ACI News Nov 10 - Jan 11
Study Abroad and Language Programs
ACI welcomed three new student programs today, January 17, 2011 : 11 students from Lewis and Clark (7 women and four men through April 30), 3 women from Beloit (through May 7) and one student from U Penn who will be with us for a month before going on to study at Gaston Berger University in Saint Louis on February 13. We’ll report back to you in a few weeks on how these programs are progressing. We are preparing two all day cross-cultural orientations for two groups of 25 CIEE students each later this week. Linfield faculty member, French Professor Olivia Harison is also visiting ACI in Dakar and the Gaston Berger University in St. Louis to plan future programs.
Looking back on November and December three programs ended : Beloit, Linfield and GCY. We also received the first of this academic year’s short term Saint Lawrence visits of study abroad students from their Rouen program. Seven Kalamazoo students remain to continue through the end of February as well as independent language learners from Bengladesh, Germany, Korea, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, UK and the US. After many months of studying French with us, our couple from the Faroe Island, Karina and Gimmi, left Dakar for Kayes in Mali to begin their seven-year mission for the Norwegian Lutheran group, Normisjon.
The major event in December was the meeting of ACI’s Board of Directors on December 4 and 5. The six Board members who were able to attend were pleased with progress in 2010 and made recommendations for the restructuring of ACI, an outside assessment of our programs and a transition plan towards new leadership over the next couple of years.
Health
Working on promoting greater tolerance and support for sexual minorities and other groups vulnerable to HIV infection, ACI facilitated completion of a strategic framework for advocacy and communication by a group of international agencies, government services and civil society organizations. The group also received a representative of Human Rights Watch to discuss their recent publication on the mistreatment of Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) in Senegal. A particularly interesting facet of the advocacy program has been the organization of departmental workshops with religious leaders, local press and health officials to reduce stigma and discrimination against PLWHA, sex workers and sexual minorities in order to protect their human rights and ensure access to prevention and care services. This activity is supported by Family Health International. Also funded by FHI are ACI’s on going activities in strengthening associations of PLWHA (People Living with HIV and AIDS), community organizations working as catalysts in promoting AIDS prevention and care and the strengthening of planning and management systems in several regions of Senegal. ACI organized two workshops (Kaffrine, Kaolack, Thies and Kolda) on implementing integrated, multisectoral management systems for the response to HIV/AIDS on the regional level.
New Activities
Work in progressing on new initiatives : assisting the Japanese Aid Agency, JICA to develop a website to encourage more Japanese NGOs to work in Senegal, facilitating collaboration among local associations, civil society groups and government administrators to help improve conditions in the flooded communities on the periphery of Dakar, and developing a program with the Scouts and an education interest group called COSYDEP to help improve early grade reading levels in the schools and promote initial learning in national languages. In this context, ACI participated in a short study tour to visit similar efforts sponsored by the Hewlett Foundation in neighboring Mali.
ACI will participate in the next national visit to consolidate the efforts of different partners working on developing sustainable economic support for people living with HIV. The mission will take place between January 25 and 30, 2011 in Kaolack and Kedougou and will be organized by Family Health International (FHI) with the participation of the National AIDS Council (CNLS), the Ministry of Health Division for the Fight against AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections (DLSI), FHI’s implementing partners and new European partners concerned with the issue.
