Peace Corps Polyglot

Round 2 of the Africa Rural Connect Competion Comes to a Close

At noon EST on September 15th, Round 2 of the Africa Rural Connect contest came to a close, and three round winners were awarded cash prizes to implement their plans for the development of rural Africa.

• $1,000 goes to 3rd place idea, Project Irrigation Initiative- Region Kedougou, Senegal
• $2,000 goes to the 2nd place idea: The Acceleration of Innovation
• And finally $3,000 goes to the 1st place idea: Self Supported Ghanaian Subsistent Farmers Consortium

Congratulations to our three winners! All three will be entered into the Grand Prize Pool in November, when our judges will select one project to receive $20,000 in funding.

To listen to the three winning contributors give detailed explanations of their award-winning ideas and inspiration check out the official ARC “Round 2 Winners” Update.

Want to know more about Africa Rural Connect? Listen to Project Manager, Molly Mattessich, discuss the project on a recent interview with Voice of America or check out the site yourself at www.AfricaRuralConnect.org.

Remember, Round 2 may be over, but Round 3 has just begun and will be running until October 15th. So, bring your insight, experiences, and ideas to help build viable plans towards the development of rural Africa!

Africa Rural Connect Announces First Round Winners

The National Peace Corps Association's Africa Rural Connect website announces the winners of the first contest round.  The website launched on July 15, 2009, and so far there are hundreds of ideas for Africa relating to improving communications and agricultural practices.

To learn more about these ideas and to hear Paul and Kingsley discuss them in their own words, please visit the Africa Rural Connect Updates page.

The 1st prize goes to Zittnet - Agricultural Network Centres
Cicely Brown and her team are working on using appropriate information communication technology to make information available on-site and in real-time in remote areas of Africa to make rural markets work more efficiently, driving greater economic value from agricultural activities.

2nd prize goes to Solar Energy Revolution in West Africa
Paul Munroe and his business partner want to start a solar power energy revolution across West Africa.  They are developing ways to use solar electricity to improve health and educational resources in Benin, Mali and Sierra Leone.

And the 3rd Prize goes to Soymilk production expansion in Ghana
This project was brought to Africa Rural Connect by an RPCV, Kate Schachter, who contacted her villagers in Ghana and told them to be involved in the website.  Kingsley Plockey and his wife have been working hard to produce soy milk and soy ice cream and posted their idea to expand soymilk production in order to increase access and availability of a high-protein dietary substitute for Ghanaians. 

NPCA built this website to hear from you – all Peace Corps Volunteers, Africans, and anyone else who has lived in Africa – so that we can collaborate and develop creative plans. 

The website will continue to live on after the contest ends – but now is a great time to collaborate with others to help an idea win a prize.  Who knows?  The more ideas you post, the better your chances are to win!  If you don’t think that you have an idea, maybe you have something to offer someone else’s. 

There are 3 more rounds in this contest and the Grand Prize winner will get $20,000 to help implement the winning plan.  The best ideas may come from a farmer that you know.  As many people as possible can contribute to a winning idea to make it better.  Go for it make a comment or improve an idea.  We all just want to develop creative ideas for Africa.

Africa Rural Connect is finally here!

The NPCA’s Africa Rural Connect (ARC) online work-collaborative space for development ideas for rural Africa launches tomorrow, Wednesday, July 15^th!

This is no small feat; in fact it has taken the combined efforts of the NPCA staff and an untold number of advisors, developers, designers, assistants, interns, strategists, moderators and many other helping hands. After months of labor, hours and hours of meetings, and literally 40 days and 40 nights of Web development, our ARC is at last being launched (pun intended).

What’s even better is that with the help of all of these individuals we have taken the simple concept of an online idea-sharing space and in a short time turned it into a full-blown high-tech online community, soon to be home to thousands of likeminded people, looking to share their own innovative ideas and similarly turn them into real-life, applicable, practical initiatives. So, even before the ARC website goes live, we already know one thing for sure: collaboration works, and it works well.

