Reports on this meeting just received from Donatian Marusu and Violet Yimbo (and later from Pascal Maziku). Click on image to see a full-size photo of Alex Mayunga.
Donatian writes:
The meeting started around 9:30 a.m. preceded by registration and warm up. It started 30minutes late because of the sudden change of meeting hall from CARE to Vijana Social hall. The Care international hall was to be used by CARE staffs to hold their conference. This emergency affected the AFCONET meeting due to the fact that the information given to the AFCONET officers was in late evening of one day before the meeting day. The officers had to make all the efforts to send messages to all the network members notifying them about the changes, however the members managed to reach the place except for few who had communication failures.
Attendance: By the start of the meeting there were 21 members and by the end the number increased to reach 28.
Introduction: The meeting was chaired by Pascal Maziku (the secretary) on Behalf of the chairperson due the inconveniences the chairperson had. The treasurer was present performing her duty as usual.
The meeting started by the members self-introducing and their groups followed by voting on ground rules. The secretary supplied the copies of Phone directories for the members to update. This was followed by instructions on how to fill the evaluation forms given by Donatian Marusu after supplying the members with the copies.
The subject presented during this meeting was on LOBBYING AND ADVOCACY ON RISING HUMAN AND NATURAL RESOURCES facilitated by Alex Mayunga (alexmayunga@gmail.com Phone: 0713 –547496) It was good and interesting. This is because it involved participative approach starting with presentation, group discussions and sharing.
Report presented by Violet Yimbo:
It was well translated and clearly read before the assembly. Some of the concerns raised are such as:
* They requested more time for report writing competition (eg. One member proposed, they should be given 2weeks more while another member suggested time should be extended for one month more.)
* About email use record;) (One member asked, what happen if more than one member in the same group read email within the same week, which should be paid? Does it mean that money (1000 @week) should be given to the group or to the person who should initiative to check the mail weekly? (NB. The mail can be counted only if it passes through mvcdarcbo@googlegroups.com .
* About assistance on how to write good reports from the expert groups. It was claimed that up to now no group has received any help from any group under the expense of the experts being very busy. One group requested for help from a certain group but unsuccessful. May be this should rechecked for effectiveness.
* About accounts training from Yovita. 16groups showed interest for attending the trainings. Yovita has planned to meet with the interested members on Thursday 01 march 2007 at 3p.m. in order to arrange the plan on how the training should go.
* About Training on the use of gmail. Donatian Marusu has planned to meet with the groups on Tuesday 27th Feb. 2007 at 3p.m at Ubungo hostel ready to plan on how to carry the trainings. The groups for trainings are: Upendo, tupendane, moms in Touch, Uzima Center, MSWS, Tawosu, Wolisu, Woyona, Twafaha and Chakupau. Although some other individual members from other groups showed interests.
Comments:
Donatian Marusu commentd that the groups should use the Swahili version exchange visit form to fill in because it is easy to use that than the English version to avoid improper answers.
* Insistence was also given on the use of mails to enhance communication in the network
* For email use records, the cost will be 1000@week of email use disregard how many times one uses it and that will be identified by Donatian checking at the googlegroups mail and any in need of joining the group mail should send a request to Tim Jackson at his mail.
* The email users for the weeks of month February were given their gifts at the end of the meeting by the treasurer Yovita. Donatian printed the email use record sheet and submitted to Yovita for payment.
* The exchange visits costs were paid to the groups and no claims were made except to the groups, which didn’t fill their forms correctly. Donatian reminded the groups to make sure that they fill the forms correctly considering every item (eg. Indicting time start and end of meeting) the members who will continue to use the English version exchange visit will not be given room. To avoid this Donatian printed a good exc. Visit form, Swahili version and gave to the members who did not manage to access in the Internet so as to avoid incomplete filling of the form as it has been happening.
NB; Thanks were due to Tim and the Argentarius foundation
for facilitating the prosperity of the network including initiating some
competition awards to the groups. All the groups were again encouraged to
participate in the competition for awards and further for better knowledge.
The meeting ended around 5:30 p.m. and date for the next meeting will be accessed in the mails in some days to come.
From Violet Yimbo:
Members admitted their delay for not semnding the annual report by the agreed date 22nd Feb 2007.
As a point of clarification, Donatian asked members if at all
anybody sent his/her report to London by email but, nobody claimed to
have sent the report . So THE TRUTH IS, NOONE HAS EVER SENT A REPORT.
Moreso, members kindly requested for a duration of one more month in order to produce a good report
ACCOUNTING
Yovita
Makoko asked which group want to get accounting training and 16 groups
raised their hands up. She agreed to have a short meeting with all the
16 groups on Thursday 1st March in her office so that they can design
a training time table together
EMAIL TRAINING
Several
members raised their hands in response to Donatian question as to who
wish to learn Email.Donatian agreed with them to meet @ U bungo hostel
on the 27th @ 3.00pm So that they can discuss the time and venue for
Email training.
INEXPERIENCED TRAINERS
Members
raised concern that if you are not an expert in a particular field,
therefore you better not give training on it.They cited an example
where those who registered as trainers to offer email training @
SeaCliff late last year ended up giving their eager trainees a shoddy
deal. Members utelized their questions and their concerns to their best
.Members expressed gratitude that they have access to know how the
network is runned.
Pascal's minutes:
Present were members from 23 groups as per attached attendance spread sheet. Two members came form each of the following groups: WOLISU and YOPAC. There was no representation from SAYUNI, SIYOPE, SAGETA(With a Notification), Poverty fighters group, Iyana Education Trust and PROLOLIPA. This means about 82% of 28 active members of AFCONET were present.
A facilitator from TYVA Mr.Alex Mayunga and Mr. Pascal Maziku network secretary facilitated the meeting.
Important issues discussed were resource mobilization, lobbying and advocacy and OVC psychosocial support.
The meeting and the presentations were participatory conducted with group discussion and full of energizers.
Participants were paid Exchange
visit transport allowance and there was no concerns put forward
The next meeting will be held on 31st March 2007
Thank you very much
Sincerely
Pascal J.Maziku.
.
