A fast-read e-mail, HARAMBEE offers information, news, resources and opinions for people who identify themselves as global citizens and seek to uphold values of peace, justice, cross-cultural understanding and global cooperation. Published by Global Citizens Network. Writer: Rita Johnson, January, 2005.

Why an E-newsletter?
Global Citizens Network Trip Schedule for 2005
New site scheduled to open in Thailand at year-end
Global citizenship begin early: What’s cool about children on GCN trips?
Continuing Education Units for teachers traveling with GCN
Regional hubs established
Spanish for the World Traveler offered February 7 – March 28
Opinion: Fair trade and global citizenship
Global Gathering at Carol North’s house on 2/12
10. Thanks for everything you do

1. Why an E-newsletter?
Hi! I’m Rita Johnson, the board chair for Global Citizens Network. Since 1993, we’ve mailed newsletters to people who’ve traveled with us or have an interest in volunteering on one of our U.S. or international trips. Frankly, the cost is overwhelming, so we’re trying a new approach to keeping in touch with you…the e-newsletter. Please give us feedback (including your ideas for a new newsletter title) by e-mailing me directly at bluefin1@comcast.net or write to our Executive Director, Eden Rock at eden@globalcitizens.org. In case you missed it, Eden is our new Executive Director (and, at this point, our only staff person.)

2. Global Citizens Network Trip Schedule for 2005 *Check Website for more info*

MEXICO (Chicueyaco) March 6 - 13 Trip Cost: $1,150

NEW MEXICO (Tohatchi) March deferred to summer Trip Cost: $650
Navajo Nation July 1 – 9

ARIZONA (Rock Point) March 18 - 26 Trip Cost: $650
Navajo Nation September 16 - 24

WASHINGTON (La Push) June 17 - 25 Trip Cost: $650
Quileute People August 5 – 13

GUATEMALA July 5 - 19 Trip Cost: $1,250
(Sansirisay/Llanos de Morales)

KENYA (Maili Tatu) July 7 - 28 Trip Cost: $1,950
Maasai Ranch

TANZANIA (Samé) July 21 - August 11 Trip Cost: $1,950

NEPAL (Pokhara Valley) Oct 16 - Nov 6 Trip Cost: $1,950

THAILAND (Chiang Rai) October 2-16 Trip Cost: $1750

MEXICO (Huehuetla) October 21 - 30 Trip Cost: $1,150

•Returned volunteer discount is $50.

•Trip dates may vary slightly based on flight availability.

•The trip costs include most in-country costs, a donation to the community project, training materials, travel medical insurance for international trips and a portion of our program costs. Airfare is additional.

•Children’s rates: ages 8-12 travel at 1/2 trip cost.

•All trip-related expenses are tax-deductible in the U.S.

3. New site in Thailand scheduled for exploration at year end
The Non-governmental organization, Mirror Art Group, has invited us to partner with them in the northern Thai province of Chiang Rai. Their mission is closely aligned with GCN’s, “We operate a number of projects and programs to help the hill tribe peoples of Mae Yao sub-district to combat their everyday struggles with unemployment, poverty, drug addiction and lack of Thai citizenship. We also try to give the hill tribes of Mae Yao the skills, education and support required to adapt to a co-existence with lowland Thais without sacrificing their cultural identity.”

“We stress not only doing useful, community-initiated projects, but also the cross-cultural component of all of our trips. We are proud that many American, Japanese and Singaporean guests still keep in contact with their homestay families. That is important to us.

“We are an NGO located right in the heart of a number of hill tribe communities. When these villages have difficulties or want to take on a new project they come to MAG to ask for assistance. Sometimes it's a training in drug awareness, starting an eco-tour/homestay program, a community bank (micro-credit), building a water system, etc. It depends on the particular needs of the village. In other words, any work that GCN volunteers can do would be immediately beneficial to the surrounding villages.”

