SIERRA LEONE: The following is a Project Black Ankh: Ebola Response in Sierra Leone, update from AAPDEP forces.  It describes the community outreach and sensitization programs initiated by AAPDEP as a way to educate communities about some of the real threats of this disease.  This involved radio and street outreach.

March 26-April 26: Radio Sensitization

Two radio stations were targeted, African Young Voices Radio (AYV) and Star Radio because of their wider courage in Sierra Leone.

Key messages in the jingles includes prevention from Ebola and fight against stigmatization of Ebola survivors:

• Ebola is real and have killed many thousands of people.
• Avoid eating bush meat
• Avoid touching dead bodies
• Avoid coming in contact with people who become sick with Ebola
• Call 117 for medical team immediately you experience high fever and other systems
• Always wash hands with soap and clean water
• Support Ebola survivors
•  Don’t discriminate against them

“This message is brought to you from All African Empowerment and Development Project (AAPDEP) who have lunched project Ankh to fight against Ebola disease in Sierra Leone.”

The jingles were aired for a period of one month from 26th March – 26th April 2015 in those two radio stations as a sensitization campaign.

April 1, 2015: Community Drama

1. Community Drama is through street by street sensitization using comedians for counseling and passing on the message to those communities.
• This process is completed and was done for week in targeted communities especially in market places, packs etc.
•  The Community Drama was also geared towards the fight against stigmatization and prevention from Ebola and raising awareness.
2.   The Sierra Leone government launched a three day stay at home mandate. We therefore saw the need to fully participate as community volunteers in sensitization. We were able to mobilize five members who participated in the house to house Ebola zero sensitization although there were challenges in meeting this objective. Members have to walk on foot to cover areas of responsibilities. But we knew this work must be done, so we stayed the course.

SIERRA LEONE:  In February 2015 AAPDEP medical personnel trained forty Sierra Leoneans in the prevention of EVD and various outreach and counseling methods as preparation for its community outreach campaign working to spread the message of respect and positive reintegration of EVD affected community members.

With Phase II now in full swing, AAPDEP is focusing on distributing food, medical supplies for affected families as well as accessing media to conduct public education around Ebola in the Allentown and Lungi communities. Thanks to your donations so far.

In the coming months, AAPDEP plans to organize EVD survivors into our already established community farming, educational and economic development programs as part of its long-term approach to tackling the challenges they face.

The ongoing success of this project will be helped greatly by the plans that AAPDEP has to open Zenzele Consignment Boutique in August 2015, which will serve to fund this and other projects of AAPDEP. This institution will embody AAPDEP’s self-reliance, imperative for developing African communities around the world.

Testimony From Training – Angella Bangura

My name is Angella M. Bangura, I was one of the participants that attended the Ebola workshop as a member of AAPDEP. The workshop started at 12:00pm and ended at 5:30pm. During the period I learned a lot about this deadly virus, Ebola. There were facilitators that taught us about the  following

We were divided into three groups and they are A, B, and C group A which was Omali group, group B which is Biko and group C which was Marcus Garvey. I was fortunate to be in Biko group, in our group we were seven (7) in number, this groupings was done in order for us to work as a team and after any session one facilitator asked us to write on the topic taught and to select one person in the group to make a presentation.

The workshop really helped me a lot, because it has expanded my thinking about Ebola and it also makes me understand how to protect myself and my community as a whole.

Uhuru!!

We’ve already collected over $4500 and now that we’re in Phase II we will need to raise $9500  which will help to complete this Phase and transition into Phases III and IV.of this project.

This is Part II of the series examining the health concerns of African women over age forty. Last time, our discussion highlighted the top five maladies affecting this group, with the intent to review the causes and most common therapeutic approach(es) for each.

Finally, we will become managers of our own wellness by retaining what is most useful from Western medical practice, and then seek best practices from what is referred to as alternative, natural or holistic medicine. Because my education and training is informed by a Western/allopathic tradition, I will seek credible information from practitioners of alternative health care systems. Hopefully it will provide insight for all.

