To all Africans and Friends of Africa in Africa and the Diaspora,
On behalf of the Diaspora Health Literacy Advocacy Team & Global Collaborators for Africa (DHLAT), I am pleased to formally introduce the group to this forum. DHLAT & Global Collaborators for Africa was founded to tackle the problem of health illiteracy in Africa through advocacy for the infusion of health education and health promotion as a subject in schools from Kindergarten through High School, and do so within the framework of culturally appropriate and content specific derivative of Comprehensive School Health Education (CSHE). The benefits to our approach will yield several positive outcomes, including health and economic gains, reduced morbidity and mortality rates from communicable diseases and non communicable diseases, increased life expectancy, youth empowerment through education, and improved quality of life.
Why tackle Health Literacy? According to the People's Health Movement, in 1978, at the Alma-Ata Conference, ministers from 134 countries in association with WHO and UNICEF called for 'Health for All by the Year 2000' and selected Primary Health Care as the best tool to achieve the goal.
Unfortunately, that Health for All goal never came through. The health status of developing World populations has not improved as envisaged. In many cases it has deteriorated further. Currently, we are facing a global health crisis, characterized by growing inequalities within and between countries. New threats to health are continually emerging. This is compounded by negative forces of globalization which prevent the equitable distribution of resources necessary for people's health, particularly the poor; and communicable and non-communicable diseases are killing our youth by the numbers. Africa is case in point, with about 17 Million preventable deaths yearly from communicable diseases as reported by the World Health Organization. Our youths are dying in the numbers from HIV/AIDS and Malaria just to name a few.
Within the health sector, failure to implement the principles of primary health care (as set out in the Alma-Ata declaration), has significantly aggravated the global health crisis. Furthermore, national educational systems do not include health education and health promotion with any conceivable intensity as a subject. African youths grow virtually health illiterate, and as a consequence make poor health choices or engage in high risk behaviors.
Solutions to problems in Africa must be led by Africa. African Governmental , Quasi-Governmental, and Non Governmental organizations should lead efforts to collaborate with the international community, health education and health promotion professionals, and civil society in order to constructively solve the issue of health illiteracy in Africa.
It is now essential to build a concerted international effort to put the goal of Health for All in its rightful place on the development agenda. Genuine, people-centered initiatives must be strengthened to increase pressure on decision makers, governments and the private sector to ensure that health education and health promotion is infused in school curricula from Kindergarten to High School to address the problem of health illiteracy early in life. This is the reason, the Diaspora Health Literacy Advocacy Team and Global Collaborators was founded.
The Diaspora Health Literacy Advocacy Team & Global Collaborators for Africa (DHLAT), founded in 2012 by Prof. Martin Ayim, is non aligned, non political and non partisan group of 35 African and Non African Health Education and Health Promotion professionals and other professionals representing 15 African countries. All these professionals are interested in pursuing the advocacy journey for the infusion of health education and health promotion as a subject in school curriculum from Kindergarten to High School, via utilization of culturally appropriate framework, and content sensitive derivative of Comprehensive School Health Education in Africa. Our approach, if implemented, provides a long-term solution and investment promising high yield in terms of positive economic productivity and massive employment in the country, increased life expectancies, reduced morbity and mortality from communicable and non communicable diseases, youth empowerment, and better quality of life. Please click on link to listen to the AFRICA 24 TV Coverage of Prof. Martin Ayim's advocacy at the Cameroon Professional Society meeting in Baltimore: http://youtu.be/jenEZlLQukk.
DHLAT & Global Collaborators has already developed a generic health education and health promotion curriculum that can be adopted for Kindergarten through High School in African countries. The manual is titled "Blue Print for Comprehensive School Health Education in Africa". The generic curriculum can easily be tweaked to fit the educational
system of any African country. DHLAT has qualified and experienced professionals who are ready to assist any country through Consultancy, to plan and implement and assess the curriculum, and train the trainers through workshops, and seminars. The manual will also be translated into French.
It will be necessary for DHLAT to seek funding from reputed global organizations, governmental, and quasi governmental organizations in the USA. These potential funding entities will require collaborative efforts with local organizations or diasporean organizations with interest in Africa. We appeal that you send a letter of support for our comprehensive school health education program.
DHLAT & Global Collaborators will be honored with a letter of support for our vision of tackling health illiteracy in Africa through the advocacy for curricular infusion of health education and health promotion as a subject in Schools from Kindergarten to High School. Attached to this introductory cover letter is the DHLAT and Global Collaborators brochure detailing our strategic plan.
Please, email your letter of support or correspondence, or acknowledgement of receipt of this letter toatakyen2002@yahoo.com. Phone (318)344-8955 Fax (318)274-3202.
We anticipate that you will embrace and support us in fighting health illiteracy in Sub Sahara Africa and Africa as a whole. Please disseminate as much as you can to all African groups and associations everywhere.
Thank You and Merry Xmas
Signed on Behalf of DHLAT and Global Collaborators for Africa,
Professor Martin Ayim
--------------------------------------------------------------
Chair and Lead Consultant, DHLAT
cc. Ex Students Associations, USA
African Cultural Groups
African Faith Based Organizations (Churches)
African Civil Society
Institutions of Higher Education, Africa
Non Profit Organizations targeting Africa
(SAMPLE LETTER OF SUPPORT)
(To be reproduced on your Organization's letterhead, Sign & stamped)
( Scan it to atakyen2002@yahoo.com)
TO: Diaspora Health Literacy Advocacy Team & Global Collaborators for Africa (DHLAT)
Attn: Prof. Martin Ayim
1502 Haskell Dr., Ruston, Louisiana 71270, USA
Tel. (318)344-8955 Fax (318)274-3202
FROM: (Name of Organization, address, phone number, contact email)
DATE: (Insert Date)
SUBJECT: LETTER OF SUPPORT FOR DHLAT VISION OF TACKLING HEALTH ILLITERACY IN AFRICA THROUGHCURRICULAR INFUSION OF HEALTH EDUCATION AND HEALTH PROMOTION AS A SUBJECT IN SCHOOLS FROM KINDERGARTEN
Dear DHLAT & Global Collaborator,
I write on behalf of my (Name of organization) to acknowledge receipt of your introductory letter and brochure of the Diaspora Health Literacy Advocacy Team and Global Collaborators for Africa. We understand that DHLAT has a great vision of curbing health illiteracy in Africa through advocacy for the infusion of health education and health promotion as a subject in schools from Kindergarten through High School, and do so within the framework of culturally appropriate and content specific derivative of Comprehensive School Health Education (CSHE). We also understand that DHLAT may conduct basic research or survey to obtain some analytic figures related to health education and curriculum. We further understand that it may be necessary for DHLAT to seek funding from reputed global organizations, governmental, and quasi governmental organizations in the USA.
We write to express support for DHLAT vision in our country and will participate in community outreach programs to educate the public about DHLAT and build grassroot support. We will definitely collaborate to promote the vision of DHLAT in our country.
We thank DHLAT for this great and noble vision and hope you get the funding support you need to execute this much needed vision.
Signed On behalf of (name of Organization),
Sincerely Yours,
Signed: __________________________________ Date: ____________________
(Position and Title)
(Scanned Organizational stamp and seal)
No comments:
Post a Comment