, conflict, gender or disability reach young adulthood without even the most basic life skills, it said.

"This learning crisis is a moral and economic crisis," World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim said.

"When delivered well, education promises young people employment, better earnings, good health, and a life without poverty," he added.

"For communities, education spurs innovation, strengthens institutions, and fosters social cohesion. But these benefits depend on learning, and schooling without learning is a wasted opportunity. More than that, it's a great injustice, the children whom societies fail the most are the ones who are most in need of a good education to succeed in life," the Bank president said.

In rural India in 2016, only half of grade 5 students could fluently read a text at the level of the grade 2 curriculum, which included sentences (in the local language) such as 'It was the month of rains' and "There were black clouds in the sky".

"These severe shortfalls constitute a learning crisis," the Bank report said.

According to the report, in Andhra Pradesh in 2010, low-performing students in grade 5 were no more likely to answer a grade 1 question correctly than those in grade 2.

"Even the average student in grade 5 had about a 50 per cent chance of answering a grade 1 question correctly, compared with about 40 per cent in grade 2," the report said.

An experiment in Andhra Pradesh, that rewarded teachers for gains in measured learning in math and language led to more learning not just in those subjects, but also in science and social studies, even though there were no rewards for the latter.

"This outcome makes sense after all, literacy and numeracy are gateways to education more generally," the report said.

Further, a computer-assisted learning program in Gujarat, improved learning when it added to teaching and learning time, especially for the poorest-performing students, it said.

The report recommends concrete policy steps to help developing countries resolve this dire learning crisis in the areas of stronger learning assessments, using evidence of what works and what does not to guide education decision-making, and mobilising a strong social movement to push for education changes that champion "learning for all".  

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[finalgradeneeded-blog]

passing grade calculator

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[avantgardistes]

SDG5 - Gender Equality

"Women’s status in society has become the standard by which humanity’s progress toward civility and peace can be measured." – Mahnaz Afkhami

This is the sixth installment of the SDGs spotlight series.  Sustainable Development Goal 5 is to “achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.”  Ahead of SDG5’s review at the High Level Political Forum next month, here’s some quick background.

What is “gender equality”?

MDG3 – “promote gender equality and empower women” by 2015 – brought necessary attention to gender disparities around the world but there is still significant work to do.  At the current rate of change, it will be 100 years before gender equality is achieved.  Providing women and girls with equal access to education, health care, decent work, and political and economic representation will fuel sustainable economies and benefit societies and humanity at large.  Although SDG5 is a stand-alone goal, it is clear that gender equality must be fully integrated into the remaining 16 SDGs. Unfortunately, a recent UN report revealed,

Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls will require more vigorous efforts, including legal frameworks, to counter deeply rooted gender-based discrimination that often results from patriarchal attitudes and related social norms.

Women’s Rights are Human Rights

Legal frameworks are a first step towards assuring women’s rights and addressing gender discrimination.  In 2014, 143 countries had guaranteed equality between men and women in their constitutions, while 52 countries had yet to do so.  132 countries had equal statutory legal age of marriage for women and men, while in 63 countries, the legal age of marriage was lower for women than for men.

Gender-Based Violence

From 2005 to 2016, in 87 countries, 19% of women between 15 and 49 years of age said they had experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner in the 12 months prior to the survey.  In the most extreme cases, such violence can lead to death.  In 2012, nearly half of all women who were victims of intentional homicide worldwide were killed by an intimate partner or family member, compared to 6% of male victims.

Human trafficking disproportionately affects women and girls, since 70% of all victims detected worldwide are female.

In 2012, only 52% of women between 15 and 49 years of age in 45 countries (43 of which are in a developing region) who are married or in union make their own decisions about consensual sexual relations and use of contraceptives and health services.

Although global statistics are unavailable, at least 200 million girls and women have been subjected to female genital mutilation/cutting in 30 countries with representative prevalence data.  The practice has declined by 24% since 2000, but today, in the 30 countries with available data, around 1 in 3 girls aged 15 to 19 have undergone the practice, versus 1 in 2 in the mid-1980s.

