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Cuba Becomes 1st  To Eliminate Mother-To-Child Transmission of HIV

As an organization dedicated to the fight to end HIV/AIDS as well as the stigma associated with it, we were excited to hear the news about the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Cuba! In order to be recognized as a country that has eliminated this transmission, the World Health Organization (WHO) requires that a country has seen less than 50 infections from this route of transmission per 100,000 live births for at least one year. Though a difficult requirement to meet, Cuba became the first country to significantly reduce this route of transmission; in 2013, only two babies were born with HIV. This was in part due to an initiative Cuba launched in 2010, part of Cuba’s Universal Health System, to improve access to HIV testing and treatment. For pregnant HIV+ women, deliveries were performed via Caesarean birth and a substitution for breast feeding was implemented. Many other countries are seeking to follow suit.

Although no two countries are alike and the needs of one country are significantly different than the needs of another, we look to Cuba as a model country for HIV prevention and care. In the upcoming months, we hope to increase our knowledge of HIV care in Cuba in order to understand how their method could be utilized in a nation such as Ghana.

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Spotlight on Dr. Abdulai 

Shekhinah Clinic, run by Dr. David Abdulai and located in the northern part of Ghana, serves the homeless, destitute, mentally ill, and those living with HIV/AIDS. Katrina Moore, a graduate student at New York University created a short film called Under the Mango Tree in support of Dr. Abdulai and the clinic. Dr. Abdulai, an award-winning doctor and the 5th recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Award for Peace and Social Justice in 2012, dedicates his life to serving people in need and has inspired our sisters at Yagyewo, his patients, and the P.R.O.M.O. team.

Under the Mango Tree is a 30-minute documentary about a food program for people with mental illnesses in northern Ghana. The film moves throughout Dr. Abdulai’s life--beginning with his childhood where he lived in poverty in Tamale, Ghana and experienced the tragic death of his immediate family. It then moves into his completion of medical school and the opening of Shekinah Clinic. The film explores the crucial role that the clinic plays in food distribution to mentally ill and homeless communities of Ghana. The film centers on a social justice framework, showcasing Dr. Abdulai’s push to dispel stigmas surrounding mental illness in Ghana. The film also captures Ghana’s radiant culture, Dr. Abdulai’s compassion and his acceptance of all people.

We’d strongly encourage you to take a trip into Dr. Abdulai’s life through this short film. Watch the trailer here: http://katrinamoore4.wix.com/mangotreefilm

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When it rains, it floods 

This tragedy has been one of the worst cases of the rainy season to date. Fortunately, Yagyewo was not affected and our sisters are safe. As the country mourns its loss, locals are mobilizing to improve poor community infrastructure, which is the source of this incident. We hope our work with economic justice will influence a larger movement towards stronger community infrastructure within Accra.

On June 4th, the city of Accra mourned the loss of about 150 people killed during a gas explosion (BBC News). The gas explosion was caused by heavy flooding throughout the city, which is almost inevitable during Ghana’s rainy season. Heavy rain began earlier that week, continuing on the evening of the explosion, which led locals to seek shelter throughout the city. Many sought shelter at a nearby gas station awaiting the end of the storm to return back home. But for many, this journey back home was cut short. According to Billy Anaglate, a spokesman for Ghana's national fire service, the flooding "caused the diesel and petrol to flow away from the gas station and a fire from a nearby house led to the explosion” (International Business Times). We send our condolences to all those affected by this tragedy and hope for the best as they rebuild their homes.

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Ode to Kudo

Last month, we lost a dear member of our caretaking team at Yagyewo. During our initial visit to Yagyewo, we were warmly welcomed by Kudo, a father figure of our partnering doctor, David Abdulai. He believed in P.R.O.M.O.’s mission and was willing to do all that he could to help us help the HIV+ women at Yagyewo. He previously ran an orphanage for young girls and provided them with the skills to become self-sustainable, similar to P.R.O.M.O.’s goals. Kudo lived a life of service and we want to continue his legacy. We are currently in the process of finding a new caretaker. 

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P.R.O.M.O. Team Receives Community Outreach Award

Kayana received the Cesar Chavez/Clara Hale Commitment to Community Outreach Award on behalf of P.R.O.M.O. for her involvement in the local NYC community and beyond through service, programming, and advocacy.

