HOW A POOR COMMUNITY IN MALI BECAME A TRAILBLAZER FOR TACKLING CHILD MORTALITY

This article is about a poor community in Mal that came up with a way to tackle child mortality.
Home to a large number of migrants and an even larger number of babies, Yirimadio is a heaving, ramshackle district on the outskirts of Bamako. Only a decade ago, it was a commune, much like any other on the Malian capital’s periphery. Now, it is the unexpected scene of a pioneering healthcare scheme. Child mortality rates here have dropped to the point where they are now the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa. This is an achievement that may all be down to knocking on doors.

The scheme was launched in 2008. It's premise is simple: community health workers spend at least two hours, six days a week searching for patients door-to-door, providing free care to whoever needs it. Mali has long struggled to contain preventable infectious diseases such as malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea. Consequently, the country has the world’s sixth highest under-five child mortality rate, estimated at 115 deaths for every 1,000 births according to the most recent figures available. But by turning conventional healthcare on its head, sending health providers to patients at no cost, instead of requiring them to seek out fee-paying medical attention. Yirimadio achieved a spectacular turnaround. Between 2008 and 2015, the child mortality rate dropped from 154 deaths to seven for every 1,000 live births.

Experts have called the scheme extraordinary. They say it offers “very strong evidence” that universal healthcare can be both cost-effective and widely accessible.These results are really very impressive,” said Robert Yates, project director at the Centre on Global Health Security. “This is a part of the world where, generally, access to adequate healthcare is very difficult because of distances, costs and poor quality of services. But by removing user fees, providing free services, and going the extra mile by going into communities and treating sick children, the [scheme] has made primary health care extremely accessible.

I think that we can all, as developing countries and poor communities, learn from this scheme that Mali developed. It is a very powerful thing to be able to change an epidemic such as that of child mortality; that we have struggled on for decades. Ideas and innovations such as this one are the things that we should all strive to get. The government can really use such as scheme to adapt to our country because we still struggle with child mortality even though our healthcare services are advancing.


To read more, click on the link below:
https://www.msn.com/en-za/news/world/how-a-poor-community-in-mali-became-a-trailblazer-for-tackling-child-mortality/ar-BBKj0Py?ocid=spartanntp


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RAMAPHOSA CALL FOR EFF LEADER'S RETURN MAKES HIM APPEAR WEAK

This article is about how the President seemed afted asking Julius Malema to come back tho the ANC. 

As the Independent Electoral Commission undertook its voter registration drive ahead of next year's general elections at the weekend, political parties went out to charm the electorate.

ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa and his deputy David Mabuza set out on a mission not only to woo voters but also the leader of the EFF Julius Malema.The 
ANC, like any incumbent, fears loss of power. Ramaphosa and Mabuza sense the serious threat the EFF poses, and suppose they could neutralise it by winning Malema over.

This overture is ironic given that Ramaphosa was chair of the disciplinary appeals committee that dismissed Malema's appeal of his expulsion from the party in 2012.Back then, Ramaphosa along with the committee was convinced that Malema's expulsion was well found.

The EFF is already gloating over getting the ANC's ascension to its bid to amend the constitution on the land question. This comes on the back of the ANC caucus in parliament agreeing to append the EFF's motion of no confidence in former president Jacob Zuma in February when it seemed unlikely that he would resign.
 They deemed Malema's actions to be so grievous as to be sufficient grounds for the ANC to disassociate itself from him. In the present context of the ANC's renewal, the call for Malema's return to the ANC fold betrays a deep sense of insecurity. It does very little to inspire confidence in the ANC's leadership.It makes Ramaphosa look weak. He comes across like a man so desperate to distance himself from his predecessor that he is willing to disown his own past convictions.


I honestly think that Ramaphosa should stop recruiting people that left the ANC because not only does it make hin weak, but it also makes him look desperate and the party as well. It is just really not what the party needs right now. 

To read more, click on the link below:
https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/opinion/columnists/2018-03-15-ramaphosa-call-for-eff-leaders-return-makes-him-appear-weak/

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CYRIL RAMAPHOSA - NEW DAWN, FALSE HOPE

This article is about how President Cyril Ramaphosa has given South Africans false hope with his promises but disappointing actions.

