Saturday, July 31, 2010 (The Mirror Pg 19)
By Rebecca Kwei
In 2008, the Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF) and three other NGOs implemented the “We Know Politics: Hearing women’s voices in the 2008 elections” project a bid to increase the participation of women in policy-making.
The project made gains in ensuring that the concerns of women remained an integral part of the political campaign in 2008.
According to the National Programme Co-ordinator of WiLDAF, Ms Bernice Sam, the project’s outcomes demonstrated a dearth of understanding of government and governance.
She said more districts and particularly more women need information, capacity and skills to engage with government at the district and national levels.
“NGOs do not have to wait until an election year before providing support for individuals and communities,” she added.
Consequently, Ms Sam said WiLDAF Ghana and its partners are continuing to engage with citizens of districts for the next three years by implementing the phase two of the “We Know Politics” project.
The project is titled “Good governance through increasing women’s participation in Ghana’s Political Processes (We Know Politics II) and it will be launched on August 4, 2010.
The other partners are Gender Studies and Human Rights Documentation Centre, the Hunger Project and the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA Ghana) and sponsored by the European Union represented by the European Commission in Ghana, UK Aid, Ghana, Womankind World-wide UK/UK Aid, London.
Ms Sam said the project will target 24 districts in the 10 regions of Ghana and it will aim at creating an environment where women are able to effectively participate in politics and public life.
It is expected that the “We Know Politics II” project will among others increase effectiveness of women’s participation in politics to address women’s issues at the local and national levels by 2013 and the government and main political parties produce affirmative action policies to ensure at least 40 per cent women’s representation in party positions and elections.
Friday, August 6, 2010
National screening programme for cervical cancer necessary
Saturday, July 31, 2010 (The Mirror Pg 17)
By Rebecca Kwei
Cervical cancer is one of the commonest cancers in women in sub-Saharan Africa, including Ghana.
According to experts, every two minutes a woman somewhere in the world dies from cervical cancer.
Cervical cancer is cancer that forms in tissues of the cervix (the organ connecting the uterus and the vagina). It is usually a slow-growing cancer and may not have symptoms in the early stages but can be found with a pap test. It is almost always caused by a virus called human papillomavirus (HPV). You can get HPV by having sexual contact with someone who has it.
Early symptoms of cervical cancer may include bleeding from the vagina that is not normal, a change in your menstrual cycle that you cannot explain, pain during sex and vaginal discharge tinged with blood.
The statistics available on cervical cancer are quite staggering. In 2008, cervical cancer accounted for 275,000 deaths world-wide, with 88 per cent occurring in less developed countries.
By 2030, it is predicted that cervical cancer mortality will increase by 77 per cent in less developed countries and by 57 per cent world-wide, bringing the global burden to 433,000 deaths.
Other statistics estimate that 79,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer in Africa every year and 61,000 (78 per cent) of women die of the disease in Africa.
However, the many deaths from cervical cancer can be avoided.
In developed countries, cervical cancer is a rarity, not because women are not exposed to the risk factors but the incidence has reduced considerably because of well-structured national screening programmes to detect pre-cancerous lesions and early stages of the cancers.
Sadly, well-structured national screening programmes for cervical cancer and breast cancer are not available in most African countries, which is further worsening the burden of the disease.
At the 4th Stop Cervical Cancer in Africa Conference held in Accra, the first ladies of Ghana, Mrs Ernestina Naadu Mills; South Africa, Madam Tobeka Madiba-Zuma; Niger, Mrs T. Salou, and Swaziland, Queen Nomsa LaMatsebula, minced no words in calling for an effective national screening programme for both cervical and breast cancer in African countries.
They noted that most cervical cases could be prevented and for those who developed the disease, if it was detected early through screening tests, it could be cured.
For Mrs Mills, cervical and breast cancer screening could be integrated into women’s health programmes so that when and where available, any woman who went for breast cancer screening could also be screened for cervical cancer at the same time, and vice versa.
