St. Giles Receives its largest donation in 10years from Mimosa Mining

Today is a great day for St Giles Medical Rehabilitation Centre, as they have received their biggest donation in  ten years from Mimosa Mining Company. 

The Donation handover began with a quick tour of the physiotherapy and occupational therapy departments. Thereafter Mr Mawerera the master of ceremony welcomed all guests and introduced board members, staff members and special guests. We then had the CEO of St Giles, Mr Nsangwe give the official welcome followed by the Chairman of the St Giles Board,  Advocate V.S Nyangulu who gave a vote of thanks to fellow board members, St. Giles Staff and a special thanks to Mimosa Mining Company.   

Advocate Nyangulu shared how the support of some corporate entities had allowed St. Giles to be able to  buy a new generator, stove and carpet some area as well as paint section of the centre. 

Advocate Nyangulu then spoke of the work that St Giles carries out and the challenges that they are facing in achieving their goals. He explained how the challenges that St Giles faced are very real and numerous. He appealed for more companies and individuals as they are able to follow the example set by the Mimosa Mining Company and help St. Giles to continue its vital work and improve its facilities for the benefit of the patients. 

The MD of Mimosa Mining Company Mr Chitando gave his speech thereafter; he explained how he learnt of the St Giles Medical Rehabilitation Centre from a lady he worked with in 1987-88 in Hwange. This lady had suffered a stroke and was admitted to St Giles for rehabilitation where he had visited her and saw how quickly she was recovering under the care of the St. Giles team. He told of how Mimosa Mining Company is involved in platinum mining in Zvishavane employing approx 1800 people.They started operating as a project in 1994 and formalised their company 1997.  Mimosa Mining Company has a very strong sense of their 'Corporate Social Responisbility' (CSR). Within CSR their main areas of focus are health and education. Mr Chitando said that this is the beginging of what he hoped to be a good and long relationship between St Giles and Mimosa Mining Company.   

Mimosa has provided The St Giles with; a shortwave diathermy, UV light, treadmill set, EARAF power pack for sonopulse 190, wax bath, stationery bike, ultra sound machine, 2 tens machines, massage vibrator, hot pack unit, a home gym, interferential and an air mattress. This equipment is mostly beneficial to the physiotherapy department and has replaced the majority of their redundant equipment as well as brought in new equipment to make the rehabilitation process easier and quicker for the patients.

Photography courtesy of E:thos photography by rudo nyangulu

Tour of the physotherapy and Ocupational Therapy Departments

 The official presentation from Mimosa Mining Company to St. Giles Medical Rehabilitation Centre

 

CEO of St Giles, Mr Nsangwe giving his speach

Chairman of the St. Giles board, Advocate  Nyangulu giving his speach

MD of Mimosa Mining Company Mr Chitando giving his speach

The hadover of the equipment by Mr Chitando on behalf of Mimosa Mining Company to Advocate Nyangulu on behalf of St Giles.

The reception after the handover

 

CODE RED AGAINST RAPE: 16 Days of Activism 2011 March in Harare by Donna-Ray Campbell

Today I got a phone call saying all roads lead to town house and without wasting anytime I headed straight there. When I arrived I discovered that the focus of this  years’ 16 Days of Activism Against Gender based violence was focusing on Rape of women and children.  At town House I found myself amongst women from of all ages, classes and ethnic groups all wearing T-Shits that read, “CODE RED AGAINST RAPE”.  These women were getting ready to march through the streets of Harare and were organised by a group called, ‘The Katswe Sisterhood’. 

There were women who had been raped amongst the group, the ladies were so passionate and eager to bring change that i was moved to join the march after all I am a woman and i am not ‘immune’ to the possibility of being raped.  It was amazing being amongst the women as they sang and danced in celebration of taking a stand against rape.  I was humbled and honoured to be a part of the experience as you never really understand the damage of rape until you see a woman urging you to sing with her as she know the scars that this atrocity has left embedded in her memory and the palm prints it has left on her soul.

Photography provided by E:thos photography by Rudo Nyangulu 

The Art of Being Humane First Annual Bachelor Auction 26th November 2011

Who we are

Our purpose is simple; we aim ‘to be the change we want to see in the world’.

 We  achieve this by utilising our artistic talents and natural gifts to tell the stories that matter about the issues that are plaguing society /  communities / families / individuals.  

Our goal is to be a voice for the voiceless.

