wfn.org | All Africa News Agency April 7 2003 (a)

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

AANA BULLETIN No. 13/03 April 7, 2003  (a)

ALL AFRICA NEWS AGENCY
P. O Box, 66878, 00800 Westlands, NAIROBI, Kenya.  Tel: 254-2-4442215,
4440224
Fax: 254-2-4445847, 4443241; Email: aanaapta@insightkenya.com , 
aanaapta@hotmail.com

AANA Bulletin	 - Acting  Editor -Elly Wamari
Bulletin APTA - Acting Editor - Silvie Alemba

Material contained in the AANA Bulletin may be reproduced with
acknowledgement

NEWS

Malawi Experts Move To Promote Export Of Rich Herbs

LILONGWE (AANA) April 7 - Malawi could be losing millions in foreign 
currency in the variety of herbal plants that have now become a major 
product on the global market, experts carrying out a donor supported 
project here, have claimed.

Malawi Entreprenuership Development Institute (MEDI) plans to embark on a 
project seeking to commercialise plant-based products, referred to as green 
pharmaceuticals, to take advantage of a growing multi-billion dollar world 
market.

Presently, quite substantial amounts of traditionally processed herbal 
medicines are finding their way to the outside world through South Africa, 
the region's most influential economy, while the realised gains on the 
local scene are minimal.

MEDI chief executive, Charles Kazembe, says the project realised the 
country was endowed with a favourable climate for a wide range of herbal 
plants, some of which have been used by communities to treat ailments for 
over a century.

"We aim to empower local people to move from traditional to commercial use 
of herbal medicines because of the growing market..... estimated at between 
US$80 billion and $250 billion in Europe and the United States 
respectively," said Kazembe.

With proper knowledge and enabling structures, MEDI and its helpers believe 
people could benefit financially from exporting herbal products, such as a 
sex booster locally known as gondolosi.

According to Siodharha Sanka Dash, an entrepreneur development expert from 
the Commonwealth Secretariat, and attached to MEDI, plant-based products 
have been a foreign exchange earner for some countries.

"The market has seen a wave of herbal cosmetics, perfumes, condiments and 
confectioneries," he says, adding that herbal medicines were used in 
developing countries for primary health care because of easier cultural 
acceptability and lesser side effects.

Malawi has a rich bio-diversity and wealth of indigenous knowledge on plant 
life, and therefore has the potential to emerge as one of the producers of 
herbal products.

Experts say the government and stakeholders should consolidate past gains 
of traditional knowledge base, to start developing new herbal preparations 
on Malawi's bio-diversity, and make these products available to the 
international community.

"We need to recognise that the country has a weak physical infrastructure 
and inadequate documentation. This, coupled with poor public awareness and 
delays in framing policies... is hurting Malawi," charged Dash.

The project is a complement to recent efforts by the Ministry of 
Environmental Affairs and Natural Resources, which is collaborating with 
the Traditional Healers Association of Malawi (THAM) to conserve natural 
medicinal plants.

THAM has several botanical gardens around the country, the largest of which 
is in Mwanza district in southern Malawi, where herbalists are trained on 
sustaining indigenous plants that have medicinal value.

Reported by Hobbs Gama

Fresh Rebel Attacks Pose New Challenges To Relief Agencies

MONROVIA (AANA) April 7 - The Lutheran World Federation/World Service 
(LWF/WS) in Liberia is assessing the situation in Totota County, after more 
than 30,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) recently arrived there from 
camps in Gbangar County.

The camps, which are near the capital city, Monrovia, had come under 
attacks by rebel group, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy 
(LURD) towards the end of last month.

"The displaced persons do not want to go back to those camps as this is the 
second time that they have had to flee," says Charles Pitchford, LWF/WS 
representative in Liberia.

The Liberian government has still to decide whether to keep the influx of 
IDPs in the Totota area using the annexes of existing camps, or to build a 
new camp in Salala, 32 km from the capital Monrovia.

Meanwhile close to 16,000 Liberians are believed to have crossed the border 
into Diecke in Guinea, after the capture of Ganta, Nimba and Grand Gedeh 
Counties by LURD, just over a week ago.

