ICA NEPAL Earthquake Relief Fund:
Earthquake Relief Fund: A day after the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that hit Nepal on April 25th, our team visited affected areas in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur. At least 3,300 people have died and hundreds of buildings and  heritages destroyed. Tremors are still going on and there might be more causalities and loss of properties. The biggest impact was in and around Kathmandu, the most densely populated area of Nepal.
We have launched a relief fund following Prime Minister Sushil Koirala’s appeal for international support. The money raised will be spent on disaster recovery and relief activities including providing food, clean water, fuel, shelter and hygiene products.
ICA Nepal will also do long-term work to help victims recover. We will update all donors on the use of their support.
Please send donations to ICA Nepal,
Account Number 01006378902
SWIFT Code: SCBLNPKA
Standard Chartered Bank
New Baneshwor, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Or donate on-line:
http://www.ica-usa.org/donations/fund.asp?id=12958
ICA JAPAN
Cote d’Ivoire Project: We are collaborating in a training project involving six villages in Agboville, 70km north-west of Abidjan. The project, funded by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA Japan), will train unemployed youths in vegetable farming, chicken farming and agroforestry. Coordinator Hideki Kambi will work with Eugene Kouame, executive director and project manager of ICA Cote d’Ivoire.
Bihar Project: MOFA has approved the third phase of this project which involves building three more community centres in villages in Bihar, India, this year. Shizuyo Sato and Wayne Ellsworth visited the Madepura project area in February to hand over two newly built multi-purpose centres to the village development committee. We will train 10 preschool teachers and equip Women’s Self Help Groups with incomegenerating skills. Young village women will be taught sewing. Our partner is Wholistic Child Development International which has a long history of working with churches in India.
 Fukushima Nuclear Power Disaster Rehabilitation Project: We organized gardening activities for victims of the disaster rehoused in Minami-Soma City during April 2014 to February 2015. The aim was to enhance bonds within the community and provide mental care. Health care experts, who did a survey, said the activities have helped relieve mental fatigue among those who have been staying in cramped temporary homes for the last four years.
DiDRR Network workshop: Wayne Ellsworth facilitated a three-day workshop for the Disability inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DiDRR) Network in Sendai, Japan, at the conclusion of the UN Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction. The workshop, which focused on re-constituting the network, involved 15 participants charged with ensuring that DiDRR reaches a maximum of people with handicaps. The workshop helped them review the past and create a new vision for the future.
Staff changes: Mayumi, who is getting married, and Maki, who is moving to an island near Okinawa, are leaving. Shinji has already left to help start an import/ export company. Three new staff have been recruited and are being trained by Maki and Mayumi.
ICA CHILE
Methods courses: We have organized courses on participatory group work methods for physically challenged people this year.
Youth counselling: We are supporting an entrepreneurs’ group formed by previous patients of the Children’s Rehabilitation Centre – Valparaiso Telethon with help from the government’s National Disability Service. We are training the Entrepreneurs in Action Organization in ToP methods and helping them plan their next three years. We have also planned various small projects to support members with more serious disabilities.
ICA CONFERENCES
Asia Pacific Regional Meeting: This event, open to colleagues across the world, will look at future strategies within the region and the globe; and share practical and spirit methods, including Technology of Participation (ToP). It will be held at the ICAA Environmental Education Centre in Talegaon, near Pune, India during November 29 to December 6. For more information, please contact: shizuyo@icajapan.org.
Tanzania Regional meeting: This event, during May 17 to 23, will use “Sharing Approaches that Work” model to discuss the future of ICA in Africa. It will include workshops on ICA methods and programs such as youth leadership curriculum, permaculture and farmer based self-help groups. ICAs are encouraged to send not just their leaders but staff members as well. Expected participants include ICAs in Zimbabwe, Kenya and the US; Safe Neighborhoods/ ICA Uganda; OPAD; ICOD Action Network; and colleagues helping with programming in East Africa. For more information please contact: richard.alton@ gmail.com or sgandhi@ica-usa.org.
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