“In a few countries where screening tests are available, this approach is practised so that any woman who attends a clinic for ante-natal and post-natal care and family planning, for example, or any other encounter with the health service is offered the opportunity to get screened,” she said.
Mrs Mills also called for more awareness of cervical cancer and also the need to come up with culturally sensitive messages that would lead to behavioural change, since there were a lot of misconceptions about the disease in Africa.
Currently, primary prevention of cervical cancer can be achieved through vaccination and Mrs Mills further called for support to mobilise resources for the establishment of a functional cervical cancer vaccination programme across the continent.
“Problems of cervical cancer are major tragedies. We must all help to save the lives of our women,” she added.
By Rebecca Kwei
Cervical cancer is one of the commonest cancers in women in sub-Saharan Africa, including Ghana.
According to experts, every two minutes a woman somewhere in the world dies from cervical cancer.
Cervical cancer is cancer that forms in tissues of the cervix (the organ connecting the uterus and the vagina). It is usually a slow-growing cancer and may not have symptoms in the early stages but can be found with a pap test. It is almost always caused by a virus called human papillomavirus (HPV). You can get HPV by having sexual contact with someone who has it.
Early symptoms of cervical cancer may include bleeding from the vagina that is not normal, a change in your menstrual cycle that you cannot explain, pain during sex and vaginal discharge tinged with blood.
The statistics available on cervical cancer are quite staggering. In 2008, cervical cancer accounted for 275,000 deaths world-wide, with 88 per cent occurring in less developed countries.
By 2030, it is predicted that cervical cancer mortality will increase by 77 per cent in less developed countries and by 57 per cent world-wide, bringing the global burden to 433,000 deaths.
Other statistics estimate that 79,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer in Africa every year and 61,000 (78 per cent) of women die of the disease in Africa.
However, the many deaths from cervical cancer can be avoided.
In developed countries, cervical cancer is a rarity, not because women are not exposed to the risk factors but the incidence has reduced considerably because of well-structured national screening programmes to detect pre-cancerous lesions and early stages of the cancers.
Sadly, well-structured national screening programmes for cervical cancer and breast cancer are not available in most African countries, which is further worsening the burden of the disease.
At the 4th Stop Cervical Cancer in Africa Conference held in Accra, the first ladies of Ghana, Mrs Ernestina Naadu Mills; South Africa, Madam Tobeka Madiba-Zuma; Niger, Mrs T. Salou, and Swaziland, Queen Nomsa LaMatsebula, minced no words in calling for an effective national screening programme for both cervical and breast cancer in African countries.
They noted that most cervical cases could be prevented and for those who developed the disease, if it was detected early through screening tests, it could be cured.
For Mrs Mills, cervical and breast cancer screening could be integrated into women’s health programmes so that when and where available, any woman who went for breast cancer screening could also be screened for cervical cancer at the same time, and vice versa.
“In a few countries where screening tests are available, this approach is practised so that any woman who attends a clinic for ante-natal and post-natal care and family planning, for example, or any other encounter with the health service is offered the opportunity to get screened,” she said.
Mrs Mills also called for more awareness of cervical cancer and also the need to come up with culturally sensitive messages that would lead to behavioural change, since there were a lot of misconceptions about the disease in Africa.
Currently, primary prevention of cervical cancer can be achieved through vaccination and Mrs Mills further called for support to mobilise resources for the establishment of a functional cervical cancer vaccination programme across the continent.
“Problems of cervical cancer are major tragedies. We must all help to save the lives of our women,” she added.
Juliet — Acting today, singing tomorrow
Saturday, July 31, 2010 (The Mirror Pg 3)
By Rebecca Kwei
Of late, pretty actress Juliet Ibrahim Safo is struggling to keep the smile off her face. And the reason? She just won the Movie Personality Award organised by City People Magazine held in Lagos, Nigeria, on July 18.
The award is given to the movie star who dominated discussions in the entertainment industry in the last year for many reasons.
Having been nominated alongside top actresses Jackie Appiah, Yvonne Nelson and Lydia Forson, Juliet says, “I’m extremely grateful and excited about this award. It is really going to spur me on to give my all in my acting career.”
