Peru Project Focuses on Government Transparency

Peruvians in 84 of the country's municipalities will be able to easily access information about their national and local government as a result of Modulos Cuidadanos, a computer kiosk that is a new component of AED's Comun@s Project.

Comun@s is promoting transparency in municipal agencies and working to improve citizens' access to government information.

Modulos include audio and text materials in both Quechua and Spanish on such topics as transparency, budgeting, and government account reconciliation.

Through AED's efforts, each of the 84 municipalities will receive one of these modulos, along with two computers. The computer donation allows local officials to use two new programs, which will ensure that budgeting and procurement procedures are more open and transparent.

Comun@s is funded by USAID.

For more information, contact Rachel Whitmore, rwhitmore@aed.org.

Back to Top

 

New Project Seeks to Reduce Childhood Mortality through Proper Nutrition

AED recently received a $76 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support efforts to reduce malnutrition and the deaths of infants and young children. The initiative, Alive & Thrive, will work on a national level in Vietnam, Ethiopia, and Bangladesh to increase rates of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of life and improve complementary feeding for children 6 to 24 months old.

Alive & Thrive will focus on integrating proven strategies into existing programs that are able to reach large numbers of vulnerable women and children.

The initiative will test new approaches, generate learning about how to deliver impact at scale in diverse environments, and leverage new resources to create sustainable improvements that can inform policies and programs.

“Alive & Thrive seeks to save the lives of more than half a million children by addressing the obstacles to proper infant and child feeding,” said Jean Baker, Alive & Thrive project director. “We will be documenting effective interventions and creating new program models that can be replicated throughout the developing world.”

AED is partnering with BRAC, GMMB, IFPRI, Save the Children, University of California–Davis, and World Vision on this initiative.

For more information, contact Jean Baker, jbaker@aed.org.

Back to Top

 

Online Clearinghouse Provides Resources on Disabilities

AED's Knowledge & Involvement Network, created by the Family Support Center on Disabilities, recently launched a Web site that provides information and networking opportunities for individuals with disabilities and their families.

Links to relevant conferences, organizations, and publications offer visitors resources on such topics as early intervention and education, employment, legislation and policy, housing, and transportation. Much of the information is available in both English and Spanish. In addition, the online clearinghouse connects users with social and professional networks through online discussion forums, seminars and workshops, disability conferences, and interagency collaborations.

The Family Support Center on Disabilities is funded by the Administration on Developmental Disabilities, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

More information is available at www.familysupportclearinghouse.org.

Back to Top

 

A Star Is Born: AED Staffer Appears in HBO Series

Shombi Ellis, deputy chief of party for AED Botswana and field liaison for the New Partners Initiative in Gaborone, made her motion picture debut in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, which recently aired on HBO in the United States.

Based on the series by Alexander McCall Smith, the show was shot in Botswana in 2007. Ellis heard about the auditions from a friend and went
through two rounds before being asked to help the film's lead actress, Jill Scott, get a better understanding and appreciation of Botswana women by participating in a video.

“It was through this video that I was able to catch the eye of the late director
Anthony Minghella,” said Ellis. “I went for yet another audition and got the role of Nurse Kgomotso.”

Ellis's prior acting experience consists of roles in student films produced while she was in college and theater appearances in Gaborone.

“It is a dream come true to be part of such a major production,” said Ellis. “It has been such a great experience, and I hope I can be part of the series, which is getting rave reviews.”

Vuyi Otukile, executive director of one of AED's partners, YOHO, is also in the film.

Learn more about the series and see clips at ww.hbo.com/no1ladiesdetectiveagency.

Back to Top

 

Using Facebook to Show Science Is ‘A Girl Thing'

A new AED initiative is using the social networking site Facebook to tell parents and educators how to foster girls' interest in science and technology, and why that interest is important.

The program, “Science: It's a Girl Thing,” offers Web-based and easy-to-use resources for conducting science activities at home. It will post regular updates, comments, videos, and links to materials on its Facebook page and other Web sites, which will add interactive and dynamic features to the lessons.

Funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, the initiative targets parents who blog and use other social media—such as Twitter and Facebook—to find and share information.

“The design of this initiative is based on our successful classroom–based program that provided science lessons to pre–K through 3rd grade students,” said Merle Froschl, co–director of the Educational Equity Center at AED, which developed “Science: It's a Girl Thing.” “Now we're adapting that model for dissemination over the Web, which will reach a far wider audience.”

“Science: It's a Girl Thing” can be explored at http://facebook.dj/scienceitsagirlthing. The material will also be available on the Educational Equity Center at AED Web site at www.edequity.org/SIGT.

Back to Top

 

Three New Members Join AED's Board of Directors

The AED Board of Directors recently welcomed three new members: Barry R. Bloom, Gail A. Galuppo, and Allen J. Weltmann.

Bloom, former dean of the Harvard School of Public Health and current Joan L. and Julius H. Jacobson II Professor of Public Health, is widely recognized as an outstanding scientist in the area of infectious diseases, vaccines, and global health. He chairs the Technical and Research Advisory Committee to the Global Malaria Programme at the World Health Organization and is a member of the Ellison Medical Foundation Scientific Advisory Board and the Pathogens, Immunology and Population Health Strategy Committee for the Wellcome Trust.

Galuppo, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of The Western Union Company, brings extensive experience in global marketing and branding to AED's Board. She recently launched the Yes! campaign, which is an initiative in 55 countries that responds to the enormous global challenge of youth unemployment. In her prior position as chief marketing and customer officer for Standard Chartered Bank, she was responsible for marketing and the brand strategy for consumer banking business across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

Weltmann is a former partner of Pricewaterhouse Coopers. With expertise in accounting, public policy, and securities legislation, he serves as a working chair of the Transatlantic Business Dialogue, a collaboration of U.S. and E.U. businesses working to reduce trade barriers. Weltmann also has a seat on the Industry Services Advisory Council, which advises the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Back to Top

 

AED Welcomes Three New Vice Presidents

Senior-level experts in health and bidding recently joined AED. Mary Lyn Field-Nguer is vice president and director of international HIV and AIDS programs, and deputy director of the AED Center on AIDS and Community Health; David Greeley is vice president and director of the AED Center for Private Sector Health Initiatives; and Kimberly Astalinos is vice president and director of bids and proposals.

Field-Nguer comes to AED with 35 years of experience in international and domestic public health, having worked in more than 30 countries. For the last 17 years, she was a program manger and technical advisor for global HIV/AIDS programs.

Greeley most recently led Merck & Co. Inc.'s global HIV/AIDS programs and brings 25 years of experience in management, business development, and international service to AED, having worked domestically and abroad with Fortune 100 health care companies and major international development organizations.

Before joining AED, Astalinos directed proposal operations at RTI as well as grants and contracts at IFES. In her twenty years of experience with contracts and proposals, she has also worked for USAID and the Peace Corps.

Back to Top

 

YouthMappers from Chad and Niger Visit Egypt on Study Tour

YouthMappers from Chad and Niger traveled to Egypt this spring to meet their counterparts and discuss experiences with Community YouthMapping (CYM).

Developed by the AED Center for Youth Development, the participatory mapping tool has engaged youth in social change efforts across 130 U.S. communities and seven countries.

During the visit, organized by AED's Peace through Development (PDEV) program, participants shared the unique insights they acquired through the surveys they conducted in their home communities.

The 10 representatives from Chad and Niger, for example, used CYM as a tool for conflict resolution and youth engagement, bringing together members of historically opposed ethnic groups.

In Egypt, co–ed YouthMappers focused on finding employment and educational opportunities.

“CYM has now worked in places as different as Richmond, Virginia, and N'Djamena, Chad,” said Marty Galindo–Schmith, PDEV project director with the AED Center for
Civil Society and Governance. “Through it, young people gain the tools and
voice they need to improve their communities.”

More information is available at communityyouthmapping.org.

Back to Top