Census in Tanzania

2012 is the year of Census in Tanzania, ten years after the previous Census in 2002. The responsibility of journalists like myself is to inform the public on the merits and this procedure that our beloved country has to go through.

TBC 1 as a public broadcaster, we did exactly that and below are the pictures . Happy counting

EID MUBARAK TO THE WORLD

Today being a Muslim holiday of Eid, I take this time to salute muslim brothers and sister, though religion is different but my love for you stays the same as for all Human race. Peace and love during your celebration as we will be celebrating with you.

NBA Super Star visiting Street Children courtesy of UNICEF

2012 USA Olympic Gold medalist and NBA Super Star Mr Tyson Chandler visited Dogo dogo street children home center in Dar es salaam Tanzania in a visit courtesy of UNICEF.
I was personally blessed to have an One on one interview with him and I can honestly I was struck with his honesty in answering the questions considering the interview was not on his schedule. Mr Tyson shared with me his inner desire to contribute to change and lending a hand in helping these children by using his influence to help in raising awareness and support back home in USA. He also had encouraging words for all children who have lost hope in life, after the visit at the dogo dogo home center it was time to shoot the hoops and the kids at the don bosco grounds surely had fun with the star and at that moment all faces were in smiles and I knew, hope is a hard thing to kill, I would like to say thank you Tyson Chandler and thank you UNICEF, the visit meant a lot to our children

Love is helping a child stay clean

At Ubungo bus terminal, having a cup of tea, in an environment where I did my last documentary on street children, one would lose hope of this place because a year after the documentary, street children are evidently on every corner but just as I was about to get back to my tea, I witness this act of love and that's when I knew, love for our children comes from even the unlikeliest places. Spread love everywhere

A DOCUMENTARY ON THE EFFECT OF PORNOGRAPHY TO CHILDREN 

After spending enough time investigating the start of pornographic industry in Tanzania, and the sale of  Porn magazines to VHS then DVDs and now on the internet, I have prepared  a documentary that will reveal the untold stories of how unregistered and unauthorized movie houses in the Dar es salaam areas is affected the children. 

The documentary will explore how these movie houses around Dar es salaam that are now in thousands are making profit off the misery of the children, the effect that comes after, the teen pregnancy, school drop out and in the worst cases sodomy. 

This is a hard pill to swallow but one has to be the voice of these children and the media should be at the fore front. I am taking the step forward I hope other journalists in Tanzania and around Africa can join in. The documentary will air soon on TBC 1, more update on your way.  

Newborn baby found alive in morgue 12 hours after being declared dead

source- yahoo news

A newborn in Argentina was found very much alive in a morgue by her mother 12 hours after hospital staff had declared the baby dead.

The mother, Analia Bouguet, tells TeleNoticias TV that the hospital still has issued her only a death certificate for the infant rather than a birth certificate. Bouguet said she is planning to pursue amedical malpractice suit.

The Daily Mail reports that the baby was Bouguet's fifth and was born prematurely.

Two hours after being issue a death certificate, Bouguet and her husband visited the morgue because they wanted to see their child one more time.

"The baby was there and they put the little casket on a stretcher. We looked for a bar to pry it open," the baby's father, Fabian Veron, said in a press conference. "My wife looked and uncovered it slowly. She saw the little hand and then uncovered the face. That's when it let the first little cry out."

"That night, we went to the morgue. We wanted to take a photo of our daughter," Bouguet told Argentina's Clarin newspaper. "But when a worker opened the drawer, we heard a cry and she was alive."

The newborn has been named Luz Milagros, or "Miracle Light." She is still listed as being in critical condition but is said to be improving. The deputy provincial health minister announced that five medical professionals involved in the case have been suspended, pending further investigation.

"At the moment we have no explanation," hospital director Jose Luis Meirino told the paper. "The baby was attended to by obstetricians, gynecologists and a neonatologist. They all reached the same conclusion, that this girl was stillborn."

Argentina is no stranger to "miracle baby" stories. Last December, a healthy set of dicephalic conjoined twins, aka a baby born with two heads, made international headlines.

