Nursing is among a few other professions, in which positions are occupied by women; the word or Nurse is now deemed to refer to a female and not to a male.

Egypt suffers a sever shortage in the number of nurses; the 1998 census showed that there are 17 nurses for each 10 thousand people, which is a relatively low ratio if compared to the international level. This shortage is more evident in the governorates of Upper Egypt. Best estimates show that the Governorate of Aswan alone would need 365 nurses each year for the next five years’. The need for a larger number of nurses is currently fulfilled by the nursing schools’ graduate students, originally resident in Aswan, and who count for 165 of the total number required; another hundred positions are filled by graduates from other governorates in the Delta and another 100 remain unoccupied. Going back to the academic nursing path, it was found that nursing schools do not even work with their full capacities.

This contradicting situation is the result of a number of social and institutional factors; in Upper Egypt, nurses have stated that the nursing profession has a bad reputation, because of the involvement of the nurse (female) and the doctor (male) on the one hand or the nurse and the patient on the other. In addition, newly-graduate nurses have to work in areas far from their homes. All of this contradicts with the traditional perceptions of the woman’s “Straightforwardness and honor”; this discourages parents from enrolling their daughters in nursing schools.

All of this has triggered actions to fill the gap created by the short number of nurses, in the form of capacity building for the nursing schools. The first step was to increase the percentage of enrollment of girls in nursing school, appointing new nursing teachers and ensuring that vacant positions will be permanently filled by the graduates of nursing school. From enrollment to appointment, students in nursing schools become the main factor in making a change; they will contribute to enhancing the technical, social and ethical standards of the profession. In addition to good education, the work conditions should also be improved to encourage more enrollments in nursing schools.

Hospitals also suffer shortage in the number of nursing supervisors, which is the mid level in the nursing hierarchy, as well as low supervision skills required for this level. This does not only, affect supervisory and managerial levels in hospitals, but also affects the quality and efficiency of work in the nursing schools. Moreover, lack of technical supervision by the nurse signifies that the person, to whom complaints from inefficient nursing services should be address, does not exist, which accordingly means poorer services and loss of confidence in the service.

The main goal of the project "Enhancement of the Nursing Career in Upper Egypt" is to increase the number of nurses and to improve the quality of the nursing services in hospitals, health units and nursing schools in the governorate of Aswan, with the ultimate aim of improving the quality of nursing services provided to the public.

 The Project objective is to enhance the image of the nursing career in Upper Egypt, through:

1.  Improve nursing capabilities in the 6 nursing schools in Aswan.

2.  Improve the quality of the nursing services provided in 9 of the hospitals and health centers in Aswan.

3.  Change the negative attitudes and perceptions that prevail in the local community towards the nursing profession, through involving the community in seeking solutions for the issues pertaining to the nursing career in Egypt.

4.  Create a core training team that comprises nursing from Aswan, to ensure the sustainability of the efforts aiming at enhancing the nursing sector in Aswan.

5.  Introduce nursing quality tools Project Outcomes.

The project seems to have been very successful. It mostly exceeded its targets, in terms of the number of nurses trained, nursing teachers appointed, and nursing services upgraded in six nursing schools and nine hospitals and health centers in the Governorate of Aswan.

This seems to have been a well-conceived and efficiently run project with a clear time frame and precise goals. It also serves a very important need in Upper Egypt  training health care providers. Although some may question whether the training of nurses is a modem or innovative project for women and development, in the context of Upper Egypt (or other cultural contexts where nationals do not go into the nursing profession in large numbers), it most certainly is. The project is also sustainable in that the nursing teachers will be teaching future cohorts of nurses.
 

The Rio Summit was a landmark in the history of mankind because, it brought into focus the realization that the issues relating to environment and development are intricately related and a harmony between the two had to be established to ensure sustained life on earth. Since Rio there has been a lot of debates, lot of thinking, lot of programmes for implementation and by now there has been an increasing awareness among the peoples and Governments that in the long run the future of life on earth depends largely on caring for, and conserving the environment. An integration of environment and development, and greater attention to them can go a long way in fulfillment of the basic needs, improved standard of living for all, better protected ecosystem and a safe future for mankind.

Bangladesh is a small country of 56000 square miles with a population of about 120 million. The people of this country live close to environmental disasters. Cyclone, tidal bore and flood are almost normal feature in Bangladesh. Only a small percentage of population has access to pure drinking water. Sewerage systems are almost nonexistent in rural areas of the country. Industrial and domestic wastes, fertilizer, toxic chemicals, synthetic detergents etc. are causing water pollution. Industrial effluents, exhaust from mechanized vehicles, house-hold kitchen fuel, brick work etc. cause pollution of air. A very serious environmental problem. in Bangladesh is desertification which is being caused by climatic factors and also man-made disturbances in the natural balance of ecosystem. The topography, socio-economic dynamics and agricultural systems of the country are being badly damaged because of this desertification. Its forests are gradually vanishing.

