MIRACLE CORNERS HOSTS SIXTH ANNUAL GALA AWARDS DINNER IN NEW YORK WITH TANZANIAN PRESIDENT JAKAYA KIKWETE AS GUEST OF HONOR

Dr. John Brademas, Ambassador Ombeni Sefue and Dikembe Mutombo
Receive Top Honors

NEW YORK, April 20, 2010 – Miracle Corners of the World (MCW) celebrated its tenth anniversary at its sixth annual gala dinner and silent auction on Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at New York University. Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete attended the festive event to show his continued support of MCW’s youth empowerment and community development work in Tanzania.

In his remarks, President Kikwete spoke about the challenges facing Tanzania, focusing on youth and healthcare. He highlighted the importance of building international public-private partnerships and the role that non profit organizations, like MCW, can play in Tanzania’s continued growth.

At the gala, MCW honored individuals, who have committed themselves to making a positive difference in their own communities. NYU President John Sexton presented the MCW Lifetime Achievement Award to NYU President Emeritus and former U.S. House of Representatives Majority Whip Dr. John Brademas. MCW Leadership awards were presented to retired Houston Rocket player Dikembe Mutombo, who also heads the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, and Tanzanian Ambassador to the U.S., Ombeni Sefue. CNN Chief Business Correspondent Ali Velshi emceed the evening program. Obiageli Ezekwesili, World Bank Vice President for the Africa Region, and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, also attended the event.

“It is with great pride that MCW stands here tonight with such a distinguished group of honorees and guests on the occasion of MCW’s tenth anniversary,” said Executive Director Edward Bergman in his welcoming remarks. “As we look ahead to the next decade, we remain committed to ‘delivering on a promise’ to continue to empower youth to make change in their communities. And we hope to achieve another decade of success with the generous support of our donors, partners, volunteers and friends.”

The gala was attended by nearly 400 guests from the public, private, and non-profit sectors, who helped MCW raise a record of almost $600,000 for their leadership training, community center, oral healthcare and genocide prevention programs across Africa and in the United States.

The event included musical performances by Amma Agyapon, an MCW Youth Leadership Retreat Alumna, as well as a recipient of the 2009 Alumni Ventures Fund (AVF).

At the silent auction, MCW auctioned off over 35 items, with the two round-trip American Airlines business class tickets from U.S. to Europe receiving the highest bid of the evening.

On the morning of the gala, the MCW team, alongside Henry Schein Inc. representatives, rang the Opening Bell at the NASDAQ MarketSite in New York City’s Times Square. Dikembe Mutombo also participated in the event.

For pictures from the gala and a video of the NASDAQ opening, click here.

Dentist Volunteers in Songea Clinic

Dr. Walter Schneider returned from a two week dental outreach where he volunteered at the  Liana Cohen Dental Clinic located in the Miracle Corners Songea Community Center in Tanzania.  Dr. Schneider worked with Dr. Eliud Bilal,  dental therapist at the clinic, and Augusta Winna, dental therapist assistant, to provide free dental services and education to the local Songea community. 

During his two weeks in mid-November, Dr. Schneider performed procedures such as primary fillings, extractions in addition to providing preventative services such as cleanings and fluoride treatment.   In addition to providing services to the community, Dr. Schneider updated both Dr. Bilal and Augusta on diagnosis, restorative techniques and infection control procedures. 

Upon returning, Dr. Schneider indicated that “there is a huge and ongoing need, but through the [clinic and] outreach, MCW makes it possible to deliver care on a regular basis, which greatly improves the overall quality of oral health”.

Dr. Schneider is a practicing dentist in Colorado.

 Dr. Walter Schneider with local youth at the MCW Songea Community Center

About the Liana Cohen Dental Clinic

In 2005, MCW built and equipped the Kipera Dental Clinic (adjacent to the MCT Kipera, Songea community center), a stand-alone facility in Ruvuma Ward, Songea Municipality.  An MOU was entered into between MCW and the Songea Municipal Council.  The parties used the Private Sector Participation (PSP) model, whereby service provision is outsourced to the Songea Municipal Council that staffs the clinic with full-time Government employed dental personnel under the direction of the Regional Dental Officer.

