tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65129510278508939322024-02-18T22:35:36.192-08:00Ubuntu Women Institute USAWelcome to Ubuntu Women Institute USA IncSunday T. Taabuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04235311428005126514noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512951027850893932.post-66464152759195004732012-01-31T17:48:00.000-08:002012-01-31T17:48:23.689-08:00Marie Stopes International (MSI) South Sudan Abortion Clinic in Juba<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"> "Someone in Uk should find out how Marie Stopes International Practices in UK".<br />
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By Dennis<br />
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After 21 years of civil war in Sudan where millions of lives were lost, we would imagine that the most logical programme for the world’s youngest nation—South Sudan, would be one that promotes population growth to replace the lost lives. South Sudan, a country twice the size of UK, and population estimated at less than 10 million, is not ripe for abortion.<br />
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Abortion is illegal in South Sudan and any organization or individual promoting abortion is promoting an illegality. However, despite what the law says and the knowledge that abortion is illegal in South Sudan, Marie Stopes International (MSI) opened a clinic in Juba (Hai Negli Area, East of Juba University) in July 2010. The opening ceremony was a low key event, intentionally designed not to attract media attention as it was soon after they had been kicked out of Khartoum. Their assets, including brand new cars, were taken by Humanitarian Commission (HAC) and all staffs paid six months’ salary to disappear and not talk to the media.<br />
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Internationally, MSI is known to provide abortions especially in countries where abortion is legal (UK, South Africa etc). On its official website in the UK, MSI describes itself and the kind of services it offer to the clients:<br />
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"Marie Stopes International is the UK's leading provider of sexual and reproductive healthcare services. Our nationwide network of sexual health clinics see over 100,000 men and women each year who come to us for information, advice and professional care. We are committed to providing all the help you need to make informed choices about your health. We ensure that there is no wait for appointments and that our centres are safe, friendly, and comfortable places to visit. Our services include: Contraception, Unplanned pregnancy counseling, Abortion information and advice, Help for women needing abortions, Abortion pill and other treatment options, Vasectomy information and vasectomy procedure, Female sterilization, Health screening for men and women, Company health screening and STI testing."<br />
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Even in countries where abortion is illegal, the practice continues but is disguised as provision of Family planning services. That is how they took root in Juba, South Sudan and in Khartoum previously.<br />
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Taking the case of MSI Juba Clinic for instance, immediately after launching, 16 staffs were recruited to do underground mobilization, targeting young girls at the University of Juba and its environs. The message was clear: tell them there are family planning services and other services like those in neighboring countries (In Uganda and Kenya, MSI is known for this practice and they were targeting those who could have heard about it such as returning refugees).<br />
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Realizing the targets were not being met, MSI decided to recruit and bring in a new country director, one who had the credentials of increasing sales in record time. And this time the sales were measured in terms of the highest number of abortions in the shortest time possible (year one target was 1500).<br />
<br />
Deaths:<br />
<br />
Hardly a year into the operations, the first victim of the ‘safe abortion’ was recorded. However, the case had to be killed without being picked up by the media and the police. The family based in Ethiopia was paid and all expenses related to hospitalization and burial catered for by MSI.<br />
<br />
Shortly thereafter, another case arose. A man who was certain that his wife was pregnant came back from Yambio only to find that the wife was no longer pregnant. Upon severe battering, the wife admitted that she had procured an abortion at MSI clinic in Juba. The man had to be paid to kill the story, and thus, a high delegation was sent from London since they were getting concerned that their young project might go the Khartoum way (In reference to how they were kicked out of Khartoum)<br />
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Late last year (2011), the third victim was a young girl probably in high school. The pregnancy was more than 12 weeks and the doctor on duty refused to perform the operation. He was sacked for this but the saddest part was that the young girl passed away.<br />
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Malpractices:<br />
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Using the NGO tag, MSI is freely getting supplies from UNFPA, MSH and Ministry of health in Juba. As you can see, Family planning commodities are given to them freely and instead of providing free services as it should be, the commodities end up being sold to the poor victims!<br />
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Memorandum of Understanding (MOU):<br />
<br />
Abortion drugs which are not registered in Juba find their way through parcels and staff hand bags. Any staff travelling to London or from London will be delivering of picking orders. Since they know that the scanning at Juba International Airport is not serious, they pass scot free and duty and tax free!<br />
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Capacity building is one of the core pillars of any programme and true to that MSI ensures the staffs are taken out of Juba especially to Kenya, Ghana and South Africa where they can get many women coming for abortion to practice. The flip side is, instead of focusing on Family planning as indicated in the visas, the whole two weeks training is on abortion and those missing the real benefit to the deserving communities. It would be worth money to train midwives to improve the maternal mortality situation rather than focus on abortions.<br />
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Incriminating Documents:<br />
<br />
Documents in our possession indicate clearly the objectives of the clinic. To protect the operations, most documents are marked classified or confidential. These are never shared with outsiders. In the documents, you can clearly see what is written (different words are used to cover up the real deal, i.e. MSP and MSMP: Basically Abortions without medical assistance and with medical assistance respectively).<br />
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Interviews and Recruitment:<br />
<br />
Having operated for one year without being un-earthed, the strategy is to move to other good areas (potential business). The major towns identified so far are Torit, Nimule, Yambio, Yei, Kajo Keji, and possibly Mundri.<br />
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When staffs are being recruited, the only thing that matters is the pro-abortion answer. For example, even if you are the most qualified candidate but you are against abortion, then you have no chance of being recruited. Due to lack of adequate job opportunities in South Sudan, most people would grudgingly accept that they can perform abortions only to realize that it is a bloody and murderous affair.<br />
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According to one of the providers: "I saw light after being presented with a case where the child came out still alive, I went home, confessed to a priest and promised myself never to be involved again." That’s how she left working for MSI. Her contract was terminated immediately.<br />
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The big and urgent question is: for how long will this carnage continue? Or if it’s the best thing to have ever happened for our girls and women, then let the government openly announce that they want to, or have already, legalize abortion. In that case, let the MSI clinic and other clinics operate freely and competitively!<br />
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The citizens of South Sudan, as well as the government, must be made aware of the illegal activities of MSI in Juba. The government must wake up and declare which side it is on, MSI or the law!! If the law had changed, then that should be made explicitly clear to all citizens of our country so that there should be accompanying laws to safeguard and protect the lives of our womenfolk at the MSI clinics and to punish any negligence and cover-ups going on there.<br />
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The simple, yet the fundamental, question is this: under whose (and what) law are MSI clinics operating? South Sudanese must know because their love ones are dying under mysterious circumstances, all under the nose of a seemingly dysfunctional government in Juba and beyond the reach of the law! Surely, South Sudanese deserve better than this!<br />
<br />
Dennis is a concerned South Sudanese from Juba.<br />
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<br />
</span>Sunday T. Taabuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04235311428005126514noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512951027850893932.post-11776918774396881612012-01-29T12:38:00.000-08:002012-01-29T12:52:35.665-08:00President Kiir remarks on the occasion of Independence celebration in Juba University Compus<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: currentColor; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;"><tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;"> <td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 6.65in;" valign="top" width="638"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="background: white; direction: rtl; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;"><b><span dir="LTR" style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Gen Salva Kiir Mayardit,</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span dir="LTR" style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="background: white; direction: rtl; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;"><b><span dir="LTR" style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">President of the Republic of South Sudan: </span></b><span lang="AR-SA" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-font-weight: bold; mso-ascii-font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Bookman Old Style";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="background: white; direction: rtl; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><b><span dir="LTR" style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>‘Remarks on the Occasion of Independence Celebrations’,</span></b><span lang="AR-SA" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-font-weight: bold; mso-ascii-font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Bookman Old Style";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="background: white; direction: rtl; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;"><b><span dir="LTR" style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Juba University Campus,</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span dir="LTR" style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="background: white; direction: rtl; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 119.25pt 122.25pt center 3.25in; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span dir="LTR" style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="background: white; direction: rtl; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 119.25pt 122.25pt center 3.25in; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span dir="LTR" style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Saturday 13<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>, August 201<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="background: white; direction: rtl; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 119.25pt 122.25pt center 3.25in; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Honorable Vice Chancellor of Juba University and host,</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Bookman Old Style";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Your Excellencies Caretaker Ministers and Government Dignitaries,</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Distinguished Academics and invited participants,</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The families and community of Juba University,</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ladies and Gentlemen,<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I would like to take this opportunity to once again extend to you and the whole community of Juba University my heartfelt congratulations on the occasion of the historic Proclamation of our Independence on July 9<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>, 2011. This is a memorable achievement that our generations will remember forever. Our independence was not handed to us in a silver platter. We fought for it; we died for it; we got maimed for it; and at the end we won our freedom.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The most difficult task is ahead of us. We must now join hands to build our nation. The theme for this occasion is of great relevance to our current situation: <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">‘Juba University: Torchlight on the Path to Development of the Republic of South Sudan’</span>. You and other institutions throughout the country shall be indeed our torchlight in rebuilding our country. We should not do this to prove to others; but to build a better future for generations to come. We are the founding fathers and mothers of our new nation. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As we have leaped into this new era, we must now mobilize our material and intellectual resources to develop. There are no other institutions more important than our universities that must become the basis of our strategy to build this country. Moreover, God has endowed us with immense resources that must be harnessed to jump start development. While we will not leave every stone unturned to mobilize for development, nothing can materialize if we do not invest resources to building and strengthening our national institutions of higher learning. We shall also ensure and encourage the establishment and expansion of private institutions. Remember that the most important asset a nation should strive for is to have an educated population. Knowledge lasts a lifetime and no one can take that away from you. The resources we have will end one day; but if we are innovative and creative, we will overcome whatever challenges we might face. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Government of the Republic of South Sudan will assume its sovereign responsibility of providing the necessary support and guidance for our higher education institutions. <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Universities are the nucleus of our national development.</span> No country can prosper without strong institutions of higher learning. In fact, the government will compliment the role of universities by encouraging the establishment of <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">‘Think Tanks’</span> whose main purpose is to critique and guide government on how to implement programs.