http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/ What's on the minds of young leaders from around the globe? en-us http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/493291 Kindly visit http://welovesierraleone.page.tl/Home.htm and post your patriotic messages ]]> Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:49:00 EDT http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/493291 40.3355556 -75.927222240.3355556-75.9272222 http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/493285 Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:20:00 EDT http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/493285 40.3355556 -75.927222240.3355556-75.9272222 http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/24700
Dear Friends,

At the end of this month we pause in tribute to a great leader and “the eternal friend of youth”, Pope John Paul II.

John Paul II’s constant message to the world was “Do not be afraid.” In his own life he experienced the struggle and sorrow of the Nazi occupation of his homeland, Poland, followed by the oppression of the communist regime. He also experienced the triumph of the human spirit in the resistance movements during World War II and the Solidarity movement in Poland. As Pope, he was instrumental in the fall of communism.

John Paul II was unflinching in the face of the despair of the modern world and he never ceased urging the young, especially, to “build a culture of life” and “a world marked by greater solidarity and justice.”

Though we mourn his passing, his teaching and exhortation to young people still animates our hearts and we respond with all of the enthusiasm and creativity of our youth. It is our joy to honor and remember one who has taught the world so much about the dignity of each person both by word and example.

We look forward with great excitement to the leadership of his successor, Benedict XVI and extend our warmest welcome to him. We know that like John Paul II, he will be a defender and champion of the dignity of the person. The young people of the world embrace him with affection and confidence.

For a culture of life,

The World Youth Alliance

“I feel an obligation to reaffirm vigorously that the intrinsic value and the personal dignity of every human being does not change no matter what the concrete situations of his life.”

~Pope John Paul II
]]> Mon, 16 May 2005 09:40:00 EDT http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/24700 40.3355556 -75.927222240.3355556-75.9272222 http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/20529
There is no substitute for information in your quest for change not even intercession

You can be the same five years from now except for two things 1- the books you read ( A great reader is a great Leader)2- the people you interact with ( A man is judge by the companion he keeps)

Watch out for next update on the topic HOW IMPORTANT IS INFORMATON TO YOU?

]]> Wed, 10 Nov 2004 14:34:00 EST http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/20529 40.3355556 -75.927222240.3355556-75.9272222 http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/19550
A short history lesson on the privilege of voting...

The women were innocent and defenseless. And by the end of the night, they were barely alive. Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden's blessing went on a rampage against the 33
women wrongly convicted of "obstructing sidewalk traffic."

They beat Lucy Burn, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air. They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack. Additional affidavits describe the guards
grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.

Thus unfolded the "Night of Terror" on Nov. 15, 1917, when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right to vote.

For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their food--all of it colorless slop--was infested with worms. When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.

So, refresh my memory. Some women won't vote this year because--why, exactly? We have carpool duties? We have to get to work? Our vote doesn't matter? It's raining?

Everyone should watch HBO's new movie "Iron Jawed Angels." It is a graphic depiction of the battle these women waged so that we could pull the curtain at the polling booth and have our say. I think some of us I needed the reminder.


"What would those women think of the way we use--or don't use--our right to vote? All of us take it for granted now, not just younger women, but those of us who did seek to learn." The right to vote, should become valuable to us "all over again."

HBO will run the movie periodically before releasing it on video and DVD. We are not voting in the numbers that we should be, and maybe a little shock therapy is in order.

It is jarring to watch Woodrow Wilson and his cronies try to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. And it is inspiring to watch the doctor refuse. Alice Paul was strong, he said, and brave. That didn't make her crazy.

The doctor admonished the men:

"Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity."

Please pass this on to all the women you know. We need to get out and vote and use this right that was fought so hard for by these very courageous women.]]> Tue, 21 Sep 2004 11:08:00 EDT http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/19550 40.3355556 -75.927222240.3355556-75.9272222 http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/16999
The YLC seeks your support in whatever way you can be of help i.e. by giving us small grants, materials, equipments, exchanging of ideas etc. the YLC wishes to collaborate with all youth councils that have one common goal which is to develop young people.

Our aims and objectives:

To advocate and train youth about their rights and responsibilities in society
To organize recreational activities and entrainments for youths when necessary
To raise a level o awareness and mobilize actions on those critical issues facing youth
To strengthen partnership and coordinate activities with the Ministry of Youth- Youth Division and other youth agencies
To organize training for youth leaders
To develop and established service learning programmes/projects
To promote personal development
To foster civic responsibilities

Your collaboration is highly encouraged and welcome in networking of ideas and materials.


Inn Peace,

Ibrahim Ibou Koroma
President, Youth Leadership Council

c/o
7q Tengbeh Town
Freetown
Sierra Leone
YLC@fastermail.com


]]> Sat, 29 May 2004 10:42:00 EDT http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/16999 40.3355556 -75.927222240.3355556-75.9272222 http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/15321 made at the
> opening of the Memorial Conference on the Rwanda Genocide, at
the United
> Nations on Friday, March 26, 2004. The Secretary General
addresses the
> failure of the United Nations and the international community to
stop the
> genocide, and states that he will soon appoint a Special
Rapporteur on the
> Prevention of Genocide. A BBC report follows the statement.
>
> Regards,

