In This Issue:

• Creating a Better World for Children ~ Save the Date: October 19, 2006
  Lisa Ruth Shulman, Associate Executive Director, ICRI HQ
  
  
• Creating Paths to the Future for Children in Nepal
  Dhirendra Lamsal, Country Director-Nepal
  
  
• The National Children's Village of Sri Lanka
  Ken Jaffe, MA, JD, Executive Director, ICRI HQ
  
  
• Reconciliation Step by Step: Stopping Societal Patterns of Violence
  Lisa Ruth Shulman, JD, Associate Executive Director, ICRI HQ
  
  
• ICRI Zimbabwe Grass Roots Advocacy Orphan and Early Childhood Project
  Rufaro Kangai, Zimbabwe Program Director
  
  
• Travel and Awakening through Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Ghana
  Ken Jaffe, MA, JD, Executive Director, ICRI HQ
  
  
• Amidst the Chaos - Hope
  Maggie Kamau-Biruri, MPA, Country Director, ICRI-Africa, Kenya
  
  
• News Letter from ICRI- Ghana
  Hannah Odjenma Botchway, Country Director - Ghana
  
  
• Diaspora Philanthropy
  Rufaro Kangai, Zimbabwe Program Director
  
  
• The Multiethnic Education Program
  Kristen Murakoshi
  
  
• Food Service Delivery and Nutrition Program
  Maria Silvia, Director

CREATING A BETTER WORLD FOR CHILDREN ~ SAVE THE DATE: OCTOBER 19, 2006
Lisa Ruth Shulman, Associate Executive Director, ICRI HQ

Dear Friends,

There is exciting work afoot, and progress being made on behalf of children and families. Over the past three months ICRI has launched a new office in Zimbabwe; expanded our projects in Ghana and Kenya; and broken ground – literally – in Sri Lanka. As part of the International Reconciliation Working Group, I attended another of our dynamic meetings, this time in Colombia hosted by CINDE which will culminate in the first of a series of books that will be launched at the World Forum on Early Care and Education in Malaysia in May 2007.

2006 is our 25th year working to create a better world for children.  Please join us at our Gala Celebration and Fundraiser on October 19th, 2006 at Dunsmuir Garden and Estates in Oakland California. Click here for more details.

We look forward to seeing you in October.

Warm regards,
Lisa Ruth Shulman, Associate Executive Director, ICRI HQ

Join ICRI for our 25th Anniversary
Gala Celebration and Fundraiser

SAVE THE DATE!
October 19, 2006

When: Thursday, October 19, 2006; 6pm -10pm
Where: Dunsmuir Garden and Estates, Oakland, California
RSVP: Janet Massite

Minimum Benefit Donation ~ $75

Interested in Sponsorship? Would like to make a donation to ICRI?
Contact Lisa Shulman

Back to Top

CREATING PATHS TO THE FUTURE FOR CHILDREN IN NEPAL
Dhirendra Lamsal, Country Director

Local circumstances are key factors which generally determine whether or not an anticipated task can be accomplished within a certain period of time. This, however, has not been a real measuring indicator for International Child Resource Institute and its scope of work this year in Nepal. Despite the colossal political outburst which resulted into enormous uncertainties in various communities, ICRI-Nepal, in collaboration with local partners have been able to expedite our tasks to the next level. The most important work being implemented is in collaboration with Nepal Children's Organizations/Bal Mandir (NCO/Balmandir) to upgrade the Infant Care Facility. ICRI-Nepal has signed an agreement with NCO/Balmandir, one of the oldest, largest and wealthiest orphanages established in 1964 in beginning a project to install a state-of-the-art facility for infants ages 0-6 years in Kathmandu, Naxal. NCO/Bal Mandir is currently operating 12 children's homes, including 7 orphanages and serving approximately 650 children, including 450 orphans in Nepal. This project aims at upgrading the health, hygiene and sanitation of the facility, revamping the internal physical infrastructure by upgrading lighting system, furnishing baby-room outlook, installing a sanitizer, a safe drinking water system (water foot pump), cribs for babies, creating an area where children of formative ages get adequate space for physical and mental stimulation, and overhauling the conventional practices of taking care of children.

