The Apprentice Adviser's Rwandan Mission

Nick Hewer is well recognised in the UK as Lord Alan Sugar's adviser in the reality television show The Apprentice but, increasingly important to him, he is also patron for the Hopes & Homes for Children charity.

The charity helps with housing and healthcare for vulnerable children and their families in 10 Eastern European and African countries. "They're essentially ensuring that children grow up in a family environment, but in Rwanda particularly that they're taken out of malnutrition and grow up to be healthy kids - thats the core objective" says Hewer.

In Rwanda, 20% of children die before the age of 5 from malnutrition, malaria and HIV/AIDS, mainly malnutrition. While in Rwanda, Hewer visited one of the 3 'hubs' which treats over 1400 people. These 'hubs' were built to provide shelter, clean water, food and healthcare for children and vulnerable families. "They get a free healthy meal, sex education, inoculations, HIV testing, the weighing and the follow-through with the children so they come back again and again, so they're brought back up to proper weight levels".

Self-help is also part of the project as families are encouraged to keep rabbits as a low-cost source of protein and there are small 'micro' loans to encourage enterprise in the most difficult of circumstances. "I saw one young kid, he was 14, he looked about eight because he was so malnourished, he was tiny. He was sleeping in the corner of a mud hut that is about the size of a potting shed without anything in it. He's now clothed and back in school, but critically, they gave him £20 so he could start a peanut business, roasting them in his little hut and selling them in the market. That little kid can now afford to feed himself, clothe himself and pay his school fees... and suddenly he's a little businessman. Wonderful."

Nick Hewer said "I took away with me the memory of a very inhibited population. They went through the most terrible time, a million people killed in 100 days. I know it was back in 1994 but its still a repressed population. I also got the impression of a country that are really going t0 fight their way through."

This is rewritten from a BBC article (click here) about how high-profile names can help raise awareness of a disease or condition, and bring it under the spotlight. Their video series talks to those in the public eye about their personal reasons for speaking out.

Battle Scarred

150,000 british men and women have been to war serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many are young and can be sent to the front line at the beginning of their careers. Many are living with the consequences of serving their country. This documentary loks at the hiden cost of war for the soldiers and their families.

Pte David Forshaw was a paratrooper that served two 6 month tours in Iraq. His mother said that 'he was a born soldier' and loved to be out there. As a teenager Dave was passionate about joining the army. He did not die in Iraq. He died in a car park in South London after he killed himself by inhaling petrol fumes. His family said he had trouble adjusting when he came back and didn't really talk about it. On his second tour he nearly died as his vehicle was hit by a road side bomb when he was in the driver seat.His brother and fellow soldier, Rob Forshaw was also in the vehicle and was injured. Because of his injuries, he was sent to a psychiatrist who helped me through the situation and made him feel better about it all. However Rob says that it was stupid not to do the same for the others, including, Dave, that had been uninjured. After their vehicle had been bombed they were soon sent back to work and 'that would take its toll on anyone because someone has just tried to kill you'.David's landlady said that when he came back, he started doing anotherjob but 'it just wasn't him' and 'he completely lost interest' and when he came back he had to go back to the 'mundane' and had 'no purpose or meaning'.A suicide letter was found in his bedroom and David's severe dyslexia meant it would have taken him months to write. In the letter he requested a st.georges flag be put over his coffin and his mother asked the army if he could be buried in his uniform and if they would send a wreath. They said no to the flag and uniform but sent a wreath. His mother thinks they discarded him because he had taken his own life.

Spr Martin Lindley is 22 and did a tour in Afghanistan in 2007. He was an engineer whose main job was to blow stuff up. Now discharged from the army, he is unemployed and ifnidng life a struggle. he says that when he got back he started dinking a lot more, mainly a litre of vodka a night. He gives the reasons as being that cant sleep at night because he's become paranoid by noises and he uses the alcohol to help him sleep. When he was out in Afghanistan he always had a kife with him and he does now he's back because he doesnt feel safe anymore. He and many of his friends recorded different moments of their tour with their camera phones. Martin has pictures of the 'nice views' and the Afghan people he met that he said were 'really nice and friendly' and then some more disturbing images like dead children, decapitated people and beaten prisoners.One of the first and most frequent operations Martin and his team went out on was to walk the streets and wait for someone to shoot at them and they would then try to spot who shot at them and kill them. They did this twice a day. To help hom readjust after the war, the MOD (Ministry of Defence) sent soldiers, including Martin, to Cyprus and told them to 'get pissed and fight' just to get it out of their system. Then they came back to the UK and play sports and drink for 2 weeks. When he came back from his 6 month tour, he accidentally took back ammunition, which is illegal and lead to him spending 9 months in an army prison and is now discharged. Martin's mother said he had been enjoying life but when he came back from Afghanistan he had really changed.She said that she thought they should all get counselling when they come back because they are trained to kill and then expected to come back and be OK. Although counselling is avaliable if the soldiers ask for it, very few do ask for it because it suggests that they are incapable of handling the stress and could hurt their careers. Martin said that he doesnt see what taking could do and whether it would help. He said he might as well just get on and try to forget it.

