Les Librevillois se posent énormément de questions quant à l’efficacité de la Police de proximité exerçant dans la capitale gabonaise où se perpétuent des cas d’insécurité grandissants à l’instar du dernier en date, enregistré le 22 août au quartier derrière l’Ecole Normal où un jeune homme de 22 ans a été retrouvé mort, lynché par la population.

Ce meurtre est venu relancer le débat sur l’insécurité et sur le rôle joué par la Police de proximité créée, il y a environ deux ans, dans le but de lutter efficacement contre l’insécurité dans les quartiers de Libreville.

Or, selon la population qui procède désormais par vindicte populaire, cette police ne serait pas efficace au regard des nombreux cas de viol, de crime, de vol etc. enregistrés en moins d’un moins dans la capitale gabonaise.

« Comment peut –on dire Police de proximité alors que nous ne les avons jamais vu sillonner notre quartier de jour comme de nuit? », s’interroge Glwadys N. habitant de Nkembo, l’un des quartiers populaires et mal lotis de la capitale gabonaise.

« Elle passe son temps dans quelques carrefours comme si l’insécurité n’était que dans les carrefours », déclare un riverain du quartier « Rio » où de nombreux forfaits sont commis à tout moment de la journée.

Ainsi, la question de la visibilité de cette police se pose au regard des propos de cet agent qui a requis l’anonymat: « c’est normal que nous ne puissions pas couvrir tous les quartiers malgré la bonne volonté de nos supérieurs. Où sont les voies d’accès ? Croyez vous que nous pouvons poursuivre des bandits dans des cités dépourvues de voies comme Kinguelélé, Nkembo, Atsibétsos, etc. ? ». « Ce serait un suicide, et en plus nous ne sommes pas suffisamment armés », poursuit–il.

Pour la population, même si la question des voies d’accès dans les quartiers se pose, il n’en demeure pas moins que la police est gagnée par le laxisme. « Sinon comment comprendre que des agressions soient commis en plein jour, sous ses yeux, à des endroits comme « Rio », Feu tricolore Nzeng Ayong ou Ancien Gare routière et cette police n’agit pas ? », se demande une femme d’une quarantaine d’années qui déclare par la même occasion s’être vu arracher son sac à main, de force à l’Ancienne gare routière.

C’est en cela que d’aucun évoque les efforts fournis par la tutelle qui sont mis à mal par les vieilles habitudes. « Une Police de proximité signifie une effort important en terme de recrutement, en terme de moyen », indique –t-on.

On se souvient qu’il y a près de deux mois la tutelle a procédé à de nouveaux recrutements en vue de renforcer les effectifs et envisager un déploiement à l’intérieur du pays où son absence s’est fait crucialement resentir lors de la dernière édition de la fête de l’Indépendance.

« Dans tous les cas, souhaite un habitant de Nzeng Ayong, il faut que la tutelle sévisse contre les policiers véreux afin de la nettoyer de ses handicaps ». Car, ajoute-t-il, « même s’il y a un problème de voie d’accès et de moyens, on se rend compte que la tutelle fait énormément des efforts pour les doter de matériel. Mais il y a trop de problèmes internes à la Police même qu’il faut résoudre ».

This White House and the World Brief presents the key facts and recommendations drawn from chapters of The White House and the World: A Global Development Agenda for the Next U.S. President.

Why should the United States care about economic growth in Africa? Because it is the right thing to do and the smart thing to do. Helping to spur economic growth in Africa promotes our values, enhances our security, and helps create economic and political opportunities for the people of the continent. Public interest in Africa is higher than ever-witness consumer movements such as Product Red-and bipartisan political support recently renewed funding for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Several new opportunities now exist for U.S. firms to compete and benefit from a win-win partnership with the region.

To view CDG's brief in its entirety, please visit the following link:

http://www.cgdev.org/content/publications/detail/16557/
Japan Builds 500 Classrooms for Country
Source: Allafrica.com
Lagos, Aug 25


Japanese Government over the weekend in Abuja, disclosed plans to build additional 500 classrooms in the second phase of its Grant Aid Project for the basic education level in Nigeria.
This is even as the federal government is prevailing on the Japanese government through Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to increase the number of benefiting states so as to ensure that the efforts to get more children off the streets become a nationwide success.