One of the most remarkable developments in this project has been an instigation of a weekly meeting of a group of "mothers" who have been taking care of the children for twenty years. Although, about 16 of the mothers have been assigned to take care of approximately 65-70 children in dormitory style spaces for the past few years, they were not "formally" meeting each other to share their ideas and experiences, discuss their issues and problems, and be involved in the planning and management of chores. Now the mothers are meeting on a weekly basis and they are engaged in discussing the objectives of being there in the orphanage, and are realizing their vital roles in the holistic development of a child. ICRI-Nepal has accepted the role of facilitating the program and is happy to continue this effort until the management of NCO/Balmandir becomes capable to take it over ahead in future.

The mothers of NCO/Bal Mandir who were officially designated as "Aaya" (Nanny/care taker) have now gotten the respected designation of "mother" as a result of collaborative efforts. The central executive board and the management of NCO/Bal Mandir have decided in their central board meeting to designate them as a "mother" and not as an "Aaya". The overall project results at the impact level have been categorized on three levels:

On a policy level: the concept/theory of family centric approach in an orphanage as adopted by ICRI-Nepal, has been well accepted by the central executive board of NCO/Bal Mandir;

On an Implementing level: the huge impact of this project approach is on the dignity of the mothers themselves because they now feel to be more respected and honored and feel proud of being taken care of by the management. It has helped them boost their moral and has further encouraged them to be fulfilling their roles in a responsible manner.

On an impacting level: the children themselves have now felt that they have their mother in the orphanage, it has created a situation where the children are now starting to be taught to feel the sense of "a family" in the orphanage. There are lots of other things that remain to be done in order to wholly convert the institutional care system into a family centric care approach. ICRI-Nepal is committed to continue these efforts at NCO/BM in the days to come.

ICRI-Nepal is also working in partnership with different local, national and international groups of people to create a "a family village project" to complement the above effort into a visible scale. The theory of development of a family village project is based on the idea that "it takes a village to raise a child". The family village project is a base to sensitize the community and a-wake them to take the challenge to care for the children by fulfilling their civic roles and responsibilities in raising orphans and children displaced by the armed conflict. The site for this pilot project has been the "Thecho Community" in Lalipur District of Nepal. The land has been donated by NCO/Bal Mandir, and a bridging fund has been collected by Ms. Freema Davis. Physical participation has been demonstrated by the local youth clubs, community leaders, child right activists, ECD –experts and so forth. ICRI-Nepal looks forward your tangible as well as intangible contributions, cooperation and participation to make this project a success.

The key project of ICRI-Nepal on Network for Children, Prisoners and Dependants has now come to the next level of preparing grounds for re-integration of dependant children of prisoners back to their community, in collaboration with NCPD member organizations. The psychosocial service delivery approach has had its positive impacts specifically in dealing with "juvenile delinquents". The efforts being put forth on behalf of the National Center for Learning Resources (NCLR) under ICRI-Nepal in the transformation of ECD principles into teaching-learning practices of primary and pre-primary schools of the selected areas of Kathmandu Valley, has now been in the form of scale-up as well as need for a strong commitment to spread proven success strategies in other areas of need. The recent participation of older children, ECD-teachers, school management committee members, local and non-local volunteers, youth groups in decorating ECD classrooms in Choina Primary School and Pragati School in Lalitpur demonstrates that nothing is impossible if there is interest.

The Alliance for Corporate Social Responsibility project implemented under the banner of ICRI-Nepal is also getting its momentum in mobilizing the individual business and corporations to respond to the social needs specifically for children in Nepal. ICRI-Nepal is very much optimistic to receive support from ICRI-HQ in developing this project to the next level.

For more information contact Dhirendra Lamsal, Country Director, ICRI-Nepal
GPO Box: 6743, Kathmandu, Nepal, Email: icrinepal@htp.com.np

Back to Top

THE EMERGENCE OF A NATIONAL CHILDREN'S VILLAGE IN SRI LANKA
Ken Jaffe, MA JD, Executive Director, ICRI HQ

ICRI, in collaboration with the De Alwis Memorial Children's Trust has been asked to develop a national children's village for the tsunami and war traumatized children of Sri Lanka. Located in a beautiful and peaceful area in Galle, the lush site encompasses more than two acres. The children's village will provide a state of the art facility and program for the training of teachers in work with traumatized children, early childhood education techniques, a community preschool and a home in a village like setting for children who are orphaned or displaced

The National Children's Village of Sri Lanka is now entering its most critical phase. It was my great honor to be present at the stone setting for the first buildings of the National Children's Village in March. This dramatic ceremony included Sri Lankans from all backgrounds and faiths. The initial buildings will house the National Teacher Training Center for Early Childhood Education and the care of children traumatized by war and the tsunami. The building also has the ability to house the first area for children who are orphaned and displaced and who have no relatives available to care for them. The buildings are slated for construction from May to December.