"The refugees arriving from Liberia into Guinea are traumatised by the 
events. Many of them are ill and exhausted from a two-day journey," says 
Elke Leidel, LWF/WS-Guinea programme coordinator.

"Most of the refugees had fled from Gbangar County when it was attacked, 
and came to Ganta, but left again when the latter was also attacked," he
adds.

UNHCR together with other aid agencies in Guinea are establishing a plan 
for an emergency intervention at the border.

Recently, Liberian President, Charles Taylor, sent a message to the 
humanitarian community, asking them to relocate all the IDPs living in 6 
camps in Brewerville, as the government could no longer guarantee their 
safety.

As the situation deteriorates, many humanitarian agencies are contemplating 
relocation. "The UN Agencies are demanding that their non-essential staff 
and females leave soon - even from Monrovia," says Pitchford.

Gbangar, which came under attack on March 21, is still being held by LURD 
soldiers.

Reported by Callie Long
ACT Communications Officer

Faith-Based Organisations Form Alliance To Fight FGM

NAIROBI (AANA) April 7 - An Inter-religious Steering Committee for 
Elimination of FGM (female genital mutilation) in Kenya has been formed.

The committee, whose main objective is to come up with a national plan for 
the clergy to get rid of the practice in the country, was formed during a 
workshop for faith-based organisations (FBOs) on FGM eradication, held here 
on March 13.

Participants were drawn from Catholic and Methodist Churches, Anglican 
Church of Kenya, African Independent Pentecostal Churches of Africa (AIPCA) 
and the Supreme Council of Muslims in Kenya (SUPKEM).

According to a statement released recently after the workshop, religious 
leaders can be effective in sweeping away the practice because of their 
close interaction with communities through congregations.

"These religious leaders therefore have a wider reaching audience and can 
be good advocates in the fight against FGM," the statement notes.

It states that FBOs had been very vocal on issues such as HIV/AIDS, civic 
education and domestic violence, but very silent on FGM.

"By being silent on the subject of FGM,  FBOs have propagated the 
continuation of [it's existence]. This has given way to believers of those 
faiths using this silence, to go on with this practice," says the statement.

Participants of the workshop underscored the need for the government to 
include FGM in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions curriculum, so 
that people could be enlightened about its dangers at a young age.

They observed that targeting mothers in the fight against the rite, would 
also bear fruit since they (mothers) were the ones who propagated it and 
pressurised their daughters to accept it.  "Leaving them out will be a 
major setback in fighting the practise," they noted in the statement.

The religious leaders contended that understanding cultural traditions of 
practising communities before intervention was important, since culture was 
a complex issue in society.

It was agreed that each FBO comes up with a position on FGM, after which 
they would all be developed into a joint declaration by religious 
organisations in the country.

"Input by top personalities of these FBOs would add much more weight to the 
campaign, as they can speak with authority," says the statement.

The event was organised by National Focal Point on FGM Eradication, an 
umbrella body of all organisations working to wipe out the practice in the 
country.

Reported by Joyce Mulama

Muluzi To Step Down As Third Term Attempt Hits The Rock

BLANTYRE (AANA) April 7 - Malawi is gearing up for general elections, 
following assurances that the Malawi Electoral Commission will finally 
receive financial assistance from the donor community.

The chairman of Malawi Electoral Commission, Justice James Kalaile, 
announced that donors have finally released 52 percent of the total 2 
billion Kwacha budget for the polls, where voters would be electing a 
president, members of parliament, and civic leaders in the May 2004 
tripartite general elections.

The announcement came after months of misunderstanding between the 
electoral body and donors on an earlier proposed budget, which was pegged 
at 2 billion kwacha. The delay in funding has affected the electoral 
calendar by at least three months.

It also follows an announcement by President Muluzi, renouncing his 
candidature for the 2004 poll, thus bowing to the popular demand that a 
third term should get out of the way since it was regarded as a thorn in 
the flesh, by majority of the population.

The ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) is expected to endorse Bingu wa 
Mutharika, Minister for Economic Planning and Development, as president 
Bakili Muluzi's successor at the party's convention, scheduled to be held 
in May.

Mutharika, once secretary general of the Common Market for Eastern and 
Southern Africa (COMESA), first contested for presidency as leader of the 
United Party (UP) in 1999, but defected to the ruling UDF.

