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MCW NEWS BRIEFS
January 12, 2012 On September 19, 2011 Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete urged the United Nations Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) to address the challenge of oral health as a priority on the agenda. The President delivered this statement at a symposium organized by MCW entitled “Putting Teeth into NCDs,” held on September 19 at the New York University College of Dentistry. Building on this momentum, participants at the regional meeting of Chief Dental Officers (CDOs) from November 17-18, 2011 in Benin, welcomed the initiative to analyze the challenges and opportunities of integrating oral health into NCDs programs. Read more October 11, 2011 2010 Alumni Ventures Fund Grant winner Felix Nyakatale has been running his restaurant in Bagamoyo for several months now. Originally starting out as a restaurant, Felix has expanded by turning the large home into a bed and breakfast. His number one seller is the Chapatti wrap (click here to see pictures). October 1, 2011 Victor Gruber, MCW Advisory Board member, hosted his 4th Annual West Coast fundraiser for MCW Jacqueline's Human Rights Corner at Mastro's Steakhouse in Costa Mesa California, where 40 friends gathered to learn about the MCR community center's progress in the past year. Nate Crossley, Director of Community Center Programs, gave an overview of the milestones over the past year including opening the center, electrifying the community center and surrounding homes and beginning English and Tailoring classes, a youth dance group, a handicraft program and a survivor's group. Leslee Brown, PhD spoke about how she hopes to bring a delegation to the MCR center to train community leaders in trauma counseling that will be provided to survivors of the genocide. Jacqueline Murekatete, shared her story, expressed how proud she was of the center's accomplishments and thanked all in attendance for their ongoing support. All proceeds raised from the event will go directly to support the work of MCW Jacqueline's Human Rights Corner. Photos The MCW community mourns the death of Chief Gbangba eldest son and possible successor to the Sukudu village chief and MCSL-K advisory board member Cheif Kai Bangue. MCW sends their congratulations to M. Doris B. Allieu, our centre coordinator at MCSL-Kono, on the occasion of her wedding. MC-Zambia will start the construction of a six-room pigsty. This pigsty will serve as a major income-generating activity for the centre. August 24, 2011 On August 18, over 600 members of the Kayenzi community attended a special reception to celebrate their new community center in the Bugesera district of Rwanda. The event was organized on the occasion of the arrival of a group of friends and supporters from the USA. The head of the electrical company, a representative from the Youth, Culture and Sports Ministry and the head of the Survivors Fund (SURF) were among the guests that attended. MC-R was also pleased to welcome Alphonse Nkuranga from the National Youth Council, and Freddy Matuhunga from the Kigali Genocide Memorial. MC-R country coordinator Jackson Vugayabagabo and Jacqueline Murekatete, as well as MCW Advisor Victor Gruber all shared remarks with the audience. The event also included skits performed by local youths on the centers offerings, and a dance performance. Read more on Jacqueline's blog, Journey with Jacqueline. Click here for pictures. August 24, 2011 MC-Rwanda is happy to announce that thanks to MCW the community center in Kyenzi and 267 homes in the area now have electricity! This means that MCR can now pursue new community and vocational programming like computer courses. August 19, 2011 MCW Intern Zoi Calomiris Profiles Tanzania Coordinator Abdu Mohamed. Click here to view Slide Show (click on "show info" on upper right) August 8, 2011 MC-Sierra Leone is happy to announce their recent acquisition of a 90 X 60 ft piece of land located across from the Kono-Sukudu Center. Thanks to Chief Kai Bangue, the center can now move forward with their plans to build a shed for soap making and baking, giving the center an additional source of income. The center is also pleased to announce the start of their Microsoft Windows class taught by IT program manager Mr. Tamba Kanawa. 60 students are currently enrolled and began classes on July 4. Stay tuned for more updates on the Kono-Suduku Center in Sierra Leone! Photos August 8, 2011 Jacqueline Murekatete, will receive the prestigious Imbuto Foundation Young Women Achievers' Award on August 19 in Kigali, Rwanda. This award was established to "honour outstanding young Rwandans who strive toward the highest levels of personal and professional accomplishment, who excel in their chosen field, devote time and energy to their community in a meaningful way, and forge paths of leadership for all Rwandan youth to follow." Read more July 25-26, 2011 MCW representatives from the USA and Tanzania participated in the High Level Meeting on Youth from July 25-26, 2011 at the United Nations. The meeting, which was held on the occasion of the International Year of Youth, aims to promote "a culture of dialogue and understanding between young people and with young people as stakeholders in today's world," said Joseph Deiss, UN Assembly President, at