Gary Foxcroft Receiving a BAFTA!!!

www.steppingstonesnigeria.org
Gary Foxcroft, on stage at the BAFTA's. Dispatches documentary "Saving Africa's Witch Children" featuring Stepping Stones Nigeria wins the Current Affairs BAFTA. 26th April 2009

World Malaria Day: FG to give two nets to each household –Minister

The Federal Government will, in the next 12 months, give each household in Nigeria two insecticide-treated nets as part of efforts to combat malaria in the country.

The Minister of Health, Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin, who disclosed this in a statement by his Special Assistant on Communication, Mr. Niyi Ojuolape, said the distribution of the nets was part of the integrated approach by the ministry to reduce disease burden in the country.

In the statement issued to mark the World Malaria Day, which will be celebrated on Saturday the minister stated that 61 million nets would be distributed to about 31million households in the country.

Osotimehin disclosed this just as the United Nations International Children‘s Fund expressed concern that in Nigeria, ”only two per cent of children under five years and pregnant women sleep under insecticide-treated nets.”

In a statement issued in Geneva, UNICEF said, ”Malaria is responsible for 30 per cent of childhood mortality and 11 per cent of maternal mortality. It reduces Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product by one per cent and is the commonest cause of absenteeism from schools, offices, farms and markets.”

But the minister, in the statement by his special assistant, explained government‘s efforts to combat malaria.

He said, “We are placing two mosquito nets in every household in Nigeria. These are not just the traditional mosquito nets as we used to know it. They are long lasting nets that have been treated with insecticides.”

According to him, the programme involves the placement of over 61million nets into about 31million households in Nigeria.

Osotimehin, who did not give the cost of the programme, stated that it would be funded by the government and development partners.

He added, “The resources we require from the government are available. Very importantly also is the goodwill and support of our development partners. This is also a direct result of the confidence they have in us to deliver.”

According to him, the nets have been treated with insecticides. He explained that they would not only repel mosquitoes, but also kill them.

The minister stated, ”The nets are special and very efficacious in tracking down and killing mosquitoes. They are called long lasting insecticidal nets. They are products of new technologies.”

They are ready to use and they require no treatment in that they are also dirt repellents and thus the nets are kept clean longer than usual.”

He recalled that until 2006, chloroquine was used for the treatment of malaria. The minister said that since 2006, the country had adopted the use of Artemisinin based Combination Therapies for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria.

According to him, the Federal Government and development partners have distributed 28m doses of ACTs to all the states since 2006.

Giving a situation report on the Roll Back Malaria programme, the UNICEF Executive Director, Ann M. Veneman, stated that progress had been made in combating malaria, particularly in Africa.

She disclosed that endemic African countries received enough nets between 2004 and 2008 to cover more than 40 per cent of their ”at risk- populations.”

According to the executive director, since 2004 the number of ITNs produced worldwide has more than tripled from 30 million to 100 million in 2008.

Veneman stated that effective programmes had led to declines in malaria cases and deaths at health facilities in many countries, including Eritrea, Rwanda, Zambia and Madagascar.

The executive director, however, expressed concern about high incidence of malaria in Nigeria, despite the country‘s laudable programme on the Roll Back Malaria.

The Punch

"30 Seconds"

War over witches

Helen Ukpabio, tele-evangelist, church founder, film actor and movie producer, is one clergywoman who can smoke out one witch in a crowd of millions of saints. Or so it seems.

Nearly all her films, which however are anchored on morality, has some elements of futile display of witchcraft powers which eventually get subdued by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus, when she literally came to paint Uyo red (her members actually marched in the streets wearing reddish T-Shirts) about three weeks ago, on a campaign which theme was “Coven on Naked Wire”, then it was obvious that something witching was in the air.

And those who expected a bountiful harvest of witches advised in the crusade posters to come out for free deliverance, were not disappointed as it was reported that more than 500 people, mostly children voluntary went out to label themselves witches or wizard in order to get the awoof deliverance. But that is where the story began to get K-leg according to Apostle John Okoriko, the founder and president of Solid Rock Kingdom Church, whose church along Ikot Ekpene Road Uyo is only about 300 metres from Helen Ukpabio’s Liberty Gospel Church situated in the same axis.

Okoriko told The Sun a few days after the “Coven on Naked Wire” crusade that the claim of delivering 500 witches and wizards was nothing but a charade since there were no such number of witches in Uyo, as such the claim was fraudulent and ungodly especially when Ukpabio was reported to have instructed those delivered to be attending the various branches of her church for eight months for them to be monitored.

