SDIA Network eNews - August

Children from
Fundación Amanecer Semillitas Project

SDIA Accepts Earmarking of your PTSW proceeds! >>
Highlights from the SD Conference in Amanecer >>
Visit to D.R. Congo >>
Tribute to Robert Nixon >>
Member News: >>
1. Asia Pacific Micro Credit Summit
2. YUM Receives £50,000 Grant
3. First Day at Bina Cita Utama (BCU) School
4. New SD National Chairs Appointed
Learning Opportunities>>
1. Education That Pays for Itself — South Africa
2. INTRAC Conference 2008: Whatever Happened to Civil Society?
3. UN unit on intercultural understanding launches online educational tool
From the Office>>
1. Volunteer Working Group Formed
2. Documents for Website
3. Pilgrimage Continues!

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1. SDIA Accepts Earmarking of your PTSW proceeds!

We are grateful that some Subud members who hold shares in PTSW are checking off the SDIA Box on their payment forms. We welcome and are very grateful for your donations to the excellent work that SDIA does on behalf our Network of 75 Projects and National Organisations worldwide. Some members have asked if they can earmark their PTSW donations to SDIA. The answer is, yes! SDIA welcomes your donations for one or more of our five key areas:

SDIA General and Services — which gives us maximum flexibility to use your support to help our projects!
Education and Child Development — support the work of 26 schools, childcare and development projects...
Health and Wellbeing — support the work of community health services and clinics around the world...
Community Development and Sustainable Livelihoods — support micro-credit, income generating projects and much more...
Environmental Protection and Conservation — support SDIA projects that work to introduce sustainable farming techniques, alternative energy, reforestation and to create and preserve green spaces.

SDIA will also accept earmarked donations for projects, but reserves the right to divert donations from a project that receives funding beyond its needs. For more information about our projects by programme area, please visit our project pages.

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2. Highlights from the SD Conference in Amanecer

Members of the Susila Dharma Network spent a busy time together in Amanecer from July 22 to August 1, with representatives from Canada, USA, Mexico, Cuba, Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina as well as Indonesia, Holland, France and Spain. A full report will be coming out. soon. In the meantime, here are the highlights:

Bardolf Paul (Yayasan Tambuhak Sinta, Kalimantan) facilitated a workshop on Governance and Development. This workshop was part of an on-going project to examine how SD projects have influenced or affected governance in the areas of 'voice' in decision making and 'access' to services. General information on governance — what it is and why it is important — was shared and discussed. A draft report on the result of a survey of eight projects was shared and feedback to the project noted.

Bardolf Paul leads Governance and
Development Workshop

Professor Juan Fernando Pacheco from Bogotá and Subud members Manuel Cuellar and Consuela Hernandez from Bogotá and Sabrina Castillo from SD Holland conducted a three-day workshop on Project Management Training in Spanish. The content of this training session for Project Management flowed naturally from the discussion on governance and development and included logical framework analysis and planning — keys to project sustainability, preparing to receive volunteers, budgeting, financial reporting and preparing for an audit.

Rasjidah Flores from Mexico conducted two workshops on Volunteering. Rashidah works professionally in this area. The first workshop was for Projects considering whether to take in volunteers and the second was for individuals who want to volunteer internationally.

Pedro José Maria Vacacela and Eliana Garzón

Fernando Fatah, chair of Subud Mexico, led a two-day Spanish workshop on Education and Development with an emphasis on how Subud members use guidance and inner awareness to teach, and the importance of curriculum planning in all education projects.

July 29 was Susila Dharma Day. We were proud to show the talent and vibrancy of our SD Network in the Americas. It started with testing about the inner meaning of Susila Dharma, followed by a presentation to the whole gathering from SDIA on living conditions in the Americas. Four informal groups met with project leaders to learn about their personal experiences starting and running projects. After lunch there were a series of workshops and presentations on topics such as Family Violence, Conflict Resolution, Forgiveness and Holistic Health, Developing an Indigenous Curriculum — Inka Samana School, From the micro to the macro — Asociacion Vivir, as well as many more.

SDIA Annual Meeting on July 30th went smoothly with sixteen voting members participating in person or by proxy. The 2007 annual report and financial statements were approved and Board elections took place. Elected to the Board for a second term were Lawrence Fryer (Germany) and Mardijah Simpson (Australia), Uraida Vacacela (Ecuador) for a first term and for one year each, Lusana Blond (USA) and Paloma de la Vina (Spain).

Ferando Fatah, Chair of Subud Mexico

Uraida Vacacela

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3. Visit to D.R. Congo

Virginia Thomas at Lemba Imbu Clinic, DR Congo

Virginia Thomas: “From June 21st to July 5th, I travelled with Heloise Jackson; Jorgé Guerrin; ISC Chair, Garrett Thomson and Zone 5/6 Rep., Lateef Dada Bashua to Subud groups and SD projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“Life is hard in DRC. Illness and death are present everywhere, goods are expensive, and entreprenurial skill is essential if one is to make ends meet. Out of one hundred and seventy-seven countries on the UNDP Human Development Index, DRC ranks one hundred and sixty-seventh . A combination of armed conflict and government corruption have deprived many people of access to health and education services and even clean water and sanitation are very hard to come by. A large proportion of the children do not attend school because there are no spaces available. What was once one of Sub-Saharan Africa's best educational systems now caters to barely half the primary-school-aged population. The literacy rate is estimated to be only 62 percent. Thankfully, Subud members in DRC are working hard to improve the quality of life for themselves and their communities.”

