GFIC International Conference “Connecting Global Youth, Confronting Global Challenges” a Success!

GFIC’s international youth conference on development was held this year in Montreal, Canada at Concordia University, where the movement was originally founded in 2004.

The following is an excerpt from Concordia’s student newspaper, The Link:

“Africa needs more than lip service to rise into the 21st century. This view was put forward last Saturday and Sunday when over 300 delegates from around the world congregated in Concordia’s H-110 auditorium to show exactly how youth can stop talking–and start acting–during the second annual Global Forum on International Cooperation Conference.

‘We don’t want to be like every other forum that talks about these issues, we want to follow this up with action,’ said political science major Awel Uwihanganye, who is also director-general of the GFIC.

Conference delegates met with members of non-governmental organizations, learned about volunteer opportunities in Uganda and other parts of the African continent, and were given the opportunity to start local Forum on International Cooperation chapters at their universities–all in the name of bringing development to a continent that has been supporting the world’s largest colonial powers for centuries.

Panelists and speakers included Liberal MP Marlene Jennings, Uganda’s former deputy High Commissioner to India Nimisha J. Madhavani and Omar Aktouf, a management professor at HEC Montréal. Aktouf was also a candidate for the Union des Forces Progressives in the last provincial elections.

Concordia’s department of political science, the Concordia Student Union, and FIC Concordia were partners in the event.”

For the full article visit The Link’s website: http://thelink.concordia.ca/

For further coverage from the Daily Monitor, Uganda’s leading daily independent newspaper, visit their site: http://www.monitor.co.ug/

Go Global Fair

PA030004.jpg

Originally uploaded by matthewberry.
FICUBC participated in the University’s Go Global Fair that shows the various countries UBC students attend on exchanges and volunteer abroad programs. All the booths were great and the African section was bumping with loads of drumming sessions

Just a reminder to those who expressed an interest in FICUBC @ the fair, our next general meeting will be this Thurs Oct 5 from 1-2pm in our office in the SUB (down the hall from the Ubyssey on the left).

FICUBC @ Clubs Days 06

P9220019.JPG, originally uploaded by ficubc.

Forum on International Cooperation UBC (FICUBC) had a booth at this year’s Alma Mater Society Clubs Days event. It was very well attended and we had almost 200 interested students sign up to hear about FIC activities and events.

This Thursday Sept 28 @ Internationa House from 7-9pm will be our first new member orientation of the year where you can learn more about about group and get involved in some of our events this fall.

Ugandan Hip-Hop Artists Sylvester and Abramz Featured in the New Vision

Performers at the launch party of Namuwongo Community Development Organization, Sylvester and Abramz were recently profiled in Uganda’s leading national newspaper!

Click here to see the article in full.

FICUBC back on campus

The executive of FICUBC has started meeting to discuss club activities for the upcoming semester, and things are looking very good! We’ll be at the AMS Clubs Days from Sept 20-22, the AMS Volunteer Fair on Sept 27, and the Go Global Fair on Oct 2, all located in the Student Union Building.

We’re also in the planning stage of our main event this semester, the FICUBC Northern Uganda Campaign. This campaign will feature a number of events on campus will the aim of increasing awareness of the situation in Northern Uganda and raising funds for our partner organizations currently working in the region.

More information on new member orientations and upcoming events to come!

NACODO Website Launch

NACODO, originally uploaded by ficubc.

A new website has been created in order to promote the Namuwongo Community Development Organization (NACODO) and its initiatives.

The temporary url is: http://info.nacodo.googlepages.com

The site is still under construction but more information will be added in the coming weeks.

Gorillas!

P8180124.JPG, originally uploaded by ficubc.

This isn’t necessarily about FICUBC, but I wanted to share this picture with some friends and family and hopefully it will convince people to come and volunteer if they know they can travel and do some different things here in Uganda.

