Official Bank Sites Related Information Multimedia July 14, 2006—For the parents of 395 students at Benjamin Mkapa Primary School in Tanzania, World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz had a simple message: “Thank You” It was the parents he said who helped make it possible for the students to be in school. “The Prime Minister explained to me that when this program started with the idea that 70% would come from the World Bank and the government and the donors, and 30% would come from the villagers themselves, people said that’s not going to work. The villagers won’t contribute,” he said. But the parents in the village did contribute, ensuring their children received an education. The Benjamin Mkapa Primary School in Chamwino village now has 10 teachers for the 395 students in grades one to seven. And as Tanzanian Prime Minister Edward Ngoyai Lowassa translated his comments, Wolfowitz also thanked the Government and Tanzania and its people. “I would like to say thank you to the Prime Minister and all the government and officials and all the people of Tanzania, because for us in the World Bank it is really a privilege to be able to work together to build a stronger future generation in this country.” “An educated mother will have healthier children. Educated children will make better teachers and doctors and an educated population will enable Tanzania to compete in the global economy.” “There’s no better investment that we can make than investing in the children of this country.” The Bank President also noted that Tanzania had also showed signs of improvements in other areas – particularly opening up opportunities for private business. Private Sector Investments 
Eva Kimambo, an operator at the A to Z Textiles factory, one of the leading producers and distributors of insecticide treated bed nets in Tanzania. Africa needs millions of these kinds of nets to help stop the spread of malaria. Photo:© World Bank / Issa Michuci Wolfowitz had the chance to see that first hand during a visit to the A to Z Textiles Factory, one of the leading producers and distributors of insecticide treated bed nets in Tanzania. After touring the factory floor – a vision of workers dressed in yellow clothing surrounded by masses of blue netting – Wolfowitz chatted to young people outside, and posed a question to them: “Raise your hand if you’ve ever had malaria?” The response was quick and sure – all raised their hands – with one telling the Bank President: “We feel terrible. We feel bad, when we have malaria.” Wolfowitz also visited the Ngara Naro Health Center and chatted to one woman, who just minutes earlier had redeemed a voucher for a bed net. The Tanzanian Government has created a voucher plan through which it provides bed nets to all pregnant women during their first prenatal visit. To date, almost one million vouchers have been redeemed for bed nets, protecting an additional one million women and their children. In Tanzania, when the use of insecticide-treated bed nets for infants increased from 10 to more than 50 percent, child survival increased by 27 percent and anemia decreased by 63 percent. “The World Bank is very committed to the Malaria Booster Program in some 20 countries, to achieve among other things, the goal of having 60 percent of pregnant mothers sleeping under bed nets,” Wolfowitz said. “It was very moving just now to talk to this mother of five children who will have a bed net for the first time, and many of her children had gotten sick with malaria. I asked if any had died, and she said “No, thank God. But now with a bed net they probably won't get sick either.” |
RSS