DR LORDINA URGES MOTHERS TO SUPPORT END CHILD MARRIAGE CAMPAIGN

First Lady Dr  Lordina Dramani Mahama  has encouraged Mothers, especially in Ghana and Africa, to participate in the Annual Vaccination Week by ensuring that infants and children receive the requisite free vaccination. 

In a statement to commemorate this year's Mothers day Dr Lordina Mahama commended all mothers for the unconditional love and selflessness they continue to show to their children and families.

 She also urged all Mothers to support the ‘End Child Marriage’ Campaign and join forces with Governments to end child Marriage. 

 Below is the full statement. 


STATEMENT FROM THE FIRST LADY OF GHANA 
ON MOTHER’S DAY 2016 

There are many special days on the calendar to commemorate unique occasions, but one that is universally acclaimed as truly worthy of celebration is MOTHER’S DAY!

Everyday, mothers play the pivotal role of raising and moulding their children. Mothers also unite families and communities to help build a bright and better future for their children. 

I wish on this occasion to salute all mothers for the unconditional love, unlimited patience, forgiveness and selflessness they continue to show to their children and families.

Through the work of the Lordina Foundation, I have travelled the length and breadth of this country and I have come to appreciate the critical role our Mothers play, just to ensure our wellbeing. The best we can do for them, as children and society, is to celebrate this day everyday.

Indeed, Mothers are God’s gift to mankind and today, much of Ghana’s progress is, in no small way, due to the contribution of Mothers to the family, to the community and to the nation. 

I ask God to bless all Mothers this day and always. 

As we organise events and ceremonies to celebrate them, let us also remember their role in saving dysfunctional families, broken homes and bitter marriages. Thanking them is inadequate for the sacrifices they make every day. 

On this occasion of Mothers Day 2016, I wish to encourage Mothers, especially in Ghana and Africa, to participate in the Annual Vaccination Week by ensuring that infants and children receive the requisite free vaccination. We need to collectively prioritise immunisation as a key intervention to reduce child mortality.

As President of the Organisation of African First Ladies Against HIV & AIDS (OAFLA), and together with my colleague First Ladies, we have joined hands to strive to achieve our common vision of “making Africa a continent free from HIV and AIDS, Maternal and Child Mortality, and a place where women and girls are empowered to enjoy equal rights and opportunities.” 

We are working to guarantee access and investments in life-saving vaccines for Africa’s mothers, new-borns, children and adolescents.

During the recent 7th Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights in Accra, my husband, President John Dramani Mahama launched the ‘Ending Child Marriage’ Campaign.

As a mother, the practice of child marriage breaks my heart and so must it be to all Mothers. It also negatively affects the future of thousands of young girls across Ghana and beyond.

I urge all Mothers to support the ‘End Child Marriage’ Campaign and join forces with Governments to end child marriage. Keep your children in school and allow them to climb the educational ladder rather than marrying them off.


Finally, I wish to entreat our Working Mothers not to abandon the long cherished traditional role of providing services and care for the family at all times despite the challenges that confront the working woman.


H.E. Dr. Nana Lordina Dramani Mahama 
First Lady of the Republic of Ghana & 
President of the Lordina Foundation

PRIORITISE IMMUNIZATION TO REDUCE CHILD MORTALITY ...DR LORDINA URGES STAKEHOLDERS

First Lady Dr Lordina Mahama has stressed the need for all especially stakeholders in the health sector to collectively prioritize immunization. 

Immunization she noted is a key intervention to reduce child mortality. 

 “Vaccination saves children’s lives, and keep adults, communities and nations healthy, safeguarding families from the cycle of poverty, by increasing their resilience to disease” she said. 

The First lady made the call in a speech read on her behalf by the Chief Director of Ministry of Health Dr Afisah Zakariah at the commemoration of the 6^th African Vaccination and Child Health Promotion weeks in Accra. 

African Vaccination Week is celebrated annually to strengthen immunisation programmes in the Africa Region, by increasing public awareness on the importance of every child, every woman and every person’s need and right to be protected from vaccine-preventable diseases. 

According to the First lady, this year’s African Vaccination Week occurs at a very important time in the history of immunisation in the African region due to the fact that Nigeria have  been removed from the list of Polio endemic countries and Political Leaders have reaffirmed their commitment to intensify efforts to provide immunisation services to all African children at  the First Ministerial Conference in Africa.

“Indeed, tremendous progress has been made in the domain of reducing childhood illnesses and deaths and preventing the spread of vaccine preventable diseases. Yet, we cannot tell our success story until every African country has learned from the great achievements of our sister nations that have already achieved 90% immunisation coverage. We cannot claim any real success for ourselves, until services are scaled-up to the hard to reach children who still do not have access to basic vaccines in the year 2016”. This vision she said is not only for Ghana but the entire 20% of children in Africa who have not yet been reached with basic immunization services on the continent.

