ANOUNCING 2009 COSAD GOLDEN PARTNERSHIP AWARD RECIPIENTS

Hello Friends,

One thing that seems to be of consensus is that, given its limited resources and age as an organization, still COSAD has managed to grow faster that we anticipated. There are two explainations behind this as far as I am concerned: Great Board of Directors and Creative Partnerships.

The Golden Partnership Award is the COSAD’s highest recognition presented annually. The award is triggered by two facts: It serves as a symbol of our greater appreciation of the solidarity in the fight against poverty and our journey together to create a more loving and a just world whereby, because of our creative collaboration the impact we have made will last for many generations to come. Secondly, it is awarded as a sign of gratitude to organizations, companies, individuals and/or families for their continued generosity and tireless monetary support to our community development initiatives in Tanzania

....and the 2009 Winners are:

GCN (Global Citizen Network), St Paul, Minnesota
Recognition Description: For Continuing partnership through global volunteers who continue to make significant contribution and impact in the communities of Northwestern Tanzania.
Books for Africa, St. Paul, Minnesota
Recognition Description: For partnering with COSAD to fight illiteracy in rural Tanzania by supplying books to COSAD Community Library. COSAD believes sustainable development requires enlightened communities.
North Country Regional Hospital Nurses-Bemidji
Recognition Description: First group ever to take up a challenge of healthcare shortage in Izigo by creating nursing scholarship for Izigo women.
ERM (Environmental Resources Management) Foundation
Recognition Description: For generous grant to support COSAD to build water resources, including drilling water well. Water is a critical component in COSAD initiatives to Community Development as women now must walk over 2 hours in search of water.
Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in Plymouth, MN
Recognition Description: Not only Mount Olivet as an institution provides benevolent fund each year from TACE (Tanzania Community Enterprise) Micro loans but also its members, individually and in groups such as “Club 56”, “8th Grader Bible Explorers”, Pre-Kindergartens education initiatives as well as One Woman One Goat initiatives. and conformation classes have rallied behind COSAD projects donating monies and supplies for
Trinity Women & St. Barnabas Anglican Church, Calgary, Canada
Recognition Description: Trinity Women of St. Barnabas and the St Barnabas Anglican Church in Calgary are principle partners of COSAD-Canada. They provide logistics and fundraising support for COSAD programs which include CHAI (Community Health Awareness Initiative), OWOG (One Woman, One Goat) initiative and TACE through “Sewing Singers Project”.
Joan Capps Foundation, Delaware
Recognition Description: Partners with COSAD through generous grant to empower girls through education and technology.
Monroe Street, LLC & William Howell, New York
Recognition Description: Sustainability is lifeblood of COSAD. We thank Mr. William Howell of New York and his company, Monroe Street, LLC for their generous financial support towards COSAD’s capacity building.
Hon. Kjell Bergh, Consul Tanzania Consulate Minneapolis Minnesota
Recognition Description: Kjell Bergh has been an honorary consul of Tanzania since 2000 but his passion for and generosity to the people of Tanzania dates as many as three decades back. As business executive he has organized trade missions for business investments trips to Tanzania. As a global citizen, he has served as board of directors or chair in many NGOs which works in Tanzania. (You can see his entire resume at http://www.cosad.org/ under “‘partners’ or ‘events’”).
Luke Lundquist and Gretchen Hinchley & Family
Recognition Description: Luke and Gretchen have been one of the staunchest supporters of COSAD since they were introduced to COSAD in the past two years. Today COSAD recognizes them for their tireless efforts that go over and beyond their monetary contributions. In the past years for instance, Luke and Gretchen haves organized co-workers “goat naming contest” as part of OWOG, they have organized “informational meeting” about COSAD with their friends and continue to make “COSAD as part of their budget”.
Elaine and Ron Larson
Recognition Description: The phrase “COSAD Ambassadors” which refers to all individuals and families that work almost on regular basis in their communities (church places, schools and neighborhood) on behalf of COSAD was emulated after the work being done by Ron and Elaine Larson in Waconia. Ron and Elaine have gone an extra mile which made COSAD gave them a nick name “COSAD Ambassadors”. They have organized Christmas Gifts as part of OWOG and continue to recruit friends to join “OWOG Club”.
Norm and Barb Olson
Recognition Description: Norm and Barb have brought to us a whole new meaning of birthdays. Within the last year they have convinced they grandchildren, family members and extend family members as well as friends that celebrating your birthday while literary giving sense of new meaning to life to a widow is more meaningful than a grand dinner or new gift on your birthday. COSAD now know, each birthday at the Olsons means a new day of hope to one woman in Bukoba!
Susan J Johnson and Family/ BLJ Community Library
Recognition Description: Sue Johnson and her family partnered with COSAD to make sure that the loving spirit and compassionate values of Bruce Lane Johnson continues beyond his passage on earth. COSAD named its Library in Bukoba in honor of Bruce and the family continues to embrace COSAD vision through service and support.
Shannon McNamara & SHARE (Shannon After-School Reading Exchange)
Recognition Description: Shannon McNamara came to Bukoba in the summer 2008 at the age 15 with a grand vision based on simple but powerful idea: after school sharing of idea among girls. What started as a Girl Scout project has now inspired girls in Bukoba to dream big to reach their highest potential.

