Shakwei Mbindyo's Posts - Urgent Evoke2024-03-28T21:25:36ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyohttp://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2209202457?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=3sw6nluv229lb&xn_auth=no“Hope for the Homeless Evokation” by Agent Luke Sokolewicztag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-05-19:4871302:BlogPost:1531912010-05-19T13:00:00.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
<p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><font size="2">“Hope for the Homeless Evokation” by Agent</font> <a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/LukeSokolewicz"><font color="#666666" size="2">Luke Sokolewicz</font></a></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Dear Luke, I…</p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><font size="2">“Hope for the Homeless Evokation” by Agent</font> <a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/LukeSokolewicz"><font color="#666666" size="2">Luke Sokolewicz</font></a></span></b></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing">Dear Luke, I have read through your <a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/blogs/my-evokation-hope-for-the?xg_source=activity">Hope for the Homeless Evokation</a> and it is awesome! With over 1million homeless people in the US, the importance of dealing with homeless can not be overemphasized. I have shared below some of the issues that came to mind as I was reading your Evokation and also some resources I found that may be helpful to you. I hope you find these useful and wish you the very best as you embark on this very noble mission.</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing">Shakwei</p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing">=</p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><br/><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><u><font color="#000000"><font size="2">Luke</font></font></u></b></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="2"><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">I'm starting a non-profit organization called "Hope for the Homeless." It would be designed to function much like Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Homeless people would be paired up with regular people that would help them out with their daily struggles.</span></span></font></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="2"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><u><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191">Shakwei</span></u></b></font></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-list: l9 level1 lfo9" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">a.</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">What is homelessness and why should I care?</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l7 level1 lfo10" class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">-</font></span></span></span> <font size="2"><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191">The National Coalition for the Homeless publishes fact sheets on various aspects of homelessness. Each sheet summarizes facts and issues and contains a list of recommended reading for further research. -</span> <span class="MsoHyperlink"><u><span style="COLOR: #548dd4; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themetint: 153"><a href="http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/"><u><span style="COLOR: #548dd4; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themetint: 153">http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/</span></u></a></span></u></span></font></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l7 level1 lfo10" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">-</font></span></span> <span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">Wiki also has some a good definition and history of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness">homelessness in general</a></font> <font size="2">and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States">homelessness in the US</a> that can present a background to your Evokation.</font></span></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-list: l9 level1 lfo9" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">b.</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">What are the daily struggles of a homeless person? Paint me a picture of what it means to be homeless in Corktown, Detroit.</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break"/><br style="mso-special-character: line-break"/></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><u><span style="COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><font size="2">Luke</font></span></u></b></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><font size="2">1. The Place. Where will you make a difference? Describe the institution, community, town or other geographic or virtual space in which you will focus your efforts.</font></span></b></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><font size="2">My plan is to recruit as many mentors as possible in the Detroit area where I live and establish the first location. More specifically, I will focus on a small community in Detroit called Corktown. It’s a very poor area with a big homeless community. More specifically, I will start by finding mentors for the homeless individuals I have personally befriended at a soup kitchen called “Manna Meals.”</font></span></p>
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<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><u><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">Shakwei</font></span></u></b></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo4" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">a.</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">Where is Corktown, Detroit and why should anyone care about them? Can we get some facts and figures to illustrate the need for your Evokation e.g. What is the population of the town? How many homeless people are there?</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">-</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">Googling “Corktown, Detroit” I found out that Corktown neighborhood is Detroit's oldest surviving neighborhood. Use such information to paint a picture of the town so that as one reads the Evokation, they can see, smell, and feel the town and feel compelled to respond positively to your Evokation.</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">-</font></span></span> <font size="2"><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191">This <a href="http://www.freep.com/article/20100409/NEWS01/100409005/More-than-half-of-Detroit%5C-s-homeless-at-risk-of-dying-on-streets">article</a></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191">published on April 0</span></font><font size="2"><span style="TEXT-TRANSFORM: uppercase; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN">9, 2010</span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191">references a survey</span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN">of homeless people in the Detroit area</span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191">and gives the email address of writer. Perhaps you could email him for additional information?</span></font></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">-</font></span></span> <font size="2"><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191">Also see</span> <span class="MsoHyperlink"><u><span style="COLOR: #548dd4; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themetint: 153"><a href="http://newwaycorktown.org/"><u><span style="COLOR: #548dd4; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themetint: 153">http://newwaycorktown.org/</span></u></a></span></u></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191">for some statistics on homelessness in Detroit and</span></font> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><a href="http://www.google.co.ke/images?rlz=1T4GGLL_enKE320KE320&q=homeless+in+detroit&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=tQntS8XPN4-ZOPmf3IMI&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=11&ved=0CEsQsAQwCg"><u><span style="COLOR: #548dd4; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themetint: 153"><font size="2">images of homelessness in Detroit</font></span></u></a></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><a href="http://www.google.co.ke/images?rlz=1T4GGLL_enKE320KE320&q=homeless+in+detroit&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=tQntS8XPN4-ZOPmf3IMI&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=11&ved=0CEsQsAQwCg"></a></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><u><font size="2">Luke</font></u></b></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><font size="2">2. The Challenge. What will you aim to change, and for whom? Highlight what is the need that you perceive and who will benefit from this change.</font></span></b></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><font size="2">I have spent a lot of time interviewing and getting to know many homeless individuals. And I have learned that what they need more than anything else is hope and love. A mentorship program will allow homeless individuals to foster a new positive relationship. Each mentor would offer their guidance and help through difficult situations. And they would simply be there to be a friend.</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><font size="2">I have personally seen the benefits with the first homeless man I have mentored. I helped him get off the streets and I’m now helping him get situatated in his apartment in Detroit. Plus, we’re becoming good friends.</font></span></p>
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<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><u><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">Shakwei</font></span></u></b></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-list: l8 level1 lfo5" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">a.</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">This is excellent. Perhaps you can include this story as a side bar in your document with a picture of the homeless individual (if he consents) as well as a few words from him (if he is willing)?<br style="mso-special-character: line-break"/><br style="mso-special-character: line-break"/></font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-list: l8 level1 lfo5" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">b.</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">Why mentoring? And, are you starting a mentorship program or a befriending program or both?</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">-</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><font size="2">Mentoring and befriending are very similar activities with some differences of emphasis. In general, they both involve the development of one to one relationships based upon <strong><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">trust</span></strong>, <strong><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">confidentiality</span></strong> and <strong><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">mutual involvement</span></strong>. The relationship is often voluntary with the goal of providing practical assistance and support. The main difference between mentoring and befriending is usually the emphasis placed on working towards goals. Mentoring tends to focus more on goal setting and operates within a clearly defined timeframe whilst befriending tends to develop more informal and supportive social relationships, often over a longer timeframe</font><a style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1" title="" href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/blog/new#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: #76923c; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN">[1]</span></span></span></span></a><font size="2">.</font></span></p>
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<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-list: l8 level1 lfo5" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">c.</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">When defining the homeless, do you want to distinguish between single homeless, families, youth, veterans, newly homeless etc..</font></span></p>
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<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-list: l8 level1 lfo5" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">d.</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">Now that you have recruited mentors what is the next step?</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo6" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">-</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">Will you meet as mentors? If yes, why, where and how often?</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo6" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">-</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">Is there a cost associated with this and if yes who will meet the costs?</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo6" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">-</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">What does mentoring a homeless person entail?</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo6" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">-</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">How long will mentorship last?</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo6" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">-</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">What are the responsibilities of the mentors / mentees?</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo6" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">-</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">Will you keep tabs of the mentoring relationships? If yes, who will do it and how will it be done?</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo6" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">-</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">Some of the mentees may be are recovering addicts – do they pose any threat to their mentors?</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo6" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">-</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">How will you verify that the mentors will not end up harming (intentionally or unintentionally) the homeless person? Can you implement mentor recruitment, interviewing and training strategy?</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo6" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">-</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">What results do you want to achieve from the mentorship and how will you assess if the mentorship is working?</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo6" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">-</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">Do you know any other persons who would be interested to work with you as a team to set up this program i.e can you form a steering group to do this?</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo6" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">Perhaps you can use part of the US$1,000 to c<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">reate documentation to support your Evokation. This information does not have to be printed; it may be a downloadable PDF and</span> includes:</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo8; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">-</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">An information pack for both befrienders/mentors and scheme users, including descriptions of their roles</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo8; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">-</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">Application forms for potential befrienders/mentors</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo8; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">-</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">Contract/agreement document between befriender and befriendee/mentor and mentee</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo8; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">-</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">Contact record-sheet</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo8; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">-</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">Evaluation and monitoring tools, eg feedback forms for all participants, outcomes forms, and satisfaction surveys.