THE AFRICAN GREAT LAKES INITIATIVE

The African Great Lakes Initiative (AGLI) of the Friends Peace Teams has been around for quite a while and done a lot of good. But for all their work and for all the good that they have done, they are still unknown to many people; even people who stay abreast of development work in Africa.
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[The information below has been taken directly from the AGLI website:
http://www.aglionline.org/index.htm

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Mission of the African Great Lakes Initiative

The African Great Lakes Initiative (AGLI) of the Friends Peace Teams strengthens, supports, and promotes peace activities at the grassroots level in the Great Lakes region of Africa (Burundi, Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda). To this end, AGLI responds to requests from local religious and non-governmental organizations that focus on conflict management, peace building, trauma healing, and reconciliation. AGLI sponsors Peace Teams composed of members from local partners and the international community. We are a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization.

History of the African Great Lakes Initiative

The African Great Lakes Initiative (AGLI) is a program created by the Friends Peace Teams, an organization consisting of sixteen Quaker Yearly Meetings in the United States who have united to support the traditional emphasis of Quakers in promoting a more peaceful world. In April, 1998, the Friends Peace Teams realized that Quakers in the Great Lakes region of Africa, numbering almost half of the Quakers in the world, were in countries with a great deal of violence, social unrest, genocide, and civil war. Consequently in January 1999, an international delegation of seven team members visited Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi. From this visit and subsequent discussions, the Friends Peace Teams decided to create the African Great Lakes Initiative to support peacemaking activities at the grassroots level. We are a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization.


AGLI Programs

AVP:
In Rwanda, AVP is conducting six workshops in six resettlement communities for Hutu and Tutsi Rwandans who were recently expelled from Tanzania. They are also doing a series of workshops in remote villages of Eastern Province where the wounds from the genocide are still festering. In Kenya, due to the violence after the December 27, 2007 elections, AVP in western Kenya plans are to conduct 200 basic, advanced, and training for facilitator workshops in various communities. Many of these workshops will involve the young people who were involved in much of the local violence after the election. Sites may include Kisii, Kisumu, and Bondo in Nyanza Province; Shinyalu, Kakamega, the Mt Elgon area, Lugari District, Malava District and Vihiga District in Western Province; and Turbo, Eldoret and Kitale in Rift Valley Province. Each site will have ten or more workshops so that each area can be adequately impacted.

HROC:
In Burundi, HROC is concentrating its work in three up-country sites. They are also developing a special workshop for HIV+ women and a second level, Healing of Memories, workshop.In Rwanda, HROC plans on developing a workshop geared for teenagers and a second for youth in their twenties. These will be done with the children of the Women in Dialogue program of the Friends Peace House. They are also beginning workshops with the Batwa, the third, minority ethnic group in Rwanda. After AGLI began the HROC program in North Kivu of the Democratic Republic of the Congo last year, HROC-North Kivu will use its trained Healing Companions to do basic HROC workshops in internally displaced camps.

Workcamps:
AGLI is planning five workcamps for summer 2009 - FWA clinic in Kamenge, Burundi; Friends Peace Centre in Lubao, Kenya; building homes in Lugari District, Kenya; Gisenyi Peace Center in Gisenyi, Rwanda on the border with Congo; and, the Bududa Vocational Institute and Children of Hope orphanage in Bududa, Uganda.

Friends Women’s Association:
One of the AGLI workcamps will complete the last three rooms needed for the clinic to be recognized by the Government as an approved full clinic. FWA is working with HROC to develop the HIV+ workshop. They continue to work with local HIV+ women (and some men) and do regular medical work for the surrounding population.

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If you get the chance, drop by their web site and take a look at the many exciting things that they are doing in the Great Lakes Region.


THE AFRICAN GREAT LAKES INITIATIVE

YOUTH FOR EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP FORUM

This information is taken directly from the Youth for Effective Leadership Forum web page of the Eden Readers Commission of Nigeria (ERCON) web site.
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YELF is an acronym of Youth for Effective Leadership Forum. This project is an initiative of Eden Readers’ Club of Nigeria (ERCON), which is currently working on 2 of the 8 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): promoting universal Basic Education and Ensuring Environmental sustainability. Its core focus is to strengthen Youth / Leadership development projects in the state, Nigeria and Africa through education and social events that engage Youth/ Leaders in and on interacting platforms, with eye on effectiveness in service delivery that seeks to develop young people into self sustained individuals, able to build self- esteem & positive attitudes, and find knowledge around vocational practices that will expose and offer them the opportunity to train and acquire entrepreneurial skills, which make them confident and versatile in maintaining all manner of jobs and finding a better livelihood (empowerment).

