values letter

This is a template for the values we ask our members of “the Difference” network to consider and sign:
Date


Dear

RE: The values of our network

As we discussed, all the members of the Ashoka network are asked to consider and sign-up to our values. We find that this allows us to be open with each other and sets the relationship on a clearly defined foundation.

When dealing with each other we agree to uphold the following values:

Confidentiality, that is we shall respect the confidences shared in our interactions and not share these with others outside the network unless explicitly agreed between us. We will also not circumvent each other, going to a resource person and gaining a benefit without including the referrer in the deal. A referral fee should be negotiated prior to the finalization of any deal with a referred person.
Anti-discriminatory practice means that we will not pre-judge each other on the basis of our language, gender, race, sexual preference or age.
Promote choice in so far as we should seek to offer appropriate choices to each other and support each other in making choices. This promotion of choice should derive from a respect for our needs.
Recognize our differences by promoting our human rights.
Ensure effective communication between us, allowing each to express our feelings.

Should you, after reflection feel able to support these values, please sign this letter, make a copy and return it when next we meet.

We, at “the Difference” find that these five simple values provide a powerful foundation for our effective networking together.

Yours Sincerely

Name of organization: Afrenaus Life Skills Development

Contact person: Veronica Khosa

Telephone: 076 528 9377
Fax: 012 803 7616
e-mail: afrenaus@telkomsa.net
or douglas@racionzer.net

Physical address: 316 Kuit Street Waltloo

Company registration: cc 2005/026726/23
HWSETA Status: Programmes and QMS handed-in and awaiting
approval
HWSETA ref. number: TPA 07/02/602
DoL registration: 4863

Mission
To empower and capacitate individuals and groups through specialized training

Vision
· To enhance life in Africa by providing training that will inculcate responsible behaviour in relation to basic human rights and the acquisition of knowledge
· To co-ordinate support for a sustainable co-operative movement among small business, non-profit organizations and corporate entities


Afrenaus was founded in 2005 to meet the training and development needs of the model for home-based care developed by its founder, Veronica Khosa. The model for Home-based Care has now been replicated in over 890 projects across the country. The organization that tested this model was Tateni home-based services. This model was recently rated among the top six most successful interventions by the World Health Organization.

Tateni was handed over to the community for management and control after it had achieved the WHO standing. This model is accepted by the South African National Department of Health as the most successful tertiary intervention in the country.


Our Achievements
· Successfully trained Ward Committees in Tshwane Metropolitan in 2005
· Trained vulnerable women working in a joint venture with Ofentse.
· Working in a joint venture with Sunstyle to deliver training and after-graduation support
· Co-operative development including Izithelo Co-operative


What does Afrenaus mean?
It is an acronym for African Renaissance National Academy Uniting States

Programmes

Company and Co-operative Development
The Izithelo Co-operative has been established to offer groceries and food supply to the many non-profit and community service organizations operating in Tshwane. Currently over 25 community service organizations have registered their intention to join the Co-op. and will transfer their current grocery purchases from large retail outlets to the Co-op.

This amounts to a yearly bill of around R8 million. The Co-op is in a strong buying position to negotiate advantageous prices for groceries on behalf of its members. All members in good standing are eligible for yearly dividends based on their purchases.

Training and Development
Short Courses
Home-based care and Palliative Care
Lay Counselling
HIV/AIDS education
First Aid (Emergency Care)
Formal Carrier Pathway Courses
Ancillary health care
Social Auxiliary Work
Leadership Skills
Occupational Therapy
Entrepreneurship

In addition Afrenaus seeks to:
· Offer training and job-related skills
· Provide guidance and motivation to those who are discovering their talents
· Offer career guidance and counselling to all learners
· Design and deliver health education programmes to workplaces focussed on Sexually Transmitted Diseases, HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis within the framework of wellness, safety and infection control.

Advocacy and networking
Afrenaus acts as an advocate for the programmes and needs of partnered community service organizations as well as a referral agent for corporate and overseas partners. To this end relationships are being established with Clover-Danone, the Virgin group and other institutions.