Ibrahim

http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp
>
>
> New York, 26 March 2004 - Secretary-General's remarks at
"Memorial
> Conference on the Rwanda Genocide", organized by the
governments of Canada
> and Rwanda
> Thank you very much. Mr. Murigande, [Minister for Foreign
Affairs, Rwanda]
>
> Mr. Graham, [Minister for Foreign Affairs, Canada], David Malone,
> Excellencies,
>
> Ladies and Gentlemen,
>
> The genocide in Rwanda should never, ever have happened. But it
did. The
> international community failed Rwanda, and that must leave us
always with a
> sense of bitter regret and abiding sorrow.
>
> If the international community had acted promptly and with
determination, it
> could have stopped most of the killing. But the political will
was not
> there, nor were the troops.
>
> If the United Nations, Government officials, the international
media and
> other observers had paid more attention to the gathering signs
of disaster,
> and taken timely action, it might have been averted. Warnings
were missed. I
> recall a 1993 report by a United Nations special rapporteur that
spoke
> specifically of an impending catastrophe.
>
> The international community is guilty of sins of omission. I
myself, as head
> of the UN's peacekeeping department at the time, pressed dozens
of countries
> for troops. I believed at that time that I was doing my best.
But I realised
> after the genocide that there was more that I could and should
have done to
> sound the alarm and rally support. This painful memory, along
with that of
> Bosnia and Herzegovina, has influenced much of my thinking, and
many of my
> actions, as Secretary-General.
>
> None of us must ever forget, or be allowed to forget, that
genocide did take
> place in Rwanda, or that it was highly organized, or that it was
carried out
> in broad daylight. No one who followed world affairs or watched
the news on
> television, day after sickening day, could deny that they knew a
genocide
> was happening, and that it was happening on an appalling scale.
>
> Some brave individuals tried to stop the killing, above all
General Romeo
> Dallaire of Canada, who is here with us today, the force
commander of the
> small UN peacekeeping force that was on the ground at the time.
They did all
> they could. They were entitled to more help.
>
> Eight hundred thousand men, women and children were abandoned to
the most
> brutal and callous of deaths, as neighbour killed neighbour.
Sanctuaries
> such as churches and hospitals were turned into slaughterhouses.
An entire
> country was shattered. A terrible chain of events gradually
engulfed the
> entire region in conflict.
>
> Ten years later, we are trying to pick up the pieces.
>
> In Rwanda itself, the United Nations is doing its utmost to help
people
> recover and reconcile. We are present throughout the country --
clearing
> mines, repatriating refugees, rehabilitating clinics and
schools, building
> up the judicial system, and much else.
>
> In Tanzania, a United Nations criminal tribunal continues to
pursue the main
> perpetrators of the genocide. The tribunal has handed down
pioneering
> verdicts: the first conviction for genocide by an international
court; the
> first to hold a former head of government responsible for
genocide; the
> first to determine that rape was used as an act of genocide; and
the first
> to find journalists guilty of genocide ­ because they helped
create the
> state of mind in which thousands of people could set aside the
most
> fundamental moral instincts of all human society, and embark on
the
> wholesale massacre of fellow human beings.
>
> With these and other steps, the United Nations is doing what it
can to help
> Rwanda find a path to lasting security and peace, with itself
and its
> neighbours. We cannot undo the past. But we can help Rwandans,
especially
> the young generation who are the future of the country, build a
new society
> together.
>
> The genocide in Rwanda raised questions that affect all
humankind --
> fundamental questions about the authority of the Security
Council, the
> effectiveness of United Nations peacekeeping, the reach of
international
> justice, the roots of violence, and the responsibility of the
international
> community to protect people threatened by genocide and other
grave
> violations of human rights. There has been intense debate, and
some genuine
> advances -- practical and philosophical -- on some of these
questions over
> the past decade. But still one must ask, are we confident that,
confronted
> by a new Rwanda today, we can respond effectively, in good time?
We can by
> no means be certain we would.
>
> I have suggested a number of measures that would better equip
the United
> Nations and its Member States to meet genocide with resolve,
including a
> special rapporteur or adviser on the subject. More can and must
be done, and
> I am currently analyzing what further steps could be taken. The
silence that
> has greeted genocide in the past must be replaced by a global
clamour ­ a
> clamour and a willingness to call what is happening by its true
name.
>
> The General Assembly has designated 7 April as the International
Day of
> Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda. The Government of Rwanda,
for its
> part, has asked that the world's observance of the Day include a
minute of
> silence at noon local time in each time zone.
>
> Such a minute of silence has the potential to unite the world,
however
> fleetingly, around the idea of global solidarity. I have written
to all the
> world's Heads of State and Government, asking them, and
especially their
> public servants, to honour it. I have also instructed all UN
offices,
> throughout the world, to take part. Here today, I would like to
urge all
> people, everywhere, no matter what their station in life,
whether in crowded
> cities or remote rural areas, to set aside whatever they might
be doing at
> noon on that day, and pause to remember the victims. Let us be
united in a
> way we were not ten years ago. And let us, by what we do in one
single
> minute, send a message ­ a message of remorse for the past,
resolve to
> prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again ­ and let's
make it resound
> for years to come.
>
> May the victims of the Rwandan genocide rest in peace. May our
waking hours
> be lastingly altered by their sacrifice. And may we all reach
beyond this
> tragedy, and work together to recognize our common humanity. If
we can
> accept that everyone on this earth, regardless of colour, creed,
language or
> ethnicity is fully human -- and, as such, fully worthy of our
interest,
> sympathy and acceptance ­ we will have taken a giant step
forward from
> dehumanization and toward a stronger sense of global kinship.
>
> Thank you very much.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3573229.stm
>
>
> UN chief's Rwanda genocide regret
> The United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has said he
could and
> should have done more to stop the genocide in Rwanda 10 years
ago.
>
> At a memorial conference at the UN, Mr Annan said he realised he
personally
> could have done more to rally support for international efforts
to stop it.
>
> "The international community is guilty of sins of
omission," Mr Annan said.
>
> The genocide - in which some 800,000 people died - occurred when
Mr Annan
> was head of UN peacekeeping forces.
>
> I believed at that time that I was doing my best
> Kofi Annan
> The UN Security Council failed to reinforce the small UN
peacekeeping force
> in the country.
>
> "The international community failed Rwanda and that must
leave us always
> with a sense of bitter regret," Mr Annan said.
>
> He said the painful memory had influenced many of his later
decisions as
> secretary general.
>
> "I believed at that time that I was doing my best," he
said.
>
> "But I realised after the genocide that there was more that
I could and
> should have done to sound the alarm and rally support."
>
> No protection
>
> Rwandans have accused the peacekeepers who were there at the
time of
> failing to protect them.
>
> One survivor, Specios Kenya Bugoi, described how 4,000 Tutsis
took shelter
> close to Belgian troops hoping to be safe.
>
> I lost my husband, members of my family, all of my friends,
neighbour
> Genocide survivor
>
> Speaking through an interpreter she described how the troops
left and the
> killings began.
>
> "During that massacre I lost my husband, members of my
family, all of my
> friends, neighbours," she said.
>
> "I slept among the cadavers for the whole night."
>
> In April 2000 the UN Security Council admitted responsibility
for failing
> to stop the genocide.
>
> The Canadian Foreign Minister, Bill Graham, told the conference
that 10
> years after the genocide the international community had still
not learned
> how to stop such killings from happening again.
>
> "We lack the political will to achieve the necessary
agreement on how to
> put in place the type of measures that will prevent a future
Rwanda from
> happening," he said.
>
> Lessions learned?
>
> The head of the small UN peacekeeping force in Rwanda at the
time,
> Lieutenant General Romeo Dallaire, told the conference that
no-one was
> interested in saving Rwandans and the bulk of his force was
ordered to
> leave.
>
> He suggested that attitudes now had not changed.
>
> "I still believe that if an organisation decided to wipe
out the 320
> mountain gorillas there would be still more of a reaction by the
> international community to curtail or to stop that than there
would be still
> today in attempting to protect thousands of human beings being
slaughtered
> in the same country."
>
> The UN has designated 7 April as international day of reflection
on the
> genocide.
>
> Mr Annan announced he was backing a call from the Rwandan
government for
> the world to observe a minute of silence to remember the victims
and resolve
> to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again.
>
> "Let us be united in a way we were not 10 years ago,"
he said.
> Story from BBC NEWS:
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/3573229.stm

