INTRODUCTION by M/s. Kajsa B. Dahlstroem, President Globetree

M/s. Kajsa B. Dahlstroem
President Globetree
kajsa@globetree.org


Contents
# 01 Globetree Yearly Globeday
# 02 Joint program with LVRLAC
# 03 The Children's Meeting Place and
Networking in the Lake Victoria Region
# 04 In Memoriam of Anna Lindh
Uniting Trees at the UNON
# 05 Children's Garden
Inaugurations of the Children's Meeting Places
# 06 Inauguration in Mukono, Uganda
# 07 Inauguration in Busia, Uganda
# 08 Inauguration in Kampala, Uganda
# 09 Inauguration in Mwanza, Tanzania
# 10 Inauguration in Kisumu, Kenya
# 11 Meeting with a Root of Tanzania
# 12 Seminar & Workshops in Entebbe;
The Way Forward!
# 13 Reports to the Swedish Embassy,Nairobi & Sida
# 14 International Roots Meeting in November 2004
# 15 Christmas at The Mother Tree
"Welcome Secr. Gen. Kofi Annan"
# 16 Children's Meeting Place
Homa Bay - Strängnäs - Kalmar
# 17 World Championship in Cooperation
# 18 Reports on Globetree website

# 02 Joint program with LVRLAC
In October UBC (the Union of the Baltic Cities) hosted a study tour for the Board of LVRLAC (Lake Victoria Region Local Authorities Cooperation). H.W. the Mayor of Mwanza asked for a meeting with Globetree in which ideas of future cooperation was discussed. Globetree also arranged for a special program to the City Council of Strängnäs.
In a final meeting, before their leaving for Africa, the Board of LVRLAC decided to make the Second Roots Meeting and Networking in the Lake Victoria Region, Nov/Dec 2003, a joint program between LVRLAC and Globetree.

# 03 The Children’s Meeting Place and Networking in the Lake Victoria Region
Thousands of children and their teachers and leaders made the 14 days (Program) in the Lake Victoria Region an unforgettable experience for the 16 Swedes; youth, teachers, experts and local authority representatives from five cities/municipalities.

The mayor of each city was personally participating and/or hosted the program. The Mayor of Busia joined the entire 14 days!

Mayor of Busia Mr. Mugeni Michael in the Water and Soil Ceremony
at the inauguration of the Children’s Meeting Place, Busia City Council, Uganda

The Study Tour was also a reunion with the young representatives of the Lake Victoria Children and Youth Network on the further development. The network was formed after a 10 days Study Tour in Sweden which also included participation in the conference “Young Voices of the Baltic Sea” hosted by the City of Kalmar (May 2003).

# 04 In Memoriam of Anna Lindh
Uniting Trees at the UNON
100 children from all walks of life brought a handful of soil and some water to The Mother Tree – Children’s Meeting Place at UNON. Our Uniting Water and Soil Ceremony united the children’s concern for life on earth. UNEP Deputy Executive Director Mr. Shafquat Kakakhel and Youth and Sports Program Officer Theodore E. A. Oben joined the ceremony and Mr. Kakakhel brought the united soil and water to the newly planted tree for Anna Lindh. The tree was planted in Memoriam to the Swedish Minister for the Foreign Affairs, who was brutally killed and died the 11th September last year. All the children walked with their Guests of Honour singing the song “Let us Join!”

Uniting the Children’s tree with the new tree in Memoriam of Sw. Min. for Foreign Affairs,
M/s Anna Lindh. In charge of the ceremony was
Dep. Dir. Shafquat Kakakhel, UNON

Mr. Kakakhel presented the united water and soil to the tree of Anna Lindh and he shared his personal meetings with Anna Lindh with the children. –”She was such a special person. She cared for people around and she was an important voice in the world”.

The children loved the ceremony of uniting their tree with the Tree of Anna Lindh and Globetree made a promise to continue the ceremony of uniting important trees of the world.
Go to top

# 05 Children’s Garden
Children's Garden is closely linked to the The Mother Tree – The Children’s Meeting Place. Children’s Garden is a small green area in the slum area of Dagoretti and Kibera in Nairobi. Every time we come to Children’s Garden we see new things and songs, drama, poetry and music (Program 24 November) is used to tell what’s going on. In Children’s Garden you care for the inner and outer environment of the child. All expressions of art and playing are as important as the planting and greening program. In a puppet performance the problems HIV/AIDS was presented in a way even the youngest could understand.

Before leaving, the children took us all on a guided tour of their Garden and we were introduced to a new program of art and handicraft made by woman and young people. See how to support!
Children's Garden - Swedish (pdf).

Inauguations of The Children's Meetings Places

# 06 Inauguration in Mukono, Uganda
The children’s tree in Mukono is an Umbrella Tree next to the City Hall. By tradition the Umbrella Tree is a tree for meetings. It gives a good shelter.

H.W. the Mayor Johnson Muyanja Senyonga asked all councilors to join him for the inauguration ceremony. After the children’s program, the mayor introduced the councilors and told their assignments. The children asked questions and shared what is important. The dialogue was openhearted and focused on finding solutions. The mayor pointed and said: –”There is my office! Come and see me”!
Read more about the dialogue -Swedish

Mayor of Mukono City at the inauguration of the
Children’s Meeting Place, Mukono, Uganda

Ten days later, when we met with Mayor Senyonga in Kisumu, he was all smiling when he told us that MANY children have found their way to his office.

In Mukono we also visited schools, had an excursion in the hills and an evening together - that is unforgettable!
Go to top

# 07 Inauguration in Busia, Uganda
One very old and big Mutuba Tree is the closest neighbor to the City Hall of Busia and that tree is now the Children’s Meeting Place. H.W. the Mayor of Busia Michael Mugeni told us he will make sure the design for the New City Hall will be changed so that the Children’s Tree will be enclosed in the City Hall instead of cut down. The Mutuba Tree is a very special tree in Uganda. In the old times the bark of the Matuba Tree was used for shrouding corpses before burial and a twig of the tree was planted on the grave as a memory of the wisdom of the deceased. From our talking together with the Elders we know there is a lot more to learn about the Matuba Tree…

Children from many schools joined the inauguration ceremony which started around a tree in one of the schools and ended under the Matuba Tree. The Mayor presented the water to the roots and the united soil was laid on a piece of the traditional Matuba bark cloth.

The District Chief and his wife came one evening and we discussed the need for modern communication in Busia. The discussion started in our previous visit to Busia when the Mayor said: “Busia is remote and isolated. We need communication with others! Please help us to get some computers to the schools”! We brought four computers from Sweden and it was like Christmas Eve when we gathered in the City Hall and handed them over.

The Swedish tradition of Sancta Lucia was
presented during the cultural evening
in Busia, Uganda.

The cultural evening became a meeting between Uganda and Sweden. We learnt about old Ugandan traditions and the five girls in the Swedish delegation shared an old Swedish tradition called Sancta Lucia. All light went off and the girls came in singing with candles in their hair and hands. We also visited two schools before leaving Busia.

#08 Inauguration in Kampala, Capital of Uganda

Deputy Mayor of Kampala, Dr. Hasib Kabuye at the
inauguration receives the water and the soil to be
presented to the children’s tree - The Peace tree.

All councilors of the City Council of