Media Release

For Immediate Release

February 12, 2007

SMU Team Helps Empower Tanzania

Mehjabeen Alarakhia and Leah McMillan are both pictured here before meeting with members of Hakikazi Catalyst. Monwabisi Sobantu and Maureen Woodhouse walk to their next meeting. From left to right: Maureen Woodhouse, Mehjabeen Alarakhia, Leah McMillan, and Emily Taylor.

A group of students who took part in a unique project in Tanzania had the chance to present their experience to the general public.

Through the Canadian International Development Agency’s (CIDA) Students for Development Project, four Saint Mary’s students in the International Development Studies (IDS) program ventured off to the East African country late last semester to with Hakikazi Catalyst — a local Tanzanian Non Government Organization (NGO). There the students spent two-weeks helping this NGO develop a monitoring and evaluation system for its governance and advocacy work.

The students included: Monwabisi Sobantu, Leah McMillan, Emily Taylor, and Mehjabeen Alarakhia. McMillan, Taylor and Alarakhia are all enrolled in the Master of IDS Program at the University, and Sobantu is nearing completion of his Bachelor of Arts Degree in IDS.

Maureen Woodhouse, Project Manager with the International Activities Office at SMU, also joined the students on this big trip abroad.

The two-hour information session, which was held this past Friday afternoon in Sobey 164, attracted lots of people, including Dr. J. Colin Dodds, President of Saint Mary’s, Denis Leclaire, Director of International Activities, Heidi Taylor, Program Manager for International Activities, and Dr. Anthony O’Malley, a professor of IDS. The information session was sponsored by the Canada Corps for Development Program.

The students, along with Woodhouse, spoke about how Hakikazi Catalyst is a non-profit, non-political and non-religious organization committed to achieving social and economic justice.

They also presented information about how this organization promotes the rights of people to fully participate in the social, technical, environmental and economic decisions that affect their lives.

Overall, the team from SMU indicated that the trip abroad was memorable and one which they soon won't forget.

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For More Information:

Paul Fitzgerald
Public Affairs Officer
Saint Mary's University, Public Affairs
(902) 420.5514
E-mail: paul.fitzgerald@smu.ca
www.smu.ca