Here's our one Ned member (I could find) that lives in Houston. Brenda Thonsgaard-Flores. Of course we've got many members that we in Kampala, many of who will be back online again very soon, as I understand from Evvy.

Neat that she works through, or with, TakingITGlobal - super group of young people.

Perfect Connection Mark Personnaly i am a good friend to Brenda and we some times speak on Phones

I ahve conected her to one Artist here who is a good painter and Brenda looks so active in connecting bussiness

Iam also looking at the question which kind of people should seat on the side of the Uganda, 2227 Uganda - Central region: Kampala district (Central division - south of Namirembe Road and Makindye division what measures should i take to get them

This is excellent news !

Kayiwa has confimed that he is willing to be Acting Correspondent for Kampala South, at least for rhe time being. I've added his name to our list

I've been thinking how to find an Acting Correspondent for Houston connection.

Would it be better:

• to use personal links to find someone (e.g I've sent Brenda a PM asking her for possible contacts)
• to compile a message to email to as many schools, churches, hospitals and community centres as we can find on line in council districts B & H (I've started a place to list some of these)
• to contact local radio and newspapers and see if we can start recruiting that way
• to identify other organisations or places located inside 8192 that possibly be able to help us find someone to act as a rally point (e.g. University of Houston-Downtown, the Indego Africa project or Live Oak Friends Meeting in Greater Heights)

Kayiwa,

Re your question:

Iam also looking at the question which kind of people should seat on the side of the Uganda, 2227 Uganda - Central region: Kampala district (Central division - south of Namirembe Road and Makindye division what measures should i take to get them

I'll get back to this as soon I get back from Paxton Pits.

Can i List the areas a round Kampala South Here David just as you did with Huston Areas?

That would be very helpful - Area 2227 includes half the city of Kampala. I understand that the city and the district of Kampala cover exactly the same area and that this area is divided into five divisions or boroughs:

2227 contains Makindye, plus the part of Central division that lies to the south of the line running along Natete Road, Albert Cook Road, Namirembe Road, Luwan Street, Kampala Road, Jinja Road, Spring Road and Portbell Road. The rest of Central division, to the north of this line, is combined with Rubago division to form area 2226. Nakawa and Kawempe divisions form area 2228.

Thanks, Kayiwa!

edit to correct names etc

(I hope I've got this right - let me know if it doesn't make sense!)

Kayiwa asks:

Which kind of people should seat on the side of [Area 2227]? What measures should i take to get them?

Kayiwa's question is a complex one.

The easy answer is to say that it is entirely up to him to contact whoever he likes, since there are no restrictions about who should or should not become actively involved in a WCP partnership. The only restriction is geograpical: those who are speaking for area 2227 should live or work in the area.

I arranged for the allocations of partner areas to take place on this year's International Day of Peace because I see the Connectory project's goal and purpose as being peaceful in the deepest sense of the word. In other words, if people within a single community can focus on understanding what would contribute to the creation of a fairer and better world, then the sharing of that understanding must, in some fashion, contribute to peace in the world.

So, with that in mind, what is it that WCP participants should be hoping to get from participating?

I think I started out by assuming there would be two lists. Put crudely, folk from rich countries would want emotional benefits (to feel they had been "doing some good"); folk from poor countries would want to see material benefits (donations and improved conditions). However, the more I've thought about it, the more convinced I've become that there is just one list common to all participants:

So what might both Kampala AND Houston both hope to gain from the WCP?

1. the chance to understand more about what the world is really like

2. prospects of a more understanding and peaceful world

3. finding shared causes to unite behind (especially re MDGs)

4. the chance to feel better about itself (by both giving and receiving)

5. collaborative ventures (in pursuit of the MDGs)

6. new opportunities

   • new ideas
   • new cultural experiences
   • new destinations (in relation to work projects / recreational pursuits)
   • discovery of new talents

7. friendships

   • photo exchanges (with donated cameras, perhaps)
   • pen pals
   • twinnings (not civic twinning, but pairings of towns, villages and neighbourhoods; of schools, hospitals, churches, mosques, scouting groups, teams and other occupational groups)
   • visits and exchanges
   • peace tiles
   • joint festivals and exhibitions

So, in the light of this, the people Kayiwa needs to contact are not only those whom he thinks are most likely to be interested in participating in the WCP, but also those who are most likely to inspire people to participate in Texas.

