(via KaieteurNews.com)
Birding Adventures Host, James Currie (Photo: Birding Adventures)
The U.S.-based television shows, Birding Adventures and Reel Adventures, recently aired five episodes that were filmed in Guyana in October, 2008.
Three of the shows were on bird watching, while two were on sport fishing, the Guyana Sustainable Tourism Initiative (GSTI), which facilitated the productions, announced yesterday.
Showing on FoxSports Net and ComCast in the southeastern United States, the premiere of Birding Adventures aired to nearly 50,000 households. With multiple timeslots, both shows have the potential of reaching a combined 11 million households.
The GSTI is collaboration between the Guyana Tourism Authority and the United states Agency for International Development.
“If you’re looking for a country to go and visit and literally be left with your jaw dropped in amazement of what this world looked like hundreds of years ago because they have conserved it and kept it in its natural beauty, look at Guyana,” the host of the sport fishing, Robert Arrington said.
“The people here – their food, their culture, their land – it’s100 percent unbelievable. This is the definition of a real adventure,” he added…
Click here, to read the complete Kaieteur News article.
For more information on Birding Adventures and Reel Adventures.
(via stabroeknews.com)
The 21st batch of Peace Corps volunteers arrived in Guyana on Tuesday to serve for two years.
According to a press release the 33 volunteers will be involved in an eight-week Pre-Service Training that will enable them to integrate easily into the Guyanese society and be responsible for their personal health and safety.
The session is also focused on providing them with opportunities and experience that will allow them to function effectively in the project areas of community health education and community education promotion and help them to use Peace Corps policies and procedures to enhance their work.
According to the release from 1966 to 1971 more than 160 persons served in Guyana as Peace Corps volunteers. In 1993 the late President Cheddi Jagan invited the Peace Corps to return to Guyana and the first group arrived in 1995. Since then more than 450 American volunteers have served Guyana.
From MorePeaceCorps –
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
You may have already heard that the Continuing Resolution for 2009 budgets just $340 million for the Peace Corps- just a $9 million increase over the 2008 budget. This increase will result in hundreds of fewer spots in the Peace Corps due to costly new security procedures worldwide. I am emailing you to contact President Obama today to increase this number to $425 million to fulfill his campaign pledge. You have until March 6, 2009 to act or we will have to wait one year.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Our government is not supporting the Peace Corps. Over 13,000 people applied in 2008 alone for fewer than 4,000 spots, and nearly 20 countries are asking for new programs, but we are about to make a decision that will slash the number of spots in 2009. It is unacceptable. The Continuing Resolution number is not logical, and a number which MorePeaceCorps flatly rejects. We need thousands of messages to President Obama from you, your families, and from serving volunteers all over the world. You don’t have to be a volunteer or even a US Citizen to write.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
If we can galvanize the 195,000 former volunteers in this country and get the 7,876 volunteers presently in the field near a computer or cell phone, we can influence this process. We must collectively demand at least $425 million in 2009. The resolution could get passed on March 6, 2009. If you would rather call the White House and leave a message, the comment number is 202-456-1111. If you take action, please send me a quick email so I can keep track.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
I served in Nepal from 2001 to 2003, and it was the most important period in my life. I made lifelong friends, taught children in a school, worked with farmers, and helped a village build a water pump. I learned about the infinite complexity and beauty of the world, and returned to America a more informed citizen. The 27-month Peace Corps model is like no other, and I say we redouble our efforts and fight hard for the President to keep his promise which is plainly stated on Whitehouse.gov to double Peace Corps by 2011. Peace Corps volunteers do more for the image of this country (and therefore its national security) and the wellbeing of millions of poor people around the world than all of the diplomats and state department officials combined, and yet the Peace Corps is being neglected. Think about that and please take action, or we will see hundreds of opportunities lost…
This is sample text for your email which you can adjust. Recognizing that we are all busy, I still advise you to make it personal.
“Dear President Obama,
I am writing to you from _______.
I recently learned that the Continuing Resolution for 2009 requests just $340 million for Peace Corps, a very disappointing $9 million increase over 2008. At a time when you have pledged to double the Peace Corps, this budget figure will result in hundreds of volunteer positions being cut. I urge you to support at least $425 million for Peace Corps in FY 2009 to build the foundation for expanding the Corps into the 20 countries that are asking for it today. I cannot overstate my disappointment at the Continuing Resolution figure but trust that you will increase it before March 6, 2009.
We need Peace Corps now more than ever, but it is shrinking in size due to neglect. This is a program that profoundly affected my life. I served in/am serving in ______.
