|
|
GOAL 5: IMPROVE MATERNAL HEALTH
Worldwide, more than 50 million women suffer from poor reproductive health and serious pregnancy-related illnesses and disabilities. Every year, more than 500,000 women die of complications from pregnancy and childbirth (according to the WHO). Most of these deaths occur in Asia, but the risk of dying is highest in Africa.
In order for maternal health to be improved, there needs to be programmes that deal specifically with material health, safe motherhood and nutrition. In Cameroon, religious and cultural barriers continue to present a challenge when addressing maternal health, and therefore need special attention.
The government’s health policy lays a lot of emphasis on maternal healthcare. For this goal to be achieved, there is the need to:
- Establish youth friendly clinics to help prevent child-bearing at young ages and unplanned pregnancies, as well as promoting longer intervals between pregnancies;
- Improve the involvement of men in maternal health programmes;
- Promote reproductive and sexual health education in rural and urban areas through formal curricula and non-formal activities; and
- Get young people involved in preventing harmful cultural practices through experience sharing and the exchange of ideas.
GOAL 6: COMBAT HIV/AIDS, MALARIA, AND OTHER DISEASES
HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria are among the world’s biggest killers. These diseases interact in ways that make their combined impact worse. Globally, everyday, 6000 young people become infected with the virus (according to UNAIDS), and statistics show that young girls in particular are the most vulnerable to infection; therefore the susceptibility of youth to HIV/AIDS must be examined in detail.
The Cameroon government’s concern with regards to this problem can be seen in its involvement in youth related Anti-AIDS campaigns and the subsidization of anti-retroviral drugs. Anti-AIDS committees have been created all over the country to help check the pandemic. Government also works in collaboration with other bodies like the African Synergy for the fight against AIDS, GTZ, UNAIDS and WHO, among others.
The AIDS situation in the country can be better improved upon, with a behavioral change from the youth, who are most infected and affected by the disease. Youth need to be involved in sexual behavioral research and in the implementation of programmes. This might prove more effective given the fact that young people trust and understand themselves and share similar fates and beliefs in issues related to sex. There is also the need to involve HIV-positive youth in decision-making processes.
GOAL 7: ENSURE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
Environmental issues are directly related to the achievement of the MDGs, given the fact that the Goals cannot be pursued in a vacuum. This Goal calls for the involvement of young people in environmental issues which include the provision of clean and safe water and renewable energy and promoting sustainable consumption.
For this to be attained:
-Intergovernmental agencies should develop or scale-up and replicate initiatives supporting youth participation in policy and programmatic development on environmental sustainability;
-Governments, intergovernmental agencies and youth organizations should develop partnerships for joint environmental initiatives aimed at building capacity in young people at the national level; and
-Global networks amongst youth organizations should be built and supported.
GOAL 8: DEVELOP A GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
Strengthening global partnerships is vital to ensuring that young people become active partners as well as beneficiaries in development. An aptitude for development can serve as a means for involving youth and creating sustainable livelihoods that provide new opportunities for today’s isolated youth to participate in the global economy.
The options for action could include:
-Advancing ICTs to enhance and increase productivity, strengthen regional networks and increase educational opportunities which will address unemployment and economic growth;
-Advocating for youth representatives to be part of government delegations to regional and UN leaders meetings; and
-Lobby for increased funding support from donor agencies to help countries meet their commitments to the MDGs.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that the greater responsibility for the achievement of the MDGs lies with youth. Given the fact that they have continuously been relegated to the background, and the fact that they are in the majority, we wish to call on the youth to pool their resources together at the local, national, regional and global levels, to seize their rights and work for the good of their peers and consequently their entire society. This can only be done if the youth shy away from the social ills in which they are currently involved – drug abuse, corruption, laziness, prostitution, theft, tribalism and nepotism, to name but a few.
|
Tags
You must be logged in to add tags.
|
Writer Profile
AJI JAMES
I developed an interest in writing in primary school, where writing and documenting the stories that were told in the evenings when the family gathered around the fireside was a hobby.
This interest increased when I travelled to Nigeria for university studies. My thoughts found a way of expression through poetry, which I had hitherto thought very complicated.
I presently have over fifty poems, a little below twenty short stories, and several articles on diverse social issues.
|
Comments
A very Brilliant Performance Ajomuzu Collette Bekaku | Apr 8th, 2006
James presentation during the Cameroon youth Leadership Forum organised by CAPEC was very enriching and many youths got to understand what MDGs actually stood for and how they could use it to develop their communities.
hello Tih Felix | Jul 14th, 2008
the note i ve just read have enriched my thoughts
notably on MDGs
i ,am very interested in youths and MDGs...i believe what i ne just read is the best plan ever to raech the MDGs
Kids Can Make A Difference (KIDS) neil jay wollman | Sep 6th, 2009
Kids Can Make A Difference (KIDS) is an innovative educational program for middle school and high school students. It helps them understand the root causes of hunger and poverty and how they as individuals can take action.
KIDS has three major components:
►Teachers’ Guide: Finding Solutions To Hunger: Kids Can Make A Difference has provided over 5,000 classrooms, religious schools, after school programs and homeschoolers with tools to help young people to understand the causes of poverty and become informed and effective citizens, realizing their own capacity to change the world. Students learn about the pain of hunger; the importance of food; the inequality of its distribution; and the links between poverty, hunger, joblessness, and homelessness. They are then given the skills to take what they have learned into their communities.
►Website: The KIDS web site is rated one of the top 20 websites for educators by Educational World. The site provides news, a hunger quiz, hunger facts, suggested books, back issues of the newsletter, the table of contents, sample lessons, program notes from the teacher guide; and
►Newsletter: The three yearly issues highlight current hunger issues, showcase student initiatives, and feature teachers' experiences teaching the KIDS program and students' experiences making a difference in their community and world.
Contact KIDS at:
Larry Levine, Co-Founder
KIDS, 1 Borodell Avenue
Mystic, CT 06355
(860) 245-3620; (860) 245-3651 FAX
kids@kidscanmakeadifference.org; www.kidscanmakeadifference.org
KIDS is a project of WHY (World Hunger Year),
a leading advocate for community based
solutions to hunger and poverty.
You must be a TakingITGlobal member to post a comment. Sign up for free or login.
|
|