During this period, ICRI and our worldwide partners who are working on this project, are involved in developing the program curriculum, securing contacts with other agencies, and finalizing an administrative structure for the ongoing operation of the Village. While it is important to construct a state of the art Village in Sri Lanka, it is also critical that we develop an operational program which will assure continued program growth and success. ICRI supporters and friends are able to donate to the Sri Lanka project in the following manner:
The children traumatized by the tsunami and those impacted by the long and devastating civil war in Sri Lanka will be so greatly benefited by this substantive effort to bring the necessary training to Sri Lankans on children in trauma and supporting children at our site in so many ways. We look forward to keeping you informed of the exciting events at the National Children's Village in Galle, Sri Lanka. If you would like to help support the Sri Lanka project please go to our website www.icrichild.org for information on how to donate funds.

Back to Top

RECONCILIATION STEP BY STEP: STOPPING SOCIETAL PATTERNS OF VIOLENCE
Lisa Ruth Shulman, JD, Associate Executive Director

In May, members of the International Reconciliation Working Team met in Manizales, Colombia to continue our efforts advancing peace and reconciliation through early childhood education programs. Hosted by Centro Internacional de Educación y Desarrollo Humano (CINDE), the meeting group focused on the question "How can we be more effective to promote and champion these issues?"

The Working Team's answer is to create a favorable atmosphere for conflict resolution. The next step is to increase activity in local, national and international forums with the goal of advancing policies that support social inclusion and reconciliation strategies in programs that reach young children.

In May 2007 publication of the first book in a series will share strategies for inclusion and reconciliation used around the world. A special effort is being made to include children's voices and show the direct impact of conflict and exposure to reconciliation strategies in their early years on their lives. For more information about this project and the International Reconciliation Working Team, contact lisaruth@icrichild.org or bonnie@worldforumfoundation.org.

Back to Top

ICRI ZIMBABWE GRASS ROOTS ADVOCACY: SERVING ORPHANS IN ZIMBABWE
Rufaro Kangai, Zimbabwe Program Director

Zimbabwe is the epicenter of the HIV and AIDS pandemic and is experiencing some of the worst effects of HIV and AIDS in the world. The HIV prevalence rate is 24.6% in Zimbabwe and an estimated 1. 6 million orphaned children have been left behind as the AIDS virus has swept through towns and villages.  These effects include:

• Zimbabweans infected with HIV -1,820,000
• Percentage of adults ( 15-49 years ) who are living with AIDS 24.6%
• Estimated number of children ( 0 -14 years ) living with HIV and AIDS at the end of 2003 – 165,1000
• Life expectancy has fallen from 61 years to – 39 years
• Estimated number of new HIV infections during 2003 – 174,000
• Weekly estimated number of deaths due to AIDS – 3,290
• Children living on / off the streets 2, 000
  

Although efforts by government and civil society are underway to address the growing orphan crisis, financial backing of programmatic initiatives have not been made easy due to Zimbabwe's socio economic status.

After learning about the devastating effect of the AIDS virus on children and families, International Child Resource Institute (ICRI) has begun contributing to initiatives serving children. ICRI traveled to Zimbabwe during the beginning of May, to get a better insight on how to develop and implement programs that will best meet the needs of children in Zimbabwe.

