oneVillage’s LOVE FOR AFRICA @ Taiwan’s Africa Week - 2010
Africa Week is an event we participated in Taiwan on May 29-30, 2010 to promote our effort with the 3rd year Ecotourism in Africa that includes 10 NTHU students traveling to Ghana for a month during August as part of a service & learning program. OVF’s Joy Tang was on hand along with the students and also the several key sponsors and supporters.
Setting up oneVillage booth at Africa Week - UNITY!
oneVillage is featured in one of the exhibitions in Africa Week, ‘Taiwanese in Africa, Africans in Taiwan’. oneVillage triggered the researchers from National Taiwan University to discuss our role as an NPO with its social entrepreneurial actions to build a sustainable future.
This poster features oneVillage as a case study of "Taiwanese in Africa" promoting social enterprise development models
When we introduced our work to the Chairman of Taiwan National Association of Small & Medium Enterprises, we were faced with the reality of Taiwan’s diplomatic isolation. The Chairman told the NTHU students that Ghana has no diplomatic relationship with Taiwan and it would be difficult for his association and businesses to sponsor out work. We took this opportunity to exercise our critical thinking towards a constructive approach by affirming that:
- Helping others (countries in Africa) should not depend on diplomatic status;
- Good publicity for Taiwanese companies to do good;
- Gives Taiwan a good public face in emerging markets in Africa;
- Gives Taiwanese Youth training in a growing and diverse cultures to apply skills and search for innovation.
Even though Taiwanese Government is short of friends in Africa at the diplomatic level, the friendship between people to people continues to increase. We had the fortune to meet with African friends from Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and Burkina Faso who came to Taiwan for training on land policy and sustainable rural development via International Center for Land Policy Studies and Training. Good governance comes with good leadership. A peaceful and just society is one that upholds human right and equality as the as the highest development goal. We still have a long way to go as human race.
African friends from ICLPST visit oneVillage @ Africa Week
MORE EVENT Africa Week PICS HERE: http://www.flickr.com/photos/1village/4653554372/in/set-72157624167237378/
BTW…Social Innovator workshop is coming up soon! Due to its initial planning, the participants are by invitation only. The coalition of Social Innovator workshop will invite the university groups that we have been interacting with to kick off this process!
