Nno, Welcome, Ola,

I visited Nigeria in 2006 and was bitten by a bug called High Infant Mortality Rate. I read about the issue in a local news paper in Abuja. This information was buttressed while on holidays in my father's village (Nnewi); an elderly woman informed my cousin and I of 2 infant deaths that Christmas week from childhood preventable illnesses. I was aghast. I sat down, dumfounded, then a flashback of I (as a child), at the end of civil war, women carrying their dying babies of kwashiorkor to my father's compound seeking relief; food, water, medicine anything to help their infants. In 2007 I returned to finish my graduate school in Public Health and my community health class provided a platform to research infant mortality rate. Hence, I wrote a paper on it, and proposed a three year strategic pyramid solution.

This blog is about being part of the solution:
(a) bringing the issue to bear
(b) envisioning seamless integrated strategies
(c) visualizing adapting innovative, sustainable solutions to mitigate variables that give rise to high infant deaths.

At issue is the continent of Africa. Some may say I gave money to Africa, yes you did but in reality you gave money for a project in Mali, or Sierra Leone or Liberia. That is 3 countries out of 50. From my research, high infant morality rate in SSA is attracting international, national and individual researchers seeking effective methods in implementing sustainable measures or solutions towards reversing the numbers. I am suggesting that more man power is needed to combat the problem at least in Nigeria.

http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/MDG_FS_4_EN.pdf



Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Using Capitalism to make a Difference

Mr. Khosla, the poor is not looking for "enough money to be given away in the world to make the poor well off" http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/06/business/global/06khosla.html?   Mr. Khosla prefers to invest in companies that focus on the poor (India, Africa ) by providing services like health, energy and education.  All Mr. Khosla needs to do is venture out of his Menlo Park office to Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, Nnewi (South East Nigeria), and see poor entrepreneurs- shop keepers (auto parts), mechanics, farmers and tailors all trying to be like Ramila Chawda of Ujjiva, Bangalore in an effort to school their children, feed them and pay for basic health care.  As Mrs. Melinda Gates has her money (where her mouth is) in India trying to eradicate polio and assist women and children in health care, Mr. Khosla needs to bring his money to a Small corner of the African continent where he would find many companies that "fit his model of profitable poverty alleviation" to help solve social problems for the sake of public good, I suggest.
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