The medical definition of stress is:

“…an organism’s total response to environmental demands or pressures.”

In humans, it results from interactions between persons and their environment that are perceived as straining or exceeding their adaptive capacities and threatening their well-being.

Risk factors for stress- related illness are a mix of personal, interpersonal and social; including lack or loss of control over one’s physical environment, or lack or loss of social support networks.

People who are dependent on others (e.g., children or the elderly) or who are socially disadvantaged because of race, gender, [or] educational level, are at greater risk of developing stress-related illnesses.

While the emphasis is mine, the intent is to focus on what some health providers believe is the origin of many health problems in the American African community.

Consider Africans in America as a people under siege (both observed and/or experienced); beset by low wages, low income, police harassment and violence, crime, violence, underperforming schools, with their quality of life devalued and undermined worldwide.

The impact of stress on African women is observed in subtle ways and in the usual places: hospital emergency rooms. Hypertension and cardiac ailments affect American black women twice as much as any population in this country; obesity from stress overeating claims many, while drugs and alcohol become the de facto means of treatment.

Many black women subscribe to the myth of the “Super Woman”, feeling obligated to solitarily manage a crisis and provide others a safe bridge, (over her very back if necessary!); all the while ignoring her own needs. Under colonialism it is almost a luxury for African women to consider our own health because our role as caregivers and nurturers, to others, is often seen as the primary responsibility. As an African woman, mother, grandmother, wife and professional, I have experienced this. This behavior, however, leaves one exhausted, angry, confused, depleted, more unwell and more stressed.

The Physiology of Stress

When discussing the psychic and emotional toll of stress, remember that the body operates in a complex, integrated way. The condition of the body operating in balance and harmony is called homeostasis and represents the normal state of a smoothly operating organism. The external conditions faced by Africans deliver stressors creating a negative impact on heart rate, blood pressure, and as ingesting a toxic substance, moves the body away from homeostasis.

Above is a schematic diagram of your body*2, showing the effects that the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) has on selected organs. The ANS is a subdivision of the entire working nervous system. We move muscles voluntarily, as one part of the function of our central or peripheral nervous systems, but we have no conscious control of the ANS-it is autonomic or automatic in its response. It has two divisions: the PNS or Parasympathic Nervous System, managing the body during times of rest and relaxation. Food is digested, energy stored, breathing and heart rate is slow and steady. The Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS), releases chemicals under stressful and dangerous conditions. You may have heard it referred to as the “fight or flight” response. Hear noise in the night? This system stimulates some organs to slow down, re-route blood supply and send it to the large leg muscles so you can run away, or if trapped in a corner, the rush of energy required to mount resistance-to fight. Heart rate is elevated, pupils dilate, lungs are available to breath more air; the very hairs on your body are at attention (goose bumps/ gooseflesh). You become alert and attentive as the brain responds to increased blood flow. The chemical epinephrine, commonly known as adrenaline, stimulates this cellular response. In the short term, an adrenaline surge is invaluable when facing some challenges. It may mean the difference between survival and death.

Imagine, however, a constant influx of this chemical and its effect on your body. Ask what effect an overdose of amphetamines might have? (As most amphetamines are synthetic versions of adrenaline). A body facing such conditions experiences constant stimulation. In addition to the release of adrenaline, another hormone, cortisol, is released. It too, is helpful short term, but acts to suppress functions not required during times of stress- including cellular repair, energy storage, and digestion. The longer-term effects of a continuous surge of cortisol are so damaging that they eventually have a crippling effect on the body.

