New campagin to boost access to water, sanitation in four African countries.
NAIROBI, July 23 (Xinhua) — Africa’s health charity, Amref Health Africa and the Coca Cola Africa Foundation have announced a joint venture to promote access to clean water and sanitation in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia.
According to a press release received Saturday night, Coca Cola Africa Foundation said it will provide 4.2 million U.S. dollars to help the Nairobi-based Amref Health Africa implement projects that enhances access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation to an estimated 500,000 people in the four countries.
Kenya’s Principal Secretary in the State Department of Water Services, Fred Segor hailed the new partnership saying it will have positive health and economic outcomes on local communities in the region.
"Governments in this region are keen to join alliances with charity groups to tackle an endemic water and sanitation crisis that undermines sustainable development," Segor remarked.
He noted that underserved communities in Kenya’s arid regions and urban slums will benefit from the novel program to expand access to clean water and sanitation.
The Coca Cola Africa Foundation has established a long-term partnership with Amref Health Africa to address water, sanitation and hygiene challenges in the continent through the flagship Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN).
Charity organizations have established strategic alliances with governments and industry to tackle poverty, water insecurity, diseases and ecological depletion that have escalated in a huge swathe of east and horn of Africa region.
"Lasting health and economic benefits of water, sanitation and hygiene are optimized under conditions of full and sustainable access to these services," Gitahi said.
He added that a durable solution to water and sanitation challenges in the region hinges on investments in infrastructure coupled with strengthening of national institutions alongside promotion of entrepreneurship and innovations.

New campagin to boost access to water, sanitation in four African countries.
NAIROBI, July 23 (Xinhua) — Africa’s health charity, Amref Health Africa and the Coca Cola Africa Foundation have announced a joint venture to promote access to clean water and sanitation in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia.
According to a press release received Saturday night, Coca Cola Africa Foundation said it will provide 4.2 million U.S. dollars to help the Nairobi-based Amref Health Africa implement projects that enhances access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation to an estimated 500,000 people in the four countries.
Kenya’s Principal Secretary in the State Department of Water Services, Fred Segor hailed the new partnership saying it will have positive health and economic outcomes on local communities in the region.
"Governments in this region are keen to join alliances with charity groups to tackle an endemic water and sanitation crisis that undermines sustainable development," Segor remarked.
He noted that underserved communities in Kenya’s arid regions and urban slums will benefit from the novel program to expand access to clean water and sanitation.
The Coca Cola Africa Foundation has established a long-term partnership with Amref Health Africa to address water, sanitation and hygiene challenges in the continent through the flagship Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN).
Charity organizations have established strategic alliances with governments and industry to tackle poverty, water insecurity, diseases and ecological depletion that have escalated in a huge swathe of east and horn of Africa region.
"Lasting health and economic benefits of water, sanitation and hygiene are optimized under conditions of full and sustainable access to these services," Gitahi said.
He added that a durable solution to water and sanitation challenges in the region hinges on investments in infrastructure coupled with strengthening of national institutions alongside promotion of entrepreneurship and innovations.

Everything You Need to Know About the Hepatitis A Vaccine.
The Hepatitis A Vaccine Similar to Hepatitis B, Hepatitis A is a disease that affects the liver (hepar being Greek for liver), and is the most common of the five different hepatitis viruses classified by doctors (vaccines currently only exist for Hepatitis A, B, and E).
If symptoms occur at all — and for many patients, particularly children, there are none — they typically include fever, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and jaundice, which will appear 2 to 6 weeks after exposure.
Preventing Hepatitis A As a highly contagious disease, Hepatitis A is transmitted through food or water contaminated by the feces of someone infected with virus.
(If food is contaminated after being cooked, however, the risk is still present.)
Furthermore, regular hand-washing before and after touching food helps ensure the virus doesn’t spread.
Hep A is found throughout the world, though infection rates are higher in areas with poor sanitation or limited access to clean drinking water.
Hence, travelers to parts of Africa, Central and South America, Asia, and even rural sections of Eastern Europe should be on the lookout.
Plan on contacting your doctor or public health center six to eight months before a planned trip in order to receive the vaccine in time for it to take effect.
It is not required for entry into any specific countries.

