Screening Dauy, Gwantu,Nigeria
Originally uploaded by Dadamac Community

John told us at this week's UK-Nigeria online meeting on Wednesday, that on Saturday they had been able to screen 355 babies for Sickle Cell.

He then sent us this wonderful photo.

To see additional photos of how Fantsuam Foundation is tackling Sickle Cell Disease in rural Nigeria please see Dadamac Community Flickr.

Nearly half this week’s UK-Nigeria online meeting was spent discussing the Knowledge Resource Centre (KRC) at Fantsuam Foundation (FF) - but it was well worth it!

Kelechi, Director of Fantsuam’s Academy, and recently-appointed KRC Officer Ladi updated the UK on their plans for the KRC, with the help of John. Kelechi told us: “Presently, we are reviewing the Workplan for the KRC, working out a good strategy towards more purposeful service delivery.” He added that “the KRC is custodian to all learning resources of the Academy”.

John explained that they see the KRC  being “a learning hub - a repository which can be accessed for the Academy and any other learning that goes on in FF”. He went on: “The initial focus of the KRC will be its use by and for children. The Children's Computer Club, CCC, is a component of the new children's programme. We'd like all FF's formal and informal learning to be managed from the KRC, allowing people to come in to use it.”

The Fantsuam Foundation team could have been forgiven had they spent the whole hour of last Wednesday's UK-Nigeria online meeting talking about the success of their UN Sickle Cell Awareness day which had taken place just a few days earlier.

However, they knew the UK team had already been fully updated about this superb event via Cicely's blog, John's report about the radio panel and, of course, by viewing the great photos taken by those on site. So instead we moved on swiftly to the next pressing issues.

John started the meeting by explaining that it had been a "hectic" morning as they had been visited by a project review team from Save The Children. He told us: "We have just completed the Child Carers project which they funded. They have come to talk to the children and grandmothers whom we worked with during the project."

Radio Panelist UN Sickle Cell Awareness Day
Originally uploaded by Dadamac Community

John has just sent me an update and a photo about the UN Sickle Cell awareness day that he and Fantsuam Foundation organised.

John tells that:
"We had a radio panel discussion yesterday (18th) and the feedbacks we got were very encouraging.

The TV Panel discussion was recorded in open air. We had two genetic counsellors, two parents and a sickle cell patient on the panel to share experiences and raise awareness about tomorrow's event.

The First Lady and Mrs Usman witness a test on an under-five.
Originally uploaded by Dadamac Community

This is Cicely's (VSO volunteer at FF) edited account of the UN Sickle Cell Awareness event which Fantsuam Foundation was instrumental in organising.

"Sickle Cell Anaemia – these are words which most Britons will recognise. In fact I’m sure they would be recognised by most societies that have large population of West Africans. Except perhaps in Kafanchan, or indeed much of rural Nigeria.

Tables for the KRC
Originally uploaded by Dadamac Community

Wednesday's weekly online meeting was a timely and informative affair this week. The Nigerian team were able to introduce Ladi, the newly appointed Knowledge Resource Centre officer to the UK team. Kelechi, the Director of the Fantsuam Academy is currently responsible for her orientation and training and appears to be doing a formidable job and left with Ladi after the meeting to continue with her induction.

Much of the hour was spent learning more about the planned UN Sickle Cell awareness day. The UK shared with the team the press release which had been prepared.

Invitation to Sickle Cell Global Awareness Day
Originally uploaded by Dadamac Community

Dadamac's invitation to the UN Sickle Cell Awareness Day which has been organised by Fantsuam Foundation and its partners. Friday June 18th 2010

Event in rural North Central Nigeria in the words of local organiser John Dada

Meeting of Sickle Cell Disease Members
Originally uploaded by Dadamac Community

SICKLE Cell Disease is an agonising blood condition which affects one in every four West Africans. While it is generally controlled in the western world, a lack of medication and funding in Africa means that victims will regularly die.

John and Pam at Attachab
Originally uploaded by Dadamac Community

Another week passes and I thought that Pam and I had had a busy one, but our activity paled into insignificance compared with the enormous strides forward that our sister organisation Fantsuam Foundation had achieved!

At this week's online skype meeting between the UK and Nigeria in our hourly update we learned:

* The full extent of FF's plans to mark the UN's global awareness day on June 19th. In fact FF have embraced this concept so admirably that they have planned two day's of activities. Their plans being so impressive that they warrant a blog of their own!

Students at the Community Communication Center
Originally uploaded by Dadamac Community

The Community Communication Centre (CCC) at Fantsuam Foundation has once again come in for some richly-deserved recognition.

The centre was funded by the Nigerian Government and, at the end of May, was the subject of an inspection by visitors from the Nigerian Communications Commission (the country's regulator of Communications). On their previous visit, the inspectors had hailed the CCC as "a Flagship.

This time, an external technical expert was sent to conduct an objective assessment of the CCC. The inspector said he had visited 27 such centres and that none came close to the FF's.