>
> Published: 2004/03/26 22:18:29 GMT
>
> © BBC MMIV
]]> Wed, 31 Mar 2004 17:40:00 EST http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/15321 40.3355556 -75.927222240.3355556-75.9272222 http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/15278
Fact Sheet
Office of International Women s Issues
3/17/2004


"Developed and developing countries alike cannot hope to meet
21st century
challenges without the full participation of women in all aspects
of their
national life. And so today, we celebrate the crucial contributions
of women to
international wellbeing. May we also rededicate ourselves to
advancing the
rights and opportunities of women everywhere." [full text]


--Secretary Powell, March 8, 2004 , International Women s Day


After the fall of the Taliban, the United States launched an
historic
initiative to help elevate the status of women in Afghanistan. On
January 28,
2002, President George W. Bush and Afghan Interim Authority
Chairman Hamid
Karzai announced the creation of the U.S.-Afghan Women s Council .
The Council
promotes public-private partnerships between U.S. and Afghan
institutions, and
mobilizes private sector resources to help Afghan women gain the
skills and
education that they were denied under years of Taliban misrule. It
focuses on
concrete actions that help to bring real and practical benefits to
the women of
Afghanistan, enabling them to participate and play leadership roles
in the
political and economic life of their country. To this end, the
Council has made
education and microfinance its top priorities.

Meetings

The Council meets twice a year, alternating between Kabul and
Washington, DC,
to discuss programs and priorities for assisting Afghan women and
to review
progress. Co-Chairs of the Council are Under Secretary of State for
Global
Affairs Paula Dobriansky, Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah
and Afghan
Minister of Women s Affairs Habiba Sarabi. U.S. members include
Karen Hughes,
former Counselor to President George W. Bush; Connie K. Duckworth,
Chair of the
Committee of 200, an organization of women business leaders;
Patricia de Stacy
Harrison, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural
Affairs;
Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan and Special
Presidential Envoy
to Afghanistan; Pat Mitchell, President and Chief Executive Officer
of the
Public Broadcasting System; Marin Strmecki, Afghanistan Policy
Coordinator in
the Office of the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon; Constantine
W. Curris,
President of the American Association of State Colleges and
Universities; and,
Barbara Barrett, Chairman of the Board of Governors of Thunderbird
University.

* Inaugural Meeting. The inaugural meeting took place in
Washington, DC. in
April 2002. As a result of discussions about women s needs and
priorities
and in response to a request from the Afghan side, the Council
later
announced its first initiative would bring Afghan women who
work in
government ministries to the United States for an educational
exchange
program. The program focused on computer training, leadership
and
management training, and other skills vital to their positions.
President
Bush sent a letter of greetings to the inaugural Council
session expressing
his support for the Council.