Already, executive secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Ahmed Modibbo Muhammed, who received the Japanese team who came to ensure everything goes well in the second phase of the Grant Aid Project Japan had embarked upon in Nigeria, had proposed seven states, including Adamawa, Borno, Ebonyi, Gombe Kano, Katsina and Oyo to benefit from the project expected to be completed within three years.

Regional director of Urban and Regional Development Division One of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Mr. Maekawa Kenji, said the assistance from the JICA was to help Nigeria in the provision of infrastructure needed to accelerate the development of education at the basic level.

Kenji who disclosed their intention, while on courtesy visit to the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), noted that he and his team are on a feasibility study mission to Nigeria to determine where to site the classrooms, depending on the area of need engineers would be hired to do the construction. To ensure quality output of the project, he explained the Japanese government would be directly involved in the supervision of work, while local

It could be recalled that the JICA had earlier provided a total of 498 classrooms at the cost of N1.8 billion across 70 schools in Niger , Kaduna and Plateau states. Mohammed expressed gratitude for the gesture, saying it boost the Federal Government move to tackle the numerous challenges in the education sector. He explained that he had already submitted a list of states for consideration, adding that the project should be scaled up to at least six instead of three states.

On the proposal by the Japanese government that local firms may be contracted to execute the project under the supervision of foreign experts, the UBEC boss promised that Nigerians will not disappoint. He pointed out that the only problem that can arise from such arrangement will be if there is no proper supervision, adding that apart from encouraging Nigerian firms, such gesture will help build their expertise in such area as building classrooms with brick-blocks.

Ore'ke lewa temi nikan,
Adun ma ra dan,
Ore ke lewa temi nikan,
Apon be'po ree;

Bi won bii mii lere wipe
Tani okan mii fe ?
Tayo tayo nii maa tagiri
Wii fun wipe Iwo nii;

Oju oloju, koma joju eni,
Ee fin nii wa, ko se fii bo rara,
Bi mo wo'tun, bi mo wo'sii,
A'folorunsho mii nii ma ba lo;

Asure tete kin koja ile,
Abere ona kin shi naa,
Bii eda bati nii oluwa,
O da'jupe o tii nii owun gbogbo;

Eyi nii orin ife mii sii o,
Eyi nii ede ife mii sii o,
Bi ti'oluwa tin je ase,
Bo bati wun oluwa laje,

Ore'ke lewa temi nikan,
Atomi sara bi omo tuntun,
Ore'ke lewa temi nikan,
Eyin loju Olodumare.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced a $17.6 million package of grants to help people most affected by the global food crisis and support small-scale farmers in developing countries. The largest grant-$10 million to the World Food Programme (WFP)-will continue the organization's efforts to feed young children and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers in Niger, Cote D'Ivoire, and Burkina Faso, where malnutrition rates are staggering. Catholic Relief Services, Mercy Corps, and Oxfam America will also receive funds from the foundation's emergency relief initiative to respond to the food crisis.

Rising food and fuel prices have put 950 million people worldwide at risk of hunger and malnutrition, according to the United Nations. Young children, whose early nutritional needs are critical to ensure long-term health, and women are at the greatest risk. Increases in farming costs, such as transportation and fertilizer, are adding to small farmers' burdens.


"The Gates donation will help us feed the hungry-especially young children, pregnant and lactating women-in this critical moment," said Thomas Yanga, WFP's regional director for West Africa.

Grants to Catholic Relief Services, Mercy Corps, and Oxfam America total $7.6 million. These grants will support efforts that include providing food for those most in need; helping families earn money for food through employment opportunities or cash-for-work programs; and helping farmers continue and improve their production in times of crisis.

While these grants address some of the most urgent consequences of the global food crisis, the foundation is also deeply committed to funding nutritional programs that promote lasting health and supporting long-term, sustainable efforts to help hundreds of millions of small farmers boost their productivity so they can feed their families and overcome poverty.

"The current global food crisis requires immediate action to feed people most at risk," said Sylvia Mathews Burwell, president of the foundation's Global Development Program. "In the longer term, since agriculture and the needs of small-scale farmers in the developing world have been increasingly neglected in recent decades, we need a significant reinvestment in agricultural development-from donors and developing countries-that focuses on helping small farmers boost their yields and increase their incomes."

Agricultural development is the largest initiative in the foundation's Global Development Program, which was launched in 2006. To date, the foundation has made more than $800 million in commitments in the sector with a focus on helping small-scale farmers in Africa and South Asia. The grants span the agricultural value chain-from seeds and soil to farm management and market access-so that millions of small farmers have the tools and opportunities to live healthy, productive lives.