Consequences include exhaustion, impaired judgment, hyper vigilance (leading to exhaustion and impaired judgment!), glucose intolerance, (precursor to diabetes); fat and sugar overload and ultimate mismanagement (leading to obesity, diabetes and heart disorder); an over stimulated cardiovascular (CV) system correlates to stiffening of the arterial system, and plaque build-up along arterial walls. The stomach lining is damaged due to slow cellular turnover, allowing for ulceration, as protection from stomach acids is no longer present.

Too much cortisol impacts memory and affects behavior negatively. After observing many of the stressors confronting African women in this country, it is miraculous that they retain function at all!

Conclusion- Finding Competent Self-Management of Stress

We have reviewed some effects of stress on the human body. Not all stress is harmful. Humans require small amounts of stress (eustress) to remain motivated and develop life skills for survival.

African women in midlife are often in positions of leadership in our places of worship, community organizations or the workplace. We provide advice and mentoring to our sons, daughters and extended family members who are taking on their roles. It is essential that we learn, while operating under the system of global capitalism, to effectively manage our own health and well being in the face of an often indifferent, inaccessible or hostile health care system. But ultimately the goal must be to destroy parasitic capitalism so that we can live better and healthier lives. The African Nation is faced with disparaging health outcomes all over the world and we must understand that if it were not for colonialism (direct foreign control over our lives) we would be able to develop cures for living and not for profit and have better health management systems.

In future discussions, we will discuss what this looks like. Meanwhile, I refer interested readers to a primer for African women in midlife; Prime Time: The African American Woman’s Complete Guide To Midlife and Wellness, by Marilyn Hughes Gaston, M.D., and Gayle K. Porter, Psy.D.

There is no substitution for preparation, and from this point onward, we begin the task. Review what Drs. Gaston and Porter have to say. And remember: the goal is to live the remainder of our lives in as healthy, productive and creative a manner possible. That act is the most revolutionary thing we can do.

Michelle Strongfields, MD, is Director and Founder of IAMM Science Education Group, devoted to insuring the increased representations of youth of color in the sciences. She has more than 30 years experience as an educator, physician and advocate of quality health care and the elimination of health disparity. She has trained and worked in the U.S., Cuba, South America, Africa and throughout the Caribbean. She is a professor of Anatomy and Physiology, a community health advocate and health consultant. She is a longtime associate of the Philadelphia Black Women’s Health Alliance and the National Black Women’s Health Imperative, and an active participant in the Imperative’s longitudinal study of Black women’s health in the United States. She has lead the training of community health workers in the U.S. and abroad, and is associated with the Health Committee of the All African People’s Development and Empowerment Program (AAPDEP), led by her daughter, Dr. Aisha Fields, PhD. A wife, proud mother of four and grandmother of five, Dr. Strongfields believes that good physical, mental and spiritual health is a divine human right.

PHILADELPHA–This blog is the first in a series of blogs, in which I will be sharing some of the challenges facing African women over age 40. We will discuss leading health issues, including the top five causes of death and disability, their causes, impact on quality of life, and an exploration of solutions, with much emphasis on self-care and self-healing.

The discussions come from both a professional and personal perspective, as I am an African mother and grandmother, physician and health educator in midlife. I am currently, or have recently, confronted some of these very same health challenges.

Why examine the health concerns of women over 40? It is in midlife when African women get diagnosed with many of the more serious and debilitating health problems. Our well-being as a demographic is crucial because African women at this stage of our lives are at our peak emotionally, maturationally, and professionally.

We are vital to the functioning of our communities. As mothers, teachers, activists and leaders, our presence and well-being are essential.

It is both strategic and sensible to improve the health of this group because doing so corresponds to better outcomes for others in their sphere of influence. Once Grandmother is on the road to better health, she’s going to improve the conditions of those around her, for example: her children and grandchildren. The result is a positive impact that is multigenerational.

Health Disparities

The National Institute of Health defines health disparities as “… gaps in the quality of health and health care that mirror differences in socioeconomic status, racial and ethnic background, and education level.”