I hope you keep the promise stated on your website. I don’t see how Peace Corps can double if it is dwindling in 2009:
‘Expand the Peace Corps: Double the Peace Corps to 16,000 by 2011. Build an international network of overseas volunteers so that Americans work side-by-side with volunteers from other countries.’
Sincerely,
Name
Any times you wish to list
City, Country
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
From Stabroek News
By Stabroek staff | February 25, 2009 in Local News
For over four years the St Joseph Mercy Hospital Wishbone Project has given children their smiles through cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries, and it has expanded to include other surgeries such as the removal of keloids and tumours from the ears and face.
From October 2004 to September 30, 2008 the hospital has conducted 47 cleft lip surgeries, 54 cleft palate surgeries and 119 categorised as other surgeries bringing the total number of surgeries to 220.
The Annual Report of the Project, for the period October 2007 to September 2008 said during the period eight cleft lip and 13 cleft palate operations were performed along with 30 other surgeries, bringing the overall number of surgeries to 51. Cleft lip is described as a cut or separation of the upper lip that can extend into the nose while cleft palate refers to when the roof of the mouth does not grow together properly. According to the report hospital CEO Sister Sheila Walsh said, “We seem to keep expanding the program as the need arises.” She said as more medical groups conduct outreaches in the interior “they are diagnosing a number of facial congenital anomalies among children.”
The Wishbone Project was originally created to do cleft lip and palate surgeries for economically disadvantaged children however; the report said recently an orthopaedic surgeon working in Mabaruma, Region One found six children with club feet. “We are in the process of bringing these children to Georgetown for surgery,” Walsh said, adding that it was clear that the Wishbone Project has expanded its purpose and is “now beginning to work from the other end.” Walsh said too she prays daily that God and generous individuals will help the hospital to keep the programme going.
The Wishbone Project is funded completely by donations. According to the report the surgeon operates for a “pittance” and the hospital just covers costs. Sometimes the funds are used for transportation, by minibus and boat, from the interior and sometimes the hospital provides funds to keep the child and parent in the city for doctor’s appointments. Wishbone Project partners from abroad are: The Smile Train, Bridget Zimmerman and William Tamburro.
Stemming the tide
The hospital also offers other free programmes such as Stemming the Tide which offers care and treatment to people living with HIV/AIDS. This service is funded by the Catholic Relief Services, Guyana Medical Relief and individual donations and allows more than 1000 infected men, women and children to benefit from holistic care.
Another charitable programme the hospital hosts is its mobile clinic. Starting in 1996, the Mercy Mobile Health Clinic tries to fill the health care needs of poor people. The report said that this clinic has expanded from two sites to four and last year began treating residents of Princes Street who are afflicted with lung conditions, rashes and infections as a result of the Mandela Dump site located opposite their homes. The hospital is said to be working with human rights advocates to remedy the problem and in the meantime addresses the immediate health issues.
Also, about three years ago Mercy hospital began partnering with the Remote Area Medical (RAM) teams to perform tests and surgical procedures too risky to be conducted in those areas. In return RAM processes pap smears from the hospital’s high risk patients from the Stemming the Tide Programme and other high risk individuals who are poor. Each time the overseas-based RAM medical practitioners come to Guyana it costs the hospital $2M, “but it can be considered an investment on our part in the good health of Guyanese women in the future. Truly it is a worthwhile investment,” the hospital said.
Contributions to any of these programmes for underprivileged children from across the country or to the Stemming The Tide, mobile clinic, or RAM programmes can be made payable to St Joseph Mercy Hospital, 130-132 Parade Street, Kingston, Georgetown. Cheques can also be made payable to Guyana Mission Fund, Mercy Center 625 Abbott Road, Buffalo, NY 14220 (This is for a US tax exempt donation.) The public is advised to indicate on the cheque which programme their donations should benefit. (Nicosia Smith)
(via peacecorpsonline.typepad.com)
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, is the second stop in Clinton’s inaugural overseas trip as the top U.S. diplomat. She said that was “no accident,” with the trip designed to show support for the country’s hard-won democracy as well as its efforts to fight terrorism while respecting human rights. Steps were already being taken to improve relations, she said, announcing at a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda that Peace Corps operations were expected to resume here after a long absence. Peace Corps volunteers last served in Indonesia from 1963 until 1965. They were expelled after leftists accused them of being spies. Clinton also indicated that more development aid was on the way. Indonesia, often held up as a beacon of Islamic democracy and modernity, has personal ties for President Barack Obama, who spent four years here as a child. Among those who turned out at the airport to welcome Clinton were 44 children from his former elementary school, singing traditional folk songs and waving Indonesian and U.S. flags. Clinton smiled and swayed to the music. “I bring greetings from President Obama, who has himself said and written about the importance of his time here as a young boy,” Clinton said. “It gave him an insight into not only this diverse and vibrant culture, but also the capacity for people with different backgrounds to live harmoniously together.” Wirajuda agreed, saying, “We have proven here democracy, Islam and modernity can go hand in hand.”
