Greatest Woman Of All Time - Mrs. Mutubuki

Affectionately known as ‘mama’ or Mrs. Mutubuki by her former students and colleagues, she has for 32 years challenged the establishment that sought to discriminate and deprive the girl child’s right to education at Fletcher High School (FHS).

Laurentia Mutubuki

Laura House boarding (Source: Ropa Mutubuki)

The founder of Laura House boarding for Fletcher girls in Gweru, Zimbabwe; Laurentia Mutubuki has been described by thousands as the greatest woman of all time.

She joined the school in May 1982 the same year they started enrolling female students. The then headmaster Mr. Chimombe was very positive about taking in female students but the problem came with other headmasters that followed for example Mr. Mhlanga and Mr. Nyanhongo who wanted to return the former Fletcher ‘all boys legacy’ by removing all female students from the school. This was nicknamed the ‘Pangolin Era’ meaning ‘the special students’. Mhlanga cut down the number of classes to only two just to accommodate boys only. Mrs. Mutubuki challenged this decision.

“I fought tooth and nail to make sure that girls continued their education at Fletcher,” she said. “At a point there was only one A’ Level female in the whole school and that was one of my daughters,” Mrs. Mutubuki recalled.

Mrs. Mutubuki was supported by other female teachers such as Mrs. Chigidi and Mrs. Muchibwa. Eventually female students were allowed back to the school, however not without much segregation and harassment from male students. Mrs. Mutubuki's daughter Mukai Henrietta Mutubuki-Kumirai expressed in an interview her experience as an only A' Level female student at that time and how she dealt with the different types of boys at the school. 

“There were some very nice boys who would see you as one of their friends but there were those who would verbally abuse me. I used to ignore those who hailed insults at me and go on with my studies,” said Mukai.

However, she didn’t take it lightly when others groped her. She said, “There was also the aggressive type of boys who felt a girl’s place should be in the kitchen. These boys were hostile ... and I literally beat them up in fist fights, and did not take crap from anybody.”

For Mukai, learning with boys only had its advantages in that it equipped her for the future where she went on to study in a male dominated field and excelled exceptionally. She is now a qualified senior quantity surveyor in the United Arab Emirates. One of the disadvantages was the inability to make and keep female friends.

Fletcher High School was built in 1957 as a boys school and till today only offers boarding facilities for boys. Female students have been day scholars (meaning they have to commute from home to school everyday).

After realising that the head-girl had missed school for a whole week because she couldn't afford the bus fare, Mrs. Mutubuki in 2001 established Laura House boarding (a separate boarding facility for girls). This was the case with a number of other female students, male included. The Mutubuki family had a property and house just next door to their current residence; which was just lying idle and uninhabited. This then became the boarding house premises anchored by the mission statement; 'Empowering the girl child's academic excellence and personality.' "I want to promote the diligence, dignity and success of the girl child,” Mrs. Mutubuki said.

Mrs. Mutubuki (right) with some of the students at Laura House. (Source: Ropa Mutubuki)

In the first year Mrs. Mutubuki accommodated up to 20 A’ Level female students. In the beginning she faced a lot of challenges which included non-availability of furniture such as beds, tables and chairs; cutlery, utensils and transport to take them to and from school. For the whole first year, she didn't charge the students for anything, in-fact she provided for them completely free of charge.

Students in their rooms (Source: Ropa Mutubuki)

“I housed them for free for the whole year. I used my savings to take care of them, feed, pay the bills and transport them to and from school,” said Mrs. Mutubuki. Her intentions were to make sure that the girls could have a place where they could concentrate with their studies and be able to pass their examinations. This was a real commitment for the betterment of the girl child. 

Mrs. Mutubuki felt that it was ethically wrong for her to charge her students whom she taught in school. As a result, some of her teacher friends at Fletcher High for example the late Mrs. Shumba insisted that she charge the students and even helped in setting the boarding fee. However, Mrs. Mutubuki could only agree to a nominal fee which resulted in her not retaining any much profit.

