Women's HIV/AIDS Awareness & What is Changing?

Today as we promote National Women's HIV/AIDS Awareness day in the United States, world leaders and civil society gathered in New York to take part in the 59th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. There, they  reviewed progress made since the adoption 20 years ago of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which set ambitious targets designed to improve the lives of women around the world. The Platform for Action strives to make sure that women and girls could exercise their freedom and realize their rights to live free from violence, go to school, make decisions and have unrestricted access to quality health care, including to sexual and reproductive health-care services. This has been the most basic of goals for many women's rights advocates around the globe for decades, if not more, so this was a huge step in the right direction.

 

In the response to HIV, there has been major advances over the past 20 years and new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths are continuing to decline. However, in reducing new infections this success has not been shared equally. In 2013, 64% of new adolescent infections globally were among young women. 64% of new adolescent HIV infections globally in 2013 were among young women! In sub-Saharan Africa, young women aged 15 to 24 are almost twice as likely to become infected with HIV as their male counterparts. AIDS is the leading cause of death globally among women of reproductive age and of adolescent girls in Africa. Gender inequalities, sexual violence, poverty, harmful cultural practices and unequal power relations exacerbate women’s vulnerability to HIV. Concerted global commitment and action can reverse this!

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One of the largest and most tragic of victims are the children left behind. An "'orphan" is defined by the United Nations as a child who has 'lost one or both parents'. Worldwide, it is estimated that 25 million children under the age of 18 have been orphaned by AIDS. 15.1 million, or 85%, of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa. The loss of a parent to AIDS can have serious consequences for a child’s access to basic necessities such as shelter, food, clothing, health and education. Orphans are more likely than non-orphans to live in large, female-headed households where more people are dependent on fewer income earners. This lack of income puts extra pressure on children orphaned by AIDS to contribute financially to the household, in some cases driving them to the streets to work, beg or seek food. 

 The majorities of children who have lost a parent continue to live in the care of a surviving parent or family member, but often have to take on the responsibility of doing the housework, looking after siblings and caring for ill or dying parent(s). Children who have lost one parent to AIDS may be at risk of losing the other parent as well, since unprotected heterosexual sex is a major route of HIV transmission in Africa.

The loss of a parent to AIDS can have serious consequences for a child’s access to basic necessities such as shelter, food, clothing, health and education. Orphans are more likely than non-orphans to live in large, female-headed households where more people are dependent on fewer income earners. 11 This lack of income puts extra pressure on children orphaned by AIDS to contribute financially to the household, in some cases driving them to the streets to work, beg or seek food. 12
The majority of children who have lost a parent continue to live in the care of a surviving parent or family member, but often have to take on the responsibility of doing the housework, looking after siblings and caring for ill or dying parent(s). Children who have lost one parent to AIDS may be at risk of losing the other parent as well, since unprotected heterosexual sex is a major route of HIV transmission in Africa.
- See more at: http://www.avert.org/children-orphaned-hiv-and-aids.htm#sthash.KyxDz6HX.dpuf

The loss of a parent to AIDS can have serious consequences for a child’s access to basic necessities such as shelter, food, clothing, health and education. Orphans are more likely than non-orphans to live in large, female-headed households where more people are dependent on fewer income earners. 11 This lack of income puts extra pressure on children orphaned by AIDS to contribute financially to the household, in some cases driving them to the streets to work, beg or seek food. 12
The majority of children who have lost a parent continue to live in the care of a surviving parent or family member, but often have to take on the responsibility of doing the housework, looking after siblings and caring for ill or dying parent(s). Children who have lost one parent to AIDS may be at risk of losing the other parent as well, since unprotected heterosexual sex is a major route of HIV transmission in Africa.
- See more at: http://www.avert.org/children-orphaned-hiv-and-aids.htm#sthash.KyxDz6HX.dpuf

