Peace Corps Connect and Africa Rural Connect (ARC) Manager, Molly
Mattessich gives us an update from Nairobi, Kenya, where she is
representing NPCA and the ARC project.
Stepping off the plane after a long ride from Washington, DC, it felt like summer - the hot wind was blowing and bats were flying overhead on the tarmac in the night; we were happy finally to arrive at Nairobi’s international airport.
Since I served in the Peace Corps in Mali, I was somewhat prepared for Nairobi, Kenya - and what a great city. The people are friendly and the food is great. I wasn’t prepared for the traffic jams, but when worst comes to worst, hey, we just get out and walk.
Today we had lunch with Ben Bellows, Group Leaders Forum Coordinator for NPCA. Ben gave us the inside scoop on expat life in Nairobi, and we discussed the technological needs of group leaders and how we can better build out the Peace Corps Connect website based on those membership and administrative needs. One of the ideas that popped up during our discussion was to organize the member groups to negotiate better rates for their respective online transactions.
Then we paid a visit to Steven Wisecarver, Country Director of Peace Corps Kenya, and told him about Africa Rural Connect, Peace Corps Connect, and NPCA’s advocacy efforts on behalf of Peace Corps. He was happy to learn about NPCA’s offer of free membership to every RPCV during their first year after COS, and of the NPCA Mentoring Program, and will make sure that those materials are included in COS packets. We chatted further about the connections between NPCA and Peace Corps and how we can improve our communication.
Steve told us all about the Kenya program and the projects that they hope to build out. It was news to us that they have a large group of deaf volunteers serving the deaf community here in Kenya, and many of those volunteers graduated from Gallaudet University, a connection to our hometown, Washington, DC.
At HQ, we witnessed a happy COS-ing volunteer receive her final signatures on papers needed for departure and, of course, a Peace Corps pin as a token of appreciation for her service.
Like every day that I remember from Peace Corps, a day in Africa can feel like a week...there is so much to do and each day feels productive. It’s great to be back on the continent, this time representing the National Peace Corps Association.
This idea will be awarded $20,000 towards implementation of the Kenya-based project. Our four judges selected this plan out of the hundreds posted on the site based on feasibility, sustainability, and local impact among other key criterion. Congratulations to Jacky Foo and all the ARC members who took part in the debates and discussions that added insight to this idea.
We would like to thank everyone who took part in Africa Rural Connect this year, browsing and posting ideas, leaving comments and taking part in discussions, as well as endorsing the ideas you support. There have been over 600 posts in less than 4 months and over 10,000 participants.
Also, we would like to invite all ARC supporters to attend Africa Gathering in Nairobi, Kenya from December 21st – 22nd 2009 which the Grand Prize winner will be attending with ARC Manager, Molly Mattessich, and ARC Web Consultant, Ernesto Gluecksmann, from Infamia. Africa Gathering is a conference which, much like ARC, provides a space where thinkers, entrepreneurs, innovators, and others interested in sustainable development in Africa can come together to share and learn about each others projects and efforts.
To learn more and find a list of speakers here. We encourage those of you who are available to attend the conference and join the discussions. Tickets can be purchased here. For those who can not attend, you can follow us on Twitter @IdeasforAfrica to stay informed of the Conference, as it happens.
Autumn is always a time of transition for me, and this October I was in a position at the National Peace Corps Association transitioning from one continent to another, from one set of ideas to another, and in conversation with different types of people, representing our special online community Africa Rural Connect.
My first stop was England. London in the autumn was a bit rainy and chilly for my tastes, but I received a warm welcome from the organizers, presenters, and attendees at Africa Gathering. I gave a presentation about Africa Rural Connect to an audience of social entrepreneurs, technologists, development workers, and Africa enthusiasts, who all appreciated the bottom-up approach that NPCA was taking to solving Africa’s rural challenges. I learned about the creative start-up efforts people with varied connections to Africa were undertaking, and it was a wonderful opportunity to hear the stories and successes of others in this space.
From London, I had a brief overnight retreat with my NPCA colleagues in the Shenandoah Mountains of Virginia, where we all were able to interact in a serene yet casual environment and discuss our visions for the upcoming year. We elaborated on our preparations for the 50th anniversary of Peace Corps, and how we would each contribute to reaching NPCA’s goals of connecting, informing, and engaging the Peace Corps community.
From the mountains of Virginia to the hills of Iowa, I jumped on a flight to celebrate the World Food Prize and attend the Borlaug Dialogue in Des Moines, Iowa, with thought leaders and decision makers from around the world. After a keynote speech by Bill Gates who announced the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s nine new grants for agricultural development, I listened to panels and speeches by current and former presidents of African countries, government ministers of agriculture, and other voices that fight poverty including Jeffery Sachs and Roger Thurow. Highlights of the World Food Prize experience included a formal ceremony at the State Capitol building with the governor, Ethiopian dancers, and singer Chachi Tadesse. World Food Prize winner, Dr. Gebisa Ejeta – who helped create drought-resistant hybrids of sorghum that have enhanced the food supply of hundreds of millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa – got up and started dancing with the band, in typical Peace Corps style. There were RPCVs among the attendees and I tried to meet as many as I could.
All of these trips gave me perspective about the efforts that both those who are working from the ground up and starting their own initiatives to impact hundreds of people, to those who are running countries that impact hundreds of millions of people, can do to improve agricultural initiatives around the world. NPCA’s role will be to provide a platform to connect these people online.
I won’t be back in DC for long. As the transition to winter arrives, so too does a fantastic opportunity to travel to Kenya where I will be presenting the Grand Prize winner of Africa Rural Connect at the Africa Gathering conference in Nairobi on December 21. You’ll be able to read more about our efforts to reach out to the African Diaspora, people in sub-Saharan Africa, and the Peace Corps Community on this and the Africa Rural Connect website. I look forward to sharing the experiences with you.
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.
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!
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.
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.
The NPCA’s Africa Rural Connect (ARC) online work-collaborative
space for development ideas for rural Africa launches tomorrow, Wednesday,
July 15th!
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.
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.
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....
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.
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.
pol•y•glot :
–adjective
1. able to speak or write several languages; multilingual.
–noun
2. a mixture or confusion of languages.
This idea will be awarded $20,000 towards implementation of the Kenya-based project. Our four judges selected this plan out of the hundreds posted on the site based on feasibility, sustainability, and local impact among other key criterion. Congratulations to Jacky Foo and all the ARC members who took part in the debates and discussions that added insight to this idea.
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