Synergos News | Spring 2009
Notes from the Field: Photo Gallery: Improving Healthcare Leadership in Africa | First Gathering of Arab World Social Innovators Held in Jordan | Giving the Poor a Voice in Brazil’s Urban Renewal | GPC Completes Learning Journey to East Africa | Canada’s Aboriginal Partnership Publishes New Newsletter | Synergos Convenes
Faces of Change: Rosangela Berman-Bieler: Senior Fellow, Bridge Builder and Activist | In Memoriam: Lúcia Moreira Salles, Philanthropist, Nonprofit Leader and Fashion Icon | Synergos Network Achievements
Knowledge Sharing: Corporate Philanthropy in Mexico: National Study | Innovating Through Complexity: Bridging Leadership & Inclusive Partnerships
Event Calendar: March 18-20, 2009: The ABC Reconciliation Forum, Washington, DC March 24, 2009, 6:00pm: Film screening Soldiers of Peace, New York, NY | March 25-27, 2009: Synergos Social Innovators at Skoll World Forum, Oxford, England | May 1, 2009: GPC Next Generation Spring Meeting, Tarrytown, NY | May 2-3, 2009: GPC Spring Gathering, Tarrytown, NY | May 4-5, 2009: GPC Climate Change Forum, New York, NY | May 14-16, 2009: Synergos Social Innovators at EFC General Assembly, Rome, Italy | May 28-June 4, 2009: GPC Montana Alumni Reflection Retreat, Bartlett Island, Maine | July 21-28, 2009: GPC Retreat, J Bar L Ranch, Montana
Above photo: Hillside favela (slum) in São Paulo, Brazil.
NOTES FROM THE FIELD
Slideshow: Improving Healthcare Leadership in Africa
Despite Namibia’s relative affluence, the health care system provides inadequate care, with long waits and a shortage of quality care. With major support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Synergos helped launch the African Public Health Leadership and Systems Innovation Initiative. The Initiative aims to create positive system changes that can lead to an improved system of healthcare in Namibia. The work is also designed to be adapted and used in other parts of Africa.
Watch video of comments from Celine Usiku of Namibia’s Ministry of Health and Social Services about her experience with the partnership is also online.
First Gathering of Arab World Social Innovators Held in Jordan
The Arab World Social Innovators program convened its first class of 22 Social Innovators in Amman, Jordan in February. Over four days, Social Innovators presented their projects, and worked with Synergos to discover how their fellowships could help build on their work to address poverty and social issues. The Synergos team was joined by members of the program’s Regional Advisory Committee, representatives from the US Agency for International Development (which provides major funding for the program), regional partners, and Booz Allen’s Social Entrepreneurship Assistance Program. The orientation was the first group offering in the two-year program, which will provide Social Innovators with peer, professional and financial support to help them make greater social impacts in their communities and beyond.
The Arab World Social Innovators team also provides customized offerings tailored to the needs of each Innovator. Trainings, workshops, mentorships and learning exchanges will develop the capacity of individual leaders, provide practical assistance to their organizations, and connect Innovators to others who can move their ideas forward.
Giving the Poor a Voice in Brazil’s Urban Renewal
Synergos has successfully completed research for The Rockefeller Foundation around the theme “New Partnerships for Inclusive Cities.” The project examined approaches to cross-sectoral partnerships and leadership development to improve slum upgrading and urban renewal efforts. The research focuses on opportunities to work on inclusive processes for urban renewal with communities in Brazil’s favelas (slums).
Instituto Realice recently asked the Synergos Brazil team to participate in a workshop on partnerships within social change projects. Brazil Country Director Daniel Becker also took part in the World Social Forum earlier this month in Brazil, where he met with leaders working on urban inclusiveness throughout Latin America.
GPC Completes Learning Journey to East Africa
In March, the Global Philanthropists Circle (GPC) held a Learning Journey to East Africa that included visits to projects in Kenya and Tanzania. The journey exposed participants to innovative approaches to poverty and inequality in East Africa, highlighting micro-franchise and finance, land conservation, sustainable subsistence and commercial agricultural farming.
