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The logo seen here has an
interesting history. The first Peace Corps Director, Sarge Shriver, sent
small lapel pins to those PCVs who served during his directorship. The
stylized hands in the design we have used were inspired by that pin. C Leigh
(Purvis) Gerber designed the logo on this website from the original Shriver
pin.
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Bill and Annelise Schroeder
designed our new website.
Greg and Brian Jones built the original website and continue to provide
updates.
C.Leigh (Purvis) Gerber revised the design for the current website and also
updates text.
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Announcements:
FON News
FON Wants Articles on Nigeria
Have you access to
interesting articles about Nigeria that most of us can't get? FON would like to
know about them for use in our newsletter or on the website. We plan to prepare
an annotated listing of such articles and even print some or all of some.
Contact Warren Keller, editor, at warrendkk@yahoo.com.
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WikiFON
Friends of Nigeria is launching
a project using the same tool that has changed encyclopedias from musty volumes
in the library to the interactive, reader driven tool called Wikipedia. Browse
to www.wikifon.org and see what a test
group of users have recorded. The sign
up for a userid and record the history of your own group. Translate the lore of our Peace Corps
experiences many years ago into a narrative that can be read by ourselves, our
families, our kids, grandkids, historians….
This new effort started as a history project suggested by Peter Hansen:
‘I envision the chapters as containing not
only "the facts" -- places, names, dates, etc. -- but also the
delightful anecdotes and Peace Corps lore that we re-tell whenever we come
together at reunions and other gatherings.’
Ultimately, we would like to
have the project result in a book. But
before we have a book, we need stories, information, and we need some smart
eyes to fill in blanks, sharpen facts, and bundle the project into a cohesive
narrative. Various people suggested
using a wiki as this first step, a community information collection tool. We have tested the concept using a free site,
and we are rolling WikiFON out on a professional site.
What is a wiki, and what do
we want to collect on our wiki? Here is
how Wikipedia describes a wiki:
‘A wiki is software
that allows users to create, edit, and link web
pages easily. Wikis are often used to create collaborative
websites and
to power community websites. They are being installed by businesses to provide
affordable and effective Intranets and for Knowledge Management. Ward
Cunningham, developer of the first wiki, WikiWikiWeb,
originally described it as "the simplest online database that could
possibly work". One of
the best known wikis is Wikipedia.’
One
of the key ideas about a wiki is that any authorized user can contribute to any
topic. So, if someone says your group
trained in Kalamazoo, and you know for a fact that your group trained in Ann
Arbor, you can make the correction and provide additional information as
appropriate. Generally, there is an
overall editor to prevent disputes from getting out of hand or users with an ax
to grind disrupting the information collection process. The editor can also strive to provide
consistent formatting and style. We have several excellent professional editors
in our FON community who have volunteered to help us sharpen our narrative,
culminating, perhaps, in an actual printed book we can sit by the fire and
read. Authors Bob Veatch (05) and Sarah Medvitz (27) have already volunteered,
but if you would like to add your editing skills, please feel free to
volunteer.
The
goal of WikiFON is twofold. First, we
would like to gather information about individual training groups. Where they trained, if there were in-country
gatherings, any recent reunions. Second, each of us has anecdotes or
recollections that could capture the flavor of Peace Corps service in Nigeria. That box of letters and photos up in the
attic your mother saved 40 years ago could be the source of some great
stories. As each of us presents our
stories, they may spark recollections by others and evoke material none of us
knew was there.
We
have chosen to make WikiFON updateable only by people to whom we have assigned
user IDs and a password. This way we can
track the usage and prevent malicious entries.
But what we create can be viewed by anybody on the internet. Please sign up to be a WikiFON
contributor. Then you can review what
other people have entered already, enter your own material, and interact with
others on the site. We hope to hear from
you soon.
Access
wikifon at www.wikifon.org. Contact Greg Jones at gregory.j@comcast.net or Chris Collman
at chris.collman@gmail.com to get
a user ID. Then you are good to go! Thanks in advance for your efforts.
