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Ariel
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Copyright © 2004 Ariel Consulting, Inc. |
Public-Private
Partnerships In this edition:
Message from the President "Time does not stand still for anyone," and "The one constant that you can count on in life is change." These are two quotes that defined the last half year for Ariel Consulting International, Inc. We are changing, growing and adapting with the times. These changes are in line with giving our clients the most comprehensive and responsive service. We have spun off a new non-profit charitable organization called the Ariel Foundation International to focus only on doing humanitarian work in developing countries. The Foundation's motto is: "If I am NOT for myself, who will be for me? If I am ONLY for myself, what am I? If not NOW, when?" Hillel (the great Jewish Philosopher). Also, we have moved our US office. The new contact details are: Ariel
Consulting International, Inc. Ariel Foundation International The Ariel Foundation, a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization with the focus of education, service, and support of children, young people and their families in developing countries. In our global village the focus is on young people contributing to the lives of other young people. Thus both receive equal benefit. The Ariel Foundation International initiatives:
Ariel Foundation International President Visits Lusaka, Zambia The world is truly global and it does not wait. My toddler daughter and I were privileged to travel to do humanitarian work for several weeks in Lusaka, Zambia. We visited with two families who were caring for grandchildren who were AIDS orphans. The first family was headed by a grandmother of about 60 years old, who looked as if she were in her 80s. She visibly had glycoma, but sat proud in her tattered and torn white shirt to talk about her grandchildren going to school. She had three children along with their spouses die from AIDS. Now she cared for seven children without parents and another three from her daughter in-law for a total of ten children in a one-room hut that was surrounded by dirt roads, lively children, dogs and chickens running around. The children sat quietly and listened to their grandmothers' pain in loosing all of her children and now each day caring for her grand children ages 3 to 12 years old. The second family was once again a grandmother who was caring or a total of seven children. She was a little better off because she has a plot of land where she grew maze. But there was very little rain last season. As we talked she sat with the children on either side of her taking the corn off the husks. She looked determined to get every kernel in the pot. She was weary, but diligent. She said that the children were also double orphans and after the maze was eaten she was not sure how she would continue without the local community school. Several days later on a balmy sunny Southern African day, we had the launch of the community orphaned children going back to school (late May). About 150 children sat together, while the young men drummed, the older women dances, the head master smiled and we, the guests of honor, I and my two year old daughter wondered how we were so fortunate to share in this day. As gifts we gave the head master of the 1300 student school 10 dictionaries. In addition, the donations of pens or pencils were given to the children, and small hotel toiletries were given to the women for personal use or income generation. We also toured several projects including a residential and training center for young people 9-18 years and 'The House Moses', a home for babies from 1 to 24 months. St. Anthony's Children's Village, is located in one the poorest compounds in Ndola. It caters to HIV positive babies. Ndola has the largest HIV infection in the country. The Ariana's Closet brought clothes and toys. Sr. Philomena wrote in May 2005. "Greetings from Ndola. I like to thank you on behalf for the children of Saint Anthony's Village for taking the trouble to bring gifts for our children. I shall go to Lusaka and collect the clothes, shoes, booties, socks and toys. At a later stage I will take pictures of our children dressed in the clothes and shoes as well as playing with the toys. We are deeply touched by your concern for our children." For more information about programs to aid orphan and vulnerable children go to these websites: Ambassador Dr. Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika was the guest of honor for the Orphan and Vulnerable Children of Zambia Reception and Silent Auction The Reception and Silent Auction evening with guest of honor Ambassador Dr. Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika for the Orphan and Vulnerable Children of Zambia Reception and Silent Auction on 23 May 2005 at the City Tavern Club in Washington, DC. Ambassador Dr. Mbikusita-Lewanika was born in Senenga, Zambia on 10 July. She is the mother of two daughters, and the grandmother of four. In 1964, she obtained a degree in Education from the University of California and in 1965; she received a Masters Degree in Education and Psychology, also from the University of California. She subsequently moved to New York where she obtained a PhD in Elementary Education from New York University in 1979. During the 1960s Dr. Lewanika became active in various NGOs and worked in radio and television with women, youth and children. From 1972 to 1980, she was Professor of Education and Teacher Training at the University of Zambia, and a founding member of the Pre-school Association of Zambia, over which she presided for two terms. In the 1980s, she began her work for UNICEF in various Sub-Saharan African countries. She served first as Regional Advisor for East and Southern Africa, and later, from 1987 to 1990, as UNICEF's Regional Advisor for West and Central Africa. Through these positions she influenced the elaboration of national policies dealing with children and women's rights. During this period she also launched the Kiswahili publication, Watoto Wa Africa. In 1991, she began her illustrious career as a public officer. She presided over two parliamentary commissions, Foreign Affairs and Women and Children, and she founded over 30 community-development associations for the education and skills training of young people. As President of the National Party, Dr. Lewanika became the first woman leader of a political party in Zambia. Her party gathered so much support that she ran against Mr. Levy Mwanawasa in the 2001 presidential election. Although her party did not win the national election, she was appointed Ambassador and Special Envoy of the President of the Republic of Zambia. She currently serves as the Ambassador of Zambia to the United States. The Reception and Silent Auction hosts were Dr. Ariel King and Ariana. The Welcome address was given my Ms. Bernadette Paolo, Esq., the Vice President, Africa Society of the African Summit (www.africasummit.org) Mr. Julius E. Coles; the President of Africare (www.africare.org) introduced Ambassador Mbikusita-Lewanika. The guests included Ambassador Bernard Sande of Malawi, Ambassador Princeton Lyman, Dr. Lenora Cole, Dr. Peggy Valentine, the Honorable George Brown and many others. This small, but successful event raised funds that were distributed to several Zambia orphans and vulnerable children projects. The projects that received the funds include St. Anthony's Village in Ndola, Zambia, House of Moses and Alliance for Children Everywhere in Lusaka, and Sr. Roses orphanage in Ndola. The Health Strategy of New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr.
Vincent Agu, Geneva The Health Strategy of NEPAD is based on the tenet that Africa faces a huge burden of potentially preventable and treatable disease, which not only causes unnecessary deaths and untold suffering, but continues to impede development and damage the continent's social fabric. It recognizes that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will not be achieved unless extraordinary action (as represented by the Health Strategy) is taken to put Africa and its health systems and interventions on course. The majority of people in Africa have not yet understood the NEPAD concept launched almost four years ago. It cannot, therefore, be said that progress is being made on NEPAD when people do not know what is being done. Furthermore, one of the best and most efficient ways to ensure long-term sustainability of NEPAD is the integration of NEPAD priorities and health strategies into the national development frameworks of African countries. It will also allow the UN System (including WHO) to align their development support activities behind well-rooted and broadly owned national development strategies that are already consistent with NEPAD. During the last three years, NEPAD has gained support from the donor community, including the G8 Summits in Canada, France, the USA, and the UK, the European Union, the China-Africa Cooperation Forum, the South Summit of the G77 and the Non-Aligned Movement, the Tokyo International Conference on African Development and other non-G8 development partners. The United Nations, in General Assembly Resolution 57/7 of 4 November 2002, adopted NEPAD as the development strategy on which to base its support to Africa. It also required the UN system (including WHO) to adopt policy measures in support of NEPAD in seven specific areas. For more information about NEPAD and WHO go to www.NEPAD.org or email aguv@who.int. Five African Presidents met with President Bush to Discusses Democracy and the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) June
