The 2009 International Seminar is wrapping up
The 2009 International Seminar is wrapping up for participating groups of students in Chachapoyas, Huacho and Chancay. The projects focused on supporting the work of water service providers and municipalities. The groups are now working to engage low-income communities and public school students around water, sanitation, and composting. The International Seminar officially closes on July 10th, 2009.
International Seminar: Youth Study Water Issues in Peru
With a hands-on approach to learning, the International Seminar contributes every year not only to bridging the gap between theory and practice, but promotes meaningful intercultural exchange for youth from Canada and the host country.
This year, the International Seminar takes place in Peru from May 25th to July 10th, 2009. Canadian participants are working with Peruvian students to conduct group research and contribute to local development initiatives. The group research will focus on the topic of "Water issues in Peru".
Canadian participants
Peruvian participants (In Spanish)
Thanks to those who participated in the focus groups to help WUSC and CECI reinforce their approach with the next generations of volunteers
Fair Trade Month
Shea butter: Good for You, Good for Them!
May 2009 – Knowledge and insight shared throughout the millennia by generations of African women met the 21st century during Fair Trade Month! Uniterra proudly welcomed two partners from Burkina Faso, Ms. Kourtoumi Chalim Aschlet Niangao and Mr. Abou Dradin Tagnan, to celebrate with us the numerous advantages of Certified Fair Trade shea butter. Equitably-traded and organic shea products, a natural cosmetic, are "Good for You" thanks to their myriad of properties; and are "Good for Them" because this fruit, dubbed “the gold of African women”, has already enabled the 2,900 Union members to double their income. Despite the dismal economic downturn, fairly-traded shea products are on the rise in Canada. Ten new personal care products prepared with Certified Fair Trade shea were launched throughout Canada in the 50 Ten Thousand Villages stores. Montreal, Quebec, Ottawa and Toronto hosted public events with a strong participation in May to celebrate the news.
Government of Canada Announces Renewed Support for Canadians Volunteering Overseas
To mark National Volunteer Week, the Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of International Cooperation, announced the renewal of the Volunteer Cooperation Program over 5 years. CIDA will work with the Volunteer Cooperation Agencies to ensure the number of volunteers is maximized during the upcoming period. Read CIDA's press release
Stay tuned for the new positions that are opening soon!
International Seminar 2009 in Peru
Canadian participants are getting prepared for their journey to Peru from May 29th to July 11th. Click here for the list of participants.
Stay connected with WUSC
WUSC has recently launched several new online initiatives to help keep people more connected and interactive. You can now connect to WUSC by following the Tweets on Twitter @worlduniservice, joining the official Facebook group or watching the videos on the new Youtube channel.
NOTICE TO UNITERRA APPLICANTS >>
Uniterra and Women
March 8th, 2008: 8 women, 8 objectives »
For Uniterra, the following principles must not be ignored...
- Equality of rights between genders – legal, economic, political, social and cultural barriers have to be taken out.
- Human rights, women's rights and girl’s rights are universal and indivisible. Equality and equity principles should not be challenged for reasons of respect or cultural differences; although the principles can be applied differently depending on the cultural contexts.
- There is no human or democratic development without the full participation of women and girls. They are beneficiaries of the proposed changes as well as enablers of the aimed changes.
In 2008…
- A Uniterra delegation of 30 people, including many partners, participated in AWID's 11th International Forum on Women's Rights and Development which gathered together more than 2,200 women from 144 countries.
- In parallel with the Forum, Uniterra organized a professional seminar about Women's Rights and Networking in which the members of the delegation participated.
Thanks to Uniterra…
- 70% of the countries where we work benefit from help from Canadian volunteers in Gender and Development (GED).
- 60% of the direct beneficiaries of our projects are women.
- 35 projects have the improvement of women's situation as a priority; 10 are specific to Women's Rights.
- Women's organizations and their members have developed new capacities: to implement projects (Nepal), to analyze national and international stakes, to participate in the political dialogue (Bolivia, Mali, Burkina Faso), and to satisfy women's needs and interests (all partners).
- Many tools to analyze gender equality and to promote women's participation in development have been created: a GED image-box, street theater on violence against women, an incorporation of a policy of women integration in the new constitution of a Nepalese partner, a caricature book on girls' education, a tool in Wolof about women's rights in Senegal, etc.
- Gender training has been given to our partners, reaching more than 1,800 people.
March 8th, 2008: 8 women, 8 objectives »
For Uniterra, the following principles must not be ignored...
- Equality of rights between genders – legal, economic, political, social and cultural barriers have to be taken out.
- Human rights, women's rights and girl’s rights are universal and indivisible. Equality and equity principles should not be challenged for reasons of respect or cultural differences; although the principles can be applied differently depending on the cultural contexts.
- There is no human or democratic development without the full participation of women and girls. They are beneficiaries of the proposed changes as well as enablers of the aimed changes.
In 2008…
- A Uniterra delegation of 30 people, including many partners, participated in AWID's 11th International Forum on Women's Rights and Development which gathered together more than 2,200 women from 144 countries.
- In parallel with the Forum, Uniterra organized a professional seminar about Women's Rights and Networking in which the members of the delegation participated.
Thanks to Uniterra…
- 70% of the countries where we work benefit from help from Canadian volunteers in Gender and Development (GED).
- 60% of the direct beneficiaries of our projects are women.
- 35 projects have the improvement of women's situation as a priority; 10 are specific to Women's Rights.
- Women's organizations and their members have developed new capacities: to implement projects (Nepal), to analyze national and international stakes, to participate in the political dialogue (Bolivia, Mali, Burkina Faso), and to satisfy women's needs and interests (all partners).
- Many tools to analyze gender equality and to promote women's participation in development have been created: a GED image-box, street theater on violence against women, an incorporation of a policy of women integration in the new constitution of a Nepalese partner, a caricature book on girls' education, a tool in Wolof about women's rights in Senegal, etc.
- Gender training has been given to our partners, reaching more than 1,800 people.