Dear Friends,
Greetings from Silver Inning Foundation.
It has been one year when we started our never ending journey to serve elderly with launch of dedicated website for Elderly www.silverinnings.com . During this period we also formed an NGO for Senior Citizens ,Silver Inning Foundation.With our proactive approach and your support we have made small beginning with a difference.
We would sincerely appreciate your participation as volunteer with Silver Inning Foundation. We are in the process of starting new projects for serving the elderly and we are positive that your support and contribution will be immensely helpful in taking the cause of the elderly forward. For this purpose we are conducting a volunteers meeting on Saturday 16th May'2009 at 11.00 am at HELP Library,Fort,Mumbai,India.
We look forward to meet you.
Date of the meeting :16th May 2009
Timings: Sharp 11.00 am to 12.30 pm
Venue address:
HELP Library - Health Education Library for People,National Insurance Building,
Ground Floor,
Near Khadi Gram Udyog
206, Dr.D.N.Road,
Mumbai - 400 001.
Tel Nos.65952393/ 65952394/22061101
www.helpforhealth.org
www.healthlibrary.com
Please register at Silver Innings Help Desk on 9987104233 OR write to silverinnings@gmail.com - Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm.
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
For China, an Ominous Touch of Gray
As if Chinese policy makers did not have enough on their plate, they will soon have to grapple with the unprecedented challenge of a country that is growing old before it gets rich.
Many countries are turning gray, but Western experts are worried that Beijing is unprepared for the speed at which its citizens will age: U.N. projections say the population of working-age citizens in China will peak in 2015 and plunge by 23 percent by 2050.
By then, there will be 438 million Chinese 60 or older, or 61 people older than 60 for every 100 adults of working age, up from just 16 in 2005.
A report released last week by the Center for Strategic and International Studies says the economic and social stakes are so high that China's leaders, though in the midst of a financial crisis, cannot afford to delay policy changes.
"How China navigates its coming demographic transformation will go a long way toward determining whether it achieves its aspiration of becoming a prosperous and stable developed country with an expanding role in the global economic and political order," the center's study said.
Its core concern is China's rudimentary pension system, which is characterized by vast unfunded liabilities, empty accounts and low coverage.
As the center's report notes, the developed nations of today were all affluent welfare states by the time they aged. By contrast, China is still a poor country that has not had the time to accumulate the wealth needed to pay for comprehensive retirement protection.
Just 31 percent of the Chinese work force, mainly in the state sector, receives public pensions. Most of the fast-growing private sector is excluded, as are migrant workers. As for rural China, pensions are virtually nonexistent.
So hundreds of millions of elderly citizens will have to fall back on their shrinking families just as the increase to growth and incomes from an expanding labor force goes into reverse.
In the 30 years since China embarked on economic reforms, the growth of its labor force has added 1.8 percentage points a year to gross domestic product growth.
By the 2030s, in contrast, the shrinkage of its working-age population will be lopping 0.7 points a year off growth, according to the center's projections.
Many protests in China are started by unpaid pensions, and the center said that without an effective retirement policy, the social stability could eventually be undermined.
"Not just a retirement crisis, but also a more general social and economic crisis may loom in China's future," the report said.
More broadly, rapid aging will threaten China's hegemony in low-end manufacturing by pushing up labor costs, economists say. Vietnam's demographic turning point will not come until 2025, and India's working-age population will not peak until 2040, so both should enjoy a growing cost advantage over China in labor-intensive sectors.
The Communist Party is aware of the challenges and is guiding pension policy in the right direction.
Reforms have strengthened the basic pension system; enterprise annuities — similar to the 401(k) retirement plans in the United States — are growing quickly; a basic rural pension is to be in place by 2020; and the National Social Security Fund, set up in 2000 to backstop underfunded provincial pension plans, now has assets of about $80 billion.
But Stuart Leckie, chairman of Stirling Finance, a Hong Kong pension consultancy, said the issues needed to rise to the top of Beijing's political agenda.
"China really is in a race against time. It is doing the right thing overall, but it needs to do them faster and it needs to do them better," he said.
Compounding the policy challenge is another striking feature of China's demographic profile — an unbalanced sex ratio that ensures men will outnumber women for years to come.
A new study in the British Medical Journal found that there were more than 32.7 million more males than females younger than 20 in China, because the spread of low-cost ultrasound tests and abortions had reinforced the traditional preference for boys.
Countries typically record between 103 and 107 male births for every 100 females. But in Chinese towns in 2005, there were 124 boys 1 to 4 years old for every 100 girls. The figure rose to 126 in rural China and topped 140 in Henan and Jiangxi Provinces, according to the journal.
The potential repercussions of this imbalance, accentuated by the one-child policy in the nation, are grave. "What we know from other societies that have been male-dominated is that they either emigrate or they fight," Mr. Leckie said.
Yet in China the number of excess males is too great for the problem to be solved by emigration, he added. "So this is undoubtedly going to be a real social issue."
Economically, the impact is already being felt.
China International Capital Corp., an investment bank, says its studies show that provinces with a big imbalance consume less. This is because the competition for brides in rural China forces the parents of young men to help them buy houses early and to save up for betrothal gifts.
The root cause of this behavior is that parents, in the absence of a strong welfare safety net, look to sons to take care of them in their old age.
"Unless China sets up a much-improved rural social security network and medical care insurance system, we believe the rural sex ratio imbalance may deteriorate and continue to constrain rural consumption," China International Capital's economists said in a recent report.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies said that even more worrisome than the shortage of brides today will be the shortage of daughters-in-law tomorrow; for while the son is responsible for looking after his aging parents, it is his wife who provides the care.
All the more reason, the center concludes, for China to create a program for old-age income support, financed out of general tax revenues, and to build a national, fully portable system of funded retirement accounts.
By Alan Wheatley ,a Reuters columnist.
Source:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/business/global/28inside.html?_r=1
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
Many countries are turning gray, but Western experts are worried that Beijing is unprepared for the speed at which its citizens will age: U.N. projections say the population of working-age citizens in China will peak in 2015 and plunge by 23 percent by 2050.
By then, there will be 438 million Chinese 60 or older, or 61 people older than 60 for every 100 adults of working age, up from just 16 in 2005.
A report released last week by the Center for Strategic and International Studies says the economic and social stakes are so high that China's leaders, though in the midst of a financial crisis, cannot afford to delay policy changes.
"How China navigates its coming demographic transformation will go a long way toward determining whether it achieves its aspiration of becoming a prosperous and stable developed country with an expanding role in the global economic and political order," the center's study said.
Its core concern is China's rudimentary pension system, which is characterized by vast unfunded liabilities, empty accounts and low coverage.
As the center's report notes, the developed nations of today were all affluent welfare states by the time they aged. By contrast, China is still a poor country that has not had the time to accumulate the wealth needed to pay for comprehensive retirement protection.
Just 31 percent of the Chinese work force, mainly in the state sector, receives public pensions. Most of the fast-growing private sector is excluded, as are migrant workers. As for rural China, pensions are virtually nonexistent.
So hundreds of millions of elderly citizens will have to fall back on their shrinking families just as the increase to growth and incomes from an expanding labor force goes into reverse.
In the 30 years since China embarked on economic reforms, the growth of its labor force has added 1.8 percentage points a year to gross domestic product growth.
By the 2030s, in contrast, the shrinkage of its working-age population will be lopping 0.7 points a year off growth, according to the center's projections.