Sgt Danny McEneany and CSgt Jason Wilkinson grew up together in Merseyside and both joined the army as teenagers. They were the best men at each others weddings and both served in Iraq together. Danny had recently been released from prison for possessing a firearm. He was in the army for 18 years and served in Northern Ireland and the Gulf but it was when he returned from Southern Iraq in 2005 that he became dangerously paranoid and stole a gun. Like Martin, he couldn't sleep and the slightest noise woke him and made him suspicious. He became paranoid that Muslim fanatics would be coming through his door to kill him. His best friend Jason killed himself. The last time that Danny saw him, Jason told him a secret he had kept for 5 years: he had shot an Iraqi.Danny thought it was the stress of this seret that lead to him killing himself. Jason's marriage had been breaking down and he went to stay with his parents. His mum asked him why and he said it was that he was just full of anger and the breakdown was his fault. His mother said he was in complete turmoil. His mother told him to get help but he refused saying he didn't trust the army. Jason returned to his barracks on the 5th January and hung himself in his room the next day. Like Jason, Danny's marriage broke down when he came back from Iraq. When Danny stole the gun, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder but was still given 5 years in prison. His sentence was reduced on appeal but he still spent 2 years in prison. He was given no treatment for his post-traumatic stress and so his new partner Jules has become his carer.Without her, he would most likely have ended up back in prison.she said she thought he would be in much less stress back in Iraq because he is still in combat mode and ready for anything at anytime.Jason was buried on 16th January 2010 with full military honours. Before he died, Jason told his mum more about the incident. He broke down crying and told his mum that he had killed a man. When he was on patrol, he came under attack so he took cover and just aimed and fired and a hit a man. He said he always thinks of this man at christmas, whether he had children. Jason was filled with guilt all of the time.

The makers of the documentary asked the MOD for their response to the issues raised in the documentary. They gave the following statement:

"The MoD takes the mental health of our personne extremley seriously and extensive prevention and treatment measures are in place both on operations and in the UK.

Mental health professionals provide expert assessment and treatment and the new in-theatre mentoring scheme encourages personnel to talk about concerns reducing any stigma associated with seeking help.

The MoD has also worked with the NHS on community mental health pilots across the UK, tailored specifically for Veterans...we are committed to ensuring this important minority gets the treatment they deserve.

Kevan Jones MP

Minister for Veterans"

If you live in the UK, click here to watch this documentary

Image from: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/00636/news-graphics-2007-_636982a.jpg

Just who was President Said Mohamed Cheikh?

Said Mohamed Cheikh was born on the island of Grande Comore, in Mitsamiouli, into a noble family (clan Hinya Fwambaa by the father and a family of Washili). He had his primary education at the official school of Mitsamiouli. He had his secondary education at the regional school of Mutsamudu before following higher education in the school of medicine of Antananarivo in Madagascar, studies which he ends in 1928. He was therefore the first Comoran doctor. His first post was Foumboni in Grande Comore as a doctor before being assigned to Fomboni Mohéli. He was a military doctor in Majunga (Madagascar, from 1936 till 1944).

During the second world war in March and April 1940, there was a rebellion in the colonial plantations of Nyumakele (Anjouan), because of the precarious living conditions of the indigenous population. The colonial administration interpreted this uprising as being a manoeuvre of the enemies of France aiming to destabilize the island. The governor general had dispatched in Anjouan a mission of pacification driven by the inspector Thomas. Saïd Mohamed Cheikh was part of the deputation. He played a role determining in the resolution of this crisis. The French army did not intervene. The peaceful exit of this crisis projected Saïd Mohamed Cheikh in the first rank of the political stage. From this instant it started its political career. The population of Nyumakele will be thankful to him for a long time.