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FANTSUAM
FOUNDATION REPORT TO THE FRIENDS OF NIGERIA
September
15, 2008
By John
Dada, Kazanka Comfort, & Glenn Dodge
Summary:
The
Fantsuam Foundation successfully disbursed the funds provided by the FON to a group
of ten women in the chiefdom of Zankan Marwa on September 9, 2008.
Details:
In
receipt of the loan provided by the FON, the Microfinance team within Fantsuam
Foundation carefully examined groups of potential candidates before selecting a
group of ten women forming part of the Zankan Marwa Chiefdom. Contacting Esther
Daniel, who would act as the group’s leader, the Microfinance team requested a
meeting with the women to outline the program, including its benefits and
responsibilities. This meeting was set for September 9, 2008. On this date, a
delegation of Fantsuam representatives set out to meet the women in their home
community. Included in this delegation were Kazanka Comfort, General Secretary
for the Foundation, Hajara Ibrahim, Microfinance Field Officer, and Glenn
Dodge, VSO representative.
Arriving
at the site outside the village of Manchok, the Fantsuam delegation was warmly
welcomed by the group of women who would be receiving the benefits of the loan.
Ushered into the main meeting room, the delegation was introduced to Andrew
Ninyioh, the head of the district within the Zankan Marwa chiefdom. After an
introductory prayer by Hajara Ibrahim, those attending the meeting introduced
themselves. Four members of the group were identified as being absent due to
conflicts with their other responsibilities.
The
formal program began with Comfort discussing the terms of the loan to ensure
the women understood their responsibilities with respect to repayment. With the
amount provided by the FON, each woman in attendance was to receive 10,000
naira as an initial disbursement, with the expectation that this amount would
be repaid by February of 2009. To underscore the importance of understanding
this responsibility, Comfort required an undertaking of repayment from the
district head on behalf of the women who were absent to ensure that someone
present at the meeting could provide these same details to them.
Members of
the Zankan Marwa group listen to the introduction to the Fantsuam Microfinance
Program by Kazanka Comfort.
With
the responsibilities explained, Kazanka Comfort now requested that the women
confirm among themselves that they wished to proceed with the receipt of the
loan. Once this was done, the women present each stood in turn and confirmed
their willingness to proceed and their appreciation for the funds provided.
Plans for the funds were also detailed, with the women confirming that the
money received would be used to support their agricultural activities,
specifically to assist them with their efforts to grow maize and yam and to
market this produce for sale to their fellow community members.
Glenn
Dodge was asked to make a few remarks on behalf of the FON, and he said the FON
was very happy to be involved with this project and enthusiastic to see the
results that will eventually come. The district head then provided his comments
to the group, confirming the importance of the loan and the need to honor the
terms of its provision.
Financial Summary:
Total Amount of Loan Disbursed by the FON: 117,000 Naira
Total Amount Received by the Zankan Marwa
Group: 100,000 Naira
Of
the 17,000 Naira that remains, 15,000 is planned to be disbursed to another
client of the Fantsuam Microfinance group (to be identified in the next report)
and 2,000 will be used to cover such administrative costs as the purchase of
fuel for trips to meet with the Zankan Marwa group.
In
Response Greg Jones asked the following questions and John Dada made the
following responses:
1. Has
Fantsuam ever loaned to these women before?
Yes
we have given a first round of loans for N5,000 each to women of the Zankan Marwa Group. The FON grant has made it possible for
us to give them this 2nd round of loans worth N10,000 each. Our model rewards
prompt repayment of a loan with a higher loan, as this shows that the client
has acquired the skills to manage that sum of money. We currently have loan
services in over 50 communities and the Zankan group is just one of them. At
the end of the 1st round of loans, the Field officer undertakes an assessment
of the utilization of the loan, identifies what the women have used their
profits for, and recommends them for a higher loan.
2. How was Esther Daniel chosen as the group's leader?
Group
leaders are chosen by the women and presented to the District Head who forwards
the name given to Fantsuam Foundation.