Over the years Laura House has grown to accommodate Forms 1 to 6 with students coming from across Zimbabwe and some with parents who work outside the country. This boarding facility has greatly improved the female students pass rates at Fletcher and has even excelled above their male counterparts. In 2013 for example, the highest A’ Level students were from Laura House with 14 points – meaning they attained 2As and 1B. These were Chidochashe Ncube and Mawonei Mabika. Rumbidzai Chonyera attained 13 points while Honest Mazorodze and Anesu Mwata attained 12 points, Natsai Mushonga, Pamela Mutasa and Rachel Machopo attained 11 points. In year 2012 Shylette Chikadzi got 13 points and Shamaine Mutizira, Alberta Zhou and Pauline Ngwenya achived 10 points. The students have proceeded for their higher education at universities across the world including Russia, China, Poland, South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

Some of the A' Level Students & Mrs. Mutubuki (Source: Ropa Mutubuki)

With the establishment of Laura House, there has been a marked increase of female students taking up previously male dominated science subjects at A’ Level like Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics. Laura House has managed to attract the crème de la crème of female students across the country which has had a ripple effect of an improved pass rate for Fletcher.

The House currently has 65 students but has a capacity of up to 80. The students are allowed to attend a church of their choice on the weekends.

Electricity is readily available for the students to study through an inverter. For cooking, the boarding house uses electricity but in the event of power surges, there is a back-up of firewood and gas. There is a borehole at the boarding house and this allows the students access to uninterrupted water supply.

Dining Room. Round hut is for cooking with firewood

Top: Kitchen Bottom: Dining & Study

Mrs. Mutubuki now a retired teacher was a national examiner as she started marking Zimbabwe Junior Certificate Language 2 in the early 1980s and went on to mark A’ Level Shona from the mid 80s. In this light and with her more than 40 years teaching experience, she is in the process of transforming the boarding house into a Girls Academy (boarding school) which will enrol Form 1 to Form 6 female students. Her husband Edias Mutubuki has been instrumental in the growth of the boarding facility by among other things extension of the house, electrification, water supply and food production.

Below is a video by Ropa Mutubuki of the girls on the lighter side.

Behavioural & Dietary Change - Key to Beating Cancer

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported that cancers are among the leading causes of death worldwide, accounting for 8.2million deaths in 2012 which is a rise from 7.6million in 2008.

The most common causes of cancer death are cancers of the Lung (1.59million deaths), Liver (745.000), Stomach (723.000), Colorectal (694.000), Breast (521.000) and Oesophageal (400.000).

WHO says about 30% of cancer deaths are due to the 5 leading behavioural and dietary risks which are; high body mass index, low fruit and vegetable intake, lack of physical activity, tobacco use and alcohol use. Tobacco use is the most important risk factor for cancer, causing 22% of global cancer deaths and about 71% of global lung cancer deaths. It's clearly evident that the risk of cancers can be drastically trimmed down if we change some of our bad habits. Cancer is definitely beatable in this light.

Cancer causing viral infections such as Hepatitis B (HBV), Hepatitis C (HCV) and Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) are responsible for up to 20% of cancer deaths in low- and middle-income countries. Cervical cancer which is caused by HPV is a leading cause of cancer death among women in low-income countries.

 Estimated Cancer Incidence and Mortality – GLOBOCAN 2012

	Men Cases	Men Deaths	Women Cases	Women Deaths
World	7 427 000	4 653 000	6 663 000	3 548 000
More Developed regions	3 244 000	1 591 000	2 832 000	1 287 000
Less Developed regions	4 184 000	3 062 000	3 831 000	2 261 000
WHO Africa region (AFRO)	265 000	205 000	381 000	250 000
WHO Americas region (PAHO)	1 454 000	677 000	1 429 000	618 000
WHO East Mediterranean region (EMRO)	263 000	191 000	293 000	176 000
WHO Europe region (EURO)	1 987 000	1 080 000	1 750 000	852 000
WHO South-East Asia region (SEARO)	816 000	616 000	908 000	555 000
WHO Western Pacific region (WPRO)	2 642 000	1 882 000	1 902 000	1 096 000
IARC Membership–24countries	3 706 000	1 900 000	3 354 000	1 570 000
United States of America	825 000	342 000	779 000	293 000
China	1 823 000	1 429 000	1 243 000	776 000
India	477 000	357 000	537 000	326 000
European Union (EU-28)	1 446 000	715 000	1 211 000	560 000

More than 60% of the world’s total new annual cases occur in Africa, Asia, Central and South America. These regions account for 70% of the world’s cancer deaths.

Tobacco Use

Source: modifylifestyle.com

“Smoking is by far the most important preventable cause of cancer,” says Cancer Research UK adding that smoking accounts for more than one in four UK cancer deaths and nearly a fifth of all cancer cases. Smoking increases the risk of lung cancer as well as of 14 others including cancers of the larynx (voice box), oesophagus (gullet), mouth and pharynx (throat), bladder, pancreas, kidney, liver, stomach, bowel, cervix, ovary, nose and sinus, breast and some types of leukaemia.