The dental clinic provides preventive and acute oral health care to the surrounding community, along with school-based preventive oral health education throughout the Songea region.

President Kikwete Thanks MCW at Special Ceremony in Dar es Salaam

Dar ES SALAAM, Tanzania, November 3, 2009 – President Jakaya Kikwete delivered opening remarks at a ceremony for the newly renovated Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences Dental School (MUHAS) in Dar es Salaam on November 2, the school’s 30^th anniversary. The renovation, valued at nearly $2 million, of Tanzania’s only school of dentistry was made possible by in-kind support from a number of leading US dental equipment manufacturers and distributors.

In his opening remarks to the audience of more than 200 guests, the president said the government will aim to allocate more funding to the dental school in order to help sustain operations after the expected increase in enrollment in response to the renovations. He also said that Tanzania should aim to provide specialist dental services so that Tanzanians do not need to travel outside the country to receive treatment.

The East African country has a shortage of more than 200 dentists, leading to thousands of people going without treatment for dental maladies. Both the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and MCW, who have worked together on this joint initiative over the last three years, believe that by upgrading the school’s dental equipment and providing training, the school will be able to attract new faculty and train more dentists and, ultimately, provide better services to Tanzania’s citizens and people from the region.

“We have a very low number of dentists in the country due to lack of training facilities,” said Deputy Minister for Education and Vocational Training Gaudensia Kabaka at the event.

Edward Bergman, MCW co-founder and executive director, urged graduates of the MUHAS School of Density to stay in Tanzanian after their studies to provide services to the population instead of seeking work abroad.

“I call on the government to encourage medical experts to stay and offer services here as Tanzanians badly need their services, I also call on medical experts here to stay and offer their services to their people,” he said.

President Kikwete and Health and Social Welfare Minister David Mwakyusa have supported the project from the very beginning, when MUHAS and MOU signed a memorandum of understanding devoted to building a broad public–private partnership for helping Tanzania improve its oral healthcare services.

New Land in Kisongo, Arusha

 

 

 

 

MCW-T team members at new site in Kisongo, Arusha.

MUHAS Opening Ceremony November 2, 2009 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania



 

 

 

 

 

Alfred Hanssen and President Jakaya Kikwete

 

 

 

 

 

MCT team members at State House.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honorary guests and speakers at MUHAS opening ceremony

Tena Kebena Youth Feted at African Union

          This year’s recipients of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Champion of the Earth Award in the new category “New Generation Champions”, the Tena Kebena and Ginfle Cleaned Association, were feted at the African Union courtyard on 11 June 2009. The AU Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, Mme. Rhoda-Peace Tumusiime, graced and addressed the event organized by the UNEP Addis Ababa Office and attended by Ambassadors and representatives of Embassies accredited to the AU, a representative of Ethiopia’s Federal Environment Protection Authority, international and national NGOs and individuals and youth from various organizations. Among the first embassies to arrive were Liberia, Algeria, Libya, Malawi, and Namibia. The Tena Kebena youth group had received the award alongside other winning nominees at the annual ceremony in April 2009 in Paris, France, for making a big difference in protecting the planet. The event had a carnival atmosphere in the normally austere surroundings of the AU conference centre used for high-level inter-governmental meetings.                  

                The Tena Kebena youth sang and gesticulated in their characteristic fashion, entertaining guests with messages on themes like environment and HIV/AIDS. The highpoint of the function were remarks from Mme Tumusiime, who applauded the youth for their achievement and example of what young people and communities can do for the environment. She said the youth had done both Ethiopia and Africa proud by their achievement, and said the AU is committed to promoting youth participation and leadership in environmental management and other fields. Speakers at the function included Strike Mkandla of UNEP who also served as master of ceremonies of the function, Mr. Biruk Gebremedh in representing the Board of Tena Kebena youth, and a founding member of the youth group Mr. Alemayehu Akalu. Ato Biruk congratulated the youth on behalf of the Board of the association and said they that they deserved the special award because it’s the result of their hard work. Ato Alemayehu made the last of the speeches and spoke on behalf of the youth. He thanked everyone, especially those who made it possible for the youth to achieve their goals. He said the award would open opportunities for the youth and for all those who are working on environment related issues. After the Commissioner’s address to the gathering, she led in signing the “Seal the Deal” campaign for a successful conclusion of the climate change negotiations to be held in Copenhagen in December 2009. As refreshments were served as the last item in the programme, the Commissioner mingled with youth and NGO leaders who engaged her in discussion about their work.

