Research for Week of Sept 14

Friends - Welcome to old and new people on the FV Research Team. You all play an important part in what we are doing. We've gone VERY quiet over the past year, mostly due to me moving to BOston to go to Harvard and not having a good enough work/life balance to prioritize and delegate. This is improving. We are now led by a team of GREAT Volunteers in PA and a team of people like you all.

I can't thank you enough for any time & energy you are able to put into this.

If you are on this list and are no longer able to help, just let me know. Or you can unsubscribe if you are so upset w/ my lack of communication. :) As always, thanks for your grace and contributions.

For all of the team, refresh how this works, including how to submit research, etc. Instructions can be found from our initial Post to this blog. You can view these instructions here.

This week - we need research claimed in the following areas:
1) Researching Microfinance organizations working in Zimbabwe. We had an assessment done on microfinance groups working in Zambia, which was VERY helpful and will continue to be used there. But we are looking for Zim now. Here are two links that Annie found for her Zambia research that she noted were helpful. According to the Microfinance Gateway, (http://www.microfinancegateway.org/resource_centers/savings/studytour/zambia) and http://www.gdrc.org/icm/country/africa-zambia.html. Note from Annie: It was an undated site, so I'm not sure how current the contact info is. When available, I gave additional contact info and noted the date if there was one.

In particular, I'm looking for contact details, summary of activities, and what kind of microfinance work they do (different loan options, model of structuring the loans, etc). A spreadsheet is most helpful.

2) Someone to research psycho-social support organizations workign with churches for grief counseling and support for kids, particularly those working in Zimbabwe AND/OR Zambia. Special notes shoudl be given to groups working in Ndola, Zambia or Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, where our operations are focused in each country. A lot of technical terms, I know. But my wife Katie and I are working with a team of pastors to assess their current abilities & resources available to them to help counsel kids w/ Biblical principles. The technical language is what may be most helpful for searching.

If anyone wants to claim either of these, simply comment and let the group know which ones you'll take. Feel free to double up, then just communicate with each other via email or on the blog. If it's more helpful, we can always create a Facebook Group or Google Docs.

THANKS! Know that your voices will be VERY helpful as we work to better equip churches with resources they need to meet the physical & spiritual needs of children orphaned by AIDS in their communities.

All the best,
Ryan

Update from Africa

Friends - I am in Africa until June 20. I look forward to connecting with you all. Enjoy the month off if you aren't working on any projects for us. THANKS for all you do.

-Ryan

April 28th Research Needs & Update

Research Team - I am in the process of dividing some of my duties to other people as I prepare to move to Boston. I'll be at the Harvard Kennedy School starting this fall. I will still be the President of Forgotten Voices, but will really focus on fundraising, managing projects in Africa and growing our Boston presence, where I am originally from. A lot of my other responsibilities are being divided by a team of people that will manage Forgotten Voices.

Kathy Goss from this Research Team will be serving as the main point of contact between Forgotten Voices and this group.

We are going to streamline the process a bit and are working out the details. Right now, postings on this blog come from conversations I have with our African partners, then I put them on the blog after I talk about the needs with a few people. The future process will look like this: Reports will come in from Africa, including the Research Questions they need help with - and those Research Questions will be posted here by Kathy. That removes me and a whole host of other people from the process and gives you more context for the need.

I'll occasionally ship stuff to Kathy that I need help with for African projects on a more global scale, not just a specific partner. This research WILL NOT be for my graduate school. :) I think my professors may frown upon this. :)

With all that typed - Kathy and I will be updating the group on moving forward once we have a plan in the next couple weeks.

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As for research for this week - Would someone be willing to look into Researching laws regarding non-profits giving grants to individuals? Microfinance projects can be given to individuals, but I have heard that grants to individuals is generally frowned upon. However, I want to know what the law says? It is probably an IRS rule related to 501c3 designation. I'd LOVE for someone to look into this and see what they can dig up.

Specifically, I'm looking for any specific wording on what is allowed by the IRS for granting money to individuals.

Here's the context: with inflation in Zimbabwe now at 162,000%, we are looking at giving more money to individual businessmen in Zimbabwe that have access to USD through US bank accounts, rather than give to Zim organizations that must use Zim Banks and pay a fraction of market value. For example - send money to a bank account in Utah that is connected to a Forgotten Voices business leader in Zimbabwe. He gives out the money at a fair rate to the orphan care project leaders, similar to a bank, and tracks expenses (money in/out) for Forgotten Voices. To carry the example forward, we are also looking at making the man an "employee" of Forgotten Voices and open up a joint account that he has access to and just uses our money.