Child Marriage

Child marriage is declining but still prevalent: Around 2000, nearly 1 in 3 women aged 20-24 reported that they were married before 18 years old.  Around 2015, the ratio was just over 1 in 4.  The decline is driven by an even steeper reduction in the marriage rate among girls under 15 years of age during that period.  Child marriage is most common in Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, with 44% of women married before their 18th birthday in Southern Asia and 37% of women married before their 18th birthday in sub-Saharan Africa.  The marriage of girls under the age 15 is also highest in those two regions, at 16% and 11%, respectively.

Political Power

Globally, women’s participation in single or lower houses of national parliaments reached 23.4 per cent in 2017, just 10 percentage points higher than in 2000.  Slow progress in this area is in contrast with more women in parliamentary leadership positions.  In 2016, the number of women speakers of national parliaments jumped from 43 to 49 (out of the 273 posts globally); women accounted for 18% of all speakers of parliament in January 2016.

Work & Economic Power

In every region, women and girls do the bulk of unpaid work (namely caregiving and household tasks). The average amount of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work is more than threefold higher for women than men, according to survey data from 83 countries and areas. Available data indicate that time spent on domestic chores accounts for a large proportion of the gender gap in unpaid work.  The responsibilities of unpaid care and domestic work, combined with paid work, means greater total work burdens for women and girls and less time for rest, self-care, learning, and other activities.

Women are still underrepresented in managerial positions.  In the majority of the 67 countries with data from 2009 to 2015, fewer than a third of senior- and middle management positions were held by women.

However, women touch every aspect of business and are important drivers of economic growth.  Empowering women and girls has a multiplier effect and helps drive up economic growth and development across the board: One Goldman Sachs study shows that when women’s spending and decision-making power increases, they affect consumer trends, such as household spending for family welfare, which has implications for the apparel, childcare, consumer durables, education, financial services, food, and healthcare sectors.  A McKinsey study found that the advancement of women is also crucial to business success, with companies with women in leadership outperforming their competitors by 55% in average company earnings.

SDG5 Targets

The targets set for SDG5 are:

End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere

Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation

Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation

Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate

Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life

Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences

Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws

Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women

Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels

What can we do?

BSR proposes three main ways that businesses can promote gender equality: creating decent and empowering jobs for women throughout the value chain, designing products and services to address women’s unique needs, and working with local businesses to integrate women’s empowerment.

The UN Global Compact break downs its recommendations by sector: Financial Services, Food/Beverage/Consumer Goods, Health Care & Life Sciences, Industrial Manufacturing, Transportation, and Energy/Natural Resources/Chemicals. The gender-specific themes include considering women-led businesses along the supply chain, creating a gender-sensitive work environment, providing training and support, and developing products suited to the women’s market.

Who’s taking action?

Multilateral initiatives

UN Global Compact offers many resources to companies interested in SDG5, including an industry breakdown of opportunities to pursue the SDGs and various related webinars, such as “Creating Opportunities for Economic Empowerment and Employment for Young Women” and “Advancing SDG 5 through Inclusive Sourcing”.

UN Women is the UN’s entity dedicated to gender equality and women’s empowerment and has a long list of activities dedicated to issues related to SDG5.  One such activity is UNITE to End Violence Against Women.

The Women’s Empowerment Principles are a joint initiative of UN Global Compact and UN Women and endorsed by 1,000+ companies.

UNDP is currently implementing women’s education and empowerment programs in countries across the globe, including in Mali, Afghanistan, Iraq, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras, Ghana, and Indonesia.

Nonprofits

Camfed is an international non-profit organization tackling poverty and inequality by supporting girls to go to school and succeed, and empowering young women to step up as leaders of change.  Since 1993, Camfed’s innovative education programs in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Ghana, Tanzania and Malawi have directly supported nearly 2 million students to attend primary and secondary school.