Being the President of the Organisation of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA), Dr Lordina Mahama said together with her colleague First Ladies have joined hands to strive to achieve a common vision of making Africa a continent free from HIV and AIDS, maternal and child mortality; and a place where women and girls are empowered to enjoy equal rights and opportunities. “Thus, we have committed to advocate for access and investments to life-saving vaccines for Africa’s mothers, newborn, children and adolescents”she said.

Dr Lordina Mahama said the commemoration by member states, to renew their efforts to reach every child with routine immunisation and to improve child health outcomes remains of utmost importance to the First Ladies of Africa. “ Because, as long as one country trails behind, we are all at risk of backtracking on the progress achieved thus far.  We must all help to close the Immunisation gap; we can stay polio free.” She added.

Touching on the global theme for this year’s African Vaccination Week is “Close the Immunization Gap. Stay Polio Free” which draws attention to the need for universal immunisation coverage on the African Continent and particularly for Ghana Dr Lordina Mahama noted that all must stay vigilant to ensure that all countries remain polio free.

For his part, World Health Organization Representative  to Ghana, Dr Owen Kaluwa indicated that three million children under five years die each yaer in the Africa Region and that a significant number of these deaths could be prevented by vaccines. “Receiving routine immunization is essential to attain the highest standard of health, particularly for women and children to become healthy and productive adults” he noted.

Dr Kaluwa expressed worry about the the inability of 60,000 children less than 1 year to receive the 3^rd dose of the pentavalent, oral polio and the pneucoccal vaccines in Ghana and also the low coverage of less than 50percent of the pentavalent vaccines in two municipalities in Ghana .

 These short comings he believes are major gaps that needed to be closed through conceited efforts by all. Dr Kaluwa commended the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Health for including the African Vaccination and Child Health Promotion week into its strategic and annual immunization plans but calls for more resource mobilization to enable all regions and districts to actively participate in these activities.

Programme Manager of Expanded Programme on Immunization(EPI), Dr George Bonsu noted that despite the achievements in immunization in Ghana, one in five children still do not receive all the basic vaccines they need. 

“ As we commemorate the sixth edition of African Vaccination Week, it is critical to highlight the role of government,partners health workers , NGOs and families to invest time and resources in vaccination.

Ghana has over the years integrated the African Vaccination Week with Child health Promotion week as one of the sustainable ways of improving coverage of preventive child survival interventions which include Immunization,Vitamin A supplementation, Growth monitoring , Promotion of ITN use and Birth registration..

CAPE COAST CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE VICAH GENERAL COMMENDS DR LORDINA MAHAMA

 Vicar General of the Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Coast Very Rev Father Isaac Ebo-Blay has commended the First Lady Dr Lordina Mahama for her philanthropic works across the country. 

“Supporting the vulnerable in society and the church must be the priority of all especially NGOs” he noted. This the Vicar General of the Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Coast Very Rev Father Isaac Ebo-Blay believe will reduce burden on government in making Ghana a better place for all . 

Very Rev Father Ebo- Blay made the commendation when the Lordina Foundation presented sets of musical equipment to the Little Ways Evangelization group based in Cape Coast. The Deputy Minister for Defense Kenneth Gilbert Adjei made the presentation on behalf of the First Lady Dr Lordina Mahama. 

According to the Vicar General, the church is made up of the rich, poor, the sick; among others who need the word of God to change their lives hence all join hands with churches for this transformation to be made possible.  “NGOs must focus their attention on the deprived, the needy the marginalized so that we all build our society and community” he said. 

Very Rev Father Isaac Ebo-Blay was grateful to the first lady Dr Lordina Mahama who is the founder of the Lordina Foundation for the gesture saying the equipment will go a long way to help the Little Ways Evangelization Group to reach out to more people particularly the youth in the central region.

Little Ways Evangelization Group, has been without musical instrument since its inception. With the set of professional sound system, microphones and professional audio mixer presented to the group the President of the group Isaac Taku Mensah believes the group will move to the hinterland to evangelise to win more souls for the kingdom of God. 

 He assured the foundation that the equipment will be used for its intended purpose.

The Central Regional Chairman of the NDC Allotey Jacob who witnessed the presentation described the first lady as a woman who is willing to help anybody irrespective of the religion, age or ethnic.  He was grateful for the first lady for her support to the central region. Mr. Allotey Jacob said the Lordina Foundation should be an example or an eye opener to all NGOs to be truthful and spend what they have and what have been given to them to invest in people.  