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Let me also assure you that universities and education in general rank among the top government priorities alongside physical infrastructure development, health, power generation, and food security. In addition, this government will foster the establishment of professional institutions to assist in national planning and to cater for the improvement of universities and institutions of higher learning countrywide. We will expeditiously embark in construction of modern campuses to match international standards. This is very critical especially if we want to retain all students to acquire their basic degrees locally. <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">This can and shall be done. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Over the past several decades, South Sudan has lost its best educated people to other countries. Many fled during the war; but were able to learn and earn higher education degrees. We will do everything we can to end the brain drain. Indeed, many have returned home to help rebuild our country. But the challenge is what can this generation do to help prepare the next generation. Government cannot do everything. You as individuals should do what you can to help. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Excellencies, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Conventionally, universalities are the competence of the National Government. During the Interim Period, the Ministry of Education became responsible for the feeding, payment of tuition fees and transport cost for students in Southern Sudan universities. As a government we are still contemplating over how best to resolve the current appalling condition of our public institutions? Let me admit that the situation of our universities is a major challenge and we will not blame ourselves because there was a deliberate move by our adversaries to keep us below standards of humanity. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I, therefore, take this opportunity to declare here today that the situation of our universities will change. The government will invest in transforming and building the physical facilities required for modern institutions of higher learning. We will start to improve all our universities in order to consolidate them and even make them become attractive destinations for both academics and practitioners worldwide. We will build universities today that one could imagine that if we were to die and rise after 200 years one can still find them blossoming! We will target state of the art institutional structures. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I appeal to you all both academic staff and administrations of our public universities to put your minds together and come up with well studied recommendations and plans for strengthening our institutions, which must become the pillars of nation-building. <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">We cannot develop if we do not invest in the development of the human resource in order to meet the challenges of modernization, particularly the implementation of the program of rural transformation</span>. Our institutions of higher learning must become the propellers and the core of development.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Creative learning must focus on the development of agricultural sector, physical infrastructure and the establishment of basic industries to meet the basic needs of our people. Now that we are in a free independent country, our population will increase and our needs will also expand tremendously. As I said before, we do have the advantage of beginning from scratch. <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">We will not reinvent the wheel instead we will take stoke of the successes and failures of others to propel ourselves to the heights of modernity.</span> We will choose what is relevant to our situation and cultures. We will not become <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">copycats</span> instead we will improve what others consider to be the best to make it even better. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I equally urge you in our institutions of higher learning to engage in rigorous research in order to design policies and guidelines that will lay the foundation for development in South Sudan. <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">We must design our universities and uplift remuneration standards so as to become attractive enough to compel our intellectual Diaspora community to come back home.</span> We do have a sizeable Diaspora that we must encourage to return home. In fact, we are probably amongst the few countries in the world that are very privileged to become independent with a huge number of educated people. We must take full advantage of that by building an infrastructure that will attract our people who are still working abroad.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There is also need to control the proliferation of private universities by setting standards that will determine the sustenance and quality of their establishment. This will include the development of relevant curricula to meet the development needs of the Republic of South Sudan. This responsibility will be given a government institution that must start to examine the challenges of higher education in the Republic. We will put our minds together and address some of the major challenges facing higher education in our country. Such challenges include: funding, accreditation of universities, physical infrastructure development, staffing, establishment of Research Councils, scholarships among others. <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The Government of the Republic of South Sudan will redouble its efforts in trying to address the difficulties faced by universities.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I am fully aware of the current status of our universities particularly the lack of proper physical infrastructure and conducive environment for learning. I would like to take this opportunity to reassure you that it is just a matter of time we will fix such difficulties <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">in order for our children to enjoy the fruits of the long struggle for freedom, Justice, Liberty and Prosperity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As I said during the declarations of independence, let us continue to celebrate but we must always be equally ready to wake up the following day and work. <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Let me tell you this: ‘Our <u>rule of life</u> now is to work’!</span> I reiterate my appeal to the younger generation that this new nation is yours and let us commit ourselves to build it.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hard work is a virtue and in just a matter of time, we will prosper. There is nothing impossible and as it is said: <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">‘If there is a will there is a way’</span>. The role of Government is to provide conducive atmosphere while citizens must join hands and work. We will issue comprehensive priorities for the next five to ten years as soon as the new cabinet lineup is in place.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Before I conclude, allow me to reiterate what I told you during the 30<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>, July Martyrs Day. <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">We cannot prosper as a nation without the unity and harmony of our people.</span> We must accept our diversity and use our difficult past experiences to grow. We must work harder and harder so that in five years change must be apparent. <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Government will ensure that there is no hindrance or obstacle and people should go about doing their business without any kind of fear. Remember, I have declared war on criminals and I warned them to become attentive. </span>Criminals should never skip every word I uttered against their abhorrent behavior. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I said it during the <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Joint Sitting of the National Legislature</span> that while I will continue to insist on you to work harder, <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I am already at work myself.</span> The government of the Republic of South Sudan will do the best it can to enhance the welfare of its citizens. Development is not an easy thing to achieve. It will take time and in most cases those who build may not enjoy the fruits of their labor. <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">We will build for posterity and it is our duty to ensure that future generations must not experience the same suffering we have undergone.</span> In other words, suffering has ended with us and the future is brighter. <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The future is yours!</span> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Last but not the least, I would like to inform you that the two houses of our Legislature have convened and they will have to do business by passing all the critical laws for our new nation. <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">These are the Council of States and the National Assembly</span>, which constitute the National Legislative Assembly. This is the supreme authority in the land. The interests of the people are fully represented in this institution. Therefore, it is incumbent upon you as enlightened citizens to engage them as your representatives in order to ensure that your aspirations and those of the wider community are loudly articulated.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Finally and as you may be aware, your government through the Central Bank of South Sudan has introduced the new currency, <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">the South Sudan Pound (SSP).</span> All citizens should welcome this important symbol of our sovereignty and demonstrate their nationalism by surrendering the old currency notes for our new legal tender which bares the portrait of our leader and hero, Dr. John Garang De Mabior. The exchange of this currency will end on September 1<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup>, 2011. Please remove all the old Sudanese Pound and replace it with the new South Sudanese Pound (SSP). <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Once again, I wish you well in this independence celebration and may God continue to bless South Sudan.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Thank you for listening. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: white; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">__._,_.___<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEW-SUDAN/attachments/folder/1860575809/item/320200264/view" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-no-proof: yes; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><v:shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"> </v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:formulas> <v:path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f"> <o:lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"> </o:lock></v:path></v:stroke></v:shapetype><v:shape alt="President Kiir was honored by VC of U of J Prof. Abate, By Thomas Kenneth.JPG" href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEW-SUDAN/attachments/folder/1860575809/item/320200264/view" id="Picture_x0020_1" o:button="t" o:spid="_x0000_i1026" style="height: 47.25pt; mso-wrap-style: square; visibility: visible; width: 71.25pt;" target="_blank" type="#_x0000_t75"> <v:imagedata o:title="President Kiir was honored by VC of U of J Prof. Abate, By Thomas Kenneth" src="file:///C:\Users\SUNDAY~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.jpg"> </v:imagedata></v:shape></span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 1.5pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEW-SUDAN/attachments/folder/1860575809/item/320200264/view" target="_blank" title="President Kiir was honored by VC of U of J Prof. Abate, By Thomas Kenneth.JPG"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">President Kiir was honored by VC of U of J Prof. Abate, By Thomas Kenneth.JPG</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tw3hcqueH3GbK0IhGztcgkueo2dLejFwwami_uKsWPMR7Q3XVDO3-1CPLqdqadUqqgQNtpeOd9SoDBfhXA6R42m4IpswjKZes81LVgGszKK4VXtO8U-h386j2ncMrIk_ZW4dWvBA7Lwb/s1600/President+Kiir+addressing+independence+Celebration+organized+by+U+of+J_+By%252C+Thomas+Kenneth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tw3hcqueH3GbK0IhGztcgkueo2dLejFwwami_uKsWPMR7Q3XVDO3-1CPLqdqadUqqgQNtpeOd9SoDBfhXA6R42m4IpswjKZes81LVgGszKK4VXtO8U-h386j2ncMrIk_ZW4dWvBA7Lwb/s320/President+Kiir+addressing+independence+Celebration+organized+by+U+of+J_+By%252C+Thomas+Kenneth.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEW-SUDAN/attachments/folder/1860575809/item/1728073474/view" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-no-proof: yes; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"></span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 3.75pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEW-SUDAN/attachments/folder/1860575809/item/1728073474/view" target="_blank" title="President Kiir addressing independence Celebration organized by U of J. By, Thomas Kenneth.JPG"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">President Kiir addressing independence Celebration organized by U of J. By, Thomas Kenneth.JPG</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWYYGt-h-1-mfy6HeCWBZp3bBROZZaNcaAd-MrlI6e0kUFQu4PSYGpQYwnxoj8dBjukEDAeIyPNp9JGpYXFxVJZQIoVPO5XmpMyKRCiTu75KIpImjSnSMXvNf1XlQqd9_ddGxC-IQbGwHu/s1600/President%252BKiir%252Bwas%252Bhonored%252Bby%252BVC%252Bof%252BU%252Bof%252BJ%252BProf_%252BAbate%25252C%252BBy%252BThomas%252BKenneth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWYYGt-h-1-mfy6HeCWBZp3bBROZZaNcaAd-MrlI6e0kUFQu4PSYGpQYwnxoj8dBjukEDAeIyPNp9JGpYXFxVJZQIoVPO5XmpMyKRCiTu75KIpImjSnSMXvNf1XlQqd9_ddGxC-IQbGwHu/s320/President%252BKiir%252Bwas%252Bhonored%252Bby%252BVC%252Bof%252BU%252Bof%252BJ%252BProf_%252BAbate%25252C%252BBy%252BThomas%252BKenneth.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</tbody></table>Sunday T. Taabuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04235311428005126514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512951027850893932.post-31213367373852116942012-01-29T07:00:00.000-08:002012-01-29T07:03:58.644-08:00Internet Branding<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: left;"></div><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: currentColor; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;"><tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 6.65in;" valign="top" width="638"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Companies are finding that they are having to redefine their marketing and branding strategies due to the unique characteristics of the internet and its capacity to change old rules (<a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb40" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb40"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Ibeh <i>et al.</i>, 2005</span></a>). We have seen that a brand is generally thought to evoke, in the customer's mind, a certain personality, presence and product or service performance (<a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb1" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb1"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Aaker, 1991</span></a>; <a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb22" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb22"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Doyle, 1998</span></a>) and that the concept of a “brand” can be a way for consumers to simplify the time-consuming process of search and comparison before deciding what to buy (<a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb77" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb77"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Rowley, 2004</span></a>; <a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb8" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb8"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Bergstrom, 2000</span></a>). Many online businesses are, thus, searching for new e-brand strategies that might assist them in creating some distinctiveness and engaging their customers (<a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb42" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb42"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Kenney and Curry, 1999</span></a>).