</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst"><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">There is quite a bit of information on mentoring the homeless online. I have listed some resources below:</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level2 lfo1" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New'; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">o</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><a href="http://www.mandbf.org.uk"><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">http://www.mandbf.org.uk</font></span></a></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level2 lfo1" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New'; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">o</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><a href="http://england.shelter.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/40404/24598.pdf"><font size="2">http://england.shelter.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/40404/24598.pdf</font></a></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-list: l8 level1 lfo5" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">e.</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">What services (if any) are available to the homeless in Corktown and how do they work and how can you plug into / complement them? What other organisations assist the homeless in Corktown/Detroit? What social support systems are available and how can you plug into or receive assistance from these? Some places to start include:</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2" class="MsoNoSpacing"><cite><span style="FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #767676; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-style: italic"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">-</font></span></span></cite> <cite><span style="FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: #767676; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic"><a href="www.hud.gov/local/mi/homeless/detshelter.cfm"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><font color="#800080" size="2">US Department of Housing and Urban Develoment</font></span></a></span></cite> <font size="2"><cite><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: #76923c; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">website provides a list of Shelter and other</span> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: #76923c; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">Homeless Assistance</span></span></cite></font></p>
<p style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #767676; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-style: italic"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">-</font></span></span> <span class="MsoHyperlink"><u><span style="COLOR: #548dd4; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themetint: 153"><a href="www.handetroit.org/"><font size="2"><u><span style="COLOR: #548dd4; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themetint: 153">Homeless</span></u> <u><span style="COLOR: #548dd4; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themetint: 153">Action Network of</span></u> <u><span style="COLOR: #548dd4; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themetint: 153">Detroit</span></u></font></a></span></u></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191; mso-bidi-font-style: italic"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">-</font></span></span></span> <span class="MsoHyperlink"><b><u><span style="COLOR: #548dd4; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themetint: 153"><a href="www.drmm.org/"><u><span style="COLOR: #548dd4; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themetint: 153"><font size="2">Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries</font></span></u></a></span></u></b></span> <font size="2"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><u><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191">(</span></u></span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191">DRMM)</span></span></font></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">Other organisations that work with the homeless include:</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">-</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">Bridge of Hope -</font> <a href="http://www.bridgeofhopeinc.org/template/page.cfm?id=89"><font color="#800080" size="2">http://www.bridgeofhopeinc.org/template/page.cfm?id=89</font></a></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">-</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">De Paul International -</font> <a href="http://www.depaulinternational.org/"><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">http://www.depaulinternational.org/</font></span></a></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">-</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">Homeless Action Network of Detroit -</font> <a href="http://www.handetroit.org/"><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">http://www.handetroit.org/</font></span></a></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">-</font></span></span> <span class="MsoHyperlink"><u><span style="COLOR: #548dd4; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themetint: 153"><a href="http://www.trustedmentors.org/mentor-homeless.htm"><u><span style="COLOR: #548dd4; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themetint: 153"><font size="2">http://www.trustedmentors.org/mentor-homeless.htm</font></span></u></a> <font size="2">-</font></span></u></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">This site has excellent resources including a video from a mentor showing “why you should mentor” which if permission is granted you could use to recruit mentors and a wonderful resource for mentors.</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"></p>
<p style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><u><font size="2">Luke</font></u></b></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><font size="2">3. The Idea. Your solution – what is the action, product, service, project, change that you will initiate? Tell us how your idea will succeed where others have failed</font></span></b></p>
<p style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><font size="2"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">Other homeless organizations are helpful, but they don’t give special attention and love that each homeless individual needs. The problem with homelessness is that there are many complicated factors that play into each individual case. The diversity of problems are endless: mental illness, physical disabilities, criminal record, family problems and general hopelessness. A mentorship program would enable homeless individuals to receive the special attention they desperately need and very much deserve.</span></font></p>
<p style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"></p>
<p style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><font size="2"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><u><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191">Shakwei</span></u></b></font></p>
<p style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">As you have so rightly said, there are many factors contributing to the challenges of homelessness. A comprehensive solution is needed. The End Homelessness Organisation -</font> <a href="http://www.endhomelessness.org/"><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">http://www.endhomelessness.org/</font></span></a> <font size="2">offers comprehensive information and possible homelessness solutions for communities. It also has a wonderful guide “The Ten Essentials” which offers a clear, deliberate, and comprehensive strategy to end homelessness. You could borrow from “The Ten Essentials” to see how you can link the mentees to some of the “essentials” listed to ensure that your program is successful.</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"></p>
<p style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">Another issue that one would consider is additional sources of financing. Where can you source for additional funding?</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"></p>
<p style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><u><font size="2">Luke</font></u></b></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><font size="2">4. The Money. What would you do with your first US$1,000 given or invested in support of your vision?</font></span></b></p>
<p style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><font size="2">My priority right now is to recruit as many mentors as possible. So I would use the first $1,000 to get the word out through flyers, and other forms of advertising that would target possible mentors in various areas in Detroit.</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><u><span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">Shakwei</font></span></u></b></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">·</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">I would suggest that you prepare a budget of how you plan to use the US$1000. Give examples and rationale for the planned activities. For instance, you plan to use various forms of advertising to recruit mentors. What forms of advertising? Why those forms? How much do these forms of advertising cost? And excellent advert at <a href="http://www.nowpublic.com/culture/dtes-mentoring-homeless-0">http://www.nowpublic.com/culture/dtes-mentoring-homeless-0</a></font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">·</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">Is there a way of doing this advertising without attracting a cost e.g getting in-kind donations for design and printing, ask organizations already present in this space to do a short story asking people to volunteer as mentors, ask the local paper to run a pro-bono advert, make a video and post it online (see <a href="http://cnettv.cnet.com/homeless-u/9742-1_53-50087590.html">http://cnettv.cnet.com/homeless-u/9742-1_53-50087590.html</a>) etc so that the US$1,000 can be spent on other start-up activities. You could also consider reaching out to churches, mosques and synagogues for mentors - a model that has been successful in Denver</font><a style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2" title="" href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/blog/new#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: #76923c; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">[2]</span></span></span></span></a><font size="2">. How about sending out a request for assistance from Evoke Agents who may be expert in this area to assist you develop / customize a handbook.</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><font size="2">·</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #76923c; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191"><font size="2">It may be useful to consider where you would source for additional funds to support your Evokation</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"></p>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list"><br clear="all"/><hr align="left" size="1" width="33%"/><br/>
<div style="mso-element: footnote" id="ftn1"><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1" title="" href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/blog/new#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><font color="#666666">[1]</font></span></span></span></span></a> <a href="http://www.mandbf.org.uk/about/definitions/"><font size="2"><font color="#000000">http://www.mandbf.org.uk/about/definitions/</font></font></a></p>
</div>
<div style="mso-element: footnote" id="ftn2"><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2" title="" href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/blog/new#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><font color="#666666">[2]</font></span></span></span></span></a> <a href="http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/oct/15/denver_mentoring_program_homeless_families_could_b/"><font size="2"><font color="#000000">http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/oct/15/denver_mentoring_program_homeless_families_could_b/</font></font></a></p>
</div>
</div>Season 2 Mission 1tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-05-12:4871302:BlogPost:1481022010-05-12T16:49:18.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
SEASON 2 EPISODE 1<br></br>
KENYA<br></br>
An old man who by himself carries one load on the head and another in his hand, must have played away his youth - African proverb<br></br>
PAGE 1<br></br>
PANEL A<br></br>
News reader highlighting the summary from the Africa leader’s summit. Before and after satellite photographs have revealed the speed of environmental destruction across the continent - glaciers, lakes and forests have disappeared from Africa at an alarming rate. The loss of ice on Mount Kilimanjaro, the…
SEASON 2 EPISODE 1<br/>
KENYA<br/>
An old man who by himself carries one load on the head and another in his hand, must have played away his youth - African proverb<br/>
PAGE 1<br/>
PANEL A<br/>
News reader highlighting the summary from the Africa leader’s summit. Before and after satellite photographs have revealed the speed of environmental destruction across the continent - glaciers, lakes and forests have disappeared from Africa at an alarming rate. The loss of ice on Mount Kilimanjaro, the vanishing waters of Lake Chad, tree loss and land degradation caused by refugees in the Sudan, the virtual disappearance of Lake Ngami in Botswana, the loss of Cameroon's rainforest to rubber and palm plantations… the evidence is harrowing. <br/>
TEXT BOX 1<br/>
Somewhere in Africa. June 14, 2015<br/>
OFF-PANEL 2<br/>
How does environmental destruction impact Africa’s social development?<br/>
PANEL B<br/>
Picture of rain forest destruction in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where, 40 million people depend on the forest. As the world's 2nd largest rainforest, the Congo rainforest is home to some of Africa's most amazing wildlife including chimpanzees, bonobos and forest elephants. But how can we preaching to people not to do harm to their environment when their very survival is at stake?<br/>
OFF-PANEL 2<br/>
Picture of Environment Minister watching slide after slide of the effects of environment degradation – drought, famine, loss of wildlife/biodiversity, water, agricultural destruction, conflict etc.. <br/>
MINISTER<br/>
Minister: “We must take action now! We need a plan that strikes a balance between economic development in Africa and environmental protection.”<br/>
PANEL C<br/>
Scene showing Minister and his entourage on a site visit to Lake Nakuru. Because of the, is the massive destruction of the Mau Forest Complex one of the 5 main water towers of Kenya, Lake Nakuru has receded dramatically and is now almost extinct. The famous Flamingo birds are no longer at the Lake. Tourism in Nakuru has dropped by 75% in the past 5 years.<br/>
PERMANENT SECRETARY (PS)<br/>
PS: “Minister, the Urgent Evoke network implemented a solution that is restoring Lake Malawi. Can we get them to assist us with this challenge?” <br/>
MINISTER<br/>
Good idea PS. I will send an EVOKE right away from my phone.<br/>
PAGE 2<br/>
PANEL A<br/>
We see the message sent from Ministers phone. MESSAGE TEXT: This is an EVOKE from Kenya. Urgently require action to save the Mau Forest Complex and Kenya’s Future.<br/>
PANEL B:<br/>
TEXT BOX 1<br/>
Lamu Island, Kenya<br/>
The message is received by ALCHEMY who is, coincidentally, on holiday in the sleepy island of Lamu where donkeys are still used for transport and where there is no motorized traffic. Lying on a hammock next to the Indian Ocean, ALCHEMY opens his iPadX and loads images of Lake Nakuru in 2005 (which is pink with flamingos) and today 2015 where the lake is hardly visible! <br/>
PANEL C<br/>
The map of Kenya comes up with a location of all UE Agents in the country. A picture of Lead Agent SHAKWEI flashes on screen. On mouseover, the word “ACTIVATE” comes up and ALCHEMY clicks on it.<br/>
PAGE 3<br/>
PANEL A<br/>
TEXT BOX: On a farm in Machakos, Kenya.<br/>