Returning to the symbol of the seesaw, Kayiwa's question might be re-phrased so that it asks which groups of people in Kampala might best provoke a positive response from people in Houston.

One answer to that might be that the best response would be evoked by the most interesting stories and by situations that might be alleviated if direct action were to be taken promptly by those listening to them.

That's why I think we should be aiming to prepare a small promotional online document that outlines specific pieces of work being done to overcome difficulties and disadvantage within Area 2227.

We could start by featuring the story of KJT, plus, for example, an enterprising solution to poverty within a single family business and a community initiative that is bringing benefits to the whole neighbourhood. The stories should contain examples of specific actions that people in a partner area might take to improve things.

Sorry that this post is not very straightforward, Kayiwa; only there is no simple answer.

One approach you could try, though, would be to list Community based organisations that are contributing towards the achievement of the MDGs.

I took from the Concern website, these extracts from a list of their field partners. I've added one or two contact details I discovered elsewhere:

Action for Slum Health and Development

PO Box 16539 Kampala

African Evangelistic Enterprises

P.O Box 30768, Plot 12,Berkeley Rd. Phone, 256-41-250386

Kisenyi Community Health Workers Association

Mengo Kisenyi Youth Development Association

Uganda National Association of the Deaf

Plot 118, Kamwokya, Bukot Street

P.O. Box 7339 Kampala (Uganda)

I think I'm right in saying that each of these field partners for Concern will represent or serve a host of community based organisations. For example, African Evangelistic Enterprises is a microfinance agency assessing applicants for loans. You will know if they are based in Area 2227 or not. By spreadin the word about what the WCP is trying to do, you will hopefully find lots of interesting stories to relate to people in Houston, from which we can select the most compelling.

Finally, a reminder of the MDGs:

End Poverty and Hunger

• fewer living on less than $1 per day
• decent employment for all
• fewer hungry

Universal Education

• primary schooling for all

Gender Equality

• gender equality in education

Child Health

• reduce child mortality

Maternal Health

• reduce maternal mortality
• universal access to reproductive health

Combat Disease

• contain & reverse spread of HIV/AIDS
• universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS
• halt & reverse incidence of malaria & other major diseases

Environmental Sustainability

• reduction of greenhouse gases
• biodiversity
• safe water & sanitation
• slum improvements

Global Partnership

• addressing special needs of least developed countries
• fair trading systems
• reduced debt service burden
• full youth employment
• affordable drugs
• access to information and new technologies

What about a Facebook Group? Easy to set up and easy to maintain, just to get the ball rolling... or maybe two, one from each end, Kampala calling Houston, USA and Houston calling Kampala, Uganda.

Good suggestion, Ceris.

Just wonder, though, whether it might be best to wait till we have an acting correspondent in Houston so that the Facebook page can then be used for Houston and Kampala to talk to each other in public.

I like the suggestion of two related titles, but think that perhaps a single Facebook Group makes more sense.

Any thoughts, anyone?

David, I received your email about a Toulouse-Kenya connection but tiscali has blacklisted my ISP address for some reason and my reply didn't go through. You can ring me at +33 561 96 79 during the day.

Kim Chevalier

I agree it's a good idea to wait for a correspondent in Houston before launching a Kampala-Houston group. How about one just for the Kampala side though, since Kayiwa asks Which kind of people should seat on the side of [Area 2227]? What measures should i take to get them?. One "kind of people" would be those already engaging with social media, maybe one or two might want to join in on the ground or have useful local contacts for Kayiwa.

But I don't mean to harp on about it :)

Other ideas :

1 For identifying issues, organisations and people, and later for a resource pack : Links to recent (or indeed archived) newspaper reports on area 2227. Someone non-Kampala based could take this on... I'd be happy to if you think it helps :)

2 Try to get a sympathetic Kampala journalist on board, for local leads and publicity.

3 Take it easy, don't overdo it! (That's a reminder to others as well as myself :))

Welsh harps? - can't have too many as far as I'm concerned!

:D

Thanks, Ceris. Three more great ideas!

1 It would be terrific if you were able to take this on! :)

Area 2227 contains Makindye division (Salaama, Buziga, Ggaba, Luwafu, Lukuli, Kansanga, Bukasa, Kibuye (of Juventus fame!), Nsambya Cent, Kisugu & Kibuli, as well as Makindye I & Makindye II) and the southern part of Central division (Mengo, Kisenyi plus other areas that Kayiwa says he will list for us). Hopefully these names may be useful in searching for good stories for 2227.

