http://www.ted.com/themes/africa_the_next_chapter.html
This ted.com site has some wonderful Africa resource video clips worth discussion. Please view 2-3 of these clips and share what you learn, raise questions, and react to what others say. (TWO REQUIRED POSTS BY FRIDAY NOON 1/28/11).
I just listened to Euvin Naidoo’s talk on investing in Africa. He discussed the many opportunities available on this continent. As I listened, I wondered why I never heard of these opportunities. The news media seems to report only on the hunger, drought and turmoil some countries are experiencing. Mr. Naidoo actually shed some light on the brighter side of Africa. He indicated that inflation is coming down and currencies are stabilizing. Naidoo presented a satellite photo of the world that surprised me. The photo told the story. There was much light in North America, Europe, Asia and South America but Africa was basically dark. Naidoo saw the darkness as opportunity. He went on to say that Nigeria is expected to be in the top ten economies in the world by 2020. Companies in Nigeria are raising their own capital just like companies do here. Additionally, Nigeria’s banking system is strengthening and there are only 700 ATMs in the country. If I owned a company making ATMs, I would tell my investment department to research this opportunity. People always say that when things seem the darkest, something wonderful will happen. I like to think that although Africa may be known as a dark continent today, the world will start to look at the brighter side. Companies can invest in building roads and expanding utilities. We have to look beyond what the media wants us to see. After listening to Euvin Naidoo, I believe Africa will turnaround if the world is willing to place investments there. I believe if companies throughout the world work with existing companies in Nigeria and Uganda, and build new companies employing local people, living conditions will improve.
ReplyDeleteI am pleased with Linda's post:) She not only overviewed the segment she saw (very much making me interested in viewing Naidoo's talk!!), she also analyzed the segment (broke it down with specific examples), and inserted her own ideas as well. Nice job Linda--a good model to follow! Enjoy TED:)
ReplyDeleteI watched the Annie Lennox video on TED. She starts by explaining why?, she is a HIV/ Aids activist. As she was unable to ignore the dishearting facts that women and children of Sub-Saharan Africa are the majority affected by this terrible disease. She explains as a women and mother how she could not ignore this tragedy. Annie Lennox tells how she joined in Nelson Mandela's Aid's foundation 46664 named after his prision number. As he gave a confrence to the World Press to raise awareness of this pandemic, calling it a "VIRTUAL GENOCIDE". Standing outside of the cell he had once been previously in-prisoned in, on Robinson Island. Bringing awareness to the HIV/ Aids affecting nearly the entire population in Africa. She goes on to pro-claim Nelson Mandela's work in his country. After leaving Africa she knew that there was more that needed to be done to send awareness and much needed help. As Annie then explains how she met, Zackie Achmat active campaigner and founder of "Treatment Action Champaign". She goes on to explain how his foundation is set up and ran by the peoples of Africa. How 80% of these active members are women, and how they are almost all infected with HIV/ Aids. She goes on to explain how these women go into their communities helping to raise the educational awareness of the disease, as well as ways of treatment and prevention. As Annie worked with these other foundations she went on to do her own called "Sing Champaign" were she and a few other's perform to raise awareness and to raise funds for the other HIV/ Aids foundations in Africa. She goes on to explain the many things she has done in other countries as well to raise awareness. How she is an Envoi to the Scotish Parlement, and how now she has recently become a UN Aids embassador. After joining to help stregthen her cause for awareness she goes on to explain how, they have the goal to ELIMINATE the the transfer of the disease from mother to child by 2015.She shows a picture of herself and a pregnant mother with aids smiling, knowing her baby will recieve a drug called "PMCCT" which prevents the child from contracting aids from the mother.She goes on to tell the story of a 7 year old girl named Avalili, whos mother died from Aids and how she was born with it. How when she first met Avalili she was sick and dying in a hospital. As she shows a picture of a frail little girl looking close to death. She explains how this little 7 year old weighs no more than that of a 1 year old infant. She then talks of how 5 months later with proper medication and treatment the little girl no longer looked sick she had gained tones of weight. Showing a picture of herself and the same little girl full of life. Hearing this devistating information and seeing the pictures on the screen behide her I found myself crying, as I too being a women and mother can not mentally grasp the tought of the people of Africa living such a short and painful life. The awareness of HIV/ Aids has been a very quiet one. I asked myself how much have I truely heard about this disease since it's rampid out break in the early 90s. How it use to be shown on all forms of news. How you use to see signs, billboards, and posters for Aids awareness. I feel now as a women and mother that I to have not seen how truely devistating this disease is and how hearing and seeing the things in the video with Annie Lennox, has inspired me to want to help join this cause. To help prevent and abolish this pandemic. So I will post to keep all informed of any aids awareness or outreach programs within our own community, as I plan to try in some way to become apart of a movement for life.
ReplyDeleteI just listened to Jacqueline Novogratz’s speech on escaping poverty. She first defined poverty as making less than a few dollars a day. Although the title of her talk is related to escaping poverty, it is mostly about her experience in the slum of Mathare valley. The slum is full of small shacks that are home to 8-10 people and are handed down generation to generation. Prostitution, violence and drugs are an everyday part of life there. While she was there, she met a woman named Jane. After hearing the things she has been through, her determination and optimistic outlook amazes me. Her 2 dreams in life were to become a doctor and find a husband that would stay with her. Unfortunately, she had to give up her 1st dream because she couldn’t afford school. Her 2nd dream was accomplished but her husband left her for another woman. Once she was on her own with her children and didn’t have any money, she turned to prostitution. After getting help from an organization called Jamii Bora, she was able to turn her life around and earn money refurbishing dresses. With the money she made from her business, she was able to save enough money to move out of Mathare and is no longer living in poverty. Even though she constantly struggles and has been infected with HIV, she still feels blessed with the life she lives. She had to work really hard to get where she is today and makes only 4 dollars a day. For us that wouldn’t be anywhere near enough to survive but to her it is much more. Her story makes me more grateful for what I have and inspires me to keep moving forward. If someone in her circumstance can stay positive and determined, then so can I. It will be a struggle but that is just part of life.
