Grassroots Partner Newsletter, October 2011

Dear Grassroots Partners,

It is about time for some news from the SpanAfrica Team!

• Our Board is working to fill the Executive Director position.
• African Operations has recently established a committee to focus specifically on increasing what we can offer to you.

We’ll keep you updated in the improved contact and services we’re hoping to provide. Thanks again for your patience as we build ourselves out!

From this point forward, the SpanAfrica Team aims to deliver monthly newsletters (like this one) to keep you updated on what is happening with SpanAfrica, as well as the other Grassroots Partners.

Each month the newsletter focus on one of the ten niches relevant to our Grassroots Partners. We continue to expand our services and effort to connect you to other.

Theme for October

"Sharing Great Ideas for Development"

This is inspired by the United Nations’ World Development Information Day held on the 24th of this month. This day focuses on the need for greater attention and coordination of groups to address the world's development problems.

Poverty and inequality are major problems obstructing development in Africa. Poverty in Africa creates issues that affect people on an individual level including health, food, and education, and issues that affect the country as a whole including corruption, over population, ethnic division, racism, and environmental destruction.

Development needs to empower local people. It needs to be sustainable and based upon education. When development strategies address these needs, the result is significant, positive impact.

Many SpanAfrica Grassroots Partners are using such development strategies in their work with the local communities. For example, in the Suame Magazine in Ghana, SMIDO offers business skills and training to local micro entrepreneurs for business development, thereby strengthening the local community.

In the Busoga region in Uganda, the FORDAR focuses on supporting and educating households on how to use funds for sustainable community poverty resolution.

Get Involved!

This month we also encourage our Grassroots Partners to consider "Why does community matter for development?" We would be pleased if you would share your ideas and/or experience such that we can learn all benefit. Share your thoughts and stories via camerond [at] spanafrica [dot] org.

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Again, the SpanAfrica Team would like to thank you all for the work you are doing. Development in Africa is not an easy task, but each of you is making great progress toward developing your local communities. We thank you for your hard work and enthusiasm. Hope you will all have a wonderful month.

Keep up the good work!

The SpanAfrica Team