Many protests in China are started by unpaid pensions, and the center said that without an effective retirement policy, the social stability could eventually be undermined.
"Not just a retirement crisis, but also a more general social and economic crisis may loom in China's future," the report said.
More broadly, rapid aging will threaten China's hegemony in low-end manufacturing by pushing up labor costs, economists say. Vietnam's demographic turning point will not come until 2025, and India's working-age population will not peak until 2040, so both should enjoy a growing cost advantage over China in labor-intensive sectors.
The Communist Party is aware of the challenges and is guiding pension policy in the right direction.
Reforms have strengthened the basic pension system; enterprise annuities — similar to the 401(k) retirement plans in the United States — are growing quickly; a basic rural pension is to be in place by 2020; and the National Social Security Fund, set up in 2000 to backstop underfunded provincial pension plans, now has assets of about $80 billion.
But Stuart Leckie, chairman of Stirling Finance, a Hong Kong pension consultancy, said the issues needed to rise to the top of Beijing's political agenda.
"China really is in a race against time. It is doing the right thing overall, but it needs to do them faster and it needs to do them better," he said.
Compounding the policy challenge is another striking feature of China's demographic profile — an unbalanced sex ratio that ensures men will outnumber women for years to come.
A new study in the British Medical Journal found that there were more than 32.7 million more males than females younger than 20 in China, because the spread of low-cost ultrasound tests and abortions had reinforced the traditional preference for boys.
Countries typically record between 103 and 107 male births for every 100 females. But in Chinese towns in 2005, there were 124 boys 1 to 4 years old for every 100 girls. The figure rose to 126 in rural China and topped 140 in Henan and Jiangxi Provinces, according to the journal.
The potential repercussions of this imbalance, accentuated by the one-child policy in the nation, are grave. "What we know from other societies that have been male-dominated is that they either emigrate or they fight," Mr. Leckie said.
Yet in China the number of excess males is too great for the problem to be solved by emigration, he added. "So this is undoubtedly going to be a real social issue."
Economically, the impact is already being felt.
China International Capital Corp., an investment bank, says its studies show that provinces with a big imbalance consume less. This is because the competition for brides in rural China forces the parents of young men to help them buy houses early and to save up for betrothal gifts.
The root cause of this behavior is that parents, in the absence of a strong welfare safety net, look to sons to take care of them in their old age.
"Unless China sets up a much-improved rural social security network and medical care insurance system, we believe the rural sex ratio imbalance may deteriorate and continue to constrain rural consumption," China International Capital's economists said in a recent report.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies said that even more worrisome than the shortage of brides today will be the shortage of daughters-in-law tomorrow; for while the son is responsible for looking after his aging parents, it is his wife who provides the care.
All the more reason, the center concludes, for China to create a program for old-age income support, financed out of general tax revenues, and to build a national, fully portable system of funded retirement accounts.
By Alan Wheatley ,a Reuters columnist.
Source:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/business/global/28inside.html?_r=1
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Alternative advantage, shackled by regulation
“Dinesh does not talk to us. He will turn away every time he meets us. I do not know what I have said to offend him; nor will he tell us. When he gets angry without a reason, I feel insulted and hurt," says 15-year-old P Penchilamma of her classmate at the 115-year-old Olcott Memorial High School in south Chennai. The class X student is talking to the school counsellor at a workshop for life skills.
What might seem like adolescent angst to most of us is a valuable lesson for Penchilamma. Her mother is a domestic servant and father a casual labourer; she does not find time to be with them and learn coping skills.
“I get angry quickly when people do not treat me fairly. But I feel guilty after my mood swings," says her classmate P Sivagami, also 15. Till they took part in the workshop, they did not realise these mood swings were a rite of passage into adulthood. “After giving our class X exams, we were under so much stress about our future, At this workshop, we have learned how to handle our emotions and the stress that could come with higher education,” say the friends.
The school initiated these training sessions to address teen depression and suicide in the community that their students come from, something absent in most of the Government-run high schools and many private schools.
Alternative schools push the envelope
“This is the advantage of alternative education, especially among the socio-economically backward community. It looks at development of the child as a whole and not just academically. When their parents are not in a position to provide for their emotional growth, the school steps in and be the parent too," says Lakshmi Suryanarayanan, head of Olcott Memorial High School, where around 560 students from around the south Chennai fishing hamlet of Urur Olcott Kuppam get to learn about a lot more than from textbooks. Apart from sticking to the curriculum, the school also runs an English Language Lab, a computer lab that links computer literacy and self-learning, and two counsellors.
Lakshmi points out that in most schools the teacher student relationship centres around academics, but alternative schooling for marginalised children has to extend beyond academics into a nurturing relationship too. A sick child has to be tended by the school, since their parents are often not immediately reachable due to the nature of their work. "Invariably you start looking at students as a whole," she says.
Often children from poor backgrounds have a high amount of stress that impacts their learning. Recent studies (by researchers in University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University) show that children from poor backgrounds have a reduced capacity of memory, which is believed to the result of stress that affects how children’s brains develop. Given strong anecdotal evidence, and current science, more schools are now tuning in to an alternative to the rote-oriented learning in the mainstream.
For V Uma, Managing Trustee, Suyam, alternative education thus becomes the way out of poverty. Working with a community that includes those rescued from begging, street children, bonded labourers in brick kiln, apart from pig farmers and marginal farmers, Suyam found a need for a child-centric approach to education. In 2000, the Siragu Montessori was started in suburban Palavedu Pettai (15 km northwest of Chennai). Today, Siragu has around 380 students and is about to send students into Class IX and Class X.
“We came up with our own books that stick to the prescribed curriculum at the same time incorporated the Montessori methodology of activity-based learning,” says Uma. Children stay in the hostels and are involved in activities including organic farming and arts and crafts, apart from academe. “We are confident our children can compete with those from elite schools. We encourage a child to learn by themselves and express themselves without hesitation, she says.
At The Shriram School in Thiruneermalai (20 km off Chennai), where around 800 students from neighbouring villages study, the story is no different. Most of the community is involved in construction work and the children are also first generation learners. With its students also at class VIII level, the correspondent is actively working with the government in getting the requisite affiliations for the school to grow into secondary and higher secondary levels. The correspondent, Vidya Shankar, says that shaping the curriculum for first generation learners is important.
“These children do not have support structures at home and rely on schools alone for their learning. The challenge lies in sticking to the prescribed curriculum while making the textbooks simple,” says Vidya.
By way of an example, Vidya compares the lesson on ‘Our Environment’ in both the NCERT book and State syllabus. “The NCERT book is full of self-learning exercises. While the state board text is exhaustive but requires by rote learning. The lesson construction is very heavy and rambling in the state textbook and full of details that are insignificant,'' says Vidya.
In educationally and socio-economically backward Dharmapuri, (around 260 km from Chennai) Puvidham Trust helps 83 children from tribal, farming and construction worker communities to receive an education that is skill-based and promotes self-learning. “Schools have become either too mundane or if they are progressive, too expensive. Most education does not allow the child the opportunity to think and the schooling then becomes a way to mould them to take orders. There are no lessons about managing real life situations,” says Meenakshi Umesh, Puvidham founder.
Based on the ideologies of Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore and Montessori methodology, the school teaches mathematics, science, social sciences and languages using farming and real life situations around them and learn how to manage them. Her school too takes the children up to the class VIII level and the students then join the government or private schools for the secondary, higher secondary education. “In the end, the parents want their children to be capable of taking board examinations and getting a collegiate education. If not, they will be designing agricultural tools at our school on a par with agricultural universities," she muses.
