Upcoming Opportunities with the African Great Lakes Initiative

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Report from Kenya  – November 18, 2012

Opportunities with AGLI

 

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          The African Great Lakes Initiative of the Friends Peace Teams has numerous activities that you can participate in: (1) speaking tours, (2) webpage for 2013 Kenyan Elections, (3) work camp, (4) international training for Healing and Rebuilding Our Community facilitators, (5) webmaster, and (6) extended service volunteering.

 

1.      Speaking tours: AGLI will be arranging for four speaking tours between March 18 and June 24, 2013 as follows:

  • David Bucura, AGLI’s Central Africa Coordinator, March 18 to April 28. Starting in Indiana and ending in Baltimore, MD.
  • Theoneste Bizimana, HROC-Rwanda Coordinator, March 29 to April 28. Ending in Bosie, ID. If you would like to arrange for a basic HROC training with Theoneste, please consult with me.
  • Florence Ntakarutimana, Program Manager for HROC-Burundi, April 26 to May 28. Starting in Olympia, WA, to St Louis, DC area, and ending in Florida
  • David Zarembka, AGLI Coordinator, May 10 to June 24. Starting in Richmond, IN, St Louis, MO and then the east coast.

 

I have attached a picture, brief biography, speaking topics, and current schedule for each of these speakers. If you would like to arrange for one of us to come to your community, please email me at  with the possibility and date.

 2   Webpage for Kenyan Elections at www.kenyanelections2013.org:

Message from Andrew Peterson:

When I have the opportunity to be in Africa and see AGLI’s work first hand I am struck by the idea that if people could see what our projects are and how much they affect people, we would have a huge outpouring of support. I know that people would support it because time and again I see that they really do care, but they just do not have the opportunity to travel to Africa to meet the amazing people with whom we work, to learn about all the challenges and opportunities facing Kenya, and to see how our work fits into this context. So my hope was that we could take a small step in this direction by creating a website that provides updates from Kenyans working for peace in their country as the elections approach. The website will include real analysis of what is going on, of the sort David Zarembka provides, so that people can get a richer view that is not available in the conventional media. Kenyans can also post directly to the site through their twitter accounts, so the site should hopefully provide a resource for very up-to-date information.

Already the website has become one of the top 5 or 10 search results. But we need for people to talk to others about what is going on, share the website, and give donations that make the work possible.

 

3.     Work camp:

Place: Mutaho, Burundi
Dates: Saturday, June 22 to Saturday, July 27, 2013 

Host Partner: REMA, a group of about 50 women (Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa) from Mutaho Friends Church led by Pastor Sara Gakobwa. The name,REMA, means “be comforted, do not get discouraged.” Learn more on page 23 of After the Guns Have Stopped at
http://www.aglifpt.org/publications/articles/hroc/pdf/aftergunsstopped.pdf

Location: Mutaho, Burundi – Northeast of Bujumbura near Gitega – the second largest city in Burundi

Objective: The Work Camp Team of up to six international and six Burundian work campers will build guest rooms for the REMA Women’s Group Center.

 

Cost: $2300 plus airfare.

 

Contact Dawn Rubber at  for more information.

4.   

4.  Third International Training for Healing and Rebuilding Our Community Facilitators: 

 

The African Great Lakes Initiative of the Friends Peace Teams will conduct a seminar to train facilitators in the Healing and Rebuilding Our Community (HROC) program developed in Rwanda and Burundi for psycho-social healing of individuals and society after deadly conflict. To learn more about the program please visit www.aglifpt.org/Program/hroc.htm.

 

Dates: July 21 to August 10, 2013

 

Location: Gisenyi, Rwanda

 

Objective: To bring together up to twenty-five participants from various countries throughout the world in order to conduct a professional training for the participants to become facilitators of the Healing and Rebuilding Our Community program.

 

Language of instruction: English, but translators will be available if needed.

 

By the end of the HROC training, the participant

  • will be able to facilitate a three day basic HROC workshop.
  • will have a basic understanding of personal and community trauma and how they interact in situations of violent conflict
  • will be able to lead small and large group discussions, role plays, guided meditation, and light and livelies.
  • will be able to understand and respond to trauma and its symptoms and effects on individuals.
  • will be able to work with family, friends, and neighbors on methods to heal the local community’s trauma.
  • will be able recognized as a peace leader in the home community with specialize skills.

 

Cost: $800 per person including in-country travel, food, accommodation, and training costs.

Items that are not included are international travel, visa fees, accommodation in Nairobi before or after training, personal expenses, and cost of translator if needed.

 

Deadline for application: June 9, 2013 or until full.

 

For further information and application contact me at 

 

5.     Need Webmaster:

 

AGLI needs a person to post updates to the AGLI webpage, www.aglifpt.org. AGLI also needs a webpage designer to design a more up-to-date webpage. If interested in either of these, contact me at 

 

6.     Extended service volunteering:

 

AGLI is always open for people who would like to volunteer with our partner organizations in East and Central Africa. The minimum placement is for 3 months and there is no maximum time limit. See http://www.aglifpt.org/get/get.htm for requirements and an application. Contact Dawn Rubbert at for questions and more information.

         

 

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Please donate to AGLI’s programs by sending a check to the African Great Lakes Initiative of the Friends Peace Teams made out to Friends Peace Teams/AGLI  to 1001 Park Avenue, St Louis, MO 63104 or go to our webpage atwww.friendspeaceteams.org to donate by debit/credit card.

 

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Since 1998, David Zarembka has been the Coordinator of the African Great Lakes Initiative of the Friends Peace Teams. He has been involved with East and Central Africa since 1964 when he taught Rwandan refugees in Tanzania. He is married to Gladys Kamonya and lives in western Kenya. David is the author of A Peace of Africa: Reflections on Life in the Great Lakes Region (available atwww.davidzarembka.com).

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— 
David Zarembka, Coordinator
African Great Lakes Initiative of the Friends Peace Teams
P. O. Box 189, Kipkarren River 50241 Kenya  
Phone in Kenya: 254 (0)726 590 783   in US: 301/765-4098
Office in US:1001 Park Avenue, St Louis, MO 63104 USA 314/647-1287
Webpage: www.aglifpt.org