ISSN 1710-6931 July 10, 2009 Issue 142
FEATURE ARTICLES

Saint Kizito School Graduate Launches Letter Exchange Program

by Trish Harris

RESPECT International's letter exchange program is an exciting way for students to create global connections to other students who, in spite of the many miles between them, are still children learning to thrive and grow in a world with fewer barriers to understanding.

Students from a school in Kenya, the Saint Kizito Socio-Cultural Center located in Kabiria, one of the suburbs of Nairobi, Kenya, are writing letters as part of the exchange program. The Center is oriented to the French-speaking children of the Great Lakes Region of central Africa. Letter Exchange

RESPECT Helps Students through Donated Computers

by Mohammed Riazuddin

In addition to introducing students from refugee schools to the world through its letter exchange program, RESPECT International has been emphasizing computer literacy for these students by initiating many computer donation programs over the past years. Some of RESPECT's milestones include the following:

April 2004: Funds contributed by Students Encouraging Global Awareness (SEGA), Riverside Secondary School in British Columbia, and W.H. DAY Elementary School's Children Connecting Children project were used to buy ten computers from Computer Aid International. These computers were used to establish a computer resource centre for refugees in Agoro, Northern Uganda. Donated Computers

An Interview with Joan McDonald - Part 4

by Mohammed Riazuddin

Joan MacDonald has been collaborating with RESPECT International, coordinating RESPECT University (RU) courses to refugee students in Kampala, Uganda, since March 2007. As a RESPECT University field coordinator, she communicates with tutors, downloads lesson materials, and uploads the finished assignments. This article is the fourth and final part of an interview series with her.

Problems faced by the students

The most pressing problem is the sheer lack of capacity in the face of overwhelming demand, and the incredible amount of energy required to start a program from scratch with virtually no funding. Joan McDonald

AFFILIATES

Hope for Wayward Youth and Children

by Barny Whitwham

Youth In Africa (YIA) is a group helping to empower the street kids and disadvantaged young people of Liberia. After discovering RESPECT International through a joint program between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), YIA expressed its interest in the letter exchange program in November 2008.

YIA is looking forward to developing relationships between the youth of Liberia and Canada through the pen-pal scheme, as well as generating awareness of the work they do and the problems they face. To promote this awareness, a member of YIA will be interviewed for RESPECT International, allowing a greater understanding of the organization's aims and aspirations. Youth In Africa

LYDIA in Post-War Reconstruction and Rehabilitation in Liberia

by Jenkins Macedo

The goals of the Liberian Youth Determination in Adversity (LYDIA) are: to help former refugee youths heal from trauma through art and community, to assist all young people who deserve to get their education and to have dreams for the future, and to create art that allows people to feel seen and heard in the world.

LYDIA's mission is put into action through two different programs: the Women's Scholarship Fund and Youth House.

The Women's Scholarship Fund allows otherwise resource-less former refugee girls to pay their school fees, buy uniforms, and pay for food, transportation, and housing while they are getting their education. LYDIA

As in any newsletter or magazine, RESPECT e-zine is committed to striving for interesting articles and announcements concerning refugee issues all around the world.

If you have any suggestions or would like to contribute an article, contact the e-Zine editor, Angela Carter, at editor@respectrefugees.org.

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