COTE D'IVOIRE:

As part of our activities for the month of April, we made 15 home visits to increase awareness on HIV/AIDS in the city of Brobo. In this project with CARE, we took psycho-social care of 10 people in Brobo, as well as some AIDS orphans.

We equally pushed forward with the monthly food distribution project for sick persons (people living with HIV), and distributed the following:

- 30 kg rice
- 5 kg soya
- 5kg beans
- 5 litres oil
- 30 kg corn flour 

We’ve installed a kiosque in Brobo for selling preservatives. We re-painted our listening center to give more impact to our projects. In addition to our agricultural activities in M’bahiakro, we installed 2 pharmacies in this region – one in the city and the other in the village of Akpoué-boué, situated more than 29km from the city.

This month we also sent two agents to Bouaké to conduct training from April 11 – 14 on the theme: Communications and Community Mobilization on HIV/AIDS. The training was organised by ONG Care International.

Eugène           cotedivoireica@yahoo.fr

Translated by Katie Burke

NEPAL:

Location: Kathmandu Nepal

ICA Nepal in the past week !

ICA Nepal has always remained alert in continuing the development work in the field even after the project phases out. In this connection, ICA Nepals staff, Hemant, Raju and Devaka with some community leaders visited Changu and Chhaling Village Development Committees in order to inspect the drinking water project that we in support of Japanese government and ICA Japan provided community the safe drinking water facility. Our preliminary survey showed that because of the 10 years long war between Nepal government and rebels and lack of planning of distribution system, community was not able to monitor / evaluate the drinking water project after the project was handed over to the local people. ICA Nepal has convened a community meeting on Saturday for finding out ways to resume water supply systematically.

Training facilitation as public course is going on.

Tatwa P. Timsina was also busy in preparing our official Newsletter.

Hemant Pokhrel            ica@icanep.wlink.com.np
Director, Human Development Project

PERU:

Location: 100 Valleys Project

The staff began the long task of interviewing the 51 agencies who are listed as collaborators for the 100 Valleys Project, using a questionnaire created by our new part-time assistant Carolina Garcia.  This is a multi-month task and will lead to the invitation of many of the staff to participate in ToP training in order to get the Project grounded in a common methodology.  Meanwhile progress is being made on the major funding for the Project.

Staff           kenh@ica-peru.org

ZIMBABWE:

Location: Harare

Last week Beverley and Easther conducted another two day HIV/Aids training workshop in Kambuzuma. A similar workshop will be held on Thursday and Friday this week in Crowbrough North.

Marange is visiting schools in the Mufakose community to pay for school fees for 45 vulnerable children. The payment of school fees whilst the children are still on holiday will ensure that the children will settle down in school easily when they begin the term.

Easther Razerera           esther@africaonline.co.zw

ICAI:

Location: Montréal

This week Lambert participated in the ICA USA Board meeting and visited ICAI Treasurer Ruth Gilbert.

Sarah worked with Paul Whitney to finish up the 2006 Annual Report, which is now available online!

Sarah and Lambert also worked on funding proposals.

Katie focused on organizing finances and produced a draft January-April financial report.

Katie