KENKKU newsletter 2/2013

NEWSMongolian project partners

visit Finland

An update on the Guatemala project

Ready, set, implement!

Would you want to become an ETVO volunteer?

featuresDevelopment report on Mozambique

Africa’s Next Top Model

The new KENKKU has taken the lead

Development cooperation theme week for Finnish student unions draws nearer!

One of the important goals of the visit was to prepare the upcoming project. Our current project is coming to a closure in the end of next year, which means that the next project application must be sent to the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in May 2014. The goal of the upcoming project is to increase the self-sufficiency of the IEC in order to make the organisation less dependent on foreign support. The aim of the project is to establish a social company in connection to the pre-existing IEC (once we’ve settled the ins and outs of Mongolian legislation). Once established, the company would on its part support social development and offer economic support to the IEC’s other activities. During their stay, our Mongolian visitors were introduced to the Taito Group, various handicraft works, a small scale cheesery, the Central

Association of Women Entrepreneurs in Finland and the International Solidarity Foundation (ISF), the last at which we heard of the organisation’s experiences of cooperatives in developing countries. These visits gave Odno and Munjo ideas on how to develop the work of the IEC and views on different entrepreneurship issues in general. During the last days of the visit we also assembled a detailed schedule for the planning of the project in order to avoid any last-minute preparations. Since their return to Mongolia, Odno and Munjo have already started the information gathering for the new project. We’re expecting to receive the first project plan drafts in October.

Johanna Ursin-Escobar

Representatives Odno and Munjo of the IEC (Information, Education and Communication Centre) – SYL’s partner organisation in the Mongolia project – visited Finland in May. A traditional project monitoring trip is located in the target country, but this time we decided to turn it the other way around!

Mongolian project partners visit Finland

The official schedule left time for some chocolate shopping in Porvoo.

We introduced our Mongolian visitors to a small cheesery.

An update on the Guatemala project

The development cooperation project between SYL and AMEU (Asociación Maya de Estudiantes Universitarios) is running its second and final year in the mountain-covered central Guatemalan department of Chimaltenango. The goal of the project is to strengthen the crisis management capacity of the Mayan communities in case of natural disaster. The current project is a follow-up of the project from 2008–2010 and it has stuck to its goal to reduce deaths caused by natural disasters through education. The practical implementation of the project, however, has included both success and challenges. Our efforts to prevent the risk of natural disasters have included combination of four methods: training the Maya leaders, offering scholarships to Maya students in relevant fields of education, establishing plant nursery gardens, and arranging tree planting days.

The training workshops for the leaders of the Mayan communi-ties have been arranged in two project target municipalities, in Tecpán Guatemala and San Andrés Itzapa. AMEU has expressed gratitude for the wide spectrum of participants, with representatives of both genders on a wide age distribution and people from the different areas of the municipalities. One of the most beneficial aspects of the project is that the training workshops have attracted local decision-makers. Other positive feedback shows that the instructors have been considered very competent. The practical problems of the training sessions relate to the precise realisation of the schedules dates, due to the unpunctuality of some participants. Other problems include the lack of suitable training venues in Tecpán Guatemala.

AMEU has reported that the scholarship holders are both talented and committed to their studies. In their April evaluation report of their scholarship system, AMEU stated that their system has its flaws as well as it strengths. One of the challenges has shown to be that, for instance, only half of the scholarship holders have taken part of the AMUE events, such as training workshops, due to long distances. On the other hand, some of the scholarship holders have taken an active role in AMEU’s work; some environmental engineer students have, for instance, participated in establishing plant nursery gardens.

The last avocado and peach farms are now worked on according to their farm cycles. During the last third of the year, some 3000 peach tree seeds are going to be planted. One of the positive aspects of the tree nursery project is that the participants have realised the impact of weather conditions on growing avocado trees, and the avocado project has actually been a success in general. Another new positive aspect is the growing participation from the students of local schools. Last spring

included one re-forestation day on 12 May in Tecpán Guatemala. Confirming the survival of the tree plants of the re-forestation project has however been subject to some confusion. Municipal foresters participate in verseeing the plants, which ncreases the significance of the local political climate and the work of single foresters for the project.

