Study abroad programs in Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa and Vietnam by Ross Fletcher (GEI Director of Study Abroad Programs) The UN SDGs: Background and Importance The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), put forth by the United Nations, were proposed in 2015 and officially enacted on January 1st, 2016 with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The goals cover a range of 17 key aspects that aim to, in a more general way, address poverty, inequality, climate ... Read More
Social Sciences, Gender & Leadership
Women & Leadership in South Africa (August 2016)
Final call: Summer delegations in South Africa The registration deadline for this summer's Women & Leadership study and engagement tours is drawing close, and we still have a few places available. If South Africa has always been on your bucket list, please consider this unique educational opportunity. Under the leadership of the distinguished professors Jackie Shahzadi and Shirley Randell, the delegations will explore the role of women in politics, business and society. Special theme ... Read More
Rwanda – 22 years after the genocide
Commemorating the Rwandan genocide Rwanda marked the 22nd commemoration of the 1994 genocide yesterday. The country has come a long way and, today, is regularly lauded as a major development success story. Some impressions from Rwanda: Feel safe and secure walking the streets of its modern, green capital A place where zero tolerance for corruption really means zero tolerance One of the most gender-progressive parliaments in the world Globally admired for its achievements in ... Read More
Global Engagement in Vietnam
The story of the Asian Dragon Today’s Vietnam is undergoing some of the fastest socio-economic changes any country in the world has seen. The Asian Dragon, as it is frequently called, is a major development success story that has experienced remarkable rates of economic growth since the start of massive political and economic reforms called doi moi in 1986. It is now a middle-income country with a poverty rate of less than 10%, massive influx of foreign investment, and booming modern ... Read More
The Women’s Legal Centre in South Africa
Introduction to one of the inspiring organizations that our Women & Leadership in South Africa delegations engage with Based in Cape Town, the Women's Legal Centre is one of those truly inspiring organizations that our Women & Leadership in South Africa delegations visit and engage with. It has been established to advance women's rights by conducting constitutional litigation and advocacy on gender issues. The Centre has a vision of women in South Africa living: free from ... Read More
Faculty-Led and Custom Programs
Upcoming Programs in Africa and Asia Developing countries in Africa and Asia are becoming increasingly popular for faculty-led and custom experiential learning, service-learning and cultural immersion programs. At the same time, program developers and program leaders continue to face enormous and frequently unexpected challenges. As a result, a partnership with a regionally specialized third-party provider not only offers peace of mind and meets liability requirements but can also add ... Read More
The Status of Women in South Africa
A GEI country brief by Kari Cousins (GEI Program Manager, South Africa) Diversity is a key feature of South Africa, where 11 languages are recognized as official, where community leaders include traditional chieftains, rabbis and returned exiles, and where housing ranges from tin shanties to rural mud huts to palatial gated communities. The country has one of the continent’s largest economies and is, along with China, Brazil, Russia and India, a member of the BRICS club of ... Read More
Impressions from Rwanda – Women & Leadership
Review of a Women & Leadership delegation in Rwanda (December 2015) In early December, Half Sky Journeys founder Ila Asplund took a delegation of American women leaders to Rwanda. The program was part of our Women & Leadership series. Here are some impressions: Ila Asplund on what makes Rwanda unique: Nowhere on earth is there a model for women's leadership quite like Rwanda's. Cultivating a unique "ecosystem" of grassroots heroes, innovative nonprofits, healthcare access, ... Read More
Justice and Reconciliation in Rwanda
NYU Global Field Intensive in Rwanda (January 2016) NYU's Global Field Intensive was one of four J-Term university delegations that we hosted in East Africa this January - three in Rwanda, one in Uganda. Led by Global Affairs Professor Jennifer Trahan, the students explored the topic of Justice & Reconciliation in Rwanda. The program included a busy schedule of meetings. After introductory visits to the Kigali Memorial Center, Camp Kigali, the Presidential Museum and the genocide ... Read More
Graduate Women International Conference in South Africa
Women & Leadership delegations to participate in global conference After we sent our recent invitation to join a Women & Leadership delegation to South Africa this summer, many of you have requested further information about our friends at Graduate Women International (GWI) and their triennial conference in Cape Town. GWI is the leading girls’ and women’s global organization run by and for women. They advocate for women’s rights, equality and empowerment through access to quality ... Read More