From February 23 to March 2, 2009, thousands among the 195,000 Peace Corps Volunteers who have served over the years in more than 139 countries will share their overseas experiences with schools and community groups throughout the United States.
Designated as Peace Corps Week, this weeklong celebration marks the 48th anniversary of the Peace Corps, founded on March 1, 1961, when President John F. Kennedy signed an executive order establishing it as a new government agency.
By giving presentations during Peace Corps Week, Peace Corps Volunteers help Americans better understand the people and cultures they’ve experienced, and the many benefits of service. Additionally, by making presentations in classrooms, Volunteers help create greater global awareness among students. For more of this article, click here.
For a complete list of Peace Corps Week activities across the United States, click here.
Globalsistergoods.com
A little over two years ago, post-Peace Corps, and post-graduate school, I launched Global Sistergoods (www.globalsistergoods.com). We partner with women artisans all over the world, working with NGOs that address women’s issues and occasionally by partnering with PCVs on their projects. Our secondary mission is to provide education about women’s issues in the countries where we have partners, which we do through artisan story cards and soon, on our new web site. We also happily provide technical assistance and advice to PCVs who want to start artisan cooperatives…
My Peace Corps experience had a huge impact on who I am and what I am doing today. There’s a special place in my heart for my fellow RPCVs, so please give me feedback on what we are doing at Global Sistergoods. I’d love to hear from you!
Warmly,
Kristi Jo (KJ) Lewis
Update: In honor of the Peace Corps’ anniversary, all RPCVs receive 15% their first order for the month of March. From March 1-31, just use the code RPCV09 at checkout to get your discount.
(via newsonwomen.typepad.com)
Megan Kirby is a woman who doesn’t wait for someone to ask. Megan started “Dance Beyond Limits”, which teaches movement therapy and Ballroom Dance to persons with developmental disabilties and persons hard of hearing, and also runs an after school program for high school students in the inner-city of Atlanta. Here is what Megan had to say about starting her venture:
“The nonprofit business world is a world all on its’ own, a world defined by passion, extreme intensity, serious start-up failures and major success stories. As indicated by the definition, I am definitely immersed in the nonprofit world as I have experienced all of these to the fullest. My passion has and always will be, Ballroom Dance. It’s a joy that is difficult to describe, perhaps a place where the world disappears and everything makes sense, step-by-step. My second passion is serving persons with developmental disabilities. The idea of Dance Beyond Limits, Inc. was formed from these two passions and the longing to make this joyous art of Ballroom Dance available to persons with developmental disabilities. The only reasonable business venture was to form a nonprofit organization, so I researched and discovered that I could do this on my own. 6 months later, I had my nonprofit status and was on my way to fulfilling my dream…that was almost a year ago.
Dance Beyond Limits, Inc. is a dream come true, a living testimony that passion and dreams do become reality. I teach Ballroom Dance to persons with developmental disabilities and have since added not only Movement Therapy to the repertoire, but have expanded across other populations, including inner-city youth. Being apart of the nonprofit business world is extremely difficult. The start-up failures are inevitably around each corner, stunning me again and again. Through these failures, I find alternatives and through these alternatives, I find experiences that I never thought I would find and meet people who I would not have met otherwise. I believe that my success stories are yet to come but also believe that the real success comes from envisioning something great and making it a reality.
I’ve been working with a few volunteers to add Georgetown to Google maps. If you’re interested in checking out a live map of our progress -
http://www.google.com/mapmaker?ctype=0&ll=6.814701,-58.157894&spn=0.009353,0.018625&z=16
Here’s a static image from Google -
From Peace Corps Connect
The Peace Corps Community was honored to be selected from among groups around the country to march in the Presidential Inaugural Parade on January 20, 2009. In the official Presidential Inaugural Press Release than President-elect Barrack Obama praised the inclusion of Peace Corps and AmeriCorps alumni stating, ” These organizations embody the best of our nation’s history, diversity and commitment to service. Vice President-elect Biden and I are proud to have them join us in the parade.”