* January 2003. At the Council s second meeting in Kabul, the
United States
announced that it would provide $2.5 million for women s
resource centers
in 14 of Afghanistan s provinces. The Council also committed $1
million in
education and exchange programs for the centers. Programs at
these centers
will focus on basic education literacy, microfinance and small
business
opportunities, human rights education, and the development and
management
of non-governmental organizations (NGO). The U.S. delegation
visited
several projects for women that the United States and the
U.S.-Afghan Women
s Council supports. One site was the Widow's Bakery, which is
run by the
World Food Program. Widows earn an income by baking bread,
which in turn,
is provided to the poor in Kabul. The Council delegation also
visited a
quilting project that helps widows earn an income while
producing quilts
needed by the poor for the harsh winter. They also visited a
Women's
Resource Center where they saw job skills training and literacy
programs.
Upon their return home, the U.S. delegation met with President
Bush to
brief him on their mission to Afghanistan.

* July 2003. The Council s third meeting in Washington, DC in
July 2003
focused on several key issues for women, including the
educational needs of
women and girls, job skills training and business development.
In the area
of women s political participation, discussions focused on the
status of
women in the constitutional framework and preparing women for
the upcoming
2004 elections. The Delegation met with First Lady Laura Bush
and National
Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice at the White House, and
Secretary of
State Colin Powell hosted a luncheon in their honor. They also
had a chance
to meet with USAID Administrator Andrew Natsios, and other key
figures. The
Afghan delegation then visited Texas, where they were hosted by
Council
member Karen Hughes, and had the opportunity to visit American
sites and
meet with local officials.

* February 2004. The fourth meeting of the Council was held in
Kabul February
24-26 2004. Council members reviewed programs and progress on
implementation of initiatives. Discussions focussed on the new
constitution
and the upcoming elections in 2004. The delegation visited a
Women Center
and met with project managers of programs supported by the U.S.
Government
and by the US-Afghan Women s Council. The Council also agreed
to support a
number of specific initiatives, such as an American School in
Kabul, a
woman s teacher training institute, a $5 million USAID funded
project to
train midwives throughout rural Afghanistan. In addition the
Council
stressed the need to move forward with the construction of 17
Women s
Resource Centers. Private-sector Council members also announced
several new
programs, including a $10,000 Rockefeller Foundation
contribution to a
Department of State funded project to train Afghan women s
judges. Daimler
Chrysler contributed $25,000 to construct another 5 community
banks to
support microfinance loans for women in Heart province. And PBS
gave
$20,000 to AINA, a Kabul-based media training NGO, for
broadcast rights to
the film Afghanistan Unveiled. The Afghanistan Unveiled
film chronicles
an Afghan Women s Oral History project and training of women
journalists
that the State Department/USAID initiated and funded. The
project created
jobs for women in the media and sustaining revenues for AINA to
continue
its work to create a free and independent media in Afghanistan.

Accomplishments

U.S. Leadership Management and Computer Education. The Council s
first major
program, in September and October 2002, was to bring 14 women from
various
Afghan Government ministries to the United States for an
educational exchange
program. During their 4-week stay, they received training in
computer skills,
proposal writing, communications, and leadership management. Each
participant
received a laptop computer for training in the United States and to
take home
to use in Afghanistan. The women met with President George W. Bush
and National
Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice at the White House, and with
Secretary of
State Colin L. Powell at a Department reception held in their
honor. They also
had the opportunity to interact with senior policymakers, Members
of Congress,
government agency officials, and representatives of non-governmental
organization. In Austin, Texas, they looked at the interaction
among federal,
state, and local entities. Their program concluded in New York City
where they
met with representatives of the United Nations.

Public-Private Partnerships. The Council s core mission is to
develop and
foster partnerships between the private and public sector:

Microcredit. The Council views microcredit as an important means of
helping
women gain self-sufficiency through starting their own businesses.
Through an
original $10,000 donation to the Council from Daimler-Chrysler, the
Foundation
for International Community Assistance (FINCA), a leading NGO in
microfinance,
will help start two village banks in Herat. Daimler Chrysler
contributed an
additional $25,000 in February 2004 to construct another 5
community banks to
support microfinance loans for women in Heart province. FINCA
expects to assist
more than 30,000 clients in Afghanistan over the next 5 years.

Women s Resource Center. Women executives of AOL/Time Warner have
raised
$60,000 for the Council s Gift Fund to support a provincial women s
resource
center in Afghanistan.

Digital Video Conference. The Council has used digital video
conference (DVC)
technology to connect Kabul, Washington and New York, setting up
links for
discussions and mentoring sessions between women in these cities.
The most
recent DVC, in November 2003, focused on women s political
participation in
Afghanistan s draft constitution and the upcoming elections in
2004. The
previous DVC, in April 2003, focused on the topic of women and
business.

Teacher Training. The Council has initiated a teacher training
exchange that is
bringing 30 Afghan women teachers to Nebraska every 6 months for
training. In
turn, these women will train other teachers in Afghanistan.

Women Journalists. Under the Council s auspices, the Public
Broadcasting
Service (PBS) and the News Hour With Jim Lehrer mentored two Afghan
women
filmmakers in production techniques. PBS provided modern digital
video
production and editing equipment for them to use in Afghanistan and
training
videos for use at AINA, a Kabul-based NGO devoted to media training.