According to the World Bank, three-quarters of the 1.1 billion people who live on less than $1 a day live in rural areas and depend on agriculture for a living, yet the percentage of development assistance that went to agriculture fell from more than 16 percent in 1980, to less than 4 percent in 2004. In addition, agriculture accounts for only 4 percent of public spending in agriculture-based developing countries. The foundation believes with strong partnerships and a renewed commitment to agricultural development from all sectors, hundreds of millions of small farmers will be able to increase their productivity and incomes and lead healthy, productive lives.

Today's announcement includes the following grants:

Catholic Relief Services: $2.9 million

- In Afghanistan, provide employment opportunities on community infrastructure and other projects; provide direct emergency assistance to households unable to participate in cash-for-work programs; and help small-scale farmers buy seeds, tools, and other farm necessities.

- In Burkina Faso, provide food vouchers for urban families and help poor farm families increase production and sale of rice.

- In Haiti, help small-scale farmers buy seeds, tools, and other farm necessities.

Mercy Corps: $2.7 million

- In the Central African Republic, provide employment opportunities on community infrastructure and other projects; help small-scale farmers buy seeds, tools, and other farm necessities; train farmers to improve their production techniques and marketing of agricultural products; and provide access to microfinance loans to fund food-production related enterprises.

- In Nepal, provide employment opportunities on community infrastructure and other projects; provide access to microfinance loans to fund food-production related enterprises; and strengthen agriculture market chains for food and non-food crops.

- In Niger, provide vouchers and training for farmers to improve production techniques and marketing of agricultural products; and support the health and supply of small livestock and poultry.

- In Somalia, distribute seeds and farm tools; provide employment opportunities on community infrastructure and other projects; provide access to microfinance loans to fund food-production related enterprises; and support the health and supply of small livestock and poultry.

- In Sri Lanka, help small-scale farmers buy seeds, tools, and other farm necessities; train farmers to improve their production techniques and marketing of agricultural products; and facilitate access to microfinance loans to fund food-production related enterprises.

Oxfam America: $2 million

- In Ethiopia, provide local jobs on community infrastructure projects including building irrigation systems; support programs that provide food to schoolchildren; take steps to improve agricultural production, including distributing seeds and supporting irrigation projects; develop a grain bank system; implement a drought early warning system that helps prepare farmers for potential drought or other disaster; and provide livestock to women and help all farmers care for their livestock.

World Food Programme: $10 million

- Help continue the maternal-child health program in Niger, Cote D'Ivoire and Burkina Faso.

About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people-especially those with the fewest resources-have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, the foundation is led by CEO Patty Stonesifer and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. For more information, visit www.gatesfoundation.org.

Govt Must Lift Aid Agency Restrictions to Avoid Humanitarian Crisis - Ban
Source: UN News Service
New York, Aug 14


Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged Zimbabwe to immediately lift the restrictions it has imposed on aid agencies since June, warning that not doing so could worsen the already dire humanitarian situation in the southern African nation.
"I call on the Government of Zimbabwe to fully respect humanitarian principles and the impartiality and neutrality of voluntary and non-governmental organizations, allowing them to operate freely and with unrestricted access to those in need," Mr. Ban said in a statement issued today.

The Secretary-General said he remains deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe where, despite requests made by the UN Country Team and other humanitarian partners, operations of voluntary and non-governmental organizations remain restricted.

He stressed that these groups have a vital role in the delivery of humanitarian aid, including much needed food assistance.
Due to the inability of these agencies to operate, only 280,000 people of the 1.5 million in need of food assistance are being reached with distributions.

"This ban must be lifted immediately so that aid organizations can carry out their relief work and avert a catastrophic humanitarian crisis," Mr. Ban stated.

Prior to the imposition of the ban, many Zimbabweans were already suffering from food shortages and rampant inflation, a situation made worse by the violence that plagued the country ahead of the June presidential run-off election.
UN Announces Program To Help Hunger Hot Spots
Source: World Bank Press Reviews
Washington, D.C., Aug 14



"A UN agency rolled out a $214 million program Tuesday to help 16 needy places hit hard by high prices for food and oil, amid a crisis already making it hard for aid groups to provide enough food for the world's hungry.

