Gamanaguma fund to relieve kidney patients

Water is always a closely linked issue with the lives of the people in this farmland in the dry zone. Although the irrigation water of the Mahaweli development project flows throughout the two cultivation seasons nourishing the farmlands the people appealed for drinking water after they learnt that the water they drink causes a deadly kidney disease reported in large numbers in the area.

The Hobariyawa drinking water project was launched by the Gamanaguma on 11.10.2008, with the main objective of addressing this health issue faced by the people in five villages of Giranduru Kotte in Mahaweli C zone.

The project completed within one year was declared open recently with the participation of the Minister of Health and Nutrition, Nimal Siripala De Silva, Minister of Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure Development Jagath Pushpakumara, regional political leaders, officials and the community. The Ministers commended the efficient implementation of the project with the wider community participation and promised to further improve the facilities for kidney patients at the Giranduru Kotte hospital.

People who gathered at the opening ceremony expressed relief. "At least our next generation will now be safe. We are scared of our lives and the most difficult thing was drinking and allowing our children to drink this water, knowing it is poisonous", R.M. Aberathna (47), a father of four said. W.M.G. Bandara (38) and his wife D.M. Sumanawathi (30), parents of three children in Millaththewa village are kidney patients. Bandara said that in 2004 the doctors at the Badulla teaching hospital diagnosed that his kidneys have failed and two years later his wife too fell victim to this deadly disease.

The Public Health Inspector of the area J.M. Jayasena said that the number of Kidney patients has reached an alarming level.

The exact causes for the outbreak are yet to be explored and investigations are being carried out under the guidance of Dr. Thilak Abeysekara, a consultant at Kandy Teaching hospital. According to our preliminary observations we suspect that the disease is water-borne, he said.

The investigations revealed that the number of cases reported is high in the villages where people use ground water from deep wells. The water is heavy and we observed that there are thick layers of mineral deposits in the kettles that are used for boiling water. At the same time we found that the number of kidney patients reported from the area, that is covered by the Giranduru Kotte urban water project, which supply purified surface water, is extremely low.

The MOH of the Giranduru Kotte base hospital, Dr. B.T. Premawardana said that according to preliminary investigations they have observed a relation between drinking water and kidney diseases. The disease is not found among the people who use surface water. We tested urine samples of children who are under five years and found that 14% of them are albumin positive. This is a basic syndrome of a kidney disease and surprisingly 4% of the population in the area is suffering from a kidney disease.

These patients are continuously attending the clinic in the hospital and those children are undergoing regular testing, Dr.Premawardana said.

According to a study carried out by the Gamanaguma technical division it was found that the cadmium content of the ground water in the area is 20-30 microgram/liter, extremely high compared to the WHO recommended maximum level 5 microgram /liter.Similarly the fluoride content of 1.5-2% microgram /liter is also high compared to WHO recommended maximum level of 1%.

Apart from that the Hobariyawa water project is significant because it is the first mega infrastructure project launched by Gamanaguma. Since the decision making power is vested in the community according to the participatory development model, they take decisions rationally and in this case it is a decision between life and death. Therefore, they decided that the safe drinking water is the number one priority.

Five villages Hobariyawa, Hobariyawa Ihala, Jayanthipura, Millaththewa and Hanguma have pooled their Gamanaguma Infrastructure Development Funds for this mega project which costs Rs. 33.7 million. Under the project a storage tank was constructed while a 58,000m long pipeline was laid to supply water for each household in the five villages. The project gets the bulk water supply from the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) and distributes to the five villages.However, the inadequate capacity of the NWSDB became an obstacle and therefore an additional Rs.3.8 million was needed to enhance the pumping and water purification capacity of the NWSDB.

The Gamanaguma facilitators and the communities were successful in obtaining the support from the political leadership in the district. The Minister of Health and Nutrition, Nimal Siripala De Silva having recognised the gravity of the health issue released Rs.3.8 million from the National Health Fund to the NWSDB to increase its capacity.

With the best practices in the Gamanaguma, especially transparent procurement procedure, the community saved Rs.5 million as a discount during the purchase of PVC pipes. As a result the total project cost came down to Rs.28.7 million and it reduced the community cash contribution of the project from Rs.7900 to Rs.5300.

The five Gamanaguma companies were responsible for the construction of the storage tank and laying 58,000m long pipeline covering all the five villages providing pipe water for 1200 families. The management of the project, collection of water bills and maintenance is done by Gamanaguma companies in the five villages.

- GW

Adequate sleep could prevent teen depression

By Madeline Ellis

There's no denying the unique benefits of a good night's sleep or the impact of not getting enough sleep. Not only does getting too little sleep leave us drowsy and unable to concentrate the next day, it also leads to impaired memory and physical performance.

Not getting enough sleep on a regular basis increases the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease, among other medical conditions.

The consequences of sleep deprivation during the teen years are especially serious-impairing their ability to be alert, pay attention, solve problems, retain information and cope with stress. Young people who chronically lack adequate sleep carry a significant risk for fall-asleep car accidents; tobacco and alcohol use; poor impulse control and violence; and lower overall performance in everything from academics to athletics. And a new study shows that youngsters who don't get enough sleep night after night are more likely to suffer from depression and more apt to have suicidal thoughts.

