September 16 — Honor all of the ties linking Indiana to Kenya at the International Center’s “Citizen of the Year” award dinner
Since 1985, the International Center of Indianapolis has honored a foreign-born or Indiana resident who has made an outstanding contribution to Indiana and the world in the fields of business, culture, education, government, medicine, media, research, sports or community service. On the 35th anniversary of its founding, the Center presents the International Citizen of the Year Award to recognize and honor the IU-Kenya Partnership.
When: Tuesday, September 16, 6:00 p.m. Reception 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Dinner and Program
Where: Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, 350 West Maryland Street
From the International Center’s invitation:
In 1989, Indiana University School of Medicine and Moi University School of Medicine agreed to join together to develop leaders in health care for both the U.S. and Africa. That mission inspired this team to provide invaluable training to future generations of health care providers on both continents. At the turn of the century, in the face of the deadliest pandemic in human history, IU and Moi responded by creating one of Africa’s largest, most comprehensive and effective HIV/AIDS control systems.
The IU-Kenya Partnership responded to the HIV/AIDS crisis by creating the Academic Model for Prevention and Treatment of HIV/AIDS (AMPATH), which treats over 45,000 HIV-positive patients at (as of mid-2007) 19 sites in both urban and rural Kenya. As they expand their HIV/AIDS care, they are working to build capacity to care for mothers and babies, treat cancer patients, conduct surgeries and insure safe water for the areas they serve. Over 500 Kenyans and Americans have participated in the academic medical exchange between Moi and Indiana. Through tuition scholarships to Kenyan medical students, they can insure that Kenyans and Americans will continue to practice medicine together, train together and conduct valuable research together. The IU-Kenya Partnership has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
At the award dinner, the International Center will also recognize other significant partnerships linking Indiana and Kenya.
Why does Provocate think you should attend this event?
Readers of Provocate know about AMPATH and the IU Med School’s partnership with Moi University in Kenya. The dozen Indiana groups that will also be acknowledged for their work in Kenya are a fascinatingly diverse collection:
- Ambassadors for Children, which send “volun-tourist groups to Kenya (and around the world)
- Daraja Children’s Project, a student group at IU-Bloomington that works with AIDS orphans
- Engineers without Borders at Valparaiso University, which works on clean water projects
- First Presbyterian Church in Muncie, which has raised funds for AMPATH
- Global Interfaith Partnership, a coaltion of almost a dozen churches and synagogues that is working on health issues and orphans in Kenya
- Grace Community Church, which has a strategic partnership with Nairobi Chapel
- NAFASI, which works with village women and orphaned children in Eldoret
- Power of One at St. Lukes, which has used artworks to raise money for AMPATH
- The Globe Foundation, which funds environmental projects in Kenya
- The Moore Foundation, for decades a crucial source of support for many projects in Kenya
- The Rotary district 6560, Downtown and Northeast Indianapolis Clubs, which are launching a ten year initiative focusing on micro-finance for women and clean water projects
- The West Foundation, which has funded family health residency at Moi University
If you think this sounds interesting, be sure to check out …
Other examples of “local-to-local partnerships solving global problems” … for instance, the new company working on fairtrade and volun-tourism, The Village Experience September 12. You can meet many of the people and groups that will be honored by the International Center when Provocate organizes discussions of Global Indy on November 16 and November 19.
And for your listening pleasure …
SeeqPod - Playable Search
During a memorial service for Kenya earlier this year, the 300 people in the audience was stupefied by a solo a cappella version of the Kenyan national anthem. You shouldn’t be stupefied, so pick yourself up with Les Wanyika, Tanzanian musicians who made it big in Kenya.
