The Words of the Koetsier Family
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The Words of the Koetsier Family |
We cordially invite you to a conference on Development Aid: Perspectives and Experiences. See this invitation also attached.
Whether and how development aid can be effective is currently much in question, most recently during negotiations to form of a government in The Netherlands. The New York Times Bestseller "Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How there is a Better Way for Africa", by Dambiso Moyo, strongly discourages the giving of development aid to poor countries, though her arguments are equally strongly criticized.
In order to get a better understanding of this topic, UPF Netherlands resolved at the beginning of this year to hold a conference about development aid with speakers who are directly involved in helping people in developing countries. There will also be a presentation of the UPF view on how human beings develop themselves.
UPF Netherlands has a particular connection with Africa, through an affiliated Partner, Youth Service Initiative, which every year sends trainee volunteers to Ghana to help with youth programs and construction projects run by Community Partnership for Youth and Women Development (CPYWD, in The Netherlands often referred to as Community Partnership); whose European Representative, Maartje Bos, is based in The Netherlands and provides training and leadership before and during the programs -- which, from all accounts are equally beneficial to all parties. Ms. Bos is a UPF Ambassador for Peace and CPYWD is now also a UPF Partner. This conference is convened to coincide with a visit to Europe by Yakubu Iddrisu, CPYWD's founder and executive director.
The program is as follows:
10.00 Reception
10.30 Word of Welcome
10.35 Video, Introduction and Latest News concerning UPF
11.15 Important Insights concerning how People Develop
Hans Campman, President, Family Federation for World Peace -- Netherlands
12.00 The CPYWD approach in Ghana as a country in development
Yakubu Iddrisu, founder and executive director of Community Partnership for Youth and Women Development (CPYWD), which helps people and communities become more self-supportive; he is a technology teacher by profession, having also earned certificates on monitoring and evaluation, project management and project planning; and has worked as a teacher and social worker, and for several NGO's, including as a program officer for the 'Christian Children's Fund Canada' in Ghana. In his lecture, Mr. Iddrisu will demonstrate the specific CPYWD approach and share with us his experiences in international development cooperation and CPYWD initiatives, most notably After School Programs and beekeeping projects; including addressing 'what works' and 'what can be even destructive' in development aid cooperation.
12.45 Break
13.00 Development Aid: Perspectives and Examples
Hubbe Mudde, Msc (Sociology, Wageningen Agricultural University), Manager, Sustainable Development Center (SDC), Maastricht School of Management; adviser on strategic marketing, communication planning, vision development and fund raising for organizations working in the area of European and international relations; his interests include communication as such and the use of new information technologies in international cooperation and by developing countries; formerly, coordinator of Euforic, Europe's Forum on International Cooperation; worked at the Information Department of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and was acting head of the Information Department of SNV Netherlands Development Organization.
13.45 Questions, answers and discussion
14.15 Concluding Remarks
14.30 Lunch
We look forward to your coming to this event. Please inform us about your attendance through e-mail or telephone.
Sincerely yours,
Willem Koetsier
Secretary General, UPF-NL