13, 2005 Thank you all for coming. Welcome to the White House. I want to thank the five Presidents who are with us today: President Mogae of Botswana, President Kufuor of Ghana, President Guebuza of Mozambique, President Pohamba of Namibia, and President Tandja of Niger. The reason I ask these Presidents to join us today is because I applaud their courage, I appreciate their wisdom, I appreciate them being such good friends that they're able to feel comfortable in coming to the White House to say, Mr. President, this is going well and this isn't -- how about working together to make this work better. That's how we solve problems. We solve problems by having a frank and open dialogue. We just had a great discussion. I consider these men friends, I consider them to be strong patriots of their respective countries, and I consider them to be democrats. All the Presidents gathered here represent countries that have held democratic elections in the last year. What a strong statement that these leaders have made about democracy and the importance of democracy on the continent of Africa. All of us share a fundamental commitment to advancing democracy and opportunity on the continent of Africa. And all of us believe that one of the most effective ways to advance democracy and deliver hope to the people of Africa is through mutually beneficial trade. AGOA is promoting democratic reform in Africa by providing incentives for these nations to extend freedom and opportunity to all of their citizens. Under this law, African nations can obtain greater access to our markets by showing their commitment to economic and political reform, by respecting human rights, tearing down trade barriers, and strengthening property rights and the rule of law, which is precisely what the leaders of these five nations are doing. Because AGOA is producing results, I've twice signed into law provisions that build on its success and extend its benefits long into the future. Last year, exports to the United States from AGOA nations were up 88 percent over the year before, and non-oil exports were up by 22 percent. In December, I announced that 37 African countries are now eligible for AGOA benefits, and next month in Senegal, senior ministers from my administration will meet with government ministers from these 37 AGOA nations to build on this progress. These representatives will be joined by hundreds of American and African businesses and private organizations who will discuss ways to promote development and strengthen civil society. Finally, one of the greatest causes of suffering in Africa is the spread of HIV/AIDS. I appreciate Randy Tobias being here. I made fighting this terrible disease a top priority of my administration by launching an emergency plan for AIDS relief. Working with our African partners, we have now delivered lifesaving treatment to more than 200,000 people in sub-Sahara Africa, and we're on our way to meeting an important goal -- an important five-year goal -- of providing treatment for nearly two million African adults and children. These are just some of the initiatives that we're pursuing to help Africa's leaders bring democracy and prosperity and hope to their people. We believe Africa is a continent full of promise and talent and opportunity.
Haiti: Putting the Pieces Back to Together
Haiti is now at a critical point with respects to its socioeconomic, political and health conditions. Each of these aspects are intricately woven with one another, as in many nations, however the nature of Haiti's situation is so dependent on the successful resilience of each of these factors. There is optimism for Haiti's reemergence from decades of anguish, and I witnessed tangible progress from the field during my week-long medical mission organized jointly by The George Washington University School of Medicine and Project Medishare. Project Medishare, founded in 1994 by Dr. Barth Green and Dr. Arthur Fournier, is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health of the Haitian people by reestablishing the health infrastructure in several communities. Through the generous support of Ariel Foundation International I was able to spend time treating patients in the rural Central Plateau region of Haiti, working alongside a team of GW physicians and medical students, Haitians physicians and Project Medishare trained Haitian healthcare agents. We worked primarily in the village of Thomonde, with frequent treks to remote hillside communities and a site visit of Zanmi Lasante in the village of Conge, which is a clinic of Partners in Health (PIH), a nonprofit organization founded by Dr. Paul Farmer. Our team also had the opportunity to visit with Dr. Raul Rafael from the Haitian Ministry of Health, and discussed how we can play a more involved role. The flight from Miami to the island nation of Haiti is only 90 minutes, yet Haiti is the one of the poorest nations in the world. As a native of Nigeria-living there for 8 years- and having traveled extensively throughout parts of rural China, Vietnam, Thailand, and Brazil, I thought I had seen poverty and elements of suffering; however my time in the impoverished village of Thomonde allowed me to experience abject poverty. Our plane landed in the overpopulated capital of Port-au Prince, which is dotted with rundown buildings, open sewers, and peasants suffering the wounds of civil strife and oppression. However, there are