2007 Community Initiatives Projects

This project builds on the work done last summer by a team of CUPID interns. The interns worked with Las Mujeres Organizadas, an association of 16 women, organizing training sessions focused on women's empowerment, team work and project planning skills. The
women have expressed an interest in learning more, especially about self-esteem and management issues. The next step in the project is laying the foundation for a sustainable micro-enterprise project. Las Mujeres Organizadas has also expressed an interest in coordinating with interns to carry out other projects within the larger community. For example, many of the adolescent girls could benefit from a youth-oriented project that would build self-esteem and offer a sense of purpose and accomplishment.

A student-led effort across Columbia University to facilitate multidisciplinary dialogue, awareness, and action on international development.

SUMMER 2007 PROJECTS Projects, Summer 2007: Abila Creative Center – Kisumu, Kenya Business & IT /Multi-media Training/Youth and Women’s Issues/Health & Culture/Art/Marketing Abila Creative Center is a community-based organization operating on the outskirts of Kisumu, the city with the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence in Kenya. The organization focuses on media and capacity building, targeting youth & women in the community. Interns will have the opportunity to work in one of the existing four projects or to design a completely new initiative. Under the existing projects, interns may work with the young people in the community, engaging in training workshops on communication skills, multi-media training, and empowerment & action; organize community members and work with them to design a business plan with marketing and accounting support for a small micro enterprise in the community; or carry out research on the effects of cultural practices on community health. Interns can also participate in the development and implementation of new programs including peer counseling, individual counseling, health education and art therapy. Under its Community & Media initiative, Abila organizes school debates, encourages youth expression by showcasing photographs and videos, and runs creative contests in which young people come up with ideas for posters, banners, T-shirt messages on HIV targeting and other community issues, employing a youth 2 youth concept. These forms of expression are a means to begin dialogue in the community, to work towards solutions that come from the community. Abila also facilitates a cross-cultural communication and media exchange with students in the U.S. Capacity Building programs organize trainings on tree farming, sack farming, beekeeping, fish farming, and other innovative new micro enterprise projects. The target groups may require specialized trainings, or help with marketing their products, advertising and general accounting/financial management skills. In these cases Abila acts as a facilitator and links the groups with organizations that have the skills, resources and capacity to do this. Abila's Women and Youth Clubs seek to cement involvement in micro-enterprise training and credit schemes. In its Health and Culture initiative, Abila conducts interviews and research to identify cultural practices that may be contributing to health risks in the community. The goal is to work with the community to determine culturally sensitive, realistic, sustainable methods of reducing health risks. To learn more about Abila's projects, visit www.abilacreative.org and www.voicesofkisumu.blogspot.com or www.ayclubblog.blogspot.com and accwomen.blogspot.com Reto Juvenil Internacional (RJI) – Costa Rica Entrepreneurship/Management/Leadership training/Women’s Issues See a presentation about RJI and last year's project This project builds on the work done last summer by a team of CUPID interns. The interns worked with Las Mujeres Organizadas, an association of 16 women, organizing training sessions focused on women's empowerment, team work and project planning skills. The women have expressed an interest in learning more, especially about self-esteem and management issues. The next step in the project is laying the foundation for a sustainable micro-enterprise project. Las Mujeres Organizadas has also expressed an interest in coordinating with interns to carry out other projects within the larger community. For example, many of the adolescent girls could benefit from a youth-oriented project that would build self-esteem and offer a sense of purpose and accomplishment. In addition to its two internship opportunities, CUPID would also like to bring to the attention of interested graduate students the following opportunities: Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF) Advocacy/Training and Workshops/Women’s and Children’s Rights/Law/Research WiLDAF is a pan-African, non-governmental, non-profit organization that brings together individuals and organizations to promote a culture for the exercise and respect for women’s rights in Africa through a variety of tools, including law. WiLDAF-Ghana seeks to increase women’s participation and influence at the community, national, and international levels through initiating, promoting, and strengthening strategies which link law and development. Interns contracted to work with WILDAF over the summer will participate in the major programs of the organization including • Legal Awareness Program (LAP) • Research • Capacity Building • Advocacy • Networking Interns will work on projects including (but not limited to) community education, particularly on the human rights of women and children; planning educational and awareness workshops; observing court proceedings on relevant cases; preparation of proposals for funding, monitoring, and evaluation of projects, etc. The main project for this year includes research and a baseline survey on sexual harassment for developing policy guidelines for corporations, and a human rights network for promoting women's participation in decision making. WILDAF operates from a main office in Accra and two regional outlets and interns will be given the opportunity for attachments to any of the offices. WiLDAF is seeking to fill three internship positions. For more information contact Christabel Dadzie (ced2117@columbia.edu) and visit our website http://www.wildafghana.org/ To learn more or to get involved, contact CUPID's Community Initiatives Chair, Ellen Olsen (cupidinternship@gmail.com).	WHO WE ARE WHAT WE DO GET INVOLVED