Welcome to the DICOTA Chronicle - July 2016 Edition
The President's Corner Diaspora Council of Tanzanians in America
Dear Diaspora Members,
I
am pleased to report that we had a very successful convention in
Dallas, Texas that was held on April 28-May 1, 2016. We had over 300
participants, a wide range of topics were discussed and above all,
participants were able to network amongst themselves and establish long
term connections/relationships. If you wish to learn more, please access
our convention summary report by clicking here,
the report also includes findings from the feedback survey about the
convention sent to all attendees and sponsors post-convention.
Following
the convention, we continue engaging our members by providing some
opportunities to learn more about products and services for the
diaspora, which are mainly provided by our sponsors. As an example, at
the end of May on the 28th, we had a webinar about CRDB banking
opportunities presented by Lucy Naivasha – Tanzanite Account Manager.
In
the spirit of sharing success stories amongst ourselves, on June 18th,
our own Dr. Lucas Shallua, joined us via webinar to share his life story
that led him to found and own a fully-fledged University (Mount Eagle
College & University).
We
are also happy to connect with Kupona Foundation, a Nonprofit
organization aiming at improving access to high-quality healthcare for
people and communities living in poverty in Tanzania. We are looking
forward to working together with Kupona Foundation on the goals that we
share.
Last,
but not the least, we are just about to start the Executive Committee
members election process. In this issue of the Chronicle, we provide the
timeline for the election. I encourage every diaspora member to
participate in the election process and most importantly to accept the
challenge by being willing to take up the leadership positions for our
organization.
Sincerely yours,
Dr. Ndaga Mwakabuta,
DICOTA President
What You Need to Know About the Upcoming Executive Committee Election Process!
DICOTA
is pleased to announce the 2016 election of officers for its Executive
Committee, which take place on October 2-4. The 2016 election will be
overseen by the following Returning Officers: Dr. Kurwa Nyigu, Mr. Jerry
Mkony and Ms. Miriam Chiume.
The positions for the nominations include: President, Secretary, Deputy
Secretary, Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer. Any active paid DICOTA
member by voter registration deadline (September 23, 2016) is eligible
to vote. Any individual who’s had at least 6 months of active membership
during at least the last two years (August 1st 2014 to
present) is eligible to run and/or be nominated for office. In addition,
as per DICOTA Articles of Incorporation, all officers are required to
be in good legal and immigration standing.
Below is the election timeline:
JULY
§ "Day in the Life" Virtual Seminar: This will be an informational
session about the roles of DICOTA's Executive Committee leaders .
Listeners will be able get their questions answered and learn more about
DICOTA in the process. This session is currently scheduled for July
25th, at 5pm EST. More details on how to access the program
will follow.
AUGUST 1-21
§ Nomination of Officers
SEPTEMBER
§ Announcement of Candidates
§ Radio Question and Answer Session for President & Secretary Candidates
OCTOBER
§ Election: First Saturday and Sunday of October (October 1st and October 2nd 2016)
§ Results Announced: Tuesday October 4th
NOVEMBER
§ New Executive Team Official start: First Monday of November (November 7th 2016)
OCTOBER - NOVEMBER
§ Leadership Transition Period
Further details about the election will be coming soon. Please stay tuned.
Member Spotlight
Meet Dr. Lucas Shallua, President and Founder of Mount Eagle College and University (MECU) in Winston Salem, North Carolina
In
this edition of the DICOTA Chronicle, we are pleased to place the
Member Spotlight on Dr. Lucas Shallua, President and Founder of Mount
Eagle College and University (MECU). He shared his inspirational
journey on pursuing success in America and Tanzania, in a recent DICOTA
Virtual Seminar. He was also amongst the presenters at the 2016 DICOTA Convention in Dallas. A replay of his Virtual Seminar session will be available on DICOTA's website shortly.
Building Tanzania's Brand Equity - Reflections from a Leading Tanzanian Businessman
Ali
Mufuruki, Chairman and CEO of InfoTech Investment Group in Dar Es
Salaam, Tanzania delivered a pre-recorded video message to the diaspora
during the 2016 DICOTA Convention in Dallas, Texas. The session was
titled “This is your Tanzania: The Role of the Diaspora in Tanzania's
Vision 2025”. Mr. Mufuruki spoke about the role and responsibility the
Tanzania diaspora community has in improving brand quality and equity of
Tanzania. The recording took place after several planning sessions with
the Convention Program Committee and took advantage of excellent
technology provided by Clouds Media Group, who recorded Mr. Mufuruki at
his office in Dar es Salaam days before the convention.
Tanzania and its people are increasingly becoming more aware of
the presence of the diaspora community, its contributions to the
socio-economic development of the country and support they provide to
their families back home. There has been much more recognition of the
diaspora financial remittances that is sent back to Tanzania and other
material contributions that the diaspora makes to support healthcare,
education, and other endeavors. Mr. Mufuruki argues, while remittances
and other material things that the diaspora sends to their families are
very important, its contribution can be much more. Like many African
countries, Tanzania suffers from brand deficit and the diaspora can
change how Tanzania is being perceived across the world, explains Mr.
Mufuruki. Improved brand of Tanzania will change how its people perceive
themselves and builds more confidence.
