It is an open call for funded film making, but the video on the PBS page is set in Nigeria.

m

Children of Kibera Slums, Nairobi Kenya. 

They know their way around Kibera slums like the back of their hands. You might be forgiven to think their young innocent brains have a GPS.
They make their way well in this maze with amazing ease. Like sniffer dogs, they can sense lurking danger, something the oblivious stranger would not perceive.
They know which routes to avoid like plague.
They twist , wind and jump on the filthy pathway seemingly unmindful of the danger the raw sewer that runs in a shallow trench alongside and sometimes across it poses to them in this great slum they call home. The Children of the Kibera Slums

I want to make friends with them, without raising an eyebrow. I want to mesh softly with their lives without sympathizing or pitying them. I want to show unconditional positive regard. I want to understand them. I don’t want to give them gifts (I do not have any).Says Dan Otendo our project coordinator.

Children here are ‘very educated’ in the ways of the slums! The filthy rivulet that runs through the slum can be ‘combed’ for nails, bottle tops and such like metals which they sell to the recycling barons at 0.2 USD per kilo. After a day’s ‘shoveling bare hands in the slimy water, you can be lucky to earn yourself a quarter of a dollar.
Any other danger like waterborne diseases doesn’t matter as long as it can ensure one food on the table. It is no use staying healthy is you are going to starve to death.

Like tortoises, they know how to retreat quickly into their hard protective shell …until the danger subsides.It takes time to win their confidence, but after joining them in play, and sharing a few sweets I had in my hip bag, they warm up to me.

Behind this fascia of ostensible ignorance, is a mercurial and resilient generation of children with a potential that begs nurturing and tapping. Give them your camera phone; they will take these wonderful photos taken in turns by them. CALD wants to use information Technology to proactively give them a taste of better education and good exposure.

CALD in Kenya is developing the, Kibera Smart Kids School starting in the house of our Volunteer Country Director Dan Otendo, currently he is having an influx of children from the underserved Kibera Slum. Technology is making up for their marginalization in education. Alas, the children can only come here after school and during weekends. The learners are self directed and encouraged to collaborate and communicate with each other and as much as possible. They are from poor families, but desire first class education.

Presently we have 5 workstations on the windows Multipoint server. The number of kids is growing larger and will continue growing, but it is worth the effort. we need a projector, 2 video and 4 still cameras and 15 other multipoint servers. This will not be enough, but will make even more of them use computers. Initially they are shy using computers, but when they start clicking by learning from each other in groups and learning basics like M.S Paint, auto collage, movie maker and blogs to share their life stories or information with the world, they will be exposed and have convidence to move to our planned education based courses.

Please join us….Tell this to a friend at your place of work, your church, your club or any other gathering. Anything not shared…be it success or failure, joy or sadness, drinks or food, victory, defeat or even time… is nothing!

Note: We need a projector, 2 video and 2 still cameras and 15 workstations (5 multi servers)and US $1000 for funiture and administartion to start a full class of 20 kids.

(download)

Click here to download:

kibera-smart-kids-school-cald-project-2011-bdybEnIyfHfmxvgAfjfm.zip (6.94 MB)

Paul Horan and I have just been having a long skype  conversation - listening actively to each other. I'm just checking the notes we made - links to read, things to do ...

He asked me to "raise my q. re: david pinto & active listening or visible responses"

I had mentioned to him earlier your general ideas about good listening, and the gestures, (and that piece you had written that I had read aloud last time you were here).

How can we best share that with Paul? He is a dadamac learner so if you email your reply to dadamaclearnersgroup@posterous.com it will be sent to him  - and all the other learners will be able to see your reply too. (I'd better check you already have permission to post to the group -  if not I'll add you).

m

Dear All,

Greatest thanks for this very helpful way of moving forward, and my apologies to be offline for some time. I have heard from Ken about the memorial on March 26th, and was wondering how I as an individual could contribute.

Pam, immense appreciation for sharing your story of your friend, Max Clowes, and for sharing how you and others are still working in his memory and spirit. I believe there is much we can do in this regard in terms of Maria Agnese. I, like you, was just starting to explore ways that Maria Agnese and I could collaborate: our last emails, at the end of 2010, declared our mutual love and respect, and our hope that we could build upon that personal foundation to develop a working relationship that would encompass all of our friends, and so much more. I hope to move forward on that basis with friends--new and old--and welcome all ideas in that regard.

I suggest that we link all friends in our various groups--Pam has suggested Dadamac for that, I think--and bring in Tobias Eigen of Kabissa. And perhaps consider working on a grant that would focus on some of Maria Agnese's passions:  art, agriculture, sustainable development, Africa.

Pam, could you share your ideas about the "collaborators connect" project?

For Caterina, Noemi, and others planning her memorial in Italy, I think the idea of reading text messages is wonderful, and let's all send one! Where should we do that? I think we should post those tributes, if we feel we can, on our forums here (plz cc LFEO, Mendenyo, Holistic Helping, and Nafsi Afrika forums). 

