AUSTRALIA:
Location:
Colleagues gathered at Winbourne, a Christian Brothers centre located in Mulgoa,
NSW for the mid-year retreat and meeting of ICA Australia. We arrived in Sydney
on the heels of the World Youth Day gathering with the airport and street signs
still welcoming pilgrims, and a busload of Italian pilgrims left the retreat
centre just as we gathered for our opening.
Our time included a substantial
workshop to gather our input on the 10 areas for the Japan Conference, looking at
our work with Timor Leste and with various emerging opportunities with
indigenous networks.
We also worked on ways to support ICAs in our region. We
made a visit to the Isbister familys ecologically self-sustainable home where
we were treated to lunch including homemade bread from a wood-fired stove.
Reports from various working teams included the Facilitative Leadership Programs
announcement of the successful completion of the first Australasian ToP
Certification for 6 people with another 2 near completion.
We also had a first
peek at our new ToP website which is under construction.
Elaine Richmond emr@iinet.net.au
Location: Sydney
What are the cross cultural communication challenges involved when an
Australia-China joint venture gold mine works in partnership with Buyi ethnic
minority and Han Chinese villagers who are impacted by the mine? This is just
one issue tackled by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and
Guizhou Normal University, who worked with ICA member and social development
consultant Lucy Hobgood-Brown. The research teams interviewed five levels of
government and conducted household surveys. Findings will be used to develop a
sustainable community development strategy for villagers in a county that is
designated the poorest in China.
Lucy Hobgood-Brown lucy@claypartners.com
BANGLADESH:
Location: Chandpur
Aziz and Nasrin had wedding party in Chandpur on 1 and 2 August. Body termaric
evening was on 31st July. More than 400 guests including relatives, friends and
colleagues were present on groom's events. Naimul, Shipon, Farhad, Sonia,
Junajur, Kabir, Manik from ICA attended the programs.
Manik and Aziz visted ICA
Ghoramara Human Development Project village and had meeting with community women
and men on its projects in the field of dressmaking, rickshaw, tubewell
and leadership training.
Naimul admin@ica-bangladesh.org
JAPAN:
Location: 2008 Global Conference on Human Development
We celebrate the highly successful Kickoff meeting on Saturday, August 2!
Senator Matsuda gave the opening speech, followed by a mini-ToP PSP workshop in
each of the focus topics. Even the usually quiet Japanese so eagerly
participated, creating their picture of the world today, what they really want to
achieve in the next 10 - 50 years, the obstacles they see they must overcome,
and finally, what proposals they suggest will be necessary to what must be
achieved.
Forty people participated, and some committed to recruiting groups of
5 - 10 Japanese people each. Shizuyo leaves Tuesday for Gifu with Senator
Matsuda to encourage people from Gifu and Takayama to attend, to present
performances, to volunteer, and to raise funds for this exciting participatory
conference!
You all come too! Sure!
Wayne Ellsworth staff@icajapan.or
PERU:
Location: Lima
After a couple of days off for Peruvian Independence Day this week, we had a
huge amount of activity. We've now extended the Chincha Cocinas project into
new neighborhoods as we have been able to serve more kitchens with the funds
available. Meanwhile the demonstration pre-fabricated permanent constuction
examples are being pushed ahead for the visit of the Japanese sponsors on 18
August.
This week we received notice of funding from the Hans Seidel Foundation
for the first leadership training program of 46 to be done over the next three
years, and the Director will visit our work in Chincha on Monday. And on
Friday, Carmen Ruiz began her formal work in the office with much entusiasm as
she puts into practice her wonderful training in Montréal. Thank you ICAI
Secretariat for your great assistance!
Staff admin@ica-peru.org
ICAI:
Location: Montréal
ICAIs volunteer program is growing! A new group of experienced and dedicated
volunteers have been recruited to help with preparations for the Global
Conference, including background research, promotions and recruitment. They have
already shared many insights based on their particular backgrounds and interests
and we look forward to our continued collaboration.
The website for the Global
Conference also has a few new additions, including a Join the Discussion button
on the conference home page that takes you to the Forum discussions, which are
getting quite a few hits now. Exchange ideas with people from around the world
on a range of human development issues through these easy-to-use discussion
boards.
Staff info@ica-international.org
