Trasini Old School Rebuilt

 

                                                  a new Trasini primary school in Itsandra Mdjini

Trasini primary old school was rebuilt and inaugurated that Tuesday 12 July 2022 in Itsandra Mdjini. Another new primary school built by AJIF and Human’ Isa is welcoming pupils since April 2022(see our April edition). Zainaba Moussa was always happy and grateful to be the director of the two schools located near the royal palace in Itsandra Mdjini. She thanks in her speech the Twamaya association, the Comorian government and the French embassy which made possible in a short time the achievement of the two educational projects for her community.

“Now that we have more than 12 classrooms in Itsandra Mdjini primary public schools, we urge our minister of education to hire more teachers for our community and cancel afternoon classes for our kids, ‘’ said Ibrahim Kassim, a notable of Itsandra Mdjini in his speech of thanks to the public. He reminded the public that he is proud of the fact that the school which was built in 1969 has yielded many interesting results over the decades. ‘‘Many cadres of Itsandra Mdjini who are now directors, entrepreneurs or ministers received their first primary education in that school,’’ he proudly said. 

Mustapha Ahmed Said was the first to deliver his speech in French as the president of Twamaya d’Itsandra association. According to him, more than 30 million KMF (60,000€) have been used to finance 2 projects in favor of the Itsandra community: rebuild Trasini primary old school and renovate the Guerezani old Fort which was the palace of ancient sultans of Itsandra region. The two projects have been backed by the French embassy in Comoros and lasted five months to be achieved.   

The prefect of Itsandra region, the adviser of the cultural service at the French embassy and the minister of education were among the honorable guests who had to deliver their speeches. The prefect has a lot to be thankful for both the cultural association Twamaya d’Itsandra for its commitment in the development the city of Itsandra and the Itsandra region and the Comorian government under the leadership of President Azali Assoumani who wishes to make the Comorian state an emergent country by 2030.  ‘‘Sultan Msafumu of Ngazidja was a leader, a man of vision. He had good relations with the sultans and brothers of the other Comorian islands of Ndzuwani, Mwali and Maore. He also wished to tie good relationships with the neighboring countries and the rest of the world,’’ the prefect said. According to historians and researchers, the Guerezani palace was built in the 18^th century by a king named Fumnao wa Kori. It was also the royal office of Sultan Msafumu who died in the end of the 19^th century. 

                                              the Guerezani royal palace of sultans in Itsandra Mdjini

The adviser of the cultural service who spoke on behalf of the French ambassador stressed on the good relationships that existed since a long time between France and the Union of Comoros. ‘‘Many projects are financed by my country through the French Agency for Development (AFD) especially in the sectors of education and health,’’ he said. France also accompanies Comorian municipalities and associations like Twamaya d’Itsandra for their development, the adviser added.    

The minister of education was also thankful for France through the project entitled ‘‘Msomo na Hazi’’ i.e. ‘‘Learn and Work’’ which helps many young people to become auto entrepreneurs. After the covid-19, many things have changed in terms of education and work. The way we learn and work must change in Comoros too, he said. He urged everyone to think about the ‘‘educational transformation’’ which will be among the main topics to be discussed on the sidelines at the United Nations summit in September 2022 in New York.  

Azali Said Ahmed is a cadre who works in the ministry of tourism in Comoros islands. He is a local guy in terms of tourism in Itsandra city. He is also an active member of a NGO called ‘Ulanga’ that works in ecotourism in Ngazidja. He displayed many posters that focused on the preservation of natural sites and cultural heritage in Comoros on the numerous stairs of the 130 meters of the Guerezani old fort. He took the opportunity to thank all the visitors who came to see the refurbished palace at the end of the inauguration ceremony.   

Itsandra Mdjini, July 13^th 2022

Chami Mouzawar

Contributor

Hepatitis pathologies in Comoros

 

                                                Dr. Abdurazak delivering his presentation during the workshop

A training workshop about hepatitis was held on 11^th May, 2022 at Les Arcades Hotel in Moroni, the capital of Comoros. It is a project entitled ‘’ training, screening program and awareness of the viral hepatitis in Comoros’’. The workshop is financially backed by the WHO (word health organization) and a Comorian association called SITARA with the support of the Comorian ministry of health and solidarity. The workshop was organized in favor of the professors and instructors of the University of Comoros. According to the organizers, other meetings will be organized to raise awareness of the illness in favor of the students of the University of Comoros.      

Dachiroudine Ameldine is a Fulbright alumnus. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville campus, class 2020) in public health. He explains that the aim of their project is to curb the spread of the viral hepatitis A and B in Comoros by 2030 through awareness, prevention and continuous actions.   

An assessment quiz paper was submitted to the trainees in order to evaluate them. It consisted of 20 questions about signs and symptoms, prevention, etc. They have to choose the best answer by selecting the letter A, B, C, D or E. Before taking the quiz, professor Abdulaziz from the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences suggested the workshop trainers to translate in Shikomori language the quiz which was in French to make sure that some professors of the Imam Shafin Arabic and Islamic Faculty understand the questions. His proposal was accepted. 

 Dr. Abdurazak is the HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis focal point in Comoros. He explained in his presentation that the viral hepatitis was discovered and described in the time of Hippocrates 300 BC (before the Christ era). ‘‘There are A, B, C, D, E hepatitis, but B and C hepatitis are the most dangerous as they can infect the liver, develop a cancer and cause death’’ he said.  According to WHO, 2 billion people are infected worldwide and more than 2 million die every year, especially in the underdeveloped countries.  160 people use syringe drug in Comoros. 

 Since 2010, viral hepatitis B and C have become a major problem just after HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. The two viral diseases have infected 325 million people worldwide, says a WHO 2017 report.  Hepatitis B is common in Africa and many other poor countries. It is mainly transmitted through blood contamination or sexual relations without the use of condoms. For example, a pregnant woman who is infected can transmit the viral hepatitis to her baby. Hepatitis C is transmitted via drug injection by using syringes, especially in the industrialized countries.  As there is not affordable vaccine for hepatitis, preventive actions such as sexual abstinence, fidelity and screening test are the only ways to stay safe and avoid caching the virus, the doctor concluded.   

Chami Mouzawar, contributing writer, 12 May 2022