ReplyDeleteBethany and Krystal have continued the high standard of excellence--Good job ladies--keep at it gang!
ReplyDeleteI just listened to Erik Hersman’s story on the development of crisis reporting in Africa. There was a team of developers in Kenya that worked on the platform, which can be used to send crisis information via text message. It enables people to send information about local events and/or threats to a mobile device. This allows people to get advanced notice of violence that may be headed their way. To get more ideas and make it function more efficiently, they called in developers from all over Africa and it is now being used in numerous countries across the continent. The initial problem was that there are so many things that come through and they needed to find a way to sort through what is most important and what is accurate. Since it is working so well in Africa, they are planning on making this available all over the globe. Considering the lack of development in Africa, I think this is a great advancement for them and I am glad they have something like this available to raise their awareness. Hopefully this helps diminish the amount of deaths and assists in keeping people out of harms way.
ReplyDeleteI just watched Emily Oster's video on TED.com about changing our perspective on the issue of AIDS in Africa. She stressed that if we got Africa out of poverty, we could get rid of the issue of AIDS. Also, that AIDS is a policy issue. We cannot develop effective policy unless we understand the aspects of AIDS. Emily looks at AIDS with an economic perspective. Everything we know and are told about HIV and AIDS is essentially not true according to Emily. AIDS is not going to fix itself, and policy is the only way it will be fixed. We need to look at things that have worked in the past, to better our future. It is a problem that is effecting a large amount of people, and AIDS needs to see more attention. I agree with Emily Oster in that AIDS may not receive as much attention as it should. I enjoyed this video, it was very informational.
ReplyDeleteJacqueline Novogratz invests in Africa's own solutions
ReplyDeleteMs Novogratz spoke about creating a blueprint to help the poor build their businesses in small steps. The first topic covered was the fact that the G8 summit brought a spotlight on Africa by increasing aid and reducing African countries’ debts. However, Novogratz feels there needs to be a second step that teaches Africans how to execute plans. Acumen is an organization Ms. Novogratz founded that helps the poor build good business models and provides loans. She spoke about a family who made $2 a day on their farm. This family was given the opportunity to purchase an irrigation system in small lots instead of buying the entire system at one time.This opportunity made the system affordable for the farmers and they eventually increased their income to $4 a day and were able to make a downpayment on a house. She spoke of a 21-year old woman who worked in a factory making nets that prevent bugs from entering your house. 95% of the nets manufactured were purchased by the UN. Novogratz’s organization built a business plan that helped the 21-year old woman begin to sell the nets to her community. Even though everyone thought no one would buy the nets, this woman was able to sell them. It was the technique she used that made her a good salesperson. The independent selling coupled with an Acumen loan to the manufacturer increased the profits and the company was able to expand. Novogratz’s point was well made and brought to mind the Chinese proverb: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. I don’t think this is an easy task. Novogratz defined the poor as people who work for a living making very small wages and pay for critical goods and services such as water. She emphasized if you give the poor an opportunity most of them will cease it. I agree with her that this class of people will learn and profit. And just maybe by their profits, the people who fall below Novogratz’s definition of poor will also prosper. I can only hope that when the poor expand their opportunities, they offer those that do not have an opportunity to work for a wage…pay it forward.
I also watched Spencer Wells video on TED.com. His video is all about the diversity that he experienced by traveling around the world. How did we generate this diversity? All humans share common bits of DNA, and looking back at our distant ancestors 23 millions years ago. The apes originated on the African region. Wells builds a family tree for humanity, all starting with the Apes in Africa. He used Darwin's theory to reference that we truly are all connected in one way or another. Instead of guessing about ancestors, it is a good idea to construct a family tree to identify and lay out the possibilities. This is something that we do not think about too often, that caught my attention. I find it interesting that Spencer Wells traveled around the world to get a 'feel' for every aspect of the amount of diversity that we see throughout the world. His video makes you think about the fact that our ancestors originally are from Africa, and do not look a thing like we do. I enjoyed his video, and thought that it was very informative.
ReplyDeleteI thought watching (Stefan Wolff: The path to ending ethnic conflicts) video is very good, Stephan Wolff gives us a path to a lasting solution to ending ethnic conflict. He cites 3 most effective weapons in waging peace; Leadership, Diplomacy and Institutional design. Of course there is no good war and there is no bad peace.A final element in this anatomy of the African conflict is the rise of groups whose interests were increasingly linked to ongoing conflict rather than peace and stability, and those people are divided to many kind( people within the country like those who their interests are linked to the conflict directly, others who are out of the country , those who we call weapons dealers.) .beneficiaries of conflicts vested interest in interclan tensions, armed violence, and the breakdown of law and order complicated preventive diplomacy and peace building. Once significant political actors came to associate their political survival
ReplyDeleteand economic prospects with conflict rather than with reconciliation, peace. The United Nations’ almost complete absence in the African conflicts was unacceptable many conflicts were resulted in genocides.
Leadership need to be capable, determined and visionary in its commitment to peace, leaders need to connect to each other and to their followers, and they need to bring them along on what is an often and arduous journey into a peaceful future. Diplomacy need to be well-resourced, sustained and apply the right mix of incentives and pressures on leaders and followers. it needs to help them reach an equitable compromise, and it needs to ensure that a broad coalition of local, regional and international supporters help them implement their agreement. Institutional design required a keen focus on issues, innovative thinking and flexible and well-funded implementation. African conflicts are more than just needs an offered, it also need more focus in the cost of the conflicts.