But the first and fundamental question is this: would the IRS allow this scenario to an individual IF we can prove that the man is handling funds on behalf of Forgotten Voices and our African project partners.

Hope that helps. To put your minds at ease, I have also asked a few lawyers to look into this, as well. :) But I'd also like a non-lawyer to look at what we can find on our own.

Happy hunting!

Research for April 21

Friends - Who would like to take on researching organizations that deal with physical rehabilitation models for patients with HIV/AIDS? I'm looking for organizations that focus on helping people regain strength in motion that they lost from HIV/AIDS infections. I'm not sure if anyone out there is doing it and I need someone to find out.

Please find:
Name or organization, Website, description of care model/program, contact info to learn more

Please let me know if you are interested. :) Thanks!

-Ryan

Research Report on 2M Children with HIV/AIDS

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=51371

Friends - would one of you or a couple of you work on following up with this report? I'd like all the background to it, abstracts/copies of the cited works.

Let me know if you'd be willing to take on this challenge and we can lay out a plan.

Thanks!

-Ryan

Election Map

I was sent the following information by a good friend of mine. It is an interesting assessment of on the ground conditions in Zimbabwe. The election conditions are mapped out, with clickable layers to show different instances of conflict or trial.

Continue to pray with me and our local partners.

-Ryan
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http://www.sokwanele.com/map/all_breaches#mapping

For Week of March 10th

Research Team, Just came across 2 needs if some of you are looking for another assignment.

1) Research Lists of Christian Non-profits on the web that Forgotten Voices should be part of. Examples: Ministry Watch. See note below for more details on what I'm looking for.

2) Research General Lists of NGOs working in Africa that Forgotten Voices should be part of. Example: GuideStar. See note below for more details on what I'm looking for.

In short, people sometimes make decisions based on information provided by ratings companies like these 2 examples. We will need to be including our information in these lists over the next year, as we are eligible. A general search for ministry databases, separated by 2 lists above, is what I'm after. Some of these lists may appear in each category, especially if 2 different people do it.

If possible, I'd like you to put this in an excel spreadsheet so I can import this into our databased of potential tasks for our volunteer leaders.

Here's what I would need for each list you find:
1) Name of List
2) Website address to submit info
3) Information required to submit to list
4) Any other info that jumps off as interesting about list (not req for each entry)

Please let me know if you have questions about this. Thanks!

-Ryan

Research for Week of March 3

Friends - Long time no write. I know you all have been keeping busy with your various research projects. Here's what I need next when you are done...

Church & Orphan Care Focus: Find research papers that argue that local churches are effective care providers in AIDS orphan care specifically in Africa. I've found some really good research on the web, but I'm looking for more. Michigan State has a good website for Africa, as well as Johns Hopkins & Harvard. Google, Wiki, and grounds like UNAIDS are great places to also explore. Specifically, I'm looking for arguments that support the assertion that churches deliver the most effective care because of their existing network and local knowledge of communities.

In contrast, I'm also looking for research that points out why local churches are NOT effective care providers in AIDS orphan care specifically in Africa. The most common arguments are ineffective business managers; they care more about spiritual and neglect spiritual; and church structure breeds power struggles in Africa.

Vague task, but I'm looking for a collection of resources on the topic because I'm being asked to talk on college campuses more. I'd like to find scholarly papers that address these issues. World Vision & Geneva Global may also be helpful places to check out.

Thanks! Let me know what you can find.

Thanks! THANKS! THANKS!

Also - I won't be posting March 10 unless something pressing comes up. I'll be traveling back from Nashville, TN that morning so I won't have much access to the web. THANKS! Take the week off. :) Nice of me eh?

Week of Feb 11

Friends - this is just a repeat of last week. Kathy is doing #1, but I still need #2 if someone is willing. Thanks for all your help!

-Ryan
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I need someone to take on the following tasks:

1) Research verses in the Bible that discuss caring for widows & orphans and organize them as a resource I can upload for people to download. I envision this looking like a reference that has 2 parts: 1) Verse references that are separated by caring for widows & orphans; widows; orphans; 2) Rather than just list verse reference: list the actual verse and reference. Then try to organize this information into a new document: Landscape, 2 columns.