Contributed by: Alemayehu Aklilu and Desalegne Firew

Tena Kebena Youth Receive Global Award

          An Addis Ababa youth group, Tena Kebena and Ginfle Cleaning Association, have been in the limelight at home and abroad in the space of one week. They were the first to be awarded the prize for “Next Generation Champions” in the UNEP Champions of the Earth Awards at the colorful global event in Paris on 22 April 2009. They followed this with their trademark field activity, hosting a clean-up event on 25 April in which youth from other parts of Ethiopia and a visiting group from the United Kingdom took part in the streets of the capital. They also inaugurated an information project on 24 April. 

Next-Generation Champions

          The Executive Director of UNEP Mr. Achim Steiner presented the award to representatives of the youth association Mr. Alemayehu Akalu and Ms. Tigist Tegaya. The Next-Generation Champions category was created to recognize individual youth and organizations that are making a difference in environmental management and conservation around the world. The name of the dynamic Ethiopian group is derived from a combination of two rivers called ‘Kebena’ and ‘Ginfle’ that flow in the centre of the capital and converge at the patch they were given by the Government to conduct their activities. Their motto is ‘Let us join hands in creating sustainable opportunity for youth’. Members of the group range from small boys and girls to teenagers and slightly older youths who say they have ‘decided to live with the resources we have and to do our best to survive urban poverty’. In addition to their daily struggles they are active in promoting public awareness on environmental issues and HIV/AIDS that has orphaned many of their members. They are almost a permanent feature in many celebrations such as World Water Day, World Environment Day, and Africa Environment Day organized by the UNEP Addis Ababa Office and civil society organizations. They are proud of their achievement in cleaning up what was virtually a huge dump site and turning it into a “Green Zone”: planting trees to create a lush foliage, opening space for children to play, re-using waste (including composting bio-degradable material), and growing organic vegetables and medicinal herbs that they use and also sell for income to finance learning activities.

Internet comes to the slum

          The Tena Kebena and Ginfle youth are keeping up with the world in another area: communications. The UNEP Addis Ababa Office nominated them to receive computer equipment that was being phased out by the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) which they installed in their modest offices on the project site. On 24 April 2009 they held a ceremony in which they inaugurated an Internet service through a project conceived by ENDA-Ethiopia and supported by the Ethiopian Information and Communication Technology Development Agency (EICTDA). Strike Mkandla of UNEP was the Guest of Honor and inaugurated the new facility with Mr. Tessema Geda the Project Manager of EICTDA. Guests at the function included ENDA-Ethiopia Director Dr. Azeb Girma, Forum for Environment Coordinator Mr. Negussu Aklilu, government leaders from the local administration, and an official from the UNDP Small Grants Programme.

Contributed by:  Alemayehu Aklilu and Desalegne Firew

Youth Entrepreneurship

Written by: Niyomugaba Valentin

It has a wide range of meaning .on the one extreme an entrepreneur is a person of very high aptitude who pioneers change, possessing characteristics founding only a very small fraction of the population .on the other extreme of definitions, anyone who wants to work for himself or herself is considered to be entrepreneur. The word entrepreneur originates from the French word  entreprendre which means to undertake but in business context, it means to start a business.

And also in some books,  there is a definition of an entrepreneur as one who organizes, manages and assumes the risks of business or enterprise.

Youth unemployment with entrepreneurship

Youth unemployment rates are soaring worldwide. That rate is recently increasing where economic growth and opportunity have long failed to keep pace with the growing number of young people entering the labor force. However, youth unemployment rates don’t have to translate into catastrophe for that generation and those it sustains. The very victims of the situation might actually benefit from it if policymakers can incentivize them to follow their dreams .