3. How do the women use their loans?
A
pre-loan training has already been conducted during which each woman identified
to the entire group how she intends to use her loan. The group then offers
their views about the viability of the plan outlined by each member. It is
important that each client has a viable project because a failed project can
affect the entire group as it may slow down the time it takes for them to
qualify for a higher loan. At this rainy season, most of the money is used for
agricultural inputs: seeds, farm labor, transport costs.
During the pre-loan training, clients are also assisted to come up with the
agricultural cycle plans in which they detail the critical stages when they
require specific inputs. Such planning helps them manage their funds better. It
is during these trainings that the various risks associated with that
particular crop, this year, are discussed. The harvesting, transportation,
storage and marketing of their produce are all part of this planning of the
agricultural cycles.
4. One of our board members asked why 4
of the 10 women were unable to attend the meeting where the loans were
disbursed. Is that normal? Were specific reasons given? What was so
important that it kept them away?
This is the rice farming season and for some women, their farms are too far
away for them to make a day return trip since they have to travel on foot
through bush paths. Once the District head (The Chief) confirms the reasons for
a woman’s absence, arrangements are made to ensure she does not forfeit her
loans. You remember that this is the second round of loans, so these women
already have a track record which qualifies them for the second round. The cost
of deferring the loans to the women who were absent would have defeated the
empowering factor of the loans as it would mean extra financial costs and time
for them to travel to our offices
5. Rotary grants are given with the
stipulation that all of the funds go to program activities, not overhead.
A board member has expressed concern about the N2000 being used for fuel
for oversight trips.
We operate a unique version of the Grameen model which requires us to disburse
loans at clients’ communities and undertake door-to-door collection of loan
rather than have the clients bring their repayments to our office. Given the
size of the loans, the distances where the clients are located and our
philosophy of ensuring that as much of the loans is invested in the approved
agricultural activities, we make efforts to minimize what overhead costs are
incurred by our clients. The most worrying aspect of our overhead costs is the
physical safety of our Field Officers as they travel on motor-cycle taxis to
make their loan collections. We have only recently felt confident enough to
discuss life insurance policies for these staff.
The door-to-door rural model of microfinance for rural community has overhead
these inevitable overhead costs and most financing institutions will make
provision for it. Passing on such overhead costs to clients depletes their
capital and can be counter-productive.
I
hope this helps. A fuller report will be provided when the loans are fully
repaid and an assessment is undertaken to identify lessons that can be carried
forward for the next, higher loans
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FON Google Group
Many of you
automatically receive messages posted to the FON GoogleGroup. If you are a
member you should, in addition to receiving messages, be able to seamlessly
send messages to our more than 100 members. If you are a FON member, but not a
member of the FON GoogleGroup, email me (Mike Goodkind)
for membership.
Some of you
are aware that you can also use the broader resources of our FONmember website,
where among other things, past postings are available. In order to
access the website, you must register with Google. This
requires a Google password and presumably the use of the same email address
which you used to sign up for the FON group. Registering with Google is
available via links from our site, and will by the way allow you to join other
Google Groups if you wish.
(Please do
not be put off by Google's seemingly rude message that "you are not a
member of this group." You easily can be)
Use of the
GoogleGroup is a fundamental perk of your FON membership, a great way to keep
in touch between newsletters, and we really want you to become an active
participant. So if you have had any difficulties getting on to the site or
receiving emails, I or a designate would be really glad to help. Email me
directly.
Detail: most of
the trouble people have encountered going to the site has occurred because the
email address used on the site is different from your current email address. In
many cases the easiest thing to do is to reregister you in the group using your
current address. Contact me if you wish to change emails. Please allow a couple
of days.
Also, you will
not be able to contact the "owner of the group," namely me from the
website, until you have registered with Google. So ... to receive emails,
you can join the group but to access the website you must have a Google
"account."
Mike Goodkind
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FON Donation Gift Cards
[This
information was send out to FON members in a letter dated November 15, 2009.]
Are
people on your gift list causing you anxiety?
You have no idea what to buy them, or you just object to the orgy of
consumption that the holidays have become.
