Day: April 13, 2024

WINDHOEK: Windhoek residents can now earn an income from their solid waste material following the inauguration of the City of Windhoek (CoW) first Solid Waste Buy-Back Centre in Katutura on Friday.

The four-year pilot project is a partnership between CoW and the city of Bremen in Germany, funded by the European Union (EU) to the tune of N.dollars 36 million to promote recycling and environmental awareness.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Windhoek Mayor Queen Kamati said the project aims to instil a culture of waste management amongst the residents of Windhoek and promotion of a circular economy.

‘With this facility, residents can now deposit their solid waste here and earn an income. The project is expected to provide direct job opportunities to 10 people including administrative staff and operators of the facility,’ she said.

She noted that the establishment of the facility is in alignment with the objectives outlined in the 2018 National Waste Management standards by 2028, which is a subsequent f
ocus on waste reduction and achieving zero waste to landfill.

At the same event, EU Ambassador Ana Beatriz Martins said one of the objectives is to support Namibia to shift towards a more sustainable model known as circular economy for Windhoek as a pilot, and for Namibia as a whole in the future through mitigation of environmental harm and promoting growth by recycling waste and raising awareness through environmental education.

‘In line with EU’s strategic priorities and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals we recognise the importance of high-quality solid waste management to safeguard public health, protect the environment and transition to a circular economy,’ she said.

CoW’s Solid and Waste Management acting chief engineer, Stellio Tsauseb indicated the centre will be open to the public in May 2024, noting that different types of solid waste materials will have different price structures which will be measured in kilograms to determine the price.

‘If you bring in the waste, it needs to be
separated as well and there are different elements. So if you bring in aluminium, plastic, papers and all those, it should be separated so that it can be weighed as per the type of waste and you can get your price based on that,’ he said.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Addis Ababa: Ethiopia has been elected to serve as a member of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) for a four-year term.

In 1946 the Commission on the Status of Women was established to promote the advancement of women throughout the world.

The Commission continues to provide unique opportunities for exchange of ideas, experiences, good practices and lessons-learned to enhance implementation of commitments at national level, through interactive expert panels on the themes under consideration and roundtables for high level representatives attending the annual sessions.

Ethiopia is elected to be a member of UN Commission on the Status of Women for a four-year term of office beginning at the first meeting of the Commission’s seventieth session in 2025 and expiring at the close of its seventy-third session in 2029, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

The Mpesa Foundation has unveiled a new Mother and Child Hospital (MCH) in Kisumu County to boost the provision of healthcare outcomes.

The facility domiciled at Ratta Hospital in Seme-Sub County is equipped with a nurse station, a waiting bay with a children’s play area, two consultants’ rooms, a child welfare clinic (CWC) room, a pharmacy with a store, a family planning room, an antenatal clinic (ANC) room, and washrooms, among others.

Safaricom Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Peter Ndegwa, who handed over the facility to the county government, said the newly constructed unit is expected to increase bed capacity and daily deliveries in the area.

The maternal unit, he said will also provide a variety of critical services such as outpatient care, maternity care, comprehensive clinic care, immunizations for children, and laboratory services where over 10,000 people will be impacted.

‘At Safaricom, our purpose is transforming lives, and through these interventions, we are taking healthcare closer to the peopl
e. Going forward, the M-PESA Foundation will continue partnering with the counties to enhance service delivery, with a keen focus on maternal and child health,’ he said.

Kisumu Governor Prof. Anyang Nyong’o lauded the partnership, saying it will go a long way in boosting health outcomes for the area.

‘This project is a dream come true to the people of Seme and Kisumu County as a whole. It is a model we are keen on extending to other parts of the County,’ he said.

The county government, he said, has invested an additional Sh. 6 million to renovate the Old Ratta Hospital.

This mother-and-child unit, he added, will offer exclusive services to mothers and their babies, helping to mitigate against the high infant mortality rate in the area.

The facility, he added, will offer services beyond Seme Sub-County, adding that the county government plans to set up similar wellness centres across the eight Sub-Counties.

Nyong’o said his government would continue to invest heavily in the health sector to ensure the we
llbeing of all area residents.

Among the key interventions in the health sector, he said, was the operation of some 280 functional Community Health Units, which have been linked to 151 Public Health Facilities and five faith-based health facilities across the County.

This, he said, represents 94.5% coverage, with an average of 307,185 households in the County served by 2,998 Community Community Health Workers.

The number of visits made by CHWs to family households in the area, he disclosed, increased from 187,977 in 2022 to 206,420 in 2023.

‘In the last one year, our community health workers received further training on community case management of malaria, nurturing care, family planning, HPV, and cervical cancer screening,’ he said.

As a result, he said most of the CHWs were now able to diagnose and treat malaria cases in the community, screen for children’s health and growth, among other things.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Addis Ababa: Some 14 million youth have participated in the national voluntary service program to foster their contribution in Ethiopia’s aspiration of development and prosperity, according to the Ministry of Peace.

