Tag Archives: living conditions

AMA, Health

BLUEMIND FOUNDATION JOINS THE 2026 MULAGO RAINER FELLOWS PROGRAM, A GLOBAL BENCHMARK FOR LARGE-SCALE IMPACT

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Bluemind Foundation announces its selection to the Mulago Rainer Fellows 2026 program, led by the Mulago Foundation, an internationally recognized organization in the funding of high social impact solutions.

Lomé, Togo, 10 April 2026 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/ – Following a highly competitive selection process involving more than 4,000 organizations, Bluemind Foundation was chosen for the strength of its model and its ability to develop solutions with massive, measurable, and replicable impact.
The Mulago Foundation is distinguished by its rigorous approach, focused on identifying initiatives capable of lastingly transforming the living conditions of millions of people. It favors models that are simple, effective, and designed from the outset for large-scale deployment.
This selection comes at a time of strategic acceleration for Bluemind Foundation, as it advances the rollout of an innovative community-based mental health model across Africa.

Marie-Alix de PUTTER and the ambassadrices © Desy Danga for Bluemind Foundation

INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION OF AN IMPACT-DRIVEN MODEL
Joining the Mulago Rainer Fellows 2026 program represents international recognition of the model developed by Bluemind Foundation one grounded in a systemic approach to mental health, conceived as an essential social infrastructure. By embedding care within everyday living spaces, the Foundation builds programs rooted in local realities while forging pathways toward public health systems and sustainable financing mechanisms.
This recognition validates the model’s capacity to address structural challenges while remaining fully aligned with a large-scale deployment strategy.

RECOGNITION THAT REINFORCES AN ESTABLISHED TRAJECTORY
The Mulago Foundation is known for its exacting standards: it identifies and supports only models capable of sustainably transforming the lives of millions. Bluemind Foundation’s inclusion in this program does not mark a starting point, but rather:

  • validates the robustness of its model
  • confirms its capacity for expansion
  • strengthens a momentum that is already well underway

A NEW PHASE: BUILDING THE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR SCALE
This milestone will enable Bluemind Foundation to reinforce its strategic structuring mechanisms, deepen long-term financing models, and embed the organization within an international network of actors committed to achieving impact at scale.
In this momentum, the Foundation continues to pursue its ambition of deploying a model capable of reaching millions of beneficiaries, while upholding the rigor, measurability, and sustainability of its work.

A DEFINING STEP IN BLUEMIND FOUNDATION’S INTERNATIONAL POSITIONING
This selection marks a pivotal moment in Bluemind Foundation’s international positioning and affirms a clear ambition: to design and deploy high-impact African solutions capable of becoming durably embedded in public systems and global social transformation dynamics.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Bluemind Foundation

About Bluemind Foundation

Bluemind Foundation is a pioneering nonprofit organization in the field of mental health that integrates care into everyday spaces tarting with hair salons transforming community hubs into true lifelines. It empowers local communities across Africa and beyond through innovative, scalable, cost-effective, and evidence-based solutions that change lives where care is needed most. Bluemind Foundation’s mission is to bring hope, dignity, and mental well-being to everyone, everywhere, every day.

For more information about Bluemind Foundation and its initiatives:  X, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. 

CONTACTS
+228 99 22 00 87
welcome@bluemindfoundation.org 
www.bluemindfoundation.org

The post BLUEMIND FOUNDATION JOINS THE 2026 MULAGO RAINER FELLOWS PROGRAM, A GLOBAL BENCHMARK FOR LARGE-SCALE IMPACT appeared first on African Media Agency.

AMA, Health

Cleaner markets for safer food in Cameroon

MaraviPost

Geneva, Switzerland, 01 April 2026- /African Media Agency (AMA)/- Along with Senegal, Cameroon is implementing the “Healthy Food Market” project in the city of Douala through two pilot markets: New Deido and Ndogpassi. Coordinated by the urban municipality, this project aims to strengthen the prevention of foodborne diseases and improve hygiene, sanitation and food safety, with the goal of gradually spreading these good practices to all markets in the city.

Simon Édouard Ekotto Ndemba, Director of Environment, Health, and Living Conditions at the Douala Urban Municipality, explains the criteria that guided the selection of the pilot markets, the innovations introduced, the mechanisms put in place to oversee the project, and the decisive support of the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners.