A brand strength is always associated with success and successes
of Tanzanians abroad. Diaspora members in the US must endeavor to be
successful as individuals, as a community and as the entire diaspora in
the US while strongly associating themselves with Tanzanian roots and
heritage. Tanzania’s image and reputation goes up several notches every
time a successful Tanzanian is recognized. Improved brand strength not
only helps with increased tourism, but also makes Tanzania more
competitive for foreign capital investments. The perceived investment
risks are significantly influenced by how the world perceives the
reputation of Tanzania and the image it builds. Even more importantly,
Tanzanians look to the diaspora for inspiration and examples of what’s
possible and to build up confidence on what they can achieve. Everyone
needs an example and a role model to emulate. Tanzanians can share in
diaspora successes, these successes mean much more to the Tanzanian
society than any financial remittances.
We, as the diaspora have the responsibility to inspire Tanzania’s
confidence to occupy a larger space of opportunities and imagine a
better Tanzania. We can collectively achieve this by forging a Tanzanian
identity through our successes and by embracing our heritage.
Upcoming DICOTA Event How to Effectively Organize for Social Change
On
Saturday, July 30th from 11am - 12noon EST, DICOTA has the honor of
featuring Rakesh Rajani, Director, Democratic Participation and
Governance at the Ford Foundation on its Virtual Seminar. During this
session, he will share the key lessons he has learned that are essential
for people to organize for social change. As Diaspora members looking
to make positive changes that propel the worlds we live in forward, this
is a session not to be missed. Login/dial-in information will be posted
on DICOTA's website and circulated soon.
For more information on our upcoming featured speaker, please refer to his bio below.
Rakesh Rajani Bio:
Rakesh Rajani is Director, Democratic
Participation and Governance at the Ford Foundation in New York. Until
December 2014 he was the Head of Twaweza, an East African organization
that promotes citizen agency, open government and basic education. He is
also a founding member and past co-chair of the Open Government
Partnership, which involves 65 countries covering two billion people.
From 2001 to 2007 Rakesh served as the founding Executive Director of
HakiElimu, Tanzania’s leading citizen engagement and education advocacy
organization. Rakesh serves on several national and international
boards, and was a fellow of Harvard University from 1998 to 2013. He has
written and edited over 400 papers and popular publications in English
and Swahili. Rakesh graduated summa cum laude from Brandeis and Harvard
Universities.
DICOTA
has made some new friends. We are pleased to participate in events
sponsored by the Kupona Foundation, which has a focus of empowering
people and communities in Tanzania by realizing their full potential
through access to quality healthcare.
Did
you know that CCBRT, in partnership with its sister organization Kupona
Foundation, is a leading provider of quality healthcare in Tanzania,
changing over a million lives every year?
Do you want to join this team of health care professionals that are making a positive impact on Tanzania and its people?
There are several exciting roles available at CCBRT such as
Training Center Coordinator
Specialist in Pediatric Ophthalmology
Head of Department - Ophthalmology
Senior Technical Advisor - Nursing (Maternal and Newborn Healthcare)
Senior Technical Advisor - Anesthesia (Maternal and Newborn Healthcare)
Senior Technical Advisor - OB/GYN
Clinical Lead - Maternal and Newborn Healthcare
For the detailed job descriptions and application guidelines and timelines, please access the following link http://kuponafoundation.org/careers/.
Childbirth Survival International (CSI)
We
are always pleased to share information from our partners at CSI. They
are in the midst of an active campaign called 7 Dollars.
The
campaign states that, "when a mother dies when you could have saved
her, is a debt nobody wants. Join Childbirth Survival International in
its quest to help 1,000 pregnant women receive basic medical supplies by
donating as little as $7 today http://www.gofundme.com/7Dollars"
We
also rekindled our connection with Touch Foundation, which is based in
NY. They have a program team based in Mwanza, Tanzania and are working
with the Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences (CUHAS,
formerly BUCHS) to increase the number of health
care professionals (MDs, nurses, radiologist, pharmacists, etc.)
entering hospitals throughout Tanzania. They are also working with a
variety of partners to build a network for medical students to conduct
short-term external clinical rotations in Tanzania's rural areas thereby
increasing their familiarity to the challenges in these clinical
settings and the likelihood that they will be retained in the health
system.
Through our friendships, we most recently had the pleasure of having Erica Asante from Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon (http://pinkribbonredribbon.org/), and Dr. Frank Minja & Dr. Mwombeki Fabian from Maendeleo (http://www.maendeleoyetu.org/) join
us for our Convention in Dallas, and be featured on panels to share
some of the great work their respective organizations are doing to
strengthen Tanzania's healthcare system.
We look forward to continuing to feature our partners and friends and
the great work they are doing inn upcoming editions of the DICOTA
Chronicle and through our Virtual Seminars.
Justa Lujangwana, New York Tanzania Community (NYTC)
Community Outreach Co-Chair and Founder of Curious on Tanzania, with
members of DICOTA attending the Kupona Foundation Reception in NYC.
The Helpful Corner Links to Partner Based Products & Services (Tanzania)
Following
are some helpful links to companies providing products and services
targeted towards the Tanzania Diaspora. From financial services, real
estate, to identification cards, you can find the information you need
to know through one of the companies below.
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