welcome to the iise - braille without · pdf filepreparatory school and the ... my first...

It was 6:30 a.m., a coolbreeze blew across thetropical lake. We walked onthe recently paved pathbetween still emptybuildings when suddenlythe silence was disruptedby loud laughter comingfrom the auditorium. Thefirst three participants hadarrived and were enjoyingbananas and coffee. Ericand Julius from Ghana andHussni from Saudi Arabia,all three of them dressed innice suits and polishedshoes. They cheerfullyshouted, "We made history!We are the first participantsever to enter the IISE!"

After 11 years in Tibet it wasabout time to extend thereach of the BWB ideas.Knowing that thepreparatory school and thevocational training centre inTibet were in the capablehands of former BWBstudents, we were able tofocus on setting up theInternational Institute forSocial Entrepreneurs. And,yes, again people doubtedour plans. “Where will youfind partially sighted andblind visionaries who arecommitted and talentedenough to be able start theirown social projects?”"Where will you find suitable

trainers?” The answers tothese questions: Come to theIISE or read this magazineand you will learn more aboutthe team of catalysts andabout 23 participants from 14different countries, each withpassion, commitment andtheir own dreams.

We want to thank everyonewho has helped to make thisdream a reality.

We hope you enjoy the firstedition of "The Spectacle".

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WELCOME TO THE IISE"Not every day do you wake up, build aninstitution and begin changing the world!"

Quarterly magazine – International Institute for Social Entrepreneurs, Kerala, India – First edition - April 2009

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FIRST IMPRESSIONS1 Hussni J. Bugis (Saudi Arabia):

My First Impressions of the IISE1 Gonpo Gyentzen (Tibet):

My First Time on Campus

A DAY IN THE IISE2 Yoshimi Horiuchi (Japan):

A Day on Campus

DREAMS AND VISIONS3 James P. Johnson (Liberia):

A Liberian Dream4 Johnson K. Kortu (Liberia):

Dreams and Visions

4 Robbie Sandberg (Germany): My Vision

4 Mohamed Salia (Sierra Leone): My Country, my Experience, and my Dream

JOURNEY IN FIVE ACTS6 Holiniaina Rakotoarisoa (Madagascar):

Cultural Diversity7 Marco Tulio Benavides (Colombia):

You Can Do it7 Khom Raj Sharma (Nepal):

How to Behave with Blind People8 Mohamed Salia (Sierra Leone):

The IISE is a Wonderful Experience!!

IISE ON THE ROAD9 Pynhoi Tang (Northern India):

Marketing10 Victor Gaigaie (Liberia):

IISE on the Road10 Jessica Schroeder (Germany):

A Cloud of White Saris on the Beach at Kovalam

THE DIGITAL CORNER12 Arky - Rakesh Ambati, Catalyst (India):

House of Dancing Lights13 Robbie Sandberg (Germany)

Web Anywhere 14 Karin Broeske (Norway):

Proud User of Free Software

FLIGHTS OF FLAVORS15 Holiniaina Rakotoarisoa (Madagascar):

Rabitoto Henan-Kisoa (Cassava Leaveswith Pork)

15 Hussni J. Bugis (Saudi Arabia): Sambosa (Deep-fried Meat Pie)

IISE HAPPENINGS15 Pynhoi Tang (Northern India):

Pynhoi's First Birthday Cake16 Robert Sabwami Namasake (Kenya):

Water All Around Robert 17 Sahr Yillia (Liberia):

Long-term Desire Satisfied17 Eric Ofori (Ghana):

Surprise Visit of the Cobra

GREEN SCENE18 Jessica Schroeder (Germany):

Our Earth20 Hussni J. Bugis (Saudi Arabia):

Friendly Environment

WORLD AND LOCAL NEWS21 Yoshimi Horiuchi (Japan):

"Proud to be Kenyans"22 James P Johnson (Liberia):

The Rights and Dignity of Persons withDisabilities

22 Yoshimi Horiuchi (Japan): What is Equality?

COMEDY AND HUMOR23 Jayne Wairimi and Lucy N.K. Karimi

(Kenya): Jayne and Lucy's Joke Shop

24 Hussni J. Bugis (Saudi Arabia): Mosquitoes in the Dark

25 Isabel Torres, Catalyst (Spain) and Paul Kronenberg (Holland): The Towel Thingy

26 Hussni J. Bugis (Saudi Arabia): Unidentified Foster Family

28 Victor Gaigaie (Liberia): School for the Blind

MOVIE CORNER28 Arky - Rakesh Ambati, Catalyst (India):

Documenting a Human Tragedy

U if!Tqfdubdmf April 2009

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Hussni J. Bugis (Saudi Arabia)

My First Impressions of the IISE

When I arrived at the IISE onThursday morning at Trivandrum Airport, Icollected my baggage and then steppedout of the airport. I expected someone tomeet me at the airport, but unfortunatelynobody was there, so I pulled my luggagetrolley to one side. I was holding in myhand a size A4 printed piece paper withIsabel and Nora’s mobile phone numbers.I reached a telephone booth and askedthe person sitting at the desk to call oneof these numbers. There were twotelephones in front of him on the desk. Ipicked up the phone and heard Isabel’svoice. It seemed to me that I had wokenher up, because it was five o’clock in themorning in Trivandrum. I said, “This isHussni” and she answered, “Where areyou?”

At that moment I saw a man comingtoward me looking at the large printedpaper of the phone numbers in my hand.He recognized these numbers and askedme, “Are you Hussni?” At that point Ihung up the phone on Isabel and toldhim, “Yes I am.” He said, “I am Rajeshfrom the IISE. I was waiting for you and Ihad expected to see a person holding awhite cane in his hand.”

After meeting Rajesh, I then met myroommate Eric from Ghana and Julius,who had been waiting for me in the busfor about 45 minutes. We had a longdrive in the early morning to the IISEcampus. We were the first participants toarrive. We met with Nora and Sabriyeand Paul and we had a nice conversationabout our trips, mine from Saudi Arabia and the others from Ghana.

During the last ten days at the IISE, Ihave met with very motivated people

Hussni J. Bugis

coming from all over the world. Theyhave one simple common vision that blindpeople and visually impaired people canhave their dreams come true. Thecatalysts, who are going to give us theirbest knowledge and experience, will bethe most important people to cooperateand live with during the coming months. Ihave also shared many ideas and dreamswith my colleagues and friends from allover the world. I think when I go backhome to Saudi Arabia, I will be able to setup my own project. I have dreamed ofsetting up a vocational institute ofphysical or medical massage for the blindand visually impaired people, andespecially for young girls and boys. Iwould like to open for them many differentjob opportunities in organizations such ashospitals, hotels, health clubs, andpersonal clinics as well. I am so luckyand proud to be one of the first pioneersof this great project.

Gonpo Gyentzen (Tibet)

My First Time on Campus

My first day on campus was themost unforgettable day for me so far thisyear. I heard many things about thecampus in Kerala from Sabriye and Paul,but I never had the feeling of what it

U if!Tqfdubdmf!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - 1 - April 2009

would be like to live here. When I firstcame here, things were very quiet andthere was nothing to do, so I wasdepressed. At night I heard the sound ofbirds and other animals and I didn’t feelwell. Actually, I like the sound of birdsand quiet places, but that night I wasafraid of how I it would be to live here onthe campus for one year. Because theweather was too hot for me and also Iwas homesick. I missed the lifestyle inmy country and really wanted to be withmy family again.

It was very late when I arrived here oncampus and everyone was alreadyasleep except for a few people. It wasthe most quiet time I have had here and itwas also the longest night for me. BeforeI arrived here I had traveled by plane for avery long time and I was so tired andwishing I could arrive on campus as soonas possible. Because of myhomesickness, I had a terrible night. Iwas thinking of my life in the country andcouldn’t sleep the whole night.

Later it got better and I had lots of funwith many different people. I knew therewas water here that we could swim in andthat there are many places where we cando many different things. I went to swimone day with some of our friends and hada really nice day. Since I went to swim, Ifelt not as hot as I did when I first camehere.

I have a very nice guy in my room, andwhen I feel unhappy he tells me lots ofjokes and tries to make me happy to behere. He also told me we have to fightagainst our troubles. I am very surprisedby myself, because before I came here Iguessed something about my roommate.I guessed I would have a roommate whocould see. When I got here it came true,and I think that I am a fortune-teller.

The IISE campus

A DAY IN THE IISE

Yoshimi Horiuchi (Japan)

A Day on Campus

6 o'clock in the morning: Birds startto twitter, but insects are not yet finishedwith the stage. Distant cries of vigorousroosters stir up the air from time to time.The cooks have started their work in thekitchen, and an early jogger can be seenin the beautiful landscape, but most of theIISE family members are still stirring intheir beds.

6:45 AM: Lots of "Good-mornings" criss-cross in the auditorium as the mosquitoscreen keeps banging against thedoorway. Some appreciate the firstbreakfast serving of the day, while otherssip a cup of coffee to wake up. Themorning gong sounds 5 times 10 minutesbefore the class, and the air is filled withthe sound of chairs, canes, plates,silverware, "Thank-yous," and "Come-heres."10 AM: Our classrooms are full of energy.In room Chomolangma, 10 people arefascinated by the story of a traditionalwedding ceremony in India, while aSwahili song breaks out near the lake. Inthe library, participants from Nepal,Norway, Ghana, Germany, Japan andKenya are hot in discussion about "howto say no." Catalysts are busy taking


notes and share their stories occasionally.