On a phone call, is that possible?  It would be very uplifting, if so!

I hope small groups will get together in all of the places where people feel connected to Maria Agnese, including Tanzania, Kenya, and Italy. Those of us who are "solo" can post and email text tributes, and possibly join a call. And then, thereafter, develop a "project" focus, in addition to keeping her supportive and caring spirit alive in whatever we do.

With deepest sympathy to all of Maria Agnese's friends and "family," however defined, and in loving memory always!  Janet (Feldman, kaippg@earthlink.net)

-----Original Message-----
From: Pamela McLean
Sent: Mar 16, 2011 5:18 PM
To: dadamaclearnersgroup@posterous.com, learningfromeachother , William Wambura , Catherine Leclercq
Subject: [learningfromeachother] In loving memory - and moving forward together

Dear Caterina and Noemi, William, and other friends of Maria.

Thank you Caterine for the sensitive suggestions in your email, copied below, on how people can connect at a distance with the memorial to Maria.

I appreciate your suggestions which remind me of what a group of us did thirty years ago, on the day of the funeral of a dear friend, Max Clowes who also died suddenly.

• A Tribute to Max Clowes by Aaron Sloman - http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/research/projects/cogaff/sloman-clowestribute.html

Max had given up his professorship in Sussex and moved to the far South West of England to join a project on computing in schools, based in Plymouth. For most of us - his friends and colleagues living in Devon and Cornwall - it was not realistic to plan to travel to his funeral, which was "up country".

Instead of going to the funeral, we met together at the college where he had been working. We all knew Max, but we did not all know each other. We shared our stories of the work we were doing with him (formally and informally), the impact he had on us, and how he would continue to have an influence on us in the future - how much we valued him in so many ways. Even now, thirty year later, I find tears in my eyes as I remember our loss. I also remember, on that day of memorial, slipping away from the group at the exact time of his funeral service, so that I could slowly and quietly read the set words and prayers of the funeral service and feel connected with the real one that was taking place so far away from me.

Our event in Plymouth was small, and it was different to attending the event where everyone else had gathered, but it felt right - not better, not worse - just different and a completely fitting and appropriate way to celebrate Max's life and to mourn his loss.

William (and others who would like to attend Maria's memorial but live too far away) I hope that by sharing this story I will bring some comfort to you, and help you to respond positively to the suggestions that Cateraine has made regarding how you might be at Maria's memorial "in spirit".

Also be encouraged about the continuation of Maria's work in one way or another. Even thirty years after Max's death I am still working under his influence, ten years after Peter Oyawale's death I am still working under his influence. If Maria has infludenced you strongly you will find some ways to collect up the fragments of her work and vision and go forward. Maria and I had not started working seriously together, we had just expressed an intention to do so. We were going to work more closely together as part of a collaboration I was planning called "collaborators connect" - which would involve people who like Maria, and me (and Tobias of Kabissa and others) - people who have some kind of connection between Europe and Africa, which also involves some kind of online connection.

I believe that by coming together online with people who knew Maria better that I did, I will discover more about her work and what she was trying to do and how she saw "collaborators connect" fitting in with her wider vision and work. I also hope that people who know her well will share their stories and continue to support each other in moving forward with the vision. 

Let's agree that we will not all separate out once the memorial event is over, but we will continue to gather together online to support each other in doing, even in a small way, what we we think we might have done with Maria.

Pamela

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Caterine Leclercq  Date: 16 March 2011 15:26
Subject: connection on 26th of March between friends of maria Agnese in Rome, Nairobi, Dar es salam and other places

Dear William, dear Ramathan, dear Ken, dear Sam, dear Pamela

 

As you know we are organizing an event for Maria Agnese on the 26^th of March in Rome. There will be a mass at 4.30 pm (6.30 in Tanzania/Kenya) at San Igino papa  and then till late in the evening people will be together to honour her memory with songs, music, texts, acrobacy,…

 

Many people in Tanzania, in Kenya, in other countries and  in other Italian cities would have liked to be with us but can not be physically present.

We would like to try and be together in another way.

 

For example we could read texts sent to us during the commemoration. This had already been done during the funeral  of Maria: we had read the message sent by William. Please tell this to any person who Maria Agnese knew and who may wish to contribute in this way.

 

It would also be nice if you wish to organize to meet at the same time as us in Nairobi and in Dar es salam with other people who knew Maria Agnese and create a small event yourself.

 

In addition or in alternative it would be possible for us to be connected through skype at a certain time, after 6.00 pm in Rome (8 pm in Tanzania or Kenya)

 

Skype connection that could be used are noemi.bev and marika.ferrari

 

Please send us the connection you would use.

 

With warm regards

 

Catherine and Noemi

 

 

You may forward this mail to other people of course.