Clinton Global Initiative partnered with 32 companies and organizations to launch the Girls, Women & the Global Goals coalition.  The partners have collectively pledged over $70 million to advance the full participation of nearly 900,000 women and girls in over 60 countries across 6 continents.

Private sector*

Dove/Unilever formed the Dove Self-Esteem Project was formed in 2005 to work on building self-esteem for women.  The program has helped more than 19 million young people build self-esteem through body confidence education and self-esteem workshops.  As part of the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan, Dove is committed to helping an additional 20 million young people build body confidence and self-esteem by 2020.

Coca Cola focuses on expanding the entrepreneurial potential of women to help families and communities around the world prosper.  In 2010, Coca-Cola launched its 5by20 campaign to help economically empower 5 million women entrepreneurs by 2020.  This initiative means “building women’s self-esteem so they become mentors and role models to other women, empowering them through the development of business skills and increased access to financial services, capital, peer networks, and mentoring.”  By 2014, 5by20 empowered a total of 865,000 women and expanded to eight new countries: Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Ghana, Lesotho, Botswana, Malawi, and Burundi. 

ANN INC. is a signee of the WEPs and participates in BSR’s HERproject.  The company has taken a holistic and integrated approach through its 100,000 Women Commitment, targeting women’s health and well-being, financial literacy, and workplace empowerment.  In addition to training 100,000 women in its supply chain by 2018, the company revised its supplier code of conduct to ensure that the company and its suppliers share a vision to support women.

Standard Chartered developed the Diva Club account to serve the specific financial services needs of women in Africa.  According to BSR, “In addition to addressing banking convenience and linking to lifestyle benefits, the account responds to customer demands for networking opportunities and joint savings clubs with other women.  A focus on women has helped Standard Chartered differentiate itself from its peers and connect with to its female consumers.”

*SDG5 seems to be so far one of the trendier Sustainable Development Goals, with many, many lists of companies that are working towards empowering women and girls.  For instance, WEP put out a report of “Companies Leading the Way” on 100 companies that are implementing the Women’s Empowerment Principles. This list here is nowhere near comprehensive and was not abbreviated with any rhyme or reason.

Individuals and companies can donate to Global Impact’s SDG Fund, which is a philanthropic nonprofit that supports charities working on the SDGs.  Donations to this goal's fund will support the following charities: CARE, Cordaid, ECPAT-USA, Heifer International, International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), Plan International USA, Women for Women International, and World Vision. 

[architectnews]

Building skills in East Africa: FBW Group

East Africa building skills, UK Business Investment, Urbanisation, Architect

Building skills in East Africa:

30 June 2021

FBW Group African Building Skills

Building skills is vital for East Africa’s sustainable future

Developing and harnessing young professional talent is vital if East Africa is to meet the challenges of sustainable urbanisation, according to one of the region’s leading architecture and engineering firms.

FBW Group believes the private sector must increase its role by investing more in the development of the next generation of ‘home-grown’ architects and engineers who will deliver the vision of green, sustainable urban growth.

The multi-disciplinary group, which has just celebrated 25 years in East Africa, is playing its part in growing the region’s skills base and is actively nurturing the development of young professionals in its offices in Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda.

Malawi Creator Centre building design by FBW Group:

As well as an in-house intern programme and links with educational establishments, FBW’s commitment to professional development sees its young talent encouraged and nurtured as they gain knowledge and experience on their career journeys.

That includes supporting them as they work in-house to pass their exams and become registered professionals in their fields. A pipeline of FBW talent continues on that route.

Junior and mid-tier staff are exposed to different working environments and a wide range of projects as part of their training and development.

Paul Moores, FBW Group managing director, said: “It is really important that businesses like ours play their part in developing the young professionals who are the future of East Africa and will drive the green and sustainable growth agenda that is so vitally important for the region.

“There is still so much more to do to bridge the skills gap and we’d urge all businesses involved in planning, design and construction to commit to the development and training of young people.

