School Health Education Programme SHEP Meeting Held in Bolgatanga- Upper East

      

A stakeholder consultative meeting on sustainable health Programme for school children has been organized in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region.

The meeting was organized by the health Unit of the Catholic Diocesan Development Office CDDO of Navrongo –Bolgatanga.

The one year project, dubbed “School Health Education Programme” SHEP, seeks to address the health problems of school children in the areas of disease prevention and control, skills based health education, food safety, nutrition, safe and healthy school environment with sole aim of improving basic schools children health and academic performance.

According to the Development Coordinator Dr. Joseph Ayembilla indicated that the phase III project which cost four hundred thousand Euros  400.000 was sponsored by Kindernissionswerk of Germany, with Navrongo-Bolgatanga CDDO as implementing partners for the past three years.

About 76 participants drawn from the Ghana Education Service, the National Health Insurance Scheme NHIS, Catholic Education Unit CEU, and the Ghana Health Service attended the meeting.

In an interview with Radio Ghana, the Project health Coordinator, Mr. Bismark Akasoe disclosed that, the project has three phases which started in 2014. 

The first phase, 2014 to 2015 was piloting the project and 32 schools were covered within the six districts their health facilities are operating in.

Activities were basically education, health screening of school children and food vendors using the catholic health nurses and discussion with stakeholders, Ghana Education Service GES, Ghana Health Service, and the District and Municipal Assemblies.

Mr, Akudugu further indicated that, in the phase II, 2015 to 2016, the number of schools increased to 50. The current Phase III which started in 2016 and will end 2017, 118 schools have been covered. Out of this number he said, 11 schools within the six districts are to benefit from 22 sanitation facilities, a component package in the phase III.

The Regional Chief inspector of schools Mr. John Bobi, on behalf GES, handed over  an 8 seater place of convenient with ancillary facilities, consructed at a total cost of seventy-nine thousand Ghana cedis to the Headmistress of St Johns Junior High School Madam Fustina Agongo.

Madam Agongo was grateful saying the school has a student population of about four hundred and a place of convenient has been one of their major challenge over the years. 

2017 Feok Festival Launched in Sandema – Upper East Region

Speakers at the launch of the  2017 Feok Festival celebrated by the chiefs and people of the Builsa Traditional Area in the  Upper East Region, have made a passionate appeal to government  to work towards the inclusion of the  Buli language in the educational curricular. 

The event was organized by the 2017 Planning Committee together under the auspices of the Paramount Chief and prominent personalities of the Builsa Traditional Area. According to the committee, the launch will be climaxed in December 22, 2017 under the theme “Redefining Our Culture: 

The Path to Sustainable Unity and Development”.This year’s launch came much earlier to open up the focus of the feok Festival based on the chosen theme. 

Over the years, the celebration of the Feok Festival had been centered on the historical perspective of how Samori and Babatuu fought and won against their colonial masters upon arrival. 

Launching the event, a senior lecturer at the University of Ghana, College of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences, Dr Pascal Baylon Atengdem described the theme for the celebration as appropriate because those are the things that move people beyond history. 

Dr. Atengdem stressed, that things that differentiate between people, are languages spoken, names, social institutions, stories, proverbs, dressing, music, drumming and dancing among others. 

He lamented that if these cultural values of the Builsa’s were changing and losing focus, the Builsa culture risk being extinct and everything possible must be done to preserve it except the barbaric ones. 

Dr. Atengdem indicated that, the Builsa’s have a rich culture and language is a key part of defining the people’s culture and if language dies, the culture dies as well. 

He added that it was necessary to start the process to get it being taught at the basic school level based on the principles of using the mother tongue. On the issue of the free Senior High School policy, 

Dr Atengdem said it was very sustainable and as a development sociologist, he believes money was not the issue but ideas. 

The sustainability of it is for people to believe that it is necessary to raise the level of basic education to secondary, thus from the Junior High School to Senior High. 

He cited India and China ruling the economy of the industrialized countries because of knowledge, adding that NASA will buy the best brain irrespective of where one comes from. 