Around 15.1 million, or 85 percent of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa. 2 In some countries which are badly affected by the epidemic, a large percentage of all orphaned children - for example 74 percent in Zimbabwe, and 63 percent in South Africa - are orphaned due to AIDS. 3 - See more at: http://www.avert.org/children-orphaned-hiv-and-aids.htm#sthash.KyxDz6HX.dpuf

Around 15.1 million, or 85 percent of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa. 2 In some countries which are badly affected by the epidemic, a large percentage of all orphaned children - for example 74 percent in Zimbabwe, and 63 percent in South Africa - are orphaned due to AIDS. 3 - See more at: http://www.avert.org/children-orphaned-hiv-and-aids.htm#sthash.KyxDz6HX.dpuf

Around 15.1 million, or 85 percent of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa. 2 In some countries which are badly affected by the epidemic, a large percentage of all orphaned children - for example 74 percent in Zimbabwe, and 63 percent in South Africa - are orphaned due to AIDS. 3
- See more at: http://www.avert.org/children-orphaned-hiv-and-aids.htm#sthash.KyxDz6HX.dpuf

Twenty years ago with the adoption of the Declaration, world leaders recognized that gender inequality was a major barrier to women achieving the highest possible attainable standards of health, and that women had unequal opportunities to protect their health and well-being. This in turn effects family's, communities, cities, and nations. World leaders recognized fundamentally that the human rights of women include their right to assume control over matters related to their own sexuality, including sexual and reproductive health, free of coercion, discrimination and violence. We should all be concerned that 20 years on, the United Nations Secretary-General’s report on the implementation of the Beijing Declaration underscores unacceptably slow progress in many areas, including the persistent denial of sexual and reproductive health and rights. We have so much more to do and we all must take a stand and support this Declaration. This doesn't just concern "those people" who are infected with HIV or "those women". This affects everyone, every person globally. Because when women are supported, educated, and treated with equal rights their families prosper. When families prosper communities prosper. When communities prosper nations prosper.

The core principles of the Beijing Declaration are also shared by those at Tabibu Africa, and many other organizations who are committed to ending the AIDS epidemic and ending violence towards women. As the world moves towards collectively agreeing global sustainable developmental goals, we need to reaffirm the commitment that no one is left behind.

Tabibu Africa, Inc provides basic health care & screenings, education support of all ages, HIV/AIDS education, hygiene and staying healthy classes, empowerment workshops for both young & old, women and men, vocational skills training, and sanitation projects. Ensuring that women and girls are empowered to protect themselves from physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and violence is key. Empowerment is crucial so that women have the right and the support to make decisions about their own health and to live free of violence, including violence related to their HIV status. We want to see HIV/AIDS and violence towards all women to continue to decline with close to elimination by 2030.
We can only do this, and participate with other organizations with the same goal, because of support from people like you! 

You can click here to donate now                for more information               to contact us

We only work and provide aid because of support from people like you. To help us keep going please donate now. Tabibu Africa, Inc is a 501(c)(3) non-profit NGO.

Yummy Recipe's Straight from Kenya-Sweet Potato Coconut Pudding (Mbtata)

We get many questions from people all over the United States and other countries regarding our humanitarian experiences. We love these questions and we certainly love to answer them. One of most fun questions we get asked is, "Do you starve over there (Africa)?" or "What on earth do you eat?". The answer is that we actually eat well and the food is very good! Though we have to be very careful what we eat and follow all travel/CDC guide lines because we must stay healthy, we definitely do not "starve". Sharing meals with fellow volunteers, those we serve, and with our hosts is one of the most rewarding and memorable experiences. You all get a chance to relax, let your hair down, talk and laugh!

In order to answer some questions and to have fun ourselves we would like to bring to the table the life of what we experience in Africa by sharing some recipes and memories with our readers. I remember my first experience in the kitchen while in Kenya. It was my third trip to Africa and we were working in the small town of Naivasha, not too far from Lake Nakuru. I had noticed that the women who cooked for us were always up cooking our breakfast long before we ever woke and then would return in the afternoon to cook our dinner which was absolutely amazing. Our breakfasts usually consisted of one or more of; boiled eggs, toast, pancakes, fresh fruit, cereal with hot milk (fresh from the cow that morning). Dinners range from; meat somosa's, cabbage & tomatoes, pasta, potato's & pea's, green beans, chicken, goat, fish, sweet potatoes, spinach & kale, ugali, fresh fruit, and pita bread. Two-five of these items would be served, not all at once. The ladies never complained and I would always hear them giggling away in the kitchen, though I couldn't understand but a few words of what they were speaking.