SYL and KENKKU representatives leave on a project monitoring trip to Guatemala in October-November. We are also working on planning external evaluation of the project.

Silja Palmujoki

AMEU Board Chairman Marvin Guamuch (centre of picture) observing the new peach plants.

Ready, set, implement!

A women’s group nursing plants as a part of our Guatemala project.

The SYL Mozambique development cooperation project has progressed from planning to implementation. The project funding was affirmed by the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs last spring. After that we really got things running both here in Finland and in Maputo. The project will be carried out between 2013 and 2015 in six schools in the vicinity of the capital city Maputo.

Now that our partner organisation AFORTALECER has finally started their practical work, our Mozambique project

work group at KENKKU has had their hands full. “We have started planning report emplates and the criteria on

which the project evaluation will be based”, says country group chairperson Henna Husso. “We’ve also made plans regarding project communication and produced some project presentations for various uses. Right now we’re enthusiastically waiting for a response report from Mozambique to hear more about their end of the project.”

“During spring, our project team has had the chance to discuss the upcoming volunteer workers position and which criteria the person should meet, i.e. what kind of person the proj-ect needs at the location and for SYL’s part.” In other words; the SYL Mozambique project has been included in the KEPA Southvolunteer program. The application period runs out on 2 September. “This is a great opportunity for both the project and the volunteer,” says Husso.

Project focus on pedagogical skills and increasing the eagerness to read

The Mozambican children have poor reading and writing skills, and the causes are numerous.

There simply aren’t enough schoolbooks, there are holes in the infrastructure of the schools, the teachers lack proper pedagogical skills, and the parents are not putting effort in the education of their children. Even though the state is investing in the educational sector e.g. by building schools, all development takes its time.

That is why the cooperation project between SYL and AFORTALECER aims to increase the literacy of first and second grade pupils by developing small scale hard infrastructure (supplies such as schoolbooks) and soft infrastructure (improving pedagogical skills and supporting a culture of reading and learning).

The pedagogical skills of the teachers hold an especially important significance, as Mozambican teacher students often receive less education in pedagogical skills in favour of teaching subject contents. The project will also include cooperating with the parents in order to improve their knowledge on the importance of education.

”Many children are currently staying at home to look after their younger siblings or because they have to work,” Husso says. SYL coordinator of development cooperation Johanna Ursin-Escobar agrees with her. ”We also need to raise the children’s own interest towards reading and writing. This is why the project includes launching storytime and homework groups at the participating schools.”

A project monitoring trip is the pinnacle of a year of reporting

Constant monitoring and progress evaluation are important parts of any project. But actually visiting the location really completes the monitoring work. That is why SYL is sending a KENKKU member off to Maputo for a project monitoring trip. The KENKKU representative will be accompanied by Ursin-Escobar. ”The goal of our first monitoring trip to Mozambique is to check how the project has started: to see if the planned activities have been carried out, monitor new challenges and check what needs to be adjusted,” Johanna explains. ”We intend to

meet with as many project partners as possible in order to grasp a number of perspectives on the project.”

KENKKU and ETVO current issues

The autumn newsletter offers greetings from Maputo and more information on the new ETVO volunteer!

http://kehitysyhteistyo.syl.fi/2013/02/08/mozambique/?lan=english

http://www.etvo.fi/kohdemaat/afrikka/mosambik (in Finnish)

Henni Saarela

Would you want to become an ETVO volunteer? Openings at SYL projects in Mozambique and MongoliaAre you interested in development cooperation volunteer work (6–12 months) in Africa, Asia or South America? Are you skilled beyond your own needs? Do you want to learn and experience something new and exciting? Apply for the KEPA coordinated ETVO Finnish Volunteer Program. The application period is open until 2 September 2013. Read more at www.etvo.fi/english

SYL participates in the Finnish Volunteer Program ETVO by sending two volunteers to Mongolia and Mozambique. For additional information, please visit the ETVO website or ask SYL Development Cooperation Coordinator Johanna Ursin-Escobar (firstname.lastname@syl.fi).