John Kasanona video was enlightening, and powerful. I'd first like to say he has a great sense of humor. As he opens he starts by telling a story he was told as a young boy learning how to poach. He tells of the differant wild cats and how he was told to approch them in the wilderness, I won't tell all, but it ends with running as fast as you can and finding yourself laughing. After your done laughing he then explains how his father taught him how to poach. He explains how it was passed down and taught from generation to generation. He then tells the story of a child taken from a home at night because it was hungry due to lack of the animals poachers were killing off. He explains how the white poachers would invade the land's and claim it was the black's that were massaccuring these animals. In the back-ground he shows slain animals that where killed for their hides, and tusks on the black market. As his father sent him to school because he wanted more for him because he knew that it was no-longer a means to a way of life to poach. He explains how he came home from school and helped to start a conservation to protect the animals in Namibian. When starting these concervations he was asked if he knew anyone that knew the brush, He said yes my father a poacher. So they started to teach the poachers a new way of life.1 With honor and openess to a new tradition 2 We wanted a better life with respect and givin bigger dreams becoming a community with nature. 3 With the wwf as well as business building partnerships. I was unsure exactly what wwf ment his accent was very hard to understand at times as I had to watch the video a few times to really understand some areas where he spoke to fast. So as I was saying, he explains how when this project began how there were only about 20 Lions in the NW area with now 150 and in 1982 or 92 the Black Rhino's were almost extinct, but now has the largest amount of free roaming Black Rhino's in the world. Other animals that were only populated at about 1,000 are now in the 10,000's. Now the lepords have moved away from the area because the stop of the poachers and the natural play of the other animals were needed to stop them from taking or attacking humans as well. His father passed before he could see the work that he had joined and what they had accomplished. They now have 60 government built concervations that are ran by the communities, which is not done anywhere else in the world. This is how Namibians support themselves and communities. As they have have proceeds in the millions, which have allowed them to build schools and other amenities as well as help with the Aids crises plagueing Africa. He ends by asking for help to keep this positive movement going not only in Africa but all over even with-in the United States. This again was another great story of the good that is all to quiet in the news when you hear about Africa. It is an inspiration to hear how these people took the chance gave up on an old tradition and way of life not knowing if it would benifit them or leave them even worse. It again is just an great story to hear about. It makes you think of how determend their people are to live and have become, how they did not allow themselves fall into the darker areas we seem to hear about. I fully enjoyed this video it really shows you how good things can come from a bad place. I do believe that the people in all Afican countries try to strive for more but truely due to their particular goverments it depicts their individual countries out-come.
ReplyDeleteTo Kerri's post on John Wells video. I also watched his video and found it intrigued me. I found it ironic that when I was doing my 5 themes project on Sub-Saharan Africa that I had actually read something on that subject. The information I read said that; early Paleontology researchers had found human remains that were from 10 to 15 million years ago. They studied the human remains and believed them to be similar to or cousins of the Great African Apes. How there hands and feet transformed so they were able to adapt to ther area and live in both the Forest or Savanna. They then went on to explain the whole theory of evolution. It is a great mystery. Darwins theory has held truth through these discoveries as they have tested these remains to the Ape and other species. I do believe in God, but your right evolution needs to be investigated more. By searching our family trees we can learn a great deal more of our past and who we are. They say we are all related to the first humans that inhabited earth( Adam & Eve). It is also in some religions believed that god had created humans more than once. Maybe these are other human worlds on earth that did not adapt or survive? Although some may not agree to this theory I know that it must still make their minds question the posibilities.
ReplyDeleteSorry the child in the story was taken by a wild lepord that was hungry, didn't realize I had left that out was still in a bit of laughter from his opening story.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bethany! Glad to see that you watched it as well! I thought it was awesome!
ReplyDeletePatrick Awuah makes the case that a liberal arts education is critical to forming true leaders. Patrick make his talk about Africa can only be transformed by enlightened leaders. He found those three problems in every issue in Ghana (corruption, weak institutions and the people who run them- the leaders) those leaders were unethical and unable to solve problems. I think that leaders problem in Africa is only tiny issue, what led to have an bad leaders is the society and what made the society to produce those kind of leaders are the luck of education, and the country as whole is been affected by the major issues like poverty and diseases which are preventing the society from reaching education. I agree with patrick on creating an educational institutions like Ashesi college to creat educated leaders but that may only be workable in Ghana due to the better sustainability, and may not going to work in other African countries due to the other issues that may need to be resolve prier to focus in education.( Ashesi Since its founding in 2002, Ashesi (Ah-SHESS-ee) University in Ghana has empowered young Africans with the skills, and the motivation, to create a better future for Africa. Ashesi’s groundbreaking curriculum, unique in Africa, fosters critical thinking, problem solving, and a concern for others. Ashesi students are challenged to adapt their skills to Africa’s realities; as a result, over 95% of our 269 graduates have chosen to stay in Africa, where they contribute to efficiency, transparency and progress in a wide range of private and NGO enterprises).I found the mission of this college is great and hope that would be copyed in onather African countries after resoving the majors problems.