He left medicine absolutely in 1945 and launched into politics by becoming delegated within the French National Assembly from 1945 till 1961. He registered in the socialist group (democratic and socialist Union of the Resistance) beside Rasata, Ravoangy and Rabemanajary which assembled in Paris with other African Nationalist Leaders such as Félix Houphouet-Boigny of Ivory, Leopold Sédar Senghor and Lamine Guey of Senegal. He was the green party leader, opposed by the white party of Said Ibrahim Ben and Sultan Said Ali.

In 1954, he was the diplomatic representative at United Nations General Assembly on behalf of France. Dr. Said Mohamed Cheikh was considered to be, in the period leading up to independence, the most important political leader in the islands. Cheikh was elected to be the first president of the Governing Council of the Comoros Chamber of Deputies in 1961, a post he held until he died of a heart attack in 1970 in the capital of Madagascar (Antananarivo). Cheikh was buried in Moroni in the Comoros.

In 1978, the government issued high value gold coins worth 10,000 and 20,000 francs which bore the likeness of Cheikh. Postage stamps bearing his likeness were issued in 1973. He also had a stadium named after him, which was opened in 2007 as part of FIFA's Win in Africa with Africa program. Stade Said Mohamed Cheikh is a multi-use stadium in Moroni, Comoros, which is mainly used for football matches. It replaced Stade de Beaumer as the home of the Comoros national football team and was the first stadium in the Comoros to host a CAF Champions League match.

Apologies for any grammatical mistakes etc, this information was translated from a French site: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Said_Mohamed_Cheikh, as well as http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stade_Said_Mohamed_Cheikh and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Said_Mohamed_Cheikh

Tower Block of Commons: Episode 1

In the UK, the television Channel 4 is well known for its documentaries that tackle controversial but fascinating subjects. One that aired its last episode yesterday was the Tower Block of Commons which took 4 politicians and sent them to live in the roughest areas for a week so they could really experience what life is like.

The first politician was Iain Duncan Smith, the former conservative leader who said that he liked "the idea of taking politicians out of their comfort zone and making them sweat a little bit. No one ot fall back on. It's good." He would be spending the next two days on the Carpenters estate in East London with 19 year old Charise, sleeping on her sofa.

The second was Tim Loughton, the Conservatives shadow children's minister. He was sent to Birmingham's gang divided Newtown Estate. He would be staying on the blow-up mattress in the living room of single mum Natina, her 6 month old baby and her mother. On hearing where he would be staying, Loughton said "Birmingham. It's got a lot of tower blocks. And no conservative MPs".

The third was Mark Oaten, a Liberal Democrat MP that was once hinted at becoming the next Lib Dem Leader, until a sex scandal of him having sex with a rent boy. He is married with 2 children. Mark Oaten stayed in a Dagenham towerblock which he said "feels like one of those old communist blocks" and after constantly having to enter codes to get into the building, he compared it to "prison... It's like Fort Notts".

The final MP was veteran Labour backbencher Austin Mitchell who stayed in Hull but would only agree to take part in the programme if he could have his wife with him, they could bring some of their possessions and they could have their own council flat. Their first two days were helped by Selina, 29 who, before their arrival, said "these politicians don't do nothing. They're making bloody good money just for arguing in a parliament. I could be an MP". On arriving in their new home, Mitchell's wife said it "looks a bit like a prison".

For the polticians, the first part of settling in to their new lives is to change their outfits. As Mark Oatens host Cathy put it, "if you wear a suit, you’d get egged around here. The kids would egg you because you stand out too much”. The politicians clearly felt very awkward in their new attire, swapping shirts and ties for Nike and tracksuits. The culture difference in fashion was immediately made clear when Tim was laughed at by his host Natina and her mother for how he did his laces.