Above: GPC group at a Youth Reform project Kibera, Nairobi, the largest slum in Africa
Below: kids at Mully Children’s, a program supported by GPC member Steve Killelea
The Learning Journey also encouraged participants to connect with their personal purposes as philanthropists, engage with local philanthropists and leaders, and explore opportunities for partnerships.
The featured projects included:
- Mully Children’s Family is a “home” for street children and is supported by GPC member Steve Killelea. It integrates sustainable and commercial agricultural practices and generates income through vocational training programs.
- Green Belt Movement is best known for empowering millions of rural women through planting trees, but it also promotes peace building. It was founded by Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai, who was a featured speaker at the 2008 University for a Night.
- Ol Pejeta Conservancy engages local communities in wildlife conservation and is supported by GPC member Jon Stryker.
- The School of St. Jude fights poverty through education and is supported by GPC members Helen and Gordon Smith and their family.
- Miracle Corners of the World empowers youth to become positive agents of change and is supported by GPC member Eddie Bergman and his family.
- The Tanzania Gatsby Trust is headed by Synergos Senior Fellow Olive Luena and focuses on tapping into the potential of informal enterprises in the developing world.
Canada’s Aboriginal Partnership Publishes New Newsletter
The Ahp-cii-uk partnership in Canada launched a new monthly newsletter to offer updates on its progress. Subscribe online.
The initiative, dedicated to improving the quality of life among Aboriginal people and enhancing relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal societies in Canada, is in the midst of piloting several new projects.
Synergos Convenes
For the first time, the Senior Fellows Network conducted its new class orientation in webinar format. Held in early March, the orientation was designed to introduce the new Fellows to the objectives and activities of the program, the mission and projects of Synergos, and the work and experiences of the other Fellows.
On January 27 in Johannesburg, more than 40 people attended a “Dialogue and Innovation” event to raise awareness around children’s issues in Southern Africa. The event was part of the Leadership and Innovation Network for Collaboration in the Children’s Sector (LINC), a joint project between Convene Venture Philanthropy, the National Department of Social Development and Synergos. This was the first in a series of networking functions planned for the LINC Fellowship in 2009. These events are designed to promote better understanding of the issues and better ways to engage South African business and media in helping to improve the lives of children in distress.
In March, the Southern African Community Grantmakers Leadership Cooperative facilitated a Learning Event in Johannesburg. This Leadership Cooperative meets three times a year, and this first learning event focused on different ways for institutions to develop as learning organizations, and how they can be effective social justice advocates.
FACES OF CHANGE
Rosangela Berman-Bieler: Senior Fellow, Bridge Builder and Activist
Thirteen years ago, Rosangela Berman-Bieler came to the United States from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with the goal of creating an inter-American social interface between the disabilities and anti-poverty networks. This objective was a natural progression of the work she started while interned in a physical rehabilitation center after a car accident that left her a quadriplegic at 18 years of age. Since her arrival in New York, Rosangela has cultivated an expansive multinational practice dedicated to poverty alleviation for persons with disabilities through inclusive development and systems change.
Rosangela Berman-Bieler with disabled former child soldiers in Angola
Rosangela’s enriching approach engages stakeholders as learners and actors in the process of building bridges and changing systems through the Inter-American Institute on Disability and Inclusive Development (IIDI). Rosangela is the founding Director of IIDI, a nongovernmental organization that promotes socio-economic, political empowerment and participation of persons with disabilities throughout Latin American. IIDI advocates for the inclusion of individuals with physical disabilities in mainstream society by changing social paradigms that limit their participation and/or access. Its motto is “nothing about us, without us.” Since its inception, IIDI has grown and expanded their organizing and advocacy to include Portuguese-speaking African nations
Rosangela has been recognized internationally for her expertise on Latin American disability issues, particularly in inclusive development, public policy, media, gender and human rights. In 1988, she received the title of “Brazil’s Ambassador of Tourism” for her work on accessibility. In 1989, Rosangela was named a Lifetime Fellow by Ashoka: Innovators for the Public. In 2004, she received the Kessler Award from Rehabilitation International. Later, in 2007 she received the United Kingdom International Services Human Rights Award, in the category of People with Disabilities. Most recently, in 2008, she was invited to join the Synergos Senior Fellows network.