Job Skills Training. The Global Summit of Women (July 2002 in
Barcelona, Spain)
donated approximately $10,000 for job-skills training for women.
Through this
program, Shuhada, a NGO, will train women in weaving skills. At the
conclusion
of the program, the women will receive their own looms to produce
textiles for
market.

Health Initiative. The United States has launched a $5 million
initiative
(REACH) to provide health- related accelerated learning and basic
literacy
training for women in girls. Training will take place in the Women
s Centers
supported by the Council and will target provinces with the highest
maternal
mortality rates such as Ghazni, Baghlan, and Badakhshan. The first
class of
village midwives from Jalabad will graduate in April 2004, having
completed an
18-month long program. This pilot program is being replicated across
Afghanistan. For each new midwife the U.S. is supporting a life
time of lives
saved.

Current and Future Initiatives

Educational Programs. The Council s next big initiative will focus
on
educational programs and exchanges for U.S. NGOs to develop with
Afghan
partnering organizations for the provincial Women s Resource
Centers. The
United States will fund programs in job skills training, literacy,
and
political participation. These projects are scheduled to begin in
late Spring
2004.

Individual Initiatives. In addition to the Council s general
activities,
members are actively working to start their own projects. For
example, the
project Arzu (which means hope in Dari) is underway, and in early
2004
produced its first numbered carpet for export. The Arzu project,
not only
creates jobs and a cottage industry through the production and
marketing of
quality tribal carpets and other handicrafts, but also
recirculates some of
its profits to support microcredit initiatives and additional
training for
women. Another project is an adopt-a-school program where church
communities in
Texas are providing their adopted school with school supplies,
textbooks, and
training.


+------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

| During these years of great suffering, the women of Afghanistan
have been the |
|backbone of Afghan society. It is in large measure thanks to their
endurance, |
|their ingenuity, and their courage that their country has
survived. The |
|recovery of Afghanistan must entail the restoration of the rights
of Afghan |
|women. Indeed, it will not be possible without them. The rights of
the women of |
|Afghanistan will not be negotiable. [full text]
|
|
|
| -- Secretary of State
Colin L. Powell |
|
November 19, 2001 |

]]> Tue, 30 Mar 2004 07:18:00 EST http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/15278 40.3355556 -75.927222240.3355556-75.9272222 http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/15277
Fact Sheet
Office of International Women s Issues
Washington, DC
March 24, 2004

Since overthrowing the Taliban in 2001, the United States has
implemented more
than 175 projects for Afghan women to increase women s political
participation,
build civil society, create economic opportunities, support the
education of
girls and women, and increase access to health care. As
beneficiaries, Afghan
women have achieved notable political milestones:

Constitutional Loya Jirga. An Afghan Constitutional Loya Jirga, or
Council,
approved a new Constitution on January 5, 2004 in Kabul. The new
constitution
affords all citizens of Afghanistan men and women equal rights
and duties
before the law. The new Constitution also reserves 25% of its seats
in the
lower house and 17% in the upper house of Parliament for women. Two
of the nine
members of the Constitutional Drafting Committee, and seven of the
35 members
of the Constitutional Review Commission were women. Afghan women
will have the
right to vote and run for office in the Summer 2004 elections. More
than 200
women participated in the 2002 Emergency Loya Jirga that
established the
current government.

Women Leadership. The Cabinet includes two women ministers the
Minister of
Women s Affairs and Minister of Health. A woman heads the Afghan
Independent
Human Rights Commission. Many more women serve in the public and
private
sectors.

Programs for Women. The Minister of Foreign Affairs has created an
Office of
Human Rights, Health and Women s Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs to
monitor women s programs. The Ministry of Commerce set up a
department to help
women establish their own businesses.

Political Participation and Civil Society

Women s Resource Centers. The United States has allocated $2.5
million for the
construction of Women's Resource Centers in 14 provinces throughout
Afghanistan, and is building three other provincial centers. The
Centers will
provide educational and health programs, job skills training and
political
participation training to women. Through the U.S.-Afghan Women s
Council, the
United States is providing $1 million in educational training at
the Centers.
The United States supports the establishment of 10
neighborhood-based women s
centers in Kabul and nearby towns. Women executives of AOL/Time
Warner have
raised $60,000 for the Council s Gift Fund to support a provincial
women s
resource center in Afghanistan.

Electoral Assistance. The United States is providing $15 million
for voter
registration, and $8.86 million for elections in Afghanistan,
including civic
and voter education, focus group research, training for political
parties and
civic activists. The United States also provided training in
political advocacy
for women delegates to the Constitutional Loya Jirga in December
2003.

Legal Rights and Information. The United States is providing $3.5
million for
private sector development for women and to secure women s property
rights. The
latter is being done by helping to educate women about their
property rights in
Islam and assisting women in accessing sensitively delivered legal
assistance
to use new, more transparent administrative and judicial processes.

Human Rights, Advocacy, and Leadership Training: The United States
provided
$750,000 to the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission.

Media Training. The United States has provided more than $500,000
to train
women journalists and filmmakers, some of whom produced
Afghanistan Unveiled,
a film documentary about abuses against women by the Taliban.

