HIV/AIDS Rally Targets Youth Awareness:
By Kendea Jones -
Nassau, Bahamas:

With sixty-nine new HIV/AIDS cases reported for the first quarter of the year health officials are targeting young Bahamians to educate them about the deadly epidemic.

This is why Kerzner International, the National HIV/AIDS Centre of the Ministry of Health and Social Development and students of the College of The Bahamas hosted a youth rally for high school students at the National Performing Arts Centre.

Jessica Stubbs, an official of the HIV/AIDS Secretariat, who was at the rally, said even though rallies are a good way to spread the message of prevention, there is more that can be done.

"HIV testing should be made available in schools but because of the legal age of consent, in order for them to receive it parents have to sign on it," she said. "We are encouraging parents who know that their children are sexually active to bring them in for testing."

She said young people should know what they are up against.

"HIV/AIDS is widely [prevalent] in teenagers 15 to 19 years old and it’s because they feel that they are invincible," she said. "We wanted them to know that any sexual encounter even their first one can put them in risk for HIV."

"Persons can have HIV and have no signs of the infection," Ms. Stubbs added.

Ella Poth, Vice President of Quality Assurance at Atlantis told the Journal how the event was organized.

"We invited Miss Universe and Miss Teen USA down for a private function at the hotel and when we found out that Miss Universe’s platform was AIDS, which was the cause that she was interested in, we called the HIV/AIDS Centre for the Bahamas and asked them if it would something that they would be interested in," she said. "We have an ongoing relationship with the HIV/AIDS Centre of the Bahamas so anytime we have an opportunity to get involved we do that."

Newly crowned Miss Universe Riyo Mori gave remarks at the rally.

Ms Mori has been a busy woman. Since her win in May, she has traveled to five countries. However, she said the rally was actually the first time she had to address a crowd in English.

She said what she really wanted to do was relate to the students.

"I wanted to talk to the students who are 12-15 years old because I went through that time," Ms. Mori said. "I know that they are curious about everything. That can be really good, but it is also really bad at times because they don’t know what to do and then they do maybe the wrong thing."

"I want them to believe in themselves more than anything."

Miss Bahamas Universe Trinere Lynes, who was also speaking at the rally, reminded students that there is no cure for the disease.

"I wanted them to know that it is out there and it is available to anybody," she said. "I wanted to encourage them to get more information. My platform deals with communication between the youth and their parents and it is the base of what is going on in their community. I feel that if young people talk to their parents they won’t go through things like AIDS."

29 September 2007

Gomez: Sexual immorality and worldliness plague the nation -
By STAFF WRITER, Nassau Guardian:
Nassau, Bahamas:

Anglicans were beseeched to hear the call of Jesus like St. Matthew and follow Him, by Archbishop Drexel Gomez at St. Matthew's Church, as the historic parish celebrated its Feast of Title on Sunday.

The televised service was celebrated by the Archbishop Drexel Gomez, Primate of the West Indies and Bishop of The Bahamas, as he congratulated the members of St. Matthew's for their continued service in the building up of God's Kingdom on earth.

The Archbishop however noted that sexual immorality and worldliness in The Bahamas are things that bring great concern to him. "We have allowed our society to accept worldly values and worldly standards, and when we are going with the crowd we are going into the wrong direction," he said. "We are having a state of affairs in which it is alright to be immoral, and if we don't change, it would get worse, before it gets any better."

Archbishop Gomez admonished members of the church to allow each person to contribute, and to put on a Christ likeness.

"Let the words of Jesus cause us to live Christ-like lives and let this Christ likeness be found at home and at work."

And Gomez encouraged the members of St. Matthew's Church to in the words of Jessie Jackson to "keep on keeping on."

St. Matthew's, according to documents by Rev.Carter

After the evening service, the members of St. Matthew's were joined by faithful Anglicans from other parishes as they paraded throughout the community in a spirit of "Christian witness".

St. Matthew's Anglican Church is headed by Fr. James Moultrie who is assisted by Fr. Don Haynes and Canon Neil Roach.

The historic parish came about after Rev. Carter in 1796, documented that Nassau was so large that the people were considering building a chapel in the eastern district.

In 1799 the legislative Council passed an act to build a Church in the east.

The government gave 3,000 pounds but, at completion, the total cost was more than 7,000 pounds (excluding the steeple), and the seating capacity of the Church was 450.

The first Rector, Rev. Henry Groombridge arrived in 1802. He conducted the opening service on July 18, 1802.

