Category: In the News

Posted on in ICTs, In the News

Paid fellowship in the US for international mobile health professionals

Deadline: Applications accepted year-round, but apply by February 12 for a June 2012 Fellowship

Atlas Corps is an international exchange program for the world’s best nonprofit leaders. The Atlas Corps Fellowship is a 12-18 month, direct-service fellowship. In addition to serving at an organization related to their experience, Fellows will learn leadership skills and best practices while networking with skilled nonprofit professionals from around the world.

Recruiting international nonprofit professionals with eHealth or mobile health experience, especially those from Ghana, Rwanda, Bangladesh, and Vietnam. This Fellow will serve at a public health organization for 12 to 18 months beginning in June 2012.

Eligibility: Applicants must be under the age of 35, have at least a Bachelor’s degree, be proficient in English, have two or more years of experience in the nonprofit/NGO/social sector, and be committed to returning to their home country after the 12-18 month Fellowship.

Apply: For more details about eligibility requirements and the application process, please visit: http://www.atlascorps.org/apply.php.

Please note that applications are accepted year-round, and the deadline has been extended to February 12 for mobile health professionals to be considered for the June 2012 class.

Posted on in In the News, Media Advocacy

Worsening Tobacco Control situation in Jamaica – a concern for the Caribbean‏

The following message came from Debbie Chen and the Heart Foundation of Jamaica. Just as tobacco companies are using every marketing and communication method to increase the uptake of cigarettes and other tobacco produces, we in the public health community have to find innovate ways to counteract their practices.

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Just when we thought it couldn’t get any worse with the continuing delay of the tobacco legislation here in Jamaica, and the subsequent arrival of a US based “Roll Your Own” (RYO) tobacco company setting up business here with plans to expand in the Caribbean; we now have yet another entrant to the tobacco market to contend with.

This company imports cigarettes from Uruguay called “bama” and states that they are 25 % cheaper than one of their competitor’s brands. They state in the attached news article:

“We will be utilising unique marketing to get bama’s cigarettes out there in the public consciousness. We realise that we are up against entrenched brands but we have a very good product. We will be embarking on a community’s tour which begins on January 20 and goes on until February 29. We will first begin in communities in the corporate areas and will undertake talent shows seeking out the best in these communities. We will be brining the best entertainers on the road with us and will be doing 12 shows in six weeks to heighten brand awareness”

The company have also placed advertisements in the print media (see attached) – something which, by gentleman’s agreement with the leading tobacco company here (Carerras) had not occurred for several years until recently. To make it worse they plan to extend their reach in the Caribbean. They state that they: “plan to expand to St. Lucia through an in bond vehicle”. You may recall the RYO tobacco company also has plans to expand throughout the Caribbean and are actively seeking persons interested in owning a franchise.

The Jamaica Coalition for Tobacco Control (JCTC) has written to the editor of the several local newspapers about this issue (see attached) and the Ministry of Health are aware of the situation. The only way to stop this scourge from spreading in our respective countries is for the tobacco control legislation to be passed based on the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC). And once the legislation has been passed (as it has been in Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago), there has to be monitoring. Non communicable disease is the leading cause of death in our region, and tobacco smoking is a common risk factor for all these illnesses; and it is the most preventable. I would encourage you all at your country level to get involved in tobacco control efforts and speak out against this type of situation which, apart from being a health issue, is also a threat to social and national development.

We will in the very near future be restarting our regional tobacco control network. Some of you will recall that through the InterAmerican Heart Foundation we had a Caribbean Tobacco Control group, which at the time was focused on getting countries to ratify the FCTC. The IAHF Caribbean Office (based here at The Heart Foundation of Jamaica) will restart this “virtual group” in collaboration with the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (based in Barbados). We will establish a Facebook page and an email group. We would then use that medium to keep each other informed about tobacco control issues in our countries. As we see from this situation, what happens in one Caribbean island eventually spreads throughout the region.

Let us work together to fight this deadly industry – remember, it is the only legally available product that when used exactly as the manufacturer intends, kills people. Yes, the task may seem unsurmountable – but I believe the situation would be far worse if we did nothing.