Prior to the award, the same magazine had, in May this year, awarded Juliet for her Outstanding Performance in the Movie Industry at a ceremony held in Accra.
Another feather in her cap which keeps Juliet smiling is the fact that she got married to her sweetheart, Kwadwo Safo, a pilot and son of the Head of the Kristo Asafo Church, Apostle Kwadwo Safo, some time this year.
At the prime age of 24, Juliet has achieved a lot for herself. Aside from starring in about 50 movies to date, she is also very business-minded and runs a beauty salon, Envoque Beauty Parlour, at Osu; a modelling agency, Dolfins Agency, and a production house, Jewels Productions. She plans to open a unisex boutique soon.
Juliet’s fans should watch out because she has another talent which she is yet to showcase. She loves to sing and, according to her, she already has three songs she is working on and will come out with an album very soon.
Taking The Mirror down memory lane on how she got into acting, Juliet said when she was growing up, she had always wanted to be in the spotlight.
So, as little girl then living in Cote d’Ivoire, she performed playlets and talent shows in school.
When she returned to Ghana in 2000, she realised that the movie industry was picking up and so she decided to give it a try.
Consequently, she was introduced to an actor and movie producer, Jake Aernan, who was producing a series on the life of refugees. She starred in them, but there was a setback and the series never saw the light of day.
She again participated in another series which also did not materialise.
Juliet, however, did not lose hope and so while furthering her education at the Ghana Institute of Languages, she participated in the institute’s beauty pageant, which she won in 2005.
“Winning the pageant opened a lot of doors for me. I started modelling for GTP, Woodin, Joyce Ababio and other designers, as well as Soft Sheen Carson, and appeared in some commercials,” she said.
She again participated in another pageant, Miss Francophonie, in 2006 and although a winner could not be declared because of a setback, a judge who noticed her potential later hinted her of an auditioning by Venus Films and that was where her journey to stardom started.
So what was intended to be a try out for a movie role turned out to be the unearthing of Juliet’s acting talent. She got to play her first movie role as Naomi, the girlfriend of a notorious armed robber, in the flick, Crime to Christ, alongside Majid Mitchel.
Juliet’s talent and passion got noticed by industry players and the movie roles started flooding in for her. So far, she has more than 50 films to her credit — Ghanaian and Ghana-Nigeria collaborations — the notable among them being Midnight Call, Marriage of Sorrows, In the Eyes of my Husband, Queen’s Pride, Naked Weapon, Yankee Boys, Honour my will, Royal Storm, Hidden, Blood Fight and Dead End.
In all of these, she has proved her versatility and the fact that she is a force to reckon with in the movie industry.
Her latest movies, 4Play, DNA Test and Enemy of my Soul, have received great reviews, while Millions will be premiered on August 6.
According to Juliet, her husband is not worried about her career and that he is very supportive.
“We watch my movies together, read the scripts and he is my biggest critic,” she said.
Asked if her husband was not worried about her playing romantic roles, she said she and her husband had an agreement on how to shoot certain roles and so he was not worried.
Juliet has big dreams and hopes to become one of the best writers, producers, directors and actresses in the not-too- distant future.
Already, she is working on her first movie which will come out this year.
Juliet is the eldest daughter of Hussein Ibrahim, a Lebanese, and Elizabeth Ibrahim, a half Liberian, half Ghanaian. Born in Accra, she left for Lebanon and then Cote d’Ivoire. Her three other siblings are Sonia, Nabil and Nadia.
She returned to Ghana in the latter part of 2000 and later attended the Ghana Institute of Languages, graduating with a diploma in Spanish and English in 2006.
She also obtained a diploma in Advertising and Marketing from the Ghana Institute of Journalism in 2009 and is presently offering an online course in acting.
She has plans of furthering her education at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).
By Rebecca Kwei
Of late, pretty actress Juliet Ibrahim Safo is struggling to keep the smile off her face. And the reason? She just won the Movie Personality Award organised by City People Magazine held in Lagos, Nigeria, on July 18.