1 PM: Lunch has been served, but peoplelinger around the auditorium to relax withfull stomachs. The sunshine is blazing hotand throws the light evenly on blackstraight hair, braided blond, and curlybrown. Construction people arehammering around us and throwing quickMalayalam words back and forth. A guitaris brought out, and the afternoonsuddenly starts with a concert.

Yoshimi Horiuchi

4 PM: A touch of softness can be feltthrough the sunshine, and the coolbreeze sweeps over the lake, wherecatalysts and participants throw water ateach other. The auditorium is filled withthe sound of scrubbing and the chatteringvoices of the cleaning ladies. A bunch ofparticipants knock on the gate as theycome back from a stroll in the village.

Half past 5 in the evening: Once again inthe auditorium, participants take turnsgiving their feedback in the GeneralAssembly. A guest is introduced on stage,and welcomed with a warm hand. A flockof crows hurries noisily back home,adding some background notes to ourspeeches.

Almost 8 PM: An announcement hasbeen made for all the family members tostay in the auditorium, and curiousmurmurs are passed from one to another.All of a sudden, the chorus of "Happy

Birthday" starts and a participant is pulledup to the stage to be celebrated in aonce-in-a-lifetime birthday by such a hugefamily. An enormous birthday cake iscertainly covered with the warmth of over30 beating hearts and sprinkled with thejoy of sharing, a joy even sweeter than itsicing.

8:30 PM: With much chair-scraping andplate-stacking, everyone comes out tohave some fresh breeze. Music startssomewhere, and our Kenyan sistersproudly lead the dancers. A Spanish classstarts in a circle, while Malayalam class isconducted by the cooks in the now quietauditorium.

10 PM: "Good-nights" have been sent toour distant homes in various forms, andpleasant hot water washes off the dirt andfatigue. Silent prayers of differentreligions are made, and lights go off fromone window to another. Now the insectsare back on stage, and bats are offhunting, while 25 visionaries enjoy theircolorful dreams. If you are curious toknow the colors and smells of eachdream, just keep on reading other pages!

DREAMS AND VISIONS

James P. Johnson (Liberia)

A Liberian Dream

My name is James P Johnson. Iwas born on December 25th, 1968. I amblind, but I am a visionary who provideseducational services for visually impairedpeople in Liberia.

I envision setting up a computer centerthat will provide computer skills andtraining for Liberians who have visualdisabilities. I also hope to help them tohave internet access by setting up aninternet-café. It is also my dream to


make a Braille press to scan textbooks forblind people from the primary to theuniversity level. This should also createsustainable employment opportunities forvisually impaired people in Liberia.

Johnson K. Kortu (Liberia)

Dreams and Visions

My name is Johnson K Kortu. I amblind and a Christian from Liberia, WestAfrica.

I have a vision to set up a Brailleequipment repair center in Liberia. Thiscenter will provide training for visuallyimpaired and partially sighted persons inrepairing Braille and modern electronicequipment such as computers. Thiscenter will also be available and ready toservice any equipment used by the blind.

Johnson K. Kortu

Robbie Sandberg (Germany)

My Vision

Several years ago I heard about aschool for the blind in Jenin, Palestine.Friends of mine had taken part in a peacemarch through Palestine and met aperson who worked at this school. Theywere told that the school was lacking themost basic materials for educating blindstudents. There were no Braille machines

or books, not to mention computers orprinters. I got in touch with this personand found out that the students did noteven have canes, nor mobility training. Ifelt a strong urge to do something aboutthis situation, but I did not know how toget an aide project off the ground. Inaddition, Jenin is quite difficult to get into.One needs to get into Israel first and thenpast several border check points. This isnot possible without the help of localpeople or NGOs. I mentioned my idea toorganizations sympathetic to thePalestinian cause, but they were moreinterested in political campaigns ratherthan an aide project.

I then stumbled on the Braille WithoutBorders website and it dawned on methat the International Institute for SocialEntrepreneurs course that they offer inKerala, India might be just what I need toequip myself with the skills andknowledge to turn my idea into a project.

My idea is to provide the school withdonated educational material appropriatefor blind students. The ultimate goalwould be to introduce mobility training.But that is not just a logistical problem, itwill require changing minds as well. Idon’t know whether I can get that far. It’sa very tall order. I’ll take it step by step.

Mohamed Salia (Sierra Leone)

My Country, my Experience, andmy Dream

From 1991 to 2002 my countrysuffered greatly under the devastatingcivil war. United Nations and Britishforces disarmed 17,000 militia and rebelsin the largest UN peace keeping act ofthe decade. In January 2002 most of theestimated 45,000 fighters hadsurrendered their weapons. By early 2002most of the ex-combatants weredisarmed and demobilized, although


many still await reintegration assistance.On 18th January, 2002, the civil war wasofficially declared over. An estimated50,000 people died during the war.

Post conflict Sierra Leone is battlingunemployment and illiteracy, socialinjustice, and an inappropriate andinadequate educational system. Inaddition to the lack of basic livelihoodsand supporting facilities, the youth havebeen and continue to be victims ofexploitative socio-political establishmentson all fronts.

My experience in the war:At the age of 10 when the war started, Iwas living with my parents in our villagewhich was in the eastern part of thecountry. Even at this early age I could stillremember those terrible days. When thewar finally reached the eastern part ofthe country we sometimes had to run tothe bush for safety when villages close toour village were attacked by the rebels.For many days in this bush we were livingin a small house my father built withsticks and palm leaves, which we usedfor roof and door.

Mohamed Salia

Sometimes we lived in the bush forseveral days, eating “bush fruits” for foodbecause there was nothing else to eat.And after some days or weeks when weheard rumors from other village membersabout the rebels' defeat and retreat, wereturned to the village again during the

night. In most cases we returned to findthat our properties had been burnt downand that some relatives, friends and othermembers of the village who had beenunable to run had been killed by therebels. When we heard rumors fromother village members that the rebels hadleft after their attack, my father took usback to the village, as this was our normalpractice. We did not know however thatthe rebels were hiding in othersurrounding villages, and upon our arrivalin the middle of the night the village wasattacked and my sister together with othervillagers were captured and taken away.We never heard from her again.Eventually we heard from other villagerswho were captured with her andmanaged to escape that my sister hadbeen killed because after she was rapedshe was very wounded, could not be ofuse to them, and so she was shot andkilled.When things became very unbearableafter the death of my sister and whenmost of my childhood friends werecaptured and conscripted into the rebelsforces, some of them were sendingthreatening messages that they wantedme to join them; this meant that whereverthey might see me they would try tocapture me, because my father was alocal village chief at that time. For thesereasons my father finally decided to takeme to the city for safety. When thesituation improved he returned to thevillage, and I stayed with my Aunt. Mostof these years I was not going to school.Many other things too terrible to tellhappened to me and my family in thosesad days.

My dreams:Because of the above-mentionedstruggles my beloved country is goingthrough, and the struggles I myself haveexperienced, my dream is to help changeconditions in Sierra Leone for the better.And because of my desire to make this


dream a success, at present I am astudent at the International Institute forSocial Entrepreneurs (IISE) in Kerala,India. Here at the institute I am beingtrained in project planning, fund raising,communication skills, budgeting, publicspeaking, conflict management, computertechnology, and English. The IISE isgeared toward blind and partially sightedsocial entrepreneurs. Although I myselfam not blind, I have a desire to help theblind and partially sighted in SierraLeone. After finishing my course inDecember of 2009, I hope to use mynewfound skills to further develop TheTraining Center for Women and Youth inKenema District, a social project that Ihave already established in Freetown,Sierra Leone. I want to improveconditions in my community by helpingpeople--particularly vulnerable andmarginalized women--to become self-reliant through computer training, micro-credit, and small-scale enterprisedevelopment. I also want to create acomputer training center for ex-combatSierra Leonean youth to help them to findwork and reintegrate into the society afterthe devastation they experienced duringour civil war. As a fledgling organization,at the end of my course in December2009 I hope to find future supporters whomight have some advice or assistance formy project. As a young entrepreneur, Iknow that I can learn a great deal fromothers who are already established.

JOURNEY IN FIVE ACTS

Holiniaina Rakotoarisoa (Madagascar)

Cultural Diversity

The IISE has its own special wayof living and learning. As we know, all theparticipants come from differentcountries. This means that there mustalso be different cultures. Therefore the

staff members decided to select one dayduring the first week of the course toexchange ideas about our cultures so thateveryone could share his own and learnsomething about the others.

During this exercise, the participants weredivided into three groups. Each groupwas made up of people from differentcountries and was led by two motivatedcatalysts. It was interesting becauseeveryone took part and some were sofunny. We dealt with the importantfollowing question: What are thedifferences of our cultures?