SHAKWEI is inside a greenhouse that she started in 2010 during Season 1 of UE. She is taking round a group of small farmers from a different district, teaching them about starting a greenhouse, water harvesting, drip irrigation, crop yield, soil conservation, value addition in agriculture, etc.. <br/>
SHAKWEI 1<br/>
Since 2010 when I started the first greenhouse, I used the initial proceeds to start all the rest of the greenhouses you see here. I now supply the farmers market with fresh produce. I use the plastic cover to harvest water which is dammed and used for drip irrigation … her phone beeps indicating an incoming message. <br/>
INSET PANEL B<br/>
SHAKWEI reads the text message from ALCHEMY. <br/>
PANEL C<br/>
A look of alarm crosses her face as she received the BEFORE and AFTER pictures of Lake Nakuru. She thinks that it is a shame that her children may never get to see the beautiful pink flamingos that she took for granted growing up!<br/>
SHAKWEI<br/>
SHAKWEI excuses herself from the group and the Greenhouse Assistant takes over the tour, used to SHAKWEI leaving at the drop of a hat.<br/>
PANEL D<br/>
SHAKWEI makes a quick call to Alchemy, surprised when a local number appears on the screen. “How can I be of assistance” she asks when the phone is picked.<br/>
PANEL E<br/>
ALCHEMY 1 <br/>
As you can see from the pictures there is an urgent problem at the Mau Forest Compex which has already destroyed Lake Nakuru and if we do not do something about it, will destroy much of Kenya. I’m sending you in.<br/>
SHAKWEI<br/>
This situation has been in the local press. They say that aside from drying lakes, tourism activities in the Maasai Mara Game Reserve and the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem will suffer. The Mau also provides non-timber forest products such as medicinal plants, wild honey and wild fruits, many of which are consumed locally. Local communities also use the forest as dry season pasture. (Show pictures of destroyed forests, dry river beds and dying wildlife and livestock in the Mara.)<br/>
ALCHEMY 3<br/>
So what is being done about this?<br/>
SHAKWEI<br/>
There does not seem to be a workable solution. Populations living in poverty and squalor to destroy the environment where they live while the fat cats protect the large corporations that continue to encroach on forest land.<br/>
PANEL F<br/>
ALCHEMY<br/>
There is no quick fix to this problem – you need to come up with a new approach!<br/>
PAGE 4<br/>
PANEL A<br/>
Mau complex has suffered close to 30 percent forest loss in 40 years between 1973 and 2005. Pictures depicting Mau in various years between 1973 and 2013.<br/>
PANEL B <br/>
SHAKWEI<br/>
SHAKWEI deep in thought: “A legion of life-threatening conditions drive poorer, struggling segments of our society to destroy environments where they live, that surround them. Is there really a solution to this problem?” <br/>
Calling up the map of Kenya with locations of UE Agents, she ACTIVATES all Agents remembering the Kiswahili saying Kidole kimoja hakivunji chawa (One finger cannot kill a louse)<br/>
PANEL C<br/>
SHAKWEI in vehicle headed to Mau. On the phone to ALCHEMY: “On the way to Mau across the great rift valley on her way to Mau Forest. She wants to speak to people living in the Mau to see if they have a solution to their problem” . Luckily a few UE Agents form part of this group.<br/>
INSET PANEL D<br/>
Shot of SHAKWEI at village baraza (village meeting) in the Mau.<br/>
BARAZA<br/>
Different people sharing their views on the problems at the Mau. A few believe that there is no real problem and it is just a ploy of the big wigs to evict them from their ancestral land. <br/>
PAGE 5<br/>
PANEL A<br/>
SHAKWEI on the phone with ALCHEMY.<br/>
ALCHEMY<br/>
So, is there a solution?<br/>
SHAKWEI<br/>
There has to be! We are having another baraza tomorrow. I will let you know what is decided<br/>
PANELS B & C: At Baraza<br/>
SHAKWEI shares pictures showing the forests degradation over the past 40 years, linking this to deforestation, land degradation, loss of biodiversity, decreased water catchments capacity, soil degradation and decreasing water flows in rivers which result in declining harvests, employment and income, and reduced food security and nutrition, hence bringing more people below the poverty line.<br/>
VILLAGE ELDER<br/>
We cannot leave for forest as it is our only source of livelihood. But something must be done today to save our children, to save Kenya. <br/>
<br/>
PAGE 6<br/>
PANEL A<br/>
LAMU, BY THE BEACH<br/>
ALCHEMY puts in a call to MINISTER. “Minister, the challenge of the Mau requires a unique approach. We need to work together to build local capacities for the management and conservation of forest resources, establishment reforestation efforts, combined with educational and income generation activities; promote community awareness-raising on forest preservation through tree planting events and environmental education among forest users.”<br/>
MINISTER<br/>
You can count on my support.<br/>
ALCHEMY <br/>
My team is on the ground, we will be in touch<br/>
TEXT BOX<br/>
To Be Continued …<br/>
<br/>UE Manifestotag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-05-12:4871302:BlogPost:1478212010-05-12T12:50:08.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
<p>In thinking of this Quest, my first question to myself was "What is a Manifesto?" Although I use this word frequently, I was not able to provide a simple answer. Intensive research (read Wiki) indicatethat a manifesto is simply a paper written to explain what you are all about, why you believe what you believe, what your plans are, your purpose, direction and statement of life. This sounded pretty heavy to me but here goes nothing ...</p>
<p></p>
<p>Urgent Evoke is an international network…</p>
<p>In thinking of this Quest, my first question to myself was "What is a Manifesto?" Although I use this word frequently, I was not able to provide a simple answer. Intensive research (read Wiki) indicatethat a manifesto is simply a paper written to explain what you are all about, why you believe what you believe, what your plans are, your purpose, direction and statement of life. This sounded pretty heavy to me but here goes nothing ...</p>
<p></p>
<p>Urgent Evoke is an international network of Agents whose goal is to make the world a better place by estolling building community, protecting the environment, food security, sustainable and clean energy, socially responsible banking and investing, responsible consumerism and raising/rousing the next generation to development-focused action towards peace building, justice and social change.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Membership is free and voluntary and open to all persons of all ages, from across the globe who are ready to embrace cultural diversity, network in a spirit of mutual respect, and develop creative, innovative solutions to global social development challenges.</p>
<p></p>
<p>The following cartoon from <a href="http://www.cartoonstock.com">www.cartoonstock.com</a> is a succinct depiction of what UE manifesto guards against:</p>
<p></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2234207866?profile=original"/></p>Evoke Season IItag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-05-12:4871302:BlogPost:1477892010-05-12T12:00:00.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
<p>Qn1: WHICH great challenges and social problems should the EVOKE Network tackle next?</p>
<ul>
<li>In Season II Evoke should look at access to quality education, health, wealth creation, youth engagement in action, wildlife/bidodiversity, monetization of local innovation, technology for social development.</li>
</ul>
<p>Qn2: WHERE in the world should the network try to build up new EVOKE communities? <br></br></p>
<ul>
<li>Evoke communities should be build across the globe.</li>
</ul>
<p>Qn3:…</p>
<p>Qn1: WHICH great challenges and social problems should the EVOKE Network tackle next?</p>
<ul>
<li>In Season II Evoke should look at access to quality education, health, wealth creation, youth engagement in action, wildlife/bidodiversity, monetization of local innovation, technology for social development.</li>
</ul>
<p>Qn2: WHERE in the world should the network try to build up new EVOKE communities? <br/></p>
<ul>
<li>Evoke communities should be build across the globe.</li>
</ul>
<p>Qn3: WHO would you encourage to play Season 2?</p>
<ul>
<li>I would encourage university students in all developing countries to play Season II</li>
</ul>
<p>Qn4: HOW would you change the game for Season 2?</p>
<ul>
<li>I would make it more accessible via mobile devices. I would use a real-world challenge, challenge UE Agents to form/join groups that would develop real world solutions one of which the WB would select for implementation.</li>
</ul>
<p>Qn5: WHAT new tools would you want as an EVOKE agent?</p>
<ul>
<li>As an Agent I would like a tool that would help me to easily find information on topics that I am interested in that has been posted by other Agents.</li>
</ul>
<p>Qn6: WHY would you come back for a second Season? What more would you want from the experience?</p>
<ul>
<li>Season I was a challenge, an educational experience, a mind opener, a reality check demanding personal responsibility and action. Season II should build on ths demanding accountability, transformation of knowledge into practice. Now that we have a broad base on which to build social development projects, can we develop communities of practice where those interested in say gender come togehter to share, learn and work on gender issues?</li>
</ul>Flu Epidemictag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-05-12:4871302:BlogPost:1476682010-05-12T09:56:28.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
<p><font size="3">"Flu Epidemic killing Kenyans" the headlines in all the daily newspapers scream. Although the reports carry some truth, no helpful solution is offered to the hundreds of thousands of readers on where they can access additional help and information. It is time for an Urgent Evoke!</font></p>
<p></p>
<p><font size="3">Assessing the situation to see that although a lot of people have a lot of questions (frequently the same questions), there is no clear place where they can find…</font></p>
<p><font size="3">"Flu Epidemic killing Kenyans" the headlines in all the daily newspapers scream. Although the reports carry some truth, no helpful solution is offered to the hundreds of thousands of readers on where they can access additional help and information. It is time for an Urgent Evoke!</font></p>
<p></p>
<p><font size="3">Assessing the situation to see that although a lot of people have a lot of questions (frequently the same questions), there is no clear place where they can find the answers to these questions. We decide to set up a system that will allow Kenyans to send in SMSs, emails and make telephone calls where they can receive answers to frequently asked (non-clinical) questions about the flu epidemic <u>in a language they understand</u>. This information is then databased and made accessible to the public via the global internet.</font></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p><font size="3">Working with a health-related organisations, I have a network of contacts who provide information that can be used for this purpose. And, we are then able to refer cases that require clinical assistance to the appropriate service providers.</font></p>
<p></p>
<p><font size="3">I wonder if the newspapers will scream about this service??</font></p>
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<p></p>Communicating a Crisistag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-05-02:4871302:BlogPost:1245542010-05-02T20:22:54.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">The section on outbreak communication in Learn 9 covers how journalists SHOULD report responsibly during crisis. This is a very important issue especially when one looks at the role the media – particularly community radio stations - supposedly played in “fuelling” various crisis eg. The Rwandan genocide and the post-election violence in…</font></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">The section on outbreak communication in Learn 9 covers how journalists SHOULD report responsibly during crisis. This is a very important issue especially when one looks at the role the media – particularly community radio stations - supposedly played in “fuelling” various crisis eg. The Rwandan genocide and the post-election violence in Kenya. Remember the</font> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_of_the_Worlds_%28radio%29" rel="nofollow"><font color="#788F94" size="3">War of the Worlds</font></a> <font size="3">radio show about a Martian invasion of planet earth? The story was read as a radio broadcast in 1938 using a series of simulated news bulletins. The radio station ran no commercials during the broadcast which prompted many listeners in the US to believe an actual invasion was taking place! Perhaps the limited access to alternative sources of information contributed to this.</font></font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">So, what do people do if they do not have access to (credible) information during a crisis? for Kenya, during the post-election violence SMS <span style="COLOR: black">was used to spread disinformation and fear. Because the media were seen as partisan, text messages from various "camps" reporting atrocities and advicing on actions to take to "protect yourself" spread like wildfire.</span></font></font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><font size="3">This made me realize how important having a credible source of regular information that can reach citizens wherever they may be (rural or urban) in a language that they understand (English, Swahili, vernacular) and in a medium that is accessible to them (television, radio, cell phone, newspaper etc). Information not just convering what is happening but advising on action that one can/should be taking as a citizen and addressing fears that usually accompany crisis.</font></span></p>Beaded Bracelettag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-05-02:4871302:BlogPost:1236862010-05-02T18:30:00.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
<p>Phew! I have finally completed my creation - an beaded bracelet made mainly from beads. Throughout the world, ethnic groups are characterized and identified by dress and ornamentation. My paternal grandmother (who sadly died before I was born and after whom I am named) was maasai, a tribe widely known for their beautiful beadwork.</p>
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<p>Maasai have been creating jewelery since 1900, mostly for its beauty, which is a very important aspect of Maasai culture. Traditionally local raw…</p>
<p>Phew! I have finally completed my creation - an beaded bracelet made mainly from beads. Throughout the world, ethnic groups are characterized and identified by dress and ornamentation. My paternal grandmother (who sadly died before I was born and after whom I am named) was maasai, a tribe widely known for their beautiful beadwork.</p>
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<p>Maasai have been creating jewelery since 1900, mostly for its beauty, which is a very important aspect of Maasai culture. Traditionally local raw materials such as seeds, skins, copper, bone, gourd and wood were used in the craft. Bead colors have different meaning for example - <span class="style4"><font color="#CC6600"><strong>orange</strong></font> the color of gourds signifiys hospitality, <span class="style3"><strong><font color="#339900">green</font></strong></span> represents the land, <span class="style2"><strong><font color="#330099">blue</font></strong></span> the sky, <strong>white</strong> the color of milk represents putity as milk comes from cows wihich are considered pure, holy animals by the Maasai etc..</span></p>
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<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span class="style4"><font color="#5E5E5E"><img width="623" alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2234204683?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024"/></font></span></p>
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<p><span class="style4">It took me 8 days to make this beads. It was really, really hard but I am so pleased with the end result.</span></p>
