Rowaka Cancer Group - Sierra Leone

The United Nations Secretary-General’s Executive Representative and head of United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone (UNIPSIL), Jens Anders Toyberg-Frandzen, said during the National Council of Paramount Chiefs - Sierra Leone (NCPC-SL) National Meeting of Chiefs on the Constitutional Review Process held in Kenema, Southern District, that the UN recognises their role. “The UN recognizes the important role you played as leaders during the war, and especially for your work in helping to lay the foundations for the peace Sierra Leone enjoys today. The President has encouraged participation in this national Constitutional Review process, and emphasized the importance of inclusiveness at every step, and at all levels. The Constitution is owned by and applies to all citizens of Sierra Leone, equally. This needs to be understood by everyone to whom the constitution applies,” he said. Toyberg-Frandzen said their influence as Paramount Chiefs, for the promotion of socia...

The Chemistry Department of Howard University in the United States of America has donated twenty five laptops, five desktops, five weighing machines with a vacuum pump to the Chemistry Department of Fourah Bay College. The Head of the Chemistry Department at Fourah Bay College, Pascal Egbenda, said the donation was as a result of a MOU with Howard University, which he noted, is yet to be signed because of a change of leadership at Howard. The acquaintance, he said, was initiated by Dr Patrick Lukulay, alumni of Fourah Bay College and Vice president of the Global Health Impact Program at United States pharmacopeia. “Our correspondence with Howard has paved ways for large consignment of research equipments from various sources in the US,” he said, adding that the department of Chemistry has better staff to guide students with two principal laboratory technicians to be trained to become chief technicians. He said they are also pleased to report that the Chemistry Department is a benefi...

A handful of California coding bootcamps are fighting for survival after receiving a stern warning from regulators. Unless they comply, these organizations face imminent closure and a hefty $50,000 fine. A BPPE spokesperson said these organizations have two weeks to start coming into compliance. In mid-January, the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) sent cease and desist letters to Hackbright Academy, Hack Reactor, App Academy, Zipfian Academy, and others. General Assembly confirmed that it began working on this issue several months ago in order to achieve compliance with BPPE. Culled from: http://venturebeat.com/2014/01/29/california-regulator-seeks-to-shut-down-learn-to-code-bootcamps/

22,080 footballs donate to Sierra Leone by ‘One World Futball Project’ were on 30th January 2014, launched by the Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Alhaji Samuel Sam Sumana, at the National stadium in Freetown. While delivering the keynote address and launching of One World Futball, the Vice President said Sierra Leone has triumphed and that it is high time Sierra Leoneans work together in the interest of the country. The Vice President thanked Chevrolet for sponsoring the project and also made special recognition for the inventor of the footballs, Tim Jahnlgen, for their efforts in bringing together young people to making sure football serve as means of communication. He informed the audience that the nation has triumphed through the opportunities been provided and the projects being implemented recognizes the need for gender empowerment, creating opportunities for people with disabilities and young people in society. The Minister of Sports, Paul Mohamed Kamara, said fo...

The Survey, conducted by the Government of Sierra Leone through the Ministry of Health and Sanitation and Statistics Sierra Leone with support from the UNFPA, UNICEF and WHO, indicates progress in improving health services in Sierra Leone. The 2013 Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey preliminary results was released on Tuesday 28th January 2014. The just concluded Demographic and Health Survey among other things shows that use of modern family planning methods among married women doubled from 7 percent to 16 percent; delivery at health facilities doubled from 25 percent to 56 percent; use of Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) against malaria for under five children doubled from 26 percent to 49 percent and use of ITNs among pregnant women doubled from 27 percent to 53 percent. The report also states that antenatal care by skilled birth attendants has increased from 87 percent to 97 percent; delivery by a skilled birth provider has risen from 42 percent to 61 percent; the rate of f...

Sierra Rutile Ltd. has informed the public in a statement made public that the body of a young man was discovered in an obsolete dredge pond near Moriba Town on the morning of 25 January 2014. “It is with great regret that Sierra Rutile Ltd learned that a young man’s body was discovered in an obsolete dredge pond near Moriba Town on the morning of 25 January 2014. Full details are yet to be confirmed and Sierra Rutile is working with the police and coroner to investigate the death,” the report states. According to reports, villagers alleging one of their members was killed by security personnel employed by the company stormed it quarters, attacked security personnel and vandalized property belonging to the company. The Sierra Rutile report also states “A small group of people used the incident to create a disturbance around the mine and in surrounding villages. The mining communities Paramount Chiefs, police and other community leaders have worked with Sierra Rutile’s management...

Three year old Isatu Sesay is still suffering from an unexplained illness that kept her malnourished. Her guardian, Isatu Sankoh, said she was admitted in one of the hospitals in Freetown and later discharged but her condition is always worse. "I took her from her mother to help her recuperate but her health is always poor," she lamented, adding that at three years she is still unable to walk like the other kids.

Cancer, according to leading medical researchers, LIVESTRONG Foundation, UICC, ICCCPO and others, is one of the leading causes of illness and death worldwide, and its global burden predicted to rise from 12.7 million new cases in 2008 to 21.4 million in 2030, with more than half of these occurring in less developed regions. But Sierra Leone will not bow down to cancer, and we are confident that the Government, after approving the Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) policy last year in 2013 will prioritize cancer in all health decision. The United Nations General Assembly, In September 2011, declared Non-Communicable Diseases, including cancer, a social and economic challenge, especially in low- and middle-income countries. In Sierra Leone, recent figures from the National Cancer Registry are giving credence to the UN’s call for action against cancer; with the Director of the National Cancer Registry (NCR), Dr. Semion Owizz Koroma, informing the nation that cancer is in the increase and ...

2013 report collated at the National Cancer Registry on cancer in Sierra Leone indicates an increase in cancer cases among the Temne ethnic group in Sierra Leone than the other tribes. The National Cancer Registry was established in 2011 with the purpose of getting a database of the various cancer ailments in the country with Sierra Leone’s Pathologist, Dr. Semion Owizz Koroma, serving as Director of the Registry. “We cannot address the challenges of cancer in Sierra Leone without a cancer registry, and now that we have one, we are appealing for support for us to be able to know the different cases of cancer that are affecting the people and their demographic implication,” he said. According to the 2013 statistical data of the National Cancer Registry about people reported with cancer and other benign or malignant tumors: 50 percent are Temne, 30 percent Mende, 30 percent Creoles while Koronko, Susu and Mandingo are slated at five percent each. Unfortunately, there are no available dat...