While Africans in general suffer from the same health problems as the rest of the population of the United States, the issue of disparity becomes crystal clear when comparing the disproportionate numbers of us who suffer and how we more frequently end with negative outcomes.

Consider how world capitalism stacks the deck so that inequities inherent in this system produce the most damaging results to Africans and other colonized peoples. We see clearly how health disparity is manifested through overall bad health, poor quality of life and early death.

Top five health challenges for Africans and women over 40

In 2011, the average American could expect to live 78.7 years, while the average African in America could only expect to live 75.3 years, compared with 78.8 years for the average white American.

African women have higher rates of many illnesses, and by age 40, struggle disproportionately with diseases like hypertension, breast and other cancers, diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular disease and lupus.

We identify the top five most pervasive diseases that plague African women in the United States:

1. Cancers
In African women, the most common cancers are breast (34 percent) and lung (13 percent).

Africans in the United States continue to be less likely than whites to survive five years at each stage of diagnosis for most cancer sites. “Much of the difference in survival is believed to be due to barriers that prevent timely and high-quality medical care, including lack of education and economic disparities, which results in later stage diagnosis.”

2. Heart Disease
Heart disease is the second leading cause of death for African women over 40; nearly twice as many die from heart disease each year as white women; 46 percent suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease.

3. HIV/AIDS
African women are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS and by 2012 it was considered a leading cause of death for African women. The rate of new HIV infections among African women in the U.S. is 15 times that of white women, and over three times the rate among Latina women.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that one in 32 African women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with HIV in her lifetime!

4. Diabetes and Hypertension
3.7 million (14.7 percent) of all Africans in the U.S. aged 30 or older have diabetes and are 1.5 times more likely to contract diabetes than whites. We also develop high blood pressure more often, and at an earlier age, than other ethnic groups. More than 45 percent of black women live with the condition. Research has shown that 85 percent of medical visits by black women are due to high blood pressure.7

5. Adult Obesity
Africans in the U.S., particularly females over 40, have the highest rates of obesity in this country. There is a 51 percent higher prevalence of obesity compared with whites. 53 percent of black women and 36 percent of black men are obese!

Begin to overturn these conditions

There must be a better understanding of the causes of these illnesses and the determinants of good health. After reviewing these statistics it’s clear how the advent of capitalism impacts African people within U.S. borders.

The health of our people has been in jeopardy since we were first taken from the African continent and dispersed around the world. We must recognize that the conditions of Africans within the US is part and parcel of the health inequalities that exist for African people all over the world; which is a result of our reality as colonized peoples.

In the coming issues, we will examine those illnesses that are preventable. We will then discuss some disease attributable to genetics or environmental causes and determine what we can do to improve our outcomes. Finally, we will invite the readers to join in when we discuss “Western” and “non-Western” approaches to health and wellness.

Ultimately, our objective is to become agents of our own wellness. Doing so means involvement in every aspect of your health: the physical, mental and spiritual.
It is your responsibility if you’re serious about improving the health of our people. It begins with you!
Stay tuned…

Michelle Strongfields, MD, is Director and Founder of IAMM Science Education Group, devoted to insuring the increased representations of youth of color in the sciences. She has more than 30 years experience as an educator, physician and advocate of quality health care and the elimination of health disparity. She has trained and worked in the U.S., Cuba, South America, Africa and throughout the Caribbean. She is a professor of Anatomy and Physiology, a community health advocate and health consultant. She is a longtime associate of the Philadelphia Black Women’s Health Alliance and the National Black Women’s Health Imperative, and an active participant in the Imperative’s longitudinal study of Black women’s health in the United States. She has lead the training of community health workers in the U.S. and abroad, and is associated with the Health Committee of the All African People’s Development and Empowerment Program (AAPDEP), led by her daughter, Dr. Aisha Fields, PhD. A wife, proud mother of four and grandmother of five, Dr. Strongfields believes that good physical, mental and spiritual health is a divine human right.