K8 Co-operative College

Below is a joint venture agreement between Sunstyle and a group of training companies comprising a co-operative college in Waltloo, Pretoria. This agreement took two years of work and collaboartive effort top create.


K8 Joint Venture
Memorandum of Agreement

Between

Afrenaus Skills Development cc
Herein referred to as Afrenaus

And

Sunstyle
Herein referred to as Sunstyle

And
Khutaza

And


Herein referred to as


The Identification of Joint Venture opportunities

1. Whereas the founding parties to this contract are tenants at 316 Kuit Street, Waltloo
2. Whereas each party to this contract offers human development services.
3. Whereas all the parties see the benefits that would accrue to their interests should the parties share resources.
4. It is agreed that the parties will form a joint venture called K8 Services.
5. It is further agreed that this joint venture shall be constituted as a Company limited by guarantee as provided for under Section 21 of the Companies Act (Number 6 of 1973 as amended).
6. The objects of K8 will include the provision of :
· Administration services
· Financial services
· Organizational Development services
· Labour Recruitment services
· Management and Strategic Consulting
· Training and Development services
· Marketing services
·



7. The parties to this agreement agree to collaborate in good faith to promote the objects of K8
8. At all times both parties agree to promote the following values in their relationship:
· Confidentiality and non-circumvention
· Anti-discriminatory practice and non-judgemental attitude
· Individual rights
· Recognition of differences
· Effective communication
9. Any substantive decisions or changes to this agreement must be made by duly delegated representatives of both parties and signed by the Managing Directors of both companies after being properly passed by their board of directors.
10. Termination of this agreement must be made in writing byany party giving at least one calendar month’s notice.
11. Should a dispute arise then both parties agree to first seek to resolve the dispute between themselves. Should this fail, then both parties agree to invite a mediator to assist in resolving the dispute. Should mediation fail then the parties agree to subject themselves to arbitration.





Signed at ______________________ this ________day of August 2005



_____________________ ______________________
For A2B Witness



_____________________ ______________________
For Sunstyle Training Witness

Dessication

Working with Veronica Khoza at Afrenaus Life Skills has been a challnge. Early last year she mentioned that she wanted to establish a fruit and veg drying system for her home carers so that they could carry nutritious products to those suffering from HIV/AIDs and to introduce dried fruit and veg into the township spaza market as a distinct category.

Over December I visisted the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal and met with some farmers through the Coastals Co-operative there. One family actually has a an under-utilized industrial dessicator!

We have agreed that they will experiment with a variety of locally available fruit and veg including Morogo. In our first meeting of the year at Afrenaus. I will show the the board the samples of dried bananas, paw paw and tomato and see if we can't establish some kind of of supply chain.

In the meantime, Takalani and Moses, two collaborators with Sunstyle will help set-up the fruit and veg drying co-op for Afrenaus and build sun drying racks at the back of the college.
The idea will be to experiemnt with the drying process, package the product and begin to distribute it through the spaza shop network in Mamelodi.

Later when we have built a small market we will go the Pioneer Foods, the owners of SAD, the fruiot drying corporation and get them to supply us with product.

Joint Venture with Afrenaus

Its taken the better part of a year but we have finally got it together. Veronica Khoza and Douglas Racionzer, two Ashoka fellows have agreed to work together on developing a co-operative model for a college that specializes in training people to become ancilliary nurses, auxilliary social workers and home carers.

We have no funds but we have a venue in Kuit Street Wlatloo.

various updates

Well its been over a month since I last made a posting.... naughty naughty boy!

The methane process has slowed down as Gary still hasn't copied the 400 page report done by Maureen but he has given a report that shows that extracting methane is a very very tricky process that would best and safely be done at one site rather than at each pit latrine. Methane is explosive...

We spent the morning at the Arts for social change programme at CIDA City Campus on Saturday where we enagged a group of would be cartoonists in how to draw cartoons...it was intereseting especially finding out that few of the youth know who Hitler was...