The Ethiopian national voluntary youth service program was launched in 2020 to mobilize volunteers across the country, it was indicated.

Essentially, the government of Ethiopia has introduced the program with the objective of fostering a sense of national unity, social cohesion, peace and stability, volunteerism and public service.

In response to this voluntary youth service program request, 14 million youths have participated in the program, the National Volunteer Service Lead Executive with the Ministry Gemechis Eticha told ENA.

Tremendous youths of the country have received training in eight rounds since the inception of the national voluntary youth service program.

The Ministry of Peace has trained 48,000 young people so far, he indicated

According to him, the engagement of the youth vol
unteers has brought about positive results and enabled the youth to play their role in national reconciliation and develop a sense of patriotism.

The lead executive added that the volunteers are playing an important role in nurturing peace and they are providing services that would solve social problems and benefit the society.

He also figured out that this year alone, some five million young people participated in the forums organized under the theme: ‘Adwa for sustainable peace and nation building.’

Stressing the need for consolidating the nation-state building and realizing lasting peace, Gemechis said a national voluntary youth service program has been put into action and will be reinforced through generations.

As a result, the Ethiopian youth voluntary association is being formed for this purpose, mentioning that 34,000 members have been registered so far.

The 9th round of the national voluntary service training is anticipated to be started next week and it will bring about 1,500 young volunteers, i
t was learned.

Finally, Gemechis called on non-governmental organizations and the community to support the government’s efforts to strengthen voluntary services in Ethiopia

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

The Department of Public Health has developed a workable plan for emergency flood response, which includes health promotion and distribution of Non-food items (NFIs) targeting Turkana Central, South, East, and North sub-counties.

The emergency response plan, supported by UNICEF Kenya and implemented by Welt HungerHilfe Kenya, aims to address Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) issues to protect the community from water-related diseases.

Speaking during the meeting, Public Health Officer Rael Akoru stated that the county, in conjunction with its partners, will distribute water storage containers, water treatment tablets, and soap.

‘The Non -food items will help the community address health and sanitation issues in response to the ongoing rains resulting in floods,’ she said.

She further mentioned that the plan will be critical in identifying sites prone to floods based on the magnitude of floods, household vulnerability, and population affected.

Turkana Central Deputy Sub-County Public Health Officer Di
nah Toroitich stated that the work plan would guide activities such as site and facility identification and community mobilisation for NFIs distribution.

Regional Manager of Welt HungerHilfe Kenya Turkana Office, Phillip Ewoton, mentioned that the distributed items will enable the community to mitigate and control the emergence of water-borne diseases.

He added that they were currently planning to visit Namukuse and Long’ech to sensitise village administrators, community Health Assistants, Public Health Officers, and facility in-charges on flood emergency preparedness.

In the meeting were Peter Mitunda (Public Health Officer), Vincent Chweywa (WASH Extender UNICEF Kenya), Sofia Lotin (Sub-County Community Health Services Focal Person), and Caroline Lotom (Field Officer, WHH- Kenya).

Source: Kenya News Agency

In an effort to combat the ravages of climate change in the country, public servants in Kajiado County took advantage of the current long rains to plant at least 2000 seedlings at the Maasai National Polytechnic grounds.

The programme dubbed ‘school greening programme’ targets schools and institutions within the county for the purpose of afforestation and achieving the Presidential directive of planting 15 billion trees by the year 2032.

Kajiado County Commissioner James Taari, while addressing the media, called on school heads and county officials to take advantage of the rains and plant both exotic and indigenous trees, as some species do not require a lot of water.

Taari mentioned that they were targeting to plant at least 5000 seedlings, but they managed to plant at least 2000 seedlings.

‘We wanted to plant more than 5000 seedlings, but we have managed to plant 2000 of them. Learning institutions with space should take advantage of this time and plant trees, as we believe that if we plant trees right
now, they will grow and make our environment green again. Let us plant exotic and indigenous trees to mitigate climate change and regenerate our environment,’ said Taari.

Taari added that, the programme not only focuses on schools and institutions but also on homesteads.

Residents who have enough space in their homes are encouraged to go for seedlings at the Kenya Forest offices or even source indigenous trees around them and plant.

‘The trees we have planted do not require a lot of water, so if you have a space and some water at your home, please come take the seedlings and plant trees. Once the seedling has received a small amount of water, the tree will grow. Rely on Kenya Forest to get the seedlings, but when you discover some indigenous trees not placed correctly, you can take them and plant them well,’ added Taari.

Phineas Rewa, Kajiado County Forest Conservatory, revealed that, the variety of species of trees planted at Maasai National Polytechnic will enrich the environment by providing shades a
nd beauty, and they can be used for timber and landscaping.

‘The trees we have planted today and the ones before will make this school beautiful within the next five years; it will show quite a different environment. We have planted casuarina, cordia Africana, and croton macrostachyus with the main purpose of landscaping and beauty; they can also be used for timber and furniture. We want to support institutions through a school greening programme and also the restoration of dying rees,’ said Rewa.

Source: Kenya News Agency