DEVELOPMENT: Tanzania at 15 M.P.H.

DEVELOPMENT: Tanzania at 15 M.P.H.

This is a fabulous piece from The New York Times that is set to appear in the printed newspaper tomorrow. Note the slide show, with audio. We can do the same thing for Sagam. All it takes is a small digital tape recorder and a low-cost digital camera and people from the Sagam community who want to participate in telling the story.

COMMUNICATIONS: Africa's cellphone boom creates a base for low-cost banking

COMMUNICATIONS: Africa's cellphone boom creates a base for low-cost banking

Of possible interest to the Sagam community.....

EDUCATION: St. Lawrence University Kenya Semester Program

EDUCATION: St. Lawrence University Kenya Semester Program

St. Lawrence University Semester program to Kenya has made contacts with Sagam village. One of their students spent time in the village recently and plans are underway to welcome more. The village is proud to contribute to this excellent program and its role in improvement of international exchange, understanding, peace and development.

HEALTH: Kenyan Aids NGO effort wins world recognition

HEALTH: Kenyan Aids NGO effort wins world recognition

In addition to this story of a successful Kenyan initiative in the health sector - "enhancing behavioural change" in Kenyan youth, there is this article in The New York Times today about a film describing successful efforts in Kenyan to change the lives of troubled young people from Baltimore, Maryland.
[The New York Times site requires free registration and the article will be "free" for only a few days.]

DEVELOPMENT: Nicaraguan coffee plantation gets UN attention

DEVELOPMENT: Nicaraguan coffee plantation gets UN attention

This is a story from the newspaper in Durham, North Carolina. It talks about a "sister community" of Durham in Nicaragua. The story is an extraordinarily positive one.

Does Sagam have any "sister village" relationships anywhere in the world? Is this something that the Sagam community has ever considered?

If there are questions about the details of how this has worked, I would be happy to try to obtain answers.

DEVELOPMENT: Actress moved by African poverty

DEVELOPMENT: Actress moved by African poverty

A new film, The Constant Gardener, opens in the United States tomorrow. Because it is set in Kenya, it will leave many Americans thinking about Kenya and Kenyans. What does the Sagam community want to add to the film's message? Criticism? Compliments? Related points? What else?

Here is one review of the film.

Photo courtesy of Focus Features
Pictured are Rachel Weisz and Ralph Fiennes

DEVELOPMENT: Third World feels staggering bite of petty corruption

DEVELOPMENT: Third World feels staggering bite of petty corruption

How does Sagam avoid this?

DEVELOPMENT: Chirac clears poverty tax for takeoff

DEVELOPMENT: Chirac clears poverty tax for takeoff

How does the Sagam community view this proposal? A good one? Bad one? What questions? Sagam is as entitled as anyone, maybe more than some others, to have its opinions heard.

COMMUNICATIONS: Making Information and Communication Technologies Work for Food Security in Africa

COMMUNICATIONS: Making Information and Communication Technologies Work for Food Security in Africa

A report of possible value to the Sagam community.

COMMUNICATIONS: Communicating with Sagam villagers

COMMUNICATIONS: Communicating with Sagam villagers

It would be very helpful to learn more about what can be done to improve the participation of the people in Sagam Village to be able to become a more direct part of this blog - BOTH contributing content and using content contributed by others. At some point, it would be good to have an outline of a plan here that would explain everything from the difficult challenge of connecting to the internet in and around Sagam to issues of language (in Sagam -- Dholuo - 100% ,Kiswahili - 80%, English 70%, Luhya - 20%) and computer availability and comfort levels.

DEVELOPMENT: Changing Lives in a Village in Pakistan

DEVELOPMENT: Changing Lives in a Village in Pakistan

What role can stories like this one play in the evolution of Sagam? To whom is this story valubale? Are there additional resources needed in order to make it more valuable?