Vida at her working place with other colleagues and a young mother.
Op-ed in line with UNFPA’s report.
Vida is a 28-year-old midwife from the Akha community who is proud of her role in ensuring women in Lao PDR realize positive maternal health outcomes. Based at Long District hospital in Luang Namtha province, this Akha midwife graduated from the Oudomxay UNFPA-MOH supported midwifery program in 2017.
In Laos, supporting the training and deployment of midwives from ethnic groups is a key component of UNFPA’s wide-ranging engagement in midwifery program that recognizes the significant role of midwives in saving lives and changing harmful norms, they are even more critical due to impact of COVID-19 on health services.
“In the past, Akha women gave birth without assistance and they did not come to the health center. As most of the pregnancies and births were unattended among Akha women, there was a high risk of complications” said Vida. “But since we have Akha midwives, Akha clients are comfortable to come and seek support”.
This positive trend is a result of newly-trained ethnic midwives returning to their home villages to support their communities. Their cultural insights combined with newly-learnt skills adhering to international standards means they are trusted and well placed to deliver essential maternal health care to ethnic mothers who traditionally would face health risks, especially during delivery.
UNFPA and MOH backed interventions have played a significant role in reducing maternal mortality as well as ensuring safe pregnancies, childbirth and family planning in Lao PDR during the past decade.
Together with district teams, Vida conducts health education outreach in villages surrounding Long District hospital to provide information and mobilize women to visit health facilities. Now, many women come to seek healthcare at such facilities and are less reluctant to seek guidance on birth spacing and contraceptives.
“For example, every time I provide health education, I also encourage them [Akha ethnic women] to exclusively breastfeed for at least six months,” said Vida, who reported that many ethnic mothers in the past were reluctant to breastfeed as they juggle motherhood with cultivating crops in the field, and didn’t know about the health benefits of breastfeeding for the infant and the mother.
Raising awareness on the importance of antenatal care to ensure health and safety of mothers and babies is a key task for Vida and other ethnic midwives.
“I encourage women to make at least four antenatal care visits [international standards are 8 ANC visits per pregnancy] and give birth at health facilities to keep mothers and babies safe. The proudest moment for me is to see women giving birth at a health facility assisted by qualified health personnel, so they don’t suffer any complications,” said Vida.
To provide a full spectrum of care, counseling for youth and adolescents is delivered as part of family planning services. Vida encourages women to learn more about long-acting reversible contraceptives. More couples are seeking long-acting methods such as injectables and implants so that women do not need to travel to the health facility often.
Midwives like Vida are being gradually deployed all over Lao PDR for community awareness raising. Their role is crucial in applying skills acquired through the midwifery courses adapted to international standards through MOH and UNFPA collaboration.
While development of midwifery capacity has benefited women and children in Lao PDR in the past decade, midwives such as Vida still face challenges in countering harmful cultural practices for childbirth and child care, such as dietary restrictions, roasting (lying on a bed above a fire) for 15 days after giving birth and the belief that giving birth to twins is bad luck.
Following training, Vida and other midwives are connected to a midwifery helpline where they can access peer support, to discuss difficult cases and develop response strategies.
UNFPA is supporting Lao PDR to realize its commitment to the 25th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD25) to have at least one midwife per health facility. The support includes training, curricula development and equipping health facilities.
The Maternal Health Trust Fund, KOFIH and Luxembourg, the midwifery program is accelerating the role of midwives in saving lives and changing harmful norms and practices.
According to the State of the World Midwifery Report 2021, investing in midwives is cost-effective as a fully educated and trained midwife can provide about 90 percent of essential reproductive maternal neonatal child adolescent health care.
Smuggled vegetables buried by authorities in Vientiane Capital on 20 January, 2021.
Police and provincial authorities in Laos have the authority to inspect and seize all illegal goods along the border, but why has food been dumped and burned?
JAKARTA, INDONESIA – Media OutReach – 26 August 2022 – On August 25, the extrusion workshops of the first-stage production base of PT. Lesso Technology Indonesia officially went into operation, marking Lesso Indonesia the cornerstone for China Lesso ( https://en.lesso.com/ ) to accelerate its expansion in the Southeast Asian market, further improve the overseas market layout, and expedite the pace of localization development.
The production base of Lesso Indonesia is located in Semarang. The first stage of the project covers an area of 114,400 square meters. It is an advanced production base of plastic piping that primarily consists of automated manufacturing centers and comprehensive supporting areas. Products manufactured in the extrusion workshops include PVC water supply and drainage pipes, PVC conduits, PE water supply pipes, PPR hot and cold water pipes, and HDPE double-wall corrugated pipes that are planned to be produced in succession. The annual production capacity is expected to exceed 30,000 tones.
The localized production in Indonesia will serve local customers more efficiently, increase the popularity and influence of the Lesso brand in the local area, and at the same time create hundreds of job opportunities for the locals.
In addition, Lesso Indonesia’s first-stage injection molding intelligent production workshops have been operating since August 2021, with an annual production capacity of 9,800 tones, providing a good solid base for expanding overseas production scale.
The complete trial and official launch of the first stage of the production base in Indonesia will enrich the overseas portfolio of China Lesso Group, deepen the service foundation and sales pattern covering the whole country and the world, and promote the localized development of the brand overseas gradually.
China Lesso has more than 30 years of experience in this field and is dedicated to creating a relaxing life for thousands of families worldwide. By bringing top-notch goods and services to people all around the world, China Lesso will strive to fulfil its brand slogan, “Envisioning the Better, Building the Future.”
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Media OutReach – 26 August 2022 – Bybit, the third most visited cryptocurrency exchange in the world, will list OKSE, the utility token of Okse Card and Okse Wallet, on Bybit Launchpad 2.0.