Dr Atengdem therefore advised that education is life and therefore should not be politicized. A former member of the Council of State, His excellency Adenzi Kanga advocated for a site to be acquired for the construction of a cultural village, where all artefacts of the Builsa’s can be stored and learnt by teachers to be taught in schools. 

He pledged to sponsor key leaders of the Builsa communities across the country to come and contribute towards the proposed project. 

Activities lined-up for the three month celebration leading to map out potential tourist sites for development, cleaning exercise in Sandema and Fumbisi, a soccer fiesta, Queen Mother’s kitchen, Feok Awards night and launching of Educational Fund. 

The Paramount Queen Mother of the area, Poknab Atebalie said indigenous dishes and dress code will be expected especially young ladies in this year’s festival.

Sacred Heart choir at 60 anniversary with a singsong night- Upper East

 

A singsong night have been organized by the Sacred Heart Cathedral Parish Choir as part of activities to mark their sixtieth anniversary celebration in Bolgatanga. 

The aim of the singsong night was to thank God for guidance, protection and for seeing the choir through its 60 years of existence. As music makers, it was therefore prudent to gather together to sing to glorify God. 

The yearlong anniversary which was launched in February this year, have organized health screening exercise and embarked on outreach programmes including visits to stations to sing together. 

In August this year, the choir recorded its maiden yet to be produced album titled “Our Praises”. On September, 29, the celebration will be climaxed with a thanksgiving mass as well as awards and dinner dance. 

In all, seven choirs took part in singsong night. Five within the Catholic Church; the Sacred Heart, St Cecilia, Young Sacred Heart and St. Peters Choir, Holy Trinity Choir from Our Lady Queen of Africa Parish OLA and two sister choir from the Seventh Day Adventist and the Methodist denominations. 

In an interview with Radio Ghana, the President of the Sacred Heart Cathedral Choir Ms. Alice Abere-innga said, the choir is a liturgical arm in animating the celebration of all Masses. 

She indicated that since the inception of the Choir by the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Diocese in 1925, Masses were animated in Latin until the late 50s when Vatican allowed masses to be said in local languages alongside English. 

It was in 1957 that the choir was formally established, but still battling to resolve its longstanding leadership crisis. 

Ms. Abere-innga further cited poor practice attendance, inadequate musical instruments, books for singing and the dwindling number of choristers as some challenges faced by the choir. 

She was however grateful to the church for taking steps to acquire some musical instruments for the choir and appealed for more support in other areas. 

She disclosed that despite the challenges, the choir has produced three priests and three sisters serving in the vineyard of the Lord. 

Ms. Abere-innga said good singing enhances meditation, worship and the decent of the Holy Spirit, adding that whoever sings, prays twice.

BULLETIN 

National Pensioners Association commended for establishing Medical Scheme

The National Pensioners Association has established Medical Scheme to cater for the health needs of their members. 

This was made known during the National Executive Council Meeting of the Association held in Bolgatanga. 

It was on the theme “Mobilizing Pensioners towards a Better and Healthy Life”. The Association is in partnership with sixty three Government and faith-based hospitals. 

The Association through their contributions, have issued 25,000 cards to its members to access health care. 

The meeting attracted Pensioners from all the ten regions in the country. In an address, the Upper East Regional Minister, Rockson Ayine Bukari, commended the Association for establishing the scheme, adding that the nation remained indebted to the Pensioners for contributing significantly to national development. 

Mr. Bukari indicated that the government under the leadership of President Nana Addo Dankwah Akuffo-Addo, was working feverishly through the Ministry of Finance to streamline and improve upon the welfare and condition of pensioners. 

He added that this will soon be felt in all aspect of their lives, saying measures are also being put in place to address the needs of key demographic segments in society. 

These measures, Mr. Bukari disclosed are specifically, to set up pension arrangements for farmers in major cash crop agricultural sectors like Cocoa, Coffee, Sheanut, Oil Palm, pineapple and cashew nuts for members of small scale associations such as GPRTU and Association of Small Scale Industries. 