<p></p>Open Letter to all UE Agentstag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-04-29:4871302:BlogPost:1085662010-04-29T18:33:58.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">Dear Agent,</font></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><font color="#000000" size="3">I write to you today to ask for your help. This week, my blog <a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/blogs/vision-for-africa">Visions for Africa…</a></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">Dear Agent,</font></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><font color="#000000" size="3">I write to you today to ask for your help. This week, my blog <a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/blogs/vision-for-africa">Visions for Africa</a> urging UE Agents to join the Davos conversation and post a challenge or question to the World leaders attending the World Economic Forum in Tanzania from 5-7 May 2010 was featured on the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Heros of Living Knowledge</i>.</font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><font color="#000000" size="3"><a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/edayis">Agent Edayis</a></font> <font color="#000000" size="3">answered the call and has posted a video question on Ethiopia, a country whose claim to fame is often Bob Geldof’s 1984 Band Aid and the country’s seemingly endless requirement for food aid. Agent Edayis talks about how</font></span> <span lang="EN" style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN" xml:lang="EN"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">farms in Ethiopia backed by foreign investors are growing with abundance, while indigenous farmers subsist on food aid. She asks how it is possible for the global community to stand silent and allow this abundance for a (foreign) elite few in a land notoriously known for famine.</font></font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><font size="3"><font color="#000000">I have had watched <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn2QeqPikBM">the video</a></font> <font color="#000000">and, in my opinion, African and World leaders need to answer the question raised. Although the story addresses Ethiopia, the same is found in many countries across the globe. The people most affected are the poor, the voiceless - this is our chance to speak for them.</font></font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">How can you help?</font></font></span></p>
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<li><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">Watch Agent Edayis video and vote for it.</font></font></span></div>
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<li><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">Put “Vote to get Agent Edayis to the World Economic Forum” as your status on your UE page</font></font></span></div>
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<li><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">Send your version of this email to your friends in or outside UE about this and ask them to send the mail to their friends.</font></font></span></div>
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<li><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">Tweeter, Facebook, Ning, …. about it - get the word out</font></font></span></div>
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<li><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">Make suggestions on how else we can get votes for this video</font></font></span></div>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">Together we can SPEAK UP for our brothers and sisters in Ethiopia - will you to help?</font></font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">Respectfully, Shakwei</font></font></span></p>10 Tacticstag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-04-29:4871302:BlogPost:1083532010-04-29T15:17:11.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font color="#000000" size="3">Week 9 seemed so far away in March when I signed up for UE – my how time flies when you are having fun<span style="FONT-FAMILY: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings">J</span></span>.…</font></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><font color="#000000" size="3">Week 9 seemed so far away in March when I signed up for UE – my how time flies when you are having fun<span style="FONT-FAMILY: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings">J</span></span>.</font></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">This week is all about how to network in a crisis. For</span> <span style="COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">me (and I bet for many) when I think of the word network, computers automatically spring to mind. Looking up</span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">“network” on various online dictionaries, the word is most commonly defined as “</span><span style="COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">an interconnected system of things or people”.</span></font></font></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><font size="3"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">Reflecting on this, the week’s mission, and</span> <font color="#000000"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">Alchemy’s</span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">chosen proverb for the week <em><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">-</span></em> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The crowd does not lie</i>, I feel more and more that although the “technology” behind the network is important, the people need to be the focus. Who am I talking to, why am it talking to her, what do I want to tell her, how can I tell it to her, what language does she speak, how/where will she receive this message … So as I develop my black site, these are the questions I will be striving to answer.</span></font></font></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">May I suggest that as you develop your black site, please visit the <font size="3"><a href="http://www.informationactivism.org/">10 tactics</a> website which highlights different</font> ways digital tools can be used in disaster management</font> <font size="3">.</font></font></span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font size="2"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">The 10 tactics are:</font></font></font></span></p>
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<li><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font size="2"><font size="3">Mobilizing people</font></font></span></div>
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<li><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font size="2"><font size="3">Witness and record</font></font></span></div>
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<li><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font size="2"><font size="3">Visualize your message</font></font></span></div>
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<li><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font size="2"><font size="3">Amplify personal stories</font></font></span></div>
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<li><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font size="2"><font size="3">Just add humour</font></font></span></div>
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<li><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font size="2"><font size="3">Manage your contacts</font></font></span></div>
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<li><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font size="2"><font size="3">How to use complex data</font></font></span></div>
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<li><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font size="2"><font size="3">Use collective intelligence</font></font></span></div>
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<li><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font size="2"><font size="3">Let people ask the questions</font></font></span></div>
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<li><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font size="2"><font size="3">Investigate and expose</font></font></span></div>
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</ul>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font size="2"><font size="3"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">A most interesting site that I hope you will enjoy as much as I did.</span></font></font></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"></p>The Harambee Spirit Community Loantag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-04-28:4871302:BlogPost:1072532010-04-28T15:00:10.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
The Mazera’s Community Bank which has been operating in Kenya for the past 5 years. Today, the Bank has launched the Harambee Spirit Community Loan with the aim of encouraging communities to support their youth to implement income generating social development projects. The loan will be piloted in Mazera’s District after which the Bank is named.<br></br>
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With a population close to ½ a million, 70% of whom are below the age of 30 years, Mazera’s District has been looking for ways to enable…
The Mazera’s Community Bank which has been operating in Kenya for the past 5 years. Today, the Bank has launched the Harambee Spirit Community Loan with the aim of encouraging communities to support their youth to implement income generating social development projects. The loan will be piloted in Mazera’s District after which the Bank is named.<br/>
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With a population close to ½ a million, 70% of whom are below the age of 30 years, Mazera’s District has been looking for ways to enable the youth create wealth form themselves, create employment and engage in sustainable development projects. Thanks to free education, many of the young men and women are educated to secondary school level which, in Kenya, ensures that each person is equipped with vocational skills to assist them in wealth creation even if for whatever reason, they are not able to progress to tertiary education.<br/>
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So what is the Harambee Spirit Loan? To answer this we need to look at the work Harambee. Harambee is a Kiswahili word meaning 'to work together for progress’ 'to pull together'. Kenya has been “living the Harambee Spirit” since independence in 1964 when so many social and economic projects were required and there were very limited resources in government coffers to undertake them (sadly this appears to be the case over 50 years later). With the Harambee Spirit, when I want to plant maize (corn) on my farm, I would call my neighbors, relatives and friends and in a day do an enormous amount of work. <br/>
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With the Harambee Spirit Loan, the Mazera’s Community Bank is borrowing from this concept to give individuals and community groups the opportunity to fund youth within their community who are interested in implementing sustainable income generating businesses. The Bank will work with the youth to develop business funding proposals that address social development issues within the community. The proposals will then be made available to members of the community and discussed during special community sessions held by the Bank. Individuals or community groups are then wholly or partially fund the business. The Bank will follow up and assist the youth to implement the project successfully and sustainably. The funding proposal is limited to a maximum of Kenya Shillings 10,000 (equivalent to US$ 125). The loan is fully guaranteed by the Bank and each individual or group lender gets a Mazera’s stone curved with the loan amount + interest on it to be redeemed by the Mazera’s Community Bank after a specified period.<br/>
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<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2234205001?profile=original"/></p>
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The Mazera’s Community Bank hopes to encourage communities to invest in their own community development by investing in their youth. It also hopes to foster the spirit of social entrepreneurship and social responsibility. <br/><p></p>Thriving not Just Surviving in 2020tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-04-28:4871302:BlogPost:1071832010-04-28T13:00:00.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span lang="EN" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" xml:lang="EN"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">On reading the Imagine 7 challenge, the first thought that came to my mind was Kibera – an urban slum housing in Nairobi, Kenya. The word Kibera is commonly thought to be the Nubian term for Forest or Jungle. Encompassing an area of 2.5km<sup>2</sup> (a little bit smaller than Central Park in…</font></font></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">On reading the Imagine 7 challenge, the first thought that came to my mind was Kibera – an urban slum housing in Nairobi, Kenya. The word Kibera is commonly thought to be the Nubian term for Forest or Jungle. Encompassing an area of 2.5km<sup>2</sup> (a little bit smaller than Central Park in New York), Kibera’s population is estimated at between 600,000 and 1.5 million inhabitants, depending on the season.</font></font></span></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="2"><font color="#000000"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><font size="3">Residents of Kibera have little or no access to clean water, sanitation, healthcare, electricity, or schools. The homes are more often than not built on top of garbage and often collapse due to regular flooding caused by poor drainage. As you can see from the map below, Kibera is right behind my office (the red triangle). Here is a</font> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nairobi_Kibera_01.JPG"><font size="3">grim picture</font></a> <font size="3">depicting what you would see were you to venture into the slum. I have put the icons at the bottom of the page instead of squeezing the all within the Kibera Slum space on the map.</font></span></font></font></p>
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<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font color="#000000" size="2"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2234246735?profile=original"/></font></span></p>Poor Naked Africanstag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-04-28:4871302:BlogPost:1071252010-04-28T10:30:00.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font color="#000000">Fellow Agents, some of you may have heard of a new campaign called One Million Shirts who want to collect 1,000,000 used and new t-shirts and send them to Africa to help people with no clothes. They are also collecting money for the shipping costs. This project by a (well intentioned?) Jason Sadler who is taking A LOT of criticism from…</font></span></font></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><font size="3"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font color="#000000">Fellow Agents, some of you may have heard of a new campaign called One Million Shirts who want to collect 1,000,000 used and new t-shirts and send them to Africa to help people with no clothes. They are also collecting money for the shipping costs. This project by a (well intentioned?) Jason Sadler who is taking A LOT of criticism from development bloggers for obvious reasons: (1) there is</font></span> <span style="COLOR: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN">no shortage of used clothing in Africa; and (2) s</span><span class="entry-content"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font color="#000000">econd hand clothing has crushed the textile industry in many countries of Africa and</font></span></span> <span style="COLOR: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN">hundreds of thousands of African workers have lost their jobs as a result of this.</span></font></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span class="entry-content"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font color="#000000" size="3">Please read:</font></span></span></p>
