Liberia: Ministry of Health (moh), partners dedicate newly constructed Primary Health Care Clinic in Koon's Town. You may also like. As part of the Ministry's continuous efforts to improve health outcomes for the people of Liberia, the Ministry of Health, along with its partners, has officially opened the Koon's Town Primary Health Care Clinic in Todee District, rural Montserrado County. The event brought together key representatives of stakeholder institutions and individuals, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the French Development Agency, the Government of France, Action Against Hunger, community leaders, religious leaders, traditional midwives, community dwellers, among others. Speaking at the ceremony, Dr. Louise M. Kpoto, Minister of Health, applauded development partners, especially the Government of France, Action Against Hunger, and the French Development Agency, for their continued support to Liberia's health sector. "On behalf of the President and the people of Liberia, particularly the Ministry of Health and the people of Koon's Town, I would like to express our profound thanks and appreciation to the Government and people of France, the French Development Agency, and Action Against Hunger for their important investment in healthcare. I also want to appreciate the healthcare workers here who are doing extremely well for the various communities here," Dr. Kpoto lauded. The Minister affirmed the government's commitment to ensuring that Koon's Town Clinic has its own ambulance following the procurement of 15 ambulances, which she said is underway. The Ambassador of France to Liberia, Mrs. Isabelle Le Guellec, who spoke on behalf of the French government, stated that the facility is a "concrete expression of France's commitment to supporting the Government of Liberia in strengthening its national health system." "France and its partners have supported the construction and equipping of the facility; it is now time to hand it over to the Government of Liberia, the Ministry of Health, and the County Health Team. The sustainability of this investment is in your hands. The continued commitment of national and local authorities, health workers, and also the communities that this clinic will serve will be essential to ensuring that it remains a place of quality care for many years to come," she noted. Describing the gathering as a shared vision for better health outcomes for the people of Koon's Town and surrounding communities, Mr. Sukhdev Sharma, Country Director of Action Against Hunger, expressed profound gratitude to the Government of Liberia, especially the Minister of Health, whose leadership he said was instrumental to the journey. "Today, African Newspage is celebrating a shared vision for better health, dignity, and hope for the people of Koon's Town and the surrounding communities. This clinic stands as a clear example of what can be achieved if government institutions, development partners, health workers, local leaders, and communities come together with a common purpose. "I wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to the French Development Agency for the generous support and continued partnership with Liberia, and also a heartfelt appreciation to the Ministry of Health, under the distinguished leadership of the Minister, Dr. Louise M. Kpoto, whose guidance has been very instrumental to this journey," Mr. Sharma stated. "This Koon's Town Clinic reflects a strong collaboration between the Government of Liberia, the Government of France, the French Development Agency, Action Against Hunger, County Authorities, and, most importantly, the people of Koon's Town community," he added. Other participating stakeholder institutions, including WHO, thanked the Ministry of Health, the Government of France, the French Development Agency, Action Against Hunger, County Authorities, and all healthcare workers for their intervention, which they described as a success. They also reaffirmed their commitment to working with the Ministry to ensure that Liberians continue to receive quality healthcare. Before its construction by Action Against Hunger, in partnership with the Government of France and the French Development Agency under the BEHOL Project, the existing health facility had significantly deteriorated and no longer met the minimum standards for structural integrity or safe service delivery. The facility's condition posed serious risks to both patients and staff, limiting its functionality and undermining the quality of care. Given these challenges, the Minister of Health and her senior management team, along with their partners, conducted a comprehensive assessment and recommended the construction of a new Level 2 Primary Health Care (PHC) building to replace the outdated structure. The intervention was essential to restore safe, reliable, and accessible services to the community. Koon's Town Clinic is a Primary Health Care-1 clinic located in rural Montserrado County, Todee District. The facility was built in 2008 by the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment as an emergency structure to serve the people of Koon's Town due to the need for a clinic in the community. The facility has 64 catchment communities, with 10 communities within a 5-kilometer radius and 54 communities beyond a 5-kilometer radius, serving a catchment population of 6,970 people. The clinic also provides Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health services, including labor and delivery, immunization, HIV/AIDS counseling and testing, especially for pregnant women, mental health services, and nutrition counseling. The newly constructed clinic is well equipped with all necessary systems, including a 17.6 kW solar system installed to supply electricity, a new waste management system, and new medical equipment and furniture for essential and critical areas of health service delivery, including the Maternal and Child Health Unit Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Health, Republic of Liberia. Post Views: 2

"Pharma Box"... among the most prominent "ideas that change the world" The idea of "Pharma Box" is based on converting shipping containers into independent pharmacies powered by solar energy... A truck for "Pharma Box". "Pharma Box", developed by the CMA CGM Foundation in collaboration with "Action Against Hunger", has been classified among the most promising innovations for 2026 to address major global challenges, as part of the World Changing Ideas Awards awarded by "Fast Company" magazine. The idea of "Pharma Box" relies on converting shipping containers into independent solar-powered pharmacies capable of storing essential medicines at precise temperatures, enabling care for 50,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition within one year. After being deployed in the Central African Republic, Chad, Sudan, and Madagascar, ten units of "Pharma Box" continue to expand and spread across various parts of Africa. "Pharma Box" was also equipped in Lebanon during the first quarter of the year in collaboration with Caritas Lebanon, aiming to respond to the needs of displaced persons. The idea was born from a common reality: the lack of reliable infrastructure in many areas experiencing humanitarian crises threatens the safe storage of medicines and limits access to treatments for the most vulnerable groups. "Pharma Box" is distinguished by its complete autonomy thanks to solar power, ease of transport, and rapid deployment, as well as ensuring a safe cold chain even in the most remote areas or those lacking reliable electricity supplies. Each container enables care for up to 50,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition within one year, ensuring the availability and quality of treatments close to the areas most in need.