Within the framework of the “Healthy Food Market” project, how are traders organizing themselves to ensure hygiene and sanitation?

In our public markets, traders organize themselves through their associations to carry out daily cleaning. Every evening, they sweep inside the market and gather waste in a designated area. The company responsible for collection then picks it up and cleans the surroundings of the market, with waste removal carried out every two days. With the project, we also addressed a practice that posed a real problem: selling food directly on the ground. At New Deido market, some traders still displayed their products on dirty sacks placed on the floor. Thanks to awareness sessions, this practice has disappeared. Today, traders use at least small tables to present food. Our ambition is to standardize this approach and extend it to all other markets in the city.

What innovations has the “Healthy Food Market” project introduced in the pilot markets?

The main innovation is the systematic integration of hygiene and sanitation aspects into the daily management of markets. Meetings are no longer only about revenue generation but now also include hygiene, sanitation and food safety. The project has strengthened compliance with hygiene standards, particularly for food products, and introduced appropriate facilities for specific areas such as slaughtering and poultry. We also ensure proper maintenance of restrooms, permanent availability of water points and electrification of markets to guarantee a safer environment.

What criteria were used to select these two markets?

Selection was based on several key elements. First, the market had to clearly belong to the State or the municipality. Size, surface area and a precise definition of the perimeter were also decisive. Accessibility was another factor, requiring that these markets be served by roads for users and other stakeholders. Governance structures played a crucial role, including the presence of a manager, a traders’ association led by an elected representative, and, in some cases, mediation committees such as at New Deido market. The variety of food products available—fruit, vegetables, fish, eggs, poultry and meat—was another important factor. Finally, the mayor’s commitment to governance, hygiene, and sanitation was a determining factor, especially for activities related to cleaning and regular market maintenance.

How is WHO’s support helping to strengthen food safety within the “Healthy Food Market” project?

The World Health Organization has played an essential role in this project. It supports the city in better structuring its approach to hygiene, sanitation and food safety in public markets. This support has also facilitated the mobilization of partners, particularly socially responsible companies. Thanks to this joint effort, the Douala Autonomous Port equipped the pilot markets with trash bins, hygiene and sanitation equipment and personal protective gear such as boots, helmets and vests, enabling traders and cleaning teams to work under better conditions. The equipment provided was substantial, allowing us to extend benefits to about twenty other markets not included in the pilot phase.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of World Health Organisation.

The post Cleaner markets for safer food in Cameroon appeared first on African Media Agency.

Agriculture, AMA

Senegal Launches AgriConnect Compact to Transform its Agriculture Sector

MaraviPost

Washington, USA, 11 February 2026 -/African Media Agency (AMA)/- The Government of Senegal, in partnership with the World Bank Group, today announced the launch of the AgriConnect Senegal Compact. This strategic initiative aims to transform the country’s agri-food systems and improve food security for millions of Senegalese.

Aligned with the Senegal National Agenda for Transformation 2050 and the Food Sovereignty Strategy (SSA 2025-2034), the AgriConnect Pact is a harmonized implementation mechanism mobilizing the Government of Senegal and the World Bank Group – through the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) – as well as technical and financial partners, the private sector and producer organizations.

The initiative focuses on three priority value chains: grains, horticulture, and livestock. It is based on three axes: (i) making structural investments in agricultural infrastructure and services; (ii) revising sectoral policies to improve the business environment; and (iii) encouraging more private investment to spur innovation and competitiveness.

By 2029, the AgriConnect Compact aims to achieve more than 90% food security at the national level and create 800,000 formal jobs in the agricultural sector. Among the objectives set are an increase in the cereal coverage rate from 48% to 78%, rice self-sufficiency to 64%, and the establishment of 100 community-based agricultural cooperatives across the country.

In addition to its strategic orientation, this ambition represents a significant shift in the design, coordination, and implementation of national agricultural and food policies.

“AgriConnect is a model platform for structuring a pipeline of projects related to the National Transformation Agenda. Thanks to sector program contracts that involve all stakeholders, it aims to achieve the expected impacts of the Senegal Vision 2050, which is sovereign, just and prosperous,” said Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo, Minister of State to the President of the Republic, in charge of monitoring, steering and evaluating the Senegal 2050 National Agenda for Transformation. “This platform embodies the strategic coherence sought in the structuring of sectors, engines of sustainable growth. The highest government authorities attach particular importance to results-based management during the implementation of these multisectoral programs. Thus, it is expected that the stakeholders in this initiative will aim for operational efficiency to improve the well-being of the population.”