“The transfer of knowledge and the continual drive for higher standards is a professional responsibility for all of us. East Africa needs to see more registered architects and engineers.”

Peter Mugisa, based in FWB’s Kampala office, has progressed from graduate to a registered professional architect during his time with the practice. He passed his Uganda Society of Architects (USA) exams and took his place on the Architects Registration Board of Uganda (ARB) register just before lockdown.

Peter, 33, who has been a member of the FBW team for six years, said: “I was supported throughout the process by everyone in the business, from the directors, right down the organisation. Everyone was right behind me and prepared to give me all the help and advice I needed.”

FBW’s ongoing development of affordable housing solutions in Kenya, East Africa:

Civil engineer Peter Nyamutale, another member of FBW’s Kampala team, has recently passed The Uganda Institution of Professional Engineers (UIPE) exams and joined the Uganda Engineers Registration Board (ERB) register.

Peter, 32, said: “There is a big push in Uganda to encourage more people to get professional accreditation as part of the skills agenda. It is vital as work goes on to raise standards and as more large-scale projects are planned, and Africa’s urbanisation accelerates.”

Frances Nakabuye, also 32, a graduate architect in FBW’s Kampala office, is currently working towards her professional registration.

Her career journey has taken her from FBW in Uganda, where she was an intern, to Milan, where she studied architecture. Since returning to FBW, she has worked on major projects, including masterplanning the expansion of the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) in Butaro, Rwanda.

Frances is looking to sit her professional exams with USA later this year. She said: “I feel I’m continually learning and developing through the projects I’m involved in delivering with FBW. Working with project managers, engineers and the people on site is proving invaluable.”

Comments for this Building skills in East Africa: FBW Group News page are welcome

Previously on e-architect:

Building Green Cities across Africa image courtesy of architects Building Green Cities across Africa

£9.5m medical training centre plan is a game-changer in Malawi’s medical future Design: Cassidy + Ashton with structural engineering specialist TRP Consulting image courtesy of architects USA Africa Investment Advisor Programme

Location: across Africa, including Malawi

African Buildings

Africa Architectural Projects

African Architecture Designs – chronological list

The Legson Kayira Community Center & Primary School Malawi Design: Architecture for a change image courtesy of architects The Legson Kayira Community Center & Primary School Malawi

African Architecture News

African Buildings

New African Building Designs

Butaro Hospital, Burera District, Rwanda MASS Design Group, USA image courtesy of architects African Hospital Building

Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt Design: Snohetta Architecture Alexandria Library Egypt

British High Commission Kampala, Uganda Design: Kilburn Nightingale Architects British High Commission Kampala

Comments / photos for the Building skills in East Africa: FBW Group News page welcome

Website: Africa

The post Building skills in East Africa: FBW Group appeared first on e-architect.

[architectnews]

Circular Economy in Africa: FBW Group

Circular Economy in Africa, UK Business Investment Building, Architecture, Architect

Circular Economy in Africa

22 Sep 2020

Circular Economy in Africa – FBW Group Development News

UK and Africa businesses urged to “seize the moment”

‘Circular Economy’ Will Unlock Africa’s Green Growth

The creation of a circular economy in construction is vital if Africa’s vision of green, sustainable urban growth is to become reality.

More recycling of material resources and the use of natural local materials in building projects is needed to achieve that aim. Leading East African architecture and engineering firm FBW Group is calling on the construction and property sectors to invest more in African manufacturing, cutting the reliance on imported materials for building components.

Despite recycling having a long tradition in Africa, FBW also wants to see a concerted drive towards circular principles in the building industry. FBW made its call for action in support of World Green Building Week.

Malawi Creator Centre building design by FBW Group:

It believes a strategy should be two-fold, promoting firstly an up scaled production of ‘hand-made’ products such as clay, stone and compressed earth.

Secondly, more international investment in the local manufacturing of specialised products serving large complex projects will stimulate innovation, activate supply chains and create jobs.