Holiniaina Rakotoarisoa

Everybody thought and got the followinganswers: The culture, the religion, theskin colour, the race, the way of dressingand living, the character and thelanguage make the differences betweentwo or more people.

The most important thing that came to ourminds was that although we are differentin some aspects, we can live togetherpeacefully and happily if we respect eachother. At last, we could draw a conclusionand define what culture is.

Marco Tulio Benavides (Colombia)

You Can Do it

Time passes quickly! Now we arein Act 2 of the IISE, and the first part of it


turned out to be very interesting as wellas practical. It focused on ProjectPlanning.

Project plan outline:1. Needs and Beneficiaries2. Objectives3. Action Plan: what, how, where, who4. Resources5. Challenges6. Measurements of Success

One could feel a little bit afraid whenhearing this technicality related toprojects; however, the way it wasdesigned and introduced by Sabriye andthe catalysts made it easy to understand,even to those of us who had never comeacross this kind of work. As always, our leaders' words soundedpretty encouraging and calming: “You cando it--you don’t need to go to university toplan and start a good project.” Needlessto say, our Sabriye and the catalysts areextraordinary actors. The role playpresented to us was not only funny andmade us laugh, but also it allowed us toapply the “action plan outline.”

Also participants appreciate and realizethat there is much creativity, talent andteaching innovation in the coinage of thatenigmatic country called Tansalesia and,most important, this country actuallyrepresents the real scenarios seen inmost developing nations.

In short, the second act is informative,enjoyable, yet a little bit challenging. Butabove all it introduces to us participants avital tool for realizing our dreams.

Dear readers, you know what? I wasfortunate, because they already made myaction plan during the first session!Well, it doesn’t mean that I will gosightseeing the rest of the year. I am stillhere learning a lot and enjoying it verymuch.

Marco Tulio Benavides

Khom Raj Sharma (Nepal)

How to Behave with Blind People

If you are meeting a blind orvisually impaired (BVI) person for the firsttime, you may wonder how to behave.The obvious advice is to ‘behavenormally'. Here are some suggestions:

Please talk naturally. Don't talk down oraddress all your remarks to the person'scompanion as though the blind personwere not there. Don't be afraid to say,"Nice to see you," for blind people say ittoo.

When you approach a blind person andsay hello, say who you are in case he orshe doesn't recognize your voice.Address him or her by name, if you knowit. If not, a light touch will indicate whoexactly you are speaking to. Before youmove away, say that you are about toleave; anyone would feel foolish talking toan empty space. Persons with blindness and visualimpairment may need your help. Forexample, many blind people appreciatebeing helped to cross a road or find ashop. If your offer of help is rejected,don't feel snubbed. The next blind


person you come across will probablywelcome your assistance. First, ask ifyou can help. Then walk slightly in frontwith the blind person holding your arm. Ifyou are helping a blind person to get intoa car, say which way it is facing and placethe person's hand on the roof over theopen door. If you are guiding a blindperson onto a bus or microbus, youshould go first. Never push the person infront of you.Please inform the blind person if you areapproaching a flight of steps or a slope,and always say whether it goes up ordown. You should not worry too muchabout delicate furniture or ornaments, asmost blind people move about withoutleaving a trail of destruction behind them.Show the blind person around the roomand describe the furniture as you pass it,mentioning only hazards that are levelwith the head.

Khom Raj Sharma

When a blind person is invited for a meal,he should be informed about the foodbeing served. It is helpful if you describefor the blind the various sorts of food puton the plate in accordance with thelocation of the hours on a clock. Forexample: rice in the place of 12, soup inthe place of 3, vegetable in the place of 6,

meat in the place of 9 and so on. Thecups or glasses should not be filled to thebrim--very full cups are easy to spill. Ifyou are serving a bony piece of fish, offerto de-bone it. Otherwise, your visitor willtell you if any help is needed; usually heor she will manage alone quite happily.

Mohamed Salia (Sierra Leone)

The IISE is a WonderfulExperience!!

“Good bye Mum and Dad. Ipromise to be a good boy.” These weremy last words to my parents outside theairport before going to board my flight formy IISE empowerment studies in India.As I finished saying these words, tearsrolled down my cheeks, for this was thefirst time I ever left my family for such along time, the first time I ever went to aforeign country and stayed with people Ihad never met before. As I finallyboarded the flight and took my seat, I leftmy whole life behind. I had often thoughtin the last few weeks before leaving homethat staying in the IISE for one year wasnot going to be easy for me because thisplace would definitely not be like home!

It has been two and half weeks now sinceI arrived at the IISE, and from theexperience I have had so far with meetingparticipants, catalysts and the twodirectors of BWB, Sabriye and Paul, lifehas come to be even more positivelychallenging and full of fun than it was athome! With this first impression and mypersonal feeling, coupled withobservations about the whole situation inthis institution, I have the feeling that notonly I but all the participants of the IISEwill have a promising future after thetraining.

One of the most interesting experiences Ihad so far in the IISE was the culturaldiversity sessions. The main aim of


these sessions was to break culturalbarriers among participants and catalysts.At the start of each session for example,we were divided into groups of fiveparticipants and two catalysts per groupto discuss and exchange ideas abouteach other's cultures. For example, thegroup was asked to think about thestereotypes of each others’ culture andsay what he or she likes and dislikesabout it. Then, at the end of eachcomment from a participant, the groupwould discuss the issues raised and lookat the advantages and disadvantages of itwith the participant whose country'sstereotype has been the topic ofdiscussion. Then we ended up safelywith smiling faces without hurting anyonein the process.These sessions alone have been apositive and unforgettable experience for me. Since the time I was a child, I had

Mohamed Salia

developed the idea that there will alwaysbe trouble and difficulties when peoplefrom different countries and cultures meetor stay together. But from the variousskills and techniques learnt in the IISEabout accepting cultural differences, Ihave realized and understood that peoplefrom different countries and cultures canoften live together in much more harmony

(peace and love) than brothers andsisters from the same country coming tolive together for the first time.

Friends, brothers, and sisters, I must saythat the International Institute for SocialEntrepreneurs is a wonderful learningenvironment for every true and motivatedsocial entrepreneur. Apart from its uniquemethod of teaching, good food,comfortable beds, internet facilitieseverywhere and environmentally friendlycampus setting, there is also nodifferentiation between catalysts andparticipants. We all live as one family! Imust also not forget to mention thewonderful Vellayani Lake; we go and sitby the lakeside every evening to listen tothe wonderful sounds of nature.

In the “IISE dream factory” every dreamcounts towards a promising future forevery true social entrepreneur. I believemy dream to change my society for thebetter by establishing a micro creditscheme for war-affected women as wellas a computer training center for youthswill become a reality.

IISE ON THE ROAD

Pynhoi Tang (Northern India)

Marketing

When we talked about goingshopping I was so excited. I found that Ihad many things I needed to buy. When Iwent to the market, I enjoyed shopping onthe different floors because each floorsells a different kind of thing. I alsoenjoyed the stairs that took me from thefirst floor to the top floor. The stairs arean electric machine. I also enjoyed thebus because they drove fast. We hadpineapple juice and it was really nice tohave, because the weather is hot, thoughthe juice is a bit expensive. Anyway, I


liked it and I want to have it once more.

As we came down to our campus by footthere was no electricity. As I walked Iheard different kinds of birds and insectsmaking sounds. I want sometime to goinside the forest just to check how theysleep, but I am so afraid of snakes that Idecided not to go. When I came backfrom the market, I checked the things thatI bought and found that I had only boughtcream, biscuits, and Pepsi.

Pynhoi Tang

Victor Gaigaie (Liberia)

IISE on the Road

I was in a group from the IISEcampus on a trip to Trivandrum forshopping. While we were on our way,walking with our white canes, manypeople who live along the road leading tothe bus stop came to see us. One ofthem asked me whether the school hadopened and were we from the school?My answer to him was yes. Many ofthem were staring at us and speakingtheir local language called Malayalam, asif they were surprised to see us movingas blind people. When we reached Trivandrum, Iexperienced an escalator-- electric stairsthat nearly threw me down. When Inoticed the stairs, I refused to walk onthem because I felt it could break my legsand I have so much work to do as social

entrepreneur.

One unique thing I saw was that thegoods for sale in Trivandrum are placed in categories and one can bargain withthe seller. I bought a few items that werepriced reasonably. When you buy at theshopping center, Big Bazaar, you will beissued a receipt of what you bought andthen, exiting the store, you have to showyour receipt to the security guard or elseyou will not be allowed out with youritems.

Victor Gaigaie

Jessica Schroeder (Germany)

A Cloud of White Saris on theBeach at Kovalam

At the beginning of the third weekon the IISE campus I felt as though I hadants in my pants. I was dead set onmaking a trip to Kovalam. Jenny, avolunteer on campus, told me a lot aboutKovalam, with its beautiful beach andcozy restaurants. I was very excited tofeel and smell the beach. Furthermore, itwas a good opportunity for me to discovera small piece of the huge country, India.In my childhood I lived in a small villagenear the Baltic Sea. Sea waves, salt onmy lips, and sand between the teeth arelike home to me.Eric and Hussni, two wonderful and very


funny guys from the campus,accompanied me to Kovalam and spent avery relaxed afternoon with me.