A special thanks to all those who were involved in the creation of ARC, and we hope to see everyone on July 15 www.AfricaRuralConnect.org, where you can post your ideas, comment and build on others’ ideas, or vote on which ideas you think have the most potential as implementable projects. Remember, the success of this network depends on YOU.  Your connections, your input, and your help to get out the message to anyone and everyone who should be involved.

Part of the Africa Rural Connect team: Nick Whitmoyer (Whitmoyer), Rory Kelly (Wegora), Molly Mattessich (NPCA), Ernesto Gluecksmann (Infamia)

"I Bring What I Love" Opening In Los Angeles with Director Q&A

In June the new Youssou N'Dour documentary,"Youssou N'Dour I Bring What I Love," opened on three screens in New York City--and was even held over.  (That's Youssou (center) and the  director, Chai (far right), with some New York-area RPCVs.) Now the film is coming to the West Coast!

The film Opens Friday, July 3 in Los Angeles and Orange County.  Director/Producer Chai Vasarhelyi will appear in person for Q&A on Opening Weekend!

Here's the schedule: 

Director/Producer CHAI VASARHELYI at Laemmle's Sunset 5 for Q&A on Opening Weekend
• Fri, July 3 following the 7:00 show; will intro the 9:45 show.
• Sat, July 4 following the 7:00 show; will intro the 9:45 show.
• Sun, July 5 following the 4:10 matinee.

Film opens on Friday, July 3 (for minimum of one week) in Los Angeles and Orange County:

LAEMMLE'S SUNSET 5
8000 Sunset Blvd. • West Hollywood, CA   90046
323-848-3500 • www.laemmle.com
Showtimes July 3-July 9:   1:30, 4:10, 7:00, 9:45
Tickets On Sale:   $10.00 (General), $8.50 (Students w/ID), $7.00 (Seniors 62+/Children under 12)
Group Rate: $8.50 (Fri-Sat)/$6.00(Sun-Thur) for 25 or more, details at http://www.laemmle.com/group_sales.php

EDWARDS UNIVERSITY TOWN CENTER 6
4245 Campus Drive • Irvine, CA   92612
949-854-8818 • www.regmovies.com
Showtimes and Tickets available on Monday, June 29

YOUSSOU N'DOUR: I BRING WHAT I LOVE has won multiple awards worldwide including the Circle Audience Award - Film Fest DC, Impact of Music Award - Nashville Film Festival, Special Jury Prize - Middle East International Film Festival, Audience Award and Spirit of Freedom Award - Bahamas International Film Festival.

What have the critics said?

"A singer with a voice so extraordinary that the history of Africa seems locked inside it." - Rolling Stone

"A stirring story of an artist and a hero." - NBC/Reel Talk

"A beautiful meditation on faith, Islam and music." - The Huffington Post

YOUSSOU N'DOUR: I BRING WHAT I LOVE, is a music-infused cinematic journey about the power of one man's voice to inspire change. The film chronicles Africa's pop sensation Youssou N'dour, a devout Muslim, as he releases a deeply personal and religious album called Egypt in the hope of promoting a tolerant face of Islam. While the record received international acclaim and a Grammy, it was denounced as blasphemy in his native Senegal. Director Chai Vasarhelyi followed Youssou N'dour for over two years - filming in Africa, Europe, and America - to tell the story of how he faced these challenges and eventually won over audiences both at home and abroad.

For more information about NPCA's partnership with the film, click here.

For more information about the film contact Karen O'Hara at karenoh@aol.com or 520-326-0813.  

"I Bring What I Love" Opening in New York

NPCA recently announced its partnership with Shadow Distribution around the documentary film "I Bring What I Love," a portrait of Senegalese musician Youssou N'Dour.  Here's a report of how the film's opening went in last weekend:

Hi Anne, Erica and Molly,

YOUSSOU N'DOUR: I BRING WHAT I LOVE had a fabulous opening weekend in New York City.   It is being held over by The Paris and BAM Rose Cinemas, and starts at the Village East Cinema on Friday.

The main show on opening night, June 12 at the IFC Center sold out and was very exciting.   It was attended by Janet Duncan, President, RPCVs of Greater NY, and a small group of RPCVs.   Youssou D'Nour and director Chai Vasarhelyi did a lively Q&A following the screening.  