Last weekend I, Matthew, travelled to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Southwestern Uganda. After a long minibus ride from Kampala with two South Africans (who happened to work for the safari company CC Africa and were great to travel with) we arrived at Buhoma just outside of Bwindi. The next morning we gathered at the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) HQ and then met our guides and porters for the trek. It took us a few hours through the forest before we reached the gorillas, but when we finally arrived they literally surrounded us. There was about 8 around, including two very young ones and the male silverback. The young ones seemed to be the most interested and enjoyed playing in the trees and showing off for the visitors. The others were mainly eating the entire time, and the silverback was always careful to keep his distance.

You have to keep in mind that not so long ago the only human contact these animals had was with soldiers and poachers, so they are understandly wary but at the same time can be at times suprisingly habituated. They can come extremely close and one even pushed over one of the trekkers. After about an hour with the gorillas we had to leave and we slowly made our way back to camp.

It was really a once in a lifetime experience (Margaret also saw them in Rwanda and Justine in Bwindi last year) and I would highly reccomend it to anyone travelling in the region!

GFIC Programming in Northern Uganda

P8230426.JPG, originally uploaded by ficubc.

 

Above: Community members of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Lacor, Gulu District, perform theater promoting HIV/AIDS awareness.

This coming year GFIC hopes to expand its programs to Northern Uganda, and specifically Gulu district. GFIC Uganda has identified the conflict in the region as one of its core program focus areas in its 5 year strategic plan for 2006-2011. Students at Gulu University have also expressed interest in forming a new chapter of GFIC there this coming academic year and a delegation from GFIC and GFIC Uganda will be meeting with officials from the administration and student government early next month to discuss the possibility creating a chapter there.

Other GFIC chapters outside Uganda will also play a role in the organization’s programming in Northern Uganda, as a number of programs are being developed that will offer summer volunteer internships opportunities for GFIC members. Some programs being designed include a shelter building program for individuals and families affected by HIV/AIDS, a Youth Resource Centre in Gulu Town for HIV/AIDS education/counseling/testing, and an HIV/AIDS Community Outreach Program to operate in the various Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in the area. These programs are being coordinated in partnership with Uganda Women’s Effort to Save Orphans (UWESO), United Youth Action for Progress (UYAP). Youth Empowerment Uganda (YEU), and various GFIC national offices and university chapters.

More information will become available in the coming year with specific program details and volunteer opportunity listings.

Namuwongo Community Clean-ups

P8260022_1.JPG, originally uploaded by ficubc.

Namuwongo Community Development Organization (NACODO) which was created as a result of the FICUBC/PEMO participatory appraisal program this past June/July has initiated a weekly program of community clean-ups. This is being done in order to address one of the top priorities of the community, as identified in their Community Action lan (CAP): Poor Sanitation.

Each Saturday for the past three weeks the NACODO executive and its members have been working in each of the four zones to clear waste from the drainage channels that cut through the community. This has the dual benefits of reducing flooding in the community during heavy rains as there is improved water flow as well as reduced the amoun of standing and contaminated water which can lead to a number of diseases, the most dangerous and prominent being malaria.

The NACODO executive is currently trying to gather a list of best practices for this initative and are creating programs to encourage broad based community engagement in the program alongside improved sensitization programs. Significant improvements have been made in a number of key locations in the community, especailly the areas surrounding water points.

They have been assisted in their efforts by FICUBC, who last week donated wheelbarrows, hoes, shovels, rakes, and plastic gloves to aid in the cleanup process.

Eastern Africa Regional Model United Nations

P7310532.JPG, originally uploaded by ficubc.

This past week I travelled to Nairobi, Kenya to act as an observer/advisor to the first annual Eastern Africa Regional Model United Nations, held at the United Nations Offices in Nairobi.

The MUN movement is spreading across Africa and has been embraced as a valuable tool in preparing youth to become knowledgable to successful representatives of their respective countries/regions in the international community. The theme of this conference was creating an action plan for youth to work towards the successful fulfillment of the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals (MDG).

More information on the conference can be found at the EARMUN website, www.earmun.org