We  believe in giving those who are in need ‘a hand-up NOT a hand-out’ by empowering them to become  financially independent and able to ensure their own food security.

We are working with and support four organisations; Matthew Rusike Children's Home, St. Giles Medical Rehabilitation Centre, Helping Hands (supporting orphanages & schools with disabled children) and The Elizabeth Chanakira Cancer Trust.

The Purpose of the auction

The Art of Being Human Foundation has a '100% giver's guarantee'. This means that if a donation or pledge is made for a specific cause we give 100% of that donation or pledge to that specific cause. We do not take out any administration fees (operating costs) from 'specific donations'. However we do have operating costs that need to be met and therefore we have taken the approach of raising funds specifically for The Art of Being Humane that will cover these costs. We do this in three ways; having annual fundraising activities, inviting companies to pledge support (monitory/goods/services) and through social enterprise initiatives where we create merchandise that we sell. 

The bachelor auction is one of our annual fundraising events.

Bachelor Auction Details

Date: 26th November 2011

Time: 6pm

Venue: Platinum Lifestyle Estate , 7 Dungravan Close,Borrowdale Harare, Zimbabwe

Tickets: $5 - These can be purchased from The Zimbo Jam Offices, 336 Herbert Chitepo Ave, Harare, ask for Passion

Or Call Donna on 0773535588

THE RULES [With a pinch of humor!]

1. THE BACHELORS

 The men who volunteer MUST be currently unattached 

Definition of unattached: 1. Not married (legally or traditionally), 2. Not engaged (or deciding on whether or not to be engaged to their current spouse), 3. Not separated from wife (if you do not have a decree absolute you are still married!), 4. No live in partner situation - - THIS IS TO AVOID ANGRY WOMEN STORMING INTO THE EVENT AND DRAGGING SAID BACHLEOR OUT EMBARRASING EVERYONE! :)

2. THE LADIES WHO BID

The LADIES who BID MUST be currently unattached also - SO NO BIG STRONG MEN STORM IN AND BEAT UP OUR INNOCENT BACHELORS!! - - (See Definition of unattached ABOVE :)

3. WHAT YOU ARE BIDDING FOR - THIS IS IMPORTANT: 

One lunch or dinner date with said bachelor at a restaurant  [ Vouchers will be provided to cover the cost so no need to argue about who will pay the bill boys! Lol!)

PLEASE NOTE:::: Winning a bid DOES NOT ENTITLE EITHER PARTY TO MARRY THE OTHER AND HAVE MANY CHILDREN AND LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER! 

This event purely provides a platform for an introduction and one date in support of the charitable causes that The Art of Being Humane supports. Please DO NOT develop a stalker mentality post said date if there are no mutual feelings, this will only embarass EVERYONE!.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR PARTICIPATION AND AN ENJOYABLE EVENT! :)

FEATURE: Mwemwa Kamwndo-Adams' Story

About  Mwema

Mwema Adams is a volunteer at Matthew Rusike Children’s Home. ABH first came into contact with Mwema at Matthew Rusike Children’s Home when carrying out a site visit as we initiated our relationship and support of Matthew Rusike Children’s Home.

Mwema volunteers at Matthew Rusike as a counselling office for the young people primarily those who are HIV Positive but not exclusively. The reason she volunteers is because she believes this is the work she should be doing however Matthew Rusike is not currently in a financial position to employ her as a paid member of staff.

Mrs Adams husband passed away and she is now a single parent, mother of four children and pregnant with her fifth.  Her third child passed away very early in his young life having contracted the HIV virus at birth whilst her first born child is living with the virus and the second child and fourth child were born HIV-FREE

Mwemwa's Present Situation

When we met Mwemwa she was seven month's pregnant and had a very limited income primarily from good will of those she met and not actual employment. When Mwema went to her local clinic to register as she was aware of her positive HIV status and wanted to access the ARV Therapy treatment that prevents mother-to-child transmission of HIV. She was told that the ARV therapy was free to all those pregnant women who were registered with the clinic. The registration fee was US$30.00. Mwema could not afford this hence she found herself seven months pregnant and not on this vital treatment plan to protect her baby.

What we did

The Art of Being Humane Foundation awarded Mwema a grant of US$35.00 to enable her to get to and from the clinc and to pay the fee to register and start the treatment with the hope that it was not too late for her baby.

