John Dada is very seldom in the UK, but on November 25th he will be in London. If you have an interest in the work that John does at Fantsuam Foundation and the work we do together as Dadamac then you are welcome to come and join us. Details here - please note that you will not need to be a fully paid up member of the GlobalNet21 group to attend this single meeting - but you will need to register as we have to give names to reception in advance. If you have any problems registering please contact me (but not too near the event).
I'm describing the meetup plan in some detail for those who won't be able to attend, or who might but don't yet know what is special about the work.
Scope
We'll lay out the realities of the "under-served and un-served population" where John lives and works, including issues of connectivity, and innovation with appropriate technology. We'll look at the new youth programme, how it relates to global as well as local needs, and how we can collaborate with others - probably something like this:
- Life in and around Fantsuam - some local stories from John to get us firmly rooted in reality and get a glimpse of his work on integrated community development.
- Internet connectivity and phone services in Africa - John's reality travelling around Nigeria and other parts of Africa (ICT enthusiasts may like to consider how well it matches what we read over here about mobile phones and access to the Internet in rural Africa).
- John's work to provide connectivity at Fantsuam - Local Internet Service provider - Zittnet - leading provider of rural internet access in West Africa.
- Solar power and appropriate technologies - another innovative side to Fantsuam Foundation's work.
- The Dadamac UK-Nigeria connection - we collaborate online and face-to-face. Zittnet has enabled Dadamac to use the Internet as a powerful two-way communication channel between UK and Africa.
- Relevance to people at the meetup - we are always open to opportunities to collaborate and to combine the best elements of our various cultures through Dadamac. People (individuals and organisations) can work with us through Dadamac Foundation (for our education and welfare work) or through Dadamac Limited (for our paid services to people outside the communities we serve).
- Employment challenges and Dadamac Knowledge Centre - Dadamac Knowledge Centre - Learning for Livelihoods - this is a new local response (at Fantsuam) to a widely relevant problem. We are planning a mixture of tertiary education (including Internet supported leaning) and vocational training, building on previous collaborations and current initiatives.
- Practical elements - Many of Fantsuam Foundation's current initiatives provide opportunities for practical work experience and training - Zittnet, Attachab eco-farm (which relates to permaculture, construction, appropriate technology, food security, water security, climate change issues etc) as well as Fantsuam Foundation's health, education and welfare services. Relationships with the local community provde more apprenticeship opportunities - mechanics, carpenters, tailors, hairdressers etc.
- Dadamac - local and global - learning-by-doing and sharing what we learn, how what we do on the ground at Fantsuam, via the Internet, and in London, is relevant elsewhere.
- Future vision - and ways for other people (individuals and organisations) to be involved.
- Q and A session.
- Time to tap into the "wisdom in the room" and to talk informally.
Quotes from John during our planning meeting
John and I were discussing the focus of the meetup in our weekly Dadamac UK-Nigeria meeting. These are some things he said:
- Working within the context of under-served and un-served population makes this a replicable model any where
- I think our focus on our model for youth empowerment and preparation for useful employment is where the action and emphasis should be .... tackle youth restiveness that ends up in sectarian violence.
- This is a global problem, but we are tackling it in this unique Dadamac/Fantsuam Foundation collaboration.... rubbing minds, exchanging ideas, getting feedbacks.
Please share this invitation
Ever since I first got involved with the local projects of Nigerian friends I have wanted to close the gap between the impressions I found "at a distance" and the realities that I met "on the ground". John's visit to London is a great opportunity to do that. Please share this with anyone who'd appreciate the opportunity for a reality check or for closer connections with projects on the ground.
Details fere - please note that you will not need to be a fully paid up member of the GlobalNet21 group to attend this single meeting - but you will need to register as we have to give names to reception in advance. If you have any problems registering please contact me (but not too near the event).