MEDIA COUNCIL OF TANZANIA AWARDS

Receiving the award for the best television journalist 2011, children category

The MCT awards 2011 were held on 30th March 2012 at Diamond Jubilee hall in Dar es salaam, Tanzania, the President of United Republic of Tanzania Dr Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete was the guest of honour. The ceremony was braced with local entertainment and after a heavy dinner the awards were announced. You could feel the excitement and the joy in the room with alot of young journalists eager to win their first award to seal the long year of hard work and toil. 

When time came and my name was announced as the winner for the documentary that I did on street children living in Ubungo bus terminal all I thought was my family watching me and just hoping some of the children living and working in the streets are peeping through a window to have a glimpse of the award just for them to know that as much as glamorous the award is but it is the platform were our leaders will hear of their struggle. I will always play my duty to inform the society till one day I walk in the streets and all I can see are children in school uniforms smiling as they pass me. I won the award but I should say we won the award. The fight is not over media is a powerful tool and I will never stop using it for the betterment of our Tanzanian, African and the whole wide world children.

You can watch the short version of the documentary on the documentary page on this blog.  Asante 

DOCUMENTARY ON MWALIMU NYERERE, YOU HAVE NEVER KNOWN HIM BEFORE

This is a promo from the upcoming documentary on the other side of Mwalimu Nyerere. Narrating the story is his son Madaraka Nyerere, he was talking on Mwalimu's encounter with the legendary musician and Africans rights activist Bob Marley during Zimbabwe independence. 

The approach in this documentary is the non political side of Mwalimu Nyerere, hoping his story will inspire millions of Tanzanians, Africans and the world. 

MEDIA COUNCIL OF TANZANIA AWARD NOMINATION

A video grab of Hasan, the boy who is the center of the documentary of children living in the street 

Dar es salaam, Tanzania-The Media council of Tanzania has nominated on of the award that I produced which was broadcasted on Tanzania Broadcasting cooperation TBC 1 on the day of African child 2011. This nomination will help bring to the front the suffering and plight of children in Tanzania in hopes that more stakeholders will come to the front in protection and promotion of children's rights. We urge Tanzanians and the citizens of the world to be children rights activists on any level be it through media, helping a child learn, respecting a child's right or in any way that one can help in providing a child with a smile.


I will keep you posted on the outcome of the award ceremony that will be help on 30/03/ 2012 at Diamond jubilee hall in Dar es salaam, Tanzania. 

Tsunami Anniversary in Japan- LOVE PREVAILS

          Japan held its one year anniversary of the tsunami disaster. Though this blog is dedicated to African children but the plight of children of the world is shared for they are all angels in the eyes of God. We know through prayers and the spirit of resilience, the children of Japan will grow up to build a better nation and a better world. 

Tokyo (CNN) -- Japan gathered Sunday amid tears, prayers and a moment of silence to mark one year since an earthquake and tsunami killed thousands, and triggered the world's worst nuclear crisis in a quarter century.

Throngs nationwide observed a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m. local time (12:46 a.m. ET), the exact time the earth shook on March 11, 2011.

At the main event at a Tokyo theater, hundreds bowed their heads in silence during the service.

"A lot of lives were lost ... I feel the grieving families' pain and I cannot express my sorrow enough," Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said at the ceremony.

Emperor Akihito, who is recovering from recent surgery, also attended.

"I'd like to express my mourning for the people who passed away a year ago ... almost 20,000 died and others remain missing. Many of them were firefighters," the emperor said.

Government officials and victims' relatives laid flowers at a shrine set up at the front of the theater.

In tsunami-ravaged towns along the northeast, residents solemnly placed wreaths where homes once stood. Warning sirens wailed in some areas at the precise time the quake struck.

Clad in black, residents of Ofunato gathered to pay tribute to hundreds of the town's residents killed during the earthquake and tsunami. Some wept quietly.

The 9.0-magnitude quake shifted the earth's axis and unleashed a wall of water that swept away lives and homes. Million of people fled for higher ground. Nearly 16,000 people died and 3,000 others remain missing.