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P.R.O.M.O. Takes Third

The P.R.O.M.O. ladies are proud to receive the 3rd Place Award for the Clinton Global Initiative University-NYU Commitment to Action Pitch Competition! Awa and Kayana attended the CGI-U Conference back in March 2015 in Miami, Florida and later presented their pitch in the funding competition at NYU.

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Delaine named Young Leaders Fellow

Congrats to Delaine on her acceptance into a 3-year Young Leaders fellowship program with Woman Deliver, a global advocacy organization dedicated to improving the health and well-being of girls and women by focusing on advancing maternal, sexual, and reproductive health and rights. Delaine is 1 of 200 Young Leaders across the world, and 1 of 2 from the United States. Among e-courses, networking, and advocacy initiatives, Delaine will attend the Women Deliver 2016 conference in Copenhagen, Denmark on a full scholarship. This fellowship aligns with the work that P.R.O.M.O. does and we are excited for Delaine as she embarks on this new adventure!

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The Importance of Fatherhood

As Father’s Day is coming up, take a moment to think about fatherhood. What is fatherhood? What is the role of a father? How different is it from the role of a mother?

These are questions that came to mind as I sat in a UN Headquarters conference room amidst Chelsea Clinton, Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation, and directors of various organizations including UN Women, Save the Children, Johnson & Johnson, Promundo and others. Today was the unveiling of the first-ever global report on the state of men's contributions to parenting and caregiving. The report demonstrates the importance of fathers' involvement in the caregiving of their child, and urges for policies that will allow men to become more engaged in childcare. 

Some key points from the report:

“Approximately 80% of men will become biological fathers at some point in their lives and virtually all men have some connection to children.”

“Fathers’ involvement have been linked to higher cognitive development and school achievement, better mental health for boys and girls, and lower rates of delinquency in sons.”

“Daughters with fathers who share domestic chores equally are more likely to aspire to less traditional and potentially higher-paying jobs.”

“Fathers who report close, non-violent connections with their children live longer, have fewer mental or physical health problems, are less likely to abuse drugs, are more productive at work, and report being happier than fathers who do not report this connections with their children.”

“As women have taken on more responsibility...in the labor force, men’s participation in care work and domestic work has for the most part not kept up.”

We see here the importance of the involvement of fathers in their children’s lives, and the report also shows that 61-77% of fathers would work less if it meant that they could spend more time with their children.

Our sisters in Accra have been kicked out of their homes, denied an education, and ostracized due to their HIV status, leaving some as single mothers with no support from the father. It’s time we take a stand for policies that promote gender equality and advocate for increased paternity leaves, and educate future and current fathers on the importance of being present for their families.

Learn more and download the report here: http://sowf.men-care.org/

‪#‎SOWF‬ ‪#‎socialjustice‬ ‪#‎genderequality‬ ‪#‎Humaninity‬ ‪#‎worthit‬ ‪#‎fatherhood‬ ‪#‎inclusion‬ ‪#‎FathersDay‬

~Kayana

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#BlackWomenLivesMatter

#BlackLivesMatter is an economic, social, political, and educational Black movement centered on the narratives of murdered Black people. 3 queer Black women created the hashtag in 2012 after George Zimmerman was acquitted for his crime of murdering Trayvon Martin.  Following this injustice, and even long before Trayvon’s death, Black people have been continuously murdered by individuals with law enforcement positions. In fact, every 28 hours, a black person is murdered.

From this movement has been the galvanization of Black folk and allies across the United States and abroad. People have been organizing, protesting, creating disruption in daily lives, and demanding justice and freedom for Black people. However, the narrative that has been portrayed through media focuses solely on Black men and boys who have been murdered. The erasure of Black women and girl victims of violence, whether police brutality, sexual assault, and any other form of torture or abuse has shifted the #BlackLivesMatter movement into a hashtag that is specific to cis, able bodied, straight Black men.

However, as coteries grow into organizations compounding their efforts into the larger movement, the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag is becoming more intricate. From #BlackQueerWomenLivesMatter to #BlackTransWomenLivesMatter, these hashtags force individuals to approach racial justice work through an intersectional lens.