The politicians also has a chance to talk to their hosts and get to know them a bit better. Iain Duncan Smith asked his host Charise what she knew about politics and what politicians do etc, and she replied that she had no clue what happened in the houses of Parliament, or what politicians do and she heard that they just "sit in a room and talk". When asked about this comment from her later, Smith conceded that "politics is many miles away from what goes on here". Tim Loughton went to explore the local area and began talking to a man outside the newsagents. The man began to get angry about the MP expenses scandal, saying that politicians "are legitimate crooks...why having any of them been prosecuted?” and saying that they are "on another level". Attracted by the argument were some local youths and when Loughton began to talk to them he found out that they didn't know the name of the MP for their area, and in fact one of the teenagers didn't think there was one for their area. Later on when speaking to his host Natina, the topic of parenthood came up as Natina is a single parent and part of Conservative policy is a strong bias toward married families and bias against divorce and single parents. Loughton said that his parents had divorced when he was 12 and he was split up from his brothers and sisters to live with each parent and when asked "but don't you think it was better for them to be apart" he replied that he didn't think that way when he was 12, at that time he would have done anything to have them back together. When asked by Loughton, Natina said that she wouldn't want her baby's father back in her life but in her daughter's life. Austin Mitchell's host Selina took him to "buy a newspaper" and in fact took him to a local NHS Methadone clinic. Selina is a recovering heroin addict and has to go to the clinic everyday to take her methadone. Heroin use is a large problem in these areas, with the ground littered in used needles. Mark Oaten was shown around his host Cathy's house and disguested by the mould growing on the walls and terrible living conditions. He immediately moved into action, going outside with Cathy to try and get people to sign a petition to get something done. He began talking to a couple where the women didn't vote because politicians "don't listen" and the man voted for the BNP after switching from Labour because they "actually give a voice to a white person". He assures Oaten that he isn't racist whatsoever, a quality often assumed of supporters of the BNP, saying that many of his best friends are "coloured" and that "we're all human".

What was instantly made clear from this episode is the lack of understanding on both sides: the public have little awareness of what politicians are doing and politicians have little awareness of what the public are going through. It is therefore a two sided problem that will require the efforts of both sides to be resolved.

What also struck me as interesting was that the Labour MP, the party of the working class people, was the least willing to compromise. He didn't want to change into the new clothes, he brought his wife, he got his own council flat, brought expensive artwork and such with him and one night he and his wife went to dinner with rich friends.

Towards the end of the episode, you find out that Iain Duncan Smith found out his wife had cancer and had to pull out of the show. Asked what he thinks of what is going to come, he said "the other MPs will have to accommodate a whole other set of horizons. They are used to being the centre of attention in Parliament...suddenly they will see that they are in an area where most of the people there think that people like them will have forgotten them."

Well, to find out how true Smith's predictions are, you will have to read tomorrow when I post about the second episode!

A Global Citizen

Cortez A., US

What do you think it means to be a global citizen? Be specific, and use imaginative examples or illustrations. Surprise us.

A global citizen encompasses a broad definition; it branches from ethical issues to international conflicts. Some believe that a global citizen is a person who is abreast of international news. Others believe that a global citizen as a moral obligation, which can create understanding between people of different groups. The aspect that I find intriguing and believe is a global citizen is being able to merge both definitions; in addition to taking action to change the world. It is through recognition and creating action that we are able to solve global issues. Merging the broadness of these two definitions form a more realistic perception of what a global citizen is. Being a global citizen is more than knowing statistics, it is more about trying to create change.

The recent tragedy that has befallen Haiti has brought a lot of collective action. Individuals from around the world, such as entertainers, athletes, political figures and the working class have come together to help the country of Haiti. They have come together to help a country that is truly in need. When looking at this information I consider these people as global neighbors more than a global citizen. A global citizen will be concerned with Haiti years from now. The concept of helping people does not stop after the media has stopped filming, the war against poverty, violence, disease, and economics still continues.

A global citizen is someone who works tirelessly to make international issues known. They promote international dialogue which can break down negative perceptions of different people and their country. A global citizen does not allow bias to consume his or her actions; he/she knows that as this happen someone is being hurt or misrepresented. A global citizen is concerned with every aspect of international equality from war, healthcare, to basic living necessities such as food and water. For example, statistics show, a total of 350,000 South Africans died from HIV/AIDS which is reported from UNAIDS. A global citizen would find ways to make this number known across the world via media, building coalitions, or organizing fund raising events. A global citizen would try to solve the problem by educating South Africans on the danger of unprotected sex and even implement programs to increase awareness. Doing this will help get to the root of the problem instead of idly sitting back and watching numbers increase.

A global citizen is not concerned with personal gain, but is instead concerned with the personal well-being of others. A global citizen knows that as he sits back lives can be possibly lost. A global citizens knows that he/she has unlimited potential to change the world and works tirelessly to do so. A global citizen knows that the end justifies the mean, and any help, aid, or support is welcomed. We must realize that we are an interconnected world that works hand and hand; it is bigger than the clothes on our backs and the business deals that are made internationally. A global citizen works tirelessly to fix issues that they see globally.

What do you think it means to be a global citizen? do you agree with Cortez? comment and let us know!