ReplyDeleteI am pleased at the analysis and that you appear to be enjoying Ted:)
ReplyDeleteAs many of you know by now I love to respond to others comments and thoughts. I would like to add to Linda’s comments on Investing in Africa based on the speech given by Nuvin Naidoos. Given that I am from Africa and colorfully remember its geography I can agree with Naidoo. I remember talking in our Saturday class about how just by traveling ten miles outside of the main strip of Kenya’s thriving down town you witness poverty. I agree that there is a great opportunity for any investor who is willing to take a risk. I myself will in a few years return to Kenya to pursue an investment endeavor. I have uncles who own hotel and restaurants there. I would like to go back home and do something for the people. Maybe this ATM idea is not bad after all. But I would like to find a way to connect the people to North American by way of globalization. What I mean by this is that I would like to open up a coffee shop with high speed wireless connect to the internet. And best of all I will provide the computers and laptops. I believe this will inspire people to see the rest of the world. But more then anything companies need to invest in Africa so that we have a world with a stable world market.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree totally with the comment Kamal put in the end of his post. I am not trying to offened nor take from his childhood experiances but I do not think that companies investing is just the answer to all the issues that surround S S Africa because these individual countries have proven time and time again that investments are pocketed and not given to their socity. These people need more education so they can come together and rid their countries of the corrupt governments that run them. Most of the news and information on S S Africa is about the corrupt government that keeps these people from Globalization. They need more Leaders like Nelson Mandela that does not find himself above poverty and sees himself as the people and sees each face and how it has brought hope and change to peoples lives, that even he before would not have believed.
ReplyDeleteI really like this TED sight! I watched the segment that Bono did about helping Africa. What I found interesting was that he opened up by talking about technology and how its ever changing and the world is now changing, because of it. It reminded me of our long talk that we had about technology and it's benefits and drawbacks. He relates his experience back to his work on the BandAid " Feed the World" campaign that he worked on. BandAid's Christmas song is one of my favorites during the holidays... so I really enjoyed this. He speaks of his visit to Ethiopia and how he was offered someone's son to take back to Ireland with him because the boy's father knew he would have a better life in Ireland. Since then, he became a "rock star with a cause". Six and a half thousand people die each day due to Aids. He says this isn't a cause, it's an emergency. He is a big advocate for Human Rights and says that in Africa, people do not have normal right and justice. He has been working with different groups that go over there and help. He describes it as having many many watering cans, when all we really need is one large hose. He is a passionate person and to hear him speaking so strongly about this topic was really inspiring. These people really do need our help and I think all of us can help in someway shapr of form
ReplyDeleteThe next clip that I watched on TED was lead by Jane Goodall. When we think about Africa and the unfortunate events going on over there, we normally think about people and illness. Jane Goodall brings animals into the mix. She explains that animals are also living in an unhealthy environment.I realize that this issue isn't as important as Aids or HIV but it should be brought to people's attention. With everything else that we hear or read about in the news today, I thought this was a little bit different. I love animals and to hear about the conditions they're living in breaks my heart. One step at a time I guess, the world will become better
ReplyDeleteBethany, I am not affended by your comment at all, in fact i agree with you. Education is most certainly needed. But even with a corrupt goverment investing is still key, because it will increase the development of the ecomomic aspect of the developing countries.
ReplyDeleteI watched the video by Jacqueline Novoratz. This short production was respectfully titled escaping poverty. This is a very emotional video on coming out of poverty and perusing a dream of finical stability. In this film she explains the situation that people in poverty face, To many poverty is relative. But this woman in this film had a dream of going to school and being a doctor and so forth; unfortunately her dreams of becoming a doctor did not happen. She stayed and lived with her single mother after her father left them. Shortly after her mother got very ill and she become the care giver. Her mother past away and she now faced the same challenges as her mother did. She sold her body and later become HIV positive. She worked hard and saved up some money and bought a sewing machine and now makes cloths that she sells. She is now living in a new development due to her financial stability. But still she is living in poverty according to our standards. She makes about four dollars a day on average and with that she puts food on the table and takes care of her children alone. Later she told Jacqueline that maybe her dreams did come true. She is not a doctor by her voluntaries at a counseling center counseling individuals that are HIV positive. She helps them deal with the pain and relaxes their minds. She gives them hope and tells them that they are not dead yet and they can improve their lives. She said she is healing people in a different way. I would recommend this film to everyone. It is inspiring. We can all make a differnce in someone.
ReplyDeleteKamal and Bethany, do you think that the reason that there is not more interaction between North America and a developing country like Africa is because the rich investors want to stay rich? It kind of like what is going on in America, the gap between rich and poor is becoming bigger and bigger, and to some people it is a survival of the fittest. The rich want to look out for what keeps them in the leading position and if they were to help a developing country that has an opportunity of advancements like with their natural resource, then why help them? I may be way off on this point, but this is how I view corporate. A. Why help those who could become a threat with their natural resources B. The rich are getting richer with very little effort. C. There is so much red tape to get money and help to the people who need it.
ReplyDeleteWOW! Great interaction happening here group:) I've checked to here so far on Thursday 1pm 1/27/11.
ReplyDeleteIm not liking this blogging thing i have had to repost something twice and now this is the third time so i'm sorry if i am repeating anything. I to watched the Bono clip, i was amazed that he was so compassionate. I wasn't aware of his cause as i have seen him as a performer and nothing else. I looked at "one.org" and found it to be enlightening and full of information. Nothing pleading for money and so on but allowing me as an individual to make a consciensous choice to make a difference in the lives of Humans. I really admired his bold statement that "Africian people have the right to live with dignity and humanity" He had another point that when you really think about it, you cannot deny it and that is if the epidemics and treatment and living conditions were the way they are in Africa anywhere else in the world people would not be putting up with it. Now we read last week about South America and they have poor living standards as well but it seems like the country of Africa is harder hit with smaller areas of wealth. I hope that more people can think about other people besides themselves and Bono can make a difference.
