PAX PROJECT: CYCLE 3: YEAR 2007 - 2010

Project Goal

To demystify the practice of Traditional African Medicine by exploring the multi-faceted dynamism of healing in Africa and promote its rational use through research, documentation and information technology. To strengthen Africans’ participative capacity in integrated medical practice towards the attainment of better health for all and wealth creation.

Objectives Of The Project

1. To increase the capacity of Africans to engage in Traditional herbal practice.
2. To increase the income generating capacity of Traditional African Medicine practitioners.
3. To modernise, rationalise and globalise the use of Traditional African Medicine.
4. To increase the capacity of communities/organisations in scientific identification and conservation of African medicinal plants.
5. To increase integrative network capacity of orthodox/traditional medical practitioners for better healthcare services in Nigeria.
6. To increase linkage capacity among orthodox/traditional medical practitioners for legislative advocacy.
7. To increase Africans’ awareness of the development and utilization of African medicinal plants.
8. To increase the capacity of Africans on health-related environmental issues.
9. To demonstrate the capacity of Traditional African Medicine as an instrument of wealth distribution in Africa.

Activities To Be Conducted During The Period

1. Automation of drug production system to increase output.
2. Construction of an animal house for clinical trials.
3. Affiliation with Universities for diploma, undergraduate and graduate degree courses in Natural medicine.
4. Soft loan facilities (microfinance scheme) to herbal medicine practitioners.
5. Further equipping of our virology laboratory.
6. Procurement of Cyflow and PCR machines to aid clinical trials of PAX herbal anti-retroviral medicines.
7. Exchange programmes with relevant government agencies and parastatals.
8. Establishment of community herbal cultivation and propagation farms.
9. Training of Trainers’ (TOT) workshop
10. Regional seminars and workshops.
11. Organisation of consultative forums.
12. Institutional networks (Tertiary institutions and herbal centers)
13. Organisational capacity building.
14. Advocacy visits to government and its agencies.
15. Re-orientation programmes using the print and electronic media.
16. Publications of Information Education and Communication (IEC) materials.
17. Workshops for rural dwellers
18. Environmental education campaign [Climate change, ecology, green revolution, etc].
19. Mass cultivation and preservation of common and rare species of medicinal plants in each state of Nigeria.
20. Health education through seminars, workshops and symposia
21. Quarterly publication of PAX HERBAL MAGAZINE for the promotion of Herbal Medicine Research.
22. Setting up of a centre of relevant technology for capacity building of active Nigerians to encourage innovations especially in the area of Agriculture.
23. Setting up of pharmacovigilance centres in Lagos and Edo states.
24. Improve rural primary healthcare system in Nigeria.

Beneficiaries

At the end of the project cycle 3, a total of six hundred (600) traditional and orthodox medical practitioners (ratio 6:1) would have graduated from the Herbal institute as direct beneficiaries while over 2 million Nigerians will be expected to have benefited indirectly from the project. Over 700 distributors would have been registered, the number of staff increased to 300, and Primary health care in 100 rural communities would have been improved. Also, over 20 hectares of herbal farmland would have been cultivated. Selection of beneficiaries will be based on membership and participation with reference to their performance within their professional group. The project shall be gender sensitive. The percentage of gender shall be vigorously pursued during the project cycle.

SCORE CARD: 50% of the activities of circle 3 has been completed.

Limitations:

1. Limited equipment for plant analysis.
2. Inability to purchase enough land for mass cultivation of Medicinal Plants.
3. Production system not fully automated.
4. Funds/insfrastructure for the training of Traditional Medicine practitioners.
5. Need of borehole to ensure regular water supply.
6. Insufficient funds for staff training/visits to established herbal industries and attend international conferences/workshops outside Nigeria for knowledge aquisition and capacity building.
7. Insufficient funds to pay salaries of research scientists.

PAX PROJECT CIRCLE 4: 2010 - 2014

Activities

1. Purchase 400 hectares of farmland each in six geographical zones of Nigeria for mass cultivation of rare medicinal plants.
2. Training and recruitment of 30 agriculture officers in six geographical zones of Nigeria to serve as farm supervisors.
3. Complete automation of production system using solar energy as model of ‘green revolution’ in Africa.
4. Quarterly workshops on climate change and human health in three geographical zones of Nigeria.
5. Construction of a herbarium of rare species of African plants.
6. Construction of pharmacovigilance centres in Lagos and Edo States.
7. Capacity training for research scientists through international conferences/seminars/workshops.
8. Upgrading of existing infrastructure.
9. Completion of animal house for clinical trials.
10. Capacity Training for traditional birth attendants.
11. PROJECT BITTER-LEAF: Mass cultivation of vernonia amigdalina [bitter leaf] on a 400- hectare farmland
12. PAX ENGINEERING VENTURES: Project to encourage local innovation in developing indigenous technology to power agriculture and herbal medicine production.
13. Regular primary health care services in rural communities in association with medical practitioners.
14. Clinical trials of PAX herbal anti-retroviral medicine.
15. MUSIC THERAPY. Construction of a museum of music: A project to collect, preserve and document thousands of ancient traditional musical instruments, many of which are already extinct, for future generations.

PROJECT DIRECTOR: FR. ANSELM ADODO, OSB This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . 08037228846