Enjoy catching up with what is happening in ICAs across the globe.....If you wish to SEND a report...send to your ICA contact person OR...go to the members section on the ICAI website

Weekending: Saturday 2007 11 24

AUSTRALIA:

Location: Australia

A new federal Labour Government gives us hope for a whole range of social justice issues, and some common sense in the future of Australia.

The ICA annual Regional gathering is currently being held, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, with 6 ICAs represented, as well as ICAI staff. We have Mohan, Richard and Maria in Bangladesh for this Asian Regional training and planning gathering. 

Following a number of teaching trips by various ICAA members, to Timor Leste, over several years, and Carol Borovic living there for 4 of those years, finally comes the time for moving on, due to Carol's health. Carol and David are visiting, handing over some of the links and exploring new opportunities in Timor Leste.

John Hutchinson
          rjhutchinson@optusnet.com.au

BANGLADESH:

Location: Dhaka

Larry and Evelyn arrived in Dhaka  today on 25 November and ToP training starts tomorrow at the Pacific Inn. ICDDRB, BOU, HFW, Chevron Bangladesh, DCH and ICA are attending in the course.

Maria and Richard Maguire arrived in Chittagong today and having 4 day stay in Chittagong will be coming to Dhaka and attend the regional gathering. They will be helping us for a month. Both couple are staying at Nicolien's house. We are really having so learningful days.

Aziz
          marahman1976@yahoo.co

ICA ASSOCIATES INC. (Canada)

Location: Canada

John Miller returned from 2 weeks in Vancouver. He spent the week after teaching at the C2D2 conference, in which he led a workshop and taught a one day Group Facilitation course. He is currently working with the United Way in Kitchner Waterloo.

Jo Nelson is consulting with Regina Public Schools in a major public consultation project related to school closure and other controversial topics.

Duncan Holmes continues working with a new church - a merger involving 2 churches in the neighbourhood near our last office.

We are quite excited and encouraged to find our Community Development course in high demand. We have divided it into modules and are using it in a number of different training settings.

Bill Staples and Jo Nelson have developed a draft of a new  training program that addresses the competencies people need to master to be certified by IAF - the Certified Professional Facilitator designation.   With a few changes and additions, we will have a training program that addresses all the competencies for ICA's Certifire ToP Facilitator designation.

Wayne Nelson
          wnelson@ica-associates.ca

JAPAN:

Location: Japan

CELEBRATION OF MARRIAGE


We had three grand days of celebrations upon the occasion of Naomi and Edwin's wedding and reception, with three generations of family gathered and lots of Naomi's life long friends.

2008 CONFERENCE

Mayors of two cities, Atami and Numazu, wholeheartedly invited the 2008 conference to their cities, 4 companies and UNDP were visited, with prospects for funding, corporate displays, technology experts, and attendees, and speakers being offered by each one visited.

A Japanese and an English registration system were reviewed, and many options are being considered.

ICA STAFF           staff@icajapan.org

NEPAL:

Location: Nepal

This week we completed 'Leadership and Management Training' in Nepalgunj, West Nepal. There were 30 participatns from three different health facilities. We also conducted a one day follow up training for the previous participants.

On Friday, we started the second PCDT course in which we have 16 participants. On the first day Sarah Farina from ICA I and Chris and Hanako from USA presented about ICAI and global development issues. The course will be continued for three months.

On Saturday, we conducted a health camp in Changunarayan in which more than 250 persons came for check up. There were 8 doctors with different expertise.

On Saturday we also received few participants who will be attending a three day long trianing on forest and indigenous communities issues. There will be about 30 participants in the three day long training commencing tomorrow.

         Larger Pictures

Tatwa P. Timsina           ica@icanep.wlink.com.np

PERU:

Location: Chincha Alta Earthquake Relief

With less than 200 houses left to build, the 60 community promoters have restructured themselves to assist the last sectors to complete the construction of all 1650 houses in the Chincha Alta earthquake reconstruction project.  Workdays are now being organized in each of the 30 sectors to complete the cleanup from the earthquake and start a process of beautification in preparation for the Grand Community Fiesta on 22 December.  Meanwhile a collection is being taken from each of the families receiving a home to pay for the surgery of one promoter who seriously broke her arm while delivering materials. This level of community care simply did not exist before the Project awakened a new leadership dynamic in the community and equipped them with the simple tools for community care.  One promoter expressed their feeling this week by saying that maybe the needed another earthquake soon to further advance the development of their community unity!

Staff
          admin@ica-peru.org

ITERLENG ICA South Africa:

Location: Braamfontein

A Board meeting was held on the 20th of November, 2007 at Itereleng Offices.

As part of Staff Development, an In-house training on Fundraising was held at Itereleng Offices on the 23rd of November 2007. The training was conducted by Mr. Louis Kubheka a Volunteer and Fundraising Manager of Voux International.

Fisser has started working on the 2007 Annual Report. Muzi and Shimmy are currently preparing for our forthcoming Staff retreat and Strategic Planning meeting which is due to be held in December, 2007.

Fisser Mpuka           icatrainings@telkomsa.net

ICAI:

Location: Montréal

The secretariat team welcomed Nelson Stover, Ruth Gilbert and Janet Sanders from the international board on Monday and Tuesday. We enjoyed two long days of interesting and fruitful exchange focusing on the needs of the board and the secretariat, and on the 2008 workplans.  Sharing a meal and lively discussion in a French restaurant in historic Montréal was a definite highlight.

Sarah Farina left the snow and cold of Montréal for Nepal, where she will visit with colleagues from ICA Nepal before moving on to the Asian Regional Directors Meeting in Bangladesh.

Michael prepared and circulated a revised draft report of the African Regional Directors Meeting held earlier in the month and worked on proposals for conference funding. 

Katie tackled problems with our email server - which are now resolved - and continued to respond to the large volume of correspondence in response to the Working Gifts program and the World of Human Development DVD.

Sarah Millar has been receiving submissions for the January issue of Network Exchange and reminds everyone that their stories and photos are due December 1.  She managed to take a brief break from her work to celebrate American Thanksgiving with family and friends to the south.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Michael Watson           mwatson@ica-international.org