Read in detail: http://www.indiatogether.org/2009/apr/edu-altschool.htm
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
What might seem like adolescent angst to most of us is a valuable lesson for Penchilamma. Her mother is a domestic servant and father a casual labourer; she does not find time to be with them and learn coping skills.
“I get angry quickly when people do not treat me fairly. But I feel guilty after my mood swings," says her classmate P Sivagami, also 15. Till they took part in the workshop, they did not realise these mood swings were a rite of passage into adulthood. “After giving our class X exams, we were under so much stress about our future, At this workshop, we have learned how to handle our emotions and the stress that could come with higher education,” say the friends.
The school initiated these training sessions to address teen depression and suicide in the community that their students come from, something absent in most of the Government-run high schools and many private schools.
Alternative schools push the envelope
“This is the advantage of alternative education, especially among the socio-economically backward community. It looks at development of the child as a whole and not just academically. When their parents are not in a position to provide for their emotional growth, the school steps in and be the parent too," says Lakshmi Suryanarayanan, head of Olcott Memorial High School, where around 560 students from around the south Chennai fishing hamlet of Urur Olcott Kuppam get to learn about a lot more than from textbooks. Apart from sticking to the curriculum, the school also runs an English Language Lab, a computer lab that links computer literacy and self-learning, and two counsellors.
Lakshmi points out that in most schools the teacher student relationship centres around academics, but alternative schooling for marginalised children has to extend beyond academics into a nurturing relationship too. A sick child has to be tended by the school, since their parents are often not immediately reachable due to the nature of their work. "Invariably you start looking at students as a whole," she says.
Often children from poor backgrounds have a high amount of stress that impacts their learning. Recent studies (by researchers in University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University) show that children from poor backgrounds have a reduced capacity of memory, which is believed to the result of stress that affects how children’s brains develop. Given strong anecdotal evidence, and current science, more schools are now tuning in to an alternative to the rote-oriented learning in the mainstream.
For V Uma, Managing Trustee, Suyam, alternative education thus becomes the way out of poverty. Working with a community that includes those rescued from begging, street children, bonded labourers in brick kiln, apart from pig farmers and marginal farmers, Suyam found a need for a child-centric approach to education. In 2000, the Siragu Montessori was started in suburban Palavedu Pettai (15 km northwest of Chennai). Today, Siragu has around 380 students and is about to send students into Class IX and Class X.
“We came up with our own books that stick to the prescribed curriculum at the same time incorporated the Montessori methodology of activity-based learning,” says Uma. Children stay in the hostels and are involved in activities including organic farming and arts and crafts, apart from academe. “We are confident our children can compete with those from elite schools. We encourage a child to learn by themselves and express themselves without hesitation, she says.
At The Shriram School in Thiruneermalai (20 km off Chennai), where around 800 students from neighbouring villages study, the story is no different. Most of the community is involved in construction work and the children are also first generation learners. With its students also at class VIII level, the correspondent is actively working with the government in getting the requisite affiliations for the school to grow into secondary and higher secondary levels. The correspondent, Vidya Shankar, says that shaping the curriculum for first generation learners is important.
“These children do not have support structures at home and rely on schools alone for their learning. The challenge lies in sticking to the prescribed curriculum while making the textbooks simple,” says Vidya.
By way of an example, Vidya compares the lesson on ‘Our Environment’ in both the NCERT book and State syllabus. “The NCERT book is full of self-learning exercises. While the state board text is exhaustive but requires by rote learning. The lesson construction is very heavy and rambling in the state textbook and full of details that are insignificant,'' says Vidya.
In educationally and socio-economically backward Dharmapuri, (around 260 km from Chennai) Puvidham Trust helps 83 children from tribal, farming and construction worker communities to receive an education that is skill-based and promotes self-learning. “Schools have become either too mundane or if they are progressive, too expensive. Most education does not allow the child the opportunity to think and the schooling then becomes a way to mould them to take orders. There are no lessons about managing real life situations,” says Meenakshi Umesh, Puvidham founder.
Based on the ideologies of Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore and Montessori methodology, the school teaches mathematics, science, social sciences and languages using farming and real life situations around them and learn how to manage them. Her school too takes the children up to the class VIII level and the students then join the government or private schools for the secondary, higher secondary education. “In the end, the parents want their children to be capable of taking board examinations and getting a collegiate education. If not, they will be designing agricultural tools at our school on a par with agricultural universities," she muses.
Read in detail: http://www.indiatogether.org/2009/apr/edu-altschool.htm
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
I voted in Protest with difficulty,used 49-0
On 30th April 2009 in Loksabha Election I used 49-0 under people representation act TO PROTEST against Criminal Candidates.Also I did not found any other suitable candidate who wll represent me or do justice to Senior Citizens of India.
It was sad and shocking that Booth election officer and Area Election Incharge Mr.Mohite did not knew about this important Voters power.
Mr.Mohite did not allow me to use this power and asked the police not to allow me to enter the voting room.
But I insisted on excersise my power of not to vote and asked Chief Election officer number.He gave me cell number of Thane Collector.
I called Thane Collector and he asked me why I want to do this and he said he will call me after 5 minutes.It was nice he called me after 7 minutes and asked me to sign the reisgter.
By this time Mr.Mahesh Ahire booth Election Officer showed me the act and aksed me to excersie my power.
After great difficulty and strugle I could utilise 49-0.
Iam happy that I did not vote for criminals and some one else could not do voting in my name.
Hope in next Election Voting is made compulsory with 49-0 voting button on EVM.
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
It was sad and shocking that Booth election officer and Area Election Incharge Mr.Mohite did not knew about this important Voters power.
Mr.Mohite did not allow me to use this power and asked the police not to allow me to enter the voting room.
But I insisted on excersise my power of not to vote and asked Chief Election officer number.He gave me cell number of Thane Collector.
I called Thane Collector and he asked me why I want to do this and he said he will call me after 5 minutes.It was nice he called me after 7 minutes and asked me to sign the reisgter.
By this time Mr.Mahesh Ahire booth Election Officer showed me the act and aksed me to excersie my power.
After great difficulty and strugle I could utilise 49-0.
Iam happy that I did not vote for criminals and some one else could not do voting in my name.
Hope in next Election Voting is made compulsory with 49-0 voting button on EVM.
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Press Note:National Dementia Strategy Consultative Meeting of Experts ‘Western India’
A National Dementia Strategy Consultative Meeting of Experts ‘Western India’ was held at the YMCA International, Mumbai Central on 25th & 26th April 2009. The Theme of this meeting was : “INTEGRATED DEMENTIA CARE “ .This meeting of experts was Organised by Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Society of India (ARDSI) National Office and Mumbai Chapter in association with Department of Psychiatry, Nair Hospital, Mumbai And Silver Inning Foundation.
This important meet was inaugurated by Chief Guest: Dr. Jairaj Thanekar -Executive Health Officer, Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Guest of Honour: Dr.R.V.Rananavare - Ag.Dean,Nair Hospital.