After the first week I couldn't stand it and had to get into that kitchen. I wanted to be apart of the comradeship that these ladies had. I tip-toed into the kitchen and after a game of charades I managed to get it through to them that I wanted to participate, help, and learn from them (after a lot of giggling).  In that one afternoon I gained so much, both in learning to cook but also the connection of women. You also do not need to speak the language in order to be apart of the bond between women, you just need to take part.

 

Meal preparation is mainly done in a small kitchen area and then the cooking outside, unless a modern stove is available inside. Most of the experiences I've had, the cooking is done on a charcoal stove/oven or open fire outside the kitchen.  

I am going to share with you all one of the recipe's I learned that afternoon and I promise more will come. This is a favorite of my husband and two kids as well as many other friends and family. Sweet potato coconut pudding or Mbtata in Swahili. Super yummy and I serve as a desert though you could serve as a side dish depending on your meal plan. This is super easy and can be made ahead of time and frozen. It's also good warm or cool though it's the perfect comfort food when warm.

1 cup fresh ground coconut
4 baked sweet potato's, peeled and cubed

3 eggs, whisked
¾-1 cup sugar
¾ cup coconut milk, goats milk, or heavy cows milk (just milk!)
4 tbsp melted butter
1-2 tsp of any spices you have on hand (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, cloves)
pinch of sea salt

Blend together all ingredients and ONLY 1/2 cup of coconut, reserve the other 1/2. Poor into lightly greased or buttered baking dish or casserole dish and smooth. Sprinkle remaining coconut on top. Place in a 350° oven and bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot or cool. Garnish with fresh whipped cream, ice-cream, mint, or alone. mzuri sana! (very good!)

www.TabibuAfrica.org

International Women's Day, Our Place in History

Today, March 8, 2015 is International Women's Days, an international  day to rejoice the profitable, administrative and community triumphs of women across the globe. Tabibu Africa, would like to take this moment to thank and tip our hats to Margaret Kenyatta for the efforts of supporting the improvement of women's rights and health.

Margaret Kenyatta, Kenya’s First Lady has emerged as a true champion in the cause of free maternity services for women by the Government of Kenya.   Hopefully Kenya's grim maternal death rate may finally begin to fall.  Kenya is among the ten most dangerous countries for pregnant women with 6000 and 8000 women dying every year during childbirth. Currently the maternal mortality rate is 488 deaths per 100,000 live births.

Margaret’s drive and determination has put the spotlight on Kenya's efforts to reverse this tragic trend of maternal death.  In January 2014 Margaret’s,  Beyond Zero Campaign  raised awareness about the link between good health and a strong nation, specifically the importance of maternal, newborn and children's health. As part of the campaign, Margaret ran both a half and full marathon to stimulate support and rally resources. Her belief that, "no woman should die giving life" has resonated across the country and globally. There is great momentum in Kenya to end the terrible tragedy of women, infants and children dying needlessly. The First Lady of Kenya has kicked the ball towards ending maternal deaths and now the Governors must ensure that it is pushed through the goal posts.

For her innovative work, Mrs. Kenyatta was voted by the United Nations in Kenya as the UN person of the year in 2014, a well-deserved recognition for which Tabibu Africa congratulates her. It is remarkable that she has used her position as the First Lady of Kenya to tackle a critical human development issue and has demonstrated extraordinary initiative, integrity and courage to save the lives of women and children.

http://www.tabibuafrica.org/

Wash, Wash Wash Your Hands

Wash your hands—it's the advice of parents, doctors, and many teachers here in the US, especially during cold and flu season.  That's because the simple act of scrubbing your hands with soap is a cheap and quick way to prevent some diseases.