Today 205 years later the parish of St. Matthew's Anglican Church continues to work strong throughout the Bahamian community, in spreading God's message to all. And they do all in their power to get the message out to the listening public.

09/27/07

Bahamas Chamber of Commerce Seeks Trade Ties with Haiti:
By Lindsay Thompson Bahamas Information Services -
Nassau, Bahamas:

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - The Republic of Haiti, the first Caribbean nation to achieve independence in 1804, is ready for a rebirth, a chance to rebuild its economy with the help of The Bahamas.

This can be accomplished through a sustained trade arrangement between both countries, an idea 10 years in the making.

The purpose of a four-day fact finding mission organized by the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Haiti, and the Centre for Investment Facilitations (CFI) is to form such ties.

Since Sunday, September 23, the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and some of its members have been with perspective business partners and toured various establishment to examine possible trade arrangements aimed at boosting both economies, particularly Haiti’s.

The mission ends on Thursday, September 27.

The Bahamas is represented in tourism, fisheries, construction, financial services, agriculture, technology, souvenir manufacturing, textiles, clothing, and other general services.

The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce is represented by Dionisio D’Aguillar, president; Philip Simon, executive director; and Winston Rolle, a past president. The Bahamian delegation is being facilitated by The Bahamas’ Ambassador to the Republic of Haiti, His Excellency Dr Eugene Newry.

Haiti is located about 750 miles from Nassau and has been trading with The Bahamas since the 1800s. With an estimated eight million people, it is considered the poorest country in the Caribbean. However, the country’s Chamber of Commerce is optimistic that the negative perception of the island nation can change through sustained trading, hence keeping Haitians at home instead of risking their lives on the high seas in search of a better way of life.

The feeling is that Haiti can learn from The Bahamas’ expertise in tourism and services; and also build partnerships in agribusiness, heritage tourism, small hotels development and other areas.

At a press conference held in the VIP Lounge of the Toussaint Louverture International Airport, Mr. D’Aguillar said The Bahamas’ decision to invest in Haiti stems from the fact that a reported 50,000 Haitians live in The Bahamas, resulting in very close ties being formed.

Also, The Bahamas incurs millions of dollars on exports from Haiti. However, once a shipment of mangoes and avocadoes leaves Haiti, it goes to Miami, shipped to The Bahamas and sold for $4 each.

Ways were discussed to package the abundance in mangoes as 56 per cent of fruit rot on the streets.

"Haiti is very much an emerging market in the sense that your Government is perceived to be stable and things are falling into place to make Haiti a very attractive place to invest in," Mr. D’Aguillar said.

The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce plans to form similar arrangements with Panama, the Dominican Republic and Brazil.

"The time has come to do business in a structured and organized manner," said Frantz Marceau Louis, international consultant in project development and management.

He suggested that this can be done by developing an efficient transport service to facilitate the transshipment of goods to The Bahamas.

"In Tourism, Haiti has not had the vibrant industry as it would like to have. But Haiti has the historical wealth which can turn over the minds of investors," Mr. Louis said.

Mr. Louis also said that not long ago, the name Haiti meant "instability". But The Bahamas would not seek interest if there was not a change in the political and economic climate created since the Rene Preval presidency began in May, 2006.

A cooperation agreement was to be signed between the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Haiti on Monday, September 24.

26 September 2007

AIDS Camp Continues Struggle For Survival:
By Kendea Jones -
Nassau, Bahamas:

Supervisor of All Saints Camp of St. John the Divine Theresa Glinton has a lot of work to do every day.

That’s because Ms. Glinton is the only person who ensures the camp is operated smoothly on a day-to-day basis.

"I get up at five every morning, take my children to school and then I am here to cook breakfast for everyone," she said.

According to Ms. Gibson, there are 65 residents at the camp, which the late Rev. Glenroy Nottage started years ago to care for people with HIV/AIDS.

"It was like a forest," Ms. Glinton said of the area the camp sits on, on Lazaretto Road, off Carmichael Road in New Providence.

"Rev. Nottage got together with Scotia Bank and Royal Bank of Canada and he also got involved with the Kiwanas Club and they came to the agreement that they would help him build some cottages," she said.

More than two years after Rev. Nottage’s death, the camp is still struggling and – according to Ms. Glinton – in urgent need of support from the community.

She said most people who come to the camp have nowhere else to go.

"Family members drop them off because they don’t want to look after them," she said.

"A lot of them came from off the streets like drug addicts and that is why we took them in too because of their illness and other homes are not going to take them in."