The Regional Minister appealed to the Pensioners to use their endowed working experience to support the government’s flagship programmes such as the One Village One Dam and One District One Factory. 

He also admonished them to avoid negative life styles such as smoking and excessive intake of alcoholism and to regularly exercise and socialize instead of living in isolation. 

The General Secretary of the Association, Edward Ameyibor, stated that the most important aspect of the Medical Scheme is to support members with prostate and Gynecological cancers. 

He announced that from September 2017, the policy for each member of the Association, is to receive 300 Ghana cedis per annum as support to purchase drugs from designated pharmacist across the country. 

Mr Ameyibor explained that the meeting was significant because it coincides with the 25^th Anniversary of the National Pensioners Association and noted that it would also be used as platform to deliberate on the recent SSNIT saga. 

It will also be used to review, reshape and evaluate programmes and policies to help improve upon the effective operation of the Association.

                                                                 

Muslims in Upper East Region mark Eidul-Ahda celebrations

 

                              

Muslims in the Upper East Region converged at the Bolgatanga Central Mosque to mark the Eidul-Ahda celebration. 

Prayers were led by the regional Chief Imam, Alhaji Yusiff Adams while a ram was slaughtered to mark the occasion.  

In a brief sermon, Alhaji Adams said Eidul-Ahda is a festival of sacrifice in honour of Prophet Abraham who obeyed Allah’s command to sacrifice his son, Ismail. He said for that display of commitment to sacrifice his son of obedience to Allah’s command, Allah exchanged that sacrifice with a sheep. 

The Regional Chief Imam therefore entreated Muslims in the region to cultivate the habit of sacrifice in all their undertakings.  

The Upper East Regional Minister, Rockson Bukari, who was the Special Guest of Honour, said the desire to get rich fast is killing the divine act of sacrifice. 

He said by throwing sacrifice to the dogs, they find that armed-robbery, motor bike snatching, corruption and other anti-social tendencies are very rampant in the region and the country at large. Mr Bukari said the teachings of Islam are to stand the test of time.  

Rev.  Father Samuel Atinga a representative of the Bishop of the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Diocese who graced the occasion underscored the need for Christians and Muslims to peacefully co-exist. This, he noted, is the only way the region and the country at large can witness the needed development.

Nabia Health Walk Organized in Bolgatanga UER

A health work has been organized by the Old Students of Navrongo Secondary School NAVASCO, also known as Nabia, in the Bolgatanga municipality of the Upper East region. 

The health walk dubbed “Nabia Health Walk” was organized in collaboration with sister schools including Amicus of Notre Dame, Bolga Old Girls of the Bolgatanga Senior High school, Tangabisi of Bolgatanga Senior High and Old Students of Tamale Senior High. 

Aside its health benefits, the Health walk was also to create awareness of the Nabia Association branch in the Bolgatanga municipality. 

The Nabia Association branch in the Bolgatanga municipality was formed on 14^th February, 2016. The walk started around 6: 30 at the St Johns Park through the principal streets of the municipality and amidst Brass Band music. It was climaxed with aerobic exercises at the Basketball court of the St. John Park.  

Speaking to Radio Ghana, Professor Miller a Nabia, said aside another objective of the health walk was to bring all Nabia’s together for the continued support of their Alma matter. 

He also mentioned that the event was held on founder’s day because Navasco is one of Nkrumah’s Model schools.   

He indicated that the coincident of the two events served as a symbolic reminder that the great achievements of Nkrumah can never be underestimated. 

The event was crowned with the soaking of gari, sugar and yarzy, konkogre, tobani just to remind themselves of the days in school especially the 1982/3 year batch when famine hit Ghana.

NGO expresses worry about lack of Midwives at CHPS Compounds

Lack of midwives in some Community-Based Health Planning and Services CHPS in the Upper East Region has become a course for concern.

This was disclosed by the Executive Director of the Participatory Action for Rural Development Alternatives PARDA, a Non-Governmental Organization, Dr Michael Wombeogo during ground durbar held at Serigu –Nyorkokor near Bolgatanga Municipality of the Upper East Region. s

It was aimed at getting the support of the community members to help confront the cultural barriers that prevent the adoption of optimal breastfeeding Behaviour, as well as create demand for ante-natal and post-natal services.  