Kovalam Beach

Kovalam is about 5 km away from ourcampus. The easiest way to travel toKovalam is by rickshaw. When youcompare a rickshaw with a normal car,the rickshaw drives really slowly. Itshighest speed is 35 kms per hour.Despite these logical facts, it seems asthough the rickshaw would speed overthe street or that which passes for astreet. (The streets here are very ruttedand pitted. You can compare them with ahilly landscape.) I felt a bit insecure inthese cruising vehicles, because I couldhear, feel, and smell everything in mysurroundings. I heard the noisy soundsof the other cars and it seemed like theywere only 2 cm distance away from me. Icould feel the strong breeze of the windon my skin and hair. And at last I couldsmell the smells of pollution, fruit, flowersand incense in the air. After forty-fiveminutes we finally reached ourdestination. I was really glad to get out ofthe rickshaw. I was always afraid thatanother car would crash into our smallunstable vehicle. On the other hand thedrive was really refreshing. In a normalcar I would never have such a strongimpression of my surroundings.

As soon as I got out of the rickshaw Icould smell the sea and my heart wasbeating faster. We were all overwhelmed

with joy when we felt the soft sand underour feet and heard the loud, strong soundof the waves. We quickly removed ourshoes and ran into the water. Thecoolness of the water was reallywonderful. I washed my face andsplashed with my feet in the water. I wasshy to jump completely into the water.But suddenly my mind started to workand I became an adult again, and myadult mind said to me: ”No you can’t jumpinto the water. You have no swimmingsuit; it would be too embarrassing.” So Igave up my plan and instead ofswimming with clothes in the water, wewent to the shops near the beach.

Jessica Schroeder

There were a lot of small and nice shops.Most of them sell jewellery, scarves, andIndian trousers and dresses. Many shopsexude a very strong and intense smell ofincense. These smells always attract mevery much. Whenever I smell them Ihave to go into the building from whichthe smell comes. I touched many clothesand jewellery. The sellers showed mewillingly every item I was asking for. Butat last I bought only one top. I was reallysurprised and of course very glad, thatthe sellers did not get angry due to thefact that I bought nothing from most ofthem. Only one seller harassed andfollowed us. Eric wanted to buy a drum.


One street seller offered a drum. Erictested the drum, but it was reallyexpensive. So he decided against buyingit. But the seller ignored his decision andfollowed us for more than 15 minutes,trying to persuade Eric to buy his drum.Hussni and I repeatedly shouted ”Don’tbuy it, it is much too expensive.” Poorguy! But finally the importunate man leftus and we were really happy about that.

After our shopping tour we wentexhausted to a cozy restaurant. Themilkshakes and the fan of the restaurantcooled our minds and we enjoyed ourdrinks. We talked a lot about arrangedmarriages and the differences betweencultures. In between our discussions wemade a lot of jokes and had a lot of fun.

After our nice break we again walked tothe beautiful beach. What weexperienced there astonished me verymuch. In the water stood a big crowd ofIndian people. They were all dressed intypical Indian attire. What they weredoing looked a little bit like a game. Theystood very close to the water and when abig wave was coming they jumped aside.In between their activity they were staringwith great interest at all the tourists. Inmy mind this huge crowd looked like a bigwhite cloud that scurried around. I likethis picture and I will always keep it in mymind.

I enjoyed the time in Kovalam very much,and I heartily recommend a visit there.And if you take Hussni and Eric with you,the trip will be a great pleasure.

THE DIGITAL CORNER

Arky - Rakesh Ambati, Catalyst (India)

House of Dancing Lights

I never heard anyone mention the

house, the little house on the hill. Not untilthat overcast day I sat beside the fire atthe roadside inn. Anna, the inn keepersaid ‘I have seen many learned men goover the hill’. 'Go where, Anna?’ I asked. ‘To the house of dancing lights, where theold white beard lives. Many learned menfrom lands far far away came here. Onclear summer nights you can see thedancing lights over there’ Anna saidpointing to the window on the other sideof the room. Looking out of the windowon this clear starlit night I didn't see anylights on the hill. ‘I don’t see any dancing lights , Anna’ Isaid.‘No, those were good old days, thosemen don't come anymore’ said Anna witha sigh.

I decided to stay and visit the house onthe hill the next day. Perhaps I wouldmeet the old white beard. These countryfolks do have strange names. I rose early next morning. The portly innkeeper showed me the path that led upthe hill. The path was steep and disusedfor a long time. The path was coveredwith grass the whole way. Sweating withexertion, I reached the house. As Ipassed the gate, I saw a house built withstrong oak and stone. It stood therebravely defying the menacing winds ofthe hills.‘Come in and sit in the shade’ a voicecalled from the courtyard. I saw a whitebearded face beckoning me.‘It's a hot day, drink this water from thespring for I have none other to offer.’ Idrank the cool water from the jug. Hiscalm smiling face asked for nointroduction and none was given.‘Is this the house of dancing lights’ Iasked coyly. ‘That's what folks used tocall it’ he said. ‘It was known by thatname, when the learned men came here.'I said. ‘Learned men, with strong handsbuilt this house. They built it with ideas,


not with stone and oak’ ‘Alas, they comeno more’ ‘In the dark nights they built logfires and talked of the things of learning,the night sky lit with sparks of joy andlearning.’

Thus ended my meeting with old whitebeard. I left him there in the house ofdancing light, now I knew how the houseon the hill got its name.

Days flew by and I decided to visit my oldparents in the country. I once againstopped by at the inn. Anna received mewith joy and told me, 'the learned comeagain from the lands far far away, they allgo to the house over the hill.'‘Ah, the house of dancing lights, Anna’. Iremembered my last encounter with thewhite beard in the house over the hill.'Yes, but we don’t see dancing lightsanymore’ Anna said and went back towiping the mugs.

I was surpirsed to hear that. I decided tovisit the old white beard once again.Walking up the steep, well trodden paththat led to the house, I saw littereverywhere along the path. I realizedsadly how much things had changedaround here.

The grand old white beard welcomed mewith open arms and asked me to sit withhim.‘So, I hear the learned men come again,’ Iasked the white beard, ‘yet, the night skyisn’t lit with dancing lights.' White beard was strangely silent, hisgaze so distant and disenchanted.Coming out of reverie, the old white beardspoke. ‘My son, the learned men of yorecame here to give light of learning in thedarkness of night, sharing the warmth oftheir ideas. They left this place a littlebetter every time they left.’‘Men, who come now desire to take whatcannot be given, they only cast shadows’

(This short allegorical story written byArky describes the disintegration offraternity of free thought in India.)

Jayne, Arky, Amjad and Jenny

Robbie Sandberg (Germany)

Web Anywhere Online Screen Reader Makes WebAccessible to the Blind

A screen reader is a softwarewhich enables blind people to work withcomputers. It converts the contents of acomputer screen into synthetic speech.Not only does it convey textual content, italso provides information on controls,format, menus ETC. However, screenreaders are usually not available onpublic computers.

Web Anywhere is an online screenreader. This means that it is activated byvisiting its website and therefore does notneed to be installed on the user’scomputer. It allows blind people to accessand browse the web from almost anycomputer in the world. The onlyrequirement is a sound card, which isstandard equipment these days, - and aninternet connection. According to itscreators, Web Anywhere will workregardless of the operating system orbrowser used. The user can launch thescreen reader by typing in the target webaddress at the command prompt. InWindows for instance, the user needs topress the Windows key followed by the


letter r and then type the following webaddress from memory. wa.cs.washington.edu

The online screen reader will launch andtalk the user through the web. Tests haveshown that tasks such as filling in a form,selecting list items and navigating sitesare achievable with Web Anywhere.

It should be understood that WebAnywhere does not replace a computer-resident screen reader, which is used toaccess other applications besides theweb. Its sole aim is to make the webaccessible from computers which do nothave a screen reader installed on them.

Web Anywhere was developed bycomputer scientists at the university ofWashington. It is an open source project.More information can be obtained at:http://webanywhere.cs.washington.edu/

This superb innovation is good news forblind people all over the world, who cannot afford computers, let alone the usuallyvery pricy commercial screen readers. Itenables them to walk into any internetcafé and check their emails, research,blog or shop. Computers in universities orlibraries can henceforth also be used forinternet access by blind users. The factthat Web Anywhere has been made anopen source project means that it can beimproved and contributed to by the targetusers themselves. It is a perfect exampleof how the web can be used to improvethe world.

Karin Broeske (Norway)

Proud User of Free Software

Let me tell you about the importance offree software for blind and visuallyimpaired users of computers. I am blindand I use computers a lot in my daily life.For me, it is a great tool that helps me to

study, to connect with the rest of theworld, and many other things.

Karin Broeske

To be able to use all the features of acomputer I use a speech synthesizer. Itreads back to me what is written on thescreen. This software is very expensiveand not many can afford it. Some yearsback I had a very important exam atuniversity. The day before my exam mycomputer broke down! I called thecompany that sells this software andexplained the situation to them. This typeof software has a license key that you canonly get from the people who sell it. Iasked for a new key so that I could takemy exam. They refused to give me thelicense key! I was told I had to pay up toget it. There was no way I could get thatmoney. I ended up not taking my examand had to retake it the next semester.