The World Food Program said almost 1 billion poor people around the world are struggling to survive amid the higher prices. The agency is trying to reach those in critical need of assistance in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. ... The plan will provide assistance to groups such as pregnant women, undernourished children and people living in urban areas affected most by the food crisis. The Rome-based agency also hopes to cut transportation costs and help support farmers in countries where emergency food can be bought locally. ..." [The Wall Street Journal/Factiva]

AP adds however that "... 'the agency already faces 'obstacles' in procuring food, particularly when trying to buy supplies locally, spokeswoman Brenda Barton said. 'At the markets where we have been buying food, it has become just too expensive,' Barton told The Associated Press by telephone. And, she added, 'a lot of markets just don't have any food to buy.'

The price crisis is affecting many humanitarian groups. 'At a local level, food prices are increasing, and that, of course, impacts on our programs, making them more expensive,' said Chris Leather of the relief group Oxfam."

Many of the world's leading figures in international trade have gathered in New Delhi, India, for a conference which the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) quipped is perfect timing and a "pre-engineered plot" on the part of the organisers.

Referring to the failed Doha talks in Geneva last month, in which member countries of the WTO failed to reach an agreement on future trade negotiations, Pascal Lamy acknowledged that during these "turbulent times", at a moment when multilateralism and international co-operation are being challenged, more partnerships are needed as global problems, such as the current food crisis, require global responses.


It is this theme - Global Partnership for Development - which is the central focus of the conference being held on 12 and 13 August 2008 and organised by CUTS, a leading civil society organisation, in association with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the India Office of the World Bank, and the Department of Commerce, Government of India.

At a "difficult juncture in international trade talks", Pradeep Mehta, who heads CUTS, described the meeting as a "historic opportunity" for those present to engage in whole-hearted and frank debate.

"We owe it to the poor around the world," he said at the inaugural session, which included trade and finance ministers, trade negotiators, academics and representatives from businesses and civil society organisations. "The question is, can we do it?"

The eighth Millennium Development Goal - Developing a Global Partnership for Development - the theme for the conference was described by Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Ransford Smith, as "the forgotten MDG" during his opening address.

He emphasised its importance in seeking to hold both rich and poor countries accountable for advancing the MDGs.

The two important targets under this MDG are to 'develop further an open, rule based predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system' and to 'address the special needs of the least developed countries, landlocked countries and small island states'.

"In terms of these two targets it seems that very little progress has been made during the last seven years or so. The promise that the Doha Round held out in these two areas has not been realised," Mr Smith said.

The global partnership indicated in this MDG, he added, is intended to promote poverty reduction and social and economic development.

"This cannot be achieved if trade shocks or other adjustment measures affect vulnerable groups disproportionately and exacerbate poverty."

Another Millennium Development Goal target noted by Mr Smith is that of halving the proportion of people who suffer from hunger.

"It is imperative that the global development community responds effectively to the current food and fuel crises. A large number of other poor and small countries are seriously affected," said Mr Smith, adding that "it is clear that the architecture currently does not exist to provide effective support to these countries at the time when they need it most."

Participez au Congres virtuel franconphone du Congres Mondial des jeunes 2008 et courez la chance de gagner un Ipod Touch
Rendez vous sur www.wyc.qc.ca

Biofuel production is certainly one of the culprits in the current global food crisis. But while the diversion of corn from food to biofuel feedstock has been a factor in food prices shooting up, the more primordial problem has been the conversion of economies that are largely food-self-sufficient into chronic food importers. Here the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Trade Organization (WTO) figure as much more important villains.

Whether in Latin America, Asia, or Africa, the story has been the same: the destabilization of peasant producers by a one-two punch of IMF-World Bank structural adjustment programs that gutted government investment in the countryside followed by the massive influx of subsidized U.S. and European Union agricultural imports after the WTO's Agreement on Agriculture pried open markets.

At the time of decolonization in the 1960s, Africa was not just self-sufficient in food but was actually a net food exporter, its exports averaging 1.3 million tons a year between 1966-70. Today, the continent imports 25% of its food, with almost every country being a net food importer. Hunger and famine have become recurrent phenomena, with the last three years alone seeing food emergencies break out in the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, Southern Africa, and Central Africa.

Agriculture is in deep crisis, and the causes are many, including civil wars and the spread of HIV-AIDS. However, a very important part of the explanation was the phasing out of government controls and support mechanisms under the structural adjustment programs to which most African countries were subjected as the price for getting IMF and World Bank assistance to service their external debt.

