Monthly Archives: April 2012

Two new vaccines to protect the children of Ghana

Posted on by
Reply

By Dan Thomas, GAVI Alliance

26 April, 2012 will mark a milestone for Ghana. On that day, during World Immunisation Week, the West African nation will make an unprecedented step towards saving the lives of its children from two of the biggest child killers in the country, through the simultaneous introduction of two new vaccines.

Yet word is spreading about these two devastating diseases, and thanks to generous donors around the world, the GAVI Alliance is making pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccines available to children in the developing world.

Globally, pneumococcal disease is responsible for approximately half a million deaths among children under five every year. As well as being the leading cause of pneumonia, it also causes meningitis, which leaves many of the children it does not kill with permanent disabilities, including mental retardation and seizures. Pneumococcal disease can also lead to blood poisoning, as well as middle ear infections, which can cause permanent deafness.

Continue reading →

Scholarships are only part of the Australian aid story in Vietnam

Posted on by
Reply

By Michael Wilson, Minister-Counsellor (Mekong and Regional programs) AusAID, Hanoi Vietnam

Education, Infrastructure and Environment form the big picture of where, how and why we are making a difference in Vietnam.

They are areas where we have the capacity, deep understanding and track record to deliver results. The Government of Vietnam has repeatedly identified these areas as priorities for development, as it aims to grow into a higher income industrial economy and reduce poverty rates to a single digit level within the next decade.

Opening ceremony of the My Thuan Bridge, the first across the Mekong River. This bridge now carries more than five million vehicles per year. Photo: AusAID

Opening ceremony of the My Thuan Bridge, the first across the Mekong River. This bridge now carries more than five million vehicles per year. Photo: AusAID

This year alone there are almost 250 Vietnamese academics, government officials and business leaders studying at our world-class universities thanks to Australian Government scholarships.

As AusAID’s Minister-Counsellor for Mekong and Regional programs, I have been fortunate to meet some of these and many more previous recipients of Australian scholarships. To date there have been more than 3,000 alumni, stretching over 35 years, who have been invited to study in Australia as the result of the scholarships program.

Through the many conversations I have had with graduates of the program, I’ve learned of the great appreciation alumni have not only for their education, but also for the experience – both of which they share in equal measure. AusAID makes this investment in Vietnam’s human resources because it is a priority area for development, which has also been agreed on by the Governments of Vietnam and Australia.

Continue reading →

Helping babies cry

Posted on by
1

By Jenny Da Rin, Assistant Director General, Education and Health, AusAID

On a recent trip to Bangladesh I had the opportunity to visit a health clinic to see how the health of women, children and babies in a poor village was improving with Australian aid. The clinic we visited is in a village in Sreepur, a hot, bumpy and frankly scary two-hour drive out of Dhaka.

Upon arriving in Sreepur, we were greeted by the entire village and formally welcomed by a village elder who proudly told us that he had provided the land for the clinic and the community had contributed to its construction. He offered the land because he wanted to find a way to improve the health of his community and saw that a clinic could achieve that. BRAC, a Bangladeshi non-government organisation and UNICEF support the operation of clinics like this one, together with the Ministry of Health. Australia is contributing by providing maternal, neonatal and child health care in several low performing districts through BRAC and UNICEF. Around 50,000 community health workers and volunteers are trained and sent to support women during pregnancy and childbirth, and newborn care.

Young mothers with their babies.

Young mothers in Sreepur learn what vaccinations their babies need, when and why vaccination is important. Photo: Jenny Da Rin / AusAID

The clinic in Sreepur is a really good example of how a poor community in a developing country benefits from our help. The clinic provides a range of services to several villages that include health checks and information on issues like nutrition, hygiene, family planning and vaccinations. A doctor from the nearest hospital visits regularly to check on pregnant women and assists in delivering babies. The doctor can deal with more serious medical conditions or can refer cases to hospital when necessary. It’s a routine we are familiar with and expect in Australia, but in a country where the health system hasn’t always worked and where maternal and child deaths have been very high, this clinic is a remarkable achievement.

Continue reading →

The business of clearing a lethal legacy in Laos

Posted on by
2

By Alison De Luise, Food Security Policy Manager, AusAID

Today is International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, a day when everyone is encouraged to think about the difficulties faced by those affected by mines and other unexploded remnants of war. Australia’s support for mine action.

I never knew that Laos was one of the most bombed countries in the world. Nestled alongside Vietnam, much of the south is situated on or around the infamous Ho Chi Minh trail, the 1970s network of Vietcong supply trails. Laos suffered nine years of continuous bombing during the Vietnam War. It is estimated that more than two million tons of ordnance were let loose.

All female team of UXO Laos Deminers, working in Dakdoung, Sekong Province, Laos. Photo: Pisay Souvansay / AusAID

All female team of UXO Laos Deminers, working in Dakdoung, Sekong Province, Laos. Photo: Pisay Souvansay / AusAID

Visiting the Southern province of Sekong, nearly 40 years on, the countryside is still marked with bomb craters, giving some insight into the destruction that was inflicted upon the rural populations of Laos. It is difficult to fathom the destruction caused to local rural populations caught in the middle of the conflict, many of whom had few options for relocation. Unexploded bombs buried just beneath the soil threaten the lives of Laos people growing crops and earning income for their families. Up to 30 per cent of all bombs dropped are estimated not to have exploded, remaining active to this day. Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) continues to kill and maim men, women and children.

Continue reading →