Can of Worms undertakes many differing projects. And core to the ethos of the company is a desire to support communities and in this case a nation. Can of Worms is currently working in Nigeria in collaboration with the Department for International Development (DFID now called UKAID), the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health and New Media Networks to consult and work with the PATHS 2 Communications and Knowledge Management teams to create and establish a unique corporate communications brand for PATHS2.

What is PATHS2? The Partnerships for Transforming Health Systems (PATHS2) is a six-year DFID-funded health system strengthening programme in Nigeria.  PATHS2 is working at national level and in four states – Enugu, Jigawa, Kano and Kaduna- and with national partners towards the overall goal of ensuring that ‘Nigeria’s own resources are efficiently and effectively used to achieve the Millenium Development Goals’.

This is the second project Can of Worms has worked on in Nigeria, having earlier worked with the BBC World Service Trust in the development of a publication to celebrate the Trust’s award-winning StoryStory radio soap opera and the Wetin Dey Television soap series which were also broadcast to help pursue the ambitions of the Millenium Development Goals in West Africa.

Eye Books which publishes books that challenge the way we see things has a number of books that address the issues faced by the people and nations of Africa. Please visit the link to ACE Africa where we shall make a contribution from the purchases of any of the books featured there to teh ACE AFrica charity.

Many of you who are fans of extreme adventure may have been watching the new series: On Thin Ice which follows Ben Fogle and James Cracknell as they prepare to take part in the 2009 Race to the South Pole. It’s cracking stuff! The challenges, the imminent dangers that such an adventure entails, and the emotional roller coaster that these two “fit” men go through in order to prepare for a most daunting task.

Tess Burrows at the South Pole issuing forth her peace messages

Of course they did not go alone, there were other teams. Teams we have yet to meet. One member of another team is our very own Eye Books author – Tess Burrows. I would like to argue that Tess is the better story in this. She is not a former Olympian, SAS trooper or TV celebrity. Tess, if she does not mind my mentioning it, has her bus pass and is a grandmother. What Tess had to accomplish in order to meet the challenge of racing to the South Pole far surpasses anything that our Ben and James had to muster. Her story demonstrates yet again what humankind is capable of physically and mentally whatever your age. Happily for Eye Books Tess is finishing up writing about her adventure – challenging the way we see things! Next time you tune in to the BBC for On Thin Ice spare a thought for Tess, and when the book is out – we’ll let you know – we expect an avalanche of sales.