Aswan in Egypt

This week hard at work with our colleagues of the Aswan Skills Development Program. Here a photo of the hotel we stay which is located on a small island in the Nile river. Every day we cross the river in small ferry boats. A few more shots of the beautiful scenery...

The meetings are on the different skills development programs we are supporting the team here in with curriculum development, teacher training and leadership workshops. I still like to use a bit of the good old flip-over sheets....

One of the trades programs has a focus on training programs in electricity and the (longer term) prospects for graduates from such programs could be maintenance work in the solar farms which are currently being constructed. It would be a welcome change in an area facing 40% unemployment.

And look who is famous here in Aswan......

Back in Egypt

Waking up this morning in Cairo along the Nile river after having arrived here late last night. Back in Egypt to do a week of work in our project with the Aga Khan Development Network in the city of Aswan in the south of the country. It is Friday here today and that is like our Sunday: a rest day. On to Aswan on Sunday morning early to start our week of workshops. Today and tomorrow preparation with our project manager. An interesting place to work form for a few days.....

IDW Day 4

Today we had a great event on the environmental challenges we face both locally and globally with speakers from the First Nations, the David Suzuki Foundation, The Aga Khan Foundation and even from Ecuador (my dear friend Eric Horstman who explained what his organization does to protect a unique eco-system of dry tropical forest).

We also had our Seneca expert on "greening" on the podium with some good thought provoking statements. In the end we had the panel answer questions from the audience.

IDW Day 3

A team of MSF Canada staff and volunteers mounted two tents today in the hallways of Seneca College in Toronto to offer students and staff some insights in the "journey" of refugees. One tent explains a variety of aspects in refugee camps while the second tent simulates the journey in a small boat to Europe. They were here from 10 Am till 4 PM and had a steady stream of visitors. Some of the professors would bring entire classes and worked the visit into assignments. That is the ultimate goal of organizing these international development weeks. Thank you MSF team!

The MSF tour guide here is a nurse who has done several missions with MSF and who volunteers some of his time in between mission to raise awareness of the work of MSF and the realities for many of these refugees. The most important message is to demystify the "image" of refugees: they are human beings like all of us and they would prefer to stay in their home countries but are so desperate that they take huge risks during their "journey" as a refugee. They are also - once in their new home country - by en large very productive and positive new citizens.

IDW Day 2

An excellent event today with young social entrepreneurs with a global vision during day 2 of our annual International Development Week (IDW 2018). In the evening a "Conversation Cafe" with speakers from MSF (Medecins sans Frontieres / Doctors without Borders) and the Stephen Lewis Foundation (better photos to follow in a later post). Proud and happy about this day and week...

International Development Week

Yesterday we opened the annual IDW (International Development Week) at Seneca with a keynote presentation of the Executive Director of MSF Canada. So very proud to bring him here. Still feel like I left this organization for whom I worked full-time from 1988 to 1995, just yesterday. We had a nicely filled room of interested staff and students.

Seneca President David Agnew introduced our guest speaker and made some remarks about his own brief years of working as CEO of UNICEF Canada.

Afterwards we had elder Blu from the local First Nations share some wise words with us. Two of the students from Seneca's Independent Songwriting diploma program performed a touching song.

As always, these events only happen with good team work!

Old birds still fly

One of my Seneca colleagues - on a student recruitment trip in Kazakhstan - send me this photo of an F28 Fokker aircraft still in service. As long as they keep them well maintained with ideally an engine retrofit, these birds can fly forever. Sweet memories of my work in the Sales & Marketing team of Fokker Aircraft in my early career (1983-1988).