Her practice as a social innovator and activist is grounded in vision, determination, and self-reflection. Rosangela states that she is always learning. In a recent interview, she commented on her greatest lessons.
“The thing that impacted me most in my life is that there is nothing that can’t be done. There is always a way of getting things done when you have a vision. You just build a way. You really just build a way. The other thing that I learned is that things go on independently of you. That is a very important thing to learn for an activist because we are very self-centered and think that only we can save the world. I don’t think that only we can save the world. I really think that we give a small contribution, but it is an essential contribution.“
A journalist by training, Rosangela had edited and published several news magazines on disability issues. She has published extensively on the Internet as well as in print media and research journals. Among her many assignments, she has been engaged as a consultant by the Inter-American Development Bank, Organization of American States, International Labour Organization, and the World Bank. At the World Bank, she was designated as the point-person for disability and inclusive development for the Latin American and Caribbean region. Rosangela presently is based in New York City.
In Memoriam: Lúcia Moreira Salles, Philanthropist, Nonprofit Leader and Fashion Icon
Lúcia Moreira Salles of Brazil passed away on Saturday, January 24, 2009 in São Paulo after a courageous struggle with cancer.
Above: Lúcia Moreira Salles (left) and Peggy Dulany at a Global Philanthropists Circle event in South Africa
Below: Kids in daycare supported by Projecto Brasileirinho, an initiative of Riovoluntário, an organization Lúcia Moreira Salles led until her death
Lúcia was a long-time supporter of Synergos and a member of Synergos Board of Directors from 2003 until her death.
She was president of Riovoluntário, a non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Rio de Janeiro that recruits and trains volunteers and then places them with other NGOs. Founded in 1997, Riovoluntário also launched “Projecto Brasileirinho,” an initiative to improve the quality of daycare for children from newborns to four years old. Under Lúcia’s leadership, the organization gained national and global recognition as a voluntarism model.
As a founding member of the Synergos’ Global Philanthropists Circle (GPC), Lúcia shared her experience with Riovoluntário and in promoting philanthropy with other philanthropists and leaders at events in Brazil, South Africa and the United States. In looking back at her work with Lúcia, Peggy Dulany, Synergos’ Chair, says, “I treasured our friendship, and I was profoundly grateful for her being such a stalwart and active member of our board and of the GPC.”
Before Lúcia Moreira Salles’ successes in the nonprofit world, she was an enormously successful fashion model, working with designers such as Valentino Garavani and Coco Chanel.
Synergos President Robert H. Dunn said, “Lúcia will be missed for her wisdom, her helpful guidance, and for the passion she held for helping children, particularly in Brazil.”
Synergos Network Achievements
Senior Fellow Elkanah Odembo has been appointed as Kenya’s Ambassador to France. Elkanah founded Ufadhili Trust eight years ago to promote the spirit of giving and philanthropy in Kenya, as well as the use of local resources to improve people’s lives.
Bill Clinton with Rina Lopez Bautista and Oscar Lopez at the Clinton Global Initiative, Asia.
The Knowledge Channel was cited during the Clinton Global Initiative Asia meeting in Hong Kong. The first and only all-educational channel on cable TV in the Philippines, the Knowledge Channel was created by GPC members Rina Lopez Bautista and her father Oscar Lopez.
Rina Lopez Bautista is also collaborating with Synergos’ Senior Fellows in the Philippines there to deepen the awareness and commitment to philanthropy in that country. Others involved included Dinky Soliman, former Secretary of Social Welfare of the Philippines and long-time civil society activist and change facilitator and Ernie Garilao of the Asia Institute of Management in Manila.
The Senior Fellows network named its new Advisory Committee, which will include the following members: Felicitas “Fely” Rixhon, Janet Mbene, Beatriz Azeredo, Joe Lumarda, Mariana Lomé and Chebet Maikut. The Advisory Committee provides guidance to the program’s staff about activities, policy, strategy and fundraising.
Senior Fellow William Okedi, Field Director for the HIV/AIDS Monitor research program of the Centre for Global Development, was awarded Head of State Commendation last December , one of Kenya’s highest national honors. Selected from among nominees in 242 districts, William was honored for his exceptional leadership in mobilizing the community to create educational opportunities for children from poor and marginalized groups.