ReplyDeleteReading one of Krystal's earlier posts I was curious to look into the video by Eric Hersman. The cell phone is a widely spread device in Africa because land lines involve so much more infrastructure and a larger investment. By utilizing cell towers communication is possible on a much wider scale than was before. The video made me remember a conversation I had with a case worker where I volunteer. He is from Somalia originally, then moved to Kenya by himself when he was 14 to get away from the civil war. We were driving along when he got a phone call and he answered in Arabic. As the conversation goes on he is getting more and more animated and eventually he is clearly annoyed with the person on the other end. After he hangs up he sighs in exasperation and tells me that it was his sister on the phone from Africa, and she doesn't understand that in America the cell plans are not as generous with minutes as in Africa. He was trying to explain that the calls were costing him a fortune here, but his sister was only paying her normal bill there. Watching Hersman's video really made me think of the potential for all the phone carrying African citizens to work as a check to government brutality. The filter of which he speaks taking all the information and examining it for frequency of particular terms and the reliability of the contributor seems like it will be the most difficult part. However,the filter will be the most crucial aspect, because if corrupt governments could control that, all the cell phones in Africa won't do any good if the pictures, videos and stories can get out.
ReplyDeleteOk second time I have tried to post a comment, hopefully it'll work this time. I watched the clip of Nathan Wolfe's jungle search for virsues. I liked this video because it not only gave me new information to how HIV and AID'S came into contact with humans. This virus actually started in the chimpanzees.Which I didn't know about and thought was kind of cool. Also about this clip I liked how it gave me new information about HIV and AID'S. For example in this clipe Nathan talked about how they firsted noticed this virus and why people i love keep getting sick. WEll it said in the clip that their was blood everywhere and since humans hunted these apes they eventually came into contact and became vey ill from this.
ReplyDeleteMy other ted.com video with Emily Oster flips our thiking on AID's in Africa.This video spoke about how if people women, men everyone would just practice abstance that this deadly virus could be stopped.And that Uganda is the only one who has had a better succes rate about HIV and AIDS in not getting this virus, simply for the fact that they refrain from having sex, who are faithfull,and who use condoms. This video talks a lot about what and how people get aid's or HIV and how short there life is. I liked this cli because it provived me with the truth and information again that I did not know.
ReplyDeleteTo Deneen S. Your A,B,C's are right on the money, why would America help them when they are in contract with Africa's Government. There are area's that are thriving under good leadership, but the majority struggle to live and then die from disease. Sad how people are able to look at one-another and not see life. These people litterly live to take care of their governments in hopes of medical and food. I don't have any answers just idea's. I think that another reason our government doesn't get involved is because of the disease's that is plaguing all of Africa out of the fear of the pandemic spreading like it has there. The ted stories on Africa that show the positive, also seem to be in area's where education and fare-goverment are implicted. I think that it is also up to these area's to go into these other area's to teach them what they have learned as well. As most people that come from humble begings know that these area's are greatly in need.
ReplyDeleteThis comment goes off of what Bethany already commented on the video about poaching. When you watch the video he catches your attention with laughter at the beginning. He then brings the laughter into something more serious, but how it worked for his community is outstanding. I have always believed that to catch someone like a bank robber, is to bring in someone who has that skill and knowledge of robbing a bank. Kind of like “It takes one to know one” in this instants John Kasanona’s father was the skilled poacher. Kasanona’s father had many years of knowledge probably passed down from ancestors, gave him the skill to stop the poachers from doing anymore damage. The idea in the video is to not to catch the poachers, but to stop them. Those animals that were in trouble of being extinct are now in no real danger. The sleeping baby that was stolen from his home, while he was sleeping by a leopard is not such a danger anymore. The leopards have migrated to a distant area where food for them is plentiful. Making these changes have worked for the small town of Namibia, and it shows in the pictures that Kasanona shared in his video. The change has also generated 5.7 million dollars for education, infrastructure, food and medical treatment for HIV and AIDs. I think that this village has found a way to live which works for them, and it shows in the children. I hope this works for them for many years to come. It is good to hear of a positive note coming from a country with such diversity.
ReplyDeleteKamal mentioned the video by Jacqueline Novogratz that dealt with the issue of poverty. Novogratz mentions in the video that poverty is more than just a number. The amount of financial resources available to a person are certainly an important indicator of poverty (or rather lack there of), but Novogratz puts a finer point on it than that. Poverty, in her view, is about lack of choice. The slum outside of Nairobi that the video shows pictures of demonstrates that no matter the situation, people will try to make the best of whatever situation they find themselves in. An important point to remember is that it is doubtful that any of the people living in that slum are there by choice. People are trapped by poverty (which is not only lack of money or resources), but by the limited opportunities that are available to them. The woman in the video "Jane" is an example of a person striving for more. After receiving what I believe would be termed a "micro-loan", Jane was able to purchase a sewing machine and begin a business. The concept of the micro-loan has been around for a while, and it is based on the fact that in a poverty stricken area a small loan of less than a hundred dollars (in some cases far less than that) can have a huge impact. Purchasing a sewing machine is such a small step, but it helped Jane earn money to feed and care for her children. The concept of micro-loans is certainly geared towards aspiring entrepreneurs, but as a business grows there is a chance that it will employ other people from that area. In addition to that, the success of a neighbor could serve as an inspiration to others. Jane is an AIDS patient, single mother and a former prostitute. If that isn't triumph in the face of adversity, then I do not know what is.