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<li><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="COLOR: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><a href="http://www.theroot.com/views/dead-white-people-s-clothes"><font size="3">Dead White People’s Clothes</font></a><font size="3">: H<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">ow the used clothes you send to Africa are killing the local textile industries.</span></font></span></div>
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<li><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="COLOR: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><a href="http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/tshirttravels/film.html"><font size="3">T-shirt Travels</font></a> <font size="3">by film maker</font></span> <font size="3"><span style="COLOR: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">Shantha Bloemen who tracks a t-shirt from New York to Zambia.</span></font></div>
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<li><div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="COLOR: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><font size="3">A 2005</font> <a href="http://www.oxfam.org.uk/resources/issues/trade/downloads/research_shc.pdf"><font size="3">report by Oxfam</font></a> <font size="3">on the impact of 2<sup>nd</sup> hand clothing trade in developing countries</font></span></div>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span class="entry-content"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font size="3"><font color="#000000">Jason Sadler has posted a video response to what he calls “hatorade” on</font></font> <a href="http://yfrog.us/854i9z"><font color="#800080" size="3">http://yfrog.us/854i9z</font></a> <font size="3"><font color="#000000">- wow, a real lesson on how NOT to respond to criticism IMHO!!</font></font></span></span></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span class="entry-content"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">I would certainly be more impressed if Mr. Sadler’s charity would buy 1 million shirts from vendors in Africa and bringing them back to clothe poor inner city kids in the United States.</font> <a href="http://texasinafrica.blogspot.com/2010/04/some-alternative-ideas-to-donating-t.html"><font size="3">Texas in Africa</font></a></font> <font size="3"><font color="#000000">has offered various alternatives to Mr. Sadler.</font></font></span></span></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span class="entry-content"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font color="#000000" size="3">So, what think you of Mr. Sadlers initiative?</font></span></span></p>Indigenous Healers with a Twisttag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-04-27:4871302:BlogPost:1063372010-04-27T17:00:00.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font color="#000000" size="3">The story of the traditional healers from Oaxaca (mhh… I wonder how this word is pronounced) immediately caught my attention. These healers have struggle for recognition by official associations and the benefits that have accrued to indigenous women are now quantifiable. I found additional information on these awesome…</font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font color="#000000" size="3">The story of the traditional healers from Oaxaca (mhh… I wonder how this word is pronounced) immediately caught my attention. These healers have struggle for recognition by official associations and the benefits that have accrued to indigenous women are now quantifiable. I found additional information on these awesome healers at</font> <a href="http://oaxacatramed.blogspot.com/2010/02/cemito.html"><font color="#800080" size="3">http://oaxacatramed.blogspot.com/2010/02/cemito.html</font></a><font color="#000000"><font size="3">.</font></font></span></p>
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<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><font size="3"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font color="#000000">Reading about these women, I marvel how different yet the same we human beings are and I would like to share a story about encounters of a similar kind in South Africa.</font></span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font color="#000000">In South Africa Sangomas (traditional healers - sometimes called witchdoctors) are revered and trusted in rural communities and play multiple roles as spiritual guide, healer and counselor. Inside a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">dumba</i> in village in KwaZulu Natal, Miriam Tembe sits on a mat on the floor, staring intently at a small pile of bones on the ground. Strings of beads run around her neck and across her chest, and on her head sits a cap made of leopard skin. The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">dumba</i> is "<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">where the ancestors live</i>," and it is Miriam’s consulting room. The walls are hung with a traditional healer’s paraphernalia – gourds, animal skins, and a string of teeth. A wooden cupboard with a glass door is packed to capacity with an assortment of tins, bottles and jars full of powders and liquids – Miriam’s pharmacy.</font></span></font></p>
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<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">A few feet away, 30-year-old Alfred Nyawo sits quietly on the ground, eyes downcast, waiting for the verdict. After reading the bones, Miriam announces that Nyawo is well. Nevertheless, she pulls on a pair of latex gloves and examines him. True to Miriam’s pronouncement, Nyawo is not unwell; in fact, he is feeling much better today than he was a month ago, when he first come to see her complaining of persistent muscle pains in his shoulders and legs, and frequent headaches. Today he has come back to pay her, and to thank her because he is no longer in pain.</font></font></span></p>
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<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">Sangomas are a revered and feared group, and 60% of South Africans consult them nevertheless. Nyawo clearly holds Miriam in high esteem. When he arrived, he first stood quietly at the entrance of her dumba, waiting respectfully for permission to go in. When he was allowed, he entered on his knees, clapped his hands in greeting (a sangoma’s hand is never shaken) and went to sit quietly opposite her. But he does not seem uncomfortable in her presence, and responds easily when she speaks to him. (go <a href="http://pjdrummond.com/SlideShow_assets/SlideShow.html?lang=en">here</a> to see a picture of a sangoma at work)</font></font></span></p>
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<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">Miriam is one of 80 sangomas in Umkhanyakude District, KwaZulu Natal, taking part in an AMREF programme to enhance management of HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted infections by developing the knowledge and skills of traditional healers. AMREF wants sangomas to keep providing spiritual succor and basic healthcare, and also to use their influence and authority to promote HIV-testing and modern medicine in areas where many people are distrustful of hospitals, clinics and ARV drugs.</font></font></span></p>
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<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">Mexico’s case study looks at how conventional medicine can learn from traditional healers. South Africa’s case study looks at how traditional healers can learn from orthodox healthcare. There are clear synergies between social development and indigenous knowledge.</font></font></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"></p>Vision for Africatag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-04-27:4871302:BlogPost:1061342010-04-27T13:19:47.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font color="#000000" size="3">Do you have a vision for Africa? World leaders at the World Economic Forum to be held in Dar es Salaam Tanzania from May 5-7, 2010 want to know about it. They have set up a "Davos Debates video corner" at…</font> <a href="http://youtube.com/davos" title="http://youtube.com/davos"></a></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><font color="#000000" size="3">Do you have a vision for Africa? World leaders at the World Economic Forum to be held in Dar es Salaam Tanzania from May 5-7, 2010 want to know about it. They have set up a "Davos Debates video corner" at</font> <a title="http://youtube.com/davos" href="http://youtube.com/davos"><font color="#2D611D" size="3">http://youtube.com/davos</font></a><font color="#000000" size="3">.</font></span> <span style="COLOR: #421205; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><font size="3">Participants including presidents and business leaders will respond via video to your questions and ideas on the region's most pressing challenges. </font></span></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: #421205; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><font size="3">Send your ideas and questions via video or text to YouTube.com/Davos. You can also vote on your favourite contributions from others. The contributions with the highest number of votes will be put to the leaders at the Davos Debates corner giving direct access to some of the most powerful and influential people in the world. The best entries may also be shown at the meeting. Go to</font> <a href="YouTube.com/Davos"><font size="3">YouTube.com/Davos</font></a> <font size="3">to join the conversation.</font></span></p>
<p></p>Resilient Kenyatag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-04-26:4871302:BlogPost:1051072010-04-26T15:30:00.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'ArialMT','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-themecolor: text1">Kenya is located on the East African coast and our estimated population is just over 40million. About 79% of this population lives in the rural areas. Of the urban dwellers, 60% live in informal settlements. Rural communities and informal settlers are usually the most affected when…</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'ArialMT','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-themecolor: text1">Kenya is located on the East African coast and our estimated population is just over 40million. About 79% of this population lives in the rural areas. Of the urban dwellers, 60% live in informal settlements. Rural communities and informal settlers are usually the most affected when disaster strikes. Close to ½ of Kenyans living on less than US$1/day. Poverty increases the vulnerability of most people to minor hazards, turning them into humanitarian emergencies e.g flooding which occurs every rain season displacing 10s of thousands of people.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'ArialMT','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-themecolor: text1">Over the years, Kenya has seen quite a number of hazards including drought, famine, food insecurity, floods, epidemics, landslides, deforestation, desertification, transport accidents, conflicts, pollution, structural failure, terrorism, fires etc. These disasters disrupt people’s livelihoods, destroy infrastructure, divert planned use of resources, interrupt economic activities and retard development.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'ArialMT','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-themecolor: text1">I was fortunate to be part of a 5-person delegation to the US that included the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of State (the Ministry concerned with Disaster Management in Kenya). During this 10-day visit (between 5-15<sup>th</sup> April 2010), we discussed how technology can be used to build capacities in HIV/AIDS which was declared a national disaster in Kenya in 1999. I must admit that prior to this, I had little understanding of what it takes to manage disasters at national scale.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'ArialMT','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-themecolor: text1">The Permanent Secretary was kind enough to share with me the details of Kenya’s National Disaster Response Plan which was formulated in 2008. This plan seeks to build the country's resilience to disasters by strengthening disaster preparedness in order to lessen the impact of the disasters. It is expected that Kenya’s 8 provinces and 264 districts will use this plan to develop and implement their own hazard specific plans. I must say I was very impressed by the content on the Ministry’s website which includes information on Nzoia Basin daily food watch, information on funds received for various disasters and disbursements reports, funds allocations to internally displaced persons etc. These may seem trivial but is a VERY significant step towards financial transparency in that Ministry.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'ArialMT','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; mso-themecolor: text1">Upon return to Kenya, I asked my colleagues if they were aware of this Kenya’s National Disaster Response Plan. Happily quite a few were but most (3/4) did not know the contents of the document. I therefore sent an email to my colleagues (1000+) sharing what I learnt about Kenya’s National Disaster Response Plan a full copy of which is available at: <a href="http://www.sprogrammes.go.ke">http://www.sprogrammes.go.ke</a>, or <a href="http://www.noc.go.ke">http://www.noc.go.ke</a>. Happy reading!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none"></p>Disease Outbreak Reportstag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-04-26:4871302:BlogPost:1049302010-04-26T10:30:00.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><font size="3"><font color="#000000">This is my post for LEARN 7 on</font> <em><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: #5e5e5e">Ushahidi</span></em><font color="#000000">. As you saw from the video clip,…</font> </font></span></span></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><font size="3"><font color="#000000">This is my post for LEARN 7 on</font> <em><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: #5e5e5e">Ushahidi</span></em><font color="#000000">. As you saw from the video clip,</font> <em><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: #5e5e5e">Ushahidi</span></em></font> <font color="#000000" size="3">is a Kenyan social innovation which has now been "exported" to many countries across different types of crisis - I am extra proud to be Kenyan this week!!<br/><br/>As you may know from reading some of my posts, I work in the Health space and specifically in the area of eHealth. One of the projects I currently manage is a national eLearning programme for nurses in Kenya. This programme has been running for over 4 years now and has enrolled over 7000 nurses, 60% of whom work in rural communities across Kenya. The programme uses computers and mobile phones to upskill nurses to enable them manage new and re-emerging diseases including HIV/AIDS, TB, and Malaria.</font></span></span></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><font color="#000000">Since early this year, we have been looking for possible ways to enable these nurses collect and report on disease outbreak and survaillance information in their regions for planning purposes. One of the options we are looking at is Ushahidi's</font></span> <span style="COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">Geographic information systems (GIS) software. Ushahidi uses an Open Source GIS software that is customizable to AMREFs requirements and can be synchronized with our SMS management system to enable us collect data using simple SMS systems. This is a key advantage as, whereas most (over 80%) of nurses do NOT have easy access to a internet-connected PC/laptop, ALL nurses on the programme have a phone ensuring near real-time feedback and minimal implementation costs. The fact that <em><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Ushahidi</span></em> is "Made in Kenya" is also a major plus as we will be able to access a strong community of users and developers ready to share good practice.</span></font></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><span style="COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">I am totally excited about the possible synergies (1+1=11) that would accrue from intergrating GIS into this national eLearning programme.</span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><font color="#000000">Available evidence show that the spread of information about a local outbreak can indeed reduce the impact of a disease outbreak. Moreover, if individuals react swiftly to a disease that itself does not spread too rapidly, aware individuals can form a protective cordon around the outbreak and subsequently bring it to complete stop. <span style="COLOR: black">This kind of locally-initiated, informal spread of awareness may play an important role in containing an epidemic, even when no official guidelines have been issued. Totally awesome!</span></font></span></font></p>