It is an approach that will also help deliver Africa’s green cities of the future, with the quality infrastructure and affordable homebuilding needed to meet the challenges of fast-growing urban centres and populations.

FBW has operations in Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania, as well as a base in Manchester in the UK. A major player in the region’s construction and development sector, it is celebrating operating in East Africa for 25 years.

Antje Eckoldt FBW Group director & Kenya country manager:

Antje Eckoldt is an FBW Group director and its Kenya country manager. She points towards the predicted growth of the Nairobi metropolitan area, already home to 10 million people, over the next three decades.

Antje says: “When you look at the pressure of land prices in the city it is little wonder that we’re seeing the construction of more and more tall buildings.

“The technologies required to construct these means that most of the materials and components needed, such as aluminium windows, are currently imported from Asia and Europe. There is hardly any local manufacturing.

“To create the circular economy that we need to achieve net zero we have to push the international players to look at innovative ways to manufacture in Africa.

“We also need to focus on a more local aspect to production, with more reliable, locally-sourced products created out of natural and traditional African materials. Apart from clay and stone products these could be bioplastics or natural fibre boards.

“Then there is the need to drive the industry towards recycling products on a larger scale, even including something as basic as using reclaimed products in concrete.

“Due to scale of projects in urban areas, the structural frame is usually concrete. For instance, we currently have limited steel recycling facilities in East Africa. This would also allow for by-products that can be used in production of lower carbon cement.

“There needs to be a major scale-up if we are looking to reduce construction carbon impacts, including reduction in the impact of transporting materials over long distances.

“Put all this together and we will be building towards the circular economy that will deliver a greener future for Africa’s urban areas.” World Green Building Week (21-25 September 2020) is the World Green Building Council’s annual campaign.

It is calling on the building sector, policymakers and governments to take urgent action to deliver net zero buildings.

As part of its continuing commitment to ‘build green’ and to advocate for green buildings FBW is also a member of the Kenyan Green Building Society, part of the World Green Building Council.

It is also a champion of the EDGE green building certification system. The Kenyan government has declared that all affordable housing development projects under the nation’s ‘Big Four’ agenda must meet the EDGE standard.

The government will provide developers with free land to build affordable housing projects that meet its commitment to resource-efficient structures.

Its ambition is to close the housing gap for Kenyan people in an environmentally-responsible way. The World Bank estimates that 200,000 housing units are needed annually in Kenya, but the supply is only 50,000 units.

Antje, who is also FBW’s EDGE expert, said: “The green certification system is making a difference in terms of savings in energy, water and embodied energy in materials.

“The initiative we are seeing in Kenya highlights just how important the green approach to building is becoming across Africa. It is high on the agenda as nations look to meet the challenges of increasing urbanisation and population growth.”

‘Circular Economy’ Will Unlock Africa’s Green Growth News information / images from received 220920

Previously on e-architect:

Building Green Cities across Africa image courtesy of architects Building Green Cities across Africa

£9.5m medical training centre plan is a game-changer in Malawi’s medical future Design: Cassidy + Ashton with structural engineering specialist TRP Consulting image courtesy of architects USA Africa Investment Advisor Programme

Location: across Africa, including Malawi

African Buildings

Africa Architectural Projects

African Architecture Designs – chronological list

Another Malawi building on e-architect:

The Legson Kayira Community Center & Primary School Malawi Design: Architecture for a change image courtesy of architects The Legson Kayira Community Center & Primary School Malawi

African Architecture News

African Buildings

Health Centre Buildings

New African Building Designs

Butaro Hospital, Burera District, Rwanda MASS Design Group, USA image courtesy of architects African Hospital Building

Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt Design: Snohetta Architecture Alexandria Library Egypt

British High Commission Kampala, Uganda Design: Kilburn Nightingale Architects British High Commission Kampala

Hospital Buildings

Comments / photos for the Circular Economy in Africa: FBW Group News page welcome