Development report on MozambiqueMozambique is one of Finland’s long time partners in development cooperation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs supports the development of Mozambique especially in the fields of agriculture and education and by strengthening the democratically elected government. Finland’s support to Mozambique consists of budget support, bilat-eral projects and by supporting civic society projects. SYL has initiated a project in Mozambique to promote child literacy together with a local project partner, AFORTALECER. Currently a fifth of Mozambique’s budget is made up from foreign support. What effects have development cooperation brought in Mozambique?

Mozambique declared itself independent from the colonial power of Portugal in 1975, but the country suffered from a civil war from the very beginning of its independence all the way to 1992. As the civil war was brought to an end, the

conditions in Mozambique stabilised and in just two decades the country has witnessed some major development. One of the country’s greatest achievements is the remarkable investments made in education. In 1990, only 44 per cent of children started school, whereas in 2012 already 90 per cent of school-aged children were going to school. There has been clear improvement in the education of girls, despite the statistics showing that girls are still less likely to start school than boys. Aside from starting school, there is also room for improvement in actually graduating, as many pupils drop out of school to get married or to support their families. Developing education is important in order to ensure long-term economic development. The stable political environment, good administration of the national economy, and a number of structural reforms have all supported the country’s economic growth, leading to an increase of 7.5 % in 2011, during

the global financial crisis. Despite a general reduction in poverty, welfare has not spread evenly across the country. Agriculture employs almost 80 per cent of the workforce, but is not very productive. Besides the improvements in education and the economic growth, the country has succeeded in developing its healthcare sector. Life expectancy is rising, currently being 51 years for women and 49 for men. There has been a decrease in child malnutrition and the accination programs have reduced child mortality rate. A constantly growing part of the population are provided a safe living environment as proper sanitation becomes increasingly common – however only 19 per cent of the population currently has access to improved sanitation. One of the challenges of Mozambican healthcare is the widespread HI-virus. 11.3 per cent of the population is HIV positive, whereas the general infection rate of an average low income country is 2.4 per cent of the population. HIV prevalence, however, has not increased since 2007, so there is hope of the epidemic slowing down.

In just two decades, Mozambique has succeeded in rising from the ruins of conflict towards ncreasing welfare, and in creating the base for long-term development. There’s is still a lot to do, as Mozambique’s position on the human development index 2012 was 185 – out of a total of 187 countries.

References:The Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Finland’s development coopera-tion with Mozambique. http://for-min.finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=80372&nodeid=15369&contentlan=2&culture=en-USglobal.finland. Mozambique. (in Finnish & Swedish) http://global.finland.fi/public/default.aspx?nodeid=15790&contentlan=1&culture=fi-FIThe World Bank. Mozambique Overview. http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/mozambique/overviewThe World Bank. Data. Mozam-bique. http://data.worldbank.org/country/mozambiqueUNDP. International Human Development Indicators. Human Development Index (HDI) value. http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/indi-cators/103106.html

Kaisa Oikarinen

Africa’s Next Top ModelFor better or for worse, phenomena will continue to spread in our global world. This time we’re talking about the spreading of a top phenomenon’s in western youth culture, the Next Top Model fran-chise, which is now spreading its message to Africa. As the series 20th season comes to an end in the United States, the same franchise takes up one of its many first seasons in Africa. The many pros and cons of this could surely be analysed to bits, but one thing is certain; I doubt there will be any shortage on applicants.

Africa’s Next Top Model will be both produced and hosted by Oluchi Orlandi, a high end supermodel herself. Oluchi comes from Nigeria where she was “found” when she won the Face of Africa pageant in the age of 17. After the competition, Oluchi moved to New York to

work and paved her way to becoming an international supermodel by covering the front pages of magazines such as Elle, Vogue Italia and Sports Illustrated.