the opening plenary. For full coverage, click here. For pictures click here. July 14, 2011 Brooklyn-born Chris Bashinelli, 24, received the 2011 MCW Alumni Venture Fund (AVF) award on July 14, 2011 at the Open Doors Ceremony at New York University. The grant will support a project titled Pine Ridge Launch, a series of 10-15 community engagement events to be held in the fall across South Dakota, with a majority being held on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Chris will screen the Bridge the Gap -- an entertainment web series about cultural exchange that empowers young people -- to Pine Ridge community members. June 30, 2011 MCW Jacqueline’s Human Rights Corner, in partnership with the Museum of Tolerance New York, held an awareness raising event around Rwanda on June 30, 2011 at the Museum of Tolerance in New York. Jacqueline Murekatete, Human Rights Activist, Genocide Survivor and MCW Fellow, discussed what happened in Rwanda, the challenges facing the country today and how MCW’s Community Center in Rwanda is partnering with the community to provide education, support and entrepreneurship training to young survivors. The event included an exclusive screening of the documentary The Last Survivor. June 27, 2011 Jacqueline Murekatete was the keynote speaker at the Global Young Leaders Conference (GYLC) at the Sheraton National in Arlington, Virginia. The conference was attended by 400 youths from around the world who gathered to learn about leadership, multiculturalism, and the importance of being involved to create positive change in their local and global community. Jacqueline shared her experience as a child during the 1994 genocide against Tutsis in Rwanda, about her current genocide prevention and human rights work, and called on the youth participants to fight hate, racism, anti-semitism,intolerance and to take the lead in making our world a more accepting and peaceful one. April 2011 MCW Commemorates the 17th Anniversary of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsis both in New York and in Rwanda.
February 2011 MC-Sierra Leone began building a new community center in Kono in November 2010. Construction is expected to be finished in March 2011, with the opening ceremony taking place in April. Vice President, H.E. Samuel Sam-Sumana invited MCW to build a center in his hometown at the 2009 Gala Dinner, when MCW celebrated the people of Sierra Leone for the bold steps they had taken to build peace, prosperity, and democracy. The Vice President accepted the award on behalf of the people of Sierra Leone. October 2010 MC-Rwanda began its first program on October 5, 2010. Forty-six students registered for and attended the first class, a six-month English course, led by MCR leadership team member Steven Shyaka. MCR Trustee Solange Uwimbabazi and MCR Country Coordinator Jackson Vugayabagabo also came by the center to show their support for the class. A week later, MCR began another English class for 25 students from Kayenzi. Later this month, the center will add a tailoring course and culture troupe to its programs. August 2010 Following an introduction to Tusky Hans, a local businessman in Tanzania, made possible by Eddie Bergman and MCW donors Avinash Ahuja and Dr. Ruben Cohen's visit to Tanzania, Mr. Hans donated materials to renovate MCW's community center in Arusha. This donation, representing the largest contribution by a local Tanzanian business to MCW, will be used to repair the ceiling boards in various rooms of the center. To view photos of the latest repairs, please click here. An Enduring Alliance: NYUCD Faculty, Students Continue to Volunteer for MCW. Click here to read full article. July 2010 MCW's Jacqueline's Human Rights Corner Update: Jacqueline Murekatete Honored at VH1's 2010 Do Something! Awards The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs has granted Miracle Corners of the World (MCW) Special consultative status, which will open the doors for MCW to actively engage with the ECOSOC and its subsidiary bodies, as well as with the United Nations Secretariat, programs, funds and agencies. Oral Healthcare Initiative Update: Tanzanian Dental School Technicians Visit the USA for Equipment Training June 2010 A West Coast Salon was held in Costa Mesa, California on Friday, June 25, 2010 to raise funds for MCW Jacqueline's Human Rights Corner. Hosted for the third year in a row by Victor Gruber, the event was attended by over 30 guests and members of the MCW team, including Nate Crossley, Jacqueline Murekatete, and Yvonne Noel. Mimi Saltzman and Trong Myhr held a garden party with approximately 30 guests for MCW Jacqueline's Human Rights Corner on Tuesday, June 22nd 2010. April 2010 2010 Gala Raises Critical Funds for MCW March 2010 Microsoft Africa executives climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in early March to raise funds for MCW and other NGO's "to help build learning centres in African countries. This forms part of Microsoft Africa’s broader initiative to support educational development across Africa, giving back to the communities within which it operates. February 2010 Our beloved mentor, advisor, and friend Ambassador Daudi Mwakawago, 71, passed away in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on February 25, 2010.
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