P.R.O.M.O. recognizes gender disparities in social justice work, and our desire to work with women stems from our understandings of the need to raise Black women up.

- Delaine

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The NYU African Student Union’s annual fashion show is tonight! Come enjoy a night of fashion, performances, good music, networking, and fun. From the brilliant designers to the talented performers, this is bound to be a great event! 

See details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1597933987145509/

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P.R.O.M.O. Would like to announce that our members Kayana and Awa have won 3rd place in the CGI U-NYU Commitment to Action Funding Competition!! All the hard work, constant support, and love paid off. The women at Yagyewo, inspire us everyday to work towards our mission. Thank you, everyone for believing in our Commitment to Action! #PROMO#ClintonGlobalIntiative#CommitmenttoAction#fundingcompetition#3rdPlace#NYU#HIV#women#sustainability#womenempowerment#dispellingstigmas#education#holisticappraoch#self-sufficient#selfactualization

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Equality vs. Equity

The words equality and equity are used interchangeably, but their meanings are drastically different when referring to an individual or groups of people’s status in society. 

To make this simpler, imagine a world in which every single person had shoes. Now, what if we were to have everyone swap shoes, meaning that some people with big feet had shoes too small, some with small feet had shoes way too big, and others were fortunate to have properly fitting shoes. 

This would be regarded as equality. Everyone has been afforded the luxury of having shoes. However, this is not equitable, simply because some people did not receive shoes that were appropriate for the feet size.

Arguments against laws, policies, and standards of living being equal lies in the reality that people have different lived experiences. Everyone cannot receive the same entities and expect that all their needs will be met. Recognize that individuals have intersecting identities, all of which must be addressed when trying to create a better standard of living. Intersectionality is key.

- Delaine 

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This is the early stages of the preparation of palmnut soup. I know that it’s enjoyed by some countries in Africa, especially West Africa and Ghana is one of such countries. My mom used to prepare this with fufu on most weekends when I was growing up and it’s not just enjoyed with fufu, I prefer it with rice as well.

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A woman watches TV in her room in Ghana’s notorious slum- Old Fadama which is more popularly known as Sodom and Gomorrah because of its notoriety for crime and criminals.

The government is constantly coming up with schemes to move residents but no reasonable alternative has ever been offered.

Housing in Accra keeps getting more and more expensive as more people move into the city as domestic migrants and also from neighbouring African countries. Accra also has a high “expat” community. All of who have increased the demand for housing. #Accra #Ghana #Africa

Photo and Words by Nana Kofi Acquah @africashowboy (Copyright: 2015).

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Stress Awareness Month

April is Stress Awareness Month. It is vital that we all step back every so often and acknowledge the various stressors in our lives and ways to cope with it. Stress can derive from almost anything and effects each and every one of us. School, work, money, health, family, friends, can lead to stress. HIV/AIDS is an example of a health concern that can lead to several life stressors such as finding it difficult to speak about one’s status or being marginalized and oppressed in the society in which he or she lives in. Though difficult to escape, it can be easy to cope with if it is not only acknowledged, but properly addressed. It is equally important that we also recognize the signs of our body’s response to stress such as difficulty sleeping/changes in our sleep patterns, changes in diet, as well as changes in our usual social activities. Not addressing it can lead to serious physical and mental health implications.

We all have our own ways of dealing with stress. We may find that those around us do a better job when it comes to coping with their stress or they may recover from stressful events much quicker than we ever would. It’s great to have an understanding of how these individuals deal with stress and how we can utilize their coping mechanisms, but its also important that we discover what works for us. I’ve been able to cope with stress through music, as I believe that music can be a instrumental in helping us cope with many stressors we may face. Exercise, reading, and traveling are ways that I deal with stress.

Recognize. Acknowledge. Address. 

We can all cope with stress, not only this month but every month! 

-Fanta 

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Elizabeth, one of the women in the economic empowerment at Living Positive Kenya, with the vegetable shop she set up with her first grant. Ngong, Kenya. photography by mollyinkenya.

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Queens of the land of royals

Gold coast

Ghanaians 

Ig picturadw

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Ig rams_22

Ig msocran