<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To enhance their prospects of achieving successful i-Branding, companies have been urged to embrace a number of strategies. These include:<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<ul type="disc"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">establishing an online brand as quickly as possible to gain first-mover advantages (<a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb22" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb22"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Doyle, 1998</span></a>); <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">undergoing a systematic process of understanding, attracting, engaging, retaining and learning about target customers (<a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb43" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb43"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Kierzkowski <i>et al.</i>, 1996</span></a>); <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">going beyond generating awareness for their sites to a greater focus on developing trust and relationships through an improved “click-to-order” ratio and repurchase rates (<a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb17" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb17"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Court <i>et al.</i>, 2006</span></a>; <a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb54" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb54"><span style="color: #0000d9;">McGovern, 2000</span></a>); <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">building stronger relationships through targeting customers with unique messages, unique functionality, content and personalisation techniques (<a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb40" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb40"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Ibeh <i>et al.</i>, 2005</span></a>); <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">delivering a quality product/service experience within a unique positioning concept and strong communications programme (<a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb40" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb40"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Ibeh<i>et al.</i>, 2005</span></a>); <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ensuring consistent delivery of the brand promise (<a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb22" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb22"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Doyle, 1998</span></a>; <a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb17" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb17"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Court <i>et al.</i>, 2006</span></a>). <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></ul><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Four Pillars of i-Branding<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Extending the discussion of branding to the internet environment introduces a fourth theme as being significant: content. <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">These themes are developed into a framework for this paper which is dubbed “The Four Pillars of i-Branding”. The pillars in question are understanding customers, marketing communications, interactivity and content. <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;"><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Pillar one: understanding customers</span></i></b><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb43" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb43"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Kierzkowski <i>et al.</i> (1996)</span></a> state that to enhance their prospects of achieving successful i-Branding, companies need to understand online customers. This understanding provides the foundation for going beyond developing awareness of online offerings to a greater focus on developing the trust and relationships which form the basis of effective online branding (<a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb17" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb17"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Court <i>et al.</i>, 2006</span></a>; <a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb54" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb54"><span style="color: #0000d9;">McGovern, 2000</span></a>).<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Within this i-Branding context, <a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb47" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb47"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Lin <i>et al.</i> (2004)</span></a> suggest that an enterprise can enhance its understanding of customers online by implementing an internet market segmentation approach. This approach could utilise various online methods to classify potential or actual online customers into groups which have similar requirements and characteristics, as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<ul type="disc"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Server-side data capture.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> “Web analytics” is an evaluative online technique that uses easily obtained statistics, or “metrics” stored on server log files, to assess web site usage. Advanced web analytics software does not just collect such information, but also uses it in conjunction with other data, such as demographics, customer profiles and subscription information. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Client-side data capture</span></i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. Central to this concept is the “cookie” a mechanism designed to compensate for the stateless nature of the http protocol that controls the transfer of hypertext documents. What is particularly interesting for marketers is that cookies can be utilised to identify the habits of a particular user. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Online surveys</span></i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. Technology has revolutionized the way in which surveys are administered – with the advent of the first e-mail surveys in the 1980s and web-based surveys in the 1990s. Online surveys offer real opportunities in the quest to better understand online customers, such as: global reach; flexibility; speed and timeliness; technological innovations; convenience for customers; ease of data entry and analysis; and low administration cost. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Databases</span></i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. Customer data gathered by companies online can be stored in databases, and analysed to provide a depth of information on individual customers that would be impossible, for many companies, to obtain by non-electronic means. The most important output of the integration of internet/database marketing is the enabling of effective customer relationship management. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></ul><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Segmentation is viewed by <a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb26" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb26"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Goldsmith (1999)</span></a> as a key facilitator, helping the marketer to understand more precisely the structure of the market and who the customer is or should be. Target segments and develop more one-to-one relationships. The prototype of personalisation is the world wide web. The power of the internet is its ability to tailor itself for each of its users. <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div style="background: white;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">As a branding vehicle the internet, therefore, not only offers valuable segmentation opportunities, but actually takes the concept of understanding customers, and therefore, more precisely targeting them, to new levels (<a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb72" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb72"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Probaker, 2000</span></a>). This more personalised targeting is a critical opportunity offered in developing the internet successfully as a branding tool (<a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb40" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb40"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Ibeh <em><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">et al.</span></em>, 2005</span></a>).<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<h4 style="background: white; margin: 1.33em 0in;"><em><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Pillar two: marketing communications</span></em><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></h4><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Personalisation is also viewed as an integral element of marketing communications in the internet context. Online communication combines mass media's reach with the personalisation inherent in two-way dialogue – previously only possible using personal forms of promotion. In this context, relationships are important at both individual and organizational level. <a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb13" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb13"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Buttle (1996)</span></a> argues that relationships with consumers are recognised to be at the heart of customer attraction and retention. <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Communication and consumer behaviour theories suggest that, when consumers have a preference for a brand, they are more keen and willing to receive information from it and also to search for information about it. <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<ol start="1" type="1"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Presence</span></i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. After establishing a presence on the internet, one of the primary objectives is to attract a variety of interested parties to visit the company's online presence. A key benefit of attracting customers to company web sites is its positive relationship to brand equity when related to effective online strategies. Customers' perceptions of brands and companies can be positively changed by being attracted to an internet that is tailored to their specific wants and needs. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Relationships</span></i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. These are developed when customers and organisations work together. As interaction increases, relationships become stronger and more sustainable. <a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb77" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb77"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Rowley (2004)</span></a> states that as organisations become acquainted with customers they may choose to differentiate the quality and extent of their offerings and services in favour of customers who are profitable. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Mutual value</span></i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. This can occur as companies and customers interact to create value in ways beneficial to both. Companies derive benefit and value from the opportunities to create more tailored and relevant communication messages about products and services which are of interest to the customers (<a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb73" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb73"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Quniton and Harridge-March, 2003</span></a>). <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></ol><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Traditionally, the focus in marketing communications has been on “promotion” and on the one-way transmission of messages. Media available for communication, such as television, radio, newspapers, magazines, newsletters, or direct marketing encourage this “push” approach (<a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb77" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb77"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Rowley, 2004</span></a>). However, they are linear in nature, following a scripted flow, and often subscribing implicitly to a one-to-many communication model in which a single promotion is sent by one source, and seen by many recipients without the opportunity for immediate feedback (<a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb77" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb77"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Rowley, 2004</span></a>). Clearly, the internet facilitates non-linear communication with a free flow and exchange of information, and the opportunity for two-way flows between companies and customers on a one-to-one or many-to-many (<a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb36" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb36"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Hoffman <i>et al.</i>, 1995</span></a>) basis. Online tools available to marketing communications planners in this environment include:<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<ul type="disc"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo4; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Company web sites</span></i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. An organisation's site is a promotional event in its own right. In effect the web site acts as a communicator of a company's value proposition and brand promise. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo4; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">E-mail marketing</span></i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. E-mail can be used for various marketing communications purposes: sharing information about products and services; promoting them; building brand relationships; guiding customers to web sites; alerting customers and confirming order status. E-mail marketing can facilitate brand encounters and deepen consumer-brand relationships with loyal customers, over and above seeking additional sales. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo4; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Viral marketing</span></i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. This is a set of online techniques that seek to exploit pre-existing social networks to produce exponential increases in brand awareness, through processes similar to the spread of an epidemic. Essentially, one person “infects” several people with an offer, who then spread it to several friends and acquaintances, until the entire virtual neighbourhood has been exposed. The global nature and ease of communication online makes the internet a powerful viral marketing tool. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></ul><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Essentially, there is a power shift from online to offline, as customers gain control and their time becomes the asset that both they and the marketers need to understand, with customer needs sacrosanct. In this context, <a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb77" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb77"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Rowley (2004)</span></a> claims that information and not image is the main currency in online communication. However, researchers such as <a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb51" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb51"><span style="color: #0000d9;">May (2000)</span></a> suggest that the internet must be more than just an information medium. It also needs to offer entertainment value, because that is what online customers expect. <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The internet needs to be a place where stories are told and dialogues are initiated, as well as information being discovered. This is where strong brand perceptions can be developed online. Therefore, the development of the internet as a marketing communications medium requires an understanding of how information, entertainment and commerce can be melded together within an online marketing communications mix.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;"><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Pillar three: interactivity</span></i></b><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It is clear that interaction with customers is central to realizing the benefits that the internet can provide in understanding customers and developing more personalised marketing communications. In creating this personalisation and providing the opportunity to create positive brand perceptions, customers need to be engaged within the online environment.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The internet is based on information and communication technologies that enable easy and rapid interaction between customers and companies in the search for information about products or consumer content, or in placing an order define interactivity as the facility for individuals and organisations to communicate directly with one another regardless of distance or time.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Interactive communication process provides companies with a market-oriented mechanism to uncover and satisfy customer needs. <a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb50" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb50"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Marcolin <i>et al.</i> (2005)</span></a> explore three stages in the development of web site interactivity that practitioners should consider:<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<ol start="1" type="1"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo5; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">First stage</span></i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. Being able to address the individual. <a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb64" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb64"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Parsons <i>et al.</i> (1998)</span></a> identify two sub-stages: attracting buyers to the site, and engaging them once they are there. It is obvious that marketing communications will be an integral element in attracting customers to interactive features, and that response is further facilitated by having links from other sites (e.g. banner advertising, affiliate sites). Attracting buyers from outside the web environment relies on traditional advertising and word-of-mouth to promote the URL (<a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb5" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb5"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Agarwal and Venkatesh, 2002</span></a>). Once potential customers are at the site, its navigational design and systems are key factors in the company's ability to engage visitors by guiding them to interactive features (<a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb24" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb24"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Fleming, 1998</span></a>; <a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb64" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb64"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Parsons <i>et al.</i>, 1998</span></a>). <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo5; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Second stage</span></i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. Gathering and remembering visitors' inputs: essentially. Understanding customers through their own contributions to the communication. Two broad categories of input characterise this stage: manual, direct from the customer, and system-generated. Both allow the company to learn about customers (<a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb64" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb64"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Parsons <i>et al.</i>, 1998</span></a>) while establishing dialogue (<a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb12" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb12"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Berthon <i>et al.</i>, 1996</span></a>). The most basic form of manual input is the click on a hyperlink, from which behavioural data can be tagged or remembered for later analysis (<a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb50" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb50"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Marcolin <i>et al.</i>, 2005</span></a>). Manual input could also consist of data captured in forms, dropdown boxes and videoconferencing. In contrast, the customer may or may not know that system-generated input is being collected. For example, a unique identifier such as a cookie can be passed back and forth between the web browser and the server without the buyer's knowledge, allowing database updates and retrievals to be completed anonymously (<a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb50" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb50"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Marcolin <i>et al.</i>, 2005</span></a>). <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo5; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Third stage</span></i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. Direct response to individual buyers, using data previously gathered and remembered via the site (<a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb50" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb50"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Marcolin <i>et al.</i>, 2005</span></a>). In effect, this stage represents what is ultimately offered to buyers. That offering is often available in real time at the web site, or it may be initiated as a delayed response, such as the delivery of a product or a reply to an e-mail (<a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb48" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb48"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Lincke, 1998</span></a>). <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></ol><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A range of online tools is available for the implementation of these three stages of interactivity development, such as:<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<ol start="1" type="1"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Blogs</span></i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. Short for “web logs” this term describes a hierarchy of text, images, media objects and data arranged chronologically, that can be viewed via an html browser. The centre of the hierarchy is a sequence of posts, each with a title, link, and description. These can be designed by a company to encourage additional posts from customers, building a rich interaction on specific topics. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">RSS Feeds</span></i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. Standing for “really simple syndication” this is a free internet service that allows customers to choose what they want to read, listen to or watch, and have it sent to them electronically. They subscribe to RSS feeds that interest them by clicking on the universal orange RSS button appearing at a rapidly growing number of web sites. Every time new content is added to a web site in this way, customers can receive relevant elements in their news feeder, and can browse the information at their leisure. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Online Communities</span></i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. Alternatively called “virtual communities” these are collectives of geographically distributed individuals, bound by a common interest in exploiting internet technology to enable communication. In the marketing context, their benefit to marketers is the range of customer data that can be gathered, by observing behaviour within online communities. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></ol><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Pillar four: content</span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">i-Branding is dependent upon targeting customers with unique messages, unique functionality and unique content. When customers enter an organization's web site, they typically do so in order to find content on a given topic or to undertake a particular transaction. If a site is to effectively market products or services, and create effective i-Branding, then its design should allow such activities to be conducted in as straightforward a manner as possible.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Group relationships within site content can be identified, according to <a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb85" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb85"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Taylor and England (2006)</span></a>, by asking the question: “If a web site user is interested in a particular item of information/transaction, what similar or related items of information/transactions would they also be interested in?”.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">However, there is also recent evidence to suggest that unduly sophisticated and graphics-intensive web sites can create negative brand perceptions among users. The exact nature of the problem would appear to revolve around the long delays associated with downloading graphics and other sophisticated features such as Java “applets” . Indeed, <a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb80" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb80"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Shneiderman (1998)</span></a> proposed that users do not like to wait for more than a few seconds. <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Integrating the Four Pillars<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Marketing planners need to carefully consider the strategic branding opportunities achievable through the integration of these Four Pillars of i-Branding. <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">E-mail marketing communications has gained a bad press, with the issue of “spamming” engendering anger among recipients and leading to the development of filtering tools to prevent unwanted e-mails. Companies now have to gain permission from customers to e-mail them without the threat of damaging brand perceptions. However, there is a further element to this argument. Planners will need to understand what customers do value from regular e-mail communications, and personalise their e-mail communications to individual preferences (<a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb56" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb56"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Merisavo and Raulas, 2004</span></a>). If they do not, the empowered online customer will send the e-mail to the recycle bin. <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Viral marketing is a highly effective internet marketing communications tool (<a href="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb18" title="http://140.234.0.9:8080/EPSessionID=f34680b49b3c72ab267a9f6ac77dd9a/EPHost=www.emeraldinsight.com/EPPath/journals.htm?issn=0263-4503&volume=25&issue=6&articleid=1628110&show=html#idb18"><span style="color: #0000d9;">Datta <i>et al.</i>, 2005</span></a>), but will succeed in its objectives only if companies understand their online customers and provide offerings than can deliver better value than those from competitors. Customers will then have positive things to say online – which will spread with the “vial” rapidity that the online environment makes possible. Properly integrating customer understanding and marketing communications, therefore, permits a more targeted and personalised approach to online marketing campaigns. <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Regards<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jon<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
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</tbody></table><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span></div>Sunday T. Taabuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04235311428005126514noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512951027850893932.post-23181636265173678092012-01-28T21:47:00.000-08:002012-01-29T06:42:07.316-08:00Distance learning 'preferred option for UK students facing high university fees'<h1 style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 10px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">An increasing number of UK students are choosing to sit their degree via distance learning platforms.<br />
<br />
This is according to research conducted by Bournemouth marketing company TA Solutions, which found that as tuition fees reach the maximum cap of £9,000, more and more people are looking into distance learning for a more cost-effective option.<br />
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"There has been a significant increase in the amount of people I have met in the last year who do not have a university degree and are between the ages of 18 to 21 years old looking for a work opportunity," Michael Adetona, managing director at the company said.<br />
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He added that there has been a significant increase in the number of people applying for online learning courses since the latest A-level results were published in August last year.<br />
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"I think the main reason is due to the increase in student tuition fees and also the lack of guarantee of a secure job with no work experience and large debt at the end of the three-year minimum degree time," the expert commented.<br />
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This was furthered by the large number of 18-year-old college leavers who were put into the UCAS clearing system due to a lack of available university places and the stricter entry requirements in relation to this.<br />
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Research from the company revealed that 90 per cent of distance learning students work full-time while studying. This results in them leaving higher education with significantly less debt than the average student who attends university.<br />
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According to research by the Push university guide, the average student debt could hit £53,000 for students enrolling on courses after the cap on fees was announced last year.<br />
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For those students who enrolled in 2011, the average debt will be around £26,100.<br />
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Under the new rules, university leavers will start paying back their fees when they earn a salary of £21,000 or more. Previously, those who attended university before a cap on fees started paying loans back when earning £16,000.</span></h1><br />