For the study, Dr. James E. Gangwisch of Columbia University Medical Center in New York, and his colleagues analyzed data on the nightly habits of 15,659 college and high-school students who participated in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health between 1994 and 1996. The researchers found that youngsters with bedtimes of midnight or later had a 24 percent higher risk of depression and 20 percent higher risk of suicidal thoughts than those with bedtimes of 10 p.m. or earlier.Teens who reported five or fewer hours of sleep per night were 71 percent more likely to be depressed and 48 percent more likely to have suicidal thoughts, compared to youngsters who slept eight hours nightly.

"Our results are consistent with the theory that inadequate sleep is a risk factor for depression, working with other risk and protective factors through multiple possible causal pathways to the development of this mood disorder," said Gangwisch. "Adequate quality sleep could therefore be a preventative measure against depression and a treatment for depression."

The researchers say lack of sleep could affect brain responses and lead to moodiness that hinders the ability to cope with stresses of daily life; affecting judgment, concentration and impulse control.

"It is a common perception and societal expectation that adolescents do not need as much sleep as pre-adolescents, yet studies suggest that adolescents may actually require more sleep," Gangwisch said. "Studies have found that adolescents do not go to bed early enough to compensate for earlier school start times, and transitions to earlier school start times have been shown to be associated with significant sleep deprivation.

"Research has shown that adolescents require at least as much sleep as they did as children, generally 8.5 to 9.25 hours each night. However, teens average fewer than 7 hours per school night and most report feeling tired during the day.

This could be due in part to the fact that, because of a change in their internal clocks, most youngsters undergo a sleep phase delay, which means a tendency toward later times for falling asleep and waking up. Findings like these have prompted many school systems around the country to adjust their school schedules, allowing for a later start time for high-school students.

- Healthnews

Tips for a healthy diet

by Val Willingham

A new year has arrived, and with it, a new list of resolutions. If "eating better" is on your list, experts say, there are a few items you can slip into to your diet that can improve your health and help you ward off certain diseases in 2010.

Katherine Tallmadge, national spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association and a registered dietitian in Washington, D.C., says you can find these foods in most stores. Best of all, they're high in benefits but low in calories. Grains Add oat, barley and rye to your daily diet. Doctors have known that oat can bring down cholesterol levels -- but so can rye, which may become the new "in" grain for 2010. In a study in the current issue of the journal Nutrition, Finnish doctors found that men who had borderline high cholesterol could lower their numbers by eating dense rye bread.

The American Diabetes Association also recommends increasing your intake of dietary fiber and whole grain products, such as rye, to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes. "Rye lowers cholesterol like oats do, and it evens out blood glucose for diabetics," Tallmadge says.

But don't run out and buy regular rye bread at the store. Instead, purchase rye mixed with whole wheat -- it's found in dense, whole-grain breads and in specially made crackers. "I buy the rye crackers," Tallmadge says. "They're low in fat, high in rye and are a perfect snack with low-fat cheese." As for barley, the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that diets high in barley lowered total cholesterol levels and reduced the risk factors associated with excess weight, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Barley can be cooked and served as a side dish similar to rice or couscous. It can also be used as an ingredient in soups, stews, casseroles and salads. Dr. Peter Shields, professor of medicine and oncology and deputy director of the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University Medical Center, has done extensive studies on diet and

cancer. He says any diet filled with fiber, either from fruits and vegetables or grains, is good for you.

Soy

Researchers have found that soy can ward off certain cancers as well as help your heart. The Food and Drug Administration says foods high in soy protein may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. According to the FDA, 25 grams of soy protein a day can cut heart

problems by reducing cholesterol levels. Soy can be found in numerous products, such as tofu burgers, soy meats and soy milk. In order to get the full benefit of soy, the FDA suggests looking for products that have 6.25 grams or more of soy protein per serving and that are low in fat (less than 3 grams), saturated fat (less than 1 gram) and cholesterol (less than 20 mg). Read more: Soy may benefit breast cancer survivors, study says Tallmadge urges parents to introduce soy into their children's diets as well. "We know that when introduced earlier in life, it can have a very strong protective effect against breast cancer and prostate cancer," she says. Soy can also help fight childhood obesity because it's low in fat and calories.

Soy also contains vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein for growing little ones, and it comes in a variety of foods that kids like, such as chocolate soy milk, frozen pizza, taco "meat" and "chicken" nuggets.

- CNN

Save children from stress

by Saffiya

Children are faced with different kinds of stress related issues on their day to day lives. Stress is the body's physical, chemical, and emotional reaction to an overwhelming, confusing, or exciting situation. Children of all ages can experience stress, but how they respond to it depends on their age, temperament, and family environment. Kids mainly experience two different kinds of stress.

The first is normative stress, which occurs at different stages of a child's development. Learning to walk, talk, use the toilet, and make friends can be stressful for a child. But these are productive forms of anxiety in that they help a child grow and become more independent. The second kind of stress is life-change stress, and it's typically more confusing and upsetting to children. Events of situations that trigger life-change and undue stress on children would scar them for life.