moments in the city were one can sense hope expressed by the brightly colored tapstaps (public buses exquisitely decorated with Creole sayings) that zip through the streets overflowing with lively passengers and the vibrant music echoing for the side streets. Once we left Port-au-Prince, the pavement ends abruptly. Cutting through the denuded jagged mountains of the Central Plateau, it took approximately 4 hours by Jeep to get to Thomonde. En route, we passed several Nepalese United Nations (U.N.) forces that were stationed along the road. The U.N. forces were called in to contain and capture Rebel leaders (who we also had to pass and searched our vehicle) that had taken hold of nearby mountain villages. Due to Project Medishare's excellent reputation with the community, we were provided access to the Mayor of Thomonde's guesthouse for lodging purposes during our stay. There were about 3 persons to a room and we slept on mattresses that were on the ground. The open-aired ventilated guesthouse was luxurious compared to the rest of the village's small shanty houses with corrugated ceilings that housed in where in the range of 5 to 10 people. I visited one of the Catholic churches in the center of Thomonde during my first day and struck by fervor of the churchgoers and the similarities between Catholic masses in Nigeria. The church was packed, standing room only, with children smartly dressed in brilliant white and blue uniforms. Spending 8 hours everyday treating villagers, during our health fairs that we held in the local churches, was the critical learning component of my time in Haiti. Although our GW team was stationed in Thomonde, we worked in mobile clinics throughout the central plateau, such as nearby Marmont and as far away as Bin Touribe and Wanna and, over a course of five days, we saw about 1,217 patients. I took dozens of blood-pressures, monitoring for cardiovascular abnormalities. I personally witnessed numerous cases of high-blood pressure and several patients had to be rushed to the nearby hospital for attendance. Moreover, I encountered patients that suffered from: anemia, hypertension, scabies, tuberculosis, malaria, hookworm, and water-borne diarrhea, HIV/AIDS, on a daily basis. All of the above-mentioned diseases occur at an alarming rate in Haiti, and several of them are being complicated by the development of drug resistance which arises from varying factors such as misinformation about how and when to take drugs, noncompliance with instructions, lack of medication, etc. With regards to HIV/AIDS, Haiti is the country most affected by the AIDS pandemic, outside of the African continent, with an estimated 6.1% of the adult population being HIV positive, with numbers as high as 14% in certain urban areas. In Thomonde, the village where we spent most of our time, its estimated that 5-10% of the residents of are HIV positive, and over 50% of these people living with HIV are women. To address these alarming statistics Project Medishare has developed a Project C.A.R. E. (Creating Access Rapidly and Effectively). Project C.A.R.E. is charged with providing HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) prevention training in the province of Thomonde and neighboring communities. The successful work that non-profits such as Project Medishare and Partners in Health (PIH) having been undertaking for several years now in Haiti, has provided the communities with a renewed sense of hope and optimism. Still, there is so much that needs to been done, and the developed world and the Haitian government need to start taking more of a leadership role in addressing these health and healthcare disparities. Organizations such as United States Pharmacopeia (USP), and the Clinton Foundation could also take steps to assist the Haitian government in obtaining more generic drugs, and setting up drug quality standards and quality assurance programs, to ensure that the quality of the drugs that are taken by patients are of the highest standards and this could aid in curbing the development of drug resistant diseases. Please visit these well deserving websites to see how you can assist the Haitian people:
Kenechi G. Ejebe, is a second year medical student at The George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, DC. Dr. Kemal Dervis, Economist is the new UNDP President. New UNDP Administrator to push development agenda at 2005 World Summit Dr. Kemal Dervis, a former Turkish Minister of Economic Affairs, Parliamentarian, and senior World Bank executive, took office Monday, August 15 as Administrator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). UNDP is the UN's global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. As the UN's global development network, UNDP works on the ground in 166 countries, building solutions to the challenges of Democratic Governance, Poverty Reduction, Crisis Prevention and Recovery, Energy and the Environment, and HIV/AIDS. A world-renowned economist, Dr. Dervis is the first person from a country that receives development assistance - rather than provides it - to hold the top post at UNDP, the UN's largest agency. "Running the organization at the forefront of the UN's poverty eradication and democratic governance efforts in today's complex world is a challenge and a singular opportunity. I am excited to begin my work at UNDP," he said. Dr. Dervis, 56, starts his term as the UN gears up for the 2005 World Summit from 14 to 16 September. A central feature of this gathering of 174 heads of government will be a review of progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and UN reform. The MDG goals include cutting poverty and hunger in half, reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS and ensuring that all children attend primary school by 2015. "With the backdrop of the G8's pledge last month to provide debt relief and more aid -this is a historic moment," he said. "I believe that 2015 should be a milestone for humanity. It could represent a huge step forward and my UNDP colleagues and I are proud to be key participants in this venture." Dr. Dervis is expected to build on the reforms instituted by his predecessor, Mark Malloch Brown, who led UNDP for six years, and consolidate UNDP's role in helping achieve global development priorities such as the MDGs, democratic governance and crisis prevention and recovery. Prior to joining UNDP, Dr. Dervis was a member of the Turkish Parliament and, in that capacity, a member of the Joint Commission of the European and Turkish Parliaments. As Turkish Minister of Economic Affairs and Treasury from 2001-2002, Dr. Dervis reforms ended his country's deep financial crisis and sparked sustained growth which helped Turkey become a candidate for European Union membership. During his 22-year career at the World Bank, Dr. Dervis served as Director of the Central Europe Department, where he coordinated the support of the Bank and donor community to the peace and reconstruction process in Bosnia. In his role as Vice President for Poverty Reduction and Economic Management there, he helped develop the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers initiative, aimed at expanding reforms in the poorest countries with the inclusion of civil society in the policy formulation process. Dr. Dervis holds a Doctorate in Economics from Princeton University and Master's and Bachelor's degrees from the London School of Economics. Nominated by Secretary General, Kofi Annan in April, Dr. Dervis was confirmed by the General Assembly in May. When announcing the nomination, the Secretary-General Annan said, "[He] combines a proven practical and intellectual track record in the fields of development and international finance with a passionate commitment to addressing the scourge of poverty and established skills as a manager." For additional information go to www.undp.org or contact Heather Harkins at heather.harkins@undp.org. Natural Disasters Addressed at Safe Water Conference in October 2005 In the midst of Katrina now at the forefront of our daily lives and news access to safe water is the biggest challenge facing the disaster areas and the global community in the 21st century. Increasing populations, global conflicts, and natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina and the Tsunami have compounded existing problems in many rural and urban communities in the US and in many parts of the world. Solutions to these issues will be addressed at the 3rd International Conference on Safe Water (Safe Water 2005) in San Diego, California, scheduled for October 20-21, San Diego Hilton Resort. The conference is still accepting abstracts and participants. Participating agencies at this conference will include Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, Scripps Institute, Natural Resources Conservation Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Rotary International, US Environmental Protection Agency (Region 9), and several academic institutions. The Chair of the conference is Professor Victor Ibeanusi, Chair of Environment Science and Studies at Spelman College. This International Conference is hosted by Boreholes, Inc., a non-profit organization, whose mission is to ensure that rural communities of the world have access to safe drinking water. More information about the International Conference on Safe Water 2005 is available at www.safewater2005.com or e-mail at boreholes_safewater@yahoo.com. We invite you to join us at the conference and be part of the solution. Dr. King chosen as Representative for the International Council of Women (Paris) at the WHO. Dr. King, President of Ariel Consulting and Foundation will represent the International Council of Women, founded in 1888, headquartered in Paris, France, at the 48th Directing Council and the 57th Session of the Regional Committee of the Americas of the World Health Organization. The meeting will be held at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in Washington, DC from 26-30 September 2005. A report will follow in the next issue.
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