FON has the answer! Our new Gift
Donation Cards are the perfect gift for the “difficult to buy for” person or
the “already has everything” person. You
may designate a gift to FON that will go directly to our Fantsuam Project or
VSO Project in that person’s name, and return both you and your gift recipient
to the original spirit of the holiday.
Your money in Nigeria can make a real difference. Plus the cards offer a wonderful springboard
to discuss your own experiences in Nigeria.
FON is a 501(c)(3) organization; donations to FON are tax-deductible.
FON
has created four Gift Donation Cards. On
the front of each card is a photo of a Nigerian involved in a project supported
by VSO or the Fantsuam Foundation, and on the back is a message explaining the
work of the organization. Here (in
reduced size) are images of the Gift Donation Cards:
You
choose to contribute the amount that you wish, and select the number of Gift
Donation Cards
you wish to receive (we request a minimum donation of $25 per card). Recognizing the common delays of holiday mail
please provide us with adequate time to send you the cards.
This
might also be a good time to renew your membership in Friends of Nigeria. Check the address label on your last FON
Newsletter to see whether your membership has expired. If you have never been a dues-paying member
of Friends of Nigeria, we encourage you to become a dues-paying member. Use the form on the back page of the
newsletter to renew membership.
Thank
you from the Board of FON. We look forward to helping spread cheer, good works,
and making holiday giving joyful again.
Make your check to
“Friends of Nigeria” and mail to: Friends
of Nigeria
c/o
Thomas Cassidy
PO Box 421
Pocono
Pines, PA 18350
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General Announcements
[All general announcements were deemed
obsolete as of 6/9/09. If you have any
general announcements, please send them to Greg Jones
Opportunities
in Africa with Encore! Service Corps International
Encore has
several opportunities in Africa, including one in Nigeria. Link towww.encoreservicecorps.org
for details. The Nigeria position is interim executive director for United Way
Nigeria, located in Lagos. You can become a member of Encore and enter your
skills, so when positions become available they can contact you if you have the
required qualifications.
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About NPCA
Founded in 1979 and headquartered in
Washington, D.C., the National Peace Corps Association is the
nation’s leading 501(c)(3) nonprofit
organization supporting Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and the Peace Corps
community through networking and mentoring to help guide former volunteers
through their continued service back home. The organization encompasses a
network of over 30,000 individuals and more than 140 member groups. It is also
the longest-standing advocate for an independent and robust Peace Corps and its
values. It is not a part of the United States Peace Corps, which is a federal
agency. To
learn more, visit http://www.PeaceCorpsConnect.org
What We Do
NETWORKING AND SUPPORT
The National Peace Corps Association
(NPCA) provides Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) and the Peace Corps
Community with opportunities for networking, including mentoring support for
RPCVs
transitioning from their Peace Corps
service.
NEWS AND ADVOCACY
NPCA provides the latest news on the
Peace Corps and former Volunteers so that interested members can stay informed.
Through meetings on Capitol Hill with key congressional members and staffers,
NPCA advocates for an independent and robust Peace Corps and supports issues
most important to its members. The organization is spearheading many
initiatives to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Peace Corps in 2011.
With more resources and relationships
with Peace Corps member groups than any other organization of its kind, NPCA is
leading the way in helping Returned Peace Corps Volunteers continue making a
difference and helping others.
As the leading nonprofit supporting
former Volunteers and the Peace Corps community, NPCA is helping to extend the
values and legacy of the Peace Corps.
When you join NPCA, you’ll start
receiving WorldView magazine and stay current on events and accomplishments
happening in the Peace Corps community. You’ll also be connected to and a part
of the largest group of RPCVs in the world.
There are different levels of membership
and ways to get involved and we invite everyone (not just RPCVs) to join us and
our member groups.
How to Join NPCA
Visit http://www.PeaceCorpsConnect.org
and click on “Join Now”
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50th
Reunion News
You
can sign up for the 50th Peace Corps Reunion with NPCA here: www.peacecorpsconnect.org/50thRSVP. They are also holding a video contest called
My Piece of the Peace Corps; more information is available at http://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/videocontest. FON is
planning on having their next meeting in the Washington DC area in conjunction
with the 50th.
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