Children are mostly affected by passive smoking because they breathe faster than adults.

Alcohol Use

A 2011 review by Cancer Research UK suggest around 4% cancers are linked to alcohol. High alcohol intake increases the risk of mouth, liver, breast, bowel and throat cancers. In the UK for example, people have adopted a frequent casual drinking culture which in most cases turns to ‘binge drinking’ and is highly risky to one’s health. The National Health Services (NHS) recommends the following; Men should not regularly drink more than 3-4 units of alcohol per day and for women it's no more than 2-3 units. It also recommends that if you've had a heavy drinking session, you must avoid alcohol for 48 hours. One ‘unit’ equals 10ml or 8g or pure alcohol. ‘Regularly’ means drinking this amount everyday or most days of the week.

Source: drinkaware.co.uk

Smoking and drinking together raises the risk of these cancers far more than the effects of either drinking or smoking alone.

Diet

Fruit and Vegetables – Your 5 a day

A study by Cancer Research showed that people who eat the widest range of fruit and vegetables have 22% lower risk of mouth cancer than those with the narrowest range. However these should not be taken as supplements but as real fruit and vegetables. “Fruit and vegetables are a good source of natural fibre and there is strong evidence that high levels of fibre reduce bowel cancer.” Eating plenty of fruit and vegetables can help you maintain a healthy body weight.

Red and Processed Meat

Medical experts have advised to desist from eating lots of red or processed meat because it increases the risk of bowel cancer. The meats contain a red pigment called haem which can irritate or damage the cells in the bowel. Red meat which include all fresh, minced and frozen beef, pork or lamb may also cause pancreatic and stomach cancers. Processed meat includes ham, bacon, salami, sausages, spam, conned beef, pate and tinned meat. A report from Cancer Research suggests around a quarter of bowel cancer cases in men and around one sixth in women are linked to eating red or processed meat.

Consequentially, processed meat is more strongly linked to cancer risk than red meat due to the compounds i.e. nitrites and nitrates; which are used to preserve the meat. There is some evidence that the effects of haem could be countered by chlorophyll, found in green vegetables. It is advised not to take more than 100g of meat a day. White meat is healthier than red meat.

Fish

Eating lots of fish (particularly oily fish like salmon, trout,  mackerel) may lower the risk of bowel cancer.

Fibre rich foods

A review showed that eating 10g of fibre per day can reduce the risk of bowel cancer by around 10%. Examples of food rich in fibre are whole grains cereals and bread, brown rice and pulses. Fibre triggers the production of helpful chemicals and increases the frequency of bowel movements.

Salt

A diet with lots of salt increases one’s risk of stomach cancer by damaging the lining of the stomach and causing inflammation, or by making the stomach lining more sensitive to carcinogens such as nitrates. Countries such as Japan where people eat a lot of salt, pickled and smoked foods have a high rate of stomach cancer. A diet with no more than 6g of salt each day is recommended.

Animal Fats

Eat less animal fats for example butter, cream, cheese.

Cooking Methods

Boiling or braising meat is much healthier than cooking it at very high temperatures like barbeque or grilling which can cause the meat to produce harmful chemicals such as heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons many of which cause cancer. It is better not to fry foods and if you use fats in cooking, choose vegetable oils or olive oil; not lard or butter.

High Body Mass Index

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), overweight or obese people have an increased risk of bowel and pancreatic cancers and this could be because they tend to have higher insulin levels. Obese means being more than 25% overweight. The ACS goes on to say having too much belly fat (that is a larger waistline) regardless of body weight, is linked with an increased risk of colon and rectal cancer, and is probably linked to a higher risk of cancers of the pancreas, endometrium, and breast cancer in women past menopause. Obesity may also lead to oesophageal, kidney, and gallbladder cancers.

It’s essential to frequently check one’s body mass index to make sure you maintain it at the right level. Exercise and frequent physical activities will help you maintain a healthy body weight. 

Viruses

Viruses can help to cause some cancers. These cancers and viruses are linked;

Cancers	Virus
Cervical cancer and other cancers of the genital and anal area	HPV
Primary liver cancer	HBV, HCV
Lymphomas	Epstein-Barr
T cell leukaemia in adults	Human T cell leukaemia
Oropharyngeal cancer and non menoloma skin cancers in some people	HPV

However, many people can be infected with a cancer causing virus, and never get cancer.

