USA Africa Dialogue Series - Fwd: Stop the Press! The Power of Continental African Stakeholders Defines Way Forward & Feedback from Constituency for Africa's Representative at the Continental Africa Diaspora Legacy Program on March 29

Yes, it is a new era action-oriented objectives. You do not point the finger, you point the way. The reviews are pouring.  And almost 314 persons have responded to the AIR Survey within two days. You may forward the Survey to your groups. Stay tuned for the next constructive step on the LEGACY!  And thanks to the Nigerian Embassy  that provided courteous and value-added services. Note: Some pictures and poignant moments will be included in the official eMagazine. 

Subject: Stop the Press! The Power of Continental African Stakeholders Defines Way Forward & Feedback from Constituency for Africa's Representative at the Continental Africa Diaspora Legacy Program on March 29 at the Nigerian Embassy.

Preliminary View of March 29, 2014 at the Nigerian Embassy Washington, DC The African Union Diaspora Legacy Projects Harnessing the Capacity of Continental Africa Diaspora   Continental African Network- Diaspora Organizations On the Globe on African Development   The Program was defined in the Planning and Invitation: Click   85% of over the 150 Attendees were networked Leaders  Rooted in Community. HANDS-ON TO BRING LIGHT TO THE ISSUES.    Working directly in localities and populations in Africa or directly with indigenous Stakeholders in the Diaspora.  From Algeria to Zimbabwe, Defining Capacity to Do   Improving Quality of Life and Africa's Self-Reliance    Bali Cultural Association, USA Winner: Best Organized Prototype Presenter:  Micro-enterprise. Relevance on African Union Africa Diaspora Project. Innovative Entrepreneurship - The Fishnet Program: Go to BCA-USA    Bali Youths, also speaking in Bali dialect presented, demonstrating the transnational prototype and cultural preservation of Continental Africa Diaspora   Raised in the USA and maintaining the authentic heritage and inherent commitment to Africa. Check out Bali Youths in the USA, Honoree, Day of the African Child 2014: Click      Official Southern African Community Delegation:  Rachel from South Africa;  Omega from Zimbabwe and co-emcee Elisa from Mala   Southern African Community U.S.A. Southern African Community, USA is the pioneering, organized regional block of the  Southern African Development Community in the African Union. Check out the Mission and Nations and More: Click  The Southern African Community demonstrated the active presence and feasible contributions of Africa's five regional population in the Diaspora.   Dr. Chika Onyeani (left) chaired the African Union Diaspora Task Team and enlightened the diverse assembly on the African Institute of Remittances - AIR. Initial reception welcomed AIR when the core benefits of reduced cost of sending money to families was emphasized. Continental Africans provide more money to Africa than the cash flow from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund     Based on the  interests and feedback from constituents, I CAN DO developed a Survey to improve sensitization outreach and stakeholder engagement. Please, assist in sending the survey to members of your family, organizations and other stakeholder  Improve AIR Effectiveness and Efficiency: Participate in the Stakeholder Survey: Click     Feedback and Recommendations from Lena Prince Nchako     Official Representative of Constituency for Africa  On Partnership and more on CFA:  Click   From: Lena Prince  To: Mel Foote, Founder, Constituency for Africa. Subject: Re: March. 29: Constituency for Africa in the House! Making The African Ocean Through Partnerships for Africa's Development. It Enhances the Power of Continental Africa Diaspora Dear Mel and Ms. Joe:   Just a note of congratulations for a very innovative and interesting program to harness the capacity of the Diaspora for Development held at the Nigerian Embassy yesterday. The program successfully reflected the theme: Maximizing Partnerships for a Common Goal.      I was very encouraged and excited by the array of special guests, presenters, community leaders and chiefs assembles from near and far. I personally counted about 150 people at the outset of the evening, and noted that all the tables were occupied as the program began. So, I am sure that the official count would establish the final numbers and the different countries and cultures represented. The BCA is indeed strong, resourced and organized. Those facts are well established and have been for over 40 years, which is as far back as I can remember.      The concept and idea for the program was sound and I felt that the presenters and communities represented, including the illustrious Ladies of Enugu took their responsibilities seriously in terms of presenting and representing their initiatives for harnessing the Diaspora through Partnerships for Africa's Development.    If I may be permitted an observation and a couple of recommendations for going forward:      1. Observations: The universe does not wait for people to get ready, but it fills its space with available resources. As I said in my remarks, CFA has been the forerunner of development in Africa, it has established a long history (over 30 years) of Mel's efforts as an individual and as the President of CFA. It has evolved in the most highly recognized and the most trusted in the USA and Africa.    The African communities have been involved in community affairs and development for the same number of years or longer and have accumulated highly documented successes, that is not in question.    In 1972 people were sending students abroad with community resources and that practice has spread today to highly organized development projects across Africa by the Diaspora. The resources and the efforts of Africans are recognized, that is not in question. So, our efforts must be concentrated on how to get synergy around collaborative efforts that meet systemic criteria for success and compliance.        2. Recommendations:    a) We have to focus our attention on "harnessing the capacity", "collaborating", coming together to " put our strengths and skills together" - working together with institutional leaders with the systemic experience to increase effectiveness and bring results into the mainstream. That is the way forward!    b) Looking at ways to ensure that information is assembled and disseminated more effectively would dispel some of the issues relative to information flow and access to opportunities as brought up in the forum. Therefore, as I mentioned in my remarks, I work with Mel because being a part of a well-established machinery to ensure that you are contributing to systemic solutions, for me, is a priority relative to "Points on Essence of Partnerships".  Hence, my involvement with CFA.            