Thailand and Southeast Asia are attractive tourist destinations, with a wealth of cultural activities located in Thailand itself as well as in neighboring Laos. Chiang Rai is the northernmost province of Thailand, and one of the country’s most rural areas. About 180 km (about 140 miles) from Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai is known as the Gateway to the Golden Triangle. Chang Rai is a good place for trekking and is more low key than Chiang Mai. Attractions in the general area include elephant camps, much fantastic shopping and handicrafts, trekking, and many many Buddhist temples. This first exploratory team will be there during the “Gin Je Nee,” the Chinese Vegetarian Festival.

The area is home to the Hill tribes, the ethnic minorities living in Thailand’s mountainous regions. Each hill tribe has its own language, customs, mode of dress and spiritual beliefs. According to Lonely Planet, most are of semi-nomadic origin, having migrated to Thailand from Tibet, Myanmar, China and Laos during the past 200 years or so, although some groups may have been in Thailand much longer. They are fourth world people in that they belong neither to the main aligned powers nor to the developing nations. Rather, they have crossed and continue to cross national borders without regard for recent nationhood.

Join team leader Jan Smith as she leads this Exploratory Trip in October. Dates are tentatively set at October 2-16.

4. Global citizenship begins early: What’s cool about children on GCN trips?
Contributed by Mary Jo Pehl

Ariel and Alex Senko were just 11 and 13 when their mother, Nancy Fariss, took them to Kenya on their first Global Citizens Network expedition. Not your average family vacation, to be sure. Fariss considered having her children volunteer at a soup kitchen near their hometown of Media, Pennsylvania, but when it came down to it, she wanted them to have an experience they’d always remember. GCN was the only organization she could find that would take participants under 18. So it was off to Maili Tatu (also known to GCN volunteers as “Rombo”) for the three of them in December 2002.

Alex and Ariel returned to Maili Tatu with their mother in July 2004. They were greeted as friends, and rightly so, as they’d developed lasting relationships with many of the people in Rombo. For her part, Fariss reflected that when she is on these trips with GCN, “I don’t think about the mortgage, the pets, the job -- all those entrapments of modern life in the United States. In the village, all you have to do is get up and work. And, believe it or not, that’s just much simpler!” Fariss described seeing the joy on her daughter’s face during an incident many would consider difficult at best. The three of them were traveling between villages in an open-air truck. "Here you are, squished against each other, more people getting on at every stop and squeezing in, so you've got your nose in somebody's armpit or smashing into someone's chest with every bump, a walking stick against your rear, somebody's tomatoes are getting squashed - and Ariel grinned from ear to ear and acted like it was an amusement park ride, she loved it so much!" Beats Disney World any old day.

Alex and Ariel missed school when they took their first trip to Kenya. Upon their return, Alex was required to give a Power Point presentation on his trip to six of his classes; Ariel submitted the journal she kept on her adventure as a makeup assignment. As a result, the world of Africa has been opened up to several hundred more people, who were informed and moved by the stories of the returned volunteers.

This summer, GCN will send another team to Maili Tatu, Kenya. Located at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro near the Tanzanian border, it is a place rich in breathtaking scenery, abundant wildlife, and tribal culture. The roughly 1,000 Maasai families living in the area make their living mostly from raising cattle and goats, though some farming has been introduced in recent years. Here GCN has partnered with the village to build a health clinic. In recent years Maili Tatu has been hit hard by outbreaks of malaria and cholera. To get medical treatment, the sick and injured must travel about 30 km. on foot - automobiles are scarce and roads are bad.

5. Continuing Education Units for teachers traveling with GCN
If you’re a teacher and need Continuing Education Units to maintain your certification, why not earn them while traveling with GCN? You COULD go to a conference or spend summer in a classroom, but doesn’t it sound more exciting to visit a primary school and sing with Maasai children under an acacia tree near Mount Kilimanjaro, or practice your Spanish with children in Guatemala who laugh at your pronunciation, or greet the morning sun from a Navajo hogan in New Mexico? It’s possible that you can earn up to ten (10) CEU hours per GCN week. Call Eden for the details. 651-644-0960 or 800-644-9292