The visit to Zimbabwe gave us a visual image of the plight of children in Zimbabwe especially the girl child. While meeting and conducting site visits with the Girl Child Network Trust, a community based organization in Zimbabwe, we learned that more than 10 cases of sexual abuse against young girls are reported in Zimbabwe every day. When I visited some of the girl clubs operated by the girl child network trust I could just see the trauma and the pain that some of the girls where facing, it was really heartbreaking. The Girl Child Network Trust (GCN), in additional to implementing a national child abuse prevention program, is in the process of advocating for a bill to be passed in parliament that will impose harsher sentences for sex offenders. ICRI was invited by GCN to assistance in the following areas:

• Strategic Planning
• Infrastructure Development
• Institutional Capacity Building
• Resource Identification and Procurement
• Training, advocacy and planning support
• Measurement, Evaluation and Documentation of results

We also traveled to the province of Buhera. ICRI was well received by the local government and the community based organization in Murambinda Buhera. We learned that there are 8000 orphans reported. The community based organizations and local government agencies are only able to serve at least 600 out of those 8000 orphans. The services for orphans 0 -6 years old are nonexistent. ICRI was invited by the Ministry of Youth Services in Murambina to implement income generating programs for youth. In addition, Danani and Africare, two community-based organizations serving children in Buhera asked ICRI to provide capacity build to in the area of psycho–social support for orphans and vulnerable children.

After all of our findings from our research and site visits, ICRI decided to implement a Grass Roots Advocacy / Orphans and Early Childhood Project in Zimbabwe. Many grassroots organizations are faced with the challenges of serving thousands of children with limited resources and insufficient trainings for child care providers and teachers to provide psycho-social support to the growing number of orphans and vulnerable children. For example we visited an organization that serves over 20,000 children and families in Zimbabwe, and only had one commuter and one email address. The teachers in some of the schools expressed the need for counseling and training to deal with traumatized children. In our grassroots advocacy project our goal is to provide support to these community based organizations to build their capacity, infrastructure and advocacy to enable them to better serve the needs of children and families in Zimbabwe. Furthermore, with 25 years of experience in the field of Early Childhood development and discovering the lack of services for children 0 -6, ICRI will implement play sites to provide services that create stimulating and fun environments for orphans 0-6. These programs will alleviate the burden faced by child-heads of families and allow these school-aged children to continue with their education while their siblings 0-6 attend the play sites.

ICRI is faced with the exiting but challenging task of implementing these programs in Zimbabwe at a time where funders and NGOs are pulling out of the nation. After meeting with the local Zimbabwean UNICEF office we learned that only $ 4.00 of AID funding is allocated to persons affected by HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe compared to $ 180 in Zambia or Zimbabwe. ICRI would like to ask for your support in helping us with our efforts to serve children in Zimbabwe. Please contact Rufaro Kangai at 510-644-1000 or Rufaro@ icrichild.org about how you might help support this blossoming initiative.

Back to Top

TRAVEL AND AWAKENING THROUGH KENYA, ZIMBABWE, GHANA
Ken Jaffe, MA, JD, Executive Director, ICRI HQ

ICRI has just returned from the most amazing trip. This was a journey not only in distance, but in the awakening of a new spirit in our Africa programs. My first stop at ICRI-Africa in Nairobi, Kenya brought me into contact with a remarkable network of 25 non-governmental organizations, faith-based groups, and community-based agencies. This network was brought together by Maggie Kamau-Biruri, our Regional Director for ICRI-Africa. The network has become part of our Grassroots Advocacy Project (GAP) which provides capacity building, advocacy training, and a wide variety of supports to enable these amazing groups who are so dedicated to improving conditions for children to thrive.

I had the great privilege of presenting the first GAP Advocacy Seminar during my stay with our office. The enthusiasm and creativity of these tireless children's program leaders was a joy to all of us who are lucky enough to team with them. The work in Kenya also gave ICRI the opportunity to conduct trainings with early childhood educators and program leaders providing care to children living in some of the most challenging slums in Africa. These program leaders are committed to making a difference every day in the lives of children who are victims of HIV, lack of food and water, and lack of consistent adult figures in their lives. ICRI has made a long-term commitment to supporting the training and infrastructure needs of these groups.

ICRI-Africa, Kenya is also working with the women's prison to develop a new training program in child development for women prisoners and an agreement to develop and improved child care facility for the children birth to 4 who live with their mothers in the prison.

Maggie and her dedicated staff have made great strides in accomplishing so many of our original goals and objectives for our work through this new and dynamic office.

