| Friday, February 25 |
| Dear Friends. Let 's begin with the most important - an invitation: |
| African Treasures Learning Journey |
| You are invited to a learning journey to Kufunda and into an African experience of how we might also live, with the aim of bringing our learning back with us to our everyday lives. |
| The learning journey will take place March 1-12, 2005. |
| A look back |
| February: Art of Hosting for Community Organisers |
| In February we hosted our first ever Art of Hosting Workshop for community organizers. The Art of Hosting is a workshop geared towards enabling the community organisers to themselves become hosts of shared learning and collective problem solving in their communities. The Art of Hosting has been run as a workshop several times in Europe, North America and Africa. This was the first time we had tailored it specifically to the work of hosting learning and co-creation in a rural environment. |
| It was a sweet experience. Although many of the people we have worked with, know and appreciate our interactive co-creative ways at Kufunda, they often return home with lectures of what they learnt and directives for what will be done as a result. This workshop, which was a collective learning by doing, enabled people to dive into the art of creating good engaged learning space for their community. |
| As a result five community programmes are in the making, which we will co-host with the community organizers we are working with. The programmes will take place in the rural areas, instead of at Kufunda. They are planned for April through August of this year. |
| January was a full and happening month at Kufunda. |
| We kicked off with a four day Shiatsu workshop, with Jenny Liang from Singapore teaching Kufundees and community organizers a simple but effective head, neck and shoulder shiatsu technique. |
| Together with Phil Cass from Ohio and Bev Reeler, trustee, we held a two day Team Retreat. It was a much-needed retreat as there had been some deep misunderstandings in the team during the last months of 2004. The intention of the retreat was to re-ground ourselves as a team, and develop clarity on our intentions and plans for the year ahead. |
| It was an amazing two days. The most important piece was an afternoon of truth telling. Each Kufundee meet with each other Kufundee, telling them what they appreciate about the other, and what they find difficult about the other. It was a powerful and cleansing exercise. |
| The following day we returned to our agreements, and our purpose. Making both more explicit, and reconnecting at the most fundamental level around who we are and why we are in this work together. Our purpose, as we spoke it, is learning to sustain our lives while also helping others to learn how to sustain their lives in Zimbabwe and the world today. |
| What came out strongly from the retreat was the desire to work more consciously with collective learning and co-creation that is needed for us to learn our way into a sustainable future. Thus, instead of being in the business of compost toilets or organic farming (which are important aspects of sustainable living), we are in the business of supporting a community in identifying its own solutions. And now we have taken the next step of beginning to enable the community itself to learn how to facilitate that process of co-creation and learning. |
| After the team retreat we were joined by Toke Moeller, Jan Hein and his partner Lisbeth. They ran a training for Flow Game facilitators. The flow game is a board game designed for individuals or group to explore core questions with the intent of gaining clarity and momentum. Silas Lusias from Kufunda was one of the new flow hosts. |
| And we capped off January with another Art of Hosting workshop. This time for people in Zimbabwe and South Africa who are working in the social sector, a few business people joined us also, and several pioneers of change came up from South Africa. I love these workshops where by the end of the workshop much of the workshop is handed over to participants who are stepping directly into the fire of hosting. |
| November 2004 - Berkana Exchange Learning Journey |
| The Berkana Exchange is a learning community and resource exchange that connects pioneering leaders throughout the globe around their shared commitment to making a difference in and beyond their communities. |
| In November, with Kufunda as a partner, the Exchange organized a learning journey of life-affirming leadership and organizing. Margaret Wheatley and 15 people, primarily Americans, joined us to visit with life-affirming leaders and organizations in South Africa and Zimbabwe During the trip, they spent five days at Kufunda, including an overnight trip to Mhondoro, one of the communities that we are working with. It was an incredible journey for all involved, but what was extra special to me was the meeting between a group of relatively affluent foreigners with a group of solidly rooted local rural community organizers. We were not sure how it would go, but it worked beautifully. At the end, one of the participants, shared how he had arrived thinking he needed to come and help people here. While there is real material poverty, he had been surprised by just how much richness there is to be found in the people, their relationships, their culture, and the joy with which they approach life. |
| We will be hosting another journey with the Exchange in the coming year, as well as a tailor-made journey with a US-based Foundation. For more information please email Marianne@kufunda.org |
And finally a word of heartfelt
Thanks - |
| The Berkana Exchange participants for contributing enough money for us to buy a mini-bus!!! This has been top of our wish list, but we have struggled with raising enough funds for it until now. |
| Felix and his friends who instead of giving him birthday presents for his 30th gave him contributions for Kufunda. |
| Phil Cass who collected contributions among his friends and colleagues in Columbus, Ohio, to bring to Kufunda when he visited in January. |
| Toke Moeller and his family Monica Nissen, Karen Moeller, and Iben Madu who contributed to the education fund. |
| Sandy and Derek who last year committed to contribute regularly for 3 years to the education fund. |
| And finally many thank yous to Sara Whitely, Maria Scordiales, Florian and Barbara Rahman, Brano Klesken, Ursula Kralova, Melanie Wagner, Jane Masters, Francois and Andrea Mercier, Susanne Black, Sophie Fontaine, Catherine Richardson, Heather and Henriette Ferris, and the W.H.E.A.T society who have recently contributed generously to the work of the Village. |
| All of your support makes our work possible. |
| May all of you have a wonderful month - and do consider joining us in August! |
| Marianne |