DR Wonbeog said the project dubbed, Mother Baby Friendly Health Facility Initiative MBFHI Project was to ensure increase demand for ante-natal and post-natal services, early initiation of breast feeding by every new mother within 30 minutes after birth, exclusive breastfeeding and promote basic essential new-born care including Kangaroo Mother Care.

He said   his outfit over the years had   embarked on community mobilization, advocacy and sensitization programmes aimed at getting more midwives into the CHPS compounds without getting the much needed results.  

Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, with support from UNICEF Ghana and the Ghana Health Service GHS, the MBFHI would target traditional rulers, mothers of new born babies, pregnant women, husbands, mothers-in-law, community leaders, religious leaders, the informal sector actors and change agents at the Serigu-Nyorkoku community and communities in the municipality.

The project, he noted was also   targeting persons and groups be taught proper cord care among others using existing GHS protocols and the need to provide respectful, courteous and supportive facility-based care for every mother and every baby at the health facility level as well as increase demand for optimal breastfeeding, skill delivery, maternal and new born care services in line with the national newborn strategy and the SDGs.

He said advocacy programme would also focus on areas including care during pregnancy, labour and delivery; postnatal care with more emphasis on the first 24 hours and first week of life.

Early initiation of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding of up to six months including lactation management, infant and young child feeding as well as care of the sick child and good hygiene practices.

Mrs Ameyure Eunice, a Nutrition Officer used the occasion to educate the community members about the importance of exclusive breast feeding and the need for mothers to regularly visit health facilities to access healthcare and to deliver.

The Assembly Man for the Serigu –Nyorkokor electoral area urged traditional and religious leaders including husband to ensure exclusive breastfeeding and to avoid negative cultural practices such as mixing of traditional medicines for newborn babies.

GBC                                                                                END

  

New Striga Resistant Cowpea Developed Manga – Bawku in Upper East Region

In recent times, farming is no longer rewarding as before. This is partly due to erratic rainfall pattern coupled with pest and diseases as well as continued reliance of unimproved varieties.

However, research scientists from the College of Agriculture assisted by the Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology both at the University of Cape Coast, have come out with an improved variety of cowpea that can resist the parasitic weed known as striga gesnerioides or cowpea witch-weed.

At a demonstration seminar held at Manga in the Bawku Municipality of the Upper East Region, about 200 farmers drawn from the catchment area have been introduced to the newly improved variety to ensure high crop yield.

Striga gesnerioides is a parasitic weed that attacks cereal crops, retarding plant growth, resulting in stunted and withered plants.

 It was organized by the Savanna Agriculture Research Institute SARI, Center for Scientific and Industrial Research CSIR, and the University of Cape Coast with funding from the International Treaty on Plant and Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

The new striga resistant cowpea is jointly developed by the University of Cape Coast College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology.

The seminar was to educate partcipants on the 50 days early maturing cowpea variety that has been found to be doing well under maize intercrop and seed multiplication of the newly release two cowpea varieties, namely “Kirk- Benga” and Warn-Kai which are adapted and said to be doing well across the country.

The two were among other hundred cowpea varieties on rows.  In an interview with Radio Ghana, an entomologist of the Manga Agriculture station, Dr. Francis Kusi indicated that SARI and UCC have been evaluating the variety in those areas including the lower parts of Lawra in the Upper West, Mamprusi in the Northern Region and the whole of Upper East Region which are striga endemic areas for the past three years. 

Dr. Kusi stressed that the variety is stable, high yielding and doing well as compared to the local variety. He added, regarding cowpea intercrop they have developed well over three hundred lines with different traits of resistance to different varieties.

The farmers were therefore invited to help in varietal selection to narrow down to the most promising variety that meet the farmers requirement in terms of seed color, size and yield.

 Dr. Kusi further emphasized that SARI main concern was seed multiplication in the event that government add cowpea to its policy of planting for food and Jobs campaign, they will be in the position to supply.