2) I'd like someone to take on the same task, but look at 3 major religions and their references to widows and orphans. Islam, Judaism, Buddhism. Don't look for catchy sayings, but references from their holy books (Qur'an for example from Islam). Wiki has a reference to Major US religions that may be a helpful starting point.

Thanks all! Your help with all of this is saving me SOO much time, allowing me to focus on other things! THANK YOU! Sincerely. You are really helping us make a larger, more informed difference.

-Ryan

Week of Feb 4

I need someone to take on the following tasks:

1) Research verses in the Bible that discuss caring for widows & orphans and organize them as a resource I can upload for people to download. I envision this looking like a reference that has 2 parts: 1) Verse references that are separated by caring for widows & orphans; widows; orphans; 2) Rather than just list verse reference: list the actual verse and reference. Then try to organize this information into a new document: Landscape, 2 columns.

2) I'd like someone to take on the same task, but look at 3 major religions and their references to widows and orphans. Islam, Judaism, Buddhism. Don't look for catchy sayings, but references from their holy books (Qur'an for example from Islam). Wiki has a reference to Major US religions that may be a helpful starting point.

Thanks all! Your help with all of this is saving me SOO much time, allowing me to focus on other things! THANK YOU! Sincerely. You are really helping us make a larger, more informed difference.

-Ryan

Week of January 27th

Friends - Long time no talk. I hope you all are well.

I have 2 time sensitive issues and 1 more generic.

1) Research ACTEA: Accrediting Council for Theological Education in
Africa (ACTEA. Forgotten Voices is exploring ways to partner with this group for expansion across southern Africa. Therefore, try to find the following information:
a) General info on ACTEA, including overview of mission, key contacts, contact information, locations of ACTEA members (focus on southern Africa and Uganda, if a member)
b) Any mention of HIV/AIDS programming within their website
c) Do a quick search to find opinions of ACTEA - pro or con on the web. You most likely won't find anything like this, but you never know. :)

As an FYI - I know the President of ACTEA, Joe Simfuekwe, Principal at TCCA in Ndola, Zambia. So don't feel too much pressure to find things. Anything is helpful.

2) Research the Uganda Christian University in more depth. Briana did this initial research - info below. But I'm looking for additional information.
a) Who are their partners in the USA? They are part of the CCCU network, but which American schools have programs with this Ugandan university?
b) More importantly, any information about AIDS programming?

Here is Briana's research:
Uganda Christian University
http://www.ucu.ac.ug/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
-- UCU is one of the oldest and most respected schools of Theology in South Africa. They may be a good resource for funding and collaboration on major projects. Their ties with universities in the United States as well as the main body of the Church of Uganda likely will contribute to a fruitful relationship, and may be a source for capacity building in the first stages of FVI development in Uganda. --
Uganda Christian University is located 23 kilometres from Kampala, in Mukono town, on the the main road to Jinja. It is a private university, chartered and fully accredited by the President of the Republic of Uganda, through the Ministry of Higher Education and Sports, and the National Council for Higher Education.
UCU is owned by the Province of the Church of Uganda, and has campuses in Eastern, Western and Northern Uganda.

The University was born out of Bishop Tucker Theological College. The college was founded in 1913 in response to a growing need for pastors in the Church.

Uganda Christian University has all the necessities for an excellent education. It is recognised internationally and nationally. The Most Rev. Henry Luke Orombi, Archbishop of the Church of Uganda is Chancellor, and the Rt. Rev. Dr George Carey is our Patron.

Uganda Christian University is the first African affiliate member of the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities in the United States, and a member of the Colleges and Universities of the Anglican Communion.
Motto
Alpha and Omega: God the Beginning and the End
Vision
A Centre of Excellence in the Heart of Africa
Mission
Uganda Christian University is dedicated, through teaching, scholarship, service, spiritual formation, student development and social involvement, to preparing students for thoughtful, productive lives of Christian faith and service in their respective professions and places.

Finally - More generic: Research websites that highlight the good things about Africa. I'm sure there are websites dedicated to painting a happier portrait of Africa. I'm looking for web resources and stats/stories that highlight the good things about Africa in a fun way. Perhaps some trivia game? Or picture gallery or somethign else. Basically - I want to link later this month to online resources to help people see hope in Africa - they could be of animals, natural resources, great stories from Africa, etc. I'm not sure what I'm looking for, other than an online resource for Americans to learn more about what makes Africa great and not a black hole of problems. I'd like to blog about this in mid/late February and include your collection of links. Please categorize them based on the kind of info about Africa: Animals, Business, General Info, Fun Facts, Art, etc. so I can easily cut and paste.