2 That's an idea I really like. Would work too at the Houston end?

Anyone know any sympathetic and strategically placed journalists?

3 Sound advice.

(Though I really got quite excited to find Kim had replied to my email via Ned. i.e. Cambridgeshire -> Toulouse -> Portland OR -> Cambridgeshire)

I'm following just don't know what to say right now. I read this thread and then went back to read a post by Ethan Zuckerman that's a bit long and didn't have a chance to read earlier. I got halfway thought it and opened this thread again. It seems really relevant.

Mastermundo, and the challenge of breaking rules

It's called that because the first part is about the Mastermundo conference. That's a bit interesting in the sense of getting the gears turning about how to inspire interest in the projects. But it the second part, the text of what he presented at the conference that's so worth reading.

Here's just a little snippet, but the whole thing is worth reading:

It’s my theory that xenophiles are going to be very powerful in the future. We’re living in a world that the pro-globalization folks refer to as “flat”. That’s bullshit, obviously. The world is flat as far as stuff is concerned. In my hometown of 3000 people, I can get water from Fiji and fish from Chile, but I’m not going to encounter any Fijians or Chileans. I’m not even likely to encounter information from those countries, news, opinion or cultural influences like films or TV… not unless I very actively go looking for it. So the world’s flat in terms of stuff, but not in terms of human interaction. It’s flat, but in the least important ways - in the ways that matter, in the ways that would allow us to connect with people from other cultures, allow us to share ideas and solve problems together, the world is disconnected. It’s lumpy.

Oh First of all i want to wish all the Moslems a nice holyday

Davi, Ceris and Powers i read about your great Ideas that perfect.

David am also thinking of finding people who can be able to get access online thats when they can find coonections to connect too.

I also think that the Organisations which are in 2227 will also correspond to Organisatios in Huston depending on their areas of INTREST then the Individuals of Huston will also correspond with Individuals of kampala depending on their Hobbies.

However in Kampala one thing i need to let you know is that most people in these area of 2227 mostly

Makindye division (Salaama, Buziga, Ggaba, Luwafu, Lukuli, Kansanga, Bukasa, Kibuye (of Juventus fame!), Nsambya Cent, Kisugu & Kibuli, as well as Makindye I & Makindye II) and the southern part of Central division (Mengo, Kisenyi plus other areas

are full of poor people and rich i can say but they have the slums which are in Uganda so people in them think of getting donations once they hear for such oppotunities of connections so you tell some one if he is intrested in the Huston connection he/she will expect lots of good things like money, materials from such connection which i dont think is the case.

Am not sure if am making my self claer to you Friends But personnaly and KJT comes from Mengo kisenyi Slums its not so far from The King's palace just like 1km so i know the conditions of people in our ares ok 2227

very many small villages by names but what David gave

Area 2227 contains Makindye division (Salaama, Buziga, Ggaba, Luwafu, Lukuli, Kansanga, Bukasa, Kibuye (of Juventus fame!), Nsambya Cent, Kisugu & Kibuli, as well as Makindye I & Makindye II) and the southern part of Central division (Mengo, Kisenyi plus other areas that Kayiwa says he will list for us). Hopefully these names may be useful in searching for good stories for 2227.

are the most common ones and there are many different NGO, CBO, CHARITIES in these ares it might be easy to talk to them

How about schools David, where schools in Kampala both secondary and primary can connect to schools in Huston in here i see it makes much sense when talkingabout MDGs

last month i saw some students came to Southern Buganda from UK to correspond to their fellow students in Uganda and they rotate next year its the students from uganda who will vist their fellow students in Uk i saw this as a nice conections

and also schools of kampala can exchange different things in material stuff like many schools here make crafts like african mats, neckless, earings they can send them to their friends in Huston and the huston one sends Computer, pens, book and so on as you all know that one University in USA might having many computers which are more than those in the all of Uganda. so there we go.

looking forward to hear ftrom Huston people perhaps we can group them even those who would love to conncet through Mail emails websites organisations etc

This was a topic that came up when we discussed the WWC in Gulu last year. For some reason the Africans think they have nothing to share in a trade like this. They are bent on looking at life only in terms of $$$ They are not alone. Thais do the same thing, just not on quite so dramatic a scale.