6. Regional hubs established
Have you wondered about connecting with GCN volunteers from your part of the country? Jan Smith, GCN Board Member and Team Leader Extraordinaire has been talking with returned team members in the San Francisco Bay area, in Cleveland, Albuquerque, Denver, Madison, the east coast and St. Paul-Minneapolis. She’s identified Regional Coordinators in each of those areas who will gather with team members and interested travelers for story-telling, global gatherings and getting out the word about Global Citizens Network. The first Global Gathering of the year is scheduled for February 12. For locations and times, or if you’re interested in coordinating efforts in your area, give Eden a call at 651-644-0960 or 800-644-9292.

7. Spanish for the World Traveler offered February 7 – March 28
You’ve always wanted to learn a little Spanish? Aqui hablamos español and join us on Monday nights, February 7 – March 28 for eight lessons that will get you ready for travel in a Spanish-speaking country. Mila Bernal, a native of Spain and GCN Board member is the perfect experienced teacher (5 years!) who will make class fun and informative as you prepare for cross-cultural communication. A portion of the class proceeds will directly benefit GCN. Cost: $130 + $20 book fee. The class will be held at the Law Grad Conference Center at Hamline University, just south of the Fair grounds. Call Mila at 612-554-8977 or email her at milapi@yahoo.com to register!

8. Opinion: Fair trade and global citizenship
People have asked what they might do differently when they get “back home” from a GCN trip – one idea is purchasing Fair Trade items. Why is this a good idea? Items that are fairly traded mean livable wages and safe working conditions for those producing the goods we purchase. Our Board of Directors recently met with three St. Paul, MN retail organizations that deal in Fair Trade: Ten Thousand Villages (a national store that sells fairly traded handicrafts from around the world, www.tenthousandvillages.com ), Coat of Many Colors, located at 1666 Grand Avenue and Trade Winds at 857 Grand Avenue. We’re developing plans for collaborating with these stores on Global Gatherings and asking for their help in getting out the word about our trips. There are many stores that promote Fair Trade in the Twin Cities area and in other cities around the country.

What are you doing differently? We’d like to hear your stories and pass them on to our returning teams.

9. Global Gathering at Carol North’s house on February 12
If you’re in the Twin Cities area, come on over to Carol North’s house, 1120 Portland Avenue in St. Paul, on February 12 from 7 – 9 for a rockin’ Global Gathering party. Recently retuned volunteers from Tanzania will present their stories and pictures. Carol is the most welcoming hostess, so don’t worry that there might not be enough room or food! Bring a friend and join us for a glass of wine, a fire in the fireplace, munchies and the thrill of hearing stories from our first working Tanzania team. (Remember how you wanted to talk when you first got back? And how you needed someone to listen….)

10. Thanks for everything you do…
from your generous response to our fund-raising letter - to traveling with us - to marketing for us - to carrying the message of cross-cultural friendship and peace. Looking for other ways to support GCN? Here’s a few:

You can buy almost anything online at www.shop.com. When you make a purchase, designate GCN as the organization to receive a percentage of that purchase as a contribution. Once $100 is accumulated in GCN’s account, a check will be sent to us. Just type in GCN as your CareCode.

A similar online shopping experience is found at http://www.iGive.com/GCN where a portion of the total purchase is donated to GCN if you designate us.

Hope to see you on a trip soon! Remember:
Returning volunteers receive a $50.00 discount!

Global Citizens Network sends short-term teams of volunteers to rural communities around the world where participants immerse themselves in the culture and daily life of the community. Each volunteer team is led by an experienced team leader and partners with a local grassroots organization active in meeting local needs.

Global Citizens Network Staff: Eden Rock, Executive Director

Global Citizens Network Board Members:
Rita Johnson, President
Kristi Papenfuss, Vice President
Jan Smith, Secretary
Jeff Theisen, Treasurer
Paul Ernst
Mohamed Gobana
Carol North
Sue Punch

*Visit our website at www.globalcitizens.org. or call us at 651-644-0960 or 800-644-9292