View our 'Born HIV FREE' Campaign here

Read part II of Mwema's story here

Breast & Cervical Cancer Awareness Event: 'IF Someone Could Have Told Her' 4th November 2011

This is an event that will highlight the severity of Breast & Cervical Cancer as well as 

show how women can protect themselves through regular early detection examinations 

and tests.  A live discussion with medical processionals and women currently fighting and 

have survived both cancers will take place at the beginning of the event. We will have a 


live Facebook chat on The Zimbo Jam Facebook page alongside this discussion so that 


Zimbabweans everywhere can participate! We will also be tweeting throughout the 


event. This event is part of our awareness raising campaign with: 

The Elizabeth Chanakira Cancer Trust 

Lynda Matthew's The ABH Coordinator for the
ECCT / Cancer Project telling a young woman about
Breast & Cervical Cancer at one of the events in October

Event Details:

Date: Friday 4th November 2011

Time: 4pm - 8.30pm

Venue: Alliance Francoise, 328 Herbert Chitepo Avenue, Harare.

Who can attend? - Women, Men, youth - 'Cancer affects the whole family!'

Ladies, 

GET YOUR BREASTS EXAMINED FOR LUMPS FOR FREE AT THIS EVENT!!!

 Some clinics charge as much as $25 for the same service! 

Gents,

Find out more about MALE BREAST CANCER at this event!

Dont miss this opportunity!!!!

We hope to see you there!

CAUSE: [Breast & Cirvical Cancer Awareness] Tickled Pink Fridays 2011

A tickeled pink Fridays session where women AND men are learning more about breast and cervical cancer

 We aim to hold annual tickled pink Fridays during the months of September and October the traditional Cervical Cancer and Breast Cancer Awareness months respectively.

These sessions are an open dialogue either online or in person where we are able to share what we know with the general public regarding the dangers of these cancers and more importantly how essential early detection is to treatment and survival!

Cervical Cancer Kills Women in Developing Countries

"Someone should have told her"  - Cervical Cancer in Zimbabwe has a Face...
The Art of Being Humane Founder, Miss Rudo Nyangulu interviews a young
 Zimbabwean lady called Talent who was  recently diagnosed with cervical cancer

Article by Chief K.Masimba Biriwasha

Cervical cancer, caused by infection with some type of human papillomavirus (HPV), is the leading cancer-related cause of death among women in developing countries.
The disease affects an estimated 500,000 women every year and kills a nearly quarter million worldwide. Eighty percent of the cases occur in developing countries where women have limited access to screening and treatment services.

"Among the most tragic public health failures of the last decade are the preventable deaths of young women in developing countries from maternal mortality and cervical cancer," says Sue J. Goldie, a professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard School of Public Health.
HIV positive women are significantly more susceptible to having an HPV infection turn into cervical cancer. This is despite the fact that there are tools available that can reverse this trend. Many governments in the affected countries have not prioritized the problem of cervical cancer in their national and health programs.
"We are now facing unprecedented opportunities to prevent these unnecessary and tragic deaths. In fact, recent concerted efforts have been made to assemble, synthesize, and interpret the available data with an eye towards actionable steps, and to comprehensively reflect on what has worked and what has not," says Goldie. "Moreover, researchers, public health scientists, and policymakers are beginning to engage with the distinct purpose of agreeing on the most promising strategic approaches to eradicating preventable deaths in women."
In developing countries, the vast majority of women with cervical cancer are diagnosed in late stages of the condition, and usually have little chances for long-term survival. To make matters worse, treatment for cervical cancer is rarely available even where the condition has been diagnosed.

"Unlike most cancers, cervical cancer is preventable through screening to detect and treat precancerous lesions. A conventional screening program, based on the cytological examination of cervical smears, can require up to three visits: an initial screening visit, colposcopic evaluation of abnormalities, and treatment. In countries that have been able to achieve broad cervical cancer screening coverage using cytology at frequent intervals, deaths have decreased considerably," says Goldie.

For many developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where poverty is endemic, and where health systems are in a state of dilapidation, cervical cancer is killing more women than necessary.
"In the vast majority of resource-poor settings such screening programs have proven difficult to implement and sustain due to a lack of human, technical, and monetary resources, and often inadequate health infrastructure," says Goldie. "Additionally, the requirement for multiple visits, together with the need to screen at frequent intervals, has made it impossible to implement and sustain widespread organized screening in most poor countries."

There's need for a greater awareness of the severity of cervical cancer among women in developing countries. Also, there's need for low-cost interventions that can be applied over a wide-scale.