Drama-Based Education in Rwanda
Invitation: Join Prof. Drew Kahn in Rwanda In partnership with the Anne Frank Project (AFP) at SUNY-Buffalo State, we invite students and professionals in education, theater, social work, conflict mediation or related subjects to join a unique Drama-Based Education program. Participants travel to Rwanda and engage in a high-impact experiential and service-learning initiative. They acquire a Drama-Based Education certificate and work with Rwandan teachers at local schools. This program ... Read More
Women & Leadership in South Africa
Invitation: Join Prof. Jackie Shahzadi or Prof. Shirley Randell in South Africa In August 2016, Graduate Women International will host its 32nd Triennial Conference in Cape Town, South Africa. GEI and two renowned international women leaders take this opportunity to invite you to join one of two unique study and engagement tours and explore the theme of Women & Leadership in South Africa. The tours are scheduled immediately before and after the GWI conference. Program dates: Aug 13-20 ... Read More
Diary – Women & Leadership in Vietnam (part IV)
Reflections about the Women & Leadership program in Vietnam by Mary Stebbins, Registered Nurse and Public Health Professional, USA We had an early morning departure from the Grand Hotel Saigon (HCMC) for the short flight to Hue City. Our tour bus was waiting and soon after arrival, we set off to explore the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hue, considered by many to be the intellectual, cultural, and spiritual heart of Vietnam. This small city is home to 300,000 people, most of ... Read More
Diary – Women & Leadership in Vietnam (part III)
Reflections about the Women & Leadership program in Vietnam by Kelly Guzman (Nurse Consultant - Transition and Activation Planning LA, USA) Mr Minh, a lecturer of Financial Management at the University of Transport in Ho Chi Minh City, toured us through his facility. Mr Minh is applying for a master’s degree in logistics and material and supply chain. The campus has an open design and layout with classrooms surrounding a quad where the students can connect in the open air. ... Read More
Diary – Women & Leadership in Vietnam (part II)
Reflections about the Women & Leadership program in Vietnam by Carole Snyder (Emergency Preparedness Program Manager in LA, USA) Today, we had the opportunity to visit the Vietnam Women’s Union, where senior representatives from the Union and the Intellectual Union met with us to discuss the promotion of women’s roles in society as well as sharing their mission and frustrations. Ms Tran This Phuong Hoa, Vice president of the Women’s Union discussed the mission to protect ... Read More
Diary – Women & Leadership in Vietnam (part I)
Reflections about the Women & Leadership program in Vietnam by Nicola Mountain (Active Zonta Member & Accommodation Business Tutor) The Global Engagement Institute (GEI) Executive Director, Michael Grosspietsch started the day by introducing the team and gave an overview of the week's program. Then we set off on a very interesting tour of the city. Hui, GEI Associate, one of the Vietnamese Boat people who had left Vietnam as a child and returned as an adult, led this ... Read More
Launching GEI’s newest destination: Vietnam
Two inaugural GEI delegations in Vietnam by Waleed Fatth (Global Programs Manager) One day I'll touch your soil One day I'll finally know my soul One day I'll come to you To say hello .. Vietnam I found myself humming with this song which was sung by Vietnamese–Belgian singer Quynh Anh while waiting for my plane to get back to Europe after spending 4 unforgettable weeks of my life in Vietnam. I was thinking of the great experience getting to know Vietnam as a country and as ... Read More
Kwibuka 21: Rwandans Building Rwanda
Commemorating the Rwandan genocide by Katie Carlson, Program Manager in Rwanda Kwibuka 21: Remember, unite, renew. Kwibuka means “remember” in Kinyarwanda, the native language of this country. This week marks 21 years since the genocide against the Tutsi began in Rwanda in 1994. A mere 21 years since nearly one million Rwandans were slaughtered in their own streets and homes by neighbors, friends and even family members. This week and in the months to come, we remember all ... Read More
Drama-Based Education in practice in Rwanda
Experience from a Rwandan teacher: Drama-Based Education in practice Have you wondered what our new Drama-Based Education capacity development program in Rwanda might look like in practice? Gilbert Bisengi, one of the Wellspring teacher-trainers whom our SUNY-Buffalo State delegation under the leadership of Prof. Drew Kahn certified in January, shared an incredibly inspiring email with us. While we had seen the impact of the curriculum in public schools in Buffalo and knew that it should ... Read More
Anne Frank in Rwanda
Drama-Based Education training by SUNY-Buffalo State students by Melissa Lesage (GEI Country Manager, Rwanda) 2015 kicked off with a bang as we hosted our first Drama-Based Education group in partnership with Buffalo State University and the Anne Frank Project. Preparing this program has been really exciting and in fact, hosting the delegation has turned out to be a life changing experience for me. The Anne Frank Project began in 2009 and uses storytelling as a vehicle for ... Read More