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4. Robert Nixon was a model of Susila Dharma in his daily life

An interview in Amanecer with his friend and Subud sister, Judy Gibb. Robert Nixon died on Wednesday, July 16th, just before we met at the Gathering of the Americas.

Robert Nixon

I: Robert Nixon was a great supporter of Susila Dharma projects and SDIA and SD New Zealand. Can you tell us a bit about his life? How did he come to Subud?

Judy: He was born in England, son of an Anglican minister, and spent much of his childhood on Vancouver Island. During the war, he discovered his talent through working on radar, which later led to a career in electronics. (He always felt this to be a God-given blessing). He met his wife, Helen, who was from NZ, and they married in England. After they had their first child, Paul, they were on holiday in a remote part of southern England, when Robert found a Bennett book "Concerning Subud" which had been published two weeks earlier!! He and Helen had been looking for something more. They made contact straight away, went to Coombe Springs, and they were opened by Bapak. Later they moved to New Zealand where their daughters Emma and Mira were born. Robert lectured at the university. They became strong members of the Subud group.

I: Can you tell us a bit about how he lived his Susila Dharma?

Judy: Robert Nixon was a true example of people who put Subud and Susila Dharma into practice in their lives. First of all, he was a great helper. When a Subud member was in crisis, he would spend all day if necessary looking after the person, and he would give whatever was needed at the drop of a hat: for instance, special latihans each week for 6 months with a terminally-ill member over 40 miles away from his home. He was quiet and self-effacing, but he was incredibly generous — materially, but more importantly in giving of himself. When Helen was ill with cancer he cared for her so lovingly, and when his older brother in England became ill, he had to fight with the government to bring him to New Zealand so that he could care for him in his own home. This was a lot of work for him and his family, but he did it. He was always very concerned with the welfare of others and willing to do whatever he could to help.

Robert (aged 65), with Helen, marched against the Springbok tour of New Zealand in 1981, in protest at apartheid in South Africa.

I: Robert was very generous in his support of SD projects. What motivated him?

Judy: Robert was very interested in economics and politics, very concerned about social justice and equality. He was also very economical, so that he could do the things that were important to him, such as support SD projects and other charities. He felt a great responsibility toward those less fortunate than himself. He also wanted to support Subud activities. Emma said they drove round in an old bomb so he could take his family to Subud summer camps, and attend national and world congresses. He lived Subud indeed and his family follow his example. May God truly bless them all.

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5. Member News:

Asia Pacific Micro Credit Summit
Ariana Susanati and Mohammad Yunus

The Microcredit Summit Campaign and Gema PKM Indonesia co-hosted the Asia-Pacific Regional Microcredit Summit July 28–30, 2008 in Nusa Dua, Bali. Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohammad Yunus called this the best Summit so far. The first Microcredit Summit held in Washington DC in 1997 was attended by a delegation from SDIA.

Ariana Susanti, chair of SD Indonesia attended The Asia Pacific Summit as a representative of SD Indonesia, who is implementing a microcredit program funded by OCHA. Conference highlights:
- Over 900 delegates from 50 countries attended the Summit. Leaders from the largest Microfinance Institutions and networks in Asia and the Pacific including NABARD, SIDBI, Grameen Bank, ASA, and BRAC were present.
- The President of Indonesia, Dr. H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, opened the Summit and the former President of Peru, Dr. Alejandro Toledo, delivered a moving speech at the closing dinner.
- Microfinance Transparency , a not-for-profit initiative that will bring transparency to interest rate pricing was launched on the opening day. This new initiative was endorsed by institutions reaching 74 million clients (more than half of all microcredit clients in the world) including some of the largest MFIs and networks around the world.
- Nobel Peace Prize Winner Muhammad Yunus attended the summit and held a private meeting with the President of Indonesia, Dr. Yudhoyono, to discuss microfinance in Indonesia.
SD Indonesia is listed as an active member in the State of the Microcredit Summit Campaign Report 2009 on their website: www.microcreditsummit.org
YUM Receives £50,000 Grant
Two young scholars

Congratulations to Yayasan Usuha Mulia (YUM) which has received a grant of £50,000 from Barclays Corporate! This grant will be used to improve the education program for disadvantaged children through implementation of three integrated programs:
1. Government school support: Designed to strengthen the capacity of existing schools by supplying much-needed equipment, desks, chairs, and teaching aids.
2. Teacher training: Improve the capacity of teachers to educate effectively.
3. Children's Library Resource Center: Establish a resource center for community access and educational focal point.
Olvia writes: “The decision by Barclays Corporate was taken in Hong Kong: we were competing with proposals sent by several countries in the region, and we expected to get only a share of Barclays funding and for this we reason had proposed 3 closely linked programs. But it seems, we received the whole grant!”