Economic Opportunities

Microcredit Projects. Microcredit helps women gain self-sufficiency
by starting
their own businesses. Through a $10,000 donation to the U.S.-Afghan
Women s
Council from Daimler-Chrysler, the Foundation for International
Community
Assistance (FINCA), a non-governmental organization, will establish
two village
banks in Herat. FINCA expects to assist more than 30,000 clients in
Afghanistan
over the next 5 years. Other projects provide skills and literacy
training for
widows and female heads of household; teach women in animal
husbandry; train
women in tailoring; and teach women to preserve produce and dairy
products for
local sale; provide technical support to women s carpet and textile
projects;
and fund bakeries that employ widows and provide subsidized bread
to hundreds
of thousands of urban poor.

Afghan Conservation Corps. The United States contributed $1 million
to the
Afghan Conservation Corps (ACC) to rehabilitate the environment.
The ACC
employs several hundred women to make nets to protect newly planted
tree
seedlings.

Education

Back-to-School. Nearly 4 million Afghan children are enrolled in
school,
including more than 1 million girls, many more than at any point in
Afghanistan
s history. Since 2001, the United States has dedicated $60.5
million for
primary education, to construct schools, to train teachers and to
provide books
and supplies.

Literacy Programs. The United States is supporting a host of
literacy programs
for women in Dari, Pashto, English and mathematics. Nine public
libraries in
eight provinces are participating in a campaign for women s
literacy.

Teacher Training. Since March 2002, the United States, through
partners such as
the University of Nebraska, has provided 25.6 million textbooks and
30,000
teacher-training kits for primary education, and trained 3,107
teachers in four
provinces. Also included are literacy programs and water supply and
sanitation,
benefiting 50,000 women and 56,500 children and youth.

Health Care

The United States has financed health care programs in Afghanistan
totaling
more than $58 million, with $50 million forthcoming over the next 2
years.
These programs include the construction of women s wings in
hospitals and
dormitories for women medical students; curriculum development for
health care
workers; and maternal and child health, family planning, and
nutrition. The
United States has rebuilt 140 health clinics and facilities, and
will rebuild
400 more over the next 3 years. We have provided basic health
services to more
than 2.5 million people in 21 provinces; 90% of the recipients are
women and
children.


+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

| There can be no justice in the world unless every woman has equal
rights. |
|
|
| -- First
Lady Laura Bush |
| October 10, 2003 at the Conference for the National
Association of Women |
| Judges,
Washington, D.C. |

]]> Tue, 30 Mar 2004 07:14:00 EST http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/15277 40.3355556 -75.927222240.3355556-75.9272222 http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/12131

Theme: Peace Building and Conflict Resolution
Presentation by Ibrahim Koroma- Executive Director WCCP

Place: SOS Hermann Gmeiner Avenue Freetown.
Date : 14th Nov.2003


What is peace building?

What is conflict?

What is resolution?





Peace building and conflict resolution is just like the human system which consists of several parts and this afternoon we are going to be looking at two aspects of the theme of this workshop #8211; Peace Building and Conflict Resolution.

1. Peace building in the information society and conflict resolution

2. How thoughts affect our world in peace building and conflict resolution

Peace building in the information society and conflict resolution #8211;

He who believes in positive normative statement may be compared as the four-conner stone, upon which towers of technologies may be built on

We all are aware that the global information society is evolving at a colossal speed. There is a growing revolution in access and use of the instrument of the global information society. People ideas, issues, and ego#8217;s are interdependent and they are being connected at unprecedented speeds. Distances are narrowing and horizons#8217; expanding as access to the world is at constantly at our forefinger

Historically, human beings did not understand that people of the earth to be closely linked together. Modern developments such as Information Education and Communication (IEC) materials, Information Communication and Technology (ICT) etc. have vastly condensed our sense of time and distance. As a result, the world has become much smaller or what we call a global village. Our present lives entail closely-knit relationships between the individual, the nation and humanity. We can now see that an individual is not merely a single human being, but rather a participant in a larger group because of communication.

How thoughts affect our world in peace building and conflict resolution

War begins with thoughts of war and peace begins with thoughts of peace

Until you make peace with who you are, you#8217;ll never be content with what you have.

When you find peace within yourself, you become the
Kind of person who can live at peace with others.

As a man thinks so is he.

The world is linked together not only by modern technological developments but also through the medium of thoughts waves and information education and communication materials. In as much as the same manner as the waters of the ocean link countries together so the sky links all the regions of our planet

What is the meaning of thought waves being linked to each other and why do we need to concern about them?

The answer is that an understanding of thought waves is highly important to the development of world peace.


How do thoughts waves function?

Many people have a sense of how sound waves, radio waves and light waves function through the medium of television, radio or telephone, enabling us to hear one another#8217;s voices and to see images of people in distant places. Thoughts waves travel according to the same scientific principles underlying the process of radio, light and sound waves. However, thought vibration is finer or more subtle wave than a sound or light wave.
These subtle waves are generated by all of humanity, covering the Earth and forming infinite layers, like waves of air. Among these waves, some are filled strife, envy, the anguish of illness, or with resentment and anger---- which are dark and impure waves. At these same time there are other waves which are filled with love and good intentions ---- waves of brightly shining it self.

What effect can thoughts waves produce?

Thought vibrations contain a kind of energy which influences the physical body, causing the individual to act in a way, which matches with the particular thoughts waves emitted. To use an analogy, when electric energy flows, it turns in to a current of electricity, making it possible to start a motor. In the same manner, the energy of thought waves can activate a person#8217;s physical body. Therefore, if the thoughts vibration is filled with strife and envy, the person under its influence will act in a correspondingly negative way. On the other hand, if it is a bright light vibration of love and good will, it will result in an action of love.