While Ramaphosa's South Africa seems hopeful, his Budget is harsh and his Cabinet is still in effect captured. We must pierce through the veil of Ramaphoria and acknowledge that justice has not yet been done for the majority, notably the victims of apartheid. Early indications are that the much-heralded New Dawn might be betrayed by false hopes. The framing of Cyril Ramaphosa's South Africa does not look very dissimilar to our recent past, but there are some silver linings. Eskom is a start, SARS is promised, and the pending commission of inquiry into State Capture is urgently required. Parliament just recently took its first steps to amending the constitution for land expropriation "without compensation". This would represent a significant break with post-independence South Africa's early history, and would constitute a revolutionary change targeted at alleviating certain burdens and pains still so severely present 24 years after apartheid. A necessary palliative to cure the residual ills of the past nine years of a corrupt government is the importance of holding those who designed this impoverished and captured state to account.

The Cabinet reshuffle was an indicator that the so-called New Dawn was dead on arrival; it was a case of out with the crooked, and in with the same old and still crooked cadres. The silver linings were represented by the return of Nhlanhla Nene back as the Minster of Finance and Pravin Gordhan back in Cabinet heading Public Enterprises. However, the gurus of State Capture also acquired and retained their seats at the Cabinet table. The best place to start would've been to include younger voices in government, yet as stated, the "new" Cabinet has a very elderly look to it. Ramaphosa was unequivocal that "young South Africans will be moved to the centre of our economic agenda". Using the Cabinet as a benchmark, this seems like empty rhetoric since they appear to be excluded from the policy and framework decision-making.

Despite this terrible oversight, the Budget plan seems to be promising some relief in terms of financing free education for the poor. All students coming from families with an income lower than R350,000 per year will be fully funded for the first year of their studies in 2018. Paradoxically, the VAT increased from 14% to 15% has the negative consequence of affecting those who could benefit from free education through additional taxation.
Ramaphosa has, however, taken a strong stance against the culture of collusion that his predecessor had fostered over the last two terms. "We will urgently take decisive steps to comply with all directions of the Constitutional Court. I want to personally allay fears of any disruption to the efficient delivery of this critical service, and will take action to ensure no person in government is undermining implementation deadlines set by the court." This is an indication to any dubious characters in government that their behaviour would be monitored from now on, relevant especially considering the lack of action that followed most Constitutional Court decisions in the past.


While Ramaphosa's South Africa seems hopeful, his Budget is harsh and his Cabinet is grey and still in effect captured. We must pierce through the veil of Ramaphoria and acknowledge that justice has not yet been done for the vast majority, notably the victims of apartheid; the war on corruption must continue; and so much more needs to be done to alleviate poverty, inequality, unemployment as well as racial and gender discrimination. Civil society needs to stay vigilant and forceful, and push government to uphold its obligations and promises beyond what has been shown so far. Otherwise, the New Dawn will only persist as a False Hope.



source: msnnews.co.za                                                         March 14, 2018
              

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RAMAPHOSA AND MABUZA TO MALEMA: COME BACK HOME

This article is about how President Cryril Ramaphosa and Deputy President David Mabuza on Suday extended an olive branch to EFF leader Julius Malema and others, urging them to return "home" to the ANC.

"We would love to have Julius Malema back in the ANC. He is still ANC down, deep his heart." said Ramaphosa. He also urged others to join the ANC. "The ANC is home of many political parties that splintered out of it ad we would like to build unity amongst all people."

Mabuza said earlier on Sunday he had a " special space in my heart" for Malema. "We had times together. He knows. When he was in the ANC, I supported him to be the president of the Youth League and I remember comrade Julius saying, 'My blood is black, green and gold. I will never leave ANC'." Mabuza added: I feel the ANC has lost in comrade Julius. The ANC will be better off with him inside the fold, so I am going to do my best to request him to consider coming back home."

Ramaphosa and Mabuza were on the campaign trail in Pretoria and Centurion on Sunday. The Electoral Commission (IEC) this weekend held a registration drive and address update campaign in preparation for the 2019 national and provincial elections.

Ramaphosa said the ANC was willing to work with political parties that had similar ideologies and policies to the ANC.
"I have always been open to receiving back those who left and formed new parties.". Ramaphosa said the ANC aimed to win back the Tshwane, Johannesburg and Nelson Mandela Bay metros in the general elections next year which they lost in the 2016 municipal elections.

I think that the ANC wanting Malema back is just a stunt derived to get more votes on the 2016 national elections. If it was true that they really wanted him back without a plan in mind to implement then they would have done it a long time ago. This is just a plan to get good with the public so that they can in the elections next year. As much as they are doing all the reminiscing about the good all days, highly doubt that Julius will fall victim to this trap. It is really a do or die and lloks like the ANC is going all out. Come next year!

To read more, click on the link below:
https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2018-03-11-ramapjosa-and-mabuza-to-malema-come-back-home/


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