Entrepreneur as a solution to police challenges

Promoting   more private sector entrepreneurs in infrastructure systems can also yield significant opportunities for long term economic and social benefits, as well as for immediate job creation

The challenges facing youth entrepreneurship in worldwide

-start up /working capital

-youth attitude

-extended family and community responsibilities

-cultural expectation and conventions

-Government   policies

Proven elements of successful programs for entrepreneurship development

*Giving youth the opportunity means that there are young people who have potential to become entrepreneurs but have no means

*believing in youth by:

- giving the youth his /her dreams

-helping them develop their business ideas

-availing funds

-allocating mentors to the youth

-visiting them

*youth should realize that nothing comes on a silver platter , least not funds

*tripping the local business support network means that youth issues are community issues and everybody who can  should get involved.

Conclusion

If we want to see that high youth unemployment rate come down, we might be well served by supporting efforts to encourage young people like Adam to explore their entrepreneurial potential, offer support and simply get out of their way

It is up to you adult people to take responsibility of ensuring a good and sustainable future of youth so that they may be empowered economically and creating the sustainable and increasing entrepreneur group and spirit will be a continuous exercise which will help them to become youth entrepreneurs

Defining and Recognizing Human Rights

Countries from around the world deal with the issue of human rights violations, as we will explore in this section of the blog. Before we examine country case-studies, such as the genocide in Rwanda or the strife that occurs in the Darfur region, we should look closely at what precisely human rights are.

Human rights, as defined in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, are guaranteed to every living person from their time of birth, irrespective of distinction of any kind, ‘including race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status’. Whether a person lives in an impoverished nation or a developed country, they are granted these rights to an unobstructed life under international law.

Under the jurisdiction of the one hundred ninety-two nation member-states of the United Nations:

‘No distinction shall be made on the basis of political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty. No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of circumstances beyond his control.’

Although human rights are defined thoroughly in both social and legal perspectives, it is often difficult to ensure that human rights are not violated in countries with tumultuous or uncooperative governments, such as the often criticized leadership within the Democratic Republic of the Congo or the Sudan. When widespread human rights violations do occur, it is typically over an extended period of time in which a peaceful resolution is difficult to achieve due to the complex nature of the conflict.

Youth Leadership and Youth Development

Written by: Niyomugaba Valentin

Youth development: This is a process which prepares young people to meet the challenges of adolescence and adulthood through a coordinated progressive series of activities and experiences which help them to become socially, morally ,emotionally, physically and cognitively competent.

Youth leadership: This is the ability to guide or direct others on a course of action, influence the opinion and behavior of other people and show the way by going in advance.

This is also the ability to analyze one’s own strengths and weaknesses, set personal and vocational goals and have the self esteem to carry them out. It includes the ability to identify community resources and use them not only to live independently, but also to establish support life and to create a positive social change.

Empowering youth is necessary in our time because it helps young people in their best light, allowing them to reflect on the reasons why our world can thrive when we see young people as leaders. It is also necessary because young people are the world’s largest resource in development.

The purpose of leadership development in youth is:

- To improve the life skills and increase the life chances of underprivileged youth.

- To teach youth the benefits of voluntary involvement in community service projects and engage them in making the community a better place to live.

- To foster and develop teamwork skills.

- To encourage youth to take the responsiblity of as school leaders and community leaders, and to strive to make their school and community better environments.

*When you teach young people about youth development and youth leadership, there are several outcomes which help them in various sectors:

- Increase self esteem, positive peer relations, and sense of personal control.

- Better development of leadership, communication and decision-making skills.

- Increase dependability and job responsibility.

- Greater communication in the family.

- Fewer psychosocial problems (i.e. lonliness, shyness)

- Increase academic achievement and safety

- Increase motivation to succeed

- Increase  positive health decisions

- Decrease involvement in risky behaviors (i.e. tobacco, alcohol, drug use and prostitution)

In conclusion: It is up to adults and experienced people to provide  your energy and strengths to young people so that they may be able to brighten and lighten their futures as leaders.