ReplyDeleteTed.com I watched Bart Weetjens training rats to detect land mines. From the title I thought they were training rats to find land mines and then they would detonate the mine. My conclusion was totally wrong. He started his video stating that when growing up he had two passions- rodents and Africa. He became an engineer of detection technology. He quit his job to help people of the world. He concludes his video by stating this project is not just about rats, these rats are empowering the people of vulnerable communities at a cost effective alternative. Rats in terms of cost are a 5th less expensive than training a dog for the same type of task. These rats are trained in the same way that dogs would be trained in the United States for bombs and drugs. Why rats? Rats are not only very sociable animals they are also very sensitive to smells. These rats take note and catalog the smells. The first step in training is reward. They use a clicker that signals to the rat that if a task is completed correctly it is rewarded. Second step the rat learns to sniff a hole for a particular scent for a designated time and then rewarded. Third the rat is trained in finding targets. Fourth the rat is trained to walk on a leash and find targets that a known about; kind of like a staged obstacle course. Fifth step is taking the rats through the field of minds in a staged obstacle course and they are required to find all of the hundred mines. If the rat succeeds at this last task it passes as an accredited land mine finder and given a certificate. These rats are referred to as Hero Rates. 11 African governments endorse these Hero Rats. The next step in training these rats is for Tuberculosis. Currently they have 25 tuberculosis sniffing rats. This is incredible!!! A microscope roughly can check 40 samples per day where as a rat can do 40 samples in 7 minutes. This type of advancement could soon help with more than just land mines and Tuberculosis. Maybe rats could help sniff bombs in airports or drug trafficking at boarders. Rats- who would have thought?
ReplyDeleteHello Deneen. Sorry to get back to you so late, and by the way that’s a great concern to have; especially when looking at what is happening in the United States today. I have a world politics course that I am taking this term here at Mercyhurst. We talk about international trade and investments in foreign soil. Yes essentially the rich pursue their interests, which are to accumulate more wealth. And because of this practice we see a gap in the economic classes. Look at it from this point of view. In some countries in Africa many of the inhabitants do not have a job to begin with. While foreign investors may be getting richer it is still beneficial to the overall country that they invest. I guess it’s better to have some jobs then none at all. This problem though I think is a rather much more complex of a situation to digest. I see what is going on in this country and the high numbers of unemployment and I wonder? Where does that leave the poor underdeveloped countries? I guess there will always be government corruption and the greed of the elite. But as for the rich I think they will always go where they can get the most out of their investment and I am saying why not invest in Africa? Africa has so much to offer and the opportunities are tremendous. All we need is more regulation on corporations and investors so as not to abuse the people. We need a more humanitarian way for people to get a fair and equal treatment no matter what country they are working in, but unfortunately do to the sovereignty of the individual countries and domestic policy the poor get hurt and left behind.
ReplyDeleteI listen to Dr.Nathan Wolfe’s talk on jungle searches for viruses. I’m an HIV/AIDS activist myself and when I saw this it grabbed my attention. Dr. Wolfe starts off by stating that scientist think 1,000’s of people were infected with ‘HIV’ in 1929. His claim is that HIV was transmitted to the human population thru chimpanzees in Africa. He also talks about many other viruses that are transmitted from animals to humans. The work he is doing is fascinating however; I think he needs to make clear about the transmission of HIV from monkeys/primates. First, the virus in primates is Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), also known as African Green Monkey virus. It is a retrovirus that has infected many different species of primates in Africa. How the SIV virus would have transformed into HIV after infection of the hunter from the primate is still a matter of debate. Studies have shown that this virus is capable of adjusting so it could live, infect and reproduce in the T cells of a human host. It remains also unexplained why all epidemic HIV groups emerged in humans nearly simultaneously, and only in the 20th century, despite very old human exposure to SIV (a recent phylogenetic study demonstrated that SIV is at least tens of thousands of years old). Wolfe fights worldwide epidemics with an innovative, untraditional approach—he's working to create an early warning system that can forecast and contain new plagues before they kill millions. If we can provide even a few months of early warning for just one pandemic, the benefits will outweigh all the time and energy we're devoting. Imagine preventing health crises and not just responding to them, says Wolf. It is good to know that you have someone like Dr. Wolfe who is working to make a difference. I really enjoyed his talk and I knew what he was trying to say but you have to be careful when talking to people about HIV/AIDS. You have to deliver a clear message so there is no misunderstanding.
ReplyDeleteKristen Ashburn’s photos of AIDS was very touching and moving. It was amazing how she gave up the comforts of home to capture the reality of this disease. It is obvious that she had some knowledge of AIDS but it wasn’t until she started to connect names and lives to the disease. It wasn’t until she started to visit individuals in their homes did she realize the ‘human toll of the epidemic’. She saw that many children are infected with HIV/AIDS, are affected because parents have died from the disease, and many are waiting to die themselves. The photos show how people in Africa who are infected with HIV are living. Because of the severe poverty in this country, those who are infected are suffering more than anyone else. The saddest part of the photos is the poverty. These photos are the photos of impoverished AIDS victims, victims of their society. There are 1,000’s of people in the U.S. who live long, healthy, productive lives with HIV for over 20 years and has not developed AIDS. I really enjoyed the photos which tells us that there must be an end to the injustice and oppression that is going on in Africa. I really enjoyed this web site and I would rather listen to a documentary than read a article any time.
ReplyDeleteA video I have watched on Ted.com was about an African boy, William Kamkwamba who was influenced to build a windmill after seeing one and what it can do in a book. The 14 year old boy came up with plans of his own to make even a better windmill with 4 blades instead of the 3 he originally saw. He knew 4 would produce more power and he was a sucess. He built the windmill out of wooden posts, pullies, and plastic pipe producing about 2 watts powering 4 bulbs and 2 radios. His dream is to build more of these windmills in order to produce enough energy to irrigate entire villages. I was amazed when I saw this video. This man is very intelligent and with the right funding could make a huge difference in villages across Africa. He is very determined to help his people and if more people shared his dreams and prospectives Africa could become a better developed nation.
