What goes where on ned.com

(I've just sent the following message to Life in Africa's Ugandan community members who are also members at ned. Posting it here for reference.)

Dear LiA (Uganda) members -

Over the past few months as we've been redefining Life in Africa structures AND moving away from Onet AND resettling into a new online home here at ned, our online communications have been a bit disorganized. It's time to get organized!

In answer to some of your recent questions about what to post where, I'm proposing the following new protocol for all of us to follow:

1. There is now a new group called Life in Africa - Global. This group is for keeping each other and our global supporters updated about what's happening at Life in Africa on the ground.

All LiA members in Uganda are invited to contribute; program managers and reporters will have specific instructions on posting to specific threads once they are appointed. Loans editing, program planning discussions and progress reports will take place in this group. As in the past, there will be an operations thread for communication between Gulu and Kireka that you should all put on your watchlist.

• join the Life in Africa global group at the following link: http://www.ned.com/group/lia-glo bal/
• click below to put the operations communication thread on your watchlist (and make a small post to tell us how you are while you are there!): http://www.ned.com/group/lia-glo bal/news/6/watch

2. The Life in Africa USA group is for discussing our online and US-based marketing, distribution and fundraising strategies, including the Life in Africa Ambassadors and School Fundraising programs. We'll also use this group to explore how we should use some of the new websites out there that can be useful in the Life in Africa context.

All of you are welcome to join and participate in this group to learn about and contribute to Life in Africa's global marketing strategies. New program ideas and requests for what you may need in addition to Life in Africa's programs, however, should NOT be posted in that group any longer.

• go here to join the Life in Africa-USA group http://www.ned.com/group/lia-usa /

3. The NedUganda group is like your veranda. Here you may post anything related to Uganda, including new project ideas (esp group projects) that come from any Ugandan members of ned.com.

If you post an idea that gets support from within the nedUganda group, there may also be opportunities (through ned) to raise funds for implementing that idea in Uganda. The specific procedures for qualifying to raise funds are yet to be established. Your views on that subject are required at the discussion link below.

Please note that Life in Africa USA and/or Life in Africa Uganda may play a future role in disbursing and monitoring funds on the ned community's behalf, but will not play a leading role in raising the funds for or implementing new project ideas that you propose in the NedUganda group. You will all really need to work as a team on nurturing your relationships with folks in the ned community, in order for the community financing aspect to take off and gain momentum.

• go here to join the nedUganda group: http://www.ned.com/group/nedugan da/
• Go here to discuss what the procedures for ned community funding should be: http://www.ned.com/group/nedugan da/news/11/

I hope this helps all of you in sorting out what should go where in your mind. Please also don't forget to give points to discussions that you would like others to participate in. The more points a discussion has, the more likely others are likely to see it!

My best to you all -

C

Hello Gulu -

Grace had planned to come to Gulu arriving today, but she has been very sick this week. We are now looking at her possibly traveling early Wednesday morning.

Can someone from each center please post here the names of the officers elected for your new CBO?

GULU CBO

Chairperson...................Ovola George

Vicechairperson...........Grace Ayaa

Treasurer........................Akena Mk Micheal

Secretary.........................Munnu Morrish

Members:

Okello Morris Barry

Hellen Ojara

Akot Carolyn

Katusi Denis

Hello, Kireka-Kampala cbo officers contacted but not as expected because of the chairmanship position, we the elected officers shall sit and reorganise. Thanks to the Gulu people.

Munnu, is the following adjustment correct?

GULU CBO

Chairperson...............Ovola George

Vicechairperson...........Grace Ayaa

Treasurer.................Akena Mk Micheal

Secretary.................Munnu Morrish

Member Representative.....Akot Carolyn

Member Representative.....Katusi Denis

Gulu Rep to Kampala.......Okello Morris Barry

Gulu Rep to Kampala.......Hellen Ojara

To clarify - we had previously announced that Grace Ayaa was not eligible for nomination since she would serve as Vice Chairman on both CBO boards, ensuring consistent representation of Life in Africa Foundation in both structures. Grace was sick the day elections took place in Kampala - the community decided they wanted to elect her chairman anyway.

Grace and I both think it best for the sake of clarity all around that her role be the same at both Centers. Peter's suggestion is that all the officers elected in Kampala make the decision on how to reorganize themselves together. Those people are:

Grace Ayaa

Jessca Wassa

Peter Ndelo

Teopista Akware

George Kilama

Esther Akello

Jessica Langoya

Ndelo Peter said:

Hello, Kireka-Kampala cbo officers contacted but not as expected because of the chairmanship position, we the elected officers shall sit and reorganise. Thanks to the Gulu people.

Kampala also needs to elect 2 representatives to the Gulu board, Peter. Did you all discuss what to do about that after I left yesterday?

The question of free internet access for members has been raised - particularly during the month of December as we have reduced down to a skeleton staff and are in waiting mode for new programs in 2008. I'm wondering if there are suggestions from both centers about how to work this out.

One suggestion was that you could have an hour of free internet time as long as you used some of that time to do one thing with Life in Africa online (perhaps here at Ned and/or on Razoo or facebook). There may be other suggestions from you all on how to regulate free internet time for members. And we need to think through the timing as well - should free access for members be available during certain hours only? Let's discuss this here.

Christina Jordan said:

Munnu, is the following adjustment correct?