The partnership is part of a national dynamic, which places food sovereignty at the heart of the country’s transformation agenda.

“The AgriConnect Pact aims to concretely transform the lives of our populations,” said Mabouba Diagne, Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Livestock. “These are families that will be able to better feed their children, farmers who will see their incomes increase and stabilize, young people who will find jobs and a future in modern and profitable agriculture. This direct improvement in living conditions, both in our countryside and in our cities, will guide our implementation with the World Bank Group, our partners, and the private sector.”

The World Bank Group is committed to supporting Senegal in translating its goals into lasting impacts for its people.

“What drives us in AgriConnect is the belief that Senegalese agriculture can feed Senegal, create opportunities for its youth, and become an engine of shared prosperity,” said Ousmane Diagana, World Bank Vice President for Western and Central Africa. “Through the coordinated action of IDA, IFC and MIGA, we want to catalyze a dynamic where public and private investment converge towards a single objective: to make food sovereignty and jobs a tangible and lasting reality for every Senegalese.”

The governance of the Pact is ensured by the Minister of State, responsible for monitoring the Senegal 2050 National Agenda for Transformation, with operational implementation entrusted to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Livestock via its ” Delivery Unit “. A joint steering committee will be established for planning, coordination and monitoring with the support of the Technical Group of Partners (GTP).

The Compact was developed in consultation with the following technical and financial partners: the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Food Program (WFP), the French Development Agency (AFD), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Kingdom of the Netherlands, MasterCard Foundation and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Word Bank Group.

Contacts
At the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Livestock of Senegal:
Penda Mbow,
(221) 77 274 52 37
mbowpendarts@gmail.com

At the World Bank Group in Dakar:
Seydina Alioune Djigo,
+221 77 442 66 70
sdjigo@worldbankgroup.org

The post Senegal Launches AgriConnect Compact to Transform its Agriculture Sector appeared first on African Media Agency.

Entertainment

Eric Decker Calls Wife Jessie His ‘Sugar Mama’ on ‘Special Forces’

Maravi Post Reporter

While competing on Special Forces, Eric Decker opened up about wife Jessie James Decker taking the reins financially after his NFL retirement.

During the Thursday, October 30, episode of the Fox series, Eric, 38, discussed being a wide receiver for eight seasons before leaving the pro football world.

“I don’t really work,” he told his fellow recruits, including his wife. “She’s the sugar mama.”

Eric made light of the situation, but throughout the episode, he acknowledged that he was still struggling with the change. He explained to the Directing Staff how he didn’t feel like himself “physically,” which motivated him to join Special Forces with Jessie, 37.

Jessie James Decker Marks 11 Years of Marriage With Husband Eric: ‘Mi Amor’

“I don’t necessarily have a second career right now, but I am a father of four kids,” Eric, who shares children Vivianne, 11, Eric, 10, Forrest, 7, and Denver, 20 months, with Jessie, said. “I support my wife because she is a career woman.”

Eric wanted to take part in the show so he could do “something harder” than he had “ever been pushed,” adding, “I feel I’ve been pushing myself as far as I can. I’m scared to fail.”

In August 2018, Eric signed a one-year deal with the New England Patriots before announcing his retirement that same month. (He previously played for the Denver Broncos, New York Jets and Tennessee Titans.)

Jussie Smollett Shares New Details of His 'Special Forces' Medical Elimination
Pete Dadds/ FOX

“It’s one of the disappointments I have [with] just the way I went out. I was fearful to fail. Being cut later in my career, it was easier to retire than push. I have been out for six years, but it was great for six months,” he said. “Then came the depression and anxiety.”

Eric added: “I retired six years ago. Football was my life and I’m concerned I’ve lost that fire within me. Maybe I’m just not tough enough.”

While Eric was able to push himself in the Special Forces murderball challenge, he hurt his back. The doctor on sight ruled that Eric couldn’t continue competing, so he left — alongside his wife, who chose to withdraw just a few episodes away from the finale.

“Let’s go home. We ride together, we fly together,” Jessie told Eric.