Museum and House of culture- Educate theYouth

With students at the history gallery at national museum and house of culture

Museum and House of Culture- Dar es salaam, Tanzania

Children looking at the picture of Mwl.Nyerere as he was descending off the plane from UN headquarters New-york, In-front of him is his mother

Children standing in-front of Mwl.Nyerere display at the museum

Children dancing at the theater hall at the museum

Children outside the Museum about to leave

Fun fulfilled, children lining up to get onto the buses

RUNNING PUNISHMENT FROM STEP MUM TURNS TO THE DEATH OF A GIRL

2 charged in death of a girl forced to run 

source: Yahoo news

• 
  This undated photo released by the Etowah County Sheriff's Dept. Wednesday, Feb
• 
  This combo made from photos released by the Etowah County Sheriff's Dept. on Wednesday

ATLANTA, Ala. (AP) — Roger Simpson said he looked down the road and saw a little girl running outside her home but didn't give it another thought. Police, however, said the man witnessed a murder in progress.

Authorities say 9-year-old Savannah Hardin died after being forced to run for three hours as punishment for having lied to her grandmother about eating candy bars. Severely dehydrated, the girl had a seizure and died days later. Now, her grandmother and stepmother who police say meted out the punishment were taken to jail Wednesday and face murder charges.

Witnesses told deputies Savannah was told to run and not allowed to stop for three hours on Friday, an Etowah County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman said. The girl's stepmother, 27-year-old Jessica Mae Hardin, called police at 6:45 p.m., telling them Savannah was having a seizure and was unresponsive.

Simpson said he saw a little girl running at around 4 p.m., but didn't see anybody chasing or coercing her.

"I saw her running down there, that's what I told the detectives," Simpson said from his home on a hill overlooking the Hardins. "But I don't see how that would kill her."

Authorities are still trying to determine whether Savannah was forced to run by physical coercion or by verbal commands. Deputies were told the girl was made to run after lying to her grandmother, 46-year-old Joyce Hardin Garrard, about having eaten the candy, sheriff's office spokeswoman Natalie Barton said.

Savannah Hardin died Monday at Children's Hospital in Birmingham, according to a news release from the sheriff's office. The sheriff's release said an autopsy report showed the girl was extremely dehydrated and had a very low sodium level. A state pathologist ruled it a homicide.

The sheriff's office received calls from concerned citizens who witnessed the girl running. No other details were released, but an official with the local volunteer fire department said rescuers thought something seemed odd when they responded to a call about the child.

"One of the ones who were down there said he didn't feel like everything was right," said Ruby Ward, vice president of the Mountainboro Volunteer Fire Department.

Gail Denny and her husband Phil, live just up a dirt road from the home. They've known the family since they moved to the area in northeastern Alabama seven years ago.

The couple said they were used to seeing Savannah and other neighborhood children out waiting on the school bus in the morning. Gail Denny said her grandson had a crush on Savannah.

"My grandson asked her to be his girlfriend on Valentine's Day, and she said 'yes,'" she said before dissolving into tears. She left a candle and stuffed animal outside the girl's home Wednesday night, saying a prayer as she paused beside the road.

The trailer where Savannah lived was surrounded by a wooden fence, playground equipment and toys. Neighbors say they never saw children playing in the yard.

They told The Associated Press that Garrard owned a lot of property along the road and much of her family lived in homes on that property.

"It seems like a very happy extended family around here," Denny said. "There are mothers, grandmothers, kids. It sounds like a punishment that got out of hand."

Garrard and Jessica Mae Hardin are being held in the Etowah County Detention Center, each on a $500,000 cash bond.

Court records show that Robert Hardin filed for divorce in August of 2010. In his complaint, he asserted his wife was bi-polar and had alcoholic tendencies. He accused her previously of having run off with the couple's own child. In her response, Jessica denied all of Robert's allegations.

Five months after filing for divorce, the two asked a judge to dismiss their case.

Savannah Hardin was a third-grader at Carlisle Elementary School. Superintendent Alan Cosby said her desk had been turned into a makeshift memorial where her classmates could leave notes and mementos. He said counselors and social workers were made available for students.