Dept of Psychiatry, Nair Hospital Silver Inning Foundation Dept of Health , Mumbai Municipal Corporation( BMC) Geriatric Society of India TISS Majlis Dept of Psychiatry, KEM Hospital The Family Welfare Agency Forum for Improving Quality of Life Jhunjhunwala Foundation Harmony Dept of Nursing, Wockhard Hospital Tata Trust Anand Rehabilitation center Dept of Nursing, Nanavati Hospital Akashwani Memory Clinic, Sion Hospital Memory Clinic, Nair Hospital S.V.T.College (SNDT Juhu) Bombay Psychiatrist Society Elder Helpline, Mumbai Police Helpage India Sir Tata Dorabji Trust Department of Neurology, K.E.M. Hospital Department of Neurology, Grant medical college Sir J.J.Group of Hospitals, Mumbai Dept of Nursing , Holy Family Hospital ,Niagaon Dept of Nursing , Minatai Nursing College
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
This important meet was inaugurated by Chief Guest: Dr. Jairaj Thanekar -Executive Health Officer, Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Guest of Honour: Dr.R.V.Rananavare - Ag.Dean,Nair Hospital.
Dr.Jairaj Thanekar assured to help the cause of Dementia in creating awareness and providing services.
Around 29 multidisciplinary organization and family members participated in this important meet, the list of organization is given below:
Dementia is a general term to denote a progressive degenerative disease of the brain resulting in loss of Memory, intellectual decline, behavioural and personality changes. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of Dementia. Mostly older people are affected by this condition.
It is estimated that there are more than 28 million people affected by this mind crippling tragedy globally. This number is expected to double by 2025. More than 70% of people with dementia live in developing counties like China and India. Although we don’t have the actual members, it is estimated that there are over 3 million people in India who are victims of dementia. Compared to any other chronic illness, more than the patients, often, it is the family members who bear the brunt of this devastating illness. It is often termed as a cruel disease, because it strips the person of all the skills and intellectual achievement the person has acquired during his life time and leaves the shadow of the person he used to be. The family members often have to watch the deterioration of their loved ones helplessly. Despite the magnitude, there is gross ignorance, and is often neglected in our country.
Many countries in the world have recognized Dementia as a health priority eg. Australia, South Korea. Similarly countries like UK, France have developed National Dementia Strategies. This has resulted in greater recognition, improved awareness and more fund allocation by their governments.
Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Society of India (ARDSI) is the first Afro Asian National Alzheimer’s Association to get full membership in Alzheimer’s Disease International the world federation of 74 national Alzheimer’s Associations way back in 1993. ARDSI continues to be in the forefront in raising awareness and providing much needed services to those affected. Taking cues from the countries with better dementia awareness and care, ARDSI has taken the bold initiative to develop a National Dementia Strategy for India. The number of people with dementia in India is expected to double by 2025. There is gross ignorance. Most people with dementia go undetected. There are hardly any service available. Research in this area is scanty.
The aim of the National consultative meetings are to explore, discuss and share views on how to develop a National Dementia Strategy for India. This will be a road map for the country for the next five years in Dementia care. The first meeting was held in Jamia Millia, New Delhi on 30th-31st Jan 2009. The meeting in Mumbai is to get the views of the experts from the Western region. Similar meetings shall be held in other parts of the country, drawing experts from medical, nursing, social work, legal, media and governmental agencies. A final meeting shall be held in New Delhi by the end of 2009 to draw a national plan. Raising awareness, promote early diagnosis and provide effective management shall be the key areas, the Strategy shall be based up on. Final document shall be used to influence the government of India and state governments to include dementia in all the key Ministries of health, social welfare, science and technology’s, programmes. We hope to work towards making dementia a health priority in the country in the coming years.
The below are some of the points discussed in the meeting that needs to be a part of the National Dementia Strategy. The points have been categorized under various headings, with each topic in a different page.
1. Improve awareness/ Advocacy
Objectives:
Improved public and professional Awareness of dementia among GPs, healthcare skilled/semi-skilled professionals (nursing, physiotherapists, SLPs), healthcare policy makers and media resulting in better understanding of the disease and its care.
Mobilize support from government, foundations, public and private sector organizations, and philanthropists
Generate interest in students and younger faculty members to contribute time and services, as a society that does not provide necessary social services to its members is doomed to fail.
Comments/suggestions
§ Type of messages
o Simple messages on Alzheimer's Disease
o The awareness should focus on different components such as diagnosis, treatment etc
§ Where the messages should be given
o Make use of as many media as possible
o Public - National Social Service (NSS) of Universities, all service organizations, senior citizen forums, police, bar associations, schools and colleges, local self governments, NRHM, social work colleges, management institutes
o Media – documentaries in theatres, street theatre, TV, newspaper, FM radio. Use print and electronic media, public hoardings in PHCs and hospitals,
o Include dementia in as many public awareness programs as possible
o Include information about Alzheimer's Disease in the curriculum of medical colleges for doctors, nurses, Social Science and supportive health care personnel
o Target conferences of medical professionals, nursing bureaus and home care services, RMPs,
o There should be a comprehensive website
§ Content of the messages
o The goal of awareness should be very clear from the outset and there should be a distinction between what is a public health approach and what accounts for individual strategy (care giving is a individual strategy while generic awareness of the disease is a public health strategy).
o Differentiation between normal aging and age associated memory impairment (AAMI) and benign senescent forgetfulness (BSF) of normal aging process.
o Clarification of the 3 words that are used inter-changeably - aging, dementia and Alzheimer's Disease
o Lack of permanent cure (warn people against high expectations from various drugs and others substances such as ginkgo biloba) and importance of care for the patient and support for the caregiver
o Right information on ethical dilemmas such as tube feeding and palliative care in the terminal stage
o Right information on the experiments conducted on curcumin
o The demographic impact of Alzheimer's Disease and other dementias in developing countries such as India
o Clear signs of Alzheimer's Disease such as forgetting names, loss of interest in hobbies, unable to manage money, unable to do simple housekeeping tasks or cooking should be highlighted in the awareness campaigns so that people can identify Alzheimer's Disease in the elderly
2. Early diagnosis and intervention
Objectives:
Encourage family members to take the elderly to a doctor in time without waiting for the Disease to progress and obtain necessary medical care.
Comments/suggestions
§ How to promote early diagnosis
o Through workshops for training professionals for diagnosis in urban and rural areas.
o Organize memory clinics and camps
3. Improved quality of care / Rehabilitation
Objectives:
Improved health care through Informed family carers
Relieving of carer stress and burnout
Improved quality of care through the public health system
Informed and Effective Workforce
Comments/suggestions
§ What to watch out for
o The urban rural divide should also be accounted for in the strategy and one should be realistic about what rural health workers can do in 6 hrs of full-time work as they are already overburdened.
§ Diagnosis and care services
o Offer high quality care and support through memory clinics, day-care centers, and respite care centers.
o Set quality standards for care. Simple guidelines to be used for ensuring minimum quality standards in these clinics and in public health systems
o Focus on priorities for care-givers - access to continuity of support, access to good-quality information about dementia and local help available, access to good-quality care at home, in hospital or in a care home – provided by people with an understanding of dementia, access to peer support.
o Through support groups empower carers to make choices in caring for their family member suffering from Alzheimer's Disease
o Support and inspire carers to improve the quality of care rather than just have the basic needs of the patient, attended to
§ Training of personnel in dementia”.
o Stress on the benefits of training – the task of caring for a dementia patient is extremely difficult as it involves handling of wandering patients, aggression, incontinence and eventually round-the-clock care. Training is needed to enable caregivers to provide appropriate, competent and sensitive care and support and at the same time, prevent burnout.
o Who should be trained?
o Persons with dementia, immediate family, care staff, general health care professionals, and volunteers from community.
o Other aspects of training - levels of training need to be appropriate for the corresponding group of people. Critical focus areas in training include understanding the disease, skills to manage challenging behaviour and strategies for helping families and caregivers cope with the emotional challenges of caring for a resident with Alzheimer's disease.
o Standardise content of geriatric/dementia care training
o Have at least one trained care giver in care homes- incentive and/or legislation
o Make funds available for training programs, workshops
Others
Comments/suggestions
§ How can we identify Alzheimer's disease in people living alone?
o Through telephone, friends and relatives should be encouraged to be in touch; reverse help line approach where the NGOs can contact them periodically should be promoted
§ What ARDSI should do
o Each local chapter should engage with the local govt for advocacy and fundraising.
o The Delhi chapter should do advocacy with govt on policy planning through the planning commission, other departments etc. There has to be a dynamic national presence in the national capital to help ARDSI get access to both governmental and private support.