My next stop was in Zimbabwe where I was joined by ICRI's Zimbabwe Program Director Rufaro Kangai. The Kangai family has long been leaders at both the community and national levels in the nation. In addition to our long term work with the Kapnek Family Trust improving early childhood programs, we have now been invited to establish a new ICRI Zimbabwe office. ICRI Zimbabwe will be headquartered in the Boyera District where there is a great need for work on the challenges facing child orphans, child health concerns and the need for training and capacity of local agencies. This new office has already been warmly invited and supported by the local District Community Council, the Ministry of Youth, and numerous key community leaders. Masimba Kangai, Rufaro's brother, a highly respected leader and community developer, has agreed to be our Project Coordinator and new office developer in Zimbabwe. ICRI HQ would like to express our gratitude to the Kangai family, the National Girl-Child Network, and the other community based organizations who have so warmly welcomed us to Zimbabwe.

The last stop on the journey was at the office of ICRI-Ghana. There the effort continues to train low-income girls and young women in vocational training activities that will lead to income-producing professions in the future. I spent a day with the young women, being taught by them the complex techniques they had learned in textile development, jewelry making, and other marketable skills. The office just opened a new sales pavilion in front of our office to display the girls' wares and to begin the earning process. During my stay in Ghana, ICRI-Ghana was invited by the Ministry of Social Welfare to take over the operation of an early childhood program in the large slum area of La. We have agreed to take over the operation of this community center early childhood program and to expand it into a multi-services children's center. The ten staff of the program will be jointly supported by the government and ICRI and will become employees of ICRI-Ghana. Our amazing Ghana Country Director, Hannah Odjenma Botchway, continues to astound us with her skills, talents, and understanding of national conditions for children in the country. Hannah is the kind of "can do" person who is vital to ICRI and to the survival and growth of the children and young people to whom we are all so committed.

Our special thanks go out to Hannah and her Ghana team. We are humbled by your work, your dedication, and your commitment to positive change for children and youth.

Back to Top

AMIDST THE CHAOS, HOPE
Maggie Kamau-Biruri, MPA, Country Director, ICRI-Africa, Kenya

The last edition of our ICRI-Africa news highlighted our role of Building Bridges in the grassroots communities. This edition chronicles some of the emotional highs and lows that come with working so closely at the grassroots. We are surrounded by political, social and economic chaos and poverty and distress that are beyond description. Yet, amidst all the chaos, we see hope.

We see hope in the glittering eyes of a child who has not had a hot meal in 2 days, but who shares a beautiful smile when you visit their school. Our work at Paniel School for orphaned and vulnerable children is based in the heart of one of the Nairobi slums. Here, you will come across children who are HIV Positive, aids orphans and children of single parents who themselves are still children. Through working closely with the school, ICRI-Africa has already trained some of their teachers, we have helped them raise money for text books, we are about to start constructing a child care center for the community and we are helping them to develop an Income Generating Project to sustain their school feeding program.

We see hope when a 4 year old boy, born and raised in prison, sings a song "Karibu Wageni Wetu" (welcome our visitors) and shows off a number of other songs and dances that he has learned, as if to let you know that he is ok. ICRI-Africa has developed a project called Fariji Prison Partnership which brings together groups working with prisoners and ex-prisoners to synergize their efforts so that the prisoners, ex-prisoners and their dependents can receive holistic programs. Fariji is a Swahili word that means making light or helping out. ICRI-Africa is also in the process of developing an early childhood training program for caregivers, some of them prisoners, working with the 60 children living with their parents at the Langata Women's Prison in Nairobi. Our goal for the prison projects is to advance reforms in the prisons thus promoting human rights, the rights of children of prisoners – in and out of prison – and to support prisoners to re-enter society as healthy and productive members of society.

We see hope when groups who had never worked together before, collectively attempt to solve problems in their communities. ICRI-Africa has developed a project called Afya Yetu Initiative, which has brought together eight grassroots organizations working in one slum area to address health related issues such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, nutrition, education and reproductive health. These groups are working together for the first time and sharing information and resources to address issues in their communities. This is the first of our Community Incubator projects that has been established and that will be replicated in a number of communities throughout Kenya.