Genetic Predisposition

Hereditary cancers are primarily caused by an inherited genetic defect. According to Macmillan Cancer Support, it’s thought that about 5-10% of cases may be linked to inherited genes. “Scientists have discovered cancer susceptibility genes for some of the more common cancers that can run in families such as breast, bowel, ovary and womb. There are other cancers such as prostate, pancreatic and testicular which may run in families, but specific cancer susceptibility genes for these cancers haven’t been identified yet”, they said.

Age

Age is the single biggest risk factor for cancer. The older you are the more likely you are to develop cancer because the longer we live, the more cancer causing faults we accumulate in our DNA. Nearly two thirds of all cases of cancer diagnosed in the UK occur in people aged over 65 years. Macmillan Cancer Support reported that age is the strongest risk factor for prostate cancer citing that men under 50 years of age were at a lesser risk. Similarly, the risk factor of developing breast cancer also increases with age.

Ultra-violet (UV) Radiation

The American Cancer Society says skin cancer is the most common of all cancers in the United States of America (USA) accounting for nearly half of all cancers in the US. The main cause is exposure to ultra-violet radiation from the sun as well as sunlamps and sun-beds (tanning beds and booths). Most modern Ultra Violet (UV) tanning beds emit more than 95% UVA rays. UV light damages the DNA of our skin cells and can cause skin cancer. So this is food for thought for you the next time you decide on getting that 'trendy tan'. It's not a fashion or beauty statement but a skin damage statement  and can increase the risk of skin cancer. Next time you go for that long awaited summer holiday, make sure you protect yourself from the sun by wearing a hat, sunglasses, putting on some sun-screen and staying in the shade. A trip to the tanning booth is not a good idea after all.

The Bagpipes Have Spoken ... it's NO to Scottish Independence

Scots playing bagpipes at a parade (Source : spoonandchair.wordpress.com)

After months of intense campaigning, heated debates, clashing and agreeing of diverse points and erratic speculation on the Scottish Referendum, the Scots finally went to the polls yesterday and a resounding No vote to independence is the result. 53.3% voted to remain a part of the United Kingdom while 44.7% voted for independence.

A paltry 4 council areas voted Yes which were Dundee, West Dunbartonshire, Glasgow and North Lanarkshire. 28 council areas voted No, bringing a resounding victory to the “Better Together” camp.

 

At a press conference this morning “Better Together” leader Alistair Darling still promised to work towards change in Scotland saying 'No vote doesn't mean No change'. Yes campaign leader Alex Salmond accepted Scotland's voice and urged Scots to move on together. Back in Downing Street Prime Minister David Cameron affirmed his promise of further devolution of powers to Scotland in what some have described as a quasi Devo Max (Maximum Devolution), which means getting power over everything apart from defence and foreign affairs. There is a huge sentiment that Holyrood might not gain control over oil take or corporation tax.

In Aberdeenshire which is Salmond’s council area, 40% voted Yes while in Edinburgh which is Darling’s, 61% voted No.

It was an 84% voter turnout as 3.6million of the total 4.2million registered voters cast their ballots. This voter turnout has been described as a record high in the UK. The No victory suggests that perhaps independence was not necessarily the necessary way to go, in trying to gain more powers for Scotland.

 Below is a breakdown of how the 32 council areas voted.

Yes Votes

Dundee - 57%

W. Dunbartonshire – 54%

Glasgow – 53%

N. Lanarkshire – 51%

No Votes
Edinburgh - 61%	E. Dunbartonshire - 61%
Fife - 55%	E. Lothian - 62%
S. Lanarkshire - 55%	E. Renfrewshire - 63%
Aberdeenshire - 60%	Eileanan Siar - 53%
Highland - 53%	Inverclyde - 51%
Aberdeen - 59%	Midlothian - 56%
W. Lothian - 55%	Moray - 58%
Renfrewshire - 53%	N. Ayrshire - 51%
Falkirk - 53%	Orkney Islands - 67%
Angus - 56%	Perth &Kincross - 60%
Argyll & Bute - 59%	Scottish Borders - 67%
Clackmannanshire - 54%	Shetland Islands - 64%
Dumfries & Galloway - 66%	S. Ayrshire - 58%
East Ayrshire - 53%	Stirling - 60%

After the results were announced the British Pound strengthened and shares rose. Royal Bank of Scotland which had last week indicated that in the event of an Independent Scotland, its headquarters would move to England, its shares today went up by 4 percent which is nearly a two-year high against the Euro. This suggests business confidence in a united United Kingdom. 