She said her job also entails cleaning the entire camp and making sure that every patient feels at home.

"Everyone here is already sick so everything has to be clean at all times and they should have clean clothes at all times," Ms. Glinton said.

She added that although full-time medical attention is needed at the camp, there are no funds to hire a doctor.

"A doctor was here full-time in the early ‘90s, but he never came back," Ms. Glinton said. "We have a van that is working that we got on the road and every two weeks we make sure that they go to the doctor to get their [examinations] done."

Ms. Glinton said even though the majority of people at the camp are bedridden, some others are active.

"We still make the ones that are bedridden feel at home," she said. "They have wheelchairs so they can come out when activities happen."

The government has allocated $10,000 for the All Saints Camp in the 2007/2008 budget.

Ms. Glinton said this is not enough, but she said the camp gets financial support from some local churches and charitable organizations.

She also said the physical environment of the camp is less than desirable.

Ms. Glinton said even though she tries her best to keep the environment clean, there are still some challenges.

"Some of our cottages are really damaged. We have young babies in here," she said. "Some of the kitchens are not in good condition."

The white paint on some of the cottages is peeling off the walls and most of the buildings appear to be in need of a facelift. The cracked pathway also needs repairing, as do the wooden fences outside the cottages.

The camp is located on a hill and surrounded by thick vegetation. Its quiet surroundings speak to the fact that many of the patients are bedridden.

Ms. Glinton added that the rainy weather makes the work hard.

She said what is needed for the survival of the camp is support from the community.

"Our big thing here is we need the community to come together and come around and see what all needs to be done here," she said. "We have 17 children here and all of them have to go to school. You’ve got to find food, find funds for their school fees; you got to find something for them every day.

"We really need a lot of help. If the community could just get together and just come out and see for themselves [they would see we need a lot of help]. We are not looking for money. We are looking for the community to come and give us a helping hand on the buildings."

24 September 2007

Mental Illnesses Still Taboo In The Bahamas:
By Paige Ferguson -
Nassau, Bahamas:

One Bahamian mental health professional contends that history has shown that throughout the ages mental illnesses were considered taboo, and that to some extent, at least in this country, they still are.

She said societies used to consider people plagued with the diseases to be possessed by spirits.

In recent times, researchers have found explanations and new treatments for mental disorders making communities more sensitive to the conditions.

However psychologist and lecturer at the College of the Bahamas, Dr. Stephanie Hutcheson said The Bahamas is still in the Dark Ages in terms of diagnosis and treatment.

According to record keepers at the Sandilands Rehabilitation Center for Mental Treatment, every year over 1,000 Bahamians are admitted into the center; and those numbers are increasing.

In fact, Dr. Hutcheson said during the time she worked at Sandilands she was surprised to see that the majority of people being admitted into the center were young men.

"They were generally being treated for drug induced [mental] illnesses, which differs slightly," she said.

Dr. Hutcheson said she has noticed that more and more Bahamians are struggling with mental disorders but are not seeking professional help.

According to Dr. Hutcheson the most common types of disorders in the Bahamas are mood disorders, which include; bipolar disorder - also known as manic depression, clinical depression and dysthymia [or a less severe form of depression].

She said although those disorders can be inherited, they can also be triggered by high stress situations and become very severe.

"Think about it, the whole body works together, [one part] is not separated from the rest of your body," she said.

"If you are not feeling all right mentally, over a long period of time it might show up in terms of how you feel physically."

Dr. Hutcheson said mental health is quite possibly more important that physical health and Bahamians should not take any irregularities lightly.

"If your body is not feeling well, usually it goes to reason that you’re not doing so well mentally either," she said.

"If you’re not feeling good today because you have this ache or this pain, it could be connected to how you feel mentally. So [all parts of] the body go together."

Dr. Hutcheson said Bahamian society plays a heavy role on how mental illnesses are perceived.

"I think the unknown, not really knowing enough about the illness, and also having all the media attention of all of the really bad cases. That could have people thinking that if someone is mentally ill they’re going to hurt me or they may go off the deep end if I get them upset," she said.

"I think the not knowing is probably what feeds that fear more than anything else. And just not knowing how to help someone who has been diagnosed with a condition."

Dr. Hutcheson said it is important to be sensitive to those who may have symptoms of a mood disorder.

She said paying attention to clues like sleeplessness or fatigue, sudden loss of appetite or weight, weight gain, difficulty concentrating or making decisions and frequent talks of suicide and death are clear warnings that a person may need professional help.

22 September 2007