The audition tour starts in August in Mozambique and continues through seven countries; Angola, Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa and of course Oluchi Orland’s native country Nigeria. The show, however, will be shot in South Africa and is sponsored by South African Tourism. Other partners of the show include Oluchi Orland’s own company, LuLu Productions, and one of the biggest media houses, yet to be revealed. Africa’s Next Top Model is expected to be the next big thing in beauty, fashion and unique character stories in both television and fashion. We’ll just have to wait and see about that.

http://www.hautefashionafrica.com/blog/

http://www.antmafrica.com/

Henna Husso

The new KENKKU has taken the leadYet another autumn term, yet another KENKKU line-up. The KENKKU advisory board will see some member changes in the beginning of September. Some of last year’s members will continue throughout this period as well, but the majority of the board will consist of new members.

The new KENKKU advisory board representatives for 2013–14 are Marleen Wierengan (AYY), Elina Eronen (JYY), Sini Ylimarto (JYY), Noora Stenholm (HYY), Meeri Väänänen (HYY), Sanni Isometsä (TYY) and Lyydia Mäkinen (TYY). This year’s continuing members are Henna Husso (AYY), Salla Mäkelä (TYY), Anna Kärkkäinen (JYY), Nora Stenius (HYY) and Silja Palmujoki (HYY). The KENKKU advisory board of SYL will continue to be chaired by the SYL Executive Board Member responsible for development cooperation issues, and the SYL Development Cooperation Coordinator will function as the board’s secretary.

Johanna Ursin-Escobar

Development cooperation theme week for Finnish student unions draws nearer!

This year’s development cooperation theme week will concentrate on employment and development. What are the working conditions like in developing countries? Could I sign up for a job in a developing country? The theme week is arranged on 7–12 October 2013. More information about the program will be released during September – follow your own student union’s mailing lists and website for more info.

Johanna Ursin-Escobar

Spring 2013: Planning the upcoming development cooperation theme week – going through volunteer roles and duties with the coordinators.

SYL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION IN A NUTSHELL• Throughourdevelopmentcooperation work, SYL aims to promote educational equality and social justice and strengthen the fundamental principles of a civil society in the partner countries. We also aim to increase student awareness of development issues and their will to take global responsibility.

• TherootsofSYL’sworkindevelopment cooperation go way back to the 1950’s: In the 1950’s, SYL development cooperation was limited to small scale activity in Europe. In the 1970’s, development cooperation grew from small projects to longer-term and more organised cooperation as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs started supporting the development cooperation of NGOs.

• TheSYL2010development policy strategy defines the focus of our work in

development cooperation on education and training projects. The central criteria of our work call for sustainability and responsibility, transparency and openness, mutual learning and interaction, and project ownership and agency in the target area.

• In2013,SYLisinvolvedindevelopment cooperation projects in Mongolia, Mozambique and Guatemala and arranges a joint development cooperation theme week for all Finnish student unions.

• AllSYLprojectsarefundedby the Ministry of Foreign Affair’s support to development cooperation. SYL pays a 15 % share of the costs of foreign projects, out of which half is covered by volunteer work. The financial share of that 15 % consists of the optional development cooperation fees

collected from Finnish students.

• TheSYLdevelopmentcooperationprojectsareadministeredby KENKKU, the Development Cooperation Advisory Board of SYL, together with the SYL Executive Board Member responsible for development cooperation issues and the SYL Development Cooperation Coordinator. KENKKU consists of representatives from the different student unions.

• YoucanreadmoreaboutSYL’sworkindevelopmentcooperation at http://kehitysyhteistyo.syl.fi/english

• YouarewelcometosupportSYL’sworkindevelopmentcooperation by making a donation of your own choosing to our fundraising account (IBAN FI04 8000 1501 45 DABAFIHH)

Fundraising permit: Date issued and implementation area: 4.4.2013–31.12.2014 All of Finland except Åland IslandsPermit number: 2020/2012/4867

Anna Kärkkäinen