Innovative Grants Fund (IGF) award workshop

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Initiative Africa successfully conducted a workshop today for the Innovative Grants Fund (IGF) which is one of the components of the Empowering Marginal Economic Actors through Policy Reform from the Bottom-Up project that is supported by the Swedish Embassy in Addis Ababa.

Through this project Initiative Africa aims to support Business Membership Organizations[BMOs] and Chambers of Commerce through the Innovative Grants Fund (IGF); build the capacity of Business Membership Organizations[BMOs] and Chambers of Commerce to promote Trade and the Private Sector and also assist Business Membership Organizations[BMOs] and Chambers of Commerce in organizing regional level Public Private Dialogues.

IA had announced the call for proposals for the first-round application of the IGF on June 10th, 2020 with the deadline on the 31st of July 2020, and had received 57 proposals from organizations with varying sizes, types, and geographical locations. Today, at Harmony Hotel, Initiative Africa has announced that it reached at the stage of signing contracts with 32 applicants to be beneficiaries of this round of the Innovative Grants Fund (IGF).

Some of the major issues to be addressed with the 32 signed projects will be

  • Mitigating the effects of COVID 19 on chambers of commerce and business membership associations and prepare as the crisis recede to support economic activity that is coherent with a green and just transition and leaving no one behind.
  • Strengthen chambers of commerce and business membership associations’ engagement to influence the policy-making process and enhance the role of women in business leadership.
  • Strengthen chambers of commerce and business membership associations to improve services to provide value to existing and potential members.
  • Support chambers of commerce and business membership associations create a stronger business information services to improve trade, employment, economic development, and quality of life.

More than 40 people representing different Business Associations joined the workshop today. Participants from the workshop included different local, regional, and national Business Membership Organizations [BMOs], Chambers of Commerce, Women Entrepreneurship Associations, and representatives from consortium partners Pan African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PACCI) AND Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE).

Happy World Science Day for Peace and Development

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Celebrated every 10 November, World Science Day for Peace and Development highlights the significant role of science in society and the need to engage the wider public in debates on emerging scientific issues. It also underlines the importance and relevance of science in our daily lives.

By linking science more closely with society, World Science Day for Peace and Development aims to ensure that citizens are kept informed of developments in science. It also underscores the role scientists play in broadening our understanding of the remarkable, fragile planet we call home and in making our societies more sustainable.

The purpose of the Day is to:

  • Strengthen public awareness of the role of science for peaceful and sustainable societies;
  • Promote national and international solidarity for shared science between countries;
  • Renew national and international commitment for the use of science for the benefit of societies;
  • Draw attention to the challenges faced by science in raising support for the scientific endeavour.

The Day offers the opportunity to mobilize all actors around the topic of science for peace and development – from government officials to the media to school pupils. UNESCO strongly encourages all to join in celebrating World Science Day for Peace and Development by organizing your own event or activity on the day.

 

2020 Theme: Science for and with Society

This year, at a time when the world is struggling with the global COVID-19 pandemic, the focus of World Science Day is on “Science for and with Society in dealing with the global pandemic.”

Throughout this unprecedented health crisis, UNESCO, as the UN Agency with the field of science in its mandate, has endeavoured to bring science closer to society and to bolster the critically needed international scientific collaborations. From the science perspective, UNESCO’s response to COVID-19 is structured around three major pillars: promoting international scientific cooperation, ensuring access to wate,r and supporting ecological reconstruction.

To celebrate the 2020 World Science Day, UNESCO is organizing an online roundtable on the theme of “Science for and with Society in dealing with COVID-19.”

Source United Nation

2nd round Peer Review meeting for the Innovative Grant Fund [IGF]

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Initiative Africa(IA) is proud to announce it has successfully completed the second and final round of the Peer Review meeting along with Consortium partners – Pan African Chamber Of Commerce  and Industry (PACCI) & Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), selected Peer Reviewers and potential IGF grantees.

 

Free Online Courses

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Peer Review meeting for the Innovative Grant Fund [IGF]

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Initiative Africa is glad to announce the 1st round Peer Review meeting for the Innovative Grant Fund [IGF] has been successfully completed and we’re expecting to hold its second and final round this coming Friday [23rd]

Five Ways to Help Reduce Your Breast Cancer Risk

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1. Get to and stay at a healthy weight.

Being overweight or obese increases breast cancer risk, especially after menopause. Gaining weight as an adult adds to your risk.