Posted on in In the News, New Media

Andre Robb to Rep Caribbean in UNAIDS ‘CrowdOutAIDS’ Campaign!

The United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is using a non traditional method called crowdsourcing to develop the new UNAIDS secretariat strategy. Crowdsourcing is the act of taking a job traditionally performed by a designated agent (usually an employee) and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people in the form of an open call (Jeff Howe).

24 year old Andre Robb of Jamaica will join 9 other young adults from around the world, who have been selected as a part of this process. They will form a committee which will spend the next couple of weeks in training, analyzing the data, then using various online tools to collaborate on the development of the strategy.

Andre has worked for the government and civil society on Youth Development, HIV programmes and comprehensive sexuality education programmes in Jamaica. Andre’s advocacy in his country allows him to represent young people on local and international committees and working groups. He is now committed to building social innovation and social entrepreneurship among young Caribbean change makers. Follow him on Twitter:@robbizle7. No doubt Andre will be seeking to advocate for our region’s specific needs in this strategy, but be sure to tweet him and let him know your thoughts.

Meet the entire #CrowdOutAIDS Drafting Committee members: http://shar.es/WRADI

Posted on in In the News, Mass Media, Media Advocacy

CBMP launches ‘Man a Man: Live Up’ video competition

The theme for the competition is “Faddahood and manliness inna dis ya century”.

With the contest, Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership on HIV/AIDS seeks to engage 18-24 year old Jamaicans to showcase their talent by creating an original two (2) minute video in any format from a music video, dramatic short, blog, podcast, editorial commentary, documentary and animation as long as it meets the competition rules for submission.

This competition is just one of the collaborative initiatives under the CBMP and PSI/Caribbean partnership umbrella of the CARISMA II project which aims to highlight the social issues impacting on HIV prevention across the Caribbean region. “Our constructs of masculinity and fatherhood in the region significantly influence the behaviours linked to some of the structural drivers of HIV and we saw this as an innovative way to hear from young people in Jamaica how they think about these issues in order to help us craft more relevant and meaningful programmes.”says Dr. Allyson Leacock, Executive Director of CBMP.

The ‘Man A Man: LIVE UP’ video competition videos will be showcased on YouTube with the top ten finalists’ submissions uploaded to Facebook at a later date. The competition has a first prize of USD $2,500 cash, a Digicel mobile phone, LIVE UP and Got IT? Get IT t-shirts plus many more items. The winning videos will also be shared with the CBMP 110 member stations in 24 Caribbean countries

Check out www.manaman.iliveup.com for more information.

Posted on in In the News

Haiti two years after earthquake; 15 months after Cholera outreak

Today marks the second anniversary of the Haiti Earthquake, one of the most devastating disasters in the region. In the aftermath of the earthquake, the spread of cholera was one of the many challenges faced across the nation. Since the outbreak in October 2010, more than one million cases have been reported; with about 7000 deaths. More than a year after the first reported cases, about 200 people each day are being diagnosed with cholera.

This week, the Pan American Health Organization, along with officials in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the United States met to discuss ways to not only control the disease but to completely eliminate it on the twin-nation island. Much will need to be done in rebuilding Haiti structurally in order to stem this outbreak. In particular, the country needs to find ways to build an effective sewer system and to get clean water to its citizens. On the other hand, behavioral changes made through understanding and awareness of the steps that each individual can take to protect themselves–hand washing, boiling water and proper latrine use–are still needed.

I remember attending a TedX event a few months ago where a USAID official spoke about  using text messaging and radio programming for education purposes. Because of low-literacy rates, communication experts have to be careful what format they choose to use when reaching out to that community. As such, using text messaging and radio are just is two ways for people to get the message. Thinking on this also leads me to the many studies from the Positive Deviance Initiative and their approach to behavior change. Are there people in Haitian communities that are doing things right to stave off Cholera, despite all the challenges? What are they doing right? What steps are they taking? And, how can someone else in that same community with the same (limited) resources replicate those steps?  If anyone knows of how this is being manifested in Haiti, I’m interested in hearing about it.