IRC UPDATE!!!!! -- REVISED

SAVE THE DATE!!!!! SAVE THE DATE!!!!! SAVE THE DATE!!!!!


NBLSA will visit Haiti on March 14 to 16 2008 to learn more about the political, social and economic situation in Haiti. NBLSA will utilize dialogue and community service to bring together young professionals from Haiti and the U.S. to work together on community service projects as well as discuss the U.S. Haiti relationship.

All BLSA members nationwide are welcomed to join us in Haiti as we visit Cite de Soleil to perform a day of community service and cultural immersion.

NBLSA is teaming up with Pax Christi Haiti for this project. NBLSA will work with Pax Christi on their Soccer for Peace Project. The Soccer for Peace Project aims at ending the cycle of violence that has plagued Haiti in the past years. Pax Christi visits Cite de Soleil periodically to play soccer with the youth of Cite de Soleil. Gangs recruit the youth of Cite de Soleil early in their lives as agents of violence. Pax Christi hopes to affect the younger students with an agenda of peace as well as give them a chance to engage in meaningful recreation.

NBLSA will visit Cite de Soleil and work with Pax Christi on their Soccer for Peace Project. NBLSA will also donate soccer equipment and school supplies to the youth of Cite de Soleil. We are counting on the chapters to help us get soccer equipment, used or new, to donate to the children of Cite de Soleil. We also will need donations of school supplies like crayons, pencils, pens, writing paper, sharpeners, erasers, chalk and markers.

Each member will be responsible for the costs of the trip. Airfare varies according to where you are in the U.S. Lodging costs for the weekend will be $75.00 per person. You may also be responsible for some transportation costs if our fund raising efforts fail. Lodging is limited so RSVP early to ensure room availability.

To RSVP, or for questions, email mbidos@loyno.edu or International@NBLSA.org by February 20th 2008.



Tentative Schedule

NBLSA’s International Relations Committee Weekend in Haiti
Friday March 14 to Sunday March 16


Friday March 14

Venue: Matthew 25 (Boarding house)

Arrival
Dinner
Conversation with Pooja Bhatia - Harvard Fellow in Haiti and Attorney Mario Joseph, Director of BAI, Bureaux Des Avocats Internationeaux

Saturday March 15

Venue: Matthew 25
Morning breakfast

Venue: Cite de Soleil (Community Service Site)


Community Service Activity
Presentation of School Supplies
Lunch

Venue: Cite de Soleil
Presentation to young boys playing soccer
Soccer Game with young boys
Party for kids

Venue: TBA
Social with Pax Christi


Sunday March 9th

Venue: Matthew 25

Morning Ecumenical Service
Round Table discussion on U.S. Haiti Relationship

Departure to Airport


To find out more about Pax Christi, click on this link.

http://www.paxchristiusa.org/pc_haiti_task_force.asp

To read more about Cite de Soleil, see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cit%C3%A9_Soleil

Pax Christi visits Cite de Soleil periodically to work with the children who live there, many of whom are homeless and orphaned, and all living in extreme poverty.

IRC UPDATES

Welcome Back!


To those of you who have secured wonderful international internships for the summer of 2008, CONGRATULATIONS! For those of you who have not yet started looking, we have some more tips for you in this month's Career Development Corner.

At our last meeting, we decided to postpone international week of service until we have a better understanding of the needs of two programs in Haiti. I will visit Haiti this month and will speak to two organizations which we will work with in the Spring. Once I return from Haiti, we will update you on our revised plans for International Week of Service.

We hope to hear from you on how to serve your needs better. Don't forget to send us your stories of internships and travel abroad.

Michelle



Interning in Haiti


Fonkoze

Fonkoze is Haiti's Alternative Bank for the Organized Poor. Fonkoze was created by Ms. Anne Hastings. It is the largest micro-finance institution offering a full range of financial services to the rural-based poor in Haiti.


Fonkoze is a Haitian Creole acronym for Fondasyon Kole Zepòl, which means, "The Shoulder-to-Shoulder Foundation". The word itself conveys the meaning, "in the midst of sharing." Fonkoze's mission is to build the economic foundations for democracy in Haiti. Established in 1994, Fonkoze currently has over 115,000 depositors, over 45,000 active borrowers (99% of whom are women), and 32 branch offices spread throughout every department of Haiti.

Anne Hastings, Executive Director of Fonkoze, is interested in finding solutions for extreme poverty. Hastings believes that microfinance, education, health care and case management plays large roles eradicating poverty. Hastings was Senior Partner and Managing Director of Scanlon and Hastings, a management consulting company in Washington DC, from 1985 to 1996 and a Senior Analyst at Advanced Technology in Reston, Virginia from 1982 to 1985. Hastings holds a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia and an Honorary Doctorate in Business Leadership from Duquesne University. She also held research fellowships at the Brookings Institution and the U.S. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations.