Takalani will be working more closely with the Mamelodi Extension 17 group to establish the feeding scheme. He will also be setting-up a recycling project along the lines that Fellow Kim Kieser has developed. Finally Takalni will be doing some preliminary mapping work on the Real maps Africa Project. All this as well as the electrical repair business he runs currently...

Ronnie Maatjie who runs a recording studio got paid out some money from the Road Accident fund and bought himself a car. So now he has wheels.

Imet with a group of about seven McKinsey consultants to discuss financing options for the various nano-corporations we work with. They came up with some ggod ideas as well as contacts. Hoping they will work on this stuff a bit.

The work with Afrenaus and Fellow Veronica Khoza is going well. We developed a draft business plan for the college which is due to start next year.

We also secured a donation of books from St. Augustine College for the Afrenaus college. This wasw greatly appreciated.

A fellow in Bangladesh, Shamsun Nahar runs a school for entrepreneurs and she has expressed interest in a joint venture...

Otherwise life rolls along at a its usual gentle pace.

methane

here is a string of e-mails about methane use in cars in South Africa. I feel a conference coming up...

Hi mate

sounds most interesting and you should try get hold of a copy of her research docos if you can. There is no doubt that when one produces methane at marginal costing it's much cheaper than petrol. Consequently, a (relatively) few people should fully capitalise on their position to exploit the resource at marginal cost.

It would be interesting to see her costings and see the cost of a conversion plant, as well as the amount of raw material (volumetric conversion rate) and conversion time required to make the gas.

Pls send info, I'll do a bit more research on my end as well - I'll also look at the Indian web sites.......

Cheers
GT

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Douglas [mailto:douglas@racionzer.net]
Sent: Tuesday, 29 August 2006 5:11 PM
To: Gianni Torta
Subject: Fw: methane query


Dear Gianni

I got this response from Marlene the methane mama today. Thought you may be interested...

Regards

Dug
----- Original Message -----
From: Marlene
To: Douglas
Sent: Sunday, August 27, 2006 6:19 PM
Subject: Re: methane query


Dear Douglas

Thank you for this enquiry. In short, I am most willing to share experience, as time allows! It will be my pleasure. The "project" was a "pet research" project where I looked into the purification of methane from some 56 to 95% via membrane systems (Okkie v Schalwyk 082 859 0833) now retired but previously from Atomic Energy Coorporation - and investigated applications in terms of convertion of diesel and petrol vehicles, use as household gas in place of propane (easi) gas, also heating hot houses from raw methane from anaerobic digesters (Indian deisgn), etc. I have left the findings and doc in the possesion of Mogale City (I left their service about 3 months ago) - and requested that they provide it to any interested persons - no charge. You may contact with magda at 951 2104 or 951 2000 ask for water and sanitation dept. This will be usefull info, but admittedly - I never "prgressed" to the stage where I wrote up a scientific paper on the findings.

Finally, a definite YES it is worth loooking into it - it was even worth doing so 6 years ago when the fuel price bordered on R 3-70 something and the trend in energy was already an indicator in its own right.

I trust the above will meet some of your initial requirements - please feel free to email me anytime - I will try to get back asap.

Kind regards
Marlene


Dr M van der Merwe-Botha

Specialist: Water and Wastewater, Municipal













----- Original Message -----
From: Douglas
To: Marlene van der Merwe
Sent: Thursday, August 24, 2006 5:12 AM
Subject: methane query


Dear Marlene

I was referred to you from Mr. Mostert at the Baviaanspoort Works and then Tina at your office gave me your e-mail address.

I am a social entrepreneur who is looking at the possibilities of using methane to fuel the vehicles in our orgnaization.

Apparantly you not only have done extensive research on this process but hat you have actually converted vehicles. Some of my fellows in new delhi, Brazil and Pakaitan use methane extensilvely in to fuel their vehicles.

With the current petrol price nudging R7/litre, is it worth looking into methane production?

Would you be willing to share some information and even some of your research results and opinions with me on this matter? If so on what terms?

Your assistance in this matter is appreciated.

Kind regards

Douglas Racionzer
www.sunstyle.co.za

Ps check-out my website and blogs to see where I'm coming from on this.