After menopause, most of your estrogen comes from fat tissue. Having more fat tissue increases the amount of estrogen your body makes, raising your risk of breast cancer. Also, women who are overweight tend to have higher levels of insulin. Higher insulin levels have also been linked to breast cancer.

If you’re already at a healthy weight, stay there. If you’re carrying extra pounds, try to lose some. There’s some evidence that losing weight may lower breast cancer risk. Losing even a small amount of weight can also have other health benefits and is a good place to start.

2. Be physically active and avoid time spent sitting.

Many studies have found that regular physical activity reduces breast cancer risk .

recommend getting at least 150-300 minutes of moderate intensity or 75-150 minutes of vigorous intensity activity each week. Getting to or exceeding 300 minutes is ideal. You can learn more about getting active in Fitting in fitness.

In addition, you should limit sedentary behavior such as sitting, lying down, watching TV, and other forms of screen-based entertainment. This is especially important if you spend most of your working day sitting.

3. Follow a healthy eating pattern.

A healthy eating pattern includes a variety of vegetables, fiber-rich legumes (beans and peas), fruits in a variety of colors, and whole grains. It is best to avoid or limit red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages, highly processed foods and refined grain products. This will provide you with key nutrients in amounts that help you get to and stay at a healthy weight.

4. It is best not to drink alcohol.

Research has shown that drinking any alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer. If you choose to drink alcohol, the American Cancer Society recommends that women have no more than 1 alcohol drink on any given day. A drink is 12 ounces of regular beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor.

5. Think carefully about using hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Studies show that HRT using a combination of estrogen and progestin increases the risk of breast cancer. This combination can also lead to increased breast density making it harder to find breast cancer on mammogram. The good news is that within 3 years of stopping the hormones the risk returns to that of a woman who has not used HRT.

For women who have had a hysterectomy, taking HRT that only includes estrogen may be a better option. Estrogen alone does not increase breast cancer risk. However, women who still have a uterus are at increased risk of endometrial cancer from estrogen only HRT.

Talk with your doctor about all the options to control your menopause symptoms, including the risks and benefits of each. If you decide to try HRT, it is best to use it at the lowest dose that works for you and for as short a time as possible

Source American cancer society

October is National Brest Cancer Awareness Month

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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to increase awareness of the disease. Join in the cause to help women in need today

Ethiopia is home to a growing population of more than 105 million people and is the second most populous country in Africa and is expected to become the ninth most populous country in the world by 2050, with an estimated parallel rise in cancer burden . In Ethiopia, cancer is estimated to account for about 5.8% of total national mortality . Although population-based data do not exist in the country except for Addis Ababa, it is estimated that the annual incidence of cancer is around 60,960 cases and the annual mortality is over 44,000 . For people under the age of 75 years, the risk of being diagnosed with cancer is 11.3% and the risk of dying from the disease is 9.4% a five year prevalence for 2003 to 2008 was 224.2 per 100,000 people . The most prevalent cancers in Ethiopia among the adult population are breast cancer (30.2%), cancer of the cervix (13.4%), and colorectal cancer (5.7%). About two-thirds of reported annual cancer deaths occur among women . Based on 2013 data from the Addis Ababa Cancer Registry, breast cancer accounted for 31.4%, cervical cancer for 14.3% and ovarian cancer for 6.3% of all cancer cases . According to a qualitative study at the only oncology center in the country at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, limited patient awareness along with lack of resources contribute to diagnoses of cancers at advanced stages, which lead to poor patient outcomes . However, patterns of cancer, their stages and risk factors for advanced cancers have not been well studied and documented in Ethiopia, as prior studies have largely focused on communicable diseases, such as AIDS/HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis . To fill this substantial gap, this study examines patterns of cancer occurrence and stages of cancer at diagnosis, and risk factors associated with advanced stage cancers among patients at Tikur Anbessa Hospital from 2010 to 2014.

Source Journal of cancer prevention

International Day of the Girl Child 2020 Message

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Call for Entries: APO Group African Women in Media Award to Recognize

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The Award will be bestowed to the winner at the 6th Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum’s (AWIEF) (www.AWIEForum.org) Virtual Conference and Awards hosted on 2-3 December 2020, with the theme ‘Reimagining Business & Rebuilding Better.’

For more Information

Call for Entries: APO Group African Women in Media Award to Recognise Support of Female Journalists for Women’s Entrepreneurship in Africa