As parents, caregivers and teachers, we should be aware of the child's feelings and we should help the troubled child at the root level rather than ignoring the situation and considering it trivial. Giving children the opportunity to speak out and solve the problems they are faced with at an early stage would be definitely more beneficial than marring their lives forever. We should focus in what is really important to a child and beneficial to them rather than getting the child involved in various activities and situation which would be harmful to them later on it life.

All children are not alike, even sibling's interest and perspectives differ and most importantly each child should not be compared or categorized in the same manner. Even though it is our duty to guide them in a proper way we should be tactful in doing so, rather than pressurizing or forcing the child and cause undue stress to cope with.

We should recognize the ability of our children and respect them for what they are and not what they should be. When a child is faced with a situation such as a death, moving, family problems relating to parents and themselves, pressure due to studies, over load or lack of extracurricular activities due to studies, we as elders should be considerate of these issues rather than thinking of our convenience alone.Children are very confused by death of a close relative, friend or a pet. In many occasions they would tend to blame themselves for it and create a great deal of guilt and unbearable stress. We as adults should be able to recognize this factor and help them cope up with the situation by giving the emotional support the child needs.

In the case of moving, children have a adjust in a new environment away from their familiar home, community, school and group of friends. This often frightens them and they are faced with a feeling of insecurity, confusion, and anxiety. We should be able to give them the confidence and support to adjust to new surroundings.When family problems arise due to parent's constantly fighting, separation or divorce, or children rebelling against each other or their parents we should see as to what has affected the child. We should realize the child's sense of security would be threatened and therefore they tend to feel insecure. Parents at this point should protect their children from getting involved or making them the cause of issues and decide what is best for them. In some instances children are better off mentally and emotionally when parents live apart or divorce as they tend to get the best of both parents rather then being stressed out living with squabbling parents who are selfish and not capable of giving them the peace and security they need.

In some cases children living in such as environment are marred to the extent that they tend to repeat the same lifestyle their parent sled. In the case of rebelling children parents should be able to find the cause which makes the child behave in such a manner and help sort out the problem the child is faced with in a pleasant way rather than being aggressive towards the child.

Being hard on them would only make them more stubborn and disobedient. Finding out the main cause of such problems and facing it together as a family is better than ignoring such situations which would tend to worsen later on. Lack of communications between parents sand children, influence of bad company and also parents not having time for their children are root causes for such problems.

Counselling also helps in these issues when the family cannot bring themselves in solving a problem. Professional help from an outsider viewing issues arising in the family would be better at times than seeking help from relatives or friends who can be biased to the situation.

Pressure due to studies is very common among children and creates stress on a very high level. Peer pressure among preschoolers, school-age children and children in universities or seeking higher education creates different levels of anxiety which leads to unbearable pressure.

As children and parents are influenced by the standards of other students they tend to be more competitive. By trying to conform to standards and not wanting to be different from others, children feel inferior and over anxious as well.

Attending private tuition classes at a very young state is very common these days. Parents think that their child would maintain a high standard and be competitive among the students in class and enrol them to various classes.

They feel that the school teacher does not have the ability or time to teach their children, and as their standard has dropped, they employ private tuition to benefit their child. Unfortunately they do not realize that such situations cause tremendous stress and over anxiety among children as they are pushed through various levels of stress related problems to keep up with the school work and tuition class. Private tuition also imposes a considerable financial burden to parents and often gives rise to abuses as the fees are exorbitant. Teachers too are under pressure as a lot is expected from them.

They are expected to cover the curriculum at a given period of time, face and solve problems arising in day to day class activities, discipline children, correcting and preparing children for exams and also get involved in school activities. They seem to run short of time most of the while and are not in a position to complain about such matters as they are expected to fulfil their duties as teaches towards the students.

This issue has to be seriously brought up with the higher authorities who facilitate to introduce the educational system to students through a curriculum as well as the educators, such as the principals and teachers who introduce the curriculum to students.

There should be a system where the school should facilitate the student with extra classes and support their needs and see that they are of the required standard in class. In fairness to the teachers they should be provided with facilities to carry out this requirement as well as provide them with added help for the purpose of boosting the child's education level.

Another issue that comes up with regard to stress is that some children are overburdened with extracurricular activities while some are too busy attending classes and studying and they do not find the time for recreation of any sort.

We should not forget that sports activities and recreation are great stress relievers and are very important for children's growth. Interaction in sports creates great minds as children are able to face defeat and not only win all the time. An active mind and body would benefit children as it provides the ability and strength to cope with the pressure imposed upon them.

We should remember even a healthy child could be mentally and emotionally stressed out due to the ignorance of their parents, care givers and teachers even though they are not physically ill. The immune systems of children who are overly fatigued due to circumstances such as death, moving, family problems, pressure due to studies, overload or lack of extracurricular activities may become weakened due to stress.

In stressful situations these children are more susceptible to illnesses which could have been avoided if we had taken better precautions by not exposing our children to unnecessary issues. Because stress related issues can be avoided and children can be protected from these situations. It depends on us as to how we bring up our children and what we make of them!