§ A few other issues for focus
o Legal issues - Doctors look after the patient and support groups focus on the care aspect. No one focus on other legal issues relating to property. ARDSI should liase with advocate and promote information on these aspects as in Alzheimer's Disease the patient’s decision making ability is impaired
o Advocacy with NSSO (Delhi) TISS and IIPS for including Alzheimer's Disease in their research to estimate incidence of Alzheimer's Disease
o Study of WHO report of 2001 to outline minimum action required for dementia care given the uniqueness of Indian context compared to the west.
o Dementia strategy paper should be distributed to all stakeholders and their comments invited
o To have National Dementia Registry
o To advocate with corporate to include Elderly/Dementia in CSR
o Dementia to be included in National Mental Health Prorammes
o To advocate to include Dementia in Disability ACT
o Have Multidisciplinary Dementia Day care Center
o Have Respite Care facility
o Have 24 x 7 Long Term care facility for the needy
o To include Dementia in Senior Citizens Maintenance ACT 2007
o To have more support groups for care givers
About Department of Psychiatry, Nair Hospital, Mumbai:
Department of Psychiatry at Nair Hospital offers services to Elderly as part of OPD and Inpatient Facility. Special Emphasis is on detection & treatment of Psychology disorder in Elderly including Dementia, which forms part of its therapeutic outreach programme. In recent years importance is being given to research on MCI –Mild Cognitive Impairment – patients have a high risk of converting to Alzheimer's disease.
About Silver Inning Foundation:
Silver Inning Foundation is registered NGO dedicated for Senior Citizens and Its family. It is part of Silver Innings.Com www.silverinnings.com a comprehensive and dedicated Website for Elderly. Dementia is one of the focus areas for Silver Innings. Providing need base service, networking and advocacy for Senior Citizens forms important aspect of Silver Innings. It promotes the concept of Successful Ageing among various forums.
Dr.Jacob Roy
National Chairman, ARDSI
Dr.Charles Pinto
Project Head – NDS –I, Mumbai
Prof Emeritus, Dept of Psychiatry, Nair Hospital ,Mumbai
Sailesh Mishra
Chief Coordinator, NDS –I, Mumbai
Founder President, Silver Inning Foundation
Email: ardsimumbai@gmail.com ; sailesh2000@gmail.com
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Child Sexual Abuse – it’s closer home than you thought
With the current spate of child sexual abuse cases coming out in the media nationally and internationally it finally seems the society will start believing, sexual abuse does happen and not necessarily anywhere outside but could be within one’s own home. A no. of incest (sexual relations with a family member) cases that have cropped up show that maybe homes are not that ‘safe’. The National Study 2007 says that 50% of the sex offenders (family member, relative, friend, neighbour) are known to the victim. At Arpan, an NGO based in Mumbai that works to Prevent the occurrence of Child Sexual Abuse and heal those who have been affected by it has found that in a damning 94% of our cases the offender was known to the victim. When safety is not guaranteed even with people a child knows, then it’s time for society to come to the child’s help. The only answer seems that the child must be empowered with skills to protect him or herself from sexual abuse. Just like we teach them general safety rules like staying away from fire, looking before we cross the road, etc. so should we teach them about personal safety.
Its their body and they are the boss of their bodies. Difference between safe touch and unsafe touches; any touch that leaves them happy and comfortable is a safe touch and any touch that makes them feel bad, scared, confused or uncomfortable is an unsafe touch. Give Vocabulary; Parts covered with a swimming suit are called Private Body Parts. Personal safety rules to keep their private body parts safe.
Ø Rule 1: It is never alright for someone to touch, look at or talk about their private body parts except to keep them clean and healthy.
It is never alright for some one to ask the child to touch, look at or talk about their private body parts.
Ø Rule 2: If some one breaks this rule they must “SAY NO and RUN AWAY”.
Ø Rule 3: Tell a trusted adult about it and keep telling till they get the help they need.
Even if someone breaks this rule it is never the child’s FAULT.
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
Arpan is teaching Personal Safety in schools and it’s imperative parents teach their children the following key things:
Ø Rule 1: It is never alright for someone to touch, look at or talk about their private body parts except to keep them clean and healthy.
It is never alright for some one to ask the child to touch, look at or talk about their private body parts.
Ø Rule 2: If some one breaks this rule they must “SAY NO and RUN AWAY”.
Ø Rule 3: Tell a trusted adult about it and keep telling till they get the help they need.
Even if someone breaks this rule it is never the child’s FAULT.
Tips for parents:
· Keep open communication channels with children so that they come and share things that bother them.
· Don’t force them to kiss, hug people they don’t feel comfortable about.
· Keep vigilance on where the children are, who are their friends and the people around them.
· Most children don’t report sexual abuse. Look out for symptoms that can indicate something is wrong. Symptoms could be:
Social: Social Withdrawal ,Increased hostility or aggression ,Overly pleasing behavior ,Drastic change in achievement patterns.
Sexual: Sexualized behavior ,Early sexual activity,Use of abusive sexual language
Medical: Psychosomatic illnesses ,Pain or swelling in genital area,Repeated urinary infections
Psychological : Eating disorders ,Anxiety or Indifference ,Depression,Suicide attempts
The above symptoms are only indicative and do not necessarily mean the child has been sexually abused. Only with further probing when the child reveals can one be sure.
If abuse has happened believe what the child has disclosed and be positive and supportive. Tell the child it’s not his or her fault. Get the child away from the abuser and try and help to see that other children don’t become prey to the abuser as well.
Most importantly take help from mental and medical health professionals. Whilst most people seek medical help mental health is not thought of as very important. However, in cases of sexual abuse what is UTMOST important is mental health intervention. We often think the child will cope, forget about it and move on with life but this is far from truth. The truth is that the more time goes other complications manifest in the psyche of the individual leading to long lasting trauma as an effect of abuse that never seems to go away. The healing never happens with time. One never forgets. Hence the earlier the healing process is started the better it is for the individual. However not all children might require counseling as this depends on the severity of the abuse. Therefore, professional advise must be taken to decide what’s best for the child.
Arpan provides counseling services and can be contacted on +91.98190.51444 or write to info@arpan.org.in. Website: www.arpan.org.in
For children who’ve been sexually abused, life ends before it even begins. We as parents, adults in the society can at least do so much that we empower our children to prevent abuse and help them heal if it happens. If we are not able to do even this, then somewhere we adults have failed to provide the basic right a child has: to safety.
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
Monday, April 20, 2009
‘National Dementia Strategy’ Western India Round Table Conference
Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Society of India (ARDSI) National Office and Mumbai Chapter has pleasure in inviting you for the the National Consultative meetings of Experts from Western India to develop a ‘National Dementia Strategy’ on Saturday April 25th 2009 at YMCA International, Mumbai Central at 9.30 am to 6.30 pm.
