Just 5 days left to bid on one of 21 stunning original paintings to benefit the scholarship fund for the 7th Global Conference on Human Development!
AUSTRALIA: Sydney
Location: China
China's recent crackdown on protestors has impacted Chinese NGO's working in
some of the nation's poorest provinces. Any NGO's that are suspected of focusing
on human rights issues are under intense scrutiny. I spent a week meeting with
both Chinese and international NGO's, seeking potential implementation partners
for an Australian mining company that seeks to establish alternative sustainable
livelihoods for farmers impacted by the mine. While there are experienced
community development practitioners available in China, increasing numbers are
choosing to work outside the sector due to government pressures and the siren
call of higher salaries in business.
Lucy Hobgood-Brown lucy@claypartners.com
BANGLADESH:
Location: Chandpur
Tithi, Khair, Kamal and Aziz visited the ICA Ghoramara Human Development Project
site on 29 March in Chandpur. They met School Teachers Sanjida and Sajib for
making formalities necessary for recogniton of primary school. We proposed a
name for the school ICA Ghoramara Primary School.
The team also met 17 Women
under ICA Ghoramara Dressmaking Training and Income Generation Project
beneficiaries. Kamal who is appointed as instructor introduced to them. They
will be trained on dressmaking and given order for dressmaking work.
GFC
Deforestation research teams is leaving tomorrow 1st April for Shal Forest FGDs
and community workshops. They will end their case studies on 30 April hopefully
covering Valuka, Mymensignh, Sherpur, Madhupur, Tangail, Rangamati, Khagrachari,
Bandarbans, Sitakunda, Chittagong, Cox's Bazar.
Naimul admin@ica-bangladesh.or
ICA ASSOCIATES INC. (Canada)
Location: Canada
Bill Staples continues Community Development training with United Way community
leaders. He also facilitated a consumer focus group and facilitated another step
in the Ontario Min of Ag strategic planning.
Duncan Holmes taught Group
Facilitation to an inhouse group in Calgary.
John Miller did a workshop with an
Ontarion Government Information and Privacy branch.
Jo Nelson facilitated a
strategy building workshop with a group focused on eating disorders.
We fielded
several new requests for facilitation and training this week. We're finding our
time very filled these days.
Wayne's facilitation students at Sheridan College
are doing in-class facilitation. Each student creates and facilitates a practice
session with the other students as participants. As they are in a Community
Outreach and Development program, many of their chosen topics focus on critical
contemporary issues ranging from programs for teenage moms to getting a dialogue
going over abuse of girls in Muslim families. It is a very diverse group of
students with family backgrounds right around the planet and they bring their
concerns to their facilitation practice.
As another fiscal year closes, our
balance sheet is showing income substantially over expenses - very
substantially. This has been a busy year and has enabled ICA's for-profit side
to contribute significant support for the not-for-profit side of ICA. We are
pleased that this structural model is working for all of us.
Wayne Nelson wnelson@ica-associates.c
PERU:
Location: Chincha Earthquake Relief
We had a very exciting week of selecting 6 new program staff members and one new
permanent staff member to join our ICA-Peru team, and then receiving them for an
orientation and training event at our offices in Lima. They arrived on Friday
morning, spent the night in a nearby hotel, and left Saturday afternoon -- very
excited!
One of the highlights of the program was a seminar on image changes
which Robyn Hutchinson led for us, with Jesusa Aburto doing the translation.
Robyn is here from ICA-Australia to assist us with some programming and to
celebrate a turning point birthday with some great tourism in Peru. Robyn will
also be assisting us for a couple of days with the AVANZA PERU 3-week training
program which begins in our Azpitia Training Center on Sunday 6 April, and our
seven new staff members will also be participating as well.
Staff admin@ica-peru.or
ICAI:
Location: Montréal
This week the Secretariat staff have been trying to enjoy the lingering winter
here in Montreal while dreaming of Spring. We have been busy following up from a
series of exciting meetings in New York last week with AJWS, UNDP, UN Global
Compact and the FORD foundation.
Michael reported on a program he attended at the
United Nations, and shared information for how ICAs can learn more about the UN
and get more involved in UN programs.
Sarah Farina has been finalizing a
proposal for funding support for the Training Program while spending time with
family in Vancouver.
Planning for the Japan conference continues apace - planning
subcommittees dealing with Youth Participation and Scholarships have begun
meeting while other subcommittees will begin meeting in the coming weeks.
Staff info@ica-international.org
