AUSTRALIA:
Location: Beijing, China and Kinshasa, Congo
On August 12 China’s Non-Profit Incubator (www.npi.org.cn) hosted the first exposition of non-profit organisations. More than 100 NGO’s came together to network and showcase their initiatives in Beijing. Sydney ICA member Lucy Hobgood-Brown was blown away by the wide range of support services that is now available to Chinese, ranging from income-generating projects by artists’ cooperatives to a national domestic violence hotline and resources for the disabled. "While the Chinese government is wary of NGOs, the non-profit sector is growing and it’s wonderful to see how Chinese are proactively jump-starting all sorts of initiatives and being part of the solution to reducing poverty," Lucy says. A community development consultant who works with marginalised villagers in remote areas of Jilin, Heilongjiang and Guizhou provinces, Lucy also has ties with the Democratic Republic of Congo. While in China, she facilitated public relations plans via email and Skype for a Congolese university that was to host a Town Hall on higher education by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on August 11. "Secretary Clinton’s visit to Africa is bringing the continent desperately needed attention," Lucy notes. "I am hoping that there will be some good outcomes from her DRC visit."
Lucy Hobgood-Brown lucy@claypartners.com
ICA ASSOCIATES INC. (Canada)
Location: Canada
John Miller and Bill Staples facilitated another course in the series of strategic planning workshops with the municipality of Lake of Bays. John and Bill also taught our 5-day Community Development course. Participants included 2 staff from ICAI (Audra Rényi and Renée Hébert). Jo Nelson, Staci Kentish (ICA Canada's Youth as Facilitative Leaders coordinator) and Helen Fornier facilitated a workshop for the Ontario Ministry of Education. The participants were youth from across the province who came together to distill the results of province-wide focus groups involving youth on advice to the ministry on how to engage youth more actively in schools and educational policy. Jo also spent a day coaching a team from the York Region School Board on an accountability initiative.
Wayne Nelson wnelson@ica-associates.ca
JAPAN:
Location: ICA Asia - Japan - Kenya
ICA Japan reports that on Friday, we received the announcement of a new grant from JICA supporting a 1 year follow up project to strengthen management, agriculture, and water ponds in Isinya, a town in the southern part of Kenya.
Last week ICAs in Asia signaled unity and commitment in helping address the global conference shortfall. Every Asian ICA has contributed, or promised funds by September 2009. Richard and Maria Macguire, ICA Australia, Dick and Gail West and ICA Taiwan, Mary Anne Blair, ICA Japan, Shanhar Jadhav, ICA India, Aziz Rahman, ICA Bangladesh, Tatwa Timsina, ICA Nepal. Much thanks and appreciation to all!
In ten days, Shizuyo Sato, Edwin Wanyoike, and Naomi Sato leave for Kenya funded by two grants. One is to research the viability of constructing a Technical Vocational Institute, and the other grant is for the planting and care of 24,580 trees, both in Central Kenya. Of course, the projects are highly participatory, and are expected to involve over 1000 people.
Wayne and Shizuyo
NEPAL:
Location: Kathmandu
This week we focused our work in the Far Western region of Nepal where we have been carrying out massive community development activities with the support of MISEREOR, Germany. We conducted a series of leadership training programmes and the participants through their task forces developed a ward level strategic plan. A team from ICA Nepal is busy in that area.
Tatwa and Shalik are in Delhi, India. They are planning to attend the IAF conference in Taiwan. Hemant, Anupama and Sangita are busy on development activities targeted for Changu Narayan and the nearby villages.
Anupamal Lama ica@icanep.wlink.com.np
ICAI:
Location: Montréal
Renée and Audra attended an ICA ‘Community Development Intensive’ course in Toronto from August 10-14. The 5-day course, instructed by Bill Staples of ICA Associates, focused on facilitation methods to bring about social change and empower communities to achieve their vision through concrete action planning and implementation. Much emphasis was put on learning ICA tools and facilitation methods to assess existing community dynamics and to enable a community to set new goals and follow through with their implementation. Both Audra and Renée gained a better understanding of ICA principles and experienced participatory development in action.
Over the past week, Michael continued efforts to develop a forestry program and prepare grant applications to potential donor governments. He worked with Flora to help her get settled and oriented to the Working Gifts program and also worked with Nicolas on the International Internship program.
Lambert is in Ghana, where he is meeting with various government and natural resource sector officials to lay the groundwork for the UNFF Major Groups meeting that ICAI will be coordinating in Ghana next year.
Staff info@ica-international.org
