Attachab
Originally uploaded by Dadamac Community

One of the benefits of using a Skype typed conversation for the weekly UK-Nigeria meetings was demonstrated this week. For despite not being present (and because I was invited in my absence) I have been able to look at the archive, catch up with the news from Fantsuam Foundation, and consequently write this blog!

Firstly, the Dadamac team welcomed Jim, the new VSO volunteer. Jim will be helping John Dada develop the site at Attachab over the next 6 months.
Having visited Attachab and met the village chief on Monday, Jim told us all that he is currently drawing up a plan/map with the assistance of two of his team members: namely, Sambo and Markus from Fantsuam. Jim also has an additional team member, Rhoda who lives in the Attachab village.

John Dada kindly sent this information to the UK, in an email, as we were holding our weekly Skype online UK-Nigeria Meeting in respose to the UK requesting an update from the meeting.

AllVoices Article

Vanguard Article

PRELIMINARY REPORT OF 
BROADBAND FOR NIGERIA (BB4NG) STAKEHOLDERS FORUM
held on Wednesday July 28, 2008 in Abuja

RELEASED TO THE PRESS 
AS PUBLIC INFORMATION

NIGERIANS WANT BREAD AND BROADBAND!

Our weekly meetings are always eagerly anticipated as so often the information that the UK receives from Nigeria is of such high calibre. This week was no exception.
In fact it poses a problem for me - how best to captivate all the information about the various developments at Fantsuam Foundation?
As a result I have decided to do a brief blog now, which will just give the gist of this week’s online UK-Nigeria meeting and I will then follow this up with smaller blogs about the individual projects.

• First John Dada sent us some information about the recent Broadband for Nigeria meeting that he chaired last week in Abuja.
• This was then followed by a typed discussion updating us about Sabo Bako ( Programme Officer Fantsuam Foundation) and his recent meeting with President Obama. The meeting was the Forum of Young African Leaders and invited 115 young leaders from more than 40 African countries to Washington for a four-day meeting. 
  
• The Nigeria team then gave the UK an update about the feeding programme at Fantsuam for the Orphans and Vulnerable Children.
• This discussion then led into the plight of one young boy who was recently accused of witchcraftt.
• The team then discussed the first Thursday meeting that was scheduled for the following day. Elaine, Dadamac’s Rotary Ambassador confirmed that she is planning to attend. Her techi and photography skills will also be appreciated!

Local diginitary Hands out a couple of Certs.
Originally uploaded by Dadamac Community

Congratulations to Sabo!

Sabo has been choosen to be one of 3 Nigerians to meet President Obama. I can think of few people who could represent his country's needs and aspirations better....go Sabo!

Please see Ifedayo Adebayo's article and  Jane Morse's article

JAWS and Fantsuam Academy
Originally uploaded by Dadamac Community

One of the great benefits of our weekly typed meetings, compared to the more traditional spoken variety, is the ability to “dip in and out” of them. This was aptly demonstrated by John Dada on Wednesday - for despite the “distraction” of chairing the important BB4NG meeting in Abuja, he was able to read what we were discussing and even appoint a chairman for our team meeting!

This week’s meeting proved to be as diverse as ever. Topics ranged from sickle cell, rice production to recycling waste plastic!

However, first John Dada informed the team that later that day, Fantsuam was expecting a visit from the President of the Nigerian Association of Telecommunication Companies. John is himself chairman of the Forum BB4NG ( Broadband for Nigeria). On 28th July there is a meeting in Abuja of the various stakeholders in order to discuss the important issues surrounding the provision of broadband in Nigeria. For additional details please see QueenChichi’s article for AllVoices.
    

The UK and Nigeria teams were able to exchange information via their usual typed skype meeting.

John Dada, although unable to attend personally this week, emailed us with the following exciting update about Fantsuam Foundation’s real contribution in combating Sickle Cell Disease. As part of the Cohort Pilot Study he gave us the following latest statistics: So far he has successfully managed to screen 2,215 children for Sickle Cell disease. In addition to those screened on the UN Sickle Cell Awareness Day in June and those screened in Gwantu, an additional 630 children have recently been screened in Manchok and the team plans to be in Attakar on Thursday 15th and in Kagoro today. John’s target is to screen 6,000 children. Photos of these various screenings are hopefully ‘in the pipeline’ to the UK.

John sent his apologies for this week’s online meeting - but had a very good excuse! For as the UK and Nigeria teams staged their weekly virtual get-together, he was 120 kms away from Kafanchan screening local children for potentially deadly Sickle Cell Disease. However this didn’t stop John contributing to the meeting as he sent an email which gave his input for each of the topics on the agenda. His screening session followed on from the hugely successful UN Sickle cell awareness day held by Fantsuam Foundation last month, and ties in also with the Cohort Pilot Study.

Fantsuam was selected to participate in the first SC Cohort study in Nigeria.

A sustainable Pilot Scheme

This project aims to improve survival and quality of life for children with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) by instituting early infant diagnosis and establishing standardised care that is sustainable through capacity building of service provision in a comprehensive manner from laboratory diagnosis, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.

The project will be implemented in Nigeria, the country with the highest disease prevalence, with the help of UK-based doctors, largely Nigerian migrants. The issue is particularly relevant in the targeted country in that the majority of SCD patients in the UK arrive from Nigeria and West Africa and the high mortality in Nigeria is a deterrent for those patients and families returning to Nigeria.