Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Cholera outbreak in eastern Chad almost over
September 14: An outbreak of cholera centered on Abéché, Chad is now nearly over. Please pray for the final cases to recover well, especially the children who were touched and whose ability to fight off the disease is not developed.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Despite crisis in Somalia, Chad is still the worst place to treat a sick child
(AFP, Dakar): Children in countries facing a dearth of health workers, mainly in Africa, are five times more likely to die from illnesses than those in developed countries, a Save the Children study showed Tuesday.
The new Health Workers Reach Index by the UK-based NGO shows that Chad is the worst place to treat a sick child, while Switzerland is the best, with 13 of the worst 20 countries for a child to fall ill in, in Africa.
Famine and war-wracked Somalia is the runner up for worst place. Countries like Laos, Nepal, Afghanistan and Bangladesh feature at the bottom.
Finland, Ireland, Norway, Belarus and Denmark are also at the top of the list.
"At the moment, a child's survival depends on where he or she is born in the world. No mother should have to watch helplessly as her child grows sick and dies, simply because there is no one trained to help," said Aboubacry Tall, the NGO's West and Central Africa regional director.
Children in these countries -- which have less than the World Health Organisation minimum of just over two health workers for every thousand people - are five times more likely to die than those countries at the top of the index.
The charity hopes to highlight a global shortage of over 3.5 million doctors, nurses, midwives and community health workers two weeks before a crucial UN meeting in New York.
Millions of children risk dying in countries like Ethiopia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone because of a lack of healthworkers. Please pray with us for God to call competent health workers, not only to Chad, but to all the nations at the bottom of this list.
The new Health Workers Reach Index by the UK-based NGO shows that Chad is the worst place to treat a sick child, while Switzerland is the best, with 13 of the worst 20 countries for a child to fall ill in, in Africa.
Famine and war-wracked Somalia is the runner up for worst place. Countries like Laos, Nepal, Afghanistan and Bangladesh feature at the bottom.
Finland, Ireland, Norway, Belarus and Denmark are also at the top of the list.
"At the moment, a child's survival depends on where he or she is born in the world. No mother should have to watch helplessly as her child grows sick and dies, simply because there is no one trained to help," said Aboubacry Tall, the NGO's West and Central Africa regional director.
Children in these countries -- which have less than the World Health Organisation minimum of just over two health workers for every thousand people - are five times more likely to die than those countries at the top of the index.
The charity hopes to highlight a global shortage of over 3.5 million doctors, nurses, midwives and community health workers two weeks before a crucial UN meeting in New York.
Millions of children risk dying in countries like Ethiopia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone because of a lack of healthworkers. Please pray with us for God to call competent health workers, not only to Chad, but to all the nations at the bottom of this list.
To read the full article from AFP, click here.
Djermaya refinery delivers energy crunch
September 7, 2011: With the inauguration of the Chinese oil refinery in Djermaya, Chad, the market is doing its best to adjust to the new addition. The timing could not have been worse, as Chad finds itself in that period between the close of the rainy season and harvest, where the roads are at their worst.
Between a 40%+ tax on imported goods and the subsidized cost of production in Djermaya, imported gasoline and diesel just cannot compete with the price offered at the Chinese refineries.
Every gas station and fuel distributor in Chad (and perhaps elsewhere) wants to buy the cheaper fuel from the new refinery. As a result, suppliers are having difficulty keeping up with the demand, and everyone from motorcyclists to transportation companies to private companies who use generators, from N'Djaména to Goz Beïda, is struggling to provide their need for energy.
Please pray that immediate energy solutions may be found soon, and that long-term improvements will also be felt as time goes by.
Between a 40%+ tax on imported goods and the subsidized cost of production in Djermaya, imported gasoline and diesel just cannot compete with the price offered at the Chinese refineries.
Every gas station and fuel distributor in Chad (and perhaps elsewhere) wants to buy the cheaper fuel from the new refinery. As a result, suppliers are having difficulty keeping up with the demand, and everyone from motorcyclists to transportation companies to private companies who use generators, from N'Djaména to Goz Beïda, is struggling to provide their need for energy.
Please pray that immediate energy solutions may be found soon, and that long-term improvements will also be felt as time goes by.
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