Orca is a free-of-charge speechsynthesizer that works with the operatingsystem called Linux. Everyone is free touse it and even modify it so that thesystem will become better and better. If Ihad access to this software the day mycomputer broke down, I could have takenmy exam and would not have had to take


it again later. Now I am a proud Orca andLinux user. In the future I will not have toworry about expensive license keys to beable to use my computer!

FLIGHTS OF FLAVORS

Holiniaina Rakotoarisoa (Madagascar )

Rabitoto Henan-Kisoa (CassavaLeaves with Pork)

Story: To me, this dish feels like mynationality. When I eat it, I really feel that Iam a Malagasy. I can say that I prettymuch grew up with it. It's our favoritefamily meal, especially in the countryside.We have it for lunch, and can enjoy itagain for dinner!

Recipe: Collect the young and softleaves from a cassava plant. Slice garlicand cut pork (with bones) into smallpieces. Put cassava leaves in a woodenmotar, and pound it until it becomes apaste. Add garlic slices and pound somemore to blend in. Put the pounded mixture in a pan, addsalt and water. Cover with a lid and cookover 2 to 2.5 hours, until the liquid isalmost gone. Serve with rojo mena (red rice) andranon' apango (leftover-rice water).


Sambosa (Deep-fried Meat Pie)

Story: Sambosa is a typical foodthat we eat during the month ofRamadan, which is the month of fasting inthe Muslim culture. According to theWestern calendar, Ramadan is usually inAugust. We prepare this dish as the firstdaily meal after the sunset. It’s ourbreakfast, you see.

During Ramadan, all shops and

restaurants remain closed during thedaytime. But after Asur (third prayer of theday), they open their doors to welcomecustomers for grocery shopping. Andafter sunset there is nobody in thestreets, as they are all at home to breakthe day’s fasting together.

In most families, Sambosa is made by thefemale members. But in my family itworks a little bit differently. After Sur, all ofus sit around the table, and prepare ittogether: my wife, three sons and adaughter, and myself. For me, Sambosais our special family tradition.

Recipe: Mix flour, water, and yeast,and knead into a dough. Let the doughrise a bit. Spread it on a flat surface as athin sheet and cut out circles of 10 cm indiameter. Chop onions into very small pieces. Put alittle oil in the frying pan, and cook onionsuntil brown. Add salt, black pepper,cumin, chopped garlic and green onion.Add ground beef or lamb, and stirfry untilmeat is cooked. Place the meat mixture on the circledough, and fold in half. Close the edgesfirmly with fingers. Deepfry until outsideis crispy and crunchy.

IISE HAPPENINGS

Pynhoi Tang (Northern India)

Pynhoi's First Birthday Cake

On January 17, Pynhoi Tang, aparticipant from Shillong, northeast ofIndia, turned twenty-four. She was thefirst person to celebrate a birthday withIISE family on campus this year. What ismore, she had the first birthday cake everin her life. Let us listen to her story:

"Actually, I didn't remember that it was mybirthday. When Paul and Sabriye came to


Pynhoi Tang

me in the morning that day and wishedme happy birthday, I was really surprised,because none of my 6 siblings includingmyself had ever celebrated birthdaysbefore, as my mom could not afford it. Ijust had to run upstairs to check the date!

"After dinner, Jane, my roommate calledme to go back to the auditorium becausewe were having a general assembly. Assoon as we reached the auditorium,where we usually eat and have meetings,Jane went on stage and told everyonethat today was a special day forsomeone. Then, they gave me such abiiig cake to cut! I was so surprised andexcited because it was the very first time Iever cut a cake.

At the same time, I wished my mom,brothers and sisters knew what washappening to me. If my mom knew that Iwas so full of joy and that people in theIISE family gave me so much love andfun, she would be so happy as well. Sheused to say that she could not do somany things for me, but god will lead myway through so that other people willcome and share with me. But I used tosay that it is OK because she gave mesuch a great life to see such a beautiful

world and people around.

"What is birthday to me. Uh.... it's a day toremind me of the day that I came to thisworld. You know, I am happy to becomea year older, but I don't want my hair tobecome gray and my skin to be wrinkled!"

Robert Sabwami Namasake (Kenya)

Water All Around Robert

Robert Sabwami Namasake, aparticipant from Nairobi, Kenya, has beena waterphobic since he was a child. Nowthat he is on campus of IISE where theVellayani Lake is about 100 footstepsaway, however, he decided to give a trywith his unfriendly water. On his third dayat IISE, he went right into the lake waterwith Jenni, the swimming instructor, whois a volunteer from Germany. "I have to admit that I was scared a bit. Ilooked ahead, and to my left and right,and there was nothing but water, water,water. The more I looked around, themore I withdrew to the shore. I couldn'thelp thinking "What if..." all the time.

But it was a chance for me! Previous tomy arrival in Kerala, I had heard thatthere is a lake just adjacent to thecampus, and there will be swimminglessons offered, along with some boatingactivities. I had never dreamed aboutswimming by myself before, but afterreading the information, I thought that anopportunity has presented itself. So here Iwas, surrounded by a lot of water up tomy chin, standing several meters awayfrom the shore. Thanks to Jenni, whokept assuring me with safety and guidedme through, I managed to stay in thewater for half an hour that day.

If given a chance, I think everyone shouldlearn how to swim. It's not only good forentertainment or leisure, but also veryhelpful when it comes to the survival


situation. After going home, I want myfour-year-old son, Emanuel, to startswimming lessons as well.

Yes, my waterphobia is fading away bit bybit. I have tried swimming many timesafterwards, and I don't feel asuncomfortable as I was before. I'm stillusing the life jacket and the ring, but Ipicture myself as a "swimmer" in the nearfuture!"

Sahr Yillia (Liberia)

Long-term Desire Satisfied

Sahr Yillia, a passionate participantfrom Liberia shares his impression on hisfirst encounter with a violin on campus.His "long-term desire" was fulfilled in thefirst weekend we had on campus at theIISE, when a group of four musicianscame to give us an afternoon concert inthe auditorium: violin, guitar, flute, andviola. The violinist had won achampionship in the United States.

Sahr Yillia

"I love all kinds of music; music is acomfort to my soul. So of course, I hadheard about violin before, as it plays akey role in both classical and jazz music.But I had never seen a violin, nor had Iheard its sound directly before.

I knew that the instrument is crucial inmany types of music, and I had imagined

it must be a huge instrument. So I wasvery surprised to see how small the violinis, and to discover how unique is thesound it creates! I must say, even if aperson is in a sick bed, the particularsound can encourage him or her for sure.

And the girl who played the violin was justsuperb! The way she handled theinstrument was so amazing, and her solowas full of melody. I was extremely happythat one of my dreams has now cometrue.

I am so grateful that such a beautifulconcert has been offered to all of us. Youmay say it's just some music, but for me,it's one step forward to realize my bigdream to become a social entrepreneur!"

Eric Ofori (Ghana)

Surprise Visit of the Cobra

It was a sunny afternoon as we satunder the coconut trees near thebeautiful Vellayani Lake. Viewing thelake and listening to the crowing "kahkah" of the crow, the whistling ofsparrows, the honking of the herons, andthe clattering of coconut leaves causedby the gentle breeze from the lake, we feltembraced by the magnificent gift ofnature.

This atmosphere to me was ideal for themagazine group of the InternationalInstitute for Social Entrepreneurs todeliberate and plan for the maiden editionof our magazine. As we were busilybrainstorming on the subject categoriesthe magazine should include, Rose, acatalyst, suddenly alerted us to stand up.“Look!," she said, "a cobra is comingtoward us. It is just behind Eric.” We allstood up, startled and wondering what todo next. The cobra, upon sensing thecommotion it has caused, raised it headin preparation for an attack. Blind as we


are, we never thought of an attack. Rose,the only sighted person in the group,prompted us to wait as she announcedthe exit of our shy and frightful visitor, thecobra.

Johnson K. Kortu and Eric Ofori

After the incident, I asked Rose about herimpressions of the cobra. “Yes," shesaid, "I had seen them at the zoo and indocumentary films. But never in the wild,however." She really admired the colourand appearance of the cobra. Sabriye,who is blind, asked, "How does the cobralook?" Rose answered that it looked grayand green in colour and that the head,when lifted up in the air, was like adiamond shape.Rose finally observed that because theblind could not see the snake, they werenot scared, but that sighted personswould have run for their lives after seeingthe cobra.

GREEN SCENE

Jessica Schroeder (Germany)

Our Earth

My earliest childhood memoriesare my impressions of nature. Iremember how I jumped barefoot throughpuddles that the rain had left. I felt thesoft mud under my feet and I giggled somuch about the sound of the splashingwater. I remember the taste of my first

fresh watermelon. I remember in detailhow amazed I was--then I bit a very bigpiece and it seemed as though my smallface would drown in its sticky sweet. Iremember how I crawled on my kneesthrough soft green meadows. I still loveto lie in the grass and touch the blades, tofeel the patterns of the leaves, to put mynose in a blossom and smell thefragrance of every flower.