We see hope when peer educators volunteer their time to travel 150 miles away, by bus, on very bad roads, to talk to young people about HIV/AIDS and reproductive health. ICRI-Africa was requested to assist Vumilia (a Swahili word for ‘Persevere'), a grassroots program in Western Kenya that provides services for 37 women who are HIV Positive. Through our Afya Yetu Initiative project, we were able to identify 3 peer educators to travel to Vumilia to talk to young people in the Vumilia group about HIV/AIDS.

Ken Jaffe's recent visit to Kenya was a great inspiration for the grassroots that we work with. Apart from the immeasurable training that he conducted, the groups felt appreciated and inspired to continue with their amazing work. We want to give a special thanks to the Children's Project, Youth Philanthropy Worldwide and individual donors who responded to our appeal for support to the Paniel School for Orphaned and Vulnerable Children. If you would like to get involved in our work, please feel free to contact us at info@icriafrica.org.

Back to Top

NEWS LETTER FROM ICRI- GHANA
Hannah Odjenma Botchway, Country Director - Ghana

The ICRI project in Ghana, is growing from strength to strength. We have been able to graduate two different badges of trainers from the Programme. Who were trained in the making of Batik, Tie dye, traditional beads and flower beads, crochet of all forms a collagen and plastic beads.

ICRI has been able to train girls of who are very gainfully employed and are doing the productions of beads Tie die/ batik. What is peculiar about the ICRI Ghana training programme is that, graduates from completion are visited regularly in every three months to see to it that, they are busy and serious with their newly learnt talent. Two months from now will see the third badge of trainees of the programme also passing out. Presently they are seriously putting together and packaging their project works.

The Director of the Programme Hannah Odjenma Botchway, who had earlier been trained in the Awareness Creation of HIV/AIDS and Care Given, at the University of Legon, is giving lectures to women groups in the locality, presently the pressing topic is the stigma attached to people living with HIV/AIDS.

Hannah has written several songs on HIV/AIDS, plays and poems, to some selected schools in the La community for competition towards awards. And in fact the children are doing well. The HIV/AIDS festival is being organized by WAAF. West African Aids Foundation on the 30th of June 2006 at the Burma Camp hall from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. This is a national Programme, Hannah is privileged to be part of this important programme.

A FEW OF THE SELECTED POEMS

SPECIAL STORIES

The special story we have to tell is about, a set of Twin on the program. Annette and Anita are17 years of age. They have always been a problem to their parents and the entire family, because it is believed that, they represent a particular god on earth. One of their uncles who knows about ICRI told the family who have not lost all hope, in pursing the future of the girls, came with the two innocent girls who have been declared "good for nothing" we took the girls and it was a big challenge but the girls have done very well. Started very slow, but now are good in both the making of beads, and the other areas. This has brought back smile on the faces of the parents and the whole family. So we had more girls from other families having the same problem and they are doing well. This news have traveled so fast that people now refer The ICRI Ghana project as the place where dead hope is restored. This we see as an achievement.

CHALLENGES

How to give the girls seed money after completion of the programme, and we hope a lot more organizations will come to our aid and support us in such areas, just as the Global Fund for women supported with seed money for girls who just completed. Presently we intend to see some of the local groups to also come to our aid since the programme is growing.

NEW BUSINESS

During the visit of the Executive Director of ICRI HQ, we made a visit to one of the deprived day care centre, to see what best ICRI can do to assist. After that we had a meeting with the social welfare, and some of the Traditional heads of La and a few developments have cropped up, so the two teams are meeting to present a draft memo to ICRI for consideration. It is our hope and prayer that this partner is made possible in the coming year.

Back to Top

DIASPORA PHILANTHROPY
Rufaro Kangai, Zimbabwe Program Director

Raising awareness to the African immigrant population about their economic influence in their countries of origin and advocating on to how combine efforts with nonprofit and grassroots organization would enable the African community to transform and restore hope to children who are the most affected by poverty and disease in Africa. I had the opportunity to put this principal of "Diaspora of Philanthropy" into practice when I attended the ZimExpo held in Chicago on May 26-28th.

As one of the Keynote speakers I addressed the audience on the plight of orphans and vulnerable children in Zimbabwe. I presented ICRI's Grass Roots Advocacy / Orphans and Early Childhood Project and our strategies in serving orphaned and vulnerable children and the services we plan to provide to the network of community based organizations such as capacity building, infrastructure management and teacher trainings.