*(To be presented at COSAD Night of Inspiration By Wayne Wilson, Chair of COSAD Board Committee on Partnership and Programs Development).

Thank you,

Smart smart@cosad.org 612 227 0065

IMUKA (East African Choral Initiative)

Israel Kagaruki Muganyizi (IMUKA) is in Minneapolis through out the month of February. While I attribute my early passion for singing to my mother, the elevation of music as a unifying agent and a core source of inspiration for social capital and social change is something I credit wholeheartedly to Israel Kagaruki. That is why even our outreach inititive is named after his initiatials: IMUKA.

Israel is an extra-ordinary man. Not just because, as a blind man, has traveled alone all the way from Bukoba to Minneapolis (via JFK) with his three bags. But what he has been able to accomplish and teach us in Kagondo, Bukoba.

Israel Muganyizi Kagaruki embodies the characteristics of the Tanzanian Choir. He is a musician and composer. He is a woodworker. He is an evangelist and social activist. These characteristics combined with the perspective of a man blind most of his life, give him unique gifts to share with the rest of us. Israel has been a leading musical force in Tanzania as well as a leader in social action, particularly as the head of the Tanzanian Federation for the Disabled and the Society for the Blind. He has traveled Internationally, including visiting countries such as Sweden, the UK and Malaysia to represent those causes. He is also well known as an evangelist. Dr. Samson B. Mushemba, former Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania, often asked Israel to accompany him as an evangelist.

As a part of COSAD’s outreach and marketing, which aims at promoting COSAD work, foster cooperation and enhancing cross-cultural understanding with our partners and stakeholders, COSAD has sponsored Israel residency in Minnesota from the middle of January through March.
The Outreach committee of COSAD has transcribed for publication 6 of Israel’s estimated over 600 compositions. Several of his compositions have been featured in performances by the Minnesota Swahili Choir and the Carleton College Choir. During his residency, Israel is scheduled to work with the Macalester College Choir and several church choirs as well as the Swahili choir. He will also be a guest Choir Conductor COSAD’s Benefit Event of February 28th in the Twin Cities! If you are interested in this project our want to partner please contact us:

COSAD Board Chair Benjamin Allen Tel: 763.242.3311 Email: bgallen@carleton.edu or
Executive Director Smart P. Baitani Tel: 612 227 0065 Email: smart@cosad.org

WHAT HAPPENED TO TANZANIA?!

Well, Well, I am back...