“It is embarrassing in 21st century where every nation is going scientific and to the space that we are still talking about witchcraft. It is time we faced reality and not absurdity. I strongly disagree with the notion that Akwa Ibom state has been taken over by witches.”

He said if at all there were witches and wizards in Uyo, they were not up to 10, not to talk of 500 who purportedly did the confession in a single church programme. “I challenge all prophets and apostles to open contest to prove if there is more than one witch in Akwa Ibom. In the Bible we hear of the Witch of Endor; which means there is always one witch at a time in a town; not 500.

“And how can you tell 500 people who voluntarily confessed witchcraft to be attending your church for good or bad eight months for them to be completely delivered. Witchcraft is no spirit; it is a think of the flesh like drunkenness, fornication or stealing so it doesn’t call for spiritual deliverance,” he reasoned. Okoriko stressed that church leaders who are benefiting from the alleged witches were manipulating people to conference, adding that such assumed witches are always the poor.

This thing is dragging our state backward; people have been brainwashed to think negatively. If the suffer a slight misfortune in their businesses instead of looking for practical solution, the pastors will tell them that they are attacked by witches and the person will become a slave to the pastors. It is sad. “If this state has been taken over by witchcraft, why can’t we use witchcraft to achieve good things; at least win international football matches? All we need to do is put eleven bewitched boys on the pitch and win the world cup.

These so-called men of God are hireling or spiritual mercenaries,” he declared. If Akwa Iboºm has only one witch or wizard, so who is the witch of Uyo? And the 500 that paraded themselves as witches? Okoriko says: “They are fake witches.”

The Sun News On-line

Oron monarch endorses campaign to stamp out child witchcraft

The Paramount Ruler of Udung Uko Local Government Area of Oron, in Akwa Ibom, Ahta Etim Ati, on Sunday endorsed the campaign to stamp out child witchcraft in the area.

Speaking at a community sensitisation meeting facilitated by Stepping Stones Nigeria Child Empowerment Foundation (SSNCEF), a non-governmental organisation in Edikor community in Oron, Mr. Ati said the traditional institution in the area was committed to the safety and protection of children.

"Child witchcraft syndrome is deep-rooted in our cultural beliefs and we have taken a critical look at it and found that there is no basis for it.

"The syndrome has done more harm than good to the Oron child and we have resolved to end the stigmatisation and abandonment of children that were branded as witches," the Ahta Oro V of Oro said.

"We welcome and support the moves by (the) Akwa Ibom State Government to campaign against the stigmatisation of children and we support the efforts of Stepping Stones in ‘coming over to Macedonia to help us' to secure the future of our children," he said.

The traditional ruler commended the NGO for the campaign and pledged his support to ensure that the campaign was sustained in communities in Oron and other areas where child witchcraft syndrome was pronounced.

Luck Inyang, Programme Director of the NGO, told members of the community that studies conducted by the organisation showed that the stigmatisation and abandonment of children in the area exposed the children to child traffickers.

He said the traffickers abused the children by giving them out as domestic workers in other states.

"It was shocking to discover that all the children found in the custody of traffickers by the police all came from the Oron axis, that is why we are here to deliberate on how to reverse the trend and protect our children," Mr. Inyang said.

He said that the passage of the Child Rights Act by the state had made it illegal to stigmatise and abandon children on the grounds that they were witches.

According to him, the Akwa Ibom Government had commenced the prosecution of 10 persons for violating the Child Rights Act.

Mr. Inyang urged community leaders and youth to ensure that the family values were strengthened by showing love to children whom he described as gifts from God.

Ati Ikpe, a community member, who spoke during the interactive session, called for the involvement of churches in the campaign, saying that they were involved in the practice of branding children as witches.

Next

Mobile Saving Africa's Witch Children - A UNHCR event

Interview with UNHCR's Jeff Crisp, UNHCR Policy Development Service and Ron Pouwels, UNHCR Community Development, Gender Equality and Children Section about their upcoming event; a screening of the documentary film, Saving Africa's Witch Children.

UNHCR presents the documentary film, Saving Africa's Witch Children, about the plight of Nigerian children blamed for death, economic devastation and other misfortune. On hand to discuss the film and protection concerns for UNHCR will be Gary Foxcroft, of the NGO Stepping Stones Nigeria, Jeff Crisp, UNHCR Policy Development Service and Ron Pouwels, UNHCR Community Development, Gender Equality and Children Section.

When: Monday, 6 April, 4:30pm - 6:00pm

Where: UNHCR's Visitor Center, rue de Montbrillant 94