At the Paris Theatre on Wednesday night, June 17, Amie Kabia, an RPCV who served in Madagascar and is currently a Peace Corps recruiter, introduced the film and mentioned our partnership.   She also brought Peace Corps literature for display in theater.   Her mother is from The Gambia, her father is African, and she grew up listening to Youssou's music.   A Q&A with the director followed the screening....

Major cities coming up that we need your support with include Los Angeles (7/3), Santa Barbara (7/17), Santa Fe (7/24), Atlanta (7/31), Austin (8/14), Dallas (8/21), Houston (8/28), San Diego (9/4).   We don't have a Washington DC date yet but will soon....  

Onward!

Best,
Karen

NPCA Partnering to Promote Youssou N'Dour Documentary

The National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) and independent film distributor Shadow Distribution are partnering in a national program to promote the theatrical release of the new feature-length documentary, Youssou N'Dour: I Bring What I Love and its message of peace, understanding and tolerance for other countries, cultures and religions. Directed by Chai Vasarhelyi, the award-winning film is a portrait of Africa's world-renowned singer Youssou N'Dour and his musical journey to inspire change.

Through NPCA's national network of member groups, Returned Peace Corps Volunteers will be invited to host screenings and lead post-screening discussions on the issues raised by the film. The film and associated events will be promoted to the NPCA's network and on the NPCA website at www.PeaceCorpsConnect.org; NPCA will be one of the organizations featured on the "Get Involved" section of the film's website, www.IBringWhatILove.com, bringing attention to the Peace Corps community.

"We look forward to engaging our community around the film to further the 'Third Goal' of Peace Corps: 'to promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans,'" says NPCA President Kevin Quigley. "We are very excited about this opportunity for collaboration. It's a natural fit."

Next month the NPCA is launching an innovative online project, Africa Rural Connect, which encourages collaboration among African people and the Peace Corps community to share their best ideas for development in Africa.

"I am grateful to the National Peace Corps Association for embracing the film's message of a 'hopeful Africa.' It is extremely rare that a film like ours is made which does not focus on African AIDS, war and poverty. This initiative will help spread our positive message to as wide an audience as possible. This partnership is very much in the spirit of the film and Youssou N'Dour's goal to bring diverse communities together and to enrich their understanding of each other through music," says Vasarhelyi.

Shadow will launch the film's national release on June 12, 2009 in New York City at the Paris Theatre, IFC Center and BAM Rose Cinemas and at Laemmle Theatres in Los Angeles on July 3, 2009. It will open in theaters in over 25 cities throughout the summer. 

Read the NPCA press release here.

Here's the same thing, but in a fancier format, through PRWeb.

Meet Lissan!

Lissan Anfune is our newest colleague here at the National Peace Corps Association. She is working as a short term Project Assistant in juncture with Molly Mattessich on the Africa Rural Connect project. Lissan is a recent graduate of Tufts University with a B.A. in International Relations in addition to receiving a minor in Africa in the New World. Lissan’s final project upon completing her minor was a published articled entitled, “Incorporating Ethiopia’s Diaspora Returnees into Ethiopia’s Development.”

Lissan’s minor developed into a great interest for the vast potential of the African Diaspora in Africa’s development. In the past she has worked at various NGOs and government institutions that focused on African development, and her passion for the Diaspora is what led her to NPCA and ARC.

“We are glad to have Lissan on board,” said Molly Mattessich, Africa Rural Connect Project Manager. “Her experience with online communities and the African Diaspora lend themselves well to the ARC initiative.”

Lissan is excited to be a part of such an innovative project at the NPCA, both as a member of the African Diaspora and an individual who has respect for the unique insights and experience that Peace Corps volunteers can bring to the table.

“I have confidence in the kind of positive impact that this joint effort will have on how we look at development in Africa,” she said.

Lissan is, of course, currently applying to the Peace Corps and looks forward to the experiences she will gain if accepted into the program. Lissan spent a semester abroad studying in Accra, Ghana contributing to her love for travel. Lissan speaks Amharic, an Ethiopian language and is currently living in Maryland.