Operation COVID-19. Mental Health. May 2020

MENTAL HEALTH IN A TIME OF COVID-19: Task-Shifting to Address Increasing Challenges — Part 3   Tues., May 26, 2020 | 12:00 p.m. ET  “Task-shifting” is a term used to describe when non-mental health professionals are trained to use specific skills when addressing mental health concerns. This strategy is employed when there are not enough mental health professionals available to address the level of mental health needs in a specific community, such as when a natural disaster occurs. With the expected increase of mental health challenges related to COVID-19, our third webinar installment will highlight faith-based and community groups, which are using online training and resources to develop mental health skills in their leaders. Join us on Tuesday, May 26 at 12 p.m. ET, to learn more about these innovative efforts and consider how you and your community can participate, too!   GUEST SPEAKERS  Matthew S. Stanford, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, Hope and Healing Center and Institute Farha Abassi, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Michigan State University Evan Owens, Co-Founder and Executive Director, REBOOT Recovery

REGISTER NOW >> Part 3 on May 26 SAVE THE DATE Save the date for our fourth webinar in this series. Registration will open soon! June 9, 12 P.M. ET PART 4: "Connecting Spirituality to Mental Health Services in the Midst of the Crisis"

Operations COVID-19. One aspect of phased approach. Elevator Distancing. May 2020

Brick and mortar company and office locations are enacting changes as we move forward in the long-term recovery from COVID-19.

Just an example of one aspect of change, elevator occupancy.

BEMA International

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External Entrance to Elevator Posting

Elevator Entrance floor distancing

COALITION CALLS FOR ‘CORPORATE’ MEAT BOYCOTT TO IMPROVE WORKING CONDITIONS

BOYCOTT BIG MEAT CAMPAIGN IS ASKING CARNIVORES TO SHIFT THEIR PURCHASES OF BEEF, PORK, AND POULTRY TO FAMILY FARMS AND MEAT LOCKERS, WHICH ARE COMMON IN MANY RURAL AREAS.

By Elizabeth Royte

5/18/2020

https://www.agriculture.com/news/business/coalition-calls-for-corporate-meat-boycott-to-improve-working-conditions

Measuring meat

Due to falling production and rising prices, Americans are expected to eat less meat this year than last. But a coalition of groups led by the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) wants Americans to cut back even further, calling for a boycott on “corporate” meat until working conditions in meatpacking plants improve.

Inspired by Cesar Chavez, who convinced Americans in the 1960s to quit buying grapes to protest farmworker exploitation, LULAC’s Boycott Big Meat campaign is asking carnivores to shift their purchases of beef, pork, and poultry to family farms and meat lockers, which are common in many rural areas. For vegetarians and vegans, of course, it’s business as usual.

While individuals, including hog and grain farmers and Iowa state legislators, are signing meatless pledges online, the Iowa chapter of LULAC is collecting the endorsements of a growing roster of organizations, including the Iowa Farmers Union, the Factory Farming Awareness Coalition, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, the Main Street Vegan, World Animal Protection, the Iowa Democratic Hispanic Caucus, the Iowa Democratic Black Caucus, Food and Water Watch, and the Organic Consumers Association.

READ MORE: Farmland Trust supports 1,000 farmers who sell direct

As of May 15, more than 14,200 packing plant employees have been infected with the coronavirus, and at least 59 have died, according to data tracked by FERN. To halt the spread of disease, more than 20 large plants shuttered by the end of April, but in early May, President Trump, invoking the Defense Production Act, directed meat plants to operate during the pandemic. The CDC and OSHA issued safe meat-processing guidelines, but they are not requirements, and workers, says Joe Henry, president of LULAC’s Iowa Council 307, still feel unprotected.

“We’re calling for a coalition of people to stand with workers,” Henry says. “We’re urging consumers and grocery stores to stop purchasing corporate meat.”

The campaign demands that companies slow down line speeds so workers needn’t stand shoulder to shoulder; provide personal protective equipment, fever screening, daily virus testing, fully paid sick days, and temporary protective status for undocumented workers. “And we want health insurance that employees can afford,” Henry says. “Workers pay $300 a month for health insurance – that’s about 12% of their gross income – and they still have deductibles of $5,000 to $8,000.”

Produced with FERN, non-profit reporting on food, agriculture, and environmental health.

National Latino Farmers & Ranchers Trade Association 

1029 Vermont Avenue, NW, Suite 601

Washington, DC 20005

Office: (202) 628-8833

Fax No.: (202) 393-1816

Email: latinofarmers@live.com 

Twitter: @NLFRTA

Website: www.NLFRTA.org 

2018 to 2020. The Power of the Diaspora. Beyond Remittances: Engaging the Diaspora to Meet Africa’s Development Financing Needs

Community Imperative or 'Business as Usual' before COVID-19?

Review previous posting from BEMA International on the 'Power of the Diaspora', September 2018.

  https://www.blackemergmanagersassociation.org/2018/09/the-power-of-diaspora-sept-13-2018.html


Business as usual is dead.  Collaborate, partner with BEMA International for the next phase beyond COVID-19, or continue on delayed course and business as usual.