In the developing world, hand washing is even more critical. An estimated 2.2 million children under the age of five die from diarrheal diseases each year, spread in part by dirty hands—both their own and their caregivers’.  Hand washing with soap—along with household water treatment and sanitation—can reduce rates of diarrheal diseases by forty-four percent!

On a prior trip to Kenya, Lauri Wall, Tabibu Africa’s Medical Director, saw firsthand the need for school children to have the ability to wash their hands with soap and clean water.  She was stunted to see a young school girl washing her hands in a pale of filthy water, water that countless other children had used throughout the day. 

Once home in the United States, with this visual image embedded in Lauri’s mind, the “Wall Wash-Stations” were drafted on paper.  She knew these stations must be sturdy and must be placed outside classrooms and near the latrines.  The units were designed and built so the dirty water was caught in a bucket below and then used for cleaning latrine floors, again killing deadly germs, wash-station with a double duty. Water would not be wasted.

After returning to Africa, with the help of a local welder and financial donations from donors, five stations were built and place in the most critical areas. However, Lauri knew the children also needed education. So she arranged for children to participate in education activities.  Learning the proper way to wash ones hands, about diseases that are caused by passing germs from one hand to another and visual and vocal learning. This education would remind them to “wash, wash, wash your hands, make them really clean, wash away those yucky germs that make you want to scream.”

One thing proved very clear: if you teach students, they will learn it. When the knowledge of pupils goes up, the knowledge of their parents go up, and the practices in school change and parents' behavior changes.  Hand-washing stations and programs in schools can help reduce absenteeism, because children are missing fewer days due to illness.  Tabibu Africa continues to embrace wash-stations, a simple, but very important step in being healthy.

For more information and to donate to provide wash-stations

Walking through the African Bush for Education

Meet Elijah Kirrokor and his little brother. They both are Maasai children from one of the villages we serve in Nkoilale, a small village in the Masai Mara Rift Valley.

Last year their father was walking the many miles he would every day with his goats and cattle when a flash flood swept him away. Elijah's dad was never found. Because of the Maasai's rich and ancient culture Elijah's mother then had to move to the village of her husbands father which is approximately 5 miles away from the only school in the area. Elijah, understanding the value of education, would walk 10+ miles per day through the African bush just to go to school. He would then return home and tend to his daily chores as well as sharing what he had learned that day with his little brother.

On less than 800 calories per day, the norm for the Maasai, you can imagine how tired Elijah and children like him would be by the end of the day. Malnutrition along with parasitic disease and lack of clean drinking water are normal to these children. However, they love to learn (and they learn fast!), they laugh, they hold hands, they play and are super curious. They love life and their families.




 When we learned of Elijah's story we were able to find him a school sponsor. For $150 USD per year Elijah now goes to boarding school in one of the best schools in Kenya and it's not terribly far from his village. He spends the week at school, guaranteed an education, a safe place to sleep, three meals per day, clean drinking water, safety from not having to walk 10+ miles per day through the bush, and he has many friends. He still goes home at break to share what he has learned with his little brother and the other young children of his village.





There are thousands more children just like Elijah in Nkoiale alone, just a small part of the Rift Valley. They all know that the education is there but it's just out of reach. If you are interested in sponsoring a student at Nkoilale Maasai Boarding School or our Little Giants Primary School you can make a huge difference in a child's life as well. You can be a true hero!

For more information on how you can sponsor a student at Nkoilale Boarding School in Maasai Mara

For more information on how you can sponsor a student at Little Giants School in Ruiru

For more information on volunteering

www.TabibuAfrica.org

What can I do? Little Hands Making Big Differences, how?

So many of us ask this question, "What can I do?". We tend to think that humanitarian work or volunteering is strictly for Doctors, nurses, or adventurous teachers. This simply is not the truth. We all can do something and we all need to do something. We all have something special we can offer and no job or amount is too small. 