Who Failed Selection on Season 4 of ‘Special Forces’?

Eric previously spoke exclusively to Us Weekly about his interest in Special Forces.

“[Jessie] was my only way in,” he joked in September. “I mean, we went back and forth on whether it made sense or not, but it really is a once in a lifetime opportunity to do something really extreme, like bucket list-type things. To do it together was actually really fun. It was a whole different experience. We’ve never done anything to that degree, obviously. Just to kind of rough it and be tested mentally and physically and have the support system was awesome.”

Eric found himself in awe of Jessie after their time on the show, sharing, “We found out maybe less than 10 days before the show kicked off, so there was no training. When we got there, you know, we really hadn’t done anything in this world together. I played professional football, and I had my locker room, and I kind of got to experience the challenges that come with training with sports. But to have a dynamic, really be together and just go through the most extreme things that you can do was unique and fun.”

He continued: “She is really tough. She has a lot of grit. It kind of showed me a lot of her personality. I knew that she was capable of doing it. … The living conditions were awful, the food was awful, they didn’t make it easy. You get accustomed to a certain lifestyle … but this is really fun to see the success of getting through every day together.”

Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test airs on Fox Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET.

Lifestyle

Global life expectancy plunges as WHO warns of deepening health crisis Post-COVID

Maravi Post Reporter

The World Health Organization (WHO) has sounded the alarm on the long-term health repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic in its newly released World Health Statistics Report 2025. The report reveals a staggering decline in global life expectancy, which dropped by 1.8 years between 2019 and 2021 – the sharpest fall in recent history, effectively reversing a decade of health gains.

The pandemic’s toll extended beyond direct mortality. Increased levels of anxiety and depression during the crisis shaved six weeks off the global healthy life expectancy, offsetting progress previously made in combating noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).

“The 2025 World Health Statistics report shows that the world is failing in its annual health checkup,” said Samira Asma, WHO Director of Data Analytics and Delivery for Impact. “But countries have shown that rapid progress is possible. What we really need to do is to recommit to the world with timely, reliable data where programmes are continuously improving and premature deaths become rare.”

Mixed Progress Towards WHO’s Global Health Goals

The report highlights mixed results in achieving WHO’s Triple Billion targets. While an estimated 1.4 billion more people were living healthier lives by the end of 2024 – surpassing the goal of one billion – progress in other key areas lagged behind.

Only 431 million additional people gained access to essential health services without financial hardship, far from the target. Additionally, just 637 million more people were better protected from health emergencies, underscoring significant shortfalls in resilience and preparedness.

Maternal and child health gains have also stalled. While maternal deaths dropped by over 40% and under-5 child mortality was halved between 2000 and 2023, recent years have seen this progress plateau. The WHO warns that without urgent action, the world could miss the chance to prevent an additional 700,000 maternal deaths and 8 million child deaths between 2024 and 2030.

NCDs on the Rise, Premature Deaths Escalate

Noncommunicable diseases, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and stroke, now account for more than half of deaths in people under 70.

“Mortality rates have improved in that age group, but the number of deaths due to NCDs has increased,” noted Haidong Wang, Acting Director of WHO’s Department of Data and Analytics. “Tobacco use remains a major factor, and although alcohol consumption has decreased in some regions, progress has stalled in others. Poor management of hypertension and diabetes, along with persistent air pollution, continues to endanger global health.”

The world is currently off track to meet the Sustainable Development Goal of reducing premature NCD mortality by one third by 2030.

Key Challenges Undermining Health Progress

The WHO points to several compounding factors undermining global health efforts:

  • A projected shortfall of 11.1 million health workers by 2030, with the African and Eastern Mediterranean regions bearing nearly 70% of the gap.
  • Resurgence of malaria since 2015 and ongoing challenges with antimicrobial resistance.
  • Incomplete recovery in childhood vaccination rates, with coverage yet to return to pre-pandemic levels.
  • A persistent burden from air pollution, malnutrition, and unsafe living conditions.

Furthermore, recent disruptions in international aid threaten to destabilize progress, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. The WHO is calling for sustained and predictable financing from both domestic and global sources to safeguard hard-won health gains and address emerging threats.

Despite the grim findings, the report also offers signs of hope: tobacco use continues to decline globally, and alcohol consumption fell from 5.7 to 5.0 litres per capita between 2010 and 2022. Improvements in air quality, access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene have contributed to healthier living conditions for millions.