We have solutions.  Or shall we wait over another year and a half?

BEMA International

Beyond Remittances: Engaging the Diaspora to Meet Africa’s Development Financing Needs 

Wednesday, May 27 at 2:00 - 3:30 pm with Mr. Richmond Commodore, Policy Analyst, African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET), Ghana

According to the African Development Bank (AfDB), African countries must invest USD$600-700 billion annually to meet the development needs of their growing populations. To achieve this investment goal, African governments are increasingly looking to the diaspora, amongst other measures. The African diaspora already contributes enormously to the continent’s economy through remittances: in 2018, Sub-Saharan Africa received an estimated USD$47 billion in remittances (World Bank)—compared to an estimated USD$32 billion in foreign direct investment (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development). Looking beyond remittances, the diaspora community also possesses other resources including knowledge, expertise, and networks that could greatly benefit the financial, trade, and technology sectors—and be leveraged for peace—if properly engaged.

Upcoming Webcast Series on Peacebuilding in Africa Please join the Wilson Center Africa Program for an upcoming series of virtual events focused on peacebuilding in Africa. These events will feature four Southern Voices Network for Peacebuilding Scholars as they present their research and recommendations alongside experts, policymakers, and practitioners. To register for one or more of the events, please click on the links below to RSVP individually for each event. Violent Extremism in West Africa: Are Current Responses Enough? Tuesday, June 2 at 10:00 am - 11:30 am with Mr. Osei Baffour Frimpong, Regional Lead Researcher and Conflict Analyst, West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), Ghana The rise of violent extremism has become particularly acute in the West Africa and Sahel regions, and has given rise to a proliferation of international and regional responses, including by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Regional efforts to combat violent extremism are anchored by the G5 Sahel and the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), while international efforts include the French Operation Barkhane and the U.S. Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership (TSCTP). This event will assess the efficacy of current regional mechanisms in addressing this rising threat, their articulation and complementarity with international efforts, and propose options to improve the regional response to violent extremism in West Africa. Peacebuilding in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Revisiting the Tool Kit  Wednesday, June 3 at 10:00 am - 11:30 am with Fr. Rigobert Minani, S.J., Research Director, Centre d’Etudes pour l’Action Sociale (CEPAS), The Democratic Republic of the Congo. For the last two decades, the United Nations (UN) has been present in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Yet, despite the deployment of the world’s largest UN peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO, devastating conflicts that have killed and displaced millions have continued—calling into question the efficacy of UN peacekeeping efforts and other peacebuilding measures. This event will broaden the conversation, analyzing not just the challenges faced by the UN peacekeeping mission but also assessing the larger, multifaceted peacebuilding efforts in the DRC. Countering Transnational Organized Crime as a Strategy for Peacebuilding in East Africa Monday, June 8 at 10:00 am - 11:30 am with Mr. Messay Asgedom Gobena, Ph.D. Candidate in Peace and Security Studies, Addis Ababa University Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS), Ethiopia While transnational organized crime (TOC) is a pervasive global issue, it is especially prevalent and damaging in conflict-affected or fragile states. TOC in East Africa takes many forms, including organized violence, financial crimes, narcotics and human trafficking, piracy, and cybercrime. The issue of TOC is deeply connected to security and peacebuilding. TOC thrives in insecure environments with weak rule of law, corrupt state institutions, and limited cross-border law enforcement collaboration. In many cases violent extremists or other armed groups are also engaged in TOC, a dynamic which both provides resilient funding and reduces the incentives for any peace agreement that may make TOC more difficult. This event will look at how TOC has impacted peace and security and affected peacebuilding efforts in East Africa, and offer policy recommendations for countering the impact of TOC on peace in the region. The SVNP is a continent-wide network of African policy, research and academic organizations that works with the Wilson Center’s Africa Program to bring African knowledge and perspectives to U.S., African, and international policy on peacebuilding in Africa. Established in 2011 and supported by the generous financial support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the project provides avenues for African researchers and practitioners to engage with and exchange analyses and perspectives with U.S., African, and international policymakers in order to develop the most appropriate, cohesive, and inclusive policy frameworks and approaches to achieving sustainable peace in Africa.

Resolving Recovery\Homelessness. Health Prevention and Cure

Housing is Both a Prevention & Cure for COVID-19 
Maimunah Mohd Sharif and Leilani Farha 
Public health officials are calling the “stay home” policy the sacrifice of our generation. To flatten the curve of COVID-19 infections, this call of duty is now emblazoned on t-shirts, in street art and a celebrity hashtag. But for the 1.8 billion people around the world living in ... MORE > >

Stay Home? Wash Hands? But 1.8 Billion Remain Homeless & 3.0 Billion Have No Access to Water Thalif Deen The relentless battle against the devastating coronavirus pandemic has been underlined by several widespread advisories from health experts – STAY HOME. WASH YOUR HANDS. WEAR MASK. KEEP SOCIAL DISTANCE. But the UK-based WaterAid and UN Habitat in Nairobi point out the paradox in at least two ... MORE > >