In my childhood, my point of view wasthat life on earth would last forever. I hadno idea that human beings are able todamage the earth and destroy animal andvegetable life. At the age of fifteen Ibecame aware that our behavior on earthhas a direct impact on the health andduration of the planet. The mediabroadcast a lot of news about famines,natural disasters, climate-transformationcaused by pollution of the environmentfrom exhaust-fumes and otherenvironmental poisons. My friends and Italked a lot about our hopes and fears,and we thought the situation was sodeplorable that we would not be able toensure the survival of our planet. I wasso shocked and felt so helpless andpowerless.

My friends and I started some smallprojects to make society aware of thisterrible situation. We cleaned up litterthat had been thrown in our forests andwrote articles about the subject for ourschool magazine. But after a few monthsour thoughts and actions turned to otherthings: relationships with members of theopposite sex and first experiments withalcohol and parties, and we no longerthought about this important issue.I’m sure that almost everyone has hadexperiences similar to mine. When I wastwenty years old I met Philip, apassionate and attentive guy. He wasvery concerned about the environmentand he shared his sorrows with me. Imust admit that at the beginning of our


friendship I had difficulty listening to hisgreat and horrible speeches regardingthe consequences of human behavior. Ididn’t want to know that we mustconserve water and energy, that everyday nineteen kinds of animals sufferextinction, that poisonous chemicals fromfactories are draining into rivers and lakesand destroying the habitats of animalsand of people who have no water filteringsystems. I didn’t want to know thatalmost every person in the worldcontributes in small part to the destructionof biodiversity and nature. I had enoughtrouble with my own stuff--lovesickness,poetry-writing, and singing in my bandwere the things I was interested in.

Philip gave me a book called ComingBack to Life; Practices to Reconnect OurLives, Our World written by Joana Macyand Molly Brown. This book remindedme of the time when I was fifteen yearsold and I started to become really keenon how to protect our earth. Before theywrote the book, Macy and Brown offerededucational courses that caught on allover the world. The courses motivatepeople to feel and talk about theirconcerns relating to the survival of ourearth. People share their great concernsand through the exchange they start todevelop ideas about how to protect ourenvironment. Brown and Macy's bookgives a detailed description of the trainingand its theoretical basis. In the followingparagraphs I will give you an overview ofthe training and its aims.

The training is divided in three phases. Inthe first phase participants are encourageto feel and discuss their pain and fearsabout the situation of the earth. As Imentioned in the above-paragraph,people tend to suppress their feelingsabout this issue. They are scared thattheir pain and their desperation could beso overwhelming that they might losecontrol of themselves and lose all hope

and joy. People in industrial nationsespecially tend to control their feelings.The destruction of our environment is sohuge a matter that we don’t want to feelour own desperation. In Brown andMacy's course one is allowed to feel thispain and to express it in different wayssuch as painting pictures that representtheir feelings or completing unfinishedsentences presented to them. (Forexample: "The thing that concerns me alot about the state of the world is…")They also use rituals and role-playing tocreate awareness of the various feelingsconcerning our earth.

Jessica Schroeder

In the next phase of the courseparticipants learn how to use thesepainful feelings as a source of power andaction. By exchanging their thoughts andfeelings they understand that they are allequal and that their feelings are normaland valuable. One important result of thistraining is that the trainees recognize thatthey can only good work if they allowthemselves to feel the negative emotionsinvolved with it. Further, the participantsget a lot of information about thetheoretical basics of the reconnecting-work. Our earth consists of innumerablesmall systems which depend on eachother and form one large unified system.The components of these systems cannotexist on their own. They regulate andbalance themselves by exchangingenergy between each other. Because ofthe strong negative impact of human


beings, the system is often not able toreact in an adequate way, and this leadsin the long term to the self-destruction ofour planet. The main point of Brown andMacy's course is that we are part of theearth's system, that our actions havegreat positive and negative impact on theearth. The aim of the last training phaseof the course is to create a collectiveawareness about the need to protect theearth and ensure her survival. Anotherimportant point of the course is thattrainees learn to work for long-term goalsthat extend beyond their own life span.

When I started reading this book I found ita bit mysterious. There are many visualexercises and rituals which reminded meof the practices of shamans. Manyexercizes are based on traditionalreligious rituals of the world's differenttribes. Later these exercizes began tomake sense to me. The book doesn'tpoint a moralistic finger at the reader.Instead, it is written in a very empatheticstyle and explains in a clear and non-judgmental way why we sometimes don’tcare about the destruction of our planet. Ihighly recommend this book to everyonewho would like to learn more abouthimself, about the working processes ofthe ecological-system, and about how tocome up with creative ideas for therecovery of our environment.

Book title: Coming Back to Life. Practicesto Reconnect Our Lives, Our World.Written by: Joanna Macy and MollyYoung Brown First published by New Society Press,Gabriola Island, British Columbia,Canada


Friendly Environment

The Braille Without BordersInternational Institute for Social

Entrepreneurs (IISE) in southern India(Kerala), is the most unique place that Ihave ever been. I will be living andstudying at the IISE until December 15,2009. Overall, the campus here has beenconstructed and designed in anenvironmentally friendly way andexecuted in an ethnic style based in manyways on the ideology of the laterenowned architect, Laurie Baker. In thisarticle, I will try to clarify for the reader theatmosphere of the campus.

I will start with the IISE buildings, whichare designed with a circulation systemthat allows hot air to rise and escapethrough openings at the top of each roomor hall, letting cooler fresh air to come inthrough the doors and windows. Thedoors and windows are covered by metalmesh screens that do not allow insectssuch as mosquitoes, flies, or other pestsof any kind to enter these rooms andhalls.

The Ecosan toilets are designed toseparate the solid human waste materialsfrom the liquid. When a person sitsnormally on the toilet seat, a valve opensautomatically, separating these materials.All solid materials go to the bio-gas tankto be transformed into gas for cooking inthe institute's kitchen, and the liquidmaterial is collected in another tank for aperiod of time, then processed toeliminate bacteria and, finally, used asnormal fertilizer for trees and plants. A rainwater harvesting system is anothermethod that the IISE has implemented forshower and laundry purposes. Solar andwind energy systems have beendesigned to generate electricity for thecampus when power cuts occur, whichthey do with regularity here. This energysaving system will prolong the life ofelectrical equipment at the IISE.


In addition, gymnastic equipment at suchas stationary bicycles and walkingmachines are designed to retrieve waterfrom the lake with hoses and pumps thatcarry it to the campus for general use. Natural watercourses around all IISEbuildings form a non-chemical antprevention system, keeping the buildingsfree of ants.

As you can see, the IISE setting is veryenvironmentally friendly.

Hussni J. Bugis

WORLD AND LOCALNEWS


"Proud to be Kenyans": An Insight on the 44th U.S. Presidentby Kenyan Participants at IISE

BBC News Item: Historic moment asObama is sworn in

On Tuesday, January 20th, 2009,Barack Obama took the oath of office,and was sworn in as America's 44th

president and the country's first African-American leader.

More than one million people gathered onthe National Mall in a wintry WashingtonDC to see Mr Obama take the oath. MrObama placed his hand on a Bible and

promised to "preserve, protect anddefend" the US constitution. He used hisinaugural address to vow to begin thework of "remaking America".

"The challenges we face are real," thenew president said. "They are seriousand they are many. They will not be meteasily or in a short span of time. But knowthis, America - they will be met."

Invoking the memory of the US'sFounding Fathers, Mr Obama said hewould strive to rebuild his nation'sstanding in the world, saying: "We areready to lead once more."

Excerpted from Kenya BroadcastingCorporation http://www.kbc.co.ke/story.asp?ID=55063

Commentary: "I feel so proud,"Jane Waithera said with a smile. "Peopleoften call Africa the dark continent. Now,a man from my homeland leads thecountry whose every movement is closelywatched by all the nations on the globe." All the Kenyan people have beendelighted to see Barack Obama take hispolitical steps higher and higher. Theywere aware of his continuous successlong before the rest of the world. "Ifollowed news about him since hebecame a senator. Actually, all Kenyansare just crazy about Obama. The fact thathe started everything from scratch byhimself and his main power lies not ininsulting competitors or engaging inbribery to win the election, but in thesincere and strong speeches he hasmade... I mean, he is such a good rolemodel to all of us." When Obama won the election, manyAfrican countries were thrilled to receivethe news. Kenya announced three officialholidays, and Nigeria celebrated withfourteen long holidays!

"We expect to have a change in our


country," Robert Sabwami joined in. "Nowthat Obama is the President of the UnitedStates, hopefully it will bring a positiveinfluence to Kenyan government to havemuch cleaner politics." Talking aboutObama reminded Ms. Waithera of aquote. She told me with a confidence:"Najivunia kuwa Mkenya (We are proudto be Kenyans)!"

James P Johnson (Liberia)

The Rights and Dignity ofPersons with Disabilities

I believe that we must movepeople with disabilities out of welfare andinto rights and development.

After the civil war, 16% of theLiberian population is disabled. Blindpeople in Liberia alone numberapproximately 77,000. The blind ofLiberia have demanded a representativeseat in the Liberian government.