Website: Africa

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[politicoscope]

Rebecca Akufo-Addo Biography and Profile

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Rebecca Akufo-Addo Biography and Profile

Rebecca Naa Okaikor Akufo-Addo was born on the 12th of March, 1951 to Justice Jacob Hackenburg Griffiths-Randolph, speaker of Parliament in the Third Republic of Ghana and Frances Phillipina Griffiths-Randolph (nee Mann). She attended the Achimota Primary School and continued at the Wesley Grammar School in Accra and then to the Government Secretarial School where she qualified as a Secretary. She worked at the Merchant Bank in Ghana before relocating to the United Kingdom. She qualified as a legal secretary in the United Kingdom and worked for Clifford Chance and Ashurst Morris Crisp both multinational law firms.

She is married to the President-Elect of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and they have five daughters and five grandchildren. Rebecca Naa Okaikor Akufo-Addo and her husband are both staunch members of the Accra Ridge Church and are committed Christians.

Her hobbies include floristry, interior decoration and reading. Rebecca Naa Okaikor Akufo-Addo loves children and is the patron of Infanta Malaria a charity dedicated to the prevention of Malaria in children. She has always been supportive of her husband’s career and has maintained an unshakeable belief in his ability to “Move Ghana Forward”. As the first Lady of the Republic of Ghana her interests will include early childhood malnutrition and education.

Who is Rebecca Naa Okaikor Akufo-Addo?

Helping Infertile Couples

First Lady of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Mrs Rebecca Naa Okaikor Akufo-Addo has admonished society against mocking and stigmatizing perceived infertile couples, rather, empathize with them and influence national policies on enhancing fertility care.

Mrs Akufo-Addo expressed the concern when she formally welcomed First Ladies from Africa and Asia, to the 6th edition of the Merck Africa Asia Luminary 2019 at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra today.

The conference which also marks the second (2nd) anniversary of Merck Foundation is being co-chaired by Mrs Akufo-Addo and CEO of Merck Foundation, Dr. Rasha Kalej.

In a brief speech, Mrs Akufo-Addo said this year’s conference will deliberate extensively on infertility to identify avenues of changing mind-sets towards perceived infertile couples and resourcing further research to build fertility care capacity in Africa and developing countries.

She said she was optimistic that after five years of providing the platform for brilliant, engaging scientific discussions that have raised awareness and collaboration around Diabetes, Fertility, Oncology and other health issues, the 6th edition of the Merck Luminary would end with the formulation and planned implementation of programmes that will address the challenges of infertility.

The First Lady of Ghana expressed immense gratitude to her fellow participating First Ladies from Liberia, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Central African Republic, Chad and Nigeria for being part of the great movement against infertility in Africa, stating that “this is a movement of empathy, respect, empowerment and recognition.of which your collective involvement is imperative to its success”.

The 6th edition of the Merck Africa Asia Luminary 2019, was officially opened by H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana

Tackling Malaria in Ghana

The First Lady, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo has charged stakeholders to prioritize and ensure judicious use of available resources in the fight towards zero incidences of malaria in Ghana.

According to her, “malaria is a preventable disease and we have evidence of proven tools that can change our story. What is needed is renewed and vigorous commitment to the fight against it”

The First Lady made this known at the launch of the 2019 World Malaria Day in Somanya – Akutunya Lorry station in the Yilo Krobo Municipal Assembly under the theme ‘Zero malaria starts with me.”

“In July 2018, at the African Union Summit, President Akufo-Addo pledged his commitment to champion innovation, to reduce the malaria burden. Since that pledge, I am aware the Ministry of Health together with our partners, have intensified efforts in the fight against malaria. The country has scaled up existing interventions and is on track to pilot the malaria vaccine.” She said.

She stressed that “it is of great pride to me to have met the target for reduction of the mortality indicator as promised by the President.”