Dr Jon<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 5px; text-align: left;">27 January 2012</div>Sunday T. Taabuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04235311428005126514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512951027850893932.post-91195331745082052182012-01-25T17:58:00.001-08:002012-01-25T17:58:47.770-08:00RSS” Savage Woman” Condemns Sex Workers Industry in South Sudan<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: currentColor; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #8064A2 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #8064A2 1.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;"><tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;"> <td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 6.65in;" valign="top" width="638"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">January <b>23</b>, 2012<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">By “RSS Savage Woman” Group</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">It was indeed a slap on the faces of daughters and sons of the RSS to chocking and blundering news of sex industries (Brothels) </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">operating in RSS, documented in two separate articles, “Call Girls Exporting Sex to Juba” and “Kenyans Trafficked to South Sudan for Sex Work Report” and many more out there. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The content of these two articles clearly indicate that the Republic of South Sudan is invaded by sex business giving the nation a low moral image. The people of the Republic of South Sudan come from conservative cultures where sexual display or behavior in the public degrades our customary laws and cultural norms of rational beings and are unaccepted.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ms Janet Kanini, in an interview, alleged she went to Juba to work in her Auntie’s restaurant but instead she was lured into the sex trade. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Triza is another Kenyan sex worker who also claimed she moved to Juba to do sex business which earns her about $500 (USD) a week. She added that her targets are tall Dinka men who drive Government vehicles with “GOSS” plate names. Furthermore, the paper alleged these sex workers come from Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">From the two articles, it is crystal clear there is prostitution brewing heavily in our country, the Republic of South Sudan, and the consequences of such business is detrimental to our nation which emerged from a long civil war that claimed many lives of our citizens, and to the continent of African as a whole.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> We the women of RSS see sex work in RSS as an illegal act of desperate women from our neighboring country in search of survival in RSS. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">If economic conditions cannot allow these women to earn any living in their countries of origin rather than selling their bodies, destroying their dignities, and endangering their own health and health of others through prostitution, we, members of RSS “Savage woman”, feel strongly that our sisters must find another way to do business in RSS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sex workers are a threat to our spirituality and traditional moral codes laid down by our ancestral forefathers/mothers. Therefore, this is an immoral and illegal desperate means by these disadvantaged women and men to make a living. It is a dangerous vehicle to exploit disadvantaged young girls from our neighboring countries.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Economic and health issues related to prostitution in RSS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Prostitution damages the reputation of our nation and the institution of marriage in our country. It degrades women and makes them seem like mere sexual idols and properties for exploitation by low self-esteemed men who seek instant sexual gratification not at home with their legally married women but prostitutes. It diminishes the core moral values of women in our society. Researchers have found substantial evidence that there is a strong co-occurrence between prostitution, drug usage, drug business, and involvement in non-drug criminal activities like identity theft, robbery, and vandalism etc. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Sex workers are threat to our poor public health system. These women are never screened for sexually transmitted diseases due to the fact that our young nation is still coping with many challenges and sex business should not be our employment industry.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Resolutions<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“RSS Savage Women” applauds the voices of women groups and NGOS who have raised the issues and called for immediate response from governmental authorities, the NGO community, national and international women groups, UN and other human rights organizations to intervene in addressing the matter with tenacity.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">We call upon the</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> government of the Republic of South Sudan through its legislative branch to: Pass tough immigration policies to screen non-residents in practicing business in RSS. Every business needs to be registered by the city government (local government). Businesses need regular inspection to ensure owners are doing businesses they claim in their business licenses. The same policies should be applied in Central Equatoria State Legislative Branch as well as in other ten states.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">That the Government of Central Equatoria State should demolish brothels in Juba. That the Government of the Republic of South Sudan should deport any woman found practicing prostitution in Southern Sudan.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">That government employees be held to the highest ethical standard, and be disciplined or sacked once they are found in brothels or actions that encourage prostitution.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Those women organizations in RSS have to be motivated to lobby against the establishments of brothels and practice of prostitution by foreign women or our daughters in the country.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">That Those women organizations in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda team-up together to find ways and means of helping these women find the best ways to help these women find dignified jobs.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">That the government of the Republic of South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda acknowledge the problem, and find a solution to the problem collectively (African Solution to African problem).</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The absolute reason for these women to seek sex business is poverty; however, there are consequences that surpass their economic challenges and decisions to survive on commercial sex. RSS “Savage Woman” is a whistle blower group on these and many other issues affecting women in the country. Even though there are no specific services RSS “Savage woman” can provide, it will partner with the Ministry of Gender and social Welfare to support gender related issues in RSS. These women most often never disclose their identity or career path. They need social support from other women who will act as support groups. Therefore, RSS “Savage woman” looks forward to work<b>ing</b> with policymakers on other avenues of concern and gender disparities. We discourage the ongoing trading of sex for employment in various ministries. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Conclusion<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">RSS Legislative Assembly should condemn prostitution formulate policies that ban the industry in the entire nation. Our government should promote and encourage health sexual practices through legalization of marriage, promote public health screening and health education, financial security, food security as number one programs for a healthy nation. As women of RSS, we cannot stand-by and watch our men exploit our women and sisters from these neighboring countries. <o:p></o:p></span></div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 615px;"><tbody>
<tr style="height: 17.45pt; mso-row-margin-right: 5.8pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;"> <td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); height: 17.45pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 225.2pt;" valign="top" width="300"> <div class="MsoFooter" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">References<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoFooter" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Call Girls Exporting Sex<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Juba<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); height: 17.45pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 230.25pt;" valign="top" width="307"> <div class="MsoFooter" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoFooter" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://allafrica.com/stories/201201110069.html"><span style="color: windowtext;">http://allafrica.com/stories/201201110069.html</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); mso-cell-special: placeholder; padding: 0in;" width="8"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
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<tr style="height: 40pt; mso-row-margin-right: 5.8pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;"> <td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); height: 40pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 225.2pt;" valign="top" width="300"> <div class="MsoFooter" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Kenyans Trafficked to South Sudan for Sex Work Report<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); height: 40pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 230.25pt;" valign="top" width="307"> <div class="MsoFooter" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><a href="http://www.trust.org/trustlaw/news/kenyans-trafficked-to-south-sudan-for-sex-work-report"><span style="color: windowtext;">http://www.trust.org/trustlaw/news/kenyans-trafficked-to-south-sudan-for-sex-work-report</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoFooter" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
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<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;"> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 228.2pt;" valign="top" width="304"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">“RSS Savage Woman” Group Contact Persons<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 233.05pt;" valign="top" width="311"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">Phone and email Contacts<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;"> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 228.2pt;" valign="top" width="304"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">Europe: Ms Susan O Wilson, Interim Chair<o:p></o:p></span></i></div></td> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 233.05pt;" valign="top" width="311"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">Cell: </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">0047 91 82 04 73; Email: <a href="mailto:susanandrua@gmail.com"><span style="color: windowtext;">susanandrua@gmail.com</span></a> </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;"> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 228.2pt;" valign="top" width="304"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">North America: Sunday T Taabu<o:p></o:p></span></i></div></td> <td colspan="2" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 233.05pt;" valign="top" width="311"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: NO-BOK;">Cell: 336 508-6383; Email: Ktaabu@aol.com<o:p></o:p></span></i></div></td> </tr>
<tr height="0"> <td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0);" width="299"></td> <td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0);" width="4"></td> <td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0);" width="304"></td> <td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0);" width="8"></td> </tr>
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</tbody></table>Sunday T. Taabuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04235311428005126514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512951027850893932.post-10090532306981334362012-01-25T17:48:00.001-08:002012-01-25T17:48:32.607-08:00South Sudan Institute for Women’s Education & Leadership Project FOCUS Area<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: currentColor; mso-border-insideh: none; mso-border-insidev: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;"><tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;"> <td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 6.65in;" valign="top" width="638"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 1in 0pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Lucida;">It is said</span><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Lucida;"> “the women of <st1:place w:st="on">Southern Sudan</st1:place> and other disadvantaged regions in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Sudan</st1:place></st1:country-region> are “the marginalized of the marginalized”. In recognition of the contribution of women during the war and the forgone opportunities they gave up in order to take care of their children, elders in families and community, and the wounded under extreme conditions of poverty not forgetting early marriages, cultural discriminatory laws, sexual and domestic violence and abuse and poor public health. For over 22 years of civil war in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Sudan</st1:place></st1:country-region>, the women of Southern received no attention like their sisters in <st1:place w:st="on">Darfur</st1:place>. <st1:place w:st="on">Southern Sudan</st1:place> was a forgotten piece on earth.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 1in 0pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 1in 0pt 0.7in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Lucida;">United Nations and many of its affiliate organizations consider education as a human right issue, and gender equality in education is essential for sustainable development. As a result the international community has made education in general and girls’ education in particular a priority issues. However, the road to the realization of gender equality in education is still a long and difficult one. There are still traditional pockets of resistance. In addition the low status of women in the wider society, including their under representation in management and decision-making positions in the education field, have a negative impact on efforts to promote girls’ and women education.</span><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif";"> It is a known fact that h</span><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">igher education institutions play a strategic role in finding solutions to today’s leading challenges in the fields of health, science, education, renewable energies, water management, food security and the environment<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 1in 0pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Education and health-care Initiatives are two key factors which offer solution to combat social, cultural, and economic and health concerns women face in this globally changing environment, as well as the only mode to help promote the participation of women in every segment of development and capacity building in both government and private sector.