On the upcoming elections, he urged Ghanaians to be focused on the unprecedented developmental projects the President John Dramani is under taking should been seen as beacon of Ghana’s democracy.  Mr Allotey Jacobs entreated Ghanaians to be tolerant in order to ensure that there is peace and tranquility before, during and after 2016 elections.

THE WORLD MARK MALARIA DAY WITH A CALL FOR AN END TO MALARIA

The International Community today marked World Malaria Day with  a call to end Malaria. A day to celebrate the gains made in the fight against malaria around the world. Observed on April 25 each year, this day highlights global efforts to control malaria and mobilizes action to combat the disease.  

This year's  theme for the day is "End Malaria For Good”. Following the great progress made under the Millennium Development Goals, it is important to build on this success and ‘end malaria for good’ under the Sustainable Development Goals.

Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected mosquitoes. About half of the worlds’ population is at risk of malaria, particularly those in lower-income countries. It infects more than 500 million people each year and kills more than one million people, according to WHO. However, Malaria is preventable and curable.

The World Health Assembly instituted World Malaria Day in May 2007. The purpose of the event is to give countries in affected regions the chance to learn from each other’s experiences and support one another’s efforts. 

World Malaria Day also enables new donors to join in a global partnership against malaria, and for research and academic institutions to reveal scientific advances to the public. The day also gives international partners, companies and foundations a chance to showcase their efforts and reflect on how to scale up what has worked.

Organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), which is the United Nations’ (UN) directing and coordinating authority for health, actively play a role in promoting and supporting World Malaria Day. The activities and events that take place on or around World Malaria Day are often joint efforts between governments, non-government organizations, communities and individuals.

Malaria-endemic countries have made incredible gains in malaria in the last decade, but sustaining them will take extra efforts until the job is finished and malaria is eliminated worldwide.  While efforts to prevent, diagnose and treat malaria have gained important momentum over the past years, an annual shortfall in funding threatens to slow down progress, particularly across Africa where high-burden countries are facing critical funding gaps.  

Unless the world can find a way to bridge the funding gaps and endemic countries have the resources and technical support they need to implement sound malaria control plans, malaria resurgence will likely take many more lives.

 According to a World Malaria Day report  released by WHO in 2015, all countries in the WHO European Region reported, for the first time, zero indigenous cases of malaria, down from 90 000 cases in 1995. Outside this region, 8 countries reported zero cases of the disease in 2014: Argentina, Costa Rica, Iraq, Morocco, Oman, Paraguay, Sri Lanka and United Arab Emirates.

Another 8 countries each tallied fewer than 100 indigenous malaria cases in 2014. And a further 12 countries reported between 100 and 1000 indigenous malaria cases in 2014.

The “Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030”, approved by the World Health Assembly in 2015, calls for the elimination of local transmission of malaria in at least 10 countries by 2020. WHO estimates that 21 countries are in a position to achieve this goal, including 6 countries in the African Region, where the burden of the disease is heaviest.

Since the year 2000, malaria mortality rates have declined by 60% globally. In the WHO African Region, malaria mortality rates fell by 66% among all age groups and by 71% among children under 5 years.

The advances came through the use of core malaria control tools that have been widely deployed over the last decade: insecticide-treated bed-nets, indoor residual spraying, rapid diagnostic testing and artemisinin-based combination therapies.

But reaching the next level—elimination—will not be easy. Nearly half of the world’s population, 3.2 billion people, remain at risk of malaria. Last year alone, 214 million new cases of the disease were reported in 95 countries and more than 400 000 people died of malaria.

The efficacy of the tools that secured the gains against malaria in the early years of this century is now threatened. Mosquito resistance to insecticides used in nets and indoor residual spraying is growing. So too is parasite resistance to a component of one of the most powerful antimalarial medicines. Further progress against malaria will likely require new tools that do not exist today, and the further refining of new technologies.

So as individuals how can we prevent getting infected by malaria? 

While malaria remains one of the deadliest diseases in Africa, infections can be prevented by sleeping under long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets (LLINs). These nets, which are designed to last at least three years, work by creating a protective barrier against deadly malaria-carrying mosquitoes that typically bite at night.

In addition to bed nets, malaria can be prevented by applying insecticide to the inside walls of individual homes. Mosquitoes that land on treated walls are killed, preventing the transmission of malaria. 

If malaria is contracted, early treatment with anti-malaria drugs, such as Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) can effectively cure malaria. 

We must also keep our surroundings clean and clear chocked gutters to ensure free flow of water in our gutters.

Let's all join hands as we end malaria. Together we can.Save yourself! Save your family! Save Ghana from Malaria!