<p></p>Re-start the Circle 2020tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-04-17:4871302:BlogPost:950862010-04-17T03:09:13.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
<font size="3">In ACT 6 (<a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/blogs/women-4-women">Women 4 Women</a>), I shared about 2 young women from Starehe Girls Center who I mentor. I have been mentoring Shaba and Taiya (not their real names) since 2009 when they were in Form 4 (equivalent to O Levels / grade 12). Both sat for their national examinations in December 2009, passed with flying colors and are sure to be accepted to a good university.<br></br><br></br>In 2010 they have begun their gap period.…</font>
<font size="3">In ACT 6 (<a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/blogs/women-4-women">Women 4 Women</a>), I shared about 2 young women from Starehe Girls Center who I mentor. I have been mentoring Shaba and Taiya (not their real names) since 2009 when they were in Form 4 (equivalent to O Levels / grade 12). Both sat for their national examinations in December 2009, passed with flying colors and are sure to be accepted to a good university.<br/><br/>In 2010 they have begun their gap period. In Kenya, due to a culmination of complicated circumstances, the gap period between high school graduation and beginning university, college or trade school ranges from 4 - 21 months. For those girls awarded a university, college or trade school sponsorship, the survival challenges faced during the gap period are often too great to overcome. As a result, instead of completing university, college or trade school, they disappear from the radar and end up being married off to men not of their choice, working as domestic help, or in situations even worse.<br/><br/>The <a href="http://www.globalgivebackcircle.org/">Global Give Back Circle</a> which runs the mentorship program has arranged for both Shaba and Taiya to take MCSE classes sponsored by Microsoft. They will also tutor students from Starehe Girls Center where they will continue to reside as they are both orphans. Shaba wants to be a Doctor and Taiya wants to work in artificial intelligence. We are a good fit as I work in health and technology space. We speak frequently about life, dreams, hopes, options, futures and off course boys. <br/><br/>Both my girls are fully certified MCSE by the time they join the University. University years are long (6 years) and tough. We speak about their programs and what they are learning, how they will be able to use their skills to give back, the leadership roles they would like to play and their fears that they may not live up to expectations. And of course we talk about boys.<br/><br/>It is now 2017 and I am so proud to attend Shaba and Taiya’s graduation ceremonies. We sit together and look back at when I first met them, 2 scared little girls with little hope - and now look at them - 2 young professionals with a bright future ahead of them. They have been working hard to build and strengthen themselves these 10 years all the time giving back to their communities in small ways. Both now have a job and have begun to give back to the GGBC program. The Circle re-starts and what better mentors can the girls at Starehe girls have??<br/></font>Women 4 Womentag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-04-16:4871302:BlogPost:947992010-04-16T20:00:00.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">My parents were born into poverty. But because someone believed in them, they received a good basic education. From this, they raised 4 of their own children each of who are educated to post graduate level. They also educated a village of children who have grown up to be teachers, doctors, researchers, politicians (sadly), lawyers,…</font></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">My parents were born into poverty. But because someone believed in them, they received a good basic education. From this, they raised 4 of their own children each of who are educated to post graduate level. They also educated a village of children who have grown up to be teachers, doctors, researchers, politicians (sadly), lawyers, entrepreneurs etc... I am a great believer in education and especially the education (both formal and informal) of girls and women.<span style="COLOR: #5e5e5e"></span></font></font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"><font color="#000000" size="3">As such, I support numerous education initiatives and would like to share about my work with the</font> <a href="http://www.globalgivebackcircle.org/"><span style="COLOR: blue"><font size="3">Global Give Back Circle</font></span></a> <font size="3"><font color="#000000">(GGBC).</font> <font color="#000000">GGBCs mission is to harness the talents of women globally to transition disadvantaged girls out of the circle of poverty and into a</font> <font color="#000000">circle of social participation, contribution, fulfilment and independence. GGBC is all about women giving back to women. As a member of GGBC I support 2 girls from the</font></font> <a href="http://www.starehegirlscentre.ac.ke/"><span style="COLOR: blue"><font size="3">Starehe Girls Centre</font></span></a><font color="#000000"><font size="3">, a national boarding school that offers secondary education to financially disadvantaged girls from all provinces of Kenya.</font></font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">A disadvantaged girl in Kenya overcomes massive odds when she is awarded sponsorship to one of Kenya’s High Schools dedicated to educating girls. For four years she lives and grows emotionally, intellectually and spiritually in a nurturing and motivating environment. Upon graduation, without further intervention, she will return to the circle of poverty from which she came. PHASE I</font></font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"><font color="#000000" size="3">In Kenya, due to a culmination of complicated circumstances, the gap period between high school graduation and beginning university, college or trade school ranges from 4 - 21 months. For those girls awarded a university, college or trade school sponsorship, the survival challenges faced during the gap period are often too great to overcome. As a result, instead of completing university, college or trade school, they disappear from the radar and end up being married off to men not of their choice, working as domestic help, or in situations even worse. PHASE II</font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"><font color="#000000" size="3">Everyone has different skills, capabilities and talent. Some of the girls in the program will qualify for the 4-year government scholarship university degree programs, some will qualify for 2-3 year college certificates and diplomas whilst others will aspire to gain marketable skills through certified trade schools. This is critical, because they are no longer living in collective groups with other girls. PHASE III</font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">Once they girls have completed their tertiary education, the goal is to ensure, as best as possible, that they find gainful employment in the profession or career to which they most aspire. Maintaining a positive attitude and staying focused and motivated are essential. PHASE IV</font></font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"><font color="#000000" size="3">Although each girl commits to various forms of Giving Back throughout the process once she is gainfully employed she commits to Giving Back as a Global Give Back Circle Mentor, Coordinator, Team Leader or Director and she commits to Giving Back monetarily to the Global Give Back Circle Endowment Fund. PHASE V</font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"><font color="#000000" size="3">GGBC works with the Starehe Girls though these 5 phases to ensure they successfully complete high school, gain valuable experiences during the gap year, access quality tertiary education, gain employment and give back to girls in Kenya, re-starting the Circle and ensuring sustainability. GGBC uses technology to enable strong one-to-one relationships, across towns and borders ensuring the women across the globe can empower these girls. Personal engagement erases ignorance, fosters understanding and allows anyone to participate as a global citizen.</font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"><font color="#000000" size="3">The</font> <a href="http://www.globalgivebackcircle.org/"><span style="COLOR: blue"><font size="3">GGBC website</font></span></a> <font color="#000000"><font size="3">shares powerful stories of the girls (and mentors) including a clip of a presentation by 4 of the students at the very prestigious Clinton Global Initiative 2009 Annual Meeting. I encourage you all to visit the site and join the Circle today.</font></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"></p>Abortion and maternal mortality - Breaking the Silencetag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-04-09:4871302:BlogPost:872572010-04-09T20:21:18.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">On April 08, 2010 the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><span style="COLOR: black">WomenWatch</span></i></font></font> <span style="COLOR: black"><font size="3">news feed posted a story on the</font></span> <a href="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=34310&Cr=MDG&Cr1="><font size="3">UN-led campaign to provide affordable health care for…</font></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">On April 08, 2010 the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><span style="COLOR: black">WomenWatch</span></i></font></font> <span style="COLOR: black"><font size="3">news feed posted a story on the</font></span> <a href="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=34310&Cr=MDG&Cr1="><font size="3">UN-led campaign to provide affordable health care for Indian women</font></a> <font color="#000000" size="3">in a bid to improve access to maternal and child health services. This reminded me of a post I wrote on international women’s day this year, in memory of <a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/blogs/in-memorium">women lost during child birth</a> an issue that is near and dear to my heart.</font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><font size="3"><span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri">Every minute somewhere in the world a woman dies in pregnancy or childbirth.</span> <span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-themecolor: text1">In my country Kenya, 22 women die each day from</span> <span style="COLOR: #5e5e5e; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri">pregnancy related complications</span></span> <span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-themecolor: text1">- 80% of these deaths are preventable.</span> <font color="#000000"><span class="texto11"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size: 11.0pt">Official statistics show that 30 to 50% of all maternal deaths in Kenya are directly attributed to unsafe abortion. Abortion is illegal in Kenya and only allowed when a woman's life is in danger. Despite this about 300,000 terminations take place in Kenya each year with an estimated 20,000 women and girls being admitted with abortion-related complications in the hospital.</span></span></font></font></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><font><font color="#000000"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"><font size="3">According to the World Health Organization (WHO) nearly 42 million women faced with an unintended pregnancy have an abortion each year 20 million of which are unsafe abortions.</font></span> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"><font size="3">What is an unsafe abortion? These are numerous and include:</font></span></font></font></span></p>
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<li><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"><font size="3">The use herbs, roots and leaves inserted into a woman's vagina in order to remove the foetus. This is usually done by traditional midwives</font></span></span></div>
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<li><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"><font size="3">Inserting sharp objects like a coat hanger, knitting needle, bicycle spoke or a stem of a local herb into the vagina or cervix</font></span></div>
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<li><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"><font size="3">Ingesting high doses of malaria pills</font></span></div>
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<li><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"><font size="3">Some girls/women visit shady clinics who do not meet minimal medical standards, are unsanitary and lack blood and oxygen supplies and whose staff generally lack knowledge of anaesthesia obstetrics or gynaecology.</font></span></div>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"><font size="3">There are many reasons for the prevalence of abortion in Kenya. Pregnancy out of wedlock is scorned, with many girls ousted from school and even from home once it is obvious that they are pregnant. Because abortion remains shrouded in secrecy it is difficulty to initiate positive action. Funding policies by some donor agencies restricts provision of funds to organisations that provide abortions, lobby for them or in any way facilitate them further silencing activism. </font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"><font size="3">Is legalizing abortion the answer? Is the pro-choice argument a women’s reproductive health right issue or a human rights issue? Do we make contraception more available to girls and women to reduce the incidence of unplanned pregnancies? How do we reconcile possible solutions with Kenyan law, cultural and religious beliefs? Please share your views and let us break the silence and reduce maternal mortality today.</font></span></p>Evoking on Skill Banktag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-04-08:4871302:BlogPost:855682010-04-08T15:47:09.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN" xml:lang="EN"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">So Week 6 is here! This has been a really tough couple of weeks for me time-wise and if I could buy time (literally) I would!…</font></font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN" xml:lang="EN"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">So Week 6 is here! This has been a really tough couple of weeks for me time-wise and if I could buy time (literally) I would!</font></font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN" xml:lang="EN"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">Looking at the ideas given for the ACT for this week I immediately recall my blog post Little by</font> <a href="%20http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/blogs/little-by-little-we-fill-the"><font size="3">Little we Fill the Pot</font></a></font></span> <font size="3"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN" xml:lang="EN"><font color="#000000">I am happy to report that I have been successful in my goal so far and have sent a total of US$60 to the <em>Haba na Haba</em> campaign so far. So why am I reporting on this here (aside from the fact I am really proud of myself</font></span> <font color="#000000"><span lang="EN" style="FONT-FAMILY: Wingdings; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings" xml:lang="EN"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings">J</span></span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN" xml:lang="EN">)? Because I send this money via mPesa (mobile to mobile money transfer) which is a VERY common form of money transfer in Kenya. Indeed mPesa has received numerous global awards, most recently</span> <span lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">the Best Mobile Money Service award at Global Mobile Awards in Spain. This is one area where an emerging market lead the world in – I am proud to be Kenyan or as we say in Kiswahili <em>najivunia kuwa mkenya</em>!</span></font></font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US"><font color="#000000" size="3">So, back to ACT 6, I am rather torn. Barter, the future of money (mobile money transfers, and micro-loans to help someone kickstart their project are unusual practice in Kenya and I am already engaged in these. Now, although I have no formal skill bank system, I have volunteered to assist any UE agent (and already exchanged emails with 3 Agents) write up their UE scholarship proposals as proposal writing is a skill I have acquired over many years (<em>jua kali</em> skill banking??). As I feel this is an area I can contribute constructively to any UE Agent and especially those looking to Evoke in Africa, I am sending the word out again – I am available to think, plan & write with any Agent looking to write up an Evokation for scholarship. Please spread the word to any of your friends and networks who may be interested.</font></span></p>The root of all evil?tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-04-08:4871302:BlogPost:851812010-04-08T07:40:23.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