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">The 25% allocated for women’s participation at the Comprehensive Peace is represented by well-prepared educated women. Without education, the women will not be able to equally and equitably compete with the men and participate in the current changing and challenging global market fully, which requires a well rounded academic background, and related achievements. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>South Sudan Institute for Women Education and Leadership takes the challenge to advocate for this segment of population, and hopes to develop short and long term projects to achieve its basic goals for Academic achievement for women and the general health care for both women and children.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Causes of Illiteracy<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">: </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">There are many factors that contribute to the higher percentage of illiteracy among southern Sudanese women including but not limited to war, cultures and traditions of early marriages, unprotected sex resulting in child bearing or health concerns HIV/AID, deceased parents. </span><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">T<span style="color: black;">he situation of women merits special attention as that segment of the population has continued to suffer disproportionately throughout two decades of civil war.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div><div style="background: white;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Although the humanitarian situation has changed following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in <st1:date day="9" month="1" w:st="on" year="2005">January 9, 2005</st1:date>, still the overall demand for education, food production, security, basic health and social services, well-built infrastructure, income generation and capacity building is tremendous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition to the tragedy of lost lives, lost opportunities, destruction of infrastructure<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6512951027850893932#_edn1" name="_ednref1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn1;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">[i]</span></span></span></span></span></a>, the need for basic education, sanitation and health care still remains and calls for our attention and contribution. It is only through education that these needs can be addressed and met.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><pre><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></pre><pre><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">World Bank (1991) statistical estimate for life expectancy at birth among Sudanese women from both north and south was 59.1 to 51.2 a clear reflection of discrepancies between Northern and Southern Sudan. The situation was made worse by the impact of the prolonged conflict.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ms. Lona Elias own words, “The Decades of under-development and conflict have left South Sudanese women…“the poorest of the poor and the marginalized of the marginalized.” Severe gender disparity is manifest in access to education and health and differential life expectancy. Only 5% of births are attended by skilled health staffs and maternal mortality is high”. Therefore, </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">SSIWEL strives to invest in the education of women in the area of health public health and other related fields.<o:p></o:p></span></pre><pre><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></pre><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><pre><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">During the two decades of war, while men were tasked to militarily liberate the country, women were left to raise the family, take care of the elderly, and nurture the wounded despite the fact that some women joined the military. They had no opportunity to go to school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Young women born and raised during this period of our history were married young with no education to fend for themselves and families. Most of them married military personnel and had to raise many children alone; lost their husbands during the war and have to raise her children and children of other relatives who passed away without some shoulders to lean on. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Education is the only way to help these women recover from these lost opportunities to become economically stable, politically strong and legally and customarily cognizant of their rights in the society. </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;"><o:p></o:p></span></pre><br />
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Culture and Traditions<o:p></o:p></span></u></b><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Gender roles in southern <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Sudan</st1:place></st1:country-region> have been shaped by culture, social and economic underdevelopment. Women spend their time doing domestic chores such as fetching water, manually grinding grain, and cooking food, all of which allow little time for other activities. The patriarchal culture imposes restraints on women’s participation outside their homes. These customs define what constitutes a woman’s role in Southern Sudanese society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Education will open the opportunity for women to improve their standard of living. SSIWEL seeks to help these women develop their talents to the fullest and help shape the direction our country takes. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“To educate a woman you educate a nation”. </i></b></span><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Women and girls of <st1:place w:st="on">Southern Sudan</st1:place> are highly disadvantaged by culture and the 21 years of civil war, which took its toll on them when left behind to attend to families and relatives’ needs while their fathers, husbands and uncles were in the front line fighting the enemy. Furthermore, the young girls never had a chance or were forced to drop out of school either for culturally arranged marriage/s or due to lack of funds to send them to school. In a situation where families experience tight family budget, it is a traditional norm to ask the girls to drop out of school to give an opportunity for their male siblings to continue. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">For the girls who managed to attend school, there were many challenges waiting them in both home and school that hinder their performances such as sexual harassment by male teachers; the monthly periods where they have to stay away from school until it stops because they have no sanitation pads to wear while in public places such as schools. After school, girls are expected to go home and help their mothers with housework, for example, cooking, fetching water from distant streams to bath their siblings and for household use. At the end of the day these girls have no time left for school assignments. After long hours of work both in school and home, they would feel exhausted and ready to sleep. The routine continues every day until the academic year is over. At the end, most girls fail not because they are not intelligent but because of how the society and culture treat them in relation to boys.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Women Legal Rights<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">According to United Nations, </span><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif";">“… women are central to reconstruction effort in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Sudan</st1:place></st1:country-region>, critical support and investments in actions that promote and protect women's rights and strengthen women's leadership at all levels are essential. Sudanese women play an integral role in the reintegration effort for returning displaced populations of refugees, internally displaced persons and demobilized combatants. The planned reconstruction effort in the areas of education, health, infrastructure and development demands attention to the roles, responsibilities and situation of women. Current data shows that Sudanese women, especially women from the south, continue to live in conditions of extreme poverty; the difficulty of their situation compounded by high levels of illiteracy and limited access to basic social services including health care, food and water”.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Concerned with lack of education as a barrier for women of <st1:place w:st="on">Southern Sudan</st1:place> and other marginalized areas of the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Sudan</st1:place></st1:country-region> who missed the opportunity to attain basic education, particularly during the 21 years of Civil War, SSIWEL seeks to promote the standard of women by providing basic education through an adult education program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Women will learn to read and write and will participate in short and long-term career courses developed according to the needs of the women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right now many women in <st1:place w:st="on">Southern Sudan</st1:place> are experiencing difficulties finding work because of a lack of experience and education to help them discover their hidden abilities. By giving these women the ability to read and write, it will inspire them and open doors for many to discover their talents and to find careers. It will be like learning how to drive instead of being driven.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">SSIWEL seeks to strengthen the capacity of Southern Sudanese women through education at grassroots and national level. Through academic empowerment, the women will be in position to economically and culturally change their status in society by influencing economic, political and social policies that affect and discriminate against women. Women will have the opportunity to read laws and regulations that define their legal rights and seek social justice in an event the laws are used against them. <span style="color: black;">Women account for about 65% of the Sudanese population, and yet they have been intellectually, economically, and politically marginalized throughout the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>Education will strengthen the role of women in leadership, equity and peacemaking, human rights initiatives, political empowerment and awareness in public health issues.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Legal and Human Rights in the context of South Sudanese Women:</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Examining Southern Sudanese women’s legal and human rights in the context of domestic and international human rights law. Despite efforts made to improve women’s unfavorable conditions of gender disparities world-wide through universal conventions and gender equality development programs by international actors women of <st1:place w:st="on">Southern Sudan</st1:place> continues to live in an environment with laws that discriminates against women and the violations of women’s basic rights in society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although, the people of Southern Sudan are given six years interim period with a semi autonomous government, the discriminatory, rules and regulations, and other government policies perpetuated by the Khartoum government are contrary to the provisions of human rights. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Lucida;">I would like to express my remorse that only few</span><span class="reportbody1"><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> literate women have had the luxury of attending secondary school. Apart from deprivations resulting directly from war and underdevelopment, a drastic reduction in the male population in some areas has placed additional responsibilities on many of the women left behind. Many southern Sudanese men went to war leaving women behind to raise families while still others left the south in order to gain education and training in the north, or even abroad.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Intricate of Culture Surrounding Women:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Because of the <st1:place w:st="on">Southern Sudan</st1:place> great diversity, it is difficult to classify the traditional culture of the various people. These traditional societies have diverse linguistic, ethnic, social, culture and religion characteristics. And although improved communication, increased social and economic mobility and the spread of a money economy have led to a general loosening of social ties, custom, relationships and modes of organization in traditional culture, much from the past still remains intact.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">There are many different cultures in <st1:place w:st="on">Southern Sudan</st1:place>, cattle owners have historically been of the highest symbolic, religion and economic value. Cattle are particularly important in their role as the bride wealth, where they are given by the husband lineage to his wife lineage. It is this exchange of cattle which ensures that the children will be considered to belong to the husband’s lineage and to his line of descent. The classical and weird South Sudanese institution of ghost marriage, in which a man “fathers” children even after death, is one that remains unchallenged, and is basically a result of dowry paid in cattle herds to the family of the bride. She is basically sold to the family of the man as a property. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Marriage<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">For pastoralists, cows are the centerpiece of diet, trade and religion. Families rely on cows for milk and meat, and sales, for dowries to arrange marriages, and for sacrificial rituals to honor ancestral gods and the spirits of ancestors. Cows are source of prestige, dignity and wealth. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Traditionally, Southern Sudanese men enjoy the liberty to marry more than one wife. The number of wives depends on the man’s position and power within the community.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Relatives especially parents have the role of choosing a bride or a bride groom for their children according to the status of the families to be consummated in this marital arrangement. A man or a man’s mother can choose a woman or the woman’s family for marriage. </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Eurostile","sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Lucida;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div></td> </tr>
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<div style="mso-element: endnote-list;"><br clear="all" /> <hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /> <div id="edn1" style="mso-element: endnote;"> <div class="MsoEndnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6512951027850893932#_ednref1" name="_edn1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn1;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[i]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> http://www.iri.org/africa/sudan/pdfs/IRISudanWomensAssessment.pdf<o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div></div>Sunday T. Taabuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04235311428005126514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512951027850893932.post-60947820670382478762012-01-25T17:27:00.000-08:002012-01-25T17:33:23.985-08:00UWI USA: FundraisingDirector of Fundraising: Very Important and Key Position in UWI USA<br />