Check out a website I just did...

http://www.pugangels.com

All for a great cause:

A little bit about them:
Pug Angels is committed to animal welfare and the well being of all animals breeds by providing financial support to challenge animal protection laws and raising awareness through educational tools. Pug Angels was formed by a group of like minded people who own and love pugs. Everything is run by volunteers.

Dans la droite lignée du site d’annonces Kerawa.com se sont lancées une profusion d’autres sites d’annonces avec plus ou moins de succès.

En moins de 5 mois, pas moins de 3 sites d’annonces ont vu le jour et d’autres sites dans d’autres styles sont en gestation. En fait, les ingénieurs camerounais sont comme une eau calme qu’il suffit de remuer un peu pour lancer une émulsion saine, positive et créatrice de riches services. La jeunesse actuelle en a très envie.
KMRLIST

Le dernier né de la série est Kmrlist.com. C’est un site d’annonces basé sur le plugin Ads Manager de Joomla. Donc, que de la solution libre (comme quoi, ça peut aider à lancer son service).

Kmrlist a même une vidéo de présentation de leur service. Plutôt bien pensé, surtout que la vidéo est simple à comrpendre. Le présentateur met bien l’accent sur ce qu’il pense être la fonctionnalité principale du site: le moteur de recherche.
Camerbizz.com

L’avant-dernier né est Camerbizz.com (si je ne me trompe pas). Lui aussi fait un site d’annonces qui cible le Cameroun. Le site semble se baser sur l’idée de www.pap.fr (le plus grand site d’annonces immobilières en France). Bon, je pense que le site nécessite encore quelques améliorations pour entrer dans le concert des grands.
Quicherche-Trouve.com

Il y’a aussi le plus connu Quicherche-trouve.com, dont j’ai déjà parlé ici. Donc, sur lequel je ne reviendrais pas. Mais le site aussi propose des annonces en ligne. On ne peut pas savoir le nombre d’annonces hébergés par le site, cette donnée n’apparaissant nulle part.
BayamSellam

Puis, on trouve aussi BayamSellam.com, qui comme son nom l’indique, se positionne comme site d’e-commerce. J’avoue ne pas voir comprendre comment on paie sur ce site, mais j’espère qu’ils trouveront une solution durable. Le portail s’est aggrandi et cible désormais plusieurs pays d’Afrique (représentés par leurs drapeaux).
Njangihost

Et puis, dans un style différent, Enstine a lancé récemment NjangiHost.com, qui est un hébergeur camerounais, acceptant des moyens de paiement locaux (Express Union par exemple). Une excellente idée, qui a déjà séduit une bonne dizaine de sites web.
Et pour finir à propos de l’émulsion IT, j’ai ouï des rumeurs sur l’organisation d’un BarCamp à Douala très probablement d’ici quelques temps. La date n’est pas fixée, mais l’idée en soi est déjà excellente. Derrière cette idée, on trouve le désormais inévitable Churchill, Enstine et Fee.

Bref, je ressens une lame de fond positive qui émane des IT au Cameroun, couplée avec le dernier MVNO qui a vu le jour et la presque libéralisation du .cm par l’ANTIC, le décollage peut réellement commencer.

Mais, pour que ça soit durable, il faut rester au chevet de ce secteur pendant toute la phase de décollage, et ne pas alourdir la créativité de la jeunesse par la paperasserie administrative. ça serait terriblement mortel!

Source: Kerawa.com

Nigeria Rising Hope!

Celebrating the heart of Africa,
I danced naked at the stadium
With the knowledge that I would never appreciate
Lots of love for my heritage.

I understood the popular songs
That children sang in the days
When women witnessed the taboos-
What men refused to witness in cold.

I glanced through the papers and saw,
I heard my peculiar nature was alive.
We heard many tales from Shakespeare,
Even the Macks of our time spoke.

In one day we were transformed
Into something serious.
One day, we turned the tables
And we found hate that troubled us.

Today, we cry and we hope
For tomorrow in the womb of the godless.
As mercy and necessity came calling
Nigeria arrived in the mercy of mercies

Awaken, world of plants and people.
It was unfortunate the business that occurred.
Yet the future still holds hope.
We survived because we lived.

