Baiba thanks Ewa for inviting her to Brussels and shares that the visit was rewarding. She recommends that Thomasz now visit Kenya to conduct research and meet with officials. This would help him better understand the situation in Africa and position his project advantageously with Brussels. Baiba offers for the Kenya Community Association to coordinate the visit and arrange meetings. She believes this modified Africa study tour should be considered and would yield beneficial outcomes.
1. From: Baiba Dhidha Mjidho
To: Ewa Sadowska
Date: 2012-03-01
Subject: Africa study tour
Dear Ewa,
I would like to convey my sincere thanks to you, your father and mother and entire
Barka family for the invitation to Brussels which has been enormously rewarding. I
will be working on the various issue covered in our two day program.
While I was travelling back to Liverpool, I thought carefully on the Africa Study visit
which has been pending since last year and we want to make it a priority. The first
thing we have to ask what is the intended outcome. What benefit and impact will it
make. Finally is there a better alternative that would yield higher value to the project.
Our two days passage through the corridors of EU offices and meetings with various
officials indicates that there is need to audit in Africa on specifics in terms of
legislation, opportunities, governance impacting on the intervention, current
operations of social enterprise, support services and others.
Thomasz idea is noble and enabling. It will stimulate a continent but in my view for
him to have the highest impact and engage Brussels at position of advantage he ought
to make an audit of representative sample of Africa. A visit to let Kenya where he can
meet law makers, civil service, ministry of cooperative, justice and constitutional
affairs, academics and social enterprise operatives will give a strong base. He would
also meet officials of the EU Delegation in Nairobi.
I strongly believe if Thomasz make such visit with your mother who is fluent in
English and thereby interpret for him such a visit would greatly move the whole
project forward at minimal cost whose financing would be easy to get.
The Kenya Community Association through its Trustees in Nairobi would be willing
to coordinate the visit and secure all needed appointments with selected or needed
officials that would make the audit tour extract the needed outcome.
It is my strong recommendation that this modification on Africa study visit receive
consideration and evaluation. I arrived here at midnight safely.
With kind regards,
Baiba Dhidha Mjidho
Kenya Community Association
From: Baiba Dhidha Mjidho
To: Ewa Sadowska
Date: 2012-03-02
Subject: Africa Tour of Mr & Mrs Sadowski
Dear Ewa,
On behalf of the Kenya Community Association and Ghana Community Association
through whose mandate the invitation originated we are humbled by the acceptance
of Basia and Tomasz to tour Africa.
On behalf of the peoples of Africa whose hopes and expectations we represent, we
convey and express our collective sincere and profound thanks. We cannot express
our joy adequately through any vocabulary or formation of words. This expression of
joy and thanks comes out of the depth of our hearts, the heart of Africa.
2. Africa says thank you. May God's grace and blessings be upon them always, may God
continue to increase them in wisdom and may the work of their labour multiply and
bear fruit abundantly. May the favour of all nations be upon them always.
Amen
Baiba Dhidha Mjidho
Kenya Community Association
From: Mr Godwin Bateren
To: Ewa Sadowska
Date: 2012-03-01
Subject: Pictures from Visit to Brussels
Dear Ewa,
I write to say, many thanks for the wonderful time we had with Tomasz, Baiba and
yourself in Brussels. The time was busy and hectic, my first ever visit to the
European Parliament, however it was very useful as a learning experience and
better understanding of the context in which we are working, who we need to know
and how conversations are held.
I was particularly interest in the development of the Barka European Social
Economy Network (and REVES of course) and its importance in our future work.
Its importance become even clearer when Prof. Busek asked how a Polish
organisation like Barka can make the case for putting a lot of effort in Africa and
elsewhere. I was very pleased to meet with the people from REVES and will do my
best to encourage our Local Authority Partners in Uganda to consider learning
from the network, even as `Observer Partners' status.
Here are the pictures from Brussels, arranged in groups.
My warmest greetings to Tomasz, Barbara and the rest of the Barka family.
God Bless
Godwin Bateren
Harambee Uganda