James P Johnson

80% of people with disabilities live indeveloping countries, according to theUnited Nations Development Program.Comparative studies on disabilitylegislation show that only 45 countrieshave anti-discrimination laws for peoplewith disabilities. In these modern timesthis is a sad state of affairs.Nevertheless, both India and Liberia haveinstituted "People with Disability" Acts,

and the UN Convention on the Rights ofPersons with Disabilities (CRPD) wasadopted on Dec. 13, 2006, and came intoeffect on May 3, 2008. So, there is hopethat the situation for the disabled of theworld will change.

The International Institute for SocialEntrepreneurs, a branch of BrailleWithout Borders, located in Kerala, India,intends to improve the conditions ofpeople with visual impairment throughoutthe world by providing education andtraining to ambitious and qualified blindand partially sighted social entrepreneurs.I am happy to be a part of this movement.


What is Equality?

Exerpt from the article: Exam centresgranting extra time for blind 12 Mar 2009, 0503 hrs IST, LakshmyRamanathan, TNN, Times of India

CHENNAI: Clearing the air onwhether visually impaired students areentitled to extra time while writing boardexaminations, Vasanthi Jeevanantham,director of government examinations, saidon Wednesday, "There will be no extratime for visually impaired students whowill be writing their boards this year. Theywill only be provided with a scribe. Thiswill be communicated to the chiefeducational officer and district officer latertoday." The director, however, added thatstudents with minor visual impairmentscaused by accidents or injuries whochose to write exams without the help ofa scribe would be given extra time. Teachers across state have also beenrequesting better scribes, alternativequestions to maps, graphs and match thefollowing' segments in the questionpapers for the blind, but the director saidany new consideration will be taken up


only next year. "We will not issue any newconcessions because elections havebeen announced and exams havealready started," said Jeevanantham.

Displeased with the cut in time, theprincipal of a city-based school for theblind said, "We received a letter from theDGE this year saying students of classten would not be granted extra time. Thecommunication was silent about the classtwelve exam. Students need extra timefor papers like history, geography andeconomics as they have to visualiseelements such as maps and graphs."

(inputs from Karthika Gopalakrishnan) http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Chennai/Exam-centres-granting-extra-time-for-blind/articleshow/4253284.cms

Commentary: When I took majorexaminations such as entrance exams touniversities, assessments for languageproficiency such as TOEFL, and tests forprofessional licenses, I requested extratime (time and a half.) I did not feelashamed to make such requests, as Iknew it is absolutely fair to do so.

First, it is impossible for a Braille readeror large print user to "take a glance" at apage. For instance, if you have a questionwith four possible answers, a sightedexaminee can scan through the choicesin an instant. On the other hand, a Brailleuser has to read it line by line to grasp allchoices. Second, as mentioned in thearticle, visualization of images takes quitea long time. Third, it is more difficult forBraille readers to read and write at thesame time as Braille reading is oftendone with two hands. Finally, whenstudents have to take exams orally, it willstill take much longer as the examineeoften has to ask the reader to repeat aquestion several times in the case of longand complex contents.These facts should be clearly explained,

not only to the examiners but also to theexaminees. In many cases, theexaminers think that it would be unfair tohave such adjustments, and insist onequal time. The blind students, on theother hand, try their best to prove theirability even though there are somedisadvantageous factors that their sightedpeers do not have. It might be advisableto have a set of standards for theexaminees with special needs. Concretenumerical data, such as time required toread one page, should serve as backupto support this standardization.

Equality should not just be a superficialappearance such as amount of timeprovided for each student. Instead itshould be ensured through thoroughinvestigation of the overall requirementsand be based on facts.

COMEDY AND HUMOR

Jayne Wairimi and Lucy N.K. Karimi(Kenya)

Jayne and Lucy's Joke ShopThe Blind Tourist

There was a blind man fromNigeria who decided to visit Kenya. Whenhe arrived on the plane, he felt the seatsand said, "Wow, these seats are big!" Theperson next to him answered, "Everythingis big in Kenya."

When he finally arrived in Kenya, hedecided to visit a restaurant. Uponarriving, he ordered a beer and got a mugplaced between his hands. Heexclaimed, "Wow these mugs are big!"

The attendant replied, "Everything is bigin Kenya." After a couple of beers, theblind man asked where the bathroom waslocated. The attendant replied, "Seconddoor to the right."


Jayne Waithera

The blind man headed for the bathroombut accidentally skipped by the seconddoor and instead entered the third door,which led to the swimming pool. He fellinto the pool by accident. Scared todeath, he started shouting, "Don't flush!Don't flush!"

Interestingly Painful

A guy goes to the supermarket andnotices an attractive woman waving athim. She says, "Hello!!" He's rathertaken aback because he can't placewhere he knows her from. So he says,"Do you know me??" to which the womanreplies, "I think you're the father of one ofmy kids." Completely shocked, the guy'smind travels back to the only time that hewas unfaithful to his wife and says, "MyGod!....are you the stripper from mybachelor party that I made love to on thepool table with all my friendswatching??!!" Confused, the womanlooks into his eyes and says calmly, "No, Iam your son's teacher!" Moral Of TheStory: You Need to Know the CompletePicture Before you Open Your Mouth!


Mosquitoes in the Dark

Among the many various goals ofthe International Institute for SocialEntrepreneurs (IISE) there is a goal toimprove participants' work in a groupsetting. Starting with Act 2, participantswere introduced to a case study knownas Tansalesia. My Tansalesian workgroup planned to establish a project forvisually impaired people living in thisimaginary country. My group includesmyself from Saudi Arabia, Eric fromGhana, James and Victor from Liberia,Jessica from Germany, and Yoshimi fromJapan. We were assigned the classroomcalled Chomolangma as our meetingroom.

Very often at the IISE we experiencepower cuts both day and night. One nightafter dinner my team decided to continueour work on the the Tansalesian project,so we agreed to meet in Chomolangma. Iwent there ahead of time, turned on mylaptop to get ready for our work, andwaited for the rest of the team to arrive.Before they arrived, the electricity wentoff, although I still had some light comingfrom my laptop screen. As a partiallysighted participant, I use headphones tolisten to the screen reader for some of ourwork.

Jessie, Yoshi, and James (all totally blindparticipants) arrived next and we all sataround the table discussing our projectwhen suddenly James from Liberia stoodup and started to hit and smash the palmof his hand on his own chest, shoulders,arms and thighs because he was beingstung by mosquitoes that were flying allover the place; everyone of us in theroom could hear the buzzing sound ofmosquitos in our ears. I turned my head towards James and sawin the dim light of my computer screen the


outline of his standing body. ImmediatelyI said to him, "Do you know, James, whymosquitoes like you so much?"He replied, "No! Why?"I answered, "Because you are wearing ablack T-shirt and black shorts.""Is that so?" James replied confusedly. After a few moments the electricity cameback on again and while I was looking atthe members of our team, I noticed thatJames was wearing a red T-shirt. I askedhim, "Weren’t you wearing a black T-shirta little while ago?"

James answered, "No, I entered the roomshirtless and I just put my T-shirt on." I had not realized that James wasshirtless when he entered the room.When we all understood that it was mypoor eyesight and James's dark blackskin that had made me think he waswearing a black T-shirt, we all burst outlaughing. Especially Yoshi. Yoshilaughed so hysterically she fell off herchair and slid under the table.

Isabel Torres, Catalyst (Spain) and PaulKronenberg (Holland)

The Towel Thingy

From: Isabel Date: 05.09.2008 22:53:20To: braillewbSubject: MOST URGENT Hi Paul,I promised Satheesh that I would write"MOST URGENT" in the subject field ofthis email and since I like keeping mypromises . . . This email is about the"towel thingy" of which I sent you apicture yesterday.

Today there has been a long cross-cultural debate at the site about bestmethods of drying and hanging towels.

Basically, we are trying to figure outwhether the best solution is to massproduce the designed model for allbathrooms.

Here are the pros and cons . . . Actually,just the cons: 1. The towel thingy is a little bulky anddoes not fit easily in smaller bathrooms.One solution provided by Ajith is to affix itto the back of the bathroom door. Iagree. 2. In other bathrooms, where it ispossible to affix the thingy to the wall, itseems to be protruding a little too muchthus preventing full opening of door.According to Mr KK Nair this could besolved by eliminating one hanger from thedesign, in which case of course one towelwould have to be hung next to the other.In my opinion, the door opens wideenough.3. Mr KK Nair also contributed to thecontroversy by adding that a woodenhanger would deteriorate fast as aconsequence of humidity. I mentionedScandinavians actually living in woodenhouses, which are most of the timeexposed to rain and snow, but to no avail.I am informed this is a different type ofwood we are dealing with here.