From warnings to action: Can the Horn of Africa finally stay ahead of climate disasters? Every rainy season in the Greater Horn of Africa tells an almost familiar story, with meteorologists forecasting heavier-than-normal rains or warning of an impending drought months in advance. Governments issue advisories alongside humanitarian agencies monitoring conditions. Yet, by the time assistance reaches affected communities, livestock have already died, crops have failed, families have been displaced, and emergency appeals are once again underway. For decades, the region has excelled at predicting disasters, but struggled to act on those predictions quickly enough. Now, a new regional initiative is seeking to change that equation. Action Against Hunger (ACF), in partnership with the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC), has launched the Institutionalising Interoperable Multi-Hazard Anticipatory Action (IMPAACT) project, a two-year programme co-funded by the European Commission's Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO). Atmospheric Science The project will directly support 243,801 vulnerable people across Ethiopia, Somalia and Djibouti, targeting communities facing overlapping threats from climate extremes, conflict and displacement. The Greater Horn of Africa is among the world's most climate-exposed regions. Recurrent droughts, devastating floods, conflict and food insecurity increasingly occur simultaneously, creating complex humanitarian emergencies that stretch governments and aid agencies alike. In recent years, climate forecasting across the region has improved considerably. Institutions such as ICPAC now provide increasingly accurate seasonal and weekly climate outlooks, giving governments and humanitarian organisations valuable lead time before hazards unfold. The challenge, however, has rarely been predicting disasters. It has been transforming those forecasts into coordinated action. Humanitarian responses often depend on lengthy funding approvals, fragmented institutional arrangements and reactive emergency systems that mobilise only after livelihoods have already been lost. IMPAACT seeks to close that gap by strengthening existing government-led preparedness structures rather than creating parallel systems, connecting regional climate science with national and local decision-making. The programme will focus on four key areas: strengthening regional anticipatory action frameworks; improving preparedness in conflict-affected cross-border areas between Ethiopia and Somalia; enhancing urban disaster preparedness in Djibouti; and establishing a rapid-onset crisis mechanism capable of delivering initial assistance within 48 hours once predefined risk thresholds are reached. For humanitarian organisations, that shift represents more than operational efficiency; it signals a fundamental change in philosophy. "This project represents a fundamental shift in how we confront humanitarian crises in the region, moving from reactive response to proactive protection," said Rotimy Djossaya, Chief Impact Officer at Action Against Hunger. "By bridging the gap between early warning data and swift, coordinated action, this initiative will allow us to reach the region's most vulnerable people before disaster strikes." He added that resilience depends not only on surviving emergencies but on building institutions capable of preventing predictable shocks from becoming humanitarian catastrophes. At the regional level, ICPAC will play a central coordinating role, ensuring consistency across Ethiopia, Somalia and Djibouti while validating cross-border trigger mechanisms and integrating the programme into existing regional coordination platforms. According to ICPAC Director Dr Abdi Fidar, anticipatory action has become an essential component of climate resilience as climate-related hazards become more frequent and severe. "As climate extremes and humanitarian crises become more frequent and severe, investing in disaster preparedness through anticipatory action is no longer optional; it is essential," he said. He noted that the ECHO-supported partnership provides an opportunity to strengthen government ownership of anticipatory action systems while protecting lives, livelihoods, and development gains across the Horn of Africa. Geographic Reference The project also reflects a broader global shift in humanitarian thinking. Traditional disaster response has largely focused on emergency relief after crises unfold. Increasingly, governments, donors and humanitarian agencies are recognising that acting before disasters strike is not only more effective but often significantly more cost-efficient. Providing livestock feed before drought conditions worsen, distributing cash before markets collapse, reinforcing flood defences ahead of heavy rainfall or relocating vulnerable households before flooding occurs can dramatically reduce both humanitarian suffering and recovery costs. Such approaches rely on trusted early warning systems, clear trigger mechanisms, pre-arranged financing and strong institutional coordination, all elements that IMPAACT aims to strengthen. Over the next two years, the programme will reach 86,261 people in Ethiopia, 105,332 in Somalia and 52,208 in Djibouti, with particular attention to pastoralists, displaced populations and vulnerable urban communities. Protection, conflict sensitivity, environmental sustainability and social inclusion have been embedded throughout the project's design, reflecting the increasingly interconnected nature of climate risks in the Horn of Africa. For a region where climate forecasts have often accurately predicted disasters that nonetheless became humanitarian emergencies, the success of IMPAACT may ultimately be measured by something remarkably simple: whether the next warning leads to action before lives and livelihoods are lost. If successful, it could help redefine disaster management in the Horn of Africa, not by improving forecasts, but by ensuring those forecasts finally trigger timely, coordinated action where it matters most. About kwabe benjy. Seeker. Inspire AFRIKA.