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<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;"> <td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 6.65in;" valign="top" width="638"><div style="border-color: currentColor currentColor rgb(98, 36, 35); border-style: none none double; border-width: medium medium 4.5pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: thick-thin-small-gap #622423 4.5pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoHeader" style="border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: thick-thin-small-gap #622423 4.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 11.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This is an important person for the organization.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 11.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Director of Fundraising must be organized, enthusiastic, self-motivated individual who seeks to fundraise money for UWI USA, an educational and a healthcare based fund-raising projects in the United States. S/he seeks to get funds from International donors, goodwill foundations, gifts from friends, and corporations. The Director will be based USA and coordinates fundraising with other directors in else where in the world. Fundraising will</span><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 10pt;"> enhance coverage in all major fundraising styles including major gifts, events, annual appeals, grants and corporate partnerships. As with other "membership" organizations, potential fundraising overlap with members is an issue to be managed. Works closely with project and grantwriters.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 11.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 360.75pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Job Description: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 11.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 360.75pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">USA. Responsibilities include: supporting the fundraising efforts of the existing SSIWEL projects or UWI other projects in USA including drafting funding proposals and grant applications, meeting with donors, and identifying funding sources in coordination with the organizations overall fundraising programs. The Director of Fundraising USA will work with EU and African camps together in sharing fundraising prospects and networking together to raise funds and working to build relationships with corporate headquarters in Europe to benefit all the camps. The director will be responsible for direct marketing UWI business plans/projects including public awareness initiatives with the expectation of attracting additional new gifts and support for educational initiatives of women in Southern Sudan, Nuba Mountain, Blue Nile and Darfur. The Director reports to UWI USA/SSIWEL Executive President or Chair of the board.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 11.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Director’s Responsibilities<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 11.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Setting and meeting aggressive fund-raising goals with accounts <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 11.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Planning, organizing, training, developing, implementing, directing, and evaluating all aspects UWI USA fundraising events for specific revenue generation, educational and communications activities <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 11.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Assuring UWI.SSIWELL Affiliate policies are carried out and goals are achieved in a timely fashion <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 11.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Directing and overseeing the training, development and maintenance of community based volunteers <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 11.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Oversee data entry and maintenance of data base <o:p></o:p></span></li>
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</tbody></table>Sunday T. Taabuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04235311428005126514noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512951027850893932.post-44577104955241775672012-01-25T16:49:00.000-08:002012-01-25T16:58:06.369-08:00UWI-USA: Project Outlook Summary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;"> <td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 6.15in;" valign="top" width="590"><h2 style="margin: 0.83em 0in; mso-outline-level: 2;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span> </h2><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";">“<em><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";">Men and women have deeply unequal roles in Sub-Saharan Africa, deeply entrenched in language and in the way men and women are molded within our society. Our African culture has to be preserved but cannot be left unquestioned especially in areas where it threatens life. We have to continue to be Africans but our children must be born to live, they cannot be born to die.”</span></em> Graça Machel<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";">The Ubuntu Institute gender equality and women empowerment programme seeks to address the vulnerability of young girls and women to HIV/AIDS, poverty, gender based violence, etc. The focus of the programme is on the intersection of culture and the empowerment of women. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<h3 style="margin: 1em 0in; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";">Approach</span></strong><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></h3><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";">Using cultural values based approach to address the vulnerability of young girls and women to HIV/AIDS, poverty, gender based violence, etc in Southern Africa. Working with a broad range of cultural and traditional leadership structures, we seek to drive behavior change at three different levels: (a) <strong><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";">community- </span></strong>social norms and contexts (b) <strong><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";">individual-</span></strong> knowledge, behaviors and attitudes<strong><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";"> (c) structural factors- </span></strong>leadership, policy,<strong><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";"> </span></strong>infrastructure. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<h3 style="margin: 1em 0in; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";">Activities</span></strong><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></h3><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";">Driven by our strategy, Ubuntu will carry out the following specific activities:</span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";">Strategy 2.1:</span></strong><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";"> <span class="highlight"><i>Coordinating</i></span> women leaders include those in formal traditional leadership structures (ruling over a community) and the wives of traditional leaders…. A regional network of women in traditional leadership structures will be created to advocate for the rights of women (structural issues), promoting education and sharing indigenous best practices on how to fight HIV/AIDS, poverty, lack of access to education and environmental degradation (individual targets) and community dialogues (to deal with social norms and contexts). </span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";">Strategy 2.2</span></strong><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";">: <span class="highlight"><i>Capacity Building</i></span> of women including traditional leadership structures. Traditional women leaders need to be properly capacitated to better respond to issues of HIV/AIDS, poverty, environmental sustainability, educational access and access to economic opportunities. The Ubuntu HIV/AIDS programme seeks to ensure that these leaders are provided with toolkits and materials (dealing with HIV/AIDS, poverty, gender based violence, STH, etc) and also trained in management systems, operations, communications, advocacy skills, financial management, etc. </span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";">Strategy 2.3: </span></strong><span class="highlight"><i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";">Education and Awareness </span></i></span><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";">–<strong><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";"> Ubuntu Women Institute seeks to </span></strong>promote Intergenerational dialogues with young girls dealing with topics such as transactional sex, teaching sexual reproductive health (SRH) issues, life skills education, economic empowerment, education access, prevention of pregnancy, MCP, self-efficacy and negotiation skills to name a few. Education targeted at young boys (elder adult men leaders) to compliment women education is conducted so that the men are also aware of issues impacting women and clearly see the role they can play in addressing these issues.</span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";">Strategy 2.4: </span></strong><span class="highlight"><i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";">Advocacy </span></i></span><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";">-supporting the role of women and their rights in addressing HIV/AIDS and vulnerabilities of women in Sub-Saharan region. </span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";">Strategy 2.5: </span></strong><span class="highlight"><i><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";">Research</span></i></span><em><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";"> </span></em><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";">- Ongoing research needs to be done on the role of culture and how it impacts women in traditional societies. Issues around customary law and the role of women in African culture need to be further explored. The Ubuntu programme will also use the research for developing evidence-based solutions and for measuring and evaluation of our programming on an ongoing basis. </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJzoQ-6KMg_G1_k-LjxnxXjiRbWgeF3SC6vQoytvCJxcwD6mPs0uJblx7oeNH1m5FPXAbsRw9mW_pwFW0nQs36EPyB49QmEVzhkJt94nSLH5nY_hp_UbLp1ViKtaP9d9kVW9ul9TMCSt-/s1600/Untitled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJzoQ-6KMg_G1_k-LjxnxXjiRbWgeF3SC6vQoytvCJxcwD6mPs0uJblx7oeNH1m5FPXAbsRw9mW_pwFW0nQs36EPyB49QmEVzhkJt94nSLH5nY_hp_UbLp1ViKtaP9d9kVW9ul9TMCSt-/s640/Untitled.jpg" width="432" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJzoQ-6KMg_G1_k-LjxnxXjiRbWgeF3SC6vQoytvCJxcwD6mPs0uJblx7oeNH1m5FPXAbsRw9mW_pwFW0nQs36EPyB49QmEVzhkJt94nSLH5nY_hp_UbLp1ViKtaP9d9kVW9ul9TMCSt-/s1600/Untitled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></a><br />
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I<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";"><em><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif";">n many rural societies of developing countries, women carry the burden of farm labor and on-farm transport; they arrange for household energy (mostly firewood) and water… Furthermore, women, as mothers, grandmothers, wives, sisters, or daughters, often represent the first line of health care, prepare meals for the family, convey values, and provide the first role models for behavior.</span></em>” Dr Mamphele Ramphele (World Bank IKS Book, Local Pathways to Global Development/Women’s indigenous knowledge, 2004)<o:p></o:p></span></td> </tr>
</tbody></table>Sunday T. Taabuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04235311428005126514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512951027850893932.post-6689704819195908692012-01-24T21:11:00.000-08:002012-01-24T22:22:41.521-08:00UBUNTU: Brief Meaning of African Word "UBUNTU"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableColumns1" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: currentColor; mso-border-alt: solid black 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;"><tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: -1;"> <td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: black black rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1.5pt 1.5pt 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 7.15in;" valign="top" width="686"><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 5;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Brief Meaning of “Ubuntu”:</span></u></b><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGIsLCA4FCRp6N7FAMOXdWevFtSnvTugkr4AxGVLm58eCCJ5m59wXN6N1gCLltCNvEQ9hxCQXI9xpAGnVLIQmuJIb671IiYAvSf13XnZ-cyXYlYXvqB7WVdldGLwR5hA8wC0ajyZDzrXUP/s1600/HPIM1839.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGIsLCA4FCRp6N7FAMOXdWevFtSnvTugkr4AxGVLm58eCCJ5m59wXN6N1gCLltCNvEQ9hxCQXI9xpAGnVLIQmuJIb671IiYAvSf13XnZ-cyXYlYXvqB7WVdldGLwR5hA8wC0ajyZDzrXUP/s640/HPIM1839.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 5;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1JrAYiuqQ_-E5Qjd9wwLbC0oMSIagUVwIY6dYt0nhHwfpDViviLBW5XePeAQUN9HeBZ3v3fjjLkLYEcbB5B80yquoZ5PoA42IMoKEfTtAxszTYKfAwSAppLlkXzzthpUyRWL13n1pjVqm/s1600/HPIM1849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1JrAYiuqQ_-E5Qjd9wwLbC0oMSIagUVwIY6dYt0nhHwfpDViviLBW5XePeAQUN9HeBZ3v3fjjLkLYEcbB5B80yquoZ5PoA42IMoKEfTtAxszTYKfAwSAppLlkXzzthpUyRWL13n1pjVqm/s640/HPIM1849.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1JrAYiuqQ_-E5Qjd9wwLbC0oMSIagUVwIY6dYt0nhHwfpDViviLBW5XePeAQUN9HeBZ3v3fjjLkLYEcbB5B80yquoZ5PoA42IMoKEfTtAxszTYKfAwSAppLlkXzzthpUyRWL13n1pjVqm/s1600/HPIM1849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"></div><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ubuntu: "I am what I am because of who we all are." A translation offered by Liberian peace activist </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leymah_Gbowee" title="Leymah Gbowee"><span style="color: blue; font-size: medium;">Leymah Gbowee</span></a><span style="font-size: medium;">. Similar to a saying: A single straw of a broom can be broken easily, but the straws together are not easily broken. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-yfti-cnfc: 5;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #212120;">A person with Ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed (Archbishop Desmond Tutu). <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-yfti-cnfc: 5;"><br />
</div><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 5;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archbishop" title="Archbishop"><span style="color: blue; font-size: medium;">Archbishop</span></a><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Tutu" title="Desmond Tutu"><span style="color: blue; font-size: medium;">Desmond Tutu</span></a><span style="font-size: medium;"> further explained Ubuntu in 2008. “One of the sayings in our country is Ubuntu - the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can't exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can't be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality - Ubuntu - you are known for your generosity. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 5;"><br />
</div><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 5;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole world. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 5;"><br />