I would suggest that in addition to seeing what NGOs are on the ground there, and what churches....look at schools, hobbies, and culture. Africans have rich vibrant culture which particularly in American is sorely lacking. The melting pot of the world has a sterile antiseptic culture. Sharing music is a really easy thing with the internet. Telling stories could be done with audio files as well. Stories accompanied by pictures! Maybe you work out a joint publishing venture or a way of marketing music.

Just ideas from Gulu.

My inability to stay on topic is really troubling me these days...I just can't figure it out. In any case here's my possibly related comments to Kayiwa and Linda's observations about the imbalance caused when either partner area proceeds from the exclusive premise of "How can the WWC help me?"

Self interest is an enormously important concept; we couldn't survive without it. Calculating self interest is different proceeding from two beginning places. First we might proceed from a premise of scarcity; or second we might proceed from a premise of abundance. Lots of threads here at Ned have examined these different premises, so I think people are familiar with the outlines of the different premises.

In the WWC threads we've also talked about the contours of poverty. And it seems we think it rather obvious that poverty is scarcity. But despite this agreement poverty seems harder to pin down. One good point that's come up is how narrowly poverty gets defined if we think only in terms of money.

I'm not trying to put words into Linda's mouth but to express an observation about what she has said in regards to poverty. So it seems to me she's saying about people in the west that we are so rich we are blind to wats we are really poor. For example we are so busy burning fuel to get to work we fail to see the cost to the natural environment. It's like the line from the song: "Paved paradise and put up a parking lot." Viewing poverty exclusively as a lack of money blinds both sides of the partnership areas to areas where we truly and meaningfully share poverty.

Another way to think about poverty from the perspective of scarcity is to think in terms of "power." I'm uncomfortable with the word "power" as applied to social relationships because it draws on a physical metaphor and the metaphorical basis is largely unexplored. Nevertheless power is the way we are used to talking so I'll fall into line to draw attention to the relationship of power in the partner areas. Who's got the power? On one hand people in poor partnership areas might think--with good reason--that the people in the rich areas have the power, so let's get some. On the other hand people in the rich areas thinking they've got more power might share it but only if sharing doesn't upset the fundamental relationship where the rich have more power.

I've put out big themes: money and power from a perspective of scarcity. I'm not saying that the views from the perspective of scarcity are wrong. Indeed, people on both sides of partnership areas are quite accustomed to looking at things from this perspective. The question is whether there is another perspective to view from and I suggest that there is a perspective view from abundance rather than scarcity.

A pot-luck supper party is one analogy for abundance. Everyone brings some food to share and everyone has a seat at the table. The trouble with that analogy is talking about food immediately brings to light the problem of real scarcity. Many poor people simply don't have enough to eat! That's one reason that I keep coming back to an analogy of the Internet in regards to this project.

Commons-based peer production is a term coined by Yochai Benler. I like the definition on that Wikipedia article by Aaron Krowne:

[Commons-based peer production]refers to any coordinated, (chiefly) internet-based effort whereby volunteers contribute project components, and there exists some process to combine them to produce a unified intellectual work. CBPP covers many different types of intellectual output, from software to libraries of quantitative data to human-readable documents (manuals, books, encyclopedias, reviews, blogs, periodicals, and more).

Peer to peer or P2P are related ways of expressing peer production. I particularly like the term read/write Web (a good Web site ReadWriteWeb).

I think that the WWC as imagined want to build partnerships premised on a perspective of abundance rather than scarcity. I don't think people in either part of the partner area divide are accustomed to thinking from this perspective. So at the root the WWC is an experiment in inventing new ways of seeing and collaborating.

Metaphor, analogy, I always get confused. Here's an example of how confusing it gets for me. I think that the WWC is trying to proceed from a perspective of abundance rather than scarcity. In my mind's eye I see commons-based peer production as an example of something proceeding from this premise. But then there's a leap, isn't there, to concluding that the WWC is an Internet-based enterprise. I know there's a leap that's probably not warranted; and there's pitfalls there, not the least of which is sparse Internet access in the poor partner areas. Nevertheless I make the leap

Using the read/write analogy, I think it very important to focus attention on the write part when considering the poorer partner areas. It's important to consider ways that people can create and share content within their own community and with their partner area. My friend Phil Jones has coined the term peerosphere to name the places that people are creating to share P2P. My vision of the WWC is a part of the peerosphere.