Unity lived with hope;
Prosperity laughed at the stadium;
Education retreated within those realms;
A partnership was built that lasted.

iPhone est un nouveau téléphone mobile révolutionnaire qui vous permet de passer un appel en pointant du doigt un nom ou un numéro de votre carnet d'adresses, d'une liste de favoris ou d'un historique d'appels. Il vous permet également de sélectionner vos messages vocaux et de les écouter dans l'ordre qui vous convient le mieux, comme s'il s'agissait de courriers électroniques.

iPhone est un iPod à écran panoramique doté de commandes tactiles qui vous permet de profiter de tous vos contenus (musique, podcasts, livres audio et vidéos) sur un superbe écran de 3,5 pouces. Vous pouvez synchroniser le contenu de votre bibliothèque iTunes stocké sur votre PC ou Mac et y accéder d'un simple effleurement du doigt.

iPhone est doté d'une application de messagerie électronique au format HTML enrichi et de Safari, le navigateur web le plus évolué jamais disponible sur un appareil portatif. iPhone synchronise automatiquement les signets de votre Mac ou PC. Pour faciliter les recherches, Google et Yahoo! sont intégrés.

iPhone introduit l'interface utilisateur la plus révolutionnaire depuis l'apparition de la souris, les logiciels les plus évolués jamais conçus et une technologie d'avant-garde qui va bouleverser votre perception des appareils mobiles. Avec plus de 300 brevets, iPhone a des années d'avance sur n'importe quel autre téléphone actuellement disponible.

Il est actuellement disponible à Kinshasa au prix promo de 900$

Currency Indicator Tool for Visually Impaired people - Preliminary Survey

We often think twice before a financial transaction - just imagine how the visually impaired population does it!!!

Visually impaired people have different ways of identifying the Indian currency with the help of measurements, smell, folding it……. There is no successful device available to them that will help them identify the currency denominator.

NOW, we have a tool with us that is simple, easy, small – compact can be easily kept in wallet or pocket and the tool is CHEAP - help identify the denomination of Indian currency to the visually impaired people one at a time.

I am doing a required need assessment to find out if this tool is really required by visually impaired people or not.

Kindly help me in gathering information so that based on the real picture we can launch this tool as soon as possible. We need the information from the visually impaired people because they would be using the tool.

Kindly feel free to email me or call me for further information. Your help will help empower them.
anand.koti@gmail.com

Thanking you for your kind support and help extended.

For Love,
Anand K

TO ENGAGE MORE children in media and be able to create mini production
units even in poor communities, Plan International partnered with Anak
TV over the summer to train up to 200 youths aged 9 to 17 in photography
and radio and video production.

Plan International advocates for schools free of corporal punishment,
bullying, discrimination, peer pressure and other forms of aggression
through its units throughout Asia, as presented in the United Nations
Study on Violence Against Children.

full article
<http://newsinfo. inquirer. net/inquirerhead lines/nation/ view/20080601- 140032/Kids- learn-media- other-skills- from-anti- violence- group>

"SFD2008 is around the corner - Saturday 20 September - and team
registrations are now open! The first 300 teams registered before the
15th July will receive a SFD team pack including SFD 2008 tshirts,
button pins,stickers and balloons, as well some useful resource CDs
including some OpenEducation Discs
(http://www.theopendisc.com/education/), a resource DVD with artwork,
documentation, presentation templates and video material, and the
option for some Ubuntu CDs.

Additional T-shirts will also be available to purchase via our online
store, which will be open soon.

You can register by visiting our registration page but don't forget
that you need to make your team page (or update your old page)
*before* registering. There is more information about how to form a
team and how to register on the teams page on our wiki:

http://cgi.softwa"refreedomday.org/register.html
http://softwarefreedomday.org/teams

Check out who has already registered on our new interactive world map!

http://cgi.softwarefreedomday.org/map.shtml

We wanted to change how people find teams so it was directly through
the map rather than by continent and then country due to your
excellent feedback last year, so teams can simply be
softwarefreedomday.org/team rather than a really long url. If you
already have a team page you can create a new page and shift all your
data to the new page, or you can just link to your old events from
your new page.

We will also be ensuring team packages are sent much earlier this year
so you get them on time. We had about 20 packages returned to us last
year from teams who put the incorrect address or didn't pick up their
packages so please ensure your address is 100% correct as we can't
check it! Also try to ensure your address on the map is the actual
address of your event so people can zoom in and go to it easily :)

Good luck with your SFD 2008 preparations, and don't forget to pass
the message around and get more teams involved! We had over 330 teams
last year and are anticipating over 500 this year!