Despite these significant results, she disclosed that “people still die from malaria and the disease continues to be the number one cause of out-patient attendance in our health facilities” and expressed worry Ghana is listed among the 10 African countries with a high burden of malaria in the world.

Looking forward, the First Lady was confident that, “it is possible to achieve zero malaria. Globally, more countries, are moving towards zero indigenous cases. In 2017, more countries reported fewer than 10 000 cases, as compared to 2016 and 2010. The number of countries with less than 100 indigenous cases, which is a strong indicator that elimination is within reach, increased from 15 countries in 2010 to 24 countries in 2016 and 26 countries in 2017.”

“We can also do it, if we all work together and follow guidelines established by the WHO and our national strategy.” She emphasised.

Describing the theme, ‘’Zero Malaria starts with me’’ as a call to action, he said it requires all of us to take advantage of the existing interventions for control of malaria in the country.

The First Lady, in collaboration with the Infanta Malaria Prevention Foundation has for 14years fought to reduce and eradicate the incidence of malaria, especially in children and mothers in Ghana.

Rebecca Foundation

Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, the First Lady of the Republic of Ghana is the Executive Director of the Rebecca Foundation. The foundation works in partnership with governmental agencies, the private sector, development partners, civil society and non-profit organizations in the execution of its initiatives.

Since its inception in 2017, the foundation has spearheaded the construction of a new mother and baby unit at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, assisted the schools for special needs children in Akwapim, supported various children from across the country to undergo urgent medical interventions and has also resourced many orphanages in the country.

The foundation has funded the construction of a community bridge in Zenu – a low income highly populated community in the Greater Accra Region, and the renovation of a community clinic in Abamkrom in the Central Region. Additionally, The Rebecca Foundation has trained about 200 women in the Eastern and Northern regions of Ghana in bead making, batik making and entrepreneurship. The foundation is also helping to improve learning outcomes for Ghanaian children.

Merck Africa Asia Luminary Conference

First lady of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Mrs. Rebecca Naa Okaikor Akufo-Addo in collaboration with Merck Foundation will open the Merck Africa Asia Luminary Conference 2019 on Tuesday, 29th October, 2019 at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra. at 8.30 am.

The event, the 6th edition in its series will bring together policy makers, technical experts and stakeholders to discuss educational, social and technological developments in the management of fertility, oncology, women’s health, diabetes and cardiology.

The programme which will be co-chaired by Mrs. Akufo-Addo and CEO of Merck Foundation Dr. Rasha Kelej, will be officially opened by the President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo,

According to Press Aide at the Office of the First Lady, Mr. Richard Darko, the event which is in consonance with the mission of The Rebecca Foundation to identify and implement initiatives that support government efforts to improve the lives of Ghanaians, especially women and children, will afford stakeholders the conducive platform to work on strong strategies to build healthcare capacity and provide the necessary training to establish a strong platform of experts in Diabetes, Hypertension, Cancer and Fertility care and define interventions to break infertility stigma.

In attendance will be First Ladies of several African countries including Liberia, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Central African Republic,Chad and Nigeria, as well Ministers of Health, Gender, Information and Education and over a 1000 healthcare providers and policy makers to lend technical and political support to the formulation and implementation of policies and decisions at the programme.

Vision The Rebecca Akufo- Addo Foundation (RAAF) seeks to deliver excellence as a team and impact positively on the lives of Ghanaians

Mission Our mission is to identify and implement initiatives that support government efforts to improve the lives of Ghanaians, especially women and children.

Rebecca Akufo-Addo and Nana Addo Family

Rebecca Akufo-Addo and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo have been married for over 20 years. Children: Gyankroma Akufo-Addo, Edwina Nana Dokua Akufo-Addo, Adriana Dukua Akufo-Addo, Yeboakua Akufo-Addo. Rebecca Akufo-Addo Parents: Jacob Hackenburg Griffiths-Randolph, Frances Philippina Griffiths-Randolph.

Rebecca Akufo-Addo Biography and Profile