<p><font size="3">Money is commonly defined as medium that can be exchanged for goods and services and is used as a measure of their value on the market. Money makes it easier to trade, borrow, save, invest, and compare the value of goods and services.<br></br><br></br>Money has value only because we, humans have dictated that. A piece of colored paper with the picture of another (usually dead) human being has no value in itself. Money does not create inequality - humans do. Sound reasonable doesn’t…</font></p>
<p><font size="3">Money is commonly defined as medium that can be exchanged for goods and services and is used as a measure of their value on the market. Money makes it easier to trade, borrow, save, invest, and compare the value of goods and services.<br/><br/>Money has value only because we, humans have dictated that. A piece of colored paper with the picture of another (usually dead) human being has no value in itself. Money does not create inequality - humans do. Sound reasonable doesn’t it? So why that adage money is the root of all evil… or is it evil is the root of all money? Do we need to get rid of money and introduce a different way to trade for goods and services?<br/></font></p>
<p><font size="3">In the Aberdares, a small group of villagers got fed up with waiting for the government’s electrification programme to reach them and decided to take matters into their own hands. They formed an electricity company, the Gatiki Electrical Company, in which they had bought shares of 10,000/- each. The seven thousand villagers will all have their households lit up, where they will pay between a mere $ 0.65 and $1.25 for their electrical usage – a minute fraction of what most Kenya Power and Lighting Company customers have to pay. This is a classic case of the power of micro-credit (commonly called chaama) in Kenya.</font></p>
<p><br/><font size="3">Martin is a shoe-maker in Kibera, an informal settlement outside central Nairobi. He has set up a small stall along one of main entries into Kibera where he sells and repairs shoes to earn his “daily bread”. Martin lives alone in Kibera. His 2 wives and 8 children live in his rural home in Western Kenya. A large segment of his earnings is sent back home to his family on a weekly bi-weekly, basis via mPesa. With mPesa, funds can go directly from mobile phone to mobile phone, there is need to travel distances to bank for cash and no need to even open bank account<br/><br/>Chemutai is one of the many Kenyan’s who own a</font> <a href="http://www.nakumatt.net/smart_card.html"><font size="3">Nakumatt’s CyberCash</font></a> <font size="3">card, a shopping smart card that comes with benefits. Smart Card customers accumulate points on every item purchased from any Nakumatt Supermarket in the region. These points can then be used to pay for various things including school fees. <br/><br/>At the shores of Africa’s largest lake (Lake Victoria which is also the source of the River Nile), HIV/AIDS is rampant. The lack of jobs and money has forced many women to sell themselves to feed their families in a trend known locally as “sex-for-fish”. We have community health workers who exchange their services for community good will. We have social innovators who may achieve outcomes that have no direct pecuniary benefit.<br/><br/>Clearly there are many, many forms of money operating across the economy – cashless, chaama, barter trade. I see this as a model that should be scaled up and replicated in different economies. Different forms of money to suit the different needs of different people at different times.</font> <br/></p>Carry that Load 2020tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-03-31:4871302:BlogPost:746622010-03-31T15:29:24.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">The minimum amount of water required to meet basic needs vary depending upon what is included as "basic needs". The figures vary from 20 to 50 litres per person per day.</span> <span class="entry-content">The average distance a person in rural Africa must walk to a water source is 5 miles,</span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt">a burden borne mainly by women…</span></font></font></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">The minimum amount of water required to meet basic needs vary depending upon what is included as "basic needs". The figures vary from 20 to 50 litres per person per day.</span> <span class="entry-content">The average distance a person in rural Africa must walk to a water source is 5 miles,</span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt">a burden borne mainly by women and children.</span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">The annual value of time saved globally would amount to $63.5 billion in 2015, while the health-related costs avoided would reach $7.3 billion per year worldwide in 2015. Clearly, adequate water and sanitation will provide significant economic benefit.</span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt"></span></font></font></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt">To remind the world of the importance of water security we will hold the</span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">“Carry that Load” campaign on Tuesday March 24th 2020. Schools students from across the globe will pay US$1 (or 1 shilling, 1 rand, 1 kroner, 1 pound…) to participate in this event where they will carry a 1liter bottle of water on their heads for a distance of 1 kilometer. All monies raised will be donated to a worthy water project selected by the school from which the student comes from.</span> </font></font></p>
<p style="MARGIN: auto 0in" class="body-text"></p>Losing Sparktag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-03-31:4871302:BlogPost:744422010-03-31T12:53:15.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font color="#000000" size="3">I have followed with interest (and a lot of disbelief) the various reactions (losing spark, disillusioned, resignations) of various Agents following actions taken by EVOKE administrators against some Agents.</font></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Why…</b></font></font></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><font color="#000000" size="3">I have followed with interest (and a lot of disbelief) the various reactions (losing spark, disillusioned, resignations) of various Agents following actions taken by EVOKE administrators against some Agents.</font></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Why disbelief?</b> Coming from a country with a history of political assassinations, detention of political activists, extra-judicial killings, and numerous human rights violations not to mention poverty and disease, I am an ardent believer in freedom of speech and the rights of individuals. I also come from a country (and a continent) full of resourceful and resilient people working everyday to improve our economic and social well being against great adversity. I have summarized below a day in the life of 3 African women to showcase some of my people. (Their full stories can be found on the <a href="http://www.wfp.org/stories/blog-day-life-four-african-women">WFPs blog</a>.</font></font> <font color="#000000" size="3">).</font></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><font color="#000000"><span style="COLOR: #332d2d; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><font size="3"><u>Véronique Begimana</u></font></span></font></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><span style="COLOR: #332d2d; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><font size="3">Véronique is 47 years old and from Burundi, an area hard-hit by last year’s heavy rains and floods. Veronique suffers from AIDS and lost her husband to the disease. She has 6 children and has lost a seventh child. "I live in a house that my husband built out of metal. The roof has now gone bad and has holes in it. Every morning I get up at 5am and wash my head. I wash my whole body and clothes on Saturdays to prepare for church on Sundays. I don’t eat anything in the morning, nor do my children. When times were better we used to cultivate the hills and the swamp areas and this would feed me and my family every day. Now there is very little to eat. Sometimes we eat cassava leaves that are diseased and these give us diarrhea. It would be nice to have someone else’s life, to be able to give my children what they need, to wear proper clothes. I dream of finding a job that gives me enough food to feed us every day. I pray for myself and for my family."</font></span></span></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="COLOR: #332d2d; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><font size="3"><u>Anasthasie Bodha</u></font></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><font size="3"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">Anasthasie is 60 years old and was driven from her home in Fataki (Congo), by militia violence in December. She is now staying with a family in Bunia. Anasthasie has been married for 45 years and has</span> <span style="COLOR: #332d2d; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN">9 children, 4 of whom live with her. She wakes up at 6am daily. Her family does not eat in the morning – they have just 1 meal a day. She has a bath once a day, often without soap, because she doesn’t have any. She spends each day looking for work – it is hard to live as a displaced person. The entire family mother, father and all children sleep together on the floor on a mat Anasthasie made, and cover themselves with Anasthasie’s cloths. The question she asks herself all day long is, “How am I going to do to find food tomorrow? When I think about my life, my stomach hurts. ” She is scared her children will become street children then bandits.</span></font></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><font size="3"><u><span style="COLOR: #332d2d; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN">Fatime Gassi</span></u> </font></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNoSpacing"><font size="3"><span style="COLOR: #332d2d; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN">Fatime is 25 years old from Chad. Her husband and one child were slaughtered when militia attacked her village.</span> <span style="COLOR: #332d2d; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">She fled with her remaining 5 children</span> <span style="COLOR: #332d2d; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN">and a bag of flour.</span> <span style="COLOR: #332d2d; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN">In her new life as an Internally Displaces Person (IDP) Fatime relives this fear of attack every other day when she and a group of women go searching for firewood. The women collect water from a dried-up riverbed that fills up with water during the rainy season which is a one-hour walk from the camp. They need to go twice and sometimes three times a day – they cannot bring enough water for the whole day in one trip. In the afternoon the women sit together and talk. They sometimes wonder about faraway places and what life is like there.</span></font></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Why disbelief?</b> The above stories are not unique - this is the story of many Africans. They are not lazy people who sit around feeling sorry for themselves - as some are wont to believe. They certainly need help from you and I but they are not waiting around for a savior. They are courageously doing whatever little they can to survive every day.</font></font></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Why disbelief?</b> If all it takes for me to lose spark / be disillusion / resign is some tough action from EVOKE administrators am I really ready to save the world?</font></font></p>Too Much v/s Not Enoughtag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-03-30:4871302:BlogPost:732302010-03-30T17:29:05.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
<p><font size="3">In 2006, the United Nations said it expected Africa to be the continent most affected by climate change, not because it produces a large amount of greenhouse gases - quite the opposite - but because it is the least equipped to cope with change. <br></br><br></br><u>2007-2009</u><br></br>The rains have failed in Kenya since 2007 resulting in a prolonged drought with over 10 million people needing food aid. Drought is a normal, recurring feature of the climate in most parts of the world. It…</font></p>
<p><font size="3">In 2006, the United Nations said it expected Africa to be the continent most affected by climate change, not because it produces a large amount of greenhouse gases - quite the opposite - but because it is the least equipped to cope with change. <br/><br/><u>2007-2009</u><br/>The rains have failed in Kenya since 2007 resulting in a prolonged drought with over 10 million people needing food aid. Drought is a normal, recurring feature of the climate in most parts of the world. It is among the earliest documented climatic events, present in the Epic of Gilgamesh and tied to the biblical story of Joseph's arrival in and Exodus from Ancient Egypt. But, the prolonged drought crippled agriculture production in rural Kenya, greatly affecting millions of families who rely on farming, fishing or herding. An estimated 100,000 cattle have died and 4 million Kenyans to rely on donated food and water for survival. <br/><br/><u>2009-2010</u><br/>The heavy rains in Kenya have started falling and thousands have been left homeless as floods follow the country’s worst-ever drought. The hard dry ground caused by the drought cannot absorb the water so it floods bringing the risk of disease – in particular water-borne diseases like cholera and diarrhea, and respiratory diseases. There is a need of supplies such as food, shelter and clean water. <br/><br/>Seems like a vicious cycle doesn’t it? Well here is the story of <a href="http://vimeo.com/6623466">how one Kenyan family is adapting</a> to this situation - a simple solution with a big impact.</font></p>
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<p><font size="3"><br/></font></p>Little by Little we Fill the Pottag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-03-29:4871302:BlogPost:710352010-03-29T14:13:51.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
<p><font size="3"><em>Haba na haba hujaza kibaba</em> is a Swahili saying that means little by little we will fill the pot. As I researched and pondered on how I will live to this Quest, I thought of Agent</font> <a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/AnickMarie"><font color="#000000" size="3">Anick-Marie</font></a><font size="3">'s blog titled</font> <a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/blogs/downsizing-your-life-helps-you"><font size="3">Downsizing your life helps you focus on…</font></a></p>