US ambassador to UN Samantha Power's convoy kills Cameroon boy

 The US ambassador to the UN has expressed her "great sorrow" after her motorcade accidentally hit and killed a seven-year-old boy in Cameroon.

Samantha Power was in Cameroon to show US support for the campaign against militant Islamist group Boko Haram when the accident happened on Monday.

An armoured jeep knocked the boy as he tried to cross a road when the convoy was heading towards a refugee camp.

"Although the boy received immediate medical care from an ambulance in our convoy, he died shortly thereafter," Ms Power said. 

Ms Power's motorcade was moving at a fast speed when the sixth vehicle in it hit the boy after he darted on to the two-lane highway near the small city of Mokolo, the Associated Press news agency reports.

The vehicle that struck the boy stopped, but was then ordered by US security forces to continue travelling through the unsecured area, AP reports. 

  

She said she met the boy's family to offer "profound condolences".

US officials were unable to say whether their government will pay compensation to the boy's family who lived in a village in northern Cameroon. AFP news agency reports.

Ms Power later met children at a camp for people who fled attacks by Boko Haram, which is fighting to establish an Islamic state in the region. 

 

"All of you who are attempting to fight this terror, the United States stands with you,'' she said, AP reports.

Boko Haram is the most dangerous militant group in the region. 

It launched its insurgency in northern Nigeria in 2009, but has increasingly targeted neighbouring Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

The conflict has led to the deaths of some 17,000 people, destroyed some 1,000 schools and displaced 2.5 million people

ALERE INCORPORATED DONATES HIV AND SYPHILIS TEST KITS TO LORDINA FOUNDATION

The Lordina Foundation has taken delivery of 12,000 duo HIV and Syphilis test kits from ALERE Incorporated, a global diagnostic device and service provider company.

The SD HIV/Syphilis duo is a rapid diagnostic test kit for the simultaneous prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV and syphilis results in 20 minutes.

Zeina Henaine, ALERE Social Responsibility Ambassador for Africa who presented the items commended the First Lady for her hard work and dedication in ensuring the welfare of women and children in less privilege areas.

At a ceremony in Accra to present the kits Madam Zeina said using a dual screening test for HIV and syphilis would permit an efficient extension of maternal care services and support health capacity.

 She said the presentation formed part of a pledge made by the ALERE group to members of the OAFLA last year in New York following recognition that more than one million women and families had to face the trauma of repeated pregnancy loss, stillbirth or child born infected with and suffering from HIV and syphilis.

She explained that apart from their role as OAFLA members the First Ladies had their individual projects which they executed in their respective countries, hence the need to support their efforts.

Ms Henaine said HIV and syphilis are the major public health problem affecting women and their newborn infants in the world, and 90 per cent HIV infections to children were from mother-to -child transmission during pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding.

She said pregnant women infected with syphilis might transmit to their unborn child and although it syphilis is easily curable with penicillin, unlike HIV which were routinely tested in pregnant women, there were usually no tests carried out for syphilis pregnant women.

According to her, when detected, treatment in the early stage of pregnancy could prevent congenial syphilis, stillbirth or premature births.

In a speech read on her behalf by Dr Angela El-Adas, Director General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, the First Lady Dr Lordina Mahama said the incorporation of both HIV and syphilis tests in a single kit had many advantages.

It would save the use of needles and blood volume, eliminating the need for laboratory personnel or infrastructure, as well as decreased time to results, and overall it lowered the cost of testing.

She said using a dual screening test for HIV and syphilis would also reduce testing duplications, labor time, logistics fee, storage space and operating costs partly because it did not require electricity or other equipment.

She said the Standard Diagnostics (SD) HIV/syphilis duo test kits were indeed one of a kind as they could detect HIV and Syphilis with the same specimen using a single device. 

Mrs Mahama said like many other members of OAFLA, Ghana had benefitted first hand from those kits which were for use “during our the elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission (eMTCT) outreaches conducted throughout the country”. 

The elimination of mother-to-child transmission outreaches was aimed at bringing services to the communities using an integrated health approach.

“With the donation from Alere, we can now move from two different kits for HIV/Syphilis to a single test kit. Our clients will access HIV and syphilis testing services at a single point instead of moving from one source point to another”, she said 

According to the First Lady it had taken a lot of time to receive Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) approval for those test kits, and it had been worth every effort put in by the Ministry of Health and Alere since the delivery of the SD HIV/syphilis duo kits by Alere to the OAFLA Ghana Chapter in November 2015. 

She expressed her appreciation to Alere for providing innovative kits, and appealed to them to increase the allocation of the SD HIV/syphilis kits initially delivered to Ghana to support its first 90 campaign to test 6 million people over the next 12 months.