How Positive Thoughts Can Uplift Humanity And World Peace

The thought waves of all humankind are circulating all round us, but only the portions, which we are #8220;dialing#8221;, or intentionally creating our selves, will effect or show themselves in our own personal destiny and that of others. Therefore, if the thoughts you emit are waves of hatred and struggle, those waves will influence many people in the world many people in the world who have similar thought waves. On the other hand, if your thoughts are bright waves of love and good will, they will unconsciously purify many people.

If you pursue this logic of this principle, you will realize that even the smallest thought activity cannot be neglected: its effect will surely come back to the individual, while at the same time influencing humankind in general. It on the basis of this truth that I am saying that we will never have world peace until both humankind and the individual are simultaneously uplifted by being set free from negative thought waves.

It is illogical to talk about world peace or disliking war on a planetary basis without addressing the subject of each individual#8217;s thought patterns and considering what kind of thinking would be most beneficial. If one dislikes war, before undertaking any action one has to keep one#8217;s own thoughts turned to peace and harmony.
In conclusion

In order to attain for peace for humanity and for the individual, dark thought waves, such as hatred, jealousy or thirst for power, must be purified by great waves of light.

As peace builders, we should know that to serve people takes dignity and intelligence.

In peace, I thank you.


]]> Mon, 17 Nov 2003 08:51:00 EST http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/12131 40.3355556 -75.927222240.3355556-75.9272222 http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/12130
Conner Stone

Peace building through the information Society


He who believes in positive normative statement may be compared as the four-conner stone, upon which towers of technologies may be built on



We all are aware that the global information society is evolving at a colossal speed. There is a growing revolution
in access and use of the instrument of the global information society. People ideas, issues, and ego#8217;s are interdependent and they are being connected at unprecedented speeds. Distances are narrowing and horizons#8217; expanding as access to the world is at constantly at our forefinger.



The relationship between individual is communication


Historically, human beings did not understand that peoples of the earth to be closely linked together. Modern developments such as Information Education and Communication (IEC) materials, Information Communication and Technology (ICT) etc. have vastly condensed our sense of time and distance. As a result, the world has become much smaller or what we call a global village.



Information + Communication = Technology



]]> Mon, 17 Nov 2003 08:50:00 EST http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/12130 40.3355556 -75.927222240.3355556-75.9272222 http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/12129
MAY PEACE PREVAIL ON EARTH]]> Mon, 17 Nov 2003 08:46:00 EST http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/12129 40.3355556 -75.927222240.3355556-75.9272222 http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/11328 Sat, 04 Oct 2003 12:07:00 EDT http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/11328 40.3355556 -75.927222240.3355556-75.9272222 http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/11034

Peacebuilding is a relatively new term with in the United Nations, Civil Society, NGOs and community levels. What does it mean to you?]]> Fri, 19 Sep 2003 10:31:00 EDT http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/11034 40.3355556 -75.927222240.3355556-75.9272222 http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/11033
]]> Fri, 19 Sep 2003 10:25:00 EDT http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/11033 40.3355556 -75.927222240.3355556-75.9272222 http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/11032

Take the Peace Pledge

The United Nations has asked that the International Day of Peace on September 21 be observed as a Global Ceasefire and Day of Peace. The Countdown To Peace -- an International countdown to Peace Day -- was launched on June 13, 2003. Individuals, families, communities, cities, states and nations around the world are joining together to try to create humanity's first day of peace. They are pledging to find ways to share the spirit of peace in their homes, in their communities and between nations on that Day and during the Countdown To Peace. If the world can live in peace for one day, we can learn to solve our problems peacefully together, one day at a time.

There are many ways to join the Countdown to Peace: ask your Head of State to honor the United Nations call for a Global Ceasefire on the International Day of Peace; ask your Mayor, Governor and Head of State to declare a Proclamation for Peace Day; take the Peace Pledge and ask others to take it too; participate in community service projects, cultural exhibits and performances, a moment of silence, religious services in your place of worship, or get involved in other education and public awareness activities. Together we can create a global day of peace. How will you help share the spirit of peace?




Take the Peace Pledge:

I support
The International Day of Peace
September 21, 2003
and pledge to do all that I can to keep peace in my heart,
and share the spirit of peace in my home and my community
on Peace Day and during the Countdown To Peace, beginning today.

______________________________________

How will you share the spirit of peace
on Peace Day and during the Countdown To Peace?

Post the activities your family, community, school, organization or
place of worship is planning for Peace Day at Peace-Day.com or
fax or email them to: PforPeace@aol.com / 1-732-810-0404

Name _________________________________________________________ Organization/School/_____________________________________________ Address________________________________________________________
Phone __________________________ Fax: __________________________
Email: __________________________ Web: _________________________

We will share the spirit of peace on Peace Day and during the Countdown To Peace by: _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________



May Peace Prevail On Earth!




]]> Fri, 19 Sep 2003 10:19:00 EDT http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/11032 40.3355556 -75.927222240.3355556-75.9272222 http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/9582 16th June 2003
PEACE POLE PLANTING AND DEDICATION CEREMONY AT THE SIERRA LEONE BROADCASTING SERVICES COMPOUND.