The decision to have him assume the mantle of the party followed an 
extraordinary meeting of the party's executive committee that was held in 
Blantyre on March 29.

At the meeting, Mutharika received the most backing, beating several 
cabinet ministers who had indicated their interest to succeed Muluzi, who 
steps down when his term of office expires in May next year.

Delegates at the meeting, which was chaired by President Muluzi, also 
decided on the candidature of former cabinet minister, Kassim Chilumpha, 
for the position of vice president. Chilumpha is currently serving as 
chairman of Blantyre Print and Publishing Company.

With this development, many Malawians have heaved a sigh of relief and 
expressed satisfaction that the president has halted the stormy march for a 
third term in office.

The Third Term debate created a lot of tension in the country and saw the 
clergy, journalists and a number of politicians being harassed by UDF 
machinery.

Reported by Hamilton Vokhiwa

Warring Leaders Pledge Peace In Rare Encounter

NAIROBI (AANA) April 7 - President Omar Hassan El-Bashir of Sudan and 
leader of Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement/Army, Dr. John Garang de 
Mabior, have together affirmed their commitment to Sudan peace 
negotiations, expressing hope that a final agreement would be reached by 
end of June.

The two leaders have subsequently promised to be forthright on upcoming 
issues in the negotiations, with a view to boosting the peace process.	The 
talks resumed in Nairobi Sunday, April 6, after a sudden break mid last
month.

The announcements followed a rare friendly meeting between the two, 
organised and chaired by President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya,  in Nairobi.

President El- Bashir and Dr. Garang reviewed the peace process and agreed 
on the need to maintain the momentum towards reaching a comprehensive 
agreement.

Together, they pledged to honour the agreements arrived at last year, such 
as the Machakos Protocol and the Memorandum of Understanding on Cessation 
of Hostilities.  To facilitate this, they reached a concensus on the need 
to open communication channels between them.

President Kibaki observed that the negotiations had come to a critical 
stage, and accordingly, urged the two parties to maintain their promise by 
making the necessary concessions required to end the conflict.

Reported by Makur Kot Dhuor

Kenya To Adopt New, Pocket-Friendly Health Insurance

LIMURU (AANA) April 7 - Kenya's health ministry has unveiled plans to 
introduce a new, more affordable health support scheme to replace the 
current National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).

Dr Tom Mboya, head of Department of Standards and Regulatory Services at 
the ministry, said the new scheme, National Social Health Insurance Fund 
(NSHIF), will focus on efficiency, and effectiveness towards achievement of 
mandatory coverage for all Kenyans.

"The fund's core vision is to ensure accessible, acceptable and affordable 
health care to all Kenyans," he said.

He was speaking in Limuru town on April 2, during an Annual Health 
Conference of Christian Health Association of Kenya (CHAK), about 40 
kilometres west of Kenya's capital, Nairobi.

He noted that the new fund is designed to scale down out-of-pocket health 
expenditures, therefore enabling majority of the population to get access 
to health care.

Health minister, Charity Ngilu, explained that the relaxed scheme will 
encourage Kenyan's (both employed and unemployed) to contribute some 
minimal amount of money, which would be pooled together and used to pay for 
their health needs.

Currently, the cost of health services, particularly in private 
institutions, is beyond reach of majority of the population.

The minister lauded CHAK for its contribution to health sector, noting that 
religious health facilities provided 40 percent of total health care in 
Kenya, and even reached remote areas not covered by the ministry. CHAK has 
a membership of 362 health institutions distributed across the country.

Ngilu cited the case of HIV/AIDS, and observed that religious organisations 
had made tremendous efforts in the fight against the scourge. "Our national 
prevalence rate slightly declined to 10.2 percent last year, thanks to 
efforts by the Church, government and civil groups," she said.

She expressed the government's pledge to mobilise resources, which would be 
channelled through religious bodies, to support health care programmes.

Religious health institutions, she said, will accordingly benefit from the 
Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, from which Kenya 
has been awarded US $ 179 million.

The conference brought together about 200 participants from CHAK's member 
health units across the country, to discuss issues of health care financing.

Reported by Joyce Mulama