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Thank you Caterine for the sensitive suggestions in your email, copied below, on how people can connect at a distance with the memorial to Maria.

I appreciate your suggestions which remind me of what a group of us did thirty years ago, on the day of the funeral of a dear friend, Max Clowes who also died suddenly.

• A Tribute to Max Clowes by Aaron Sloman - http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/research/projects/cogaff/sloman-clowestribute.html

Instead of going to the funeral, we met together at the college where he had been working. We all knew Max, but we did not all know each other. We shared our stories of the work we were doing with him (formally and informally), the impact he had on us, and how he would continue to have an influence on us in the future - how much we valued him in so many ways. Even now, thirty year later, I find tears in my eyes as I remember our loss. I also remember, on that day of memorial, slipping away from the group at the exact time of his funeral service, so that I could slowly and quietly read the set words and prayers of the funeral service and feel connected with the real one that was taking place so far away from me.

Our event in Plymouth was small, and it was different to attending the event where everyone else had gathered, but it felt right - not better, not worse - just different and a completely fitting and appropriate way to celebrate Max's life and to mourn his loss.

William (and others who would like to attend Maria's memorial but live too far away) I hope that by sharing this story I will bring some comfort to you, and help you to respond positively to the suggestions that Cateraine has made regarding how you might be at Maria's memorial "in spirit".

Also be encouraged about the continuation of Maria's work in one way or another. Even thirty years after Max's death I am still working under his influence, ten years after Peter Oyawale's death I am still working under his influence. If Maria has infludenced you strongly you will find some ways to collect up the fragments of her work and vision and go forward. Maria and I had not started working seriously together, we had just expressed an intention to do so. We were going to work more closely together as part of a collaboration I was planning called "collaborators connect" - which would involve people who like Maria, and me (and Tobias of Kabissa and others) - people who have some kind of connection between Europe and Africa, which also involves some kind of online connection.

I believe that by coming together online with people who knew Maria better that I did, I will discover more about her work and what she was trying to do and how she saw "collaborators connect" fitting in with her wider vision and work. I also hope that people who know her well will share their stories and continue to support each other in moving forward with the vision. 

Let's agree that we will not all separate out once the memorial event is over, but we will continue to gather together online to support each other in doing, even in a small way, what we we think we might have done with Maria.

Pamela

Hi Graham, dadamac learners and CotW

Ref our recent information exchanges on water scarcity  and climate change, see below for the latest from Brussels Development Briefings

 on  The water we eat: challenges and opportunities

Our next Brussels Briefing will take place on April 13th from 8.30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Brussels. Our topic this time is “The water we eat: challenges and opportunities for ACP in times of scarcity”. Within the next few  days, you will be able to find more information about the topic and about the speakers on this website.

For more information please contact: lopes[AT]cta.int or boto[AT]cta.int

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NB from Pamela to dadamac learners  - there may be an online element - I haven't dug deep enough to find out. If there is and you find it please share that info via the comments box below. 

- self learning is best, but takes time, a lot if no-one near you that can show you

- volunteer, good luck, be clear about what you want time wise

- money - ways to get this and structure projects can be seen here:

http://journals.sfu.ca/affinities/index.php/affinities/article/view/51/140

though this is an academic journal it gives links etc. you can of course look thru here:

http://p2pfoundation.net/

its all there somewhere!

Markus

"Other issues - learning by doingI have yet to learn if everyone is notified when comments are posted - perhaps someone can let me know (I do get notified about comments and posts, but that may be because I set up our shared blog here at dadamaclearnersgroup@posterous.com). "

The easiest way to see what others see on a blog etc. is to set up a second account as a test account. Subscribe this account and then you can see what everyone else gets.

Such an account can be used for sending all kinds of posts - Perhaps your users are too stupid to differentiate between ADMIN posts and DISCUSSION posts on a blog or ion a mailing list. Well by using a different account they don't have to work it out. Instead they can set up filters and only read the admin posts or vice versa.

It allows lots of flexibility if you are admin to set up sock puppets and make sure the list is moderated and functions well.

This is also useful for archiving or if you want different "personalities" to argue different ways on something. Perhaps you see pros and cons in something - so one email can be Mr Optimist and the other Mrs. Pessimist.

Blogs can also be developed to see how many people are looking at posts. We do this on our forest blog here:

http://hirvikatu10.net/forest2point0/

You won't see my name there - an alias is used - which can be opinionated. Also all comments are first approved or rejected by us managing the site - this removes spam (we get a lot) and allows us to publish only those carrying things forward.

Just like with mailing list, blogs also need the content archiving and editing to be useful if they get a lot of info. For this project we don't do that. AS it is more of a news and activist list.

But for others we do. Proper archiving means it is useful and readable by others.

I archive all my personal emails, but not in a way that anyone else can access. But I have an excellent memory. If you do not you need to consider how you want the data to be used in 4 or 5 years time.

markus