The Hashoo Foundation, which is run by GPC member Sarah Hasnwani, won the World Challenge 08, an initiative among Shell, Newsweek Magazine and BBC World News. The Foundation’s “Plan Bee” initiative in Pakistan empowers local women by training them as beekeepers.
Co-produced by GPC member Dounia Benjelloun, Journey to Mecca is an IMAX® dramatic and documentary feature that tells the story of Ibn Battuta, a 14th century Moroccan traveler, and follows his first pilgrimage between from Tangier to Mecca. The world premiere of the film, which is narrated by Ben Kingsley was held in January in Los Angeles.
In the January 22 issue of TIME Magazine, John and Cynthia Hardy discuss the work of their Green School in Bali. The Hardys are both members of Synergos’ Global Philanthropists Circle.
The AlvarAlice Foundation, created by GPC member María Eugenia Garcés and led by Senior Fellow Oscar Rojas, organized a global symposium on “Microfinance & Peace” in January. The event convened more than 2,000 people, including President of Colombia Alvaro Uribe; President of the Inter-American Development Bank Luis Alberto Moreno; Maria Otero, President and CEO of ACCION International; and Lynn Patterson, Founder of Pro Mujer International, among other distinguished participants from 10 countries.
GPC member Philipp Engelhorn premiered his first Cinereach film, The Road Ahead: The First Green Long March. The film tells the story of the 2008 “Green” Olympics in Beijing, when 2,000 college students from across China mobilized to bring awareness to the country’s environmental challenges. The film held a premiere on March 3 at the Asia Society in New York.
Arab World Social Innovator Kamal Mouzawak’s project was cited in the travel sector of The New York Times. Souk el Tayeb, Beirut’s first farmers market, was one of the reasons Beirut was #1 on the list of “Where to Go” in 2009. In addition, he was also profiled in the February 28 issue of The Guardian (UK).
GPC member Greg Carr was featured in the February 25 issue of USA Today for his ongoing work in building schools and repopulating Gorongosa National Park to help stimulate systems change in Mozambique.
Senior Fellow Jacqueline Novogratz has just released the book The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World. It is the inspiring personal story of how she has found powerful new ways of tackling poverty. She shows how a new form of philanthropic investing called “patient capital” can help make people self-sufficient and change millions of lives.
Former Synergos Board member Richard Parsons was recently named the new chairman of Citigroup.
KNOWLEDGE SHARING
Corporate Philanthropy in Mexico: A National Study was co-funded by the government of the state of Sonora and the family foundation of GPC member Pablo Borquez. It study documents and analyzes the philanthropic attitudes and activities of Mexican corporations. The study shows how corporate philanthropy in Mexico is moving between “traditional” philanthropy, conducted more as a personal act of charity, and “strategic philanthropy,” conducted through institutions, with goals, objectives, strategies and a certain level of evaluation.
Synergos’ John Heller gave a presentation at for The Philanthropy Workshop entitled Innovating Through Complexity: Bridging Leadership & Inclusive Partnerships. The presentation examines approaches that Synergos and other individuals and organizations around the world are using to address complex social problems in ways that engage the poor, release new ideas and create sustainable solutions.
SYNERGOS INSIDER
Individuals and organizations linked to Synergos can now explore the use of our headquarters in the historic New York Life Building for conferences and meetings. For more information, please contact Yvonette Broomes at ybroomes@synergos.org or +1 646-963-2133.
Our latest internships are listed online.
EVENT CALENDAR
March 18-20, 2009: The ABC Reconciliation Forum, Washington, DC
Synergos and GPC member Emilio Azcárraga Jean will bring together prominent leaders for three days of private discussion on the theme, “How can we promote reconciliation in the many conflicts the world faces?” The forum will feature prominent public figures such as Desmond Tutu, Mikhail Gorbachev, Jimmy Carter, human rights activist John Prendergast and President, Inter-American Development Bank Luis Alberto Moreno.
Participants may attend by invitation only. For more information, contact Ken Nero at knero@synergos.org or 646-963-2165.
