FOUNDATION TO HELP EDUCATE GIRLS FROM NEEDY FAMILIES STARTED

A foundation that will cater for girls’ education from poor families in the coastal region has been incepted.

The foundation known as The Mijikenda Girl Child Education Trust was initiated as an aftermath of the international girl child celebration held in Vitengeni, Sokoke ward in Kilifi County, where the media highlighted the plight of two girls who were selling birds to raise their varsity fees.

Alice Bendera, 20, from Mereni village in Bamba ward was admitted at Rongo University but had to transfer to Pwani University after failing to meet the registration deadline. While her colleague, Veronica Rehema, 19, sat her KCSE in Kenya High School and scored a mean grade of B (63 points). She was admitted to the University of Eldoret but she is yet to join. 

Speaking in Bamba while awarding a Ksh 150,000 cheque to Alice Bendera and Veronica Rehema at their various homesteads , Maendeleo ya kina Mama Chairperson, Witness Tsuma said that girls in the coastal region have for a long time been neglected despite their potential to do well in education.

“We know starting a foundation is not easy but we are rallying support from local leaders and successful women from the coastal region to help us educate well performing girls in the county and the coastal region as a whole. The girl child has for a long time been neglected but it is now time to change that vice,” said Witness.

Local leaders have already backed the move and have donated over ksh.100, 000. 

“Watamu ward representative has given us this cheque to assist in paying the two girls school fees. Another contribution is from Kilifi North member of parliament, Gideon Mng’aro and other well wishers,” articulated Witness

According to the foundation’s patron Selina Maitha who is also an assistant county commissioner in kikambala, the foundation is aiming at helping 10 girls and have currently registered six.

“We want the girl child from the coast region to go to school and gain education that will equip them to be competitive in today’s world. How else are we going to achieve vision 2030 if our girls are not educated?”asked Selina.

The foundation will not only be gathering funds from monthly membership fees also set up a website to raise funds for needy girls.

Report by Dominick Mwambui     @dmwambui   0729663424

SCIENTISTS DEVELOP ARTIFICIAL BLOOD FOR MOSQUITOES

Dealing with mosquitoes can be one hell of a process. It can mean slapping yourself hard in the middle of the night when you try to hit it against your skin. Fumigating your house with tonnes of insecticides, leaving you breathless would be another option or simply sleeping under a treated mosquito net. All this we do just to deny it a sip of our blood. This is also because mosquitoes have been called the deadliest animal on the planet, because of the diseases they spread. As this reality stands an artificial buffet for them would be appropriate, isn’t it?

Welcome to Stephen Dobson’s finding. The professor of medicine and Vetinary entomology believes his mosquito food may lead to fewer mosquitoes. But how exactly?

Through a press release he explains that, the artificial blood he developed will allow people in remote areas around the world to sustain colonies of mosquitoes, even in those areas with limited resources and difficult logistics. Colonies that will later be used in studying the blood sucker.

“Multiple, new approaches to control mosquito populations require the ability to rear mosquitoes,” Dobson said. “The artificial blood technology will help us to better fight disease-transmitting mosquitoes in resource-limited areas.”

In one approach patented by the University of Kentucky, mosquitoes are essentially sterilized by a naturally occurring bacterium, called Wolbachia. With an ability to rear large mosquito numbers, the approach can be used as an organic pesticide, to overwhelm and sterilize mosquito populations that transmit diseases like malaria, flilaria, dengue and yellow fever. Once sterilized, the mosquito population declines and can be eliminated.

Dobson’s research on developing artificial blood for mosquitoes has made him a Grand Challenges Explorations winner, in an initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Mosquitoes spread deadly diseases like malaria, Yellow fever, West Nile, Chikungunya and many others.