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