<p><font size="3"><em>Haba na haba hujaza kibaba</em> is a Swahili saying that means little by little we will fill the pot. As I researched and pondered on how I will live to this Quest, I thought of Agent</font> <a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/AnickMarie"><font color="#000000" size="3">Anick-Marie</font></a><font size="3">'s blog titled</font> <a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/blogs/downsizing-your-life-helps-you"><font size="3">Downsizing your life helps you focus on real problems</font></a><font size="3">. This blog got me thinking and calculating how much I actually live on each day. So I summed up my monthly expenditure on groceries, transportation, entertainment, family obligations, insurances etc and divided by 30 days of the month the result of which is that I live on about US$50 a day - what a shocker! Looking deeper I see most of my expenses are not strictly MY expenses. Like for many Kenyans, the "I" really means "we" and "family" means "village".</font></p>
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<p><font size="3">Now, although some of these expenses cannot be reduced without major repercusions (eg. family obligations), I targeted the monthly food bill for my household for further analysis. On avarage I spend US$93 a week on groceries for a household of 4 adults. So, my target for the next 1 month (they say it takes 21 days to develop a habit) is to spend less than US$60 a week on groceries and donate US$30 a week to</font> <a href="http://amref.org/donate/haba-na-haba-na-amref/?keywords=haba+na+haba"><font size="3">AMREFs <em>Haba na Haba</em></font></a> <font size="3">campaign.</font></p>
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<p><font size="3">AMREF has calculated that $3 is the average daily cost of providing clean water to a household (6 – 8 people) through protected springs. This means that my contribution of US$120 will enable a household of 6 to 8 people access clean water for a period of 2 months. This makes me smile :)</font></p>
<p></p>Kajiado Shallow Wells Projecttag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-03-29:4871302:BlogPost:708022010-03-29T11:00:00.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
<p><font size="3">As the mission brief summarized, the 3 most urgent consequences of the water crisis are water-related disease and death, lost time and potential and wasted resources. Clearly then when addressing water issues, one needs to look not only at access to clean water but also issues of proximity to the water source as well as sanitation. This is an area that AMREF has been working on and perhaps I am (just a tad) biased in choosing…</font> <a href="http://www.amref.org"></a></p>
<p><font size="3">As the mission brief summarized, the 3 most urgent consequences of the water crisis are water-related disease and death, lost time and potential and wasted resources. Clearly then when addressing water issues, one needs to look not only at access to clean water but also issues of proximity to the water source as well as sanitation. This is an area that AMREF has been working on and perhaps I am (just a tad) biased in choosing</font> <a href="http://www.amref.org"><font size="3">AMREF</font></a><font size="3">s Kajiado Shallow Wells Project as my awe-inspiring clean water project.</font></p>
<p><font size="3"><br/>The Maasai of Kenya live in Kajiado. As they are pastoralists, water is of major importance to their Maasai way of life but low rainfall occasioned by prolonged periods of drought has made it increasingly difficult to rear livestock for sale. The available natural water sources are few and far between; women and girls who are traditionally charged with the role of collecting water often have to walk long distances daily. Many of these water points are unprotected and are often shared with goats, cows and wild animals, which pose a health risk to the people.</font></p>
<p><font size="3"><br/>The Kajiado Shallow Wells Project aims to reduce the spread of water and sanitation related diseases through providing access to clean and safe water and good sanitation practices. It also aims to improve the livelihoods of the beneficiary communities by ensuring that they have enough water for their cattle as well as access to information about other health challenges such as trachoma, diahorrea, and malaria.</font></p>
<p><font size="3"><br/>The project implemented together with the community members uses locally sourced and cost effective materials to enable the communities to replicate the projects elsewhere. The project started in 2006. Today, water points are within 2 kilometres from households in the targeted area, there is increased school attendance by girls who no longer have to walk long distances for water, there is increased household income as a result of using water for income generating activities and increased access to safe and adequate water and sanitation has resulted in a significant reduction of related diseases.</font><br/></p>Rain Dance in 2020tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-03-27:4871302:BlogPost:672912010-03-27T16:53:55.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-themecolor: text1">In 2020, we are doing a Rain Dance, one of Africa’s oldest traditions, a celebration that brings life sustaining rains. It is now midday in the Samburu savannah where we started our community farming, re-forestation, water harvesting project in 2010. At the time, the land was dry and parched, the river reduced to a wide bed of…</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-themecolor: text1">In 2020, we are doing a Rain Dance, one of Africa’s oldest traditions, a celebration that brings life sustaining rains. It is now midday in the Samburu savannah where we started our community farming, re-forestation, water harvesting project in 2010. At the time, the land was dry and parched, the river reduced to a wide bed of sand. As per tradition the dance is performed by the women of the community. We are all dressed in red cloth (<em>shuka’s</em>) and chant the “prayer” for rain as we gently sway our hips and stamp our feet. Through this dance we give thanks for our flowing river and communicate our joy that our community now has a steady access to water we use to irrigate our crops, feed our livestock and power our homes and businesses. We give thanks for our Kenyan Evoke Agents who worked with us to develop a sustainable solution for our community. We continue to learn how to conserve our environment, to enjoy our locally grown foods, to use the village water to light up our homes. We celebrate with confidence that the rains will come.</span></p>Flushing the Heatertag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-03-27:4871302:BlogPost:671702010-03-27T15:46:08.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
<strong><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic"><br />
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</span></strong><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><strong><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic"><strong><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic">It has taken me quite a while to Action Mission 3 because I wanted to actually DO something. I read about quite a few things that would lower my personal consumption which I have implemented including:</span></strong></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt 20.25pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><strong><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic"><span style="mso-list: Ignore">- </span></span></strong><strong><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic">I switch off the television when not in use (instead of leaving it on standby).</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt 20.25pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic"><span style="mso-list: Ignore">- </span></span><strong><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic">I turn off my PC</span></strong> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">monitor when not in use for a while as monitors use more power than the computer itself.</span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt 20.25pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic"><span style="mso-list: Ignore">- </span></span><strong><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic">I have lowered the thermostat of my water heater</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt 20.25pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic"><span style="mso-list: Ignore">- </span></span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic">I am now using compact fluorescent lights – they are not cheap but are supposed to cut usage by about 20%</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt 2.25pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic">However my best find was to flush heater every 6 months.</span> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">What it does is circulate the water in the bottom of the heater where most of the particulates in the water settle. If those particulates settle on the heating element, which is also at the bottom, then you are heating water and whatever settled onto the heating coils.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt 2.25pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic">Flushing the Heater was a fairly simple.</span> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">So, how do you flush a heater? Simple, get a small bucket, a short section of garden hose, and locate the tap at the bottom of the heater. Attach the garden hose to the tap, put the free end of the hose in the bucket and</span> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt">s.l.o.w.l.y.</span> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">open the tap. Opening the tap quickly could result in a hot water spray due to pressure. Run the water for about ten minutes or until the water runs clear.</span> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic">I followed the instructions and got the job done fairly easily. Next round of flushing scheduled for September 15<sup>th</sup> 2010.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; COLOR: #333333; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Hopefully all the above will shrink my carbon footprint AND save me some ca$h.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt"></p>The GREAT Fuel Doomsday Debatetag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-03-22:4871302:BlogPost:551262010-03-22T10:37:10.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
<p>As I have shared in a previous blog, I came into Mission 3 with little information on the global energy crisis. I have spent the past couple of days bringing myself up to speed and what I have read so far has totally scared me. Energy resources are depleting at a rate much faster than the mother Earth can replace. So, if 2005 was the year of global Peak Oil, worldwide oil production in the year 2030 will be the same as it was in 1980. However, the world’s population in 2030 will be both much…</p>
<p>As I have shared in a previous blog, I came into Mission 3 with little information on the global energy crisis. I have spent the past couple of days bringing myself up to speed and what I have read so far has totally scared me. Energy resources are depleting at a rate much faster than the mother Earth can replace. So, if 2005 was the year of global Peak Oil, worldwide oil production in the year 2030 will be the same as it was in 1980. However, the world’s population in 2030 will be both much approximately twice that in 1980 and much more industrialized (read oil-dependent) than it was in 1980. <br/><br/>Consequently, worldwide demand for oil will outpace worldwide production of oil by a significant margin. As a result, the price will skyrocket, oil. Big deal I hear many people say – if fuel prices get high I will just drive less or better yet, drive a hybrid car.<br/><br/>But, if you are focusing solely on the price at the pump, buying a hybrid car, or getting some of those energy efficient light bulbs, you are not seeing the bigger picture. In addition to transportation, water, modern medicine, plastics, computers and all high-tech devices, mass quantities of oil are required for food production. Here are some interesting facts:<br/><br/>• Cultivating one hectare of maize in the United States requires 40 litres of petrol and 75 litres of diesel.<br/>• Pesticides and agro-chemicals are made from oil<br/>• Commercial fertilizers are made from ammonia, which is made from natural gas, which is also peaking in the near future. <br/>• Most farming implements such as tractors and trailers are constructed and powered using oil-derived fuels.<br/>• Food storage systems such as refrigerators are manufactured in oil-powered plants, distributed using oil-powered transportation networks and usually run on electricity, which most often comes from natural gas or coal. Like oil and natural gas, coal too is peaking in the near future. <br/>• In the US, the average piece of food is transported almost 1,500 miles before it gets to your plate.<br/>• In Canada, the average piece of food is transported 5,000 miles from where it is produced to where it is consumed.<br/><br/>But what about alternative energy systems like solar panels hydrogen fuel cells, biodiesel production facilities, nuclear power plants, wind turbines etc I hear you ask. Well these are manufactured using petroleum and petroleum derived resources. Most of the feedstock (soybeans, corn) for biofuels such as biodiesel and ethanol are grown using the high-tech, oil-powered industrial methods of agriculture. In short, the so called "alternatives" to oil are actually "derivatives" of oil.<br/><br/>Much of the research I have read suggests that issue is not so much “fuel running out” as much as it is “not having enough” to keep our economies running. It seems that without Civilization as we know is coming to an end soon.<br/><br/>All this sounds like a doomsday cult prediction to me so my question to you all is – IS THIS FACT OR FICTION?<br/></p>Growing Energytag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-03-20:4871302:BlogPost:507202010-03-20T18:37:14.000ZShakwei Mbindyohttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ShakweiMbindyo
<p>Mission 3 has really given me a kick in the teeth. From what other Evoke Agents have shared there are clearly many silos of activity in the area of sustainable power generation.</p>
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<p>I found my social innovator in my own backyard. As I shared with Agent Joanna Chaplin following her <a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/blog/show?id=4871302%3ABlogPost%3A50076&commentId=4871302%3AComment%3A50292&xg_source=activity">Call to Action</a>, Kenya is coming out of a 3 year…</p>
<p>Mission 3 has really given me a kick in the teeth. From what other Evoke Agents have shared there are clearly many silos of activity in the area of sustainable power generation.</p>
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<p>I found my social innovator in my own backyard. As I shared with Agent Joanna Chaplin following her <a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/blog/show?id=4871302%3ABlogPost%3A50076&commentId=4871302%3AComment%3A50292&xg_source=activity">Call to Action</a>, Kenya is coming out of a 3 year drought. We relay heavily on hydroelectric power and have been experiencing both water and power rationing for over 2 years. Our governments imediate solution was to utilize fossil fuels for power generation, which lead to leving of a new fuel tax, more than doubling the cost of power. This has adversly affected our manufacturing and service sector.</p>
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<p>In the past 2 or so years, Kenyan organiations have been growing biofuels especially jatropha and sugar cane. One of this companies, <a href="http://www.energy-africa.com/business_plan.html">East Africa Fuels</a> has contracted over 75 farmers who have grown over 60,000 Jatropha trees. From this website I learnt that Jatropha is drought resistant and can grown on rocky land. It is easy to grow, lasts for about 40 years with each mature Jatropha tree producing upto 1/5 litre of oil and other useful by-products including fertilizer and methane gas. Jatropha is not edible, unattractive to wildlife and livestock and its its oil is said to burn 80% cleaner than fossil fuels. Unlike other alternative energies (sun, wind, water) it does not require new technology (cars, generators etc. will run on Jatropha),</p>
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<p>Sounds PERFECT doesn't it? Researching the disadvantages, I found that, IMHO, many could be surmounted by better technology. The only question I couldn't see an easy answer to is should we grow food for cars or food for people? Evoke Agents, who can come up with a solution to this??</p>