ReplyDeleteI also watched Jacqueline Novoratz’s video on escaping poverty. For me, I found her story is very emotional as well as inspiring especially Jane’s case. Jacqueline met a woman named Jane. During her visit in the Mathare Valley slums. Jane grew up with two dreams: To become a doctor and to marry a man that will love her and never leave her. Unfortunately, she had to give up her first dream because her mother is a single mom who does not have enough money to afford her daughter to get education. Therefore, Jane chose to follow her second dream instead. However, unlucky enough both of Jane’s dreams were crushed. Her husband left her for another woman. Jane had no income, no skill set and no money. To raise her children, Jane ultimately turned to prostitution. Although she struggles and has been infected with HIV still she didn’t quit. She did what she had to do and didn’t give up, no matter how embarrassed she was at times. Jane worked hard and with the little money she had she started a company of her own that fixed up old dresses and sold them to many women. Jane’s life was hard, and she could have easily gave up and let everything go, but with her courage and belief in herself she held on to a last bit of hope. I found Jane to be admirable person who stays positive and determinant. Most people believe that this world, Earth, is the best of all possible worlds. After watching this video, I realized that happiness does not last long. People have to understand that our paths in life are not sprinkled with rose petals. Sometimes you have to choose the hardest path and it may not be easy, but you may realize later that it is the best decision you ever made. Toward the end, Jane made a fascinating statement saying that actually her dream was not to be a doctor but to be someone who can give hope. What she has said is true. I strongly believe the world does not need more money. Since escaping poverty can’t only be recognized on how much money people make but how much freedom and choices they have. What people need is love, compassion, and care to drive them moving forward. I strongly believe hope is food energy that can cure everything. Even though you have arms and legs but without hope your legs and arms would not be usefulness.
ReplyDeleteMy last blog will be somewhat short and sweet. I feel that people of america and other nations look at the activists around the world as just mouth pieces. Now the question is how do we get more help to these nations so they can help themselves? By some of the video's "escaping poverty" and HIV/Aids people in these video's were strong and some how were self resilient and could figure out how to make life better, but what about those that technology has left behind, those in the jungles and other outlying villages? Can we the people get these elected officials to really see what is going on in the real world instead of in their own offices? How do we get them to listen? I voted again this past year and not a single person i voted for was elected. How can i make a change when the officials that are in the seats do not have the same agenda as me or even others that want to make a difference. Mind Boggling
ReplyDeleteHello there Kamal, I do see that some people are left behind and it is not fair. For example, is the HIV medication being provided at a price that is profitable or is it at a bare price. Like when a new perscription comes out, it is offered at such a high cost, then as time goes on it is put on the $4 dollar list at Giant Eagle. Are those dying from AIDs getting a fair price for medication that could save there lives? They say that since the the medication has to stay cold they have such a short time to get it to some vilages. What if something as simple as an airplane be provided to transport this vaccine? There is plenty of places to land the thing?
ReplyDeleteI saw that on another Ted video that it takes 10 years for a country to overcome war. If you don't follow the right steps to achieve a better country, it falls behind and as time goes on it gets harder to recover. I think it is scary and sad how these people have been forgoten about and it is hard for me to believe that there is not something that can be done. I hope that my words are coming out the right way, I have a hard time writing into words what I feel. I am more of a people person...
I learned a lot from Dr. Wolfe's insightful documentary about the AIDS virus. First, I had no idea that the AIDS virus had originated from chimpanzees & was actually transmitted into the humans that hunted them– there are so many misconceptions out today about its origins. Wolfe brings up such a relevant point of why had it took us so long to discover a virus that was presumably in thousands of people since before the depression? What I found the most amazing about this documentary is that his revolutionary ideas are so common sense! - I share his disbelief yet I think the answer to that q. is that we simply didn’t have the knowledge to be on guard..,in human history it seems that we are only able to realize an epidemic after it has occurred. Also he mentioned that the mass majority of viruses come from animals…which really didn’t surprise me with resurgence of the swine and avian flues in the past decade. This seems very irrelevant until Wolfe mentions a genius idea..why are we so focused at battling these diseases after they have completely adapted to humans when we really should be looking to prevent them from evolving when they are still in animals!
ReplyDeleteIt seems such a simple solution to be proactive yet catching these diseases before they start haven’t been brought up until now. I commend Dr. Wolfe for his research – I think its individuals like him (who are able to think outside the box) that are key to stopping future viruses like HIV from getting to humans. Education about the risks of hunting activities in the African jungle are also a way to get the word out to people so they can decrease their own risks as well as anyone they come in contact with. I believe education can cure at least half of the diseases and suffering people are faced with everyday! I love that Wolfe asserts that we can’t blame one impoverished man for hunting his bush meat - It’s a responsibility for all of humanity.
Another video I watched on Ted.com was on educating leaders, Patrick Awuah who speaks of the importance of educating leaders in order to impact societies both locally and globally. Patrick left Ghana as a teenager to fulfill his education in the United States and then he stayed on to build a career at Microsoft in Seattle. Patrick made a fascinating statement that for him, becoming a father made him think about what Africa would mean to his children. Since at that time Africa was a mess. As a result of his worriedness and his good intention to make a big difference he decided to leave his successful career in the United States and return home with the single goal of improving African society through education. I strongly agree with Patrick’s statement that education is fundamental to the transformation in Africa. I think this message applies to everyone and everywhere in the world. Since these educated students will determine what the world will look like over the next 20, 30, or 50 years. It is important for our world that students graduate committed to using their talents and creativity as well as their education to lead contributions to the community. I think that Patrick is on the right path and I truly am inspired by his speech. In addition to what he had done in Ghana and I wish that more schools around the world would follow his lead.