Dementia is a general term to denote a progressive degenerative disease of the brain resulting in loss of Memory, intellectual decline, behavioural and personality changes. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of Dementia. Mostly older people are affected by this condition.It is estimated that there are more than 28 million people affected by this mind crippling tragedy globally. This number is expected to double by 2025. More than 70% of people with dementia live in developing counties like China and India.
Kindly accept our Cordial Invitation and Contribute to the development of the National Dementia strategy for the country with your valuable participation.
This meeting is organised by Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Society of India (ARDSI) National Office and Mumbai Chapter in association with Department of Psychiatry, Nair Hospital, Mumbai and Silver Inning Foundation.
We request you to kindly confirm your or your organisation participation for this important national meeting.
Contact Email Ids: ardsimumbai@gmail.com ; sailesh2000@gmail.com
Warm Regards,
Sailesh Mishra
Chief Coordinator,NDS,ARDSI-Mumbai
Founder President,Silver Innning Foundation
Tel: 91-022- 23742479
Website: http://www.alzheimer-india.org/ ; http://www.silverinnings.com/
Remember Those who Cannot Remember
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
Dementia is a general term to denote a progressive degenerative disease of the brain resulting in loss of Memory, intellectual decline, behavioural and personality changes. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of Dementia. Mostly older people are affected by this condition.It is estimated that there are more than 28 million people affected by this mind crippling tragedy globally. This number is expected to double by 2025. More than 70% of people with dementia live in developing counties like China and India.
Kindly accept our Cordial Invitation and Contribute to the development of the National Dementia strategy for the country with your valuable participation.
This meeting is organised by Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Society of India (ARDSI) National Office and Mumbai Chapter in association with Department of Psychiatry, Nair Hospital, Mumbai and Silver Inning Foundation.
We request you to kindly confirm your or your organisation participation for this important national meeting.
Contact Email Ids: ardsimumbai@gmail.com ; sailesh2000@gmail.com
Warm Regards,
Sailesh Mishra
Chief Coordinator,NDS,ARDSI-Mumbai
Founder President,Silver Innning Foundation
Tel: 91-022- 23742479
Website: http://www.alzheimer-india.org/ ; http://www.silverinnings.com/
Remember Those who Cannot Remember
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
Let’s rock the elections
“Youth” and “change” are the most bandied about words in the run up to the 15th Lok Sabha elections. With an estimated one quarter of voters aged between 18 and 25 years, every party is trying to woo young voters through campaigns specially designed for them and young candidates are being projected as “important faces” of the party.
Are young people really impressed? To an extent yes, with some youngsters even starting voluntary campaigns to enrol voters and inspire them to walk to the polling booths on the day of polling. But many also feel that there is a need to dissect and understand what really hides behind the Obama-inspired “Yes we can!” political rhetoric.
Sense of disillusionment
The young are disillusioned with the older generation of leaders and their power battles and feel a great disconnect. Palakdeep Bamrah, 22, in Mumbai, remarks, “We have already seen how old politicians are busy in their games.” But not many names come to mind of young politicians, apart from a Rahul Gandhi or a Milind Deora.
Occupied with their academic demands and employment prospects, the young find no identification with any of the tactics for luring vote banks. “Politicians create rifts in society. They are not interested in listening to us, understand our needs,” says Shivamraj Singh, 17, again from Mumbai.
That is a sentiment shared by many. “When someone talks politics, it is like noise. We shut it out,” says Aruna P.R, a visual communications student in Chennai who just turned 18 and is waiting for her voter-id. “We have better jobs to do.”
For her, a leader is someone who should inspire. “Make people realise their duties, make them think.” And she is of the firm opinion that people do not think. “Analyse what is right and wrong. Don’t just follow.”
She may be surprised that though at the other end of the politically-aware spectrum, Rupesh Kumar in Chennai, a student of social work, agrees with her. “It bothers me that after ages, people are still voting for the same politicians.” Hence, he is part of a campaign for 49-O, the right not to vote. “We want to register a protest legally that no one is eligible to vote for.”
The need among the youth is for an indefinable “change”. It’s not just about having less number of years, but bringing in newer outlooks to politics and to the process of nation building. “We need to change with changing times. Young politicians would think like us. They would interact with the common man. That’s what the country needs,” says 18-year old Shayne Gomes in Mumbai.
For many, Rahul Gandhi has become the symbol of the young blood and the change that they speak about. Varun Gandhi on the other hand does not strike a chord. Clearly, in the eyes of the youth, much of the political skulduggery is old fashioned.
“The country needs change and new ideas. I am glad that the parties are thinking about youngsters and putting up at least some young candidates,” says Leo Peter, who has just finished his pre-university course in Electronics in Mumabi. They may lack experience, he admits, but argues that it is important to give them a chance to gain experience. “They are setting an example and telling us that politics is not an area of darkness for the young.”
It is certainly not an area of darkness for Sarath Babu, a graduate of BITS, Pilani, who has carved out a multi-million business in catering in Chennai, starting from scratch. He is contesting as an independent in Chennai South. He will be hoping to duplicate his success in politics too.
Dynastic politics
But Kushal Bhimjiani, a fourth year student in the National Law School of India University, Bangalore, takes this brouhaha about young faces in politics with a pinch of salt. “Yes, it feels nice to know that there are young people in fray. But let us not forget that ‘who are you?’ and ‘whom do you know?’ remain very important questions for every young politician,” she says. After all, with dynasty rule firmly in place in all political parties, it is sons and daughters of senior politicians who dominate in the line up of young politicians contesting polls this time. “It is not easy for others to break into the system within a party and its strict hierarchy,” says Kushal.
There are many issues that concern the young. Palakdeep identifies the economy, security scenario and people getting their dues as some of the areas needing urgent action. She thinks young politicians can have better ideas.
Anisha Sheth, a student of media studies from Mangalore, says that two issues — the economic crisis that has led to huge job losses and blatant communalism — are weighing heavily on the minds of young voters rather than the age of the contestants. The bottom line for Anisha is: “The government which comes to power should ensure social security for all citizens and in an equitable manner.”
Kushal cautions that the business of political parties wooing the young is double-edged and can be used as a tool to divide them. “Sadly a section of young people are swayed by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s rhetoric about terrorism,” she says, adding that this is turning into hostility for the minority community.
Sofiya Ashraf, a student of graphic design in Chennai, was part of a “voting is cool” campaign aimed at fellow students. “‘High-class’ colleges are not considered vote-banks,” and rightly so, she says. She is also bothered about the rhetoric on minority issues. “But when you vote, media and rhetoric should not sway you.” Base the decision on policies and their implementation, she adds.
Observers say the youth are not a vote bank, even as 40 per cent of voters are below 35, as pointed out in the media. How many will vote for the Samajwadi Party’s manifesto of doing away with computers or English education? But then, what options do the youth have?
Source:http://www.hindu.com/mag/2009/04/19/stories/2009041950010100.htm
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
Are young people really impressed? To an extent yes, with some youngsters even starting voluntary campaigns to enrol voters and inspire them to walk to the polling booths on the day of polling. But many also feel that there is a need to dissect and understand what really hides behind the Obama-inspired “Yes we can!” political rhetoric.