In recent years people all over the world including donor community stared to give a second thought about the capability of the government to tackle national problems especially environmental issues. This perception of people about the government has given rise to the idea of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to act in partnership with the government in handling problems including those in the areas of environmental degradation. Many of the environmental NGOs have started to incorporate environmental issues in almost all their programmes of activities. Dhaka Ahsania Mission also came forward and integrated some of the environmental issues like indiscriminate cutting of trees, tree plantation, water and sanitation into its on going programmes of activities, particularly the Composite Programme for Preservation and Protection of Environment, which is characterized by a holistic approach towards sustainable development.  It includes multi-stakeholders and multi-activities.

Objectives of the Project:

• Preservation and protection of natural environmental in Bangladesh.

• Mass mobilization and creation of awareness about the causes & consequences of degradation of environment

• Prevention of environmental pollution, specially of water, air, soil and sound.

• Advocacy for adoption of appropriate policy and action progrmmes for preservation, protection and promotion of the natural environment and eradication of environmental pollution.

• Encouraging every one to make development efforts environment friendly at local and national levels;

• Sharing experiences among grass roots level organizations and communities through networking and working hand in hand with them;

• Motivating people for abstaining from actions that cause further damage and hinder the growth of the natural flora and fauna;

• Improvement of water and sanitation situation;

• Development and production of appropriate training manuals for providing training on water & sanitation and environmental preservation and protection;

• Development of awareness materials on environmental degradation, water and sanitation;

• Providing saplings for tree plantation; ‘ Providing sanitary latrines and tube-wells etc.;

• Training on water & sanitation issues;

• Training of various types of programme personnel of DAM and also of APOS Branch Committees on environmental issues;  Training of programme personnel of local NGOs, Local Youths and Community Leaders.

More importantly, financial sustainability is ensured, objectives are well-defined and outputs and results are realized. The achievement and output of the different components of the project have been found to be very much beneficial not only in relation to the needs of the beneficiaries but also in relation to the needs and demands of the entire community.

The Committee for Democracy in Information Technology — CDI — is a non profit, non-governmental organization aiming to foster the social inclusion of low-income communities, using Information and Communication Technologies as tools to create awareness of citizens’ rights  Since 1995, CDI has been carrying out a pioneer initiative to promote social inclusion, by using Information and Communication Technology as tool to create awareness of citizens’ rights and carry out community development projects.

CDI implements educational programs in Brazil and abroad through its Information Technology and Citizens Rights’ Schools, mobilizing excluded segments of society and helping them to bring about positive changes in their lives. It works in partnership with low-income community organizations and associations representing individuals with special needs, such as psychiatric patients, prisoners, street children, the visually impaired, and indigenous populations. -

Gaining skills in the use of new technologies should not only make students better equipped to take advantage of employment and income generation opportunities, but also to create access to new information sources and social spheres.

Background.

In 1993 Rodrigo Baggio, a businessman and Information Technology teacher from Rio de Jarieiro, devised the idea of using the Internet as a communication channel for young people belonging to different social groups. This idea resulted in the creation of a BBS (Bulletin Board System) called “Jovemlink” and was the first step towards the establishment of CDI: a pioneer attempt to use Information and Communication Technology as a digital bridge to promote social integration. The idea was to use the BBS to help encourage dialogue between people living in “favelas” and in the rest of the city of Rio de Janeiro.

The service reached hundreds of users, but soon a new concern arose: almost all the users came from middle class and upper class families. Thus, the new challenge became to provide low-income communities with access to this technology. The campaign “Information technology for all”, the first initiative of this kind in Brazil, was then created to raise computers for young people living in poor communities.

In July 1994, the impact of the campaign was evaluated: computers were being used properly by the communities, but not to their full potential, as the communities were not used to this kind of technology. Then came the idea of creating the Information Technology and Citizens’ Rights Schools (ITCRS), a pioneer initiative in Brazil and indeed in Latin America, combining technology with the promotion of citizens’ rights, creating a new focus within the social sector.

The project reflects an innovative model of the usage of information technology to suit local needs for employment and rehabilitation. Information technology is not merely used as a tool for computer literacy, which is a step-forward towards a more rational use of information technology to suit human needs and as a tool for "social inclusion" through democratizing services for the impoverished segments of the population, whether for children, adults, prisoners, juvenile delinquents, psychiatric patients, or others. The project is also self-sustained and replicable as it is currently implemented in various countries in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. The project's tools are innovative in a sense that they include a thorough evaluation methodology, research, adaptability of curriculums to suit local and/or children with special needs, and the ability to disseminate information on a global scale.

Through the project, hundreds of schools were established across Brazil and abroad in partnership with other community organizations, benefiting thousands of children of the most vulnerable population.

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