March 24, 2009, 6:00pm: Film screening of Soldiers of Peace, New York, NY
GPC member Steve Killelea screens his documentary Soldiers of Peace. Narrated by Michael Douglas, the film chronicles peacebuilding work in 14 countries.
This is a private screening for Synergos members and invited guests ; to attend, email Ken Nero at knero@synergos.org.
March 25-27, 2009: Synergos Social Innovators at Skoll World Forum, Oxford, England
At the annual Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship in England, Synergos will host a session featuring three representatives from the Arab World Social Innovators Program. They will discuss the challenges in scaling up projects and the issues they confront in creating social change in the Middle East.
May 1, 2009: GPC Next Generation Spring Meeting, Tarrytown, NY
The Circle’s NextGen group will focus on the systemic causes to key poverty issues. Group exercises and real-time consulting will help participants integrate new ideas and approaches into their work.
Open to GPC members. To participate, please contact Daniel Domagala at +1 646-963-2135 or at ddomagala@synergos.org.
May 2-3, 2009: GPC Spring Gathering, Tarrytown, NY
GPC Members will explore approaches toward systems change using diverse case studies. Located at the Rockefeller Family Estate in Pocantico Hills, NY, this gathering will bring together Synergos GPC Members and Senior Fellows as part of a series of trainings for more effective philanthropic leadership in addressing global poverty.
Open to GPC members. To participate, please contact Kathleen Freis at +1 646-963-2132 or at kfreis@synergos.org.
May 4-5, 2009: GPC Climate Change Forum, New York, NY
This joint project of Synergos and the Institute for Philanthropy will bring together experts, activists and philanthropists currently funding or interested in the field of climate change. They will discuss the greatest challenges and the most effective strategies in climate change philanthropy.
Open to GPC members. To participate, please contact Daniel Domagala at +1 646-963-2135 or at ddomagala@synergos.org.
May 14-16, 2009: Synergos Social Innovators at EFC General Assembly, Rome, Italy
At the annual European Foundation Centre General Assembly in Rome, Synergos will host a session that showcases the Arab World Social Innovators Program. The session will focus on how social entrepreneurship offers a fresh approach to creating social change in the Middle East.
May 28-June 4, 2009: GPC Montana Alumni Reflection Retreat, Bartlett Island, Maine
Intended for those who have attended a Montana retreat (see next item), this retreat in Maine will provide space for participants to look at where they are in their lives, drawing from their reflection in Montana to deepen understanding and tap further into their potential as global leaders.
Open to GPC members who have participated in the Montana retreat. To participate, please contact Kathleen Freis at +1 646-963-2132 or at kfreis@synergos.org.
July 21-28, 2009: GPC Retreat, J Bar L Ranch, Montana
GPC Members will explore their personal purposes as global leaders working for social justice. The Montana retreat engages participants in meaningful discussions and guides them through practical exercises aimed at deepening connections and increasing the effectiveness of their social engagement. This retreat also offers preparation and coaching to guide the experience.
Open to GPC members. To participate, please contact Kathleen Freis at +1 646-963-2132 or at kfreis@synergos.org.
THE SYNERGOS FAMILY OF DONORS
Synergos thanks our family of donors who have helped make our work possible. Listed below are donors who have given to Synergos between December 15, 2008 and March 15, 2009.
We hope you will consider joining them by making a contribution to support our work.
|
|
ABOUT THE COMMONS
The name The Commons comes from the English and early American term “commons,” which was an area of shared land, which the entire community could use for public discussions, local events or even grazing livestock.
The newsletter that bears this name has been created to keep the entire Synergos family of supporters and friends informed about our work. We send out an updated version each quarter that covers our partnership and network activities, as well as other organizational happenings that we think might interest you.
If you have any recommendations for what we can do to make this newsletter of better service to you, please contact Synergos at jtomlinson@synergos.org.
HELP SYNERGOS FIGHT POVERTY
Subscriptions to The Commons are free. If you would like to contribute to Synergos and support our work to reduce global poverty, please visit www.synergos.org/donate.
MANAGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION
The Commons shares news about The Synergos Institute with our networks, supporters and partners. It is published quarterly, with a digest delivered by email.
Enter your email address below to manage your subscription, to unsubscribe, or to subscribe.
You can also contact us.