ReplyDeleteThe second video I watched was Euvin Naidoo’s call to invest in Africa. I think it’s refreshing to hear a positive story from Africa. You would never think that investment opportunities exist on a continent in poverty, disease, and famine but doesn’t it seem like the complete opposite when you think about it? Few have ever targeted this area therefore opportunities abound. It seems to me we are always talking about how alleviating poverty in the developing world is the key to eliminating so many of the Earth’s problems – but no one ever steps up & takes that risk. Africa being used as a success-story for corporate turnarounds is a shocking headline but as Naido conveys this country is finally taking control of its own destiny. This story is one of hope.
ReplyDeleteI just watched "Zeresenay Alemseged looks for humanity's roots," and found it to be quite interesting. He is a scientist that is from Ethiopia that found the oldest remains of a human. The human fossil is aproximately 3.3 million years old and she was a little girl. The scientists named her Selam which means peace, and she was about 3 years old when she died. I found this video interesting because of the facts he listed throughout the video. He said that 90 % of our evolutionary process took place in Africa, and also states that the human species is about 7 million years old. He also says that we were in fact very similar to the chimpanzee. Humans and chimps share 98% of the same genetic material. So when he found Selam's skull (which took them over 5 years to clean and examine) they noticed that the hyoid bone (a bone that supports the back of your tongue and is basically your voice box)was very "chimp-like". So if you were there 3.3 million years ago and she called for her mother, she would in fact sound very similar to a chimpanzee.
ReplyDeleteNow I know that most would believe that we came from monkeys, but I for one didn't really have an opinion on the matter. But after watching this video, I think it is safe to say that we did evolve from monkeys in some way.
I just read Kristen's post about the rats, and I have to agree with her that those rats are pretty amazing. But what is even more amazing is the people training them! I can't even get my dog to shake let alone train a rat to do anything! I wonder how long and how much effort it toook to teach a rat to smell out a land mine? Its amazing what we as humans can do. To train a rat to do what you want is incredible and I hope they continue their research. I wonder what else they can do...I'm always losing my keys, maybe I should buy a rat and train it to find them...
ReplyDeleteI watched the video of Nathan Wolfe's jungle search for viruses which turned out to be a very informational and thought provoking. Nathan is a doctor who has set out in Africa to find the direct cause of viruses that transfer between animals and humans many of which are from villagers hunting and blood transfer. Wolfe is taking a different approach to studying viruses such as HIV and going to the source as it originates in monkeys why not study the deadly virus in monkeys instead of the fully advanced stages in humans.His mentor has coined this stage viral chatter and his research has taken him into the field and brought him close to the people who struggle everyday. I think this approach to studying viruses will be extremely beneficial. No one has really study the transfer stages and what makes HIV so advanced between monkeys and humans.
ReplyDeleteI watched another video on HIV from Hans Rosling which reviewed the statics of the growth of the virus from discovery to recent times with the current adult percentage that is infected in the world which is about the size of the population of California. The still developing countries are struggling to reduce the impact of the virus because of their poor education means as well as lack of medication. Where as the more developed countries are doing better against the virus and have very dramatically reduced the spread of HIV.
Nice additions to the blog:) 3pm Friday 1/28/11
ReplyDeleteI also watched the video of Hersman crisis via text messaging. We had a discussion in class about technology. Does it help or hinder development. Well in this case it will help with alerts for disaster. Hersman stated that people can use their cell phones to report eye witness accounts happening across Africa. They also developed a systematic analysis of incoming message to sort for pertinent information. This technology is amazing considering this is being used in a developing country. This just seems bizarre to me. Why do people have cell phones when there are some many people suffering from poverty, malnutrition and poor drinking water? I am all for the technology working for the country in this way; however what about the bigger problems facing Africa.
ReplyDeleteI watched Hans Rosling's talk on HIV. He talked about how HIV was not what everyone thinks about it. People think that Africa is where you find HIV. That is a myth though. Rosling talked about many different places having the disease but it is truth the Africs does have the most cases. Another myth that Rosling talked about is that people think that it is the majority of poor people that have HIV. That is also true and he showed diagrams that in the cities that have HIV, if you broke the people up in catagories of wealth, you will find that it is the wealther people that have the most cases. Rosling then talked about why these places in Africa are more pron to getting HIV. It is because of money and medication. Also it's due to the worlds education. I have to say that I believed the misconceptions of disease. I know have a better understanding of HIV. I think it is very sad the effect that it has on the Afician community. I also, like Bethany, want to join in on the movement to help with educating the world and helping the affected people.
ReplyDeleteI also watched the video on Jacqueline Novogratz t talking about dealting with the issue of poverty. She talks about poverty being the casue of not having choices. I agree with this completely. People that don't have the same opportunites as others can only make the best of what they do have. If they don't know about certain things how can they want for them. A lot of people are unhappy just because they arn't able to go shopping every week but then to think about people that don't even have the choice of clean water you have to remember whats importain in life. Yes money can buy you what you want but it can't by happiness. Janes story is very sad. She gave up everything to be the best wife and mother. Then her husband just leaves her. She then finds prostitution as a way to take care of her family. But this a great solution to having poverty stricken areas she was given a loan. With that she was able to change her life and the life of her family. Even with getting the HIV viruse she still did not give up and strived for better. This story no matter what I'm going through if I think of it, it gives me hope that I can overcome anything. Jane has accomplished her goal because she states that she was up on the Earth to give hope and she has! With nothing more than a sewing machine she has turned her life around. Her children with a mother like Jane will also grow up to be strong and with hope seeing that there mother could do, it even with going through everything she did, so can they.
ReplyDeletegot the late blogs checked.
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