FY-2010 SSI Speaker Request -- Guatemala -- Women's

UNCLAS GUATEMALA 000152 SIPDIS PASS TO IIP/S CBARONE AND IIP/WHA FROSA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: STAG KPAO OIIP SUBJECT: FY-2010 SSI Speaker Request -- Guatemala -- Women's Empowerment: "Helping Girls Stay in School" ¶A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: ¶1. In partnership with Embassy Belmopan, Post requests an SSI speaker under the topic of "Women's Empowerment" to address the issue of girls' education. The idea for this SSI came from a recent feature on America.gov on the same topic; the program will also tie in with Women's History Month (March) in the sense that it promotes education as an aid in the advancement of women. The program will be centered on the retention of girls in school and addressing issues that impede educational opportunities for girls. Confronting the marginalization of girls and creating awareness of opportunities to help them remain in school, with a concentrated focus on rural/indigenous girls, will contribute to more opportunities and to social/economic progress. The SSI program will be directed at community leaders, business leaders, parents, students, government decision makers and media, both in the Capital and in rural areas. PAS will work closely with USAID and with "Opening Opportunities," a local NGO working to keep girls in school, which was highlighted on America.gov at: http://www.america.gov/st/develop-english/200 9/October/200910231051 36berehellek0.8381769.html , to program the speaker. ¶B. TIME FRAME AND NUMBER OF PROGRAM DAYS: ¶2. Post requests travel days on March 14 and March 20 and five complete program days from March 15-19, 2010, to allow for in-country travel outside the Capital. These dates should follow after the speaker's travel to Belize. Post cannot accommodate the speaker earlier due to our bi-national center's jazz festival (for which we received a PAI),or later due to proximity to the Holy Week holiday. If March is not possible, then we would look to April or May; however, we would lose the Women's History Month connection. ¶C. PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND: ¶3. The primary objective of this program will be to increase awareness of the value of girls' education and promote the involvement of community, business leaders and the GOG to maximize access to shared educational resources. The program will foster collaboration among public and private sector organizations and institutions to confront barriers to education for girls, among them: lack of infrastructure (schools are too far away or they lack bathrooms); parents do not perceive the value of a girl's education and send her to work at an early age; girls do not perceive the importance of their education because they lack role models or after completing elementary school they cannot continue higher education (lack of options, of technical careers, or job related or life skills); etc. ¶4. The speaker should be able to share actual experiences and provide success stories of other communities that have created safe environments for girls in school and increased girls' retention. He/she should also explore the principle idea that it is imperative for all stakeholders (parents, private sector and government) to support efforts to enhance the quality of education for girls. The speaker should share strategies for developing leadership, partnerships and collaborations among communities for a common advocacy platform for financial support and investment in increasing opportunities for girls' education. The program will be presented to the audiences of Belize and Guatemala to improve service access and quality, including not only actions within education systems, but also empowering girls themselves and their communities to demand safe services. ¶5. PAS requests a speaker who is a "doer" in the field, who can share personal experience rather than merely an academic treatment of the subject. As mentioned above, PAS will work in conjunction with USAID and NGOs to arrange workshops/seminars for community, family, and business leaders in the capital and in towns where the Opening Opportunities program is in place. The speaker should also be prepared to address representatives from NGOs and other types of agencies (like local governments or schools) in areas where USAID is seeking to implement programs similar to Opening Opportunities. The goal of these meetings will be not only to introduce the Opening Opportunities-type program and its benefits, but also to involve communities in the issue. ¶D. MSP GOALS TO BE ADDRESSED: ¶6. This theme relates directly to Post's MSP goal of "Investing in People through Health and Education," and it ties in directly with USAID's Education for All initiative and Millennium Development goals. ¶E. PROPOSED TOPICS AND EVENTS/AUDIENCES: ¶7. The program would include: 1) Community workshops in the Capital and in indigenous, rural areas, inviting parents, teachers & students as well as local NGOs to discuss a plan to keep girls in school and to spark action; 2) meetings with "Businesspeople for Education," a local private sector organization working to influence policy on keeping girls in school and to achieve more opportunities for girls; 3) a possible conference (500+ guests) for universities, NGOs, private sector, government, public in general, in which attendees would be asked to take a concrete action to express commitment to girls education, (i.e. bring a brick to contribute toward building a school); 4) a