"This is obviously a very tragic, devastating, heartbreaking situation," Cosby said. "Nothing like this has ever happened before."

WE WILL ALWAYS LOVE U

        WE CELEBRATE YOUR LIFE 
                         1963-2012 

Beyonce and Jay-Z post baby photos

Though this blog is dedicated to African children and how the media can help in protection and promotion of their rights. I thought we should take time for good news and share the happy parenting from our celebrities...enjoy..

LOS ANGELES (AP) — She's been a sensation since she's been born, and now Blue Ivy has made her public debut.

Five photos of the 1-month-old were posted by her parents — Beyonce and Jay-Z — on a page at the blogging service Tumblr.

The pictures at http://helloblueivycarter.tumblr.com include a close-up of the baby and two of each parent holding her. Blue Ivy is their first child.

A statement next to the photos reads, "We welcome you to share our joy." The couple also thanked the public for respecting their privacy.

Beyonce and Jay-Z are the latest celebrities to shun big bucks from the tabloid press for exclusive rights to baby pictures and instead post the photos on a public website for free. Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon debuted their twins in the same way last year.

 In this undated image released by Beyonce.com, Beyonce Knowles holds her daughter Blue Ivy in a recent family photo. Photos of the 1-month-old were posted by her parents on Tumblr blog page http://helloblueivycarter.tumblr.com. A hand-written note accompanying the photos reads, "We welcome you to share our joy." (AP Photo/Ed Burke for Beyonce.com) MANDATORY CREDIT

In this undated image released by Beyonce.com, rapper Jay-Z holds his daughter with singer-wife Beyonce Knowles, Blue Ivy in a recent family photo. Photos of the 1-month-old were posted by her parents on Tumblr blog page http://helloblueivycarter.tumblr.com. A hand-written note accompanying the photos reads, "We welcome you to share our joy." (AP Photo/Ed Burke for Beyonce.com) MANDATORY CREDIT

Rapper 5o Cent fights famine, Hunger in Somalia and Kenya

From (AllHipHop News) 

Queens, New York rapper 50 Cent continues his mission to help feed millions of men, women and children who are starving in Africa.

The rapper landed in Dolo, Somalia yesterday (February 8), where tens of thousands of people are being affected by a famine in the country.

50 Cent is traveling in Somalia and Kenya with the World Food Programme to document the suffering of the people in the country, who have also been impacted by war in the region.

The rapper launched a new energy drink “Street King,” as a vehicle to provide 1 billion meals for people around the world who have been impacted by hunger, war and famine.

According to stats released by the World Food Programme, over 100,000 people have died as a result of the famine in the region.

50 Cent is an official ambassador to the World Food Programme and has been working with the organization since October of 2011.

For every purchase of his Street King energy drink, one meal is donated to the World Food Programme to feed a hungry child.

THE TOP OF KILIMANJARO-THE ROOF OF AFRICA

I had a very blessed opportunity to climb our mountain, the pride of Tanzania, the highest mountain in Africa, The highest free standing mountain in the world. The journey was a big challenge that tested the level of perseverance a man can take. It pushed the envelop on what I could put up with, but to me this was  all worth it and I will definitely go back again and this time around I will do it for the children of Tanzania. I pray that Tanzanians, Africans and citizens of the world will support this initiative. lets end violence against children. One Love. 

UNICEF/MTV workshop in Nairobi

Team from Tanzania

UNICEF and MTV organized a workshop that involved young people across Africa, who together undertook the responsibility of coming up with a script for the new!!!! SHUGA radio series, this is the new venture after the success of SHUGA the TV series across Africa.

Team from South Africa, Lesotho and DR Congo

During the warm up and getting to know each other session 

 The scripting of Radio program involved coming up with the different scenarios that could entrap the young people into the risk of getting HIV/AIDS or getting involved in high risk sexual behavior that could put them in Danger, Tanzania was represented, so was Kenya, South Africa, DR congo, Lesotho and Cameroon. Stay tuned for exciting SHUGA radio episodes. 

Screening of SHUGA TV 2nd series 

For more information visit the MTV website or You tube SHUGA MTV. 
STAY SAFE AFRICA