Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09DARESSALAAM254
2009-04-18 09:16:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Cable title:  

Tanzanian ECA Alumni Form Association

Tags:  KPAO SCUL OIIP OPRC TZ 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDR #0254/01 1080916
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 180916Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 8436
UNCLAS DAR ES SALAAM 000254 

STATE AF/PD FOR PEHRNMAN; ECA/P/A FOR MKIRSH

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO SCUL OIIP OPRC TZ
SUBJECT: Tanzanian ECA Alumni Form Association

REF: STATE 4856

UNCLAS DAR ES SALAAM 000254

STATE AF/PD FOR PEHRNMAN; ECA/P/A FOR MKIRSH

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO SCUL OIIP OPRC TZ
SUBJECT: Tanzanian ECA Alumni Form Association

REF: STATE 4856


1. Summary: A core group of Tanzanian ECA alumni formed the
nascent Tanzania U.S. State Alumni Association during a recent visit
by AF Alumni Coordinator Mallory Kirsh. Alumni participation in
Embassy programs and the State Alumni website is growing in
Tanzania. Kirsh identified numerous best practices in our alumni
engagement, and provided additional training on alumni outreach, the
ECA Alumni Project Competition, and alumni outreach tools. End
summary.

Best Practices identified in Dar es Salaam
--------------


2. During meetings with Public Affairs staff on alumni outreach,
Kirsh identified several best practices in use, despite the absence
of a dedicated alumni outreach staff position. Some of these
include:
--Frequent participation of alumni in pre-departure orientations for
Fulbright, Humphrey and Educational Advising students;
--Participation of alumni on selection panels for Fulbright and
Humphrey candidate interviews;
--Seeking alumni to serve as hosts or partner institutions for IIP
and Post-originated speakers;
--Seeking alumni as volunteer presenters during roundtable
discussions, book discussions and lectures;
--Seeking alumni participation in cultural events in Dar es Salaam,
Zanzibar and in other regions.
--Encouragement of unofficial mentoring of new applicants and
nominees by returned alumni, which has improved applications and led
to alumni working together on joint research projects.
--Encouragement of increased collaboration between alumni and their
U.S. host institutions, including collaboration with American
exchange alumni.
--Fostering cross-program mentoring. For example, an IVLP alumna
from the traditionally nomadic Maasai tribe agreed to mentor a
recently-selected Maasai Youth Exchange and Study (YES) student who
will study in Iowa during the 2009-2010 academic year.
--Favoring alumni for Front Office engagement. The previous
Ambassador's first event at the residence was a major alumni
reception; his first meetings in Zanzibar were with IVLP alumni; and
his first reception outside of Dar (in Arusha) was for alumni. We
find the easiest way to welcome a new principal into the local
environment is with the friendly and frank interaction alumni
provide.
--When other officers, such as the Deputy Chief of Mission, Public

Affairs Officer or Consul, travel regionally, PAS sets up programs
and meetings and uses alumni as reliable go-betweens or meeting
organizers.

Alumni Association Formation
--------------


3. Kirsh and PAS Cultural Affairs Assistant, Diana Carvalho, met a
core group of alumni for a brainstorming session to discuss the
creation of the alumni association after several attempts did not
get off the ground. To assuage the groups concerns about busy
alumni schedules, and the fact that alumni come from diverse
sectors, we provided examples of how successful alumni associations
in Africa are organized, work, and have overcome similar challenges.
The five alumni then dedicated themselves to organize an all-ECA
umbrella organization with different chapters and goals. This core
alumni group has already agreed upon a draft constitution, a
proposed name (TUSSAA - Tanzania U.S. State Alumni Association),and
has established a founding committee. They set themselves a
deadline of May 2009 to register the organization with the Tanzanian
government as an official NGO.


4. We handed over the remaining funding from our last Alumni Grant
to TUSSAA as start-up funding for payment of legal fees,
registration, the acquisition of an Association phone and postal
box, and opening a bank account. In addition, when the association
is launched, the remaining money will be used to fund registration
drives to create regional chapters. A State Alumni USB flash drive
was provided to TUSSAA to keep all official association paperwork in
order.

Reconnecting with "Lost" Alumni
--------------


5. During the Alumni Coordinator's visit, the Public Affairs
Officer hosted a jazz reception featuring U.S. Navy band Top Brass
at his residence. One of the members of the alumni association
founding committee gave brief remarks about the founding of TUSSAA
and encouraged all alumni present to involve themselves in this new
association. We were able to reconnect with several alumni who
attended the reception and help them to register for the State
alumni website in follow-up communication.


6. Following the Alumni Coordinator's visit, we now regularly and
more effectively use the DOS community on State Alumni to view best
practices from other Missions, have increased reporting of new
content about Tanzanian alumni activities into the Mission Activity
Tracker (MAT),and can better use Alumni Archive resources. We also
received useful training on alumni outreach through the ECA Alumni
Project Competition. Kirsh praised Post efforts to increase the
number of alumni activities, but suggested the creation of a central
strategy to target alumni across programs, instead of each PAS
staffer focusing only on the alumni of the program with which they
work (Fulbright, IVLP, etc.).


7. We look forward to further collaboration with the Office of
Alumni Affairs, including various opportunities laid out in reftel,
particularly as TUSSAA moves from the beginning stages of
association formation to creating a more unified outreach strategy
for engaging Tanzanian alumni.


8. This is a joint cable between Embassy Dar es Salaam and
ECA/P/A.

ANDRE