Sense of disillusionment
The young are disillusioned with the older generation of leaders and their power battles and feel a great disconnect. Palakdeep Bamrah, 22, in Mumbai, remarks, “We have already seen how old politicians are busy in their games.” But not many names come to mind of young politicians, apart from a Rahul Gandhi or a Milind Deora.
Occupied with their academic demands and employment prospects, the young find no identification with any of the tactics for luring vote banks. “Politicians create rifts in society. They are not interested in listening to us, understand our needs,” says Shivamraj Singh, 17, again from Mumbai.
That is a sentiment shared by many. “When someone talks politics, it is like noise. We shut it out,” says Aruna P.R, a visual communications student in Chennai who just turned 18 and is waiting for her voter-id. “We have better jobs to do.”
For her, a leader is someone who should inspire. “Make people realise their duties, make them think.” And she is of the firm opinion that people do not think. “Analyse what is right and wrong. Don’t just follow.”
She may be surprised that though at the other end of the politically-aware spectrum, Rupesh Kumar in Chennai, a student of social work, agrees with her. “It bothers me that after ages, people are still voting for the same politicians.” Hence, he is part of a campaign for 49-O, the right not to vote. “We want to register a protest legally that no one is eligible to vote for.”
The need among the youth is for an indefinable “change”. It’s not just about having less number of years, but bringing in newer outlooks to politics and to the process of nation building. “We need to change with changing times. Young politicians would think like us. They would interact with the common man. That’s what the country needs,” says 18-year old Shayne Gomes in Mumbai.
For many, Rahul Gandhi has become the symbol of the young blood and the change that they speak about. Varun Gandhi on the other hand does not strike a chord. Clearly, in the eyes of the youth, much of the political skulduggery is old fashioned.
“The country needs change and new ideas. I am glad that the parties are thinking about youngsters and putting up at least some young candidates,” says Leo Peter, who has just finished his pre-university course in Electronics in Mumabi. They may lack experience, he admits, but argues that it is important to give them a chance to gain experience. “They are setting an example and telling us that politics is not an area of darkness for the young.”
It is certainly not an area of darkness for Sarath Babu, a graduate of BITS, Pilani, who has carved out a multi-million business in catering in Chennai, starting from scratch. He is contesting as an independent in Chennai South. He will be hoping to duplicate his success in politics too.
Dynastic politics
But Kushal Bhimjiani, a fourth year student in the National Law School of India University, Bangalore, takes this brouhaha about young faces in politics with a pinch of salt. “Yes, it feels nice to know that there are young people in fray. But let us not forget that ‘who are you?’ and ‘whom do you know?’ remain very important questions for every young politician,” she says. After all, with dynasty rule firmly in place in all political parties, it is sons and daughters of senior politicians who dominate in the line up of young politicians contesting polls this time. “It is not easy for others to break into the system within a party and its strict hierarchy,” says Kushal.
There are many issues that concern the young. Palakdeep identifies the economy, security scenario and people getting their dues as some of the areas needing urgent action. She thinks young politicians can have better ideas.
Anisha Sheth, a student of media studies from Mangalore, says that two issues — the economic crisis that has led to huge job losses and blatant communalism — are weighing heavily on the minds of young voters rather than the age of the contestants. The bottom line for Anisha is: “The government which comes to power should ensure social security for all citizens and in an equitable manner.”
Kushal cautions that the business of political parties wooing the young is double-edged and can be used as a tool to divide them. “Sadly a section of young people are swayed by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s rhetoric about terrorism,” she says, adding that this is turning into hostility for the minority community.
Sofiya Ashraf, a student of graphic design in Chennai, was part of a “voting is cool” campaign aimed at fellow students. “‘High-class’ colleges are not considered vote-banks,” and rightly so, she says. She is also bothered about the rhetoric on minority issues. “But when you vote, media and rhetoric should not sway you.” Base the decision on policies and their implementation, she adds.
Observers say the youth are not a vote bank, even as 40 per cent of voters are below 35, as pointed out in the media. How many will vote for the Samajwadi Party’s manifesto of doing away with computers or English education? But then, what options do the youth have?
Source:http://www.hindu.com/mag/2009/04/19/stories/2009041950010100.htm
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
'Green Nobel' for forest champion
A campaigner who was jailed during his battle to save the rainforest in Gabon has received a top international award.
Marc Ona Essangui was honoured for his fight to stop what he describes as a destructive mining project in the Ivindo National Park.
He is one of seven people from six continental regions to be awarded an equal share of the $900,000 (£600,000) 2009 Goldman Environmental Prize.
It has been described as "the Nobel Prize for grassroots environmentalism".
Mr Ona has campaigned for three years against the Belinga mine project - a deal between the government in Gabon and the Chinese mining and engineering company, CMEC, to extract iron ore.
The project includes the construction of a large hydroelectric dam, which is already underway, to provide power for the mine.
The dam is being built on the Ivindo River, near the Kongou Falls, Gabon's highest waterfall.
Mr Ona, who described the falls as "the most beautiful in central Africa", said that Gabon's government had failed to consult the local population and had not assessed the impact of the development on the environment before it gave permission for construction to begin.
He told BBC News that he hoped his receipt of the Goldman Prize would "draw international attention to just how precious this area is".
Political protest
Mr Ona, who uses a wheelchair, dedicated his early career to improving education and communication infrastructure in Gabon, including working with the United Nations Development Programme. He later turned his attention to environmental issues.
He eventually decided to focus his efforts full time on the work of his own environmental NGO, Brainforest, which aims to protect the rainforest for the benefit local of communities.
"The government established 13 national parks here, and I became interested in all the activities within them," he said.
"In 2006, my colleagues and I noticed that roads were being built within Ivindo."
When Mr Ona investigated, he discovered that there had been no environmental impact studies carried out before the road building started.
On its website, the Gabonese government describes the national parks as having been "classified for the conservation of Gabon's rich biodiversity".
The key goals of the national park scheme, it says, are preservation of "the wealth of the ecosystem… for current and future generations" and stimulating "the development of ecotourism as an economic alternative to the exploitation of natural resources".
Mr Ona said: "All of this construction was carried out illegally and against the code of the national parks."
He also unearthed and leaked a copy of the Belinga mine project agreement between the government and CMEC, revealing that CMEC had been offered a 25-year tax break as part of the deal.
"When we really started to look into the deal, we noticed that it was China, not Gabon, that was the major beneficiary," he said.
Under pressure
He and his colleagues embarked on their campaign, working with other environmental NGOs, holding news conferences and meeting with local communities.
"The government even motivated some protests against the NGOs involved," he recalled.
"They alleged that we were working [on behalf of] Western powers, and we received a lot of pressure to stop the campaign."
This culminated in Mr Ona being arrested and charged with "incitement to rebellion".
He was jailed by the Gabonese judicial police on 31 December 2008; but following an internationally co-ordinated campaign for his release, he was freed on 12 January 2009.
Since June 2006, however, he has been banned from travelling outside the country.
His passport was returned to him only 24 hours before he was due to travel to San Francisco for the Goldman award ceremony.
There has been no construction in Ivindo for almost a year, but Mr Ona says this has more to do with the economic crisis and the price of iron ore than with the Gabonese government backing down.
He has no plans to give up his quest.
"Some of the money from this award will go to the functioning of Brainforest, and the rest will be allocated to setting up small- and medium-sized businesses for local communities," he said.
"I want to set up a clinic near Ivindo where the local people can be treated using traditional medicine. Some of the money will serve to establish this health centre for all of those communities."