Conclusion    As I said, I believe that as you lead the groups into the political, social and cultural transitions- from concerned citizens to a force in Diaspora development for Africa, what you can expect from CFA relative to experience, support and best practices will be practical for your progress through challenges and opportunities. CFA as the leading advocacy and diplomacy organization can help to mentor groups relative to:   1. Opportunities to weigh into advocacy and diplomacy through information sharing and playing a role in linking community organizations to projects such as the Legacy Project- a major interest and topic of discussion yesterday. The Remittance issue was well articulated by the presenter. People understood that it is to support their efforts.    2. Developing support at all levels of government and civil society to mainstream the power of the Diaspora. Mel has been the Godfather of the movement that helped with the natural evolution of the African Diaspora within policy discussions. He has always been present when people did not understand that they had to have a presence.  He kept the space.   3. Help increase visibility for the achievement of Diaspora organizations relative to its successful partnership initiatives, resources and results. Mel has the ears and the confidence of those who toiled throughout their lives to see the results we are seeing today. He is a proud and committed alumni of that prestigious group. That is a fact.   I am sure that CFA and ICANDO can set an effective and sustainable agenda for collaboration. I am certainly looking forward to seeing how you translate the successful evening into a systemic and sustainable engagement to truly harness the capacity of Diaspora for Development through partnership for Africa's Development.     Again, it was a pleasure attending ICANDO's Forum and representing CFA. I felt that the messages that were intended by each participant that made remarks or presented were effectively delivered, even though I personally ended up on the hot seat (smile!). It was a very scintillating forum because, as noted by questions and responses during the activities and the follow ups at the end during networking, people got it!     Mel and Miss Joe, please call or email me with any comments or questions relative to this content.   Stay blessed,       Lena Prince Nchako Community       After the presentation, participants learnt, most for the first time,  about the African Institute for Remittances. The response was welcoming when the benefits were explained and the non-World Bank control of the process clarified.  Based of the feedback, I CAN DO decided to conduct more survey in the community to get more baseline data. Here are the other four African Union Diaspora Projects that  I CAN DO is assessing baseline knowledge on:    (i) The Skills Database of African Professionals in the Diaspora.      2) The African Diaspora Volunteer Corps.         (3) The African Diaspora Investment Fund.     4) The Development marketplace for African Development as a framework for promoting entrepreneurship and innovation.      Stay tuned for more pictures in the   LEGACY Program eNewsletter.    Where Do We Go After March 29?       Engagement with Policy Makers, which include the World Bank; the African Diplomatic Corps; and the African governments to share baseline data and recommendations.        RESPONSE From   Indigenous African Network- Diaspora Organizations I CAN DO Thank You Tata Lena! Your frank feedback is refreshingly appreciated. At a breakfast meeting of leaders on Monday March 31, 2014, to assess questions, there was agreement that your cultural fluency and experiential knowledge enhanced the quality of the program.   Your count at the start of the program is fairly accurate. Some came later. For example, the gifted Tambra Raye Johnson Click and the versatile Author Angeline Bandon-Bibum whose second novel The Lamentation Warrior gives another eye to the Rwanda Genocide  Click graced the event after the food was gone.  The Takoma Park TV remarked that it was an insightful program. More people came than the RSVP list  showed and given the rain, the attendance was excellent, remarkable, from Algeria to Zimbabwe, including White Africans. In deed, the two Prototypes you mentioned are examples of the harnessed capacities (among many) of Hometown, Alumni and Professional Networks as the World Bank refers to Continental African organizations in their reports. As Prototypes, they reflect the fact that there are available expertise in the field evidenced by the competencies and accomplishments by organizations in the particular domain of development.  The  Education/Scholarship Prototype is categorized under Primary and Secondary Education. A,  alumni associations are also highly efficient. Another sub-category under Education is infrastructure  developments, evidenced by projects such as library, health stations, to clean water developments completed by alumni groups in their former schools.  Bali Cultural Association, USA demonstrated the Micro-enterprise sector.  Evidently, beyond Remittances, the indigenous groups are contributing more than the resources are featured in the either the World Bank or the African Union Reports. The salient objective of the Prototype presentations was to call to attention the need for policy makers to actively integrate these resources for Africa's growth and self-reliance.    In order to maintain reliable, high standards for sustainable developments,  I CAN DO documents the capacity of the Diaspora by researching, interfacing and identifying specific areas of developments where indigenous groups have demonstrated comparative or competitive advantages.    In addition,  I CAN DO assesses the level of community awareness and support beyond the membership of the organizations. This is important because development occurs in the broader context for it to be sustainable. Projects are more viable when people and institutions with shared interest can provide moral, social, material support. The organizations also become more accountable to the community it serves and to donors.     Once more, thank you for your valuable insights, observations and recommendations. You were certainly more prepared for the hot seat questions. On behalf of the multi-dimensional organizations, civic leaders, regional groups and the youths, we rise to say Thank You. You were equal to the hot seat questions. Smile I CAN DO looks forward to continued partnership with Constituency for Africa.  MsJoe Hello Community Members, Groups,  Leaders and Professionals: Let's Hear From You! Nothing cheap like just talk and theories but on the priceless demonstration commitment that results in action for the dreams that improve quality of life and Africa's self reliance. If individuals are interested in  I CAN DO  Leadership Brain-Storm Caucus over Coffee or Conference Calls, send to a note. africanservices@aol.com   Also revisit some important events and information that was send in the Agenda: Click

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