I posted a note in my Facebook that I am taking a two-day self-imposed solitude. In fact it wasn't, or I should say it isn't a solitude. I am talking with someone, actually many...They call them authors. I am working on my final Echoing Green thing which is posing more excruciating challenges than I anticipated. Thanks to God my last name is "Baitani" which means "perseverance", otherwise I was about to give up.

Talking about authors, the only reason I came here against the promise I made to myself that I wont go any website other the http://www.echoinggreen.org/ are the disturbing data I have been reading about Tanzania since I started tackling Echoing Greens tough questions. Not that I wasn't aware of the situation being dire in most rural communities in Tanzania, but because I did what I call "comparative political economy" among African countries and I got so mad just about every Tanzanian who can do a dent to make things a little better, including ME! I mean all of us---Tanzanians with access or with opportunity to do something, however small. So I have a question for all of you my brothers and sisters who have ACCESS and POWER (Tanzanians, mostly, and yes including politicians):

How do you feel, what do you think when you read this prominent World Bank Statement:

"After four decades of Independence Tanzania remains one of the 10 poorest countries in the world"! (The Wold Bank)

Tanzania? With all its tangible wealth? With all its impressive cultural vitality and creative human capital?

That means some countries that have been bogged down by wars from, well, inceptions are far better than Tanzania(the average per capita GDP of Sub Saharan Africa is $500; Tanzania is $267....And you don't want me to post some household data here....! You would think I am making up the numbers!)

My good friend Albert Einstein said "The Value of a man resides in what he gives and not what he is capable of receiving"

Talk me down, Anyone?

I happen to believe that it is not just by our actions alone that we will be judged against, but by our SILENCE as well.

Ok, no more macro economics, they tend to be more political than micro. (very few care about micro-stuff!!). I promise, after I get an answer I will stick to the micro....strictly to the community stuff.

Happy Weekend!
.../smart

TACE-Fund Idea Among the Semi-Finalist!

Friends,

As most of you may already knew, COSAD core program, TACE (Tanzania Community Enterprise) fund won a prestigious spot as an innovative idea for social change at the Echoing Green, Inc. (http://www.echoinggreen.org/), a New York based organization that provides funding and fellowship for emerging 'highly innovative' social entrepreneurs. Or, to put it in their own words: " Echoing Green sparks social change by identifying, funding, and supporting some of the world's most extraordinary emerging social entrepreneurs...". This is quite an accomplishment given the fact that only 30% of applicants--- World-wide---were chosen. However, the competition has only begun and getting stiff.

Just to give you heads-up just in case in the next 48 hours I am in the self-imposed solitude, so you now know the reason! Above all, I need your prayers so bad. If I manage to pull this award off, COSAD will never be same! It will put us all on a whole new difference path in our efforts to equip Tanzanian communities with the tools their need to be productive citizens and lead a vibrant life.

FYI: TACE- Fund is a core program of COSAD which was formed as a creative solution to chronic unemployment and abject poverty in rural Tanzania. The program provides a market-based, micro-business model which starts with Foundation Stage to Formation, then Friendship and Follow-through Stage to foster and promote sustainable economic development using social capital inherently rich in the groups as a leverage to micro-enterprise opportunity.

In short we call it "COSAD Social Capital Community Development Model".
Who knows, may be this is the path to the Nobel Peace Prize! Uh.

Thank you! Stay tuned!

PS: I would also LOVE to hear from you!
Smart smart@cosad.org www.cosad.org

Night of Inspiration

Community Solutions for Africa's Development (COSAD) invites you all to attend our upcoming Night of Inspiration. It is our annual benefit for the people of Bukoba, Tanzania. It will be Saturday, February 28th at the Holiday Inn Select in Bloomington, MN. We have many events planned starting with a silent auction, then an East African dinner, a Swahili Choir performance, a live auction and an open dance floor. Please check our website, http://www.cosad.org/ if you would like to attend. Bukoba is in northwest Tanzania on the west shore of Lake Victoria. It is a very beautiful location, just a few degrees south of the equator but quite high in elevation so the climate is very mild. --Smart Baitani