The WHO urges urgent and coordinated global action to correct course and reignite progress toward 2030 health targets.

Source: Africanews

https://video.euronews.com/mp4/ED/15/02/38/01/ED_PYR_1502381_20250516041046.mp4
Lifestyle

UN warns U.S. deportations of Venezuelans to El Salvador

Maravi Post Reporter

The UN human rights office warned Tuesday that the deportation of hundreds of Venezuelan immigrants from the U.S. to El Salvador is “raising huge human rights concerns”.

“Lawyers don’t know where they are,” Liz Throssell, a spokesperson for the OHCHR, said at a news conference in Geneva. “In fact no one knows where they are for certain, and we don’t know the legal basis.”

In March, the U.S. government deported more than 200 Venezuelan immigrants alleged to have ties to the Tren de Aragua gang to El Salvador, paying the Salvadoran government to imprison them.

Since then, they have had no access to lawyers or ability to communicate with their families. Neither the U.S. nor Salvadoran governments have said how the men could eventually regain their freedom.

“Reports indicate that many of the detainees were not informed of the US Government’s intention to deport them to be held in a third country, that many did not have access to a lawyer and that they were effectively unable to challenge the lawfulness of their removal before being flown out of the US,” Throssell said.

Flights carrying immigrants were already in the air when a federal judge issued an order temporarily barring the deportations under an 18th century wartime declaration targeting Venezuelan gang members.

The immigrants were taken to the notorious CECOT facility, the centerpiece of El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s push to pacify his once violence-wracked country through tough police measures and limits on basic rights.

Bukele has agreed to house about 300 immigrants for a year at a cost of $6 million in his country’s prisons.

“The UN Human Rights Office has information from family members and lawyers regarding more than 100 Venezuelans believed to be held in CECOT,” Throssell said.

International human rights organizations on Friday filed a lawsuit with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights asking that the commission order El Salvador’s government to release the Venezuelans.

The immigrants were removed after Trump’s declaration of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which has been used only three times in U.S. history.

The law, invoked during the War of 1812 and World Wars I and II, requires a president to declare the United States is at war, giving him extraordinary powers to detain or remove foreigners who otherwise would have protections under immigration or criminal laws.

It was last used to justify the detention of Japanese-American civilians during World War II.

The Trump administration said that the men deported were members of the Tren de Aragua gang.

Tren de Aragua originated in an infamously lawless prison in the central state of Aragua and accompanied an exodus of millions of Venezuelans, the overwhelming majority of whom were seeking better living conditions after their nation’s economy came undone during the past decade.

Trump seized on the gang during his campaign to paint misleading pictures of communities that he contended were “taken over” by what were actually a handful of lawbreakers.

The Trump administration has not identified the immigrants deported, provided any evidence they are in fact members of Tren de Aragua or that they committed any crimes in the United States.

It also sent two top members of the Salvadoran MS-13 gang to El Salvador who had been arrested in the United States.

“Families we have spoken to have expressed a sense of complete powerlessness in the face of what has happened and their pain at seeing their relatives labelled and handled as violent criminals, even terrorists, without any court judgment as to validity of what is claimed against them,” Throssel said.

Source: Africanews

https://video.euronews.com/mp4/ED/14/80/84/00/ED_PYR_1480840_20250513142438.mp4
Lifestyle

Disease In Gaza, New York Times vs. ChatGPT, Hottest Year On Record

Maravi Post Reporter

The World Health Organization warns that disease could kill more people in Gaza than the bombings, if living conditions and health care systems do not improve. The New York Times sues the makers of ChatGPT, saying the chatbot threatens the digital news industry. Plus, 2023 is likely to be the hottest year on record and some scientists say we’re not prepared for what’s coming.

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Regional

South Africa’s nationwide strike over rising cost of living

Maravi Post Reporter

The World Bank said this is the most unequal country in the world. It’s report shows that about 30.3 million South African citizens are living in poverty.

13.8 million South Africans are also facing food scarcity that has been worsened by rising food prices.

– –

South Africa is grappling with the economic impact of global events such as Covid and the war in Ukraine.

The unions want a government cap on fuel prices, as well as a drop in interest rates and an income grant.
Source: Africa Feeds