Our Vice President of Tabibu Africa, Inc explains his initial struggle with that exact question. 

"Why is humanitarian work important to me? I believe that we owe it to ourselves to do something to help our fellow brothers and sisters, our communities, our future.

Through education and empowerment we can give people the tools and knowledge to change their future and the future for their children. With my background in plumbing I often ask myself what can I do?  How can I help and make a difference? I’m not a Doctor, Nurse, or educator. Or so I thought. I now can say that I’ve worked in numerous health clinics in anything ranging from organizing medications, helping to clean wounds, and holding hands. 

Because of my plumbing background I was able to help develop a hygiene education program that covers personal hygiene, sanitation and waste disposal.  I have also found myself in the “Teacher” role heading a few of these sanitation classes. My next goal for the organization is to help the people get access to clean water or how to make the best of the water that they have.  One of the latest workshops I held was how to make your own water filter out of supplies you can find around your home and village. To see the sense of empowerment come over all of the women when they found they had the power to make clean drinking water for their children was priceless.  I next hope to raise enough awareness and funding to place a well at our Little Giants School which will give them an abundance of clean and safe drinking water. I also hope to have more sanitation workshops and programs in place.

Seeing the conditions the people we are trying to help will change anyone‘s perspective on how we live our lives. We are on this earth for such a short time we owe it to ourselves to make the most of it. So you don’t need to have a specific degree or career in something in order to help. We all play a role and we all can do something. We all should do something." ~ George Msingi Olonana Mattena

Little Hands Making Big Differences!

If you would like to learn more about volunteering or what you can do please click here.  

To donate to George's water projects please click here.

What is so great about a Hippo Roller?

What is a Hippo Roller and Why is it so Great?

Every day, millions of women & children in developing countries are forced to carry heavy loads of water for long distances, typically in heavy 20L (44 pounds/20 Kg) containers on their heads or backs. In just one day, 152 million or more hours of their time is consumed for the most basic of human needs — collecting water.

Have you ever had to walk outside to a well to get clean water? Imagine how people feel in Kenya, for instance, who walk a round trip of up to 100 Km (62 miles) just to fetch water? Then also imagine doing this in temperatures up to 40˚C (104˚F) through dangerous areas of drought, wild animals, and human threats all with a giant container on your head or back - just for water.

Good news, there is a solution! Welcome the Hippo Roller. Designed in Africa for Africa the Hippo Water Roller enables women, children and the elderly to collect 5 times more water than a single bucket by simply rolling it along the ground. The savings in time, energy and reduced suffering are immense and the positive social-impact benefits are far reaching.

 An effective and efficient way to carry 90 liters (24 gallons) of water, much more easily and in less time by simply rolling along the ground. It was specifically designed to be maintenance-free and for use in tough rural conditions, with a long lifespan of 5 - 7 years, often much longer. It reduces long-term injuries caused by carrying heavy loads of water and gives women & children more time for education and economic activities.

The Hippo Roller is an appropriate technology widely accepted in many countries by undeveloped communities where there is no reliable water infrastructure. Approximately 44,000 Hippo Water Rollers have been distributed mostly in South Africa and at least 20 other African countries, directly benefiting in excess of 300,000 people (based on a typical household average of 7). To date, more than 7 Billion liters (nearly 2 million gallons) of water have already been ‘rolled’ over a combined distance of 500 Million km (310 Million miles!). Much more can and needs to be done!

Spring 2015 Tabibu Africa, Inc is proud to be taking over several Hippo Rollers for the first time. We will be introducing them to a Masai community in the Rift Valley that have never seen or experienced this marvelous invention. We are only able to do this because of the wonderful and selfless support from a few generous donors like you. Hero's are everywhere! 

Look for our post this summer when we write, share pictures, and stories of what the Hippo Roller did for women and children in one of the villages that Tabibu Africa, Inc serves.

To learn how you can help bring more Hippo Rollers to East Africa please click here. We can only bring these to those who need it the most because of people like you!

For more information about the Hippo Water Roller Project click here: www.hipporoller.org

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