YUM was recommended to Barclays Corporate by the President of the Jakarta Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

To find out more about YUM and to read the June 2008 YUM newsletter, click here.
(Note: When this edition of the eNews was sent out, the amount of the grant was written incorrectly in USDollars. The true amount is 55,000 Pounds Sterling, not USD.)

First Day at Bina Cita Utama (BCU) School

Karim MacDonald, the Principal of the BCU School at Rungan Sari, sends this news about the opening of the school:

Today was the first day of our new school year at BCU School. The excitement and cheerful faces of both new and returning students was an inspiration to us all. I wish you all could have all been here to witness the results of your support of the school!

Our assembly this morning was attended by over 50 students and many of the new parents, as well as Renee and Teguh Santosa, who have settled in well to their new job as house parents.

The boarding house already has 6 students and we are expecting more soon. The Bupati (Regent) of Katingan regency has enrolled his son in the school and the boarding house, and today his wife attended the assembly too. She was impressed with the scholarship program and offered to help in the future with advertising it in the more remote areas.

The school bus that was kindly donated by Japanese Subud members has been ordered but because of a shortage of engines in Indonesia, will not be ready until October. In the meantime, one of our local teachers helped us rent a bus from the Department of Transport.

My feeling is that all the work we have done on all the different levels (having Michael van der Matten on board as manager, Litha helping with marketing and the boarding house, the arrival of Renee and Teguh and the boarding house itself) has come together along with God's grace to make the school feel a lot more substantial.

First day of school at BCU

New SD National Chairs Appointed

Norway: Welcome to Leonore Waage new chair person of SD Norway and thank you to outgoing chair Peter Thorsten. SD Norway actively supports projects in Congo and India as well as SDIA. Leonore and her committee of Helena and Magnus Frøysadal and Solfrid Viset can be reached at sd-norway@susiladharma.org

Ireland: Welcome to Brian Lillis new chair of SD Ireland and thanks to outgoing chair Morfinn Clarken who joined us in our meetings in Ascot. You can reach Brain and his team at sd-ireland@susiladharma.org

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6. Learning Opportunities

Education That Pays for Itself, November 18–20, 2008, South Africa

This conference will bring together some of the world's leading practitioners in financially sustainable education, along with educators, policymakers, business people, philanthropists, social entrepreneurs and NGOs from around the world, in a hands-on forum for learning, networking, inspiration and action.

For more information see http://www.teachamantofish.org.uk/conference/
INTRAC Conference 2008: Whatever Happened to Civil Society?
KDK Conference Centre, the Netherlands, 3–5 December 2008

Civil society is a development buzzword that is used by many, but whose meaning has become unclear. INTRAC's international conference will re-examine the concept and role of civil society and focus on its significance in relation to current debates and practice in development, human rights and democracy promotion. The conference will explore the following issues:
1. Concepts and practice: what do we mean by civil society?
2. Relationships between civil society and the aid industry
3. Civil society and the State — contractor, watchdog or antagonist?
4. New challenges for civil society.
  For more information contact: International NGO Training and Research Center
  INTRAC, PO Box 563, Oxford, OX2 6RZ, UK
  www.intrac.org
UN unit on intercultural understanding launches online educational tool

18 July 2008 — The United Nations campaign for understanding between faiths and cultures, known as the Alliance of Civilizations, today launched a website designed to foster dialogue and debate on media literacy. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=27415&Cr=&Cr1=

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7. From the Office

Volunteer Alexandra Woodward

Volunteer working group formed

Since the meeting in Amanecer, an active working group on Volunteering has emerged. Spearheaded by Alexandra Woodward (USA) who has volunteered with SD projects in India. The working group is supported by Solen Lees Gratiet (France), Hester Bate (France), Rasjidah Flores (Mexico), Illene Pevec (USA) as well as SD USA, SD Britain and SDIA. The goal is to prepare both Projects and Volunteers for successful international exchanges.
Documents for Website

We are uploading documents to the new website and invite reports and articles from members and others. Please remember all documents intended for the web have to be in text format — like a Word file (.doc), Rich Text Format (.rtf), or text file (.txt), but NOT pdf files. We can extract photographs from PDF files, but prefer separate image files if possible. Send documents to Cassidy Sterling cassidy@susiladharma.org — Thanks.
Pilgrimage Continues!

Pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela

Raphael Bate (SD France) and Haris Wolfgang (SDIA) will be walking from Burgos, Spain, following the ancient pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. This sacred journey is dedicated to being alive now. Raphael and Haris invite you them on this pilgrimage, sacred journey or retreat on the move which is made by their belief that each step, each difficulty, each joy is a microcosm of our life and how we respond to it — with spiritual awareness, gratitude and joy. Time out to review our life and return changed.

Raphael and Haris will be travelling from 15 September to 8 Oct 2008. If you would like to join them contact Raphael at randhbate@gmail.com, Tel: +0033 243 077 345

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