Triple-digit temperatures possible across the Sandhills as NWS expands warning area The Cape Fear region continues to bake in dangerous heat as the National Weather Service continues an Extreme Heat Warning for much of the area today.
The warning means that a prolonged period of dangerously hot temperatures will occur this afternoon.
The city hasn’t seen the low side of 80 degrees since Thursday morning, and the heat index, a combination of air temperature and dew point, has been at 90 or higher since a brief thundershower cooled parts of the city Friday afternoon.
Temperatures will be quick to rally after sunrise possibly topping 90 degrees by 10 a.m. Heat index values will return into the 110 to 115 degrees this afternoon and could remain in triple digits well into the evening.
The cumulative effect of heat and humidity may cause heat stress during outdoor exertion or extended exposure.
With long duration of heat and humidity and with temperatures not cooling below 80 at night, “this is a potentially very dangerous heat event,” The NWS warns.
Children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles, as car interiors can reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes.
Bring pets indoors if possible, and ensure they have access to drinking water, which can evaporate from dishes very quickly in extreme heat.
Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on elderly relatives and neighbors.
Fans are essential for those without air conditioning.

An ongoing cholera epidemic ravaging war-torn Yemen is expected to at least double by the end of the year, marking the worst outbreak since the beginning of the Cold War, the International Committee of the Red Cross announced Sunday.
ICRC President Peter Maurer said the outbreak was a direct result of a civil war that has lasted for more than two years between a Saudi-led military coalition backed by the United States and Houthi rebels backed by Iran.
He said the conflict has devastated the nation’s health system and crippled access to safe drinking water.
"The great tragedy is that this cholera outbreak is a preventable, man-made humanitarian catastrophe," Maurer said in a statement.
"Further deaths can be prevented, but warring parties must ease restrictions and allow the import of medicines, food, and essential supplies and they must show restraint in the way they conduct warfare."
The report came as the number of Yemenis killed by the disease exceeded 1,800.
Cholera, a highly contagious diarrheal infection spread through water contaminated by human waste, can be efficiently treated with the immediate replacement of lost fluids.
The United Nations announced last week that it was suspending plans to deploy one million doses of cholera vaccines to Yemen because the rapid spread of the disease and logistical challenges perpetuated by the war would make the effort ineffective.
The war has left less than 45 percent of Yemen’s medical facilities operational and both warring sides have blocked aid groups from delivering desperately needed food and medical supplies.
A Senate resolution introduced by Young in April urging President Donald Trump to address the crisis has yet to move.

An ongoing cholera epidemic ravaging war-torn Yemen is expected to at least double by the end of the year, marking the worst outbreak since the beginning of the Cold War, the International Committee of the Red Cross announced Sunday.
ICRC President Peter Maurer said the outbreak was a direct result of a civil war that has lasted for more than two years between a Saudi-led military coalition backed by the United States and Houthi rebels backed by Iran.
He said the conflict has devastated the nation’s health system and crippled access to safe drinking water.
"The great tragedy is that this cholera outbreak is a preventable, man-made humanitarian catastrophe," Maurer said in a statement.
"Further deaths can be prevented, but warring parties must ease restrictions and allow the import of medicines, food, and essential supplies and they must show restraint in the way they conduct warfare."
The report came as the number of Yemenis killed by the disease exceeded 1,800.
Cholera, a highly contagious diarrheal infection spread through water contaminated by human waste, can be efficiently treated with the immediate replacement of lost fluids.
The United Nations announced last week that it was suspending plans to deploy one million doses of cholera vaccines to Yemen because the rapid spread of the disease and logistical challenges perpetuated by the war would make the effort ineffective.
The war has left less than 45 percent of Yemen’s medical facilities operational and both warring sides have blocked aid groups from delivering desperately needed food and medical supplies.
A Senate resolution introduced by Young in April urging President Donald Trump to address the crisis has yet to move.