REPORT ON THE PEACE POLE CEREMONY

The World Conference on Children for Peace – WCCP organizes a Peace Pole planting and dedication ceremony at the SLBSTV Compound on June 16th 2003, to dedicate a peace pole. The ceremony started at about 11:30 am, for which Mr. Phillip Bangura was the master of ceremony. Sheik Hafiz Barrie said the Muslim Prayer and the Choirmaster of the School for the blind said the Christian Prayer – Mr. Samuel Sesay. The introduction of the chairman was done by the programme coordinator Mr. Alie Kamara.

The Chairman Mr. Abu Noah gives a brief address on which he talks about the oneness of the children for which they should stand for peace, next in the programme was the “Cry of the African Children” written by Abu Noah and song by the choir of the School for the Blind. The Executive Director of WCCP gives his speech with a brief history of the Soweto massacre i.e. June 16 – Day of the African Child, and also encourages the children to fight against violence by being the change they want to see in the world and also becoming “A New Generation of Peacemakers”, with the denomination Prayer “MAYPEACE PREVAIL ON EARTH”.

The Director General of the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service SLBS; Mrs. Gina Banda Thomas encourages the parents that should lay the foundations of peace in their homes and also to shape the thoughts of their children and to the children she lay emphasis that they should respect and obey their parents and that this peace pole ceremony will be a great example that we should always remember. Before the unveiling of the Peace Pole, which was the key purpose of the ceremony, The Mayor, Freetown city Council Mr. Henry Ferguson talked about the planting of the peace pole should not only be a physical structure but must be planted in the minds and hearts of all, after which he went and unveiled the Peace Pole.

The vote of thanks was given by Mariama Turay of the Forum for African Women Education School, Fawe, Freetown and followed by the closing Prayer which was done by Mrs. Gina Banda Thomas.
]]> Mon, 23 Jun 2003 09:10:00 EDT http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/9582 40.3355556 -75.927222240.3355556-75.9272222 http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/8887 To enhance the bond between parent and child, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is excited to announce a new Web site—A Family Guide To Keeping Youth Mentally Healthy Drug Free. Available at http://family.samhsa.gov, the site offers adults who influence the lives of children ages 7 to 18—including parents, foster parents, grandparents, extended family members, guardians, and mentors—suggestions for better communication with children, as well as other tips that aid in prevention.
Based on the key principles of prevention within the family unit, articles are divided into six main topic areas:
A. Establish and maintain good communication with your child.
B. Get involved in your child’s life.
C. Make clear rules and enforce them with consistency and appropriate consequences.
D. Be a positive role model.
E. Teach your child to choose friends wisely.
F. Monitor your child’s activities.

]]> Wed, 07 May 2003 17:51:00 EDT http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/8887 40.3355556 -75.927222240.3355556-75.9272222 http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/8828 A good education is an essential part to success. However, one must have a certain respect and administration for those who have made it without the benefit of the traditional university education. The culture that we call street has given birth to some of the most successful and insightful people in the world. Many of us would not have been here today if not for the skills and knowledge we acquired and dues we paid on the street. There is no replacement for the street sense and instinct. A people without a past shall never have a future.
]]> Fri, 02 May 2003 13:00:00 EDT http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/8828 40.3355556 -75.927222240.3355556-75.9272222 http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/8314
GET INVOLVED!

Become a peace pal and a symbol of PEACE.

Send your prayer for peace on EARTH.

you can E-mail :wccp@fastermail.com

In PEACE,

MAY PEACE BE IN SIERRA LEONE!
MAY PEACE PREVAIL ON EARTH! ]]> Fri, 28 Mar 2003 09:54:00 EST http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/8314 40.3355556 -75.927222240.3355556-75.9272222 http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/8313
When you find peace within yourselves, you become the kind of person who can liv with others.

There is no way to Peace, Peace is the way: Overcome evil with good, falsehood with truth, and hatred with with love.

World peace will never be stable until we have enouhg of inner peace to stabilize it. ]]> Fri, 28 Mar 2003 09:23:00 EST http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/8313 40.3355556 -75.927222240.3355556-75.9272222 http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/7979 Fri, 07 Mar 2003 08:46:00 EST http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/7979 40.3355556 -75.927222240.3355556-75.9272222 http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/7978 Fri, 07 Mar 2003 08:41:00 EST http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/7978 40.3355556 -75.927222240.3355556-75.9272222 http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/7852 Tue, 25 Feb 2003 10:09:00 EST http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/7852 40.3355556 -75.927222240.3355556-75.9272222 http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/17000
The National Youth leadership Council (NYLC) is an organization formed by youths that are committed in developing young people to become active citizen. The NYLC is registered with the Ministry of Youths, Sierra Leone.

The NYLC is a seeks your support in whatever way you cab be of help i.e. by giving us small grants, materials, equipments, exchanging of ideas etc. the NYLC wishes to collaborate with all youth councils that have one common goal which is to develop young people.

Our aims and objectives:

To advocate and train youth about their rights and responsibilities in society
To organize recreational activities and entrainments for youths when necessary
To raise a level o awareness and mobilize actions on those critical issues facing youth
To strengthen partnership and coordinate activities with the Ministry of Youth- Youth Division and other youth agencies
To organize training for youth leaders
To develop and established service learning programmes/projects
To promote personal development
To foster civic responsibilities

Your collaboration is highly encouraged and welcome in networking of ideas and materials.


Inn Peace,

Ibrahim Ibou Koroma
President, National Youth Leadership Council

c/o
7q Tengbeh Town
Freetown
Sierra Leone
nylc@fastermail.com


]]> Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 EST http://kibrahim.tigblog.org/post/17000 40.3355556 -75.927222240.3355556-75.9272222