Interested in Fonkoze? There are two great internship opportunities available to you!
Fonkoze is accepting interns in their dynamic rural microcredit and business development programs that are on the cutting edge of innovation in rural poverty reduction as well astheir pioneering educational program that combines basic literacy training with practical education in business development, sexual and reproductive health, and use of financial services. Fonkoze has listed as conditions for acceptance of an internship with them:1. A match between your skills and our needs 2. Available to live in Haiti for a minimum of 3 months3. Fluent in Creole (preferred) or French or willingness to study Creole4. Ability to finance your entire internship (unless you are a Creole speaker)For further information, contact:

Anne H. Hastings, Director
Email: director@fonkoze.org

Since its inception in 1994, Fonkoze has steadily grown until today it is the largest microfinance institution in Haiti offering a full-range of financial services to the rural poor. Through its network of 18 branch offices, located in every Department of Haiti, Fonkoze provides its clients access to: (1) microcredit, using the Grameen Bank method of solidarity lending, (2) savings, (3) currency exchange, and (4) a money transfer service. As it recognizes the problems of the poor go beyond the need for financial services, Fonkoze complements these services with educational programs like literacy, business skills and sexual and reproductive health training. As Fonkoze continues to grow, the popularity and demand for its services grow too.
Information adapted from Fonkoze’s Website: http://www.fonkoze.org/


Career Development Corner

TOP TEN THINGS YOU SHOULD DO TO PREPARE FOR YOUR INTERNATIONAL INTERNSHIP/WORK ABROAD


By Jackée Missick
Juris Doctor Candidate, December 2008
Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center
National Black Law Student Association,
International Relations Committee
Touro BLSA Northeast Representative
jlawstuff@hotmail.com



NARROW DOWN YOUR LIST TO FIVE TOP CHOICES
PRIORITIZE:

i. Fun
ii. Experience
iii. Resume Enhancer

GET FAMILIAR WITH THE APPLICATION PROCESS
Get Applications
Find out the application deadline dates
Find out if you would need a Visa to enter the country
Find out if you need a work permit and or insurance.
Find out if you need any references or school information and start working on them now.

THINK OF YOUR FINANCES
Consider positions that pay
i. Every little bit helps
Consider getting a part-time, weekend job while you are abroad
i. Research what is needed for that (work permit)
Hit your family up for extra cash.
i. Talk to them about your trip in advance and try to get them on board.
Plan a budget and start saving now

DO BACKGROUND WORK ON THE FIRM OR ORGANIZATION
Be familiar with the type of work the company does
Find out if they have been in the news lately

SAFETY FIRST
Stay away from Countries with domestic conflicts going on.
Research the country and neighbourhood of the job to see if you would be safe.
Research the accommodations where you will stay during the internship.

PERSONALIZE IT.
Even if the application does not ask for it, consider writing a personal statement and why you want to work/study there.
Your application should distinguish you from others
i. Highlight your accomplishments
ii. Highlight your diversity

LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
Figure out what the language differences are.
Figure out if you can cope with the cultural differences.
Don’t wait for the last minute to do this research-you want to be very prepared once you get there

NETWORK
Talk to people who have done study or work abroad programs
Talk to classmates who are from the countries you are thinking about going to.
LINK UP TO GET CHEAP FARES AND OTHER TID BITS
http://www.statravel.com/
http://www.isic.org/sisp/index.htm

GET YOUR APPLICATIONS IN EARLY
Plan to get your applications in at the start of the application process.



BLAK LAW STUDENTS ABROAD

This month we focus on the students of Nigeria's Chapter who recently elected a Executive Board. We Congratulate the New Board and wish them the best of luck as they work with the other Black law students in their region to form the first ever African Coalition of Black Law Students.

I will share with you an email sent by the Nigerian chapter to NBLSA:

Dear Alice,

NBLSA NIGERIA really appreciate thechallenge and encouragement. Africa as a continent will undeniably be strong with honour someday we believe. Here is the list of our New Executive Board Members.We hope that the African Coalition comes to pass so that our forced push will move things and make change happen accordingly.


New Executive Board Members:

OLABANJI TIMILEHIN ADEKUNLE CHAIRMAN/PRESIDENT timiokay@yahoo.com
Morenike Omotayo Ajayi VICE CHAIRMAN /PRESIDENT morenike_ajayi@yahoo.com
Adeleke Kayode Emmanuel SECRETARY talkputo@yahoo.com
Eniola Badmos Modupe TREASURER
adeola omollola omojola DIRECTOR OF SOCIALS deloom06@yahoo.com
T.A Benson Director of Communications bensononspase @yahoo.com
A.O owolabi Librarian froggielakes @yahoo.com
Kilani Mulikat oluwa funke Director of Moot court trial
OASYOMI SAMUEL TAIWO DIRECTOR OF MOOT TRIAL COMPETITION samt042000@yahoo.com
OSASONA .F OLUWATOBI DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY SERVICE editionkids2000@yahoo.com
olojede A.Sunday DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMINGamo-likz@yahoo.com
Ganiyu .T.Adegbite Remi ATTORNEY GENERAL ADENIYI ALLI-SMITH DIRECTOR OF SPORTS AJIBOLA OLADAPO DESMOND
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
Barr. E.T YEBISI STAFF ADVISER

Here is the list. You will get other email addresses soonest. Our website is http://nblsaafricanigeria.blogspot.com

we hope to hearing from you soonest.

The African Coalition has to be generated in due time ..give us the required mail address of our partners in Africa. In NBLSA LOVE