meeting with Ministry of Education officials to discuss the speaker's experience; and 5) media opportunities. ¶F. TYPE OR NAME OF SPEAKER/SPECIALIST REQUIRED: ¶8. Post requests a speaker with experience working with communities, teachers, youth and decision maker on girls' education. The speaker should be engaging and with an understanding of the overwhelming problem of desertion and special challenges for girls in Latin America. Previous experience as a speaker is welcomed. ¶9. PAS requests one of the following speakers, listed in approximate order of choice, or a similar-type speaker. No contact or commitment has been made with them. 1) Greg Mortenson - co-founder and executive director of nonprofit Central Asia Institute. Since a 1993 climb on Pakistan's K2, he has dedicated his life to promote community-based education and literacy programs, especially for girls, in remote mountain regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Mortenson is also founder of Pennies For Peace and co-author of the #1 New York Times best-seller, "Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School At A Time," which has sold over 3.5 million copies and is published in 39 countries. He is the author of the new bestseller "Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan." Mortenson is a military veteran, and when not overseas, he lives in Montana, USA, with his two children and wife, Dr. Tara Bishop. www.gregmortenson.com 2) Michelle Minguez Moore - executive director of Latino Leaders Network. She combines her private and public sector experience to craft creative strategic solutions to governmental issues for clients. Michelle's expertise in education, strategic alliances and state government proves invaluable in managing the day-to-day work of clients. She has been a policy analyst and works for girls initiatives. Michelle is on the Board of Directors for the One America Foundation and The National Equity Center. She received her Masters of Education Administration, Planning and Social Policy from Harvard University, Masters in Public Policy from American University and a Political Science BA from Boston University. Contact Michelle Minguez Moore at 202-969-8777 or by email at michelle@latinoleadersnetwork.org . 3) Joyce M. Roche - president and chief executive officer of Girls Inc., a national nonprofit organization dedicated to empowered girls and an equitable society. Its research and advocacy range from pregnancy and drug abuse prevention to science and technology education, and its programs are delivered across the country in school and after-school settings to empower and educate girls, many from underserved communities. Previously she served as president and chief operating officer of Carson Products Company, an African-American personal care company, and as vice president of global marketing at Avon Products, Inc. She is a graduate of Dillard University and Columbia University. Joyce Roche has been featured in Forbes magazine and is well known as a marketing mogul. www.girlsinc.org 4) Julia Bolz - social justice advocate and co-founder of the Journey with an Afghan School program, a project in partnership with the American Friendship Foundation. A former Seattle attorney, in 1998 she left her law firm to serve as an adviser in developing countries for humanitarian nongovernmental organizations. She has volunteered with dozens of nonprofits across six continents. Since 2002, she has focused on educating girls in Afghanistan, where her team has built and supplied 10 new primary schools and assisted 12 others, serving some 20,000 children. She is also an activist with RESULTS, a grassroots citizen lobby creating the political will to end the worst aspects of poverty. She was a speaker at the Aspen Institute in 2007. www.AyniEducation.org or http://affhope.org . 5) Abigail Golden-Vazquez - deputy director, Leadership Initiatives, vice president of the Aspen Institute; deals with issues of leadership, business, government and civil society. She has also worked in development in Honduras w/USAID. The Institute fosters values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. www.aspeninstitute.org. 6) Other potential speakers in no particular order include: Nick Kristof, author of "Half the Sky," www.halftheskymovement.org ; Sejal Hathi, founded "Girls Helping Girls" in 2007 at age 15, www.empoweragirl.org ; Cynthia Lloyd, principal author of "New Lessons, The Power of Educting Adolscent Girls," www.popcouncil.org ; and Dr. Ana Gil Garcia, professor at Northeastern Illinois University. ¶G. LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS: ¶10. Fluency in Spanish is preferred, but interpretation could be arranged at Post. ¶H. NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION FOR MISSION PROGRAM OFFICER AND BACK UP: ¶11. Mission Program Officer: Cheryl L. Neely (PDO/Outreach Coordinator) Office phone number: 011-502-2326-4263 Home phone number: 011-502-2269-7552 Fax number: 011-502-2331-7477 E-mail address: neelycl@state.gov Cell phone number: 011-502-5522-6305 ¶12. Back up Program Officer: Jay Raman, (CAO) Office phone number: 011-502-2326-4505 Home phone number: 011-502-2337-1696 Fax number: 011-502-2331-7477 E-mail address: ramanjr@state.gov Cell phone number: 011-502-4009-6127 ¶13. Responsible FSN: Basilia Lopez (Outreach Assistant) Office phone number: 011-502-2326-4384 Cell phone number: 011-502-4033-9412 Fax number: 011-502-2331-7477 E-mail address: lopezb@state.gov ¶H. FUNDING SOURCE: ¶14. FY-10 SSI and Post funds. ROBINSON