Peace Corps Polyglot

National Peace Corps Association Wins Interactive Media Award™ for Africa Rural Connect Project

 We are excited to announce that Africa Rural Connect (ARC), an online project launched last summer by the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA), has received this year’s Interactive Media Award™ (IMA) for Outstanding Achievement under the category "agriculture." This is the second highest honor bestowed by IMA.

“We are thrilled to be recognized for the planning and execution of a very creative online community,” saya Molly Mattessich, NPCA's Manager of Online Initiatives. “We hope this recognition will draw even more people to the site to submit their ideas and engage in a discussion on how to help rural Africa.”

Now in its second year, ARC is an online community hosted by NPCA that encourages the remixing of ideas to spur collaboration and develop new ways to help solve rural Africa's greatest challenges. The site is powered by an innovative software program called Wegora, which allows users to read and remix each other's ideas at a press of a button.

The IMAs are issued by the Interactive Media Council and recognize the highest standards of excellence in Web site design and development. Judges evaluate each Web site on five different criteria including design, content, feature functionality, standards compliance and usability and those that receive the highest scores are considered for an award. 

“Africa Rural Connect is a growing online community that’s already generated hundreds of innovative ideas to help address rural issues facing farmers like food insecurity and lack of water resources,” adds Mattessich.”Receiving an award like this from leading professionals in the industry is a testimony to our commitment to bring together returned volunteers, the African diaspora and anyone who has lived and worked in Africa to come together and share their knowledge and ideas.”

NPCA Visits Africa Rural Connect Winner in Nanyuki, Kenya

NPCA staff member Molly Mattessich, manager of our Peace Corps Connect website and Africa Rural Connect Project, recently traveled to Kenya to present the $20,000 Africa Rural Connect grand prize to Jacky Foo and to make a presentation on Africa Rural Connect at Africa Gathering, a conference which brings together people interested in technology and development in Africa. You can read earlier blog posts about her visit to the Peace Corps Kenya office here, the ARC press conference here.

First, there was the singing. We could see the women dressed all in matching outfits dancing down the road, and Ernesto asked me from the car, “Is this for us?” Indeed, we were greeted by a great company of women impacted by the Africa Rural Connect project prize. We stepped out of the car and enthusiastically said hello to the women, who in their own language showed us that they were very very happy to see us.

So began our day in Nanyuki, Kenya, where we had the opportunity to visit the project site of the first prize winner of the Third Round.  Upon arriving at the school, we were greeted by Macheru Karuku and the school's Principal who gave us a tour of the Gakawa secondary school and told us some of the background of the project.

Then, we watched a bike show given by all of the school kids who had received bikes from One Dollar for Life.  Macheru gave us a tour of the garden project that they had built with the ARC prize money in cooperation with Seanet Organization, and described how before the award, there had been no community garden on the hill.  Now, kale and spinach were growing well despite it not being the rainy season due to the irrigation water jug and system set up to water the plants when they needed it.  We learned how the project was initiated and why it was important to this community, and how they planned to expand it.

During a short ceremony during which we heard moving speeches from the administrators of the project and the school, we had a ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate the project.  What an honor! 

This project was a wonderful example of Africa Rural Connect in action – we hope to stay in touch with those people that we met in Nanyuki and also take time to follow up with and meet others who have posted ideas on the Africa Rural Connect website.  We encourage you to keep posting ideas so that everyone can continue making connections across continents to share ideas about what’s working for rural agricultural communities in Africa.

 

Macheru introduces me to the Principle of the school and together we plant a tree at the Commemoration Ceremony

Macheru and I sit in his office after finishing the planting of the African Olive Tree

 

Ernesto and I with students, collaborators, women's group members, and others in the community in front of the water tank that supplies the drip irrigation system

 

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 Molly Mattessich, ARC Project Manager, visited the Gakawa Secondary School site in Kenya with Ernesto Gluecksmann, an ARC web developer from Infamia, on December 19, 2009.

NPCA Press Conference in Nairobi

On the Friday before Christmas, the National Peace Corps Association held a press conference in Nairobi, Kenya to announce formally the winner of the Africa Rural Connect $20,000 Grand Prize. Present along with me were the Prize Winner himself, Jacky Foo, who flew there from Sweden, and Ernesto Gluecksmann, who has helped to build the Africa Rural Connect (ARC) website for NPCA. We invited press from all over the city and 25 of them attended to hear about the winner and ARC’s online community for African agricultural development.

Ernesto and I first spoke about the goals of the website, the technology behind it and how we spent the last 9 months building it and trying to reach out to as many relevant groups as possible to be involved. Then, Jacky spoke about his winning project idea.  His project is located in Meru, a village only a 4-hour drive outside of Nairobi and some of the project leaders from the sisters of Nazareth were able to attend the conference. I was delighted to meet Jacky in person and hear about his experience on the ARC website, and also to meet the sisters who are helping to put his plan into action. Many of the reporters had questions about his idea and how it could be replicated in other villages.

Later that day, we had dinner with Crystal Kigoni, an American woman who works with Voices of Africa.  Crystal’s mission is to put a solar-powered internet kiosk in every rural village in Kenya.  For a setup cost of $4,000-$5,000, hundreds of people can have access to the internet, which would provide monumental communications and educational opportunities for them.  We think that it would be a great way for people in rural areas to post their ideas on Africa Rural Connect, too.

 

NPCA Visits Nairobi

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.

Molly Mattessich

 (Mali 2002-2004)

Africa Rural Connect Announces Grand Prize Winner of Ideas Contest to Strengthen Rural Agriculture

The National Peace Corps Association is proud to announce that "The Ndekero Challenge: A Systems Approach for Rabbit Keeping by a Rural Community in Partnership with a Commercial Rabbit Farm" is the Grand Prize winning idea of the Africa Rural Connect 2009 Contest. [Click here for NPCA press release.]

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.

 

NPCA Spreads the Word About Africa Rural Connect

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.

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.