Global Gender Gap Index vs Real Life
The realities of gender gaps in Rwanda by Katie Carlson (GEI Program Manager, Rwanda) The news has been exploding in development circles around the world: Rwanda clocks in at 7th in the world on the Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI), compiled by the World Economic Forum (WEF). As a gender specialist who has been living and working in Rwanda permanently for the last three years, this certainly surprised me. Immediately I knew this index required deeper investigation, ... Read More
Mentoring business women in Rwanda
Launching GEI's new Business Mentor Program in Rwanda by Katie Carlson (GEI Program Manager, Rwanda) In about two weeks, GEI will be hosting a team of business coaches selected by the Dutch organization Fair2 here in Kigali to mentor small business owners and entrepreneurs in Rwanda. As part of my job as Program Manager, I have been scouting mentees in Kigali to match with one of our visiting business coaches. Keeping in mind the disadvantages that many business women face ... Read More
Reflections on Women & Leadership
Women & leadership delegation in Rwanda by Katie Carlson (GEI Program Manager, Rwanda) Women from 4 continents came together in Kigali last week to learn about the amazing success story that Rwanda has become in terms of promoting women in leadership positions, and to build friendships across the cultures. Katie Carlson, GEI's Program Manager in Rwanda, shares one of the most powerful moments: One of the participants shared an amazing story with the group, describing how ... Read More
Giving birth in Rwanda
Neonatal resuscitation needs in Rwanda by Waleed Fatth (GEI Global Programs Manager, Berlin) Jeanne Musabende lives in Nyamata, a town in Bugesera district some 40 minutes from Kigali, Rwanda’s capital. She recently became famous when a Rwandan online journal used her success story to showcase progress in infant and maternal healthcare in the country. Jeanne was due to have a complicated birth late in the evening, traditionally a worrying event in many developing countries ... Read More
Gender-Based Violence in South Africa
Inclusive solution-directed approaches to fight gender-based violance in South Africa by Kari Cousins (GEI Program Manager, South Africa) "Young Afrikaner men are brought up in the Calvinist religion believing that they own a woman, they own a child, they own everything and therefore they can take that life because they own it!" That was the initial comment which was given by Lulu Xingwana, South Africa’s former Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities after ... Read More
Rwanda – 20 years after the genocide
Commemorating the Rwandan genocide by Dr. Michael Grosspietsch (GEI Executive Director) The world's eyes are upon Rwanda once again. Has it already been 20 years since we saw those horrific pictures in the news? Up to 1 million people killed in only 100 days? Today, on April 7, the world community has united in Kigali for the 20th commemoration of what is frequently called the 'most effective' genocide of the past century. And yet for many it is also a time to celebrate. ... Read More
Hamline University increases engagement in Rwanda
The future is looking bright by Yvan Rubengebenge (Operations Manager, Rwanda) In my position, I regularly take our visitors to Gashora, to learn about different government interventions to lift people out of poverty. I couldn’t imagine that one of those visits would change a life forever – the life of a girl from the Gashora Girls Academy of Science and Technology. Gashora is a sector located 60km southeast of Kigali in Bugesera District. Historically, Bugesera was ... Read More
Agaciro: A society in positive transition
Agaziro - Rwanda's national development fund by Katie Carlson (GEI Program Manager, Rwanda) Last week in Kayonza District, a celebration was held for the International Day of the Girl. In a country that has set a world record for the only female majority in parliament, currently at 64%, a celebration of this kind could never be overlooked. As part of this event, Plan Rwanda, an international NGO, announced that since last year, over 700 girls across the country have been ... Read More
19 years on… and thriving (Rwanda)
Commemorating the Rwandan genocide by Katie Carlson (GEI Program Manager, Rwanda) As a Canadian working and living full-time in this beautiful and inspiring country I have come to call my second home, this April marked the first time I have been in Rwanda during the genocide commemorations. As the date of April 6th approached, the official beginning of the commemorations and the ‘100 days of genocide’ that concludes on July 4th, I was unsure of how to show my respect for ... Read More
Building Bridges with Judiciary Law (South Africa)
California Judges Association visiting South Africa Early 2013 saw an intrepid group of Legal-Eagles from the California Judges Association (CJA) venture to South Africa to explore the Rule of Law and how it is interpreted and, in turn, implemented into society. The insightful program included a visit to Constitution Hill and South Africa’s Constitutional Court where they held a meeting with His Honour Justice Edwin Cameron, one of South Africa’s eminent constitutional court ... Read More