VISION
Our vision is to see a Nigeria, Africa and world free of ignorance and illiteracy, where Leadership is effective and young people have the opportunity to realize their potentials and pursue their aspirations, even as they work with Leadership to make it work in an atmosphere of peace, literacy, poverty and corruption free, and sustainable environment.

MANDATE
To hold activities that seek to promote the culture of reading for writing skills development and transforming leadership through education and social events for youth integral development (which covers their physical, spiritual, mental and intellectual growth).

MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission is to engage young people in intense reading programs and entrepreneurial skills acquisition (vocational) training for self sustainability and personal development and also involve youth/leaders in interactions that aim to reduce leadership ineffectiveness in service delivery and expose youth to participation, scholarships and other resources for empowerment. Through this statement of purpose, this project reduces: ignorance and illiteracy, youth idleness and unemployment, immorality, alcoholism, other unholy behaviors, critical mind-set towards leadership and reduction of poverty level through education and social events.

Amedu Monday Amedu President /Founder Gen. Sec/M&E Officer

Blessing Ejiogu General Secretary

Mohammed. Nurudeen Project manager

Philip Joshua Provost

YELF

African Leadership Academy - World Class Pan-African Secondary Institution

[This Article was taken directly from the web site of (the) African Leadership Academy; which can be found at the web site posted below.]





African Leadership Academy was founded in 2004 with the belief that ethical leadership is the key to transforming the African continent. Founders Fred Swaniker, Chris Bradford, Peter Mombaur, and Acha Leke sought to create an institution that would develop, connect, and support those individuals who will lead the continent toward a peaceful and prosperous future. In the two years that followed, the founding team built a powerful network of advisors and developed a robust, sustainable operating model for the Academy, a world-class, pan-African secondary institution on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa.

In 2006, these efforts were rewarded when Founders Fred Swaniker and Chris Bradford were recognized as “two of the 15 best emerging social entrepreneurs in the world” by Echoing Green. The momentum only continued in 2007 with the identification of our initial campus and the announcement that Christopher Khaemba, one of Africa’s finest educators, will join African Leadership Academy as the inaugural Dean of School. Dean Khaemba brings extensive experience as a school leader and is noted for his ability to inspire and develop students from a wide variety of socioeconomic backgrounds.
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African Leadership Academy recruited its first class of 100 young leaders from across the continent for entry in September 2008. They also hire world-class faculty members from across Africa and around the globe and developing a broad range of partnerships.

Visit the African Leadership Academy's web site to learn more.

Volunteer Uganda Kampala Abroad - Worth Watching

Volunteer Uganda Kampala has a video, thanks to A Broader View.Org. Take a minute to watch it and then pass the word along to others. [Don't forget to hit the "Play" button.]

Volunteer Uganda Kampala Abroad www.abroaderview.org
Video sent by abroaderview

This organization offers people the opportunity to volunteer in Kampala, Uganda supporting orphanage assistance, teaching English and IT/Computer programs, and construction projects. It is programs like this that help well meaning individuals to be meaningful contributors in the Global community. Pass the word along about this great opportunity to explore life in rural Africa, living and working with interesting people and learning that one person can make a difference.

http://www.abroaderview.org/

FEMNET - Advancing The Quality Of Life For Women

[This information was taken from the FEMNET web site.]

The African Women's Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) was set up in 1988 to share experiences, information and strategies among African women's non-governmental organisations (NGOs) through advocacy, training and communications so as to advance African women's development, equality and other human rights.

FEMNET aims to strengthen the role and contribution of African NGOs focusing on women's development, equality and other human rights. It also aims to provide a channel through which these NGOs can reach one another and share experiences, information and strategies to as to improve their work on African women's development, equality and other human rights.

FEMNET is governed by a Constitution and the following governance and administrative structure:

- National focal points in African countries whose representatives
attend a tri-annual Programming Conference and General Assembly;

- An elected Executive Board which includes two Board members per
sub-region and a Chairperson. In addition, there are two Ex-Officio Board
members (immediate past Chairperson and the Executive Director);

- An elected Board of Trustees to oversee FEMNET's assets; and

- A Secretariat that implements FEMNET's programmes and is headed
by an Executive Director.