Okse is a DeFi system designed to revolutionize the financial market, powered by BNB Smart Chain, Avalanche, and Fantom. The Okse Wallet allows users to do away with third parties between them and their funds. They can also use the Okse Card to make payments to a variety of merchants worldwide, with complete decentralization until funds reach the payment provider. The card can only be accessed through the Okse Wallet, which requires Know-Your-Customer (KYC) verification.
The Wallet is available for Android and iOS, and the Okse virtual debit card allows users to spend their crypto assets at over 60 million merchants worldwide, with the card being accepted in over 170 countries.
Bybit will host the initial exchange offering for OKSE, which will be available on the Bybit Launchpad 2.0, a revamped platform for groundbreaking blockchain projects, with the full spot listing scheduled for Sept. 05. Bybit users can access the token on Launchpad 2.0, a freshly revamped platform for groundbreaking blockchain projects. Bybit users can commit BIT to subscribe to token allocations, or participate in Launchpad 2.0’s new lottery model where users stake a nominal amount of Tether (USDT) for the chance to win allocations of new tokens. Users can also buy the best performing tokens from previous listings via the Launchpad.
The OKSE token is a crypto asset that is essential in allowing users to upgrade their daily debit card and payment limits, and reap spend to earn rewards. Additionally, staking OKSE tokens gives users governance power in the Okse Wallet.
Okse’s primary investors include Cypher Capital and private investors.
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About Bybit
Bybit is a cryptocurrency exchange established in March 2018 that offers a professional platform where crypto traders can find an ultra-fast matching engine, excellent customer service and multilingual community support. Bybit is a proud partner of Formula One racing team, Oracle Red Bull Racing, esports teams NAVI, Astralis, Alliance, Virtus.pro, Made in Brazil (MIBR) and Oracle Red Bull Racing Esports, and association football (soccer) teams Borussia Dortmund and Avispa Fukuoka.
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 26 August 2022 – WingsOverAsia, an integrated private aviation service provider based in Singapore, is announcing the rebranding of its membership services ‘ClubWOA’ into two distinct memberships: WOA Flying Club and ClubWOA Social. In addition to the rebranding, it is also introducing enhancements to its private jet handling services.
WingsOverAsia first launched ClubWOA as an exclusive flying network offering members a platform to connect, network, and exchange ideas. The membership network has since grown into a robust social network with members across Asia, with a focus on aviation, travel, and lifestyle. Due to its commercial success, the membership network is separating into two discrete entities to distinguish its services more effectively.
WOA Flying Club is described as an aviator’s club that focuses on flight training and aircraft owner/pilot support services. The club connects aviation enthusiasts, aspiring pilots, corporate flight departments and aircraft owners into a social network.
Latest introductions exclusive to the club include the launch of WingsOverAsia’s Singapore Private Pilot License (PPL) program with a refreshed syllabus, the addition of Diamond DA40 single-engine and DA42/DA62 twin-engine aircraft to the WOA training fleet, and the incorporation of flight instructors with overseas flight training experience into WOA pilot programs. Members will also be able to enjoy private jet charter services at preferential rates. The introductions will allow for a more curated aviation experience for WOA Flying Club members, who can now benefit from a customised journey based on their preferences.
ClubWOA is an aviation-themed social lifestyle club focusing on hospitality and event services. Members enjoy access to all-inclusive perks, leisure experiences, and exclusive content and opportunities ranging from yachting trips to private networking events.
New additions to the club facilities include enhancements to the food and beverage menu and related services, as well as improvements to the environment and amenities of the club lounge. Members may anticipate an elevated enjoyable experience when visiting ClubWOA and greater value from their membership attributable to these upgrades. With the enhancements, ClubWOA will further its role as a premier destination for business and leisure aviation enthusiasts, hosting leading entertainment and networking events in the region.
A twofold increase in demand for its ground handling services has also prompted equipment and hospitality services enhancements. Recent expansions include additional tow tractors for mid-size business jets, additional ground support equipment for more efficient jet handling turnaround time, a new towbar-less tow truck for safely handling large business jets such as Boeing Business Jets and Airbus Corporate Jets, as well as a doubled experienced manpower headcount and VIP passenger and luggage handling vehicles for faster passenger departure and arrival clearance.
With these enhancements to its prestige aviation membership clubs and jet handling operations, WingsOverAsia aims to provide both private aviation members and business jet operators with a richer experience, add value across its service delivery platform, and transform the aviation experience with enhancements at every customer touchpoints. The business has already experienced some early success with its offerings and intends to keep extending its reach throughout Asia.
Established in 2009, WingsOverAsia (WOA) is the first integrated private aviation service provider and developer in Asia, located at Seletar Airport in Singapore. It shares years of history prior to its inception, dating back to 2003. After returning from the USA with a Private Pilot License, the founder Yeow Meng began using his social networking technology skills to launch Asia’s first online private aviation blog to share his leisure flying adventures all over Asia. The blog further morphed into an interactive social networking portal, and offline membership services such as flying tours, aviation lifestyle events, and aircraft sales cum delivery support began to emerge. Decades later, it expanded into what is now known as WingsOverAsia.
From its fixed base operator (FBO) headquarters in Singapore, WOA offers a fully integrated suite of private aviation services in-house, including aircraft sales, flight training, ground handling, membership services, private jet charter and management, and worldwide trip support services for jets. The rebranding of its regional membership network and enhancements to its private jet handling services are part of WOA’s culture of relentless pursuit of innovation and continuous improvements in serving the general aviation community. Having pioneered the aviation lifestyle concept and business model, WingsOverAsia has established itself as a leading partner in the aviation sector.
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