Green World Youth Day Updates:

Good news: Deadlines for registration for the WYD has been extended, however we advice you to fill in the YPD 2008 registration form and to send it to the Australian team as soon as possible.

Report from the CCI conference:

From February 23rd to 25th Mako from Japan, Mafiz from Bangladesh and Stefan from Australia attended the CCI Symposium in Chennai in India focusing mainly on Sustainable Development through Education, dignity and Harmony. Discussion areas covered globalisation, environment, youth, women and children, worker leaders, migration…The importance of Education, Dignity and Harmony for Sustainable Development, to promote human values, and human dignity, to involve people of all stage in the development of society… were some important learning that came out of the meeting.

Mako’s Tour:

Mako finished her missionary work in Thailand recently and she is on a Tour in southeast Asia ti visit and help the YPD local teams before going back to Japan. Her schedule of visit are as followed:

• March18th-24th MAESOD, Thailand (visit kwikwi and some members of karen team)
• March 25th -27th CHIANGMAI, Thailand
• March 29th -31st PHNON PHEN, Cambodia (visit international/local team)
• April 1st-2nd SAIGON, Vietnam (visit local team)
• April 3rd-4th KUALA LUMPUR , Malaysia (visit international member/local team)
• April 5th –6th SINGAPORE
• April 7th –9th MEDAN, Indonesia (visit local team)
• April 10th –11th BANGKOK, Thailand
• April 12th MAESOD, Thailand (training program for youth on Thai-Burma border)

Updates on the fair trade project in France:

The French team based in Paris and Lille is selling fair trade products from Vietnam for many years. What’s news is that the team is also buying products in Senegal (Africa). For this new market the team is working hard to ensure the financial transparency. One specific document is written for each product with all the costs mentioned (production cost, raw material, transportation…) to justify the final price and given to the French customer. While containing a picture and the address of the producer this document puts in touch customers from the North and producers from the South. The team is willing to extend this project to other products and producers from Senegal.

Café-Libraire Project in Hanoi:

The Vietnamese team is looking for fund to achieve its project of social enteprise: to open a Café Librairie in Hanoi. They need funds to buy books and librairie equipment. We wish them good luck in their initiatives.