FEMNET's specific objectives include:

- exchanging experiences in planning, implementing and evaluating women's programmes and projects through interaction with NGOs, development agencies and relevant regional and international intergovernmental bodies;
- promoting women's activities in Africa through the strengthening of existing organisations and the establishment of new ones as may be needed;
- playing vanguard and catalytic roles in the treatment of feminist issues which cannot be handled by government gender mechanisms due to the threat that such issues pose to patriarchal states;
- promoting the better utilisation of African women's NGOs by development agencies and regional and international intergovernmental organisations (IGOs) such as the African Union (AU) and the various United Nations (UN) agencies;
- mobilising resources for African women's development, equality and other women's human rights by local, regional and international sources; and enabling collective action by African women's movements in order to tackle regional gender issues.

Since its inception in 1988, FEMNET has played a leadership role for African women's NGOs at regional and international decision-making and policy fora. FEMNET has gained recognition as the convenor of African women’s movement in key circles, including the United Nations agencies, African Union, NEPAD processes and among women’s regional NGOs. This recognition has resulted from persistent pursuit of its networking mandate and the quality leadership FEMNET has offered over the years.

Programme context:

FEMNET’s major goal is to ensure that African women’s organisations, lobby groups, decision-makers, like-minded organisations are able to gain conceptual clarity of key concepts and issues relating to the empowerment of women and gender equality. Further, that given this knowledge, they will be in a position, to act towards creating an environment of gender equality and social justice and to bring an end to all forms of discrimination against women.

FEMNET works in three main programme areas:
The Advocacy Programme
The Communications Programme
The Capacity Building Programme


The Advocacy Programme includes projects designed to evolve approaches and methodologies for dealing with barriers to the implementation of the Dakar and Beijing Platforms for Action (PFAs). FEMNET was the focal organisation for African women's preparations for participation in the 1995 Beijing Fourth World Conference on Women. FEMNET continues to collaborate with African women's non governmental organisations (NGOs) on follow-up activities to the Beijing NGO Forum, the parallel intergovernmental conference and the Beijing Plus Five review process. The programme has also been involved in mainstreaming gender into regional processes and institutions, most notably engaging with the African Union and its specialized mechanisms. The advocacy programme has also been involved in promoting the economic, social and cultural rights of African women.

The Communications Programme is the core programme of the Network. It is a vital avenue through which FEMNET generates data and information, facilitates the exchange and sharing of this information on women's human rights issues at international, regional and national levels to its various constituencies across Africa and globally. The programme seeks to optimumly use ICTs to provide African women with qualitative strategic information on women's development, equality and human rights and to build the capacity of African women's organizations to produce content for advocacy.

The Capacity-building Programme plays an important role in empowering and building networking expertise, skills and the capacities of its members through training in critical areas such as women’s human rights, gender analysis and mainstreaming, leadership, advocacy, ICTs etc. In 2002, FEMNET developed a model for training of trainers in gender mainstreaming which is applicable to the 12 priority areas outlined in the African and Beijing Platforms for Action. The model has been tested at the national level in a number of African states and has been developed to explicitly address sectoral concerns. For example, several subject-based manuals and resource books for gender mainstreaming have been developed in areas such as gender equality, macroeconomics, and sexual reproductive health. These have proved to be useful information materials and tools for advocacy and training.

Following the development of its Strategic Plan for the period 2008-2012, the following Vision, Mission and Core Values will guide FEMNET.


Vision

African women's collective leadership for equality, peace and sustainable development.


Mission

FEMNET seeks to facilitate and coordinate the sharing of experiences, ideas, information, and strategies for human rights promotion among African women's organisations through networking, communication, capacity-building and advocacy at the regional and international levels.


FEMNET's Core Values

Commitment and passion for women's advancement;
Integrity, credibility, transparency and accountability;
Unity in diversity, solidarity, inclusiveness, respect and tolerance;
Professionalism, effectiveness, creativity and responsibility;
Justice, equality and democracy.



As a pan-African, membership-based network, FEMNET has continued to play a leading role in building the women’s movement in Africa and ensuring that African women's voices influence decisions made at different levels that impact on their lives. FEMNET links up and implements various activities in collaboration with sub-regional networks and national focal points (NFPs).

Beginning August 2008, FEMNET embarked on a project that seeks to review and strengthen its members communication and networking linkages at country and sub-regional levels. The purpose is to ensure more involvement of the member organisations in FEMNET's programs, mobilize new member organisations and update its database of women organisations in the region, strengthen the connection with women operating at the grassroots level and minimize the difficulties in obtaining continuous feedback from its constituency at different levels. To make this happen, FEMNET idenitified national women's networks and umbrella organizations in five countries: Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Tunisia, Uganda and Zambia to be the lead in establishing the country level NFPs. Most of the NFPs identified are expected to sign Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) with FEMNET, specifying and agreeing on ways to collaborate in their various programme activities.

Visit FEMNET's Web Site to learn More.