GULU CBO

Chairperson...............Ovola George

Vicechairperson...........Grace Ayaa

Treasurer.................Akena Mk Micheal

Secretary.................Munnu Morrish

Member Representative.....Akot Carolyn

Member Representative.....Katusi Denis

Gulu Rep to Kampala.......Okello Morris Barry

Gulu Rep to Kampala.......Hellen Ojara

yeah

So interesting discussion, the way I see there should be free time for discussing with other people on line. which should be for a half a day and at list for for 5 days in a week. We are to struggle so that we uplift our community.

Grace has set off for Kampala 0130pm and I believe She be getting there abit late.

Thank you all

As christina has said before,

Grace and I both think it best for the sake of clarity all around that her role be the same at both Centers. Peter's suggestion is that all the officers elected in Kampala make the decision on how to reorganize themselves together.

We have actually decided that the roles be changed and I have the same for both centers. So Peter will take on the Chairpersonship and I will be the vice as was thought before. Jesca then takes on Peter's elected role of Treasurer and all the others will remain in their positions as elected before, we are still going to wait for members sitting again to have the representatives for Gulu from kampala.

Peter, Congrats and all the best in this new endevours!

Thanks for the information Grace.

Yesterday we had a meeting and discussed all that was necessary but the issues of OPOK came in and one of the members suggested that the money be paid so as she could use it to pay for her loan and that became the main issue as so a committee was formed and the defaulters would be taken on later today.

More info to come as we wait for the results today form the committee moving to their homes.

Morris was needed too but He could not be found but this was not amain issue.

Iam done with typing the constitution and its attarched at the liafounders at uyahoo.groups.

Please check it out.

Thanks.

Yesterday's meeting with the mothers there was the issue of water taps which was supposed to benefit members in their communities.This issue was raised and the members are waiting for the feedback.

The loan committee resumes tomorrow for their work in the villages and perhaps by friday much would have been done to recover the loan.

Thanks

Munnu can you please check with George on the status of the water tap issue? Last time I brought it up (at the transition meetings) he said he was working on it. I've never heard anything since then.

There are four areas which the taps would be located. This will be in the areas of four divisions.

One tap would be in layibi...

The second in Industrial area where members are very many located at Otii Gino's Place

The third would be in Bar-dege

And the last one In Laroo possibly.

But this would depend on the cost on having it fixed in the areas or if its abit cheaper,then more of the taps would be allocated in the concentrated areas.I mean the areas where there are many members.

MERRY XMAS to you all

Last time we spoke about this the next step was to be budgets for Kampala and Gulu. We'd talked initially about hoping for 2 at each center so some decisions will need to be made. The amount available for both centers combined is shs1m

I am also sure that what was remaining was the budget for both centers , here in Kampala, George Kilama was supposed to work with the ladies to come up with the location and the budget , and in Gulu George Ovola was the one in charge and as there has not been any feedback from both centers, We thought it was still being worked on.So maybe what we should talk about now is the budget according to the availability of the funds( 500,000/= for each center).Please let the members have this done and am sure there will be way forward from there.

Vacancy announcement:

Chief Accountant @ Life in Africa - please see http://lifeinafrica.com/jobs for further details

Hello Gulu - please be informed that Evvy and I will be tentatively visiting Gulu (with my niece and nephew) Jan 11-14, arriving around lunchtime on the 11th and leaving early on the 15th.

We hope to spend Fri afternoon, Saturday and Monday with members at the WE Center.

• Evvy would like to offer an earring making workshop to the craftmakers (she has brought supplies)
• Megan and Aaron (my 14 yrs niece and 13 yrs nephew) would like to join the children in some activities. They have brought some new art supplies
• We would like to have a meeting with the CBO officers to work on finalizing the constitutions & discuss expectations & next steps

I would be grateful if the members could be made aware

Grace can you please plan to travel with us to Gulu that weekend?

Draft job description:

Childrens' coordinator (2 positions). A draft job description is online at http://www.ned.com/group/lia-glo bal/ws/childrenscoordinator/. LiA member and supporter comments and improvements are requested. We hope to begin advertising this post by 16 January so please provide your feedback in the workspace by then. Thanks!

ANOTHER Draft Job description:

WE Center Administrator (2 positions). A draft job description is online at http://www.ned.com/group/lia-glo bal/ws/centeradminpost/. LiA member and supporter comments and improvements are requested. We also hope to begin advertising this post by 16 January so please provide your feedback in the workspace by then. Thanks!

CBO Constitutions

David Braden makes some interesting comments over here - interested members please respond with your views: http://www.ned.com/group/lia-usa /news/3/

I had been thinking on printing these job discriptions and have them on our notice board so as everyone is quite informed.

That's a very good idea Munnu, but I am still waiting for some feedback from a friend on the draft descriptions for the admin and childrens coordinator posts. The only one ready to post now is the chief accountant position that is at http://lifeinafrica.com/jobs/acc ountant1.htm. The deadline on that was supposed to be today but I think we may extend it - will discuss with Grace later today and let you know.

Also - we've decided to travel back to Kampala from Gulu on the afternoon of Mon 14 Jan instead of Tuesday morning. So if any of the planned activities are scheduled for that day (see my post above http://www.ned.com/group/lia-glo bal/news/6/19/) it would need to be in the morning.