Thanks! As always, feel free to contact me. I'm around all week and not going anywhere.

Topics for Week of Jan 14

Sorry for the delay. Was in NYC and DC these past 5 days.

I don't have research needs this week, as I need to read all your work over the past 3 weeks. Thank you all for the good work you've done!

I'll post more on Monday.

Have a good week off!

-Ryan

Topics for Week of Jan 7

The only additional topic I am looking for research on this week is the following:

1) Explore the ministry SIM and identify HIV/AIDS programming occurring in southern Africa. Particularly, I'm looking for information on projects (if any) in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Malawai, Swaziland and South Africa.

Those in bold are the most important to focus on, if you need to for time reasons.

For context, I am going to South Africa in February to meet with HIV/AIDS officers at SIM to discuss partnerships. They are one of many meetings while I'm there and I need to know what they are doing and where.

Thanks, all!

-Ryan

Topics for Week of Dec 17

General Development Issues:
- Study Title 1, 2, 3 Food Assistance programs within USAID; Provide information on what defines each type
- ARV Supply organizations in southern Africa; Describe programs and disbursement by country - making special note of Zambia or Zimbabwe oriented programs or assistance. Most likely should start with Clinton Foundation, Gates Foundation, UN.

ZAMBIA:
- Research famous people, with special attention to women, from Zambia's history; in 2008, i'd like to have a section of famous personalities within each country that we serve
- IMF Debt - understand & describe Zambia's current debt and current relationship with IMF

ZIMBABWE:
- Research famous people, with special attention to women, from Zimbabwe's history; in 2008, i'd like to have a section of famous personalities within each country that we serve
- Find photo galleries or movies on the internet about the situation in Zimbabwe; make sure to document where you found them so we can link

Thanks! As always, please let me know if you have any questions: RKeith@ForgottenVoices.org.

Topics for Week of Dec 10

Friends - Thanks for your research assignments. New topics this week once/if you finish what you are working on...

ZAMBIA:
- Research organizations that work in micro-finance in zambia; please include their names, websites, information on zambian projects, and contact person

ZIMBABWE:
- Research organizations shipping things to Zimbabwe for relief; a bit vague, but we are essentially looking to identify groups or churches USA based that ship relief supplies to Zimbabwe. We currently don't plan to, but have a project that could be complimentary to such a program.
- State of prison system in Zimbabwe - explore all you can about how the jail system works in the country. there is increasing evidence that HIV/AIDS is spreading through prisons. we are looking at some projects in partnership with the church that could benefit this situation.

OTHERS:
- Medical Organizations doing homebased care training in southern africa. Include names, websites, information on locations of projects, and contact person.

THANKS! You can also send directly to me at RKeith@ForgottenVoices.org.

Topics for Week of Dec. 3

Reminder: Please claim a topic by commenting what you are going to write on. Then, conduct research for a maximum of 2 weeks, with the finished product ranging from 3-5 pages of info on the topic. Please also include a reference list so we can reference the information you provide us.

THANKS! HAPPY RESEARCHING!

ZAMBIA
- Tonga People (focus on family dynamics, cultural history, and where they live/work)
- Political parties and system of government
- Identify AIDS organizations working in the country

ZIMBABWE
- Shona cultural history and family dynamics

UGANDA
- Identify Christian seminaries in the country

SWAZILAND
- Identify Christian seminaries in the country

Welcome to the Team

Friends - Welcome to the team. Thanks for your help that you've provided. Now that we are getting a bit bigger, I think this will help you all know each other and understand what is being reserached. As you meet others that want to participate, please let me know. All the help we can get.

Here's how this will work. Every Monday by 12pm, I'll post topics that need researching. Then, you comment and claim one of the topics so we know what is taken and what is left.

If you find outstanding links or things others think may be helpful, feel free to email it to me or leave a comment with a link. Let's keep things going together.

Next, take 2 weeks and try to compile information on that topic. Attempt to skim your research down to 3-5 pages. Feel free to copy & paste, but please cite things so we can follow up if/when we use the research. Please email the completed DOC to Research@ForgottenVoices.org

Finally, make sure to include a listing of all the sources you used. No need to follow a particular style. Just keep track of what you look at so we can go back and reference or refer people to the resource.

That simple! :) Thanks! Check back at 12pm on Monday for next week's topics!

-Ryan