Isabel Torres and Sabriye Tenberken

4. And here is my own little contribution:if I was sharing a hanger where one towelgoes on top and the other hidesunderneath, I would want to have mine on


top - what about you? There is aquestion I cant help asking myself: whydo we need the towel thingy anyway? Inmy tiny apartment, I just use a hook onthe door and that has never prevented mytowel from drying (without fungus or funnysmells). Here are some arguments in favor ofhooks:1. They are dirt cheap and never lookbad.2. You can have two, three or even morein one bathroom.3. They never prevent any door fromopening to its fullest.4. They promote equality amongstbathroom mates.5. They can also be used to hang clothes.I may stop the list here, 'cos if liking thehanger makes you a "hanger man, " Idon't want to think what promoting thehook may turn me into . . . Finally iftowels get really wet, participants mayalso hang them on their balconies. Ofcourse, this will give the whole dormitorybuilding a "Little Sicily" flavor . . . butwould this be that bad? As a girl from theSouth, I guess I cannot really trust myjudgment on that one.So, Paul . . . what do we do with the towelthingies? Please, don´t let us hang toolong for your answer!!!Big smiles,Isa Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 11:22:44 +0800From: BrailleWBTo: isabelSubject: Re: MOST URGENT

Dear Isabel,Thank you for your e-mail. We nearly gota heart attack when we read the MOSTURGENT header. We've had some badexperiences with headers like that in thepast! But then reading your e-mail we feltINDEED this is most urgent. WOW, whata discussion! When we finished reading

your e-mail we rang the farm project'salarm bell and had an emergencymeeting with the entire Towel Rack ThinkTank Assembly (TRTTA)!After several hours of ferocious debatewe finally came to an acceptablecompromise amongst the different twistedparties! We thought that we had hadsome tough meetings in the past but thisone was THE MOTHER of all debates!!We are still dripping blood sweat andtears! Well, not to let you wait any longer,here is the advice of our Towel RackThink Tank:It is suggested that you forget aboutwooden racks. Instead, an economicalsolution could be found by attaching twohooks to either side of the wall parallel tothe shower partition. Between these twohooks a clothesline can be attached.Clothes hangers can be used to hang onthis line so there is space to dry clothesas well as towels.

Our TRTTA team suspects that the localTrivandrum TRTTA team had too manydifficulties in thinking outside "the rack. "You, as a visionary, were able to makethe transformation to elevate the matter tothe hook level . . . Our TRTTA team tookthis a step further to the level of the line.The reason: if towels hang on a hookagainst the wall, the surface of towel toair ratio is less in comparison to "freehanging towels." (Reference: "ThePhysics of Drying Towels"; MIT AppliedPhysics Quarterly; Autumn, 2008.))

We hope that the TRV-TRTTA Chapter iswilling to consider the above mentionedoption. Yours sincerely,The Tibet Shigatse Towel Rack ThinkTank Assembly (TTSTRTTA)



Unidentified Foster Family

I consider the foster family to beone of the best means of support for theparticipants of the International Institutefor Social Entrepreneurs (IISE) toovercome homesickness. The idea of thisprogram is to spend some time with thefoster family during weekends orholidays.

One afternoon, the IISE had a small teaparty in the auditorium to introduce allparticipants to these families. Eachfamily was linked with one or twoparticipants. That day every participantwas wearing a name tag; a schedule hadbeen made with all the names matchedup with various families.

At the arrival time, most participants andcatalysts received the foster families atthe main gate and walked with them tothe auditorium. All participants wereintroduced. All families sat with theirparticipants and enjoyed tea and coffeewith varieties of delicious biscuits andcakes.

Johnson from Liberia, Robert from Kenyaand I, from Saudi Arabia, could notidentify our foster families, simplybecause they did not show up.

My dear friend Yoshimi from Japan waslinked only by herself to one of the fosterfamilies. Also Robert was supposed to beon his own, so the organizers decided tolink him with Yoshimi. I noticed everyfamily so far had only two participants.

Johnson and I, the orphaned ones, sat atone table, staring at the two empty chairs;well, maybe not Johnson, who is totallyblind. We didn't give up our hopes thatour family might show up at the lastmoment.

All the guests and participants werehaving a good time, chatting and laughingwith each other. They just enjoyed thesocial setting. Whereas Johnson and Isat by ourselves, talking to each otherand wishing to meet our family.

Simon and Jenni are two volunteerstudents from Germany. They both do somany jobs around the IISE campus,helping catalysts and participants withdaily life tasks around this beautiful place.

Simon and Jenni entered the auditorium,which was fully occupied by participantsand families, except for the two chairs atour table; so they came to join us. I thensaid jokingly: "Oh, here is our fosterfamily!" and shook hands with them. Ihonestly forgot that my fellow Johnson,the Liberian guy sitting beside me, couldnot see Simon.

Johnson stood up and shook hands withSimon, believing that he was our realfoster friend. He also hugged him andwelcomed him with great respect. At thismoment Simon played the role of thefoster friend, hugging Johnson and askinghim how he is doing and what is new.

Jenni and I were silently laughing at theincident until Johnson finally realized thatthe person sitting beside him was onlySimon, and not our real foster friend.Then I exploded with laughter, with myeyes full of tears.

Up until today, while I am writing thisarticle, our foster family have not turnedup. While most participants spend a verynice time with their foster families,especially at weekends, I just feel sorryfor Johnson because he is always askingme when our foster family will arrive! But,with all my respect to our foster family, Ido not have any answer for him.

Editor's Note: By time of publishing, we


are all happy that a new foster family wasfound for Hussni and Johnson!

Victor Gaigaie (Liberia)

School for the Blind

This article about my experience ina school for the blind in Liberia contains alesson.

Victor Gaigaie

I had a funny experience when I newlywent to the school for the blind. Everyevening we were having prayer servicebefore going to bed. One night during theservice, each student was asked to quotebiblical verse. All my colleagues knewhow to quote biblical verse, but I couldnot because I didn't know any.

When my time came to quote, I wasthinking of what to say and a thoughtentered my mind to say, "God-time is thebest," without any reference from theBible. All of my friends began to laugh atme. Then, our director at that time said,“Victor's quotation was also right in thesense that of all the time we have, God-time is the best. When God-time hasreached for you to do something toimprove your life or to change other lives,nothing can stop that time.” The directormade my quotation to be meaningful andto have a lesson in it to learn.

MOVIE CORNER

Arky - Rakesh Ambati, Catalyst (India)

Documenting a Human Tragedy The story of India's green revolution hasa dark side. It is the shade of darkcrimson, the color of blood. Between1996 and 2006 100,000 farmerscommitted suicide in Vidarbha region inthe north Indian state of Maharashtra.Since June of 2005 two to three farmerstake their lives every day. The seeds ofthis problem were sown with theintroduction of the green revolution in themid 60's. Farming in India was largelyorganic, needing little investment.Farmers would use the seeds that theysaved from the previous harvest. But thegreen revolution changed all that, nowfarmers had to buy seeds, fertilizers andpesticides by borrowing money at highinterest rates from Sahukar's (privatemoney lenders) and in the course of timefarmers were trapped in huge debt. Suchdisasters don't go unnoticed--they rarelydo. Headlines trumpeted, relief poured inand so did the politicians with their'packages'.Now just few years on, this issue isforgotten by the mainstream media.Suma Josson, a journalist turnedfilmmaker, documents the problem thattook many years in the making. In herlatest documentary film, "I Want myFather Back" she asks a few crucialquestions. I managed to catch thisdocumentary at the recent KAFISO ThirdNational Short and Documentary FilmFestival. The documentary managed towalk away with the first prize that it sorichly deserves. The film deals with the disastrous way inwhich India's green revolution pushedtraditional farming practises aside in amad dash to increase crop yield. Newhybrid seeds were introduced with heavysubsidies. Fertilisers and pesticides were


introduced at low prices, and attractiveloans were offered for those who couldnot afford to buy them. Cash crops likecotton and soya soon replaced the foodcrops. Farmers went into debt to managetheir homes and farms and were gettinglow prices for their crops largely due tocorrupt and inefficient marketing practicesof farmers co-operatives. Trapped in deepdebt, the farmers resorted to taking theirown lives. Josson's film deals in detail with everyfacet of this problem, effects ofglobalization, economic policies ofsuccessive governments that helpedcreate new markets for large multinationalcorporations. The menace of costly Btcotton seeds with their false claims ofhigh yield, its adverse effects onenvironment and the health of cottonindustry workers. Lack of measures toprotect and promote the indigenous seedvariates that are resistant to pests andwell adapted to local conditions. Also theerosion of traditional farming method ofcultivating heterogenous crops whichprovided a safe net in case of single cropfailure. Perhaps it is the director's earlytraining as a journalist that played a largerole in her investigative approach. Thedocumentary provides a revealing mix ofscientific evidence, farmers' insights andexperiences, along with the voices ofactivists. The mass suicides of farmers is not theproblem of Vidarbha alone. In the otherIndian states of Kerala, Karnataka,Andhra Pradesh and Punjab farmers arecommiting suicide in large numbers.Every day we hear similar stories fromother parts of the world. Thisdocumentary forces the audience to thinkand to ask itself: Is this the state of theworld to come?

Participants and catalysts by the lake

Special thanks to Lena Behrendes forthe photographs she contributed to this

first edition of our magazine!

Layout: Nora HartensteinEdited by: Jessica Schroeder

Rosemary Mahoney

For more information about the IISE,please visit our webpage

www.bwb-iise.org


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