Rural Border Residents, Rural Dispensary and Other Reports
Every week, Rural Reporters collate reports on development in rural Africa and its environs. The reports include some of our top picks from recent must-read research, interviews, reports, blogs and in-depth articles which have been carefully selected to help you keep up with global issues. Here are some of the updates you may have missed from the previous week:
Malawi rural border residents chase Chinese traders: Ministry closes 23 shops
William Mbewe, one of the businessmen, told officials from Mchinji District Council to tell the Chinese get out of the Mchinji border trading area or else they risk facing unspecified action.
“They are not supposed to run shops here, they are supposed to be in cities and towns. They run business in cities and also run other businesses here in rural areas, which is unfair,” said Mbewe.
He said the council should close down the Chinese run shops to give chance to Malawians.
Rural dispensary closes after naughty clinician refuses to wake up
Katuli Dispensary in Mangochi has closed down after a fracas after some villages pelted the health facility with stones after the lone clincian refused to wake up at night and help a patient.
Senior Group Village Headman said some villagers had brought a very sick woman at night at the hospital.
“The watchman told the people that the lady medical assistant directed that the watchman should just be making a call instead of knocking at her house door whenever a patient came at night,” he said.
Over 90% Of Africa Has No Internet Access Despite IT Boom
While Internet services have been quite phenomenal in the rest of the world, access to the Internet remains very low in Africa, especially in rural communities, according to the Internet World Stats for Africa 2016.
According to the Internet World Stats, only 9.3% of people across the African continent have direct access to the Internet, and analysts, stressing that the Internet is one of the most important enablers of social development and education, have decried this “backwardness”.
EU Grants Rwanda €10m to Rehabilitate Rural Roads
The Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Rwanda has approved a 10 million EUR grant payment to the government of Rwanda for the continued rehabilitation and maintenance of 200 kilometres of rural roads in the country.
“Rural roads provide the backbone of economic activity for nearly 80 per cent of Rwanda’s citizens, most of who depend on farming and small scale commerce for their livelihoods,” Ambassador Michael Ryan, the Head of the Delegation said.
Rwanda’s rural feeder roads are estimated to cover at least two thirds of the country’s total road network.
EU Supports Better Roads for Rwanda’s Rural Residents
The Delegation of the European Union to Rwanda has signed off on a €10 million grant payment to the Government of Rwanda. The grant will go towards the continued rehabilitation and maintenance of 200 kilometres of rural roads in Rwanda.
The Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Rwanda Ambassador Michael Ryan remarked: “Rural roads provide the backbone of economic activity for nearly 80% of Rwanda’s citizens, most of who depend on farming and small scale commerce for their livelihoods. EU financial support has the ultimate objective of reducing poverty and improving living conditions for Rwandans.”
Kenya: Some Husbands in Kericho Forcing Newly Married Women to Undergo Cut, NGO Says
A non-governmental organisation based in Kericho County has said there is need to involve newly married women and their husbands in rural Kenya in the fight against female circumcision.
Friends of Londiani (FOL) Programmes and Operations Manager Mary Kabiru said this is necessary after it emerged that some husbands are forcing their wives to undergo the illegal cut soon after marriage.
This, she said, is ruining efforts by the civil society to train young unmarried girls about the effects of FGM (female genital mutilation).