In the run-up to next year’s general elections Westminster must be seen owning up to its promise for devolution of powers for Scotland in-order for most Scots to vote in favour of conservative Members of Parliament.

EBOLA VIRUS - Potentially Sexually Transmitted

Electron micrograph of an Ebola virus virion

The Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) formerly known as Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever (EHF) has now claimed 2296 lives in the West African region, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported on Tuesday. The death toll has jumped by almost 200 in a single day and has been described by the WHO as “the largest and most severe and most complex we have ever seen”, since it was first discovered in 1976.

More than 40 percent of the deaths have occurred in 3 weeks leading up to 3 September; WHO says indicating that the epidemic is fast outpacing efforts to control it.

Sexual Transmission of the Ebola is potentially a reason for this ferocious spread. In a 2007 report published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases entitled Assessment of the Risk of Ebola Virus Transmission from Bodily Fluids of Fomites written by an Associate Professor in the Department of Tropical Medicine at Tulane University Health Sciences Centre, Daniel Bausch has shown that Ebola can be transmitted sexually even after the man has recovered from the disease. He said, “The isolation of EBOV (Ebola Virus) from semen 40 days after the onset of illness underscores the risk of sexual transmission of the filoviruses during convalescence. Zaire EBOV has been detected in the semen of convalescent patients by virus isolation (82days)... Marbug virus has also been isolated from the semen and linked conclusively to sexual transmission 13 weeks in convalescence.”

The WHO has cited a specific instance when the Ebola virus was found in the semen of a man 61days after recovery. Medical Director of Emory University Hospital in Atlanta’s Infectious Disease Unit, Bruce Ribner has also said, “Many survivors actually have the virus in their semen or vaginal secretions. Many of these must be sexually active and henceforth, sexual intimacy might be the reason for the uncontrolled spreading of this epidemic.” This also implies that vaginal secretions of an infected woman and one that is in convalescence also carries the Ebola virus and henceforth can sexually transmit it to their partner.

Henceforth the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention which hosted a special hour-long Twitter chat to answer questions on Ebola has cautioned people to abstain from sex or to alternatively use condoms for up to 3 months after recovering from Ebola.

Ebola can also be transmitted from mother-to-child through breast milk, Bausch's research findings also revealed. He stated, “In-fact, breastfed children of the mothers whose milk was later tested in this study, died of laboratory confirmed EHF during early stages of the outbreak.” The research also proved that transmission of the virus from breast milk may occur even during convalescence. Hence Bausch advised mothers who survive EHF to avoid breastfeeding and contact with the mucous membranes of the eye for at least 3 months after recovery to avoid transmitting the virus to their infant. An epidemiologist at the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Barbara Krust has said women were instructed to wean any children who have been breastfeeding because the Ebola virus tends to linger on in breast milk even after the woman has recovered.

Health Worker being sprayed clean with chlorine solution at
Foya Ebola management centre in Liberia. (Source: www.msf.org)

The WHO has recorded 4293 cases from West African countries as of 6 September but it still did not have new figures for Liberia, the worst affected country, suggesting the true toll is already much higher. Liberia has accounted for half of all the fatalities. Below are the latest statistics of the Ebola infections and fatalities from the WHO as of 6 September 2014;

	Total Number of People Infected	Deaths
	4293	2296
Liberia	2046	1224
Sierra Leone	1361	509
Guinea	862	555
Nigeria	21	8
Senegal	3	0

WHO says support teams are struggling to contain the disease as well as adequately attend to all patients due to the lack of resources. It sites as an example the need for up to 1000 beds in a case where they only have 240. Infected people were being driven to treatment centers only to be turned away, return home and create ‘flare-ups’ of deadly fever in their village. This, coupled with poor health care in these West African countries together with difficulties associated with the caring of patients poses a non-near-future containment of the disease. 

The name of the disease, 'Ebola' originates from the first recorded outbreak in 1976 in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo (then Zaire) which lies on the Ebola River. There is no known cure or licensed vaccine for the virus and the use of experimental drugs has been deemed unethical.

So many are dying in such a painful and gruesome way, and the pictures are hardly easy on the eye. One United Nations Children's agency worker has described the situation in Liberia as "Biological war" and this is very much different from other forms of war zones where you get journalists streaming over to get pictures, interviews and exclusive stories. This place is exclusively voluntarily 'out of bounds'.