The award is given to the movie star who dominated discussions in the entertainment industry in the last year for many reasons.
Having been nominated alongside top actresses Jackie Appiah, Yvonne Nelson and Lydia Forson, Juliet says, “I’m extremely grateful and excited about this award. It is really going to spur me on to give my all in my acting career.”
Prior to the award, the same magazine had, in May this year, awarded Juliet for her Outstanding Performance in the Movie Industry at a ceremony held in Accra.
Another feather in her cap which keeps Juliet smiling is the fact that she got married to her sweetheart, Kwadwo Safo, a pilot and son of the Head of the Kristo Asafo Church, Apostle Kwadwo Safo, some time this year.
At the prime age of 24, Juliet has achieved a lot for herself. Aside from starring in about 50 movies to date, she is also very business-minded and runs a beauty salon, Envoque Beauty Parlour, at Osu; a modelling agency, Dolfins Agency, and a production house, Jewels Productions. She plans to open a unisex boutique soon.
Juliet’s fans should watch out because she has another talent which she is yet to showcase. She loves to sing and, according to her, she already has three songs she is working on and will come out with an album very soon.
Taking The Mirror down memory lane on how she got into acting, Juliet said when she was growing up, she had always wanted to be in the spotlight.
So, as little girl then living in Cote d’Ivoire, she performed playlets and talent shows in school.
When she returned to Ghana in 2000, she realised that the movie industry was picking up and so she decided to give it a try.
Consequently, she was introduced to an actor and movie producer, Jake Aernan, who was producing a series on the life of refugees. She starred in them, but there was a setback and the series never saw the light of day.
She again participated in another series which also did not materialise.
Juliet, however, did not lose hope and so while furthering her education at the Ghana Institute of Languages, she participated in the institute’s beauty pageant, which she won in 2005.
“Winning the pageant opened a lot of doors for me. I started modelling for GTP, Woodin, Joyce Ababio and other designers, as well as Soft Sheen Carson, and appeared in some commercials,” she said.
She again participated in another pageant, Miss Francophonie, in 2006 and although a winner could not be declared because of a setback, a judge who noticed her potential later hinted her of an auditioning by Venus Films and that was where her journey to stardom started.
So what was intended to be a try out for a movie role turned out to be the unearthing of Juliet’s acting talent. She got to play her first movie role as Naomi, the girlfriend of a notorious armed robber, in the flick, Crime to Christ, alongside Majid Mitchel.
Juliet’s talent and passion got noticed by industry players and the movie roles started flooding in for her. So far, she has more than 50 films to her credit — Ghanaian and Ghana-Nigeria collaborations — the notable among them being Midnight Call, Marriage of Sorrows, In the Eyes of my Husband, Queen’s Pride, Naked Weapon, Yankee Boys, Honour my will, Royal Storm, Hidden, Blood Fight and Dead End.
In all of these, she has proved her versatility and the fact that she is a force to reckon with in the movie industry.
Her latest movies, 4Play, DNA Test and Enemy of my Soul, have received great reviews, while Millions will be premiered on August 6.
According to Juliet, her husband is not worried about her career and that he is very supportive.
“We watch my movies together, read the scripts and he is my biggest critic,” she said.
Asked if her husband was not worried about her playing romantic roles, she said she and her husband had an agreement on how to shoot certain roles and so he was not worried.
Juliet has big dreams and hopes to become one of the best writers, producers, directors and actresses in the not-too- distant future.
Already, she is working on her first movie which will come out this year.
Juliet is the eldest daughter of Hussein Ibrahim, a Lebanese, and Elizabeth Ibrahim, a half Liberian, half Ghanaian. Born in Accra, she left for Lebanon and then Cote d’Ivoire. Her three other siblings are Sonia, Nabil and Nadia.
She returned to Ghana in the latter part of 2000 and later attended the Ghana Institute of Languages, graduating with a diploma in Spanish and English in 2006.
She also obtained a diploma in Advertising and Marketing from the Ghana Institute of Journalism in 2009 and is presently offering an online course in acting.
She has plans of furthering her education at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).
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