The entire Northern Province and six other districts have been hit by a prolonged drought, the worst in recent times, causing an acute water shortage.
“We are taking steps to deploy district level disaster management units to liaise with the local authorities in the affected areas to cope with the shortage,” Disaster Management Ministry Secretary S.S. Miyanawala told the Sunday Times.
He said it would be an enormous task since water resources were not available to cope with an unprecedented drought in many areas.
Besides the Northern Province, the districts affected are Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Ampara, Anuradhapura, Kurunegala and Puttalam.
In the Northern Province, where the water crisis has hit all five districts, the Jaffna district is the worst hit.
More than 120,000 people have been affected.
“The situation has been worsening gradually for months since our country received less rain last year.
Disaster Management Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa visited the North this week to assess the drought crisis in the worst affected areas.
A high level meeting was held at the Kilinochchi District Secretariat yesterday with heads of various departments taking part.
Puttalam District DMC’s Deputy Director W.D.S.Rodrigo said that so far 13 of the 16 divisional secretariat areas were severely affected and people were finding it difficult to get water for drinking or basic sanitation.

Two Billion People Don’t Have Access to Clean Water.
United Nations — More than two billion people lack access to clean and safe drinking water, according to a new report released by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Although significant progress to ensure access to drinking water has been achieved, there is still a long way to go to ensure its quality — deemed free from pollutants and safe for drinking.
While many countries like India have made it a top priority, many others haven’t been able to emphasise the issue yet," Sanjay Wijesekera, Chief of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene at UNICEF, told IPS.
This puts lives, especially of young children, at great risk.
Wijesekera added.
A lack of access to clean drinking water is also bad news for hygiene and sanitary levels.
While the global drop in open defecation from 20 to 12 percent between 2000 and 2015 is a welcome fact, the rate of decline, at just .7 percent every year, puts pressure on governments to do more.
Still, some countries like Ethiopia have combatted the issue of open defecation successfully.
Critical building blocks like stronger policies at the government levels and dutiful allocation of funds can go a long way," Wijesekera said.

SOUTH KINGSTOWN—Hot air balloons will be on bright display this weekend, as families flock to the University of Rhode Island for the Wakefield Rotary Club’s biggest annual fundraiser.
Founded in 1957 as part of Rotary International, the Wakefield Rotary Club held its first balloon festival 39 years ago in an effort to raise funds to help South County residents in need of assistance.
Seitz attended the Rotary’s balloon festival for the first time 25 years ago.
“You had the balloons, you had the crafters and five or six food vendors—that was it,” he added.
The club’s other motto, Seitz added, is “improving and saving lives.” “We’re trying to do things that will make a difference in people’s lives,” he said.
“It really goes to three places,” Seitz explained.
“Scholarships to local students, grants to local charities—such as Habitat for Humanity, Domestic Violence Resource Center, Galilee Mission, Welcome House—and then we take $10,000 a year and use that in international projects.” The Rotary’s global network makes it easy and safe to donate internationally, he added.
He explained that it costs about $50 to supply clean drinking water for a year to a family in Cambodia.
“We have our own people on the ground,” Seitz said, “so we get a lot of value for the dollar.” “With these water filters disease and childhood deaths [are reduced], kids are healthy and able to go to school, get educations,” he continued, “it makes a huge difference.” All the work for the festival is done by volunteers.
“Perfect weather is 70 degrees and no wind.

Arkansan tells of life with little water.
WASHINGTON — Life is "strenuous and stressful" when you don’t have running water, Benton County resident Mike Frazee told lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Thursday.
"I live in rural Northwest Arkansas, an area of great natural beauty, but where access to basic services like drinking water can be extremely difficult," he said.
The figure is higher in Arkansas: 3.6 percent.
"In my part of the world, people drive every day, thousands of miles a year, to haul water from a coin-operated water machine to their homes, and if their water station is broke or there’s bad weather conditions, you might have to go several days without water," Frazee said.
In 2012, it drilled wells for the Frazees and five other Arkansas families, loaning them up to $11,000 each to cover the costs.
In an interview, Margaret Martens, the trade association’s executive director, said Arkansas was the group’s pilot project.
Since then, 24 additional wells have been completed in Northwest Arkansas.
And more wells are on the way.
Those who get assistance are "low-income Americans," Martens said, and the benefits are long-lasting.