No fear
The organisers of the Goldman Prize describe the six winners as "a group of fearless grassroots leaders, taking on government and corporate interests and working to improve the environment for people in their communities".
Among the other 2009 recipients are Maria Gunnoe from West Virginia, US, who has faced death threats for her outspoken activism to stop destruction of the Appalachia by the coal industry.
Also rewarded are Russian scientist Olga Speranskaya, who connected NGOs across Eastern Europe and the Caucasus region to identify and safely remove toxic chemical stockpiles, and Rizwana Hasan, Bangladesh's leading environmental attorney, whose legal advocacy led to tighter regulations on the ship-breaking industry.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8000936.stm
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
Marc Ona Essangui was honoured for his fight to stop what he describes as a destructive mining project in the Ivindo National Park.
He is one of seven people from six continental regions to be awarded an equal share of the $900,000 (£600,000) 2009 Goldman Environmental Prize.
It has been described as "the Nobel Prize for grassroots environmentalism".
Mr Ona has campaigned for three years against the Belinga mine project - a deal between the government in Gabon and the Chinese mining and engineering company, CMEC, to extract iron ore.
The project includes the construction of a large hydroelectric dam, which is already underway, to provide power for the mine.
The dam is being built on the Ivindo River, near the Kongou Falls, Gabon's highest waterfall.
Mr Ona, who described the falls as "the most beautiful in central Africa", said that Gabon's government had failed to consult the local population and had not assessed the impact of the development on the environment before it gave permission for construction to begin.
He told BBC News that he hoped his receipt of the Goldman Prize would "draw international attention to just how precious this area is".
Political protest
Mr Ona, who uses a wheelchair, dedicated his early career to improving education and communication infrastructure in Gabon, including working with the United Nations Development Programme. He later turned his attention to environmental issues.
He eventually decided to focus his efforts full time on the work of his own environmental NGO, Brainforest, which aims to protect the rainforest for the benefit local of communities.
"The government established 13 national parks here, and I became interested in all the activities within them," he said.
"In 2006, my colleagues and I noticed that roads were being built within Ivindo."
When Mr Ona investigated, he discovered that there had been no environmental impact studies carried out before the road building started.
On its website, the Gabonese government describes the national parks as having been "classified for the conservation of Gabon's rich biodiversity".
The key goals of the national park scheme, it says, are preservation of "the wealth of the ecosystem… for current and future generations" and stimulating "the development of ecotourism as an economic alternative to the exploitation of natural resources".
Mr Ona said: "All of this construction was carried out illegally and against the code of the national parks."
He also unearthed and leaked a copy of the Belinga mine project agreement between the government and CMEC, revealing that CMEC had been offered a 25-year tax break as part of the deal.
"When we really started to look into the deal, we noticed that it was China, not Gabon, that was the major beneficiary," he said.
Under pressure
He and his colleagues embarked on their campaign, working with other environmental NGOs, holding news conferences and meeting with local communities.
"The government even motivated some protests against the NGOs involved," he recalled.
"They alleged that we were working [on behalf of] Western powers, and we received a lot of pressure to stop the campaign."
This culminated in Mr Ona being arrested and charged with "incitement to rebellion".
He was jailed by the Gabonese judicial police on 31 December 2008; but following an internationally co-ordinated campaign for his release, he was freed on 12 January 2009.
Since June 2006, however, he has been banned from travelling outside the country.
His passport was returned to him only 24 hours before he was due to travel to San Francisco for the Goldman award ceremony.
There has been no construction in Ivindo for almost a year, but Mr Ona says this has more to do with the economic crisis and the price of iron ore than with the Gabonese government backing down.
He has no plans to give up his quest.
"Some of the money from this award will go to the functioning of Brainforest, and the rest will be allocated to setting up small- and medium-sized businesses for local communities," he said.
"I want to set up a clinic near Ivindo where the local people can be treated using traditional medicine. Some of the money will serve to establish this health centre for all of those communities."
No fear
The organisers of the Goldman Prize describe the six winners as "a group of fearless grassroots leaders, taking on government and corporate interests and working to improve the environment for people in their communities".
Among the other 2009 recipients are Maria Gunnoe from West Virginia, US, who has faced death threats for her outspoken activism to stop destruction of the Appalachia by the coal industry.
Also rewarded are Russian scientist Olga Speranskaya, who connected NGOs across Eastern Europe and the Caucasus region to identify and safely remove toxic chemical stockpiles, and Rizwana Hasan, Bangladesh's leading environmental attorney, whose legal advocacy led to tighter regulations on the ship-breaking industry.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8000936.stm
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
One day course at Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai
The grand opening of the Global Vipassana Pagoda was a memorable event, a major milestone achieved in the Vipassana movement. The mega one-day course was attended by more than 11,000 meditators from various parts of the world. Goenkaji wishes to conduct several one-day meditation courses in the Global Pagoda to benefit meditators worldwide.
Therefore, the Global Vipassana Foundation has decided to conduct such mega one-day Vipassana courses every month from April 2009.
The course will be in the presence of Goenkaji.
The schedule of the courses is as below:
19th April 2009 — Third Sunday
9th May 2009 — Saturday, Buddha Purnima
7th June 2009 — Sunday, Purnima
7th July 2009— Tuesday, Guru Purnima
16th Aug 2009 — Third Sunday
20th Sep 2009 — Third Sunday
4th Oct 2009 — Sunday, Purnima
15th Nov 2009 — Third Sunday
20th Dec 2009— Third Sunday
Course time: 11am to 4pm
All meditators have to register at:Email: global.oneday@gmail.com ; globalvipassana@gmail.com
Or call at ……Registration timings : 10.00 am to 5.30 pm.Tel no: 022- 28452111 or 28451204Cell: 098928-55692, 098928-55945
Please note that there is no facility to stay overnight at the venue.All meditators are required to get a photo identity card such as driving licence, voter ID card or passport. This is mandatory for security check by the police at the pagoda site.
Kindly register for the course, so that the Global Vipassana Pagoda trust can serve you better.
May everyone progress and establish themselves in Dhamma and inspire others!
With All Metta,
Global Vipassana Foundation (Trust)
Posted by Mr.Om Nath Garg
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
Therefore, the Global Vipassana Foundation has decided to conduct such mega one-day Vipassana courses every month from April 2009.
The course will be in the presence of Goenkaji.
The schedule of the courses is as below:
19th April 2009 — Third Sunday
9th May 2009 — Saturday, Buddha Purnima
7th June 2009 — Sunday, Purnima
7th July 2009— Tuesday, Guru Purnima
16th Aug 2009 — Third Sunday
20th Sep 2009 — Third Sunday
4th Oct 2009 — Sunday, Purnima
15th Nov 2009 — Third Sunday
20th Dec 2009— Third Sunday
Course time: 11am to 4pm
All meditators have to register at:Email: global.oneday@gmail.com ; globalvipassana@gmail.com
Or call at ……Registration timings : 10.00 am to 5.30 pm.Tel no: 022- 28452111 or 28451204Cell: 098928-55692, 098928-55945
Please note that there is no facility to stay overnight at the venue.All meditators are required to get a photo identity card such as driving licence, voter ID card or passport. This is mandatory for security check by the police at the pagoda site.
Kindly register for the course, so that the Global Vipassana Pagoda trust can serve you better.
May everyone progress and establish themselves in Dhamma and inspire others!
With All Metta,
Global Vipassana Foundation (Trust)
Posted by Mr.Om Nath Garg
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)