The audience was very responsive to ICRI's efforts in Zimbabwe. More than fifty people contributed funds to the ICRI Zimbabwe project. In addition to contributing funds, Zimbabweans in the academic field volunteered to provide their expertise on our projects, SARFM Radio station, a radio station in New York that broadcasted to the Southern African Community in the US for over 35 years requested to conduct an interview and collaborate with ICRI Zimbabwe in fund development for our programs In Zimbabwe.

My experience at the ZimExpo displayed the power of involving immigrant population in the Diaspora in philanthropic efforts. Furthermore, it has always been ICRI's philosophy that the people from the communities we serve are the experts on situations in their communities and that their involvement is crucial to the success of the programs implemented.

After attending a capacity building workshop organized by the Pan African Network, I learned that the African immigrant population has a great potential in making an impact in the field of philanthropy in Africa due to the fact Africa receives $ 4 billion in remittance in 2002. The following are findings on the impact of remittance and the African immigrant population:

Remittances / Migration

• Developing countries received $ 80 billion in migrant's remittance in 2002
• Africa received about 15 percent of global remittances to developing countries; Sub- Saharan Africa received 5 percent
• Remittances are an important source of income and capital for African households and nations
• African migrants overseas tend to be more educated than other immigrant groups

Developmental Effects of Remittances

• Remittances are an important source of finance for the African continent
• Remittances help smooth incomes and contribute greatly to the development of human and social capital
• Remittance recipients tend to be better off than peers who do not receive remittance
• National economies benefit from higher foreign exchange reserves and generally positive effects on their balance of payments

To find out more details on remittance from African's working abroad you can visit the Transnational Institute for Grassroots Research and action at www.transnationalaction.org.

Back to Top

THE MULTIETHNIC EDUCATION PROGRAM
Kristen Murakoshi

There has been a lot happening at the Multiethnic Education Program. In March, the ME Program, along with staff and youth from Destiny Arts Center, attended the White Privilege Conference in St Louis MO. At WPC7, we presented several workshops on the multiracial family and exploring family heritage. Our new film "My People Are…Youth Pride in Mixed Heritage" is set to be released on August 1, 2006. Pre-screenings of the film have received enormous support and enthusiasm, and we can't wait to share the film with everyone! Please visit our website, www.multiethniceducation.org, to pre-order your copy of "My People Are…" Our Peer 2 Peer training program is now up and running; we have an amazing group of youth trainers that visit classrooms, after school programs, and community organizations to facilitate workshops on positive racial identity for all young people, focusing on the experiences of mixed heritage youth.

The ME Program is also introducing a new, more in-depth Training of Trainers titled "Going Beyond the Basics." This is an all day training that builds upon and strengthens and skills of those who have already completed the first Training of Trainers, as well as others who have experience in the diversity field as trainers. The training will be on Saturday, July 8 at ICRI headquarters in Berkeley, CA. Register now at: http://multiethniceducation.org/trainingthetrainer.html

Finally, we wish you a Happy Loving Day 2006! Loving Day recognizes and celebrates the June 12, 1967 Supreme Court decision in Loving v. Virginia that legalized interracial couples. In honor of Loving Day, the Multiethnic Education Program hosted a party at ICRI headquarters. For more info on Loving Day, please visit: http://www.lovingday.org/index.html

Back to Top

LEARN ABOUT ICRI's FOOD SERVICE DEVELOPMENT NETWORK
Maria Silva, Program Director

FDSN is a non-profit organization that is part of the California Child and Adult Food Program. We provide partial reimbursement for all licensed-day care providers. Currently we serve more than 120 providers in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, reaching more than 1,000 children.

Our objectives are to:

• Improve the eating habits of children under the age of 13
• Provide children with well-balanced meals
• Encourage providers to include a variety of nutritious meals that will help the children develop good eating habits

We provide training/workshops for our providers. The topics are designed to help them to improve their skills that will enhance the care they provide to children. Some of the topics are:

• Health and Safety
• Licensing and Procedures
• Nutrition
• Taxes for Day Care home providers
• Stress Management
• Business Administration and Budgeting
• Grants and Funds

We hope that with the variety of workshops and training offered help the providers to improve the quality of child are and that the Food Program makes child care more affordable for many low income families. For more information contact Maria@fdsn.org.

Back to Top