</div><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 5;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Louw (1998) suggests that the concept of Ubuntu defines the individual in their several relationships with others, and stresses the importance of Ubuntu as a religious concept. He states that while the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zulu_language" title="Zulu language"><span style="color: blue; font-size: medium;">Zulu</span></a><span style="font-size: medium;"> maxim <i>umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu</i> ("a person is a person through (other) persons") may have no apparent religious connotations in the context of Western society, in an African context it suggests that the person one is to become by behaving with humanity is an ancestor worthy of respect or veneration. Those who uphold the principle of Ubuntu throughout their lives will, in death, achieve a unity with those still living.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 5;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela" title="Nelson Mandela"><span style="color: blue; font-size: medium;">Nelson Mandela</span></a><span style="font-size: medium;"> explained Ubuntu as follows. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-yfti-cnfc: 5;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #212120;">A traveler through a country would stop at a village and he didn't have to ask for food or for water. Once he stops, the people give him food, entertain him. That is one aspect of Ubuntu but it will have various aspects. Ubuntu does not mean that people should not enrich themselves. The question therefore is: Are you going to do so in order to enable the community around you to be able to improve?<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-yfti-cnfc: 5;"><br />
</div><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 5;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Jackson" title="Tim Jackson"><span style="color: blue; font-size: medium;">Tim Jackson</span></a><span style="font-size: medium;"> refers to Ubuntu as a philosophy that supports the changes he says is necessary to create a future that is economically and environmentally sustainable.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 5;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanlake_J._W._T._Samkange" title="Stanlake J. W. T. Samkange"><span style="color: blue; font-size: medium;">Stanlake J. W. T. Samkange</span></a><span style="font-size: medium;"> (1980) highlights the three maxims of Hunhuism or Ubuntuism which shape this philosophy: The first maxim asserts that 'To be human is to affirm one's humanity by recognizing the humanity of others and, on that basis, establish respectful human relations with them.' And 'the second maxim means that if and when one is faced with a decisive choice between wealth and the preservation of the life of another human being, then one should opt for the preservation of life'. The third 'maxim' as a 'principle deeply embedded in traditional African political philosophy' says 'that the king owed his status, including all the powers associated with it, to the will of the people under him'.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 5;"><br />
</div><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 5;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: medium;">While sharing is incorporated within "unhu" it is only one of the multiplicities of virtues within "unhu". In the "unhu" domain, visitors do not need to burden themselves with carrying provisions — all they need is to dress properly and be on the road. All visitors are provided for and protected in every home they pass through without payment being expected. In fact, every individual should try their best to make visitors comfortable — and this applies to everyone who is aware of the presence of a visitor within a locality.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 5;"><br />
</div><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 5;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Other manifestations of Ubuntu are that it is taboo to call elderly people by their given names; instead they are called by their surnames. This has the effect of banishing individualism and replacing it with a representative role, in which the individual effectively stand for people among whom he comes from at all times. The individual identity is replaced with the larger societal identity within the individual. Thus, families are portrayed or reflected in the individual and this phenomenon is extended to villages, districts, provinces and regions being portrayed in the individual. This places high demands on the individual to behave in the highest standards and to portray the highest possible virtues that society strives for. "Unhu" embodies all the invaluable virtues that society strives for towards maintaining harmony and the spirit of sharing among its members. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 5;"><br />
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<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 0;"> <td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) black; border-style: none solid; border-width: 0px 1.5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 7.15in;" valign="top" width="686"><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A key concept associated with "unhu" is how we behave and interact in our various social roles, e.g., daughters-in-law traditionally kneel down when greeting their parents-in-law and serve them food as a sign of respect and maintain the highest standards of behavior that will be extended or reflected to her family and all the women raised in that family. The daughter-in-law does this as part of the ambassadorial function that she plays and assumes at all times. However, this does not apply only to daughters-in-law but to all women in general, even among friends and equals such as brother and sister, and this does not imply that the woman is subordinate to the man, or sister to brother. It is all essentially considered to be a characteristic of having "unhu" and a social interaction within the context of "unhu". The demands imposed upon men within the context of "unhu" are more physically demanding than that placed upon the woman.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;"><br />
</div><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Under "unhu" children are never orphans since the roles of mother and father are by definition not vested in a single individual with respect to a single child. Furthermore, a man or a woman with "unhu" will never allow any child around him to be an orphan. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;"><br />
</div><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Remarks by </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Department_of_State" title="U.S. Department of State"><span style="color: blue; font-size: medium;">U.S. Department of State</span></a><span style="font-size: medium;"> Special Representative for Global Partnerships, Elizabeth Bagley discussed Ubuntu in the context of American </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_policy" title="Foreign policy"><span style="color: blue; font-size: medium;">foreign policy</span></a><span style="font-size: medium;">, stating that “In understanding the responsibilities that come with our interconnectedness, we realize that we must rely on each other to lift our world from where it is now to where we want it to be in our lifetime, while casting aside our worn out preconceptions, and our outdated modes of statecraft.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;"><br />
</div><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: medium;">She then introduced the notion of "Ubuntu Diplomacy" with the following words: In 21st century diplomacy, the Department of State will be a convener, bringing people together from across regions and sectors to work together on issues of common interest. Our work no longer depends on the least common denominator; but rather, we will seek the highest possible multiplier effect for the results we can achieve together. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;"><br />
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<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;"> <td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) black black; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 1.5pt 1.5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 7.15in;" valign="top" width="686"><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We will also act as a catalyst, with our Foreign Service Officers launching new projects in tandem with those NGOs, philanthropies, and corporations at the front lines of foreign affairs to discover untapped potential, inspire fresh ideas, and create new solutions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;"><br />
</div><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And we will act as a collaborator, leading interagency coordination here in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state></st1:place> and cross-sector collaboration in the field, with our Ambassadors working closely with our non-governmental partners to plan and implement projects for maximum impact and sustainability.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;"><br />
</div><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In the same way that </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary_Clinton" title="Secretary Clinton"><span style="color: blue; font-size: medium;">Secretary Clinton</span></a><span style="font-size: medium;"> has often said that ‘it takes a village to raise a child,’ we are now realizing that we must apply a similar approach worldwide. It takes a shared, global response to meet the shared, global challenges we face. This is the truth taught to us in an old South African principle, Ubuntu, or ‘A person is a person through other persons.’ As </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archbishop_Desmond_Tutu" title="Archbishop Desmond Tutu"><span style="color: blue; font-size: medium;">Archbishop Desmond Tutu</span></a><span style="font-size: medium;"> describes this perspective, Ubuntu ‘is not, “I think therefore I am.” It says rather: “I am a human because I belong. I participate. I share.”’ In essence, I am because you are.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;"><br />
</div><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We are truly all in this together, and we will only succeed by building mutually beneficial partnerships among civil society, the private sector, and the public sector, in order to empower the men and women executing our foreign policy to advance their work through partnerships.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;"><br />
</div><div style="mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">This is Ubuntu Diplomacy: where all sectors belong as partners, where we all participate as stakeholders, and where we all succeed together, not incrementally but exponentially.</span><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">.. </span><v:shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" id="_x0000_t202" o:spt="202" path="m,l,21600r21600,l21600,xe"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"> <v:path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"> </v:path></v:stroke></span></v:shapetype></span><v:shape fillcolor="#fffffe" filled="f" id="_x0000_s1026" insetpen="t" o:cliptowrap="t" strokecolor="#212120 [rgb(33,33,32) ink(5,255)]" stroked="f" style="height: 62.75pt; margin-left: -11.4pt; margin-top: 7.05pt; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-vertical-relative: text; mso-wrap-distance-bottom: 2.88pt; mso-wrap-distance-left: 2.88pt; mso-wrap-distance-right: 2.88pt; mso-wrap-distance-top: 2.88pt; position: absolute; width: 351.75pt; z-index: 251660288;" type="#_x0000_t202"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> <v:fill color2="#212120 [rgb(33,33,32) ink(5,255)]"> <v:stroke color2="#fffffe"> <o:left color2="#fffffe" color="#212120 [rgb(33,33,32) ink(5,255)]" v:ext="view"> <o:top color2="#fffffe" color="#212120 [rgb(33,33,32) ink(5,255)]" v:ext="view"> <o:right color2="#fffffe" color="#212120 [rgb(33,33,32) ink(5,255)]" v:ext="view"> <o:bottom color2="#fffffe" color="#212120 [rgb(33,33,32) ink(5,255)]" v:ext="view"> <o:column color2="#fffffe" color="#212120 [rgb(33,33,32) ink(5,255)]" v:ext="view"> </o:column></o:bottom></o:right></o:top></o:left></v:stroke> <v:shadow color2="#dbd5d3 [rgb(219,213,211) cmyk(12.5,9.8,8.63,3.14)]" color="#dcd6d4"> <v:textbox inset="2.88pt,2.88pt,2.88pt,2.88pt" style="mso-column-margin: 5.76pt; mso-next-textbox: #_x0000_s1026;"> </v:textbox></v:shadow></v:fill></span></span></v:shape><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout; position: absolute; z-index: 251660288;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody>
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</tbody></table>Sunday T. Taabuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04235311428005126514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512951027850893932.post-56728782313257783152012-01-24T20:41:00.000-08:002012-01-24T22:50:44.135-08:00WELCOME TO UBUNTU WOMEN INSTITUTE USA INC<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableColumns1" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: currentColor; mso-border-alt: solid black 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;"><tbody>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Ubuntu Women Institute USA Mission, Vision and Abjectives</strong></span></span></div></td> </tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ubuntu Women Institute USA is a Not for Profit philanthropic organization established to commit its resources to activities which are intended to improve the social welfare of the marginalized women of Sub-Saharan Africa especially those women from countries that came out of civil war like Southern Sudan and many others.</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;"> <td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) black; border-style: none solid; border-width: 0px 1.5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 7.15in;" valign="top" width="686"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Mission:</span></u></b><u><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt;">The mission of Ubuntu Women Institute USA is to</span><span style="color: #212120;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> eliminate gender disparities, advocate for empowerment of women through education, leadership and sustainable development.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;"> <td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) black; border-style: none solid; border-width: 0px 1.5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 7.15in;" valign="top" width="686"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #212120;">Vision:<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-yfti-cnfc: 4; tab-stops: 260.25pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #212120;">The vision of Ubuntu Women Institute USA is to promote long term projects to elevate the standard of women and wellness through Healthcare and literacy projects for women, and gender equity. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 4; text-align: justify;"><br />
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<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;"> <td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) black; border-style: none solid; border-width: 0px 1.5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 7.15in;" valign="top" width="686"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin: 0in 0in 12pt; mso-yfti-cnfc: 4;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt;">SSIWEL Project is Ubuntu Women Institute USA Inc first country project in Southern Sudan. Each Project shall carry Ubuntu Women Institute USA’s Log, the country name plus Institute for Women’s Education and Leadership. For example UWI USA project for women in Kenya shall bear the country name “Kenya” plus “Institute for Women’s Education and Leadership”. Therefore, it will read “Kenya Institute for Women’s Education and Leadership”. These projects are equipped to become independent organization if the women in these countries choose to do so with Ubuntu Women Institute USA as its overall Diaspora umbrella.</span></div></td> </tr>
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</tbody></table>Sunday T. Taabuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04235311428005126514noreply@blogger.com0