Google has a great way to celebrate their existence 10 to the 100. The deadline for submissions is October 20, 2008. I plan to submit an idea. I think there's something to my idea, but I hardly imagine it will be selected. I hate writing proposals! Still there's something really wonderfully spare about Google's application form. The questions to answer provide focus.

Not trying to add more work to the pile. But I would participate in a collaborative effort to submit the WWC to the Google project. I think the process might help us all to be better able to talk about the WWC to others.

With all my rambling I want to say that I think attention to developing ways for the partner areas to write, that is to create content to share, is essential to the development of this project.

Me too! I will help set things up to try to answer those questions. And like John said, the questions are good focusing questions even if you don't enter.

(and btw - John didn't put words into my mouth...well he did but they were words that were already on my plate.)

Oh, John, I love it when you ramble!

Especially when you get to express just what the Worldwide Connectory is all about:

<Viewing poverty exclusively as a lack of money blinds both sides of the partnership areas to areas where we truly and meaningfully share poverty.>

If you haven't already watched Binta and the Great Idea, the brilliant short film Lars brought to our attention recently, I recommend that you should. In it, we see that a poverty of imagination can be found just as often in rich as in poor countries: in the pursuit of material, quantitative progress at the expense of qualitative, social improvement just as much as in a blind adherence to traditional forms of ignorance and exploitation.

<So at the root the WWC is an experiment in inventing new ways of seeing and collaborating>

The first step should be a sharing of vision, then a sharing of action?

<It's important to consider ways that people can create and share content within their own community and with their partner area. My friend Phil Jones has coined the term peerosphere to name the places that people are creating to share P2P. My vision of the WWC is a part of the peerosphere.>

The sharing of vision is an exercise in equality.

<I think attention to developing ways for the partner areas to write, that is to create content to share, is essential to the development of this project>

Collaborative communication may need to come before we embark on collaborative enterprises.

I think this ties in with some guidance I feel might be helpful in relation to these "Five Year Friendships". Something along these lines.

A five year framework for WCP parnerships

edited to add link

John said:

Google has a great way to celebrate their existence 10 to the 100. The deadline for submissions is October 20, 2008. I plan to submit an idea. I think there's something to my idea, but I hardly imagine it will be selected. I hate writing proposals! Still there's something really wonderfully spare about Google's application form. The questions to answer provide focus.

Not trying to add more work to the pile. But I would participate in a collaborative effort to submit the WWC to the Google project. I think the process might help us all to be better able to talk about the WWC to others.

This is a suggestion that deserves a thread of its own - called Google Submission! Thanks John for your vision and commitment to collaborate on this and to Linda for your promise of support too!

(Besides, I think this "Plan B" thread needs to concentrate on Houston and Kampala :))

Kayiwa mentioned the slum areas within area 2227.

This is a useful map to illustrate just how many slum there are around Kamapala.

Central division is in pink, Makindye in lilac.

Thanks David for starting the thread on the Google project. I freeze when confronted with questions like one that are on the submission form, but I promise to try to post on that thread in the next couple of days.

I've also been thinking about Houston and Kampala (Toulouse too for what it's worth). Not much to report however. I did look at the faculty of University of Houston's African American Studies department. They've got a relationship to Ghana and also with Nigeria. Seems a bit of a West African focus. I mention looking there because you never know where we'll find leads. I also will contact a Ugandan friend here in the USA. He's pretty connected with fellow Ugandans here and may well know someone in Houston.

John said:

I did look at the faculty of University of Houston's African American Studies department.

I think this is a good route to take. A little while back, I got my best contacts for getting soccer equipment to Uganda via the International Student offices of various universities.

As far as Houston is concerned, Rice University is to the south west of central Houston and University of Houston to the south east. But University of Houston Downtown is part of district H and may therefore be a good place to begin. I may be wrong here, but it also appears to have predominantly a black American character, which may also mean a greater interest in dialogue with people from an African country. Sweeping generalisation on my part perhaps, but I'm looking for positives.

I've been looking a bit at the Houston Chronicle - which seems fairly liberal in tone - at least for Texas. Taking Ceris's suggestion that we could do with the help of a sympathetic journalist, that might be a good place to start looking.

Googling Houston and Uganda has so far yielded very little, so it looks as if this partnership may need to become a bit of trailblazer. I also looked on Facebook - lots of folk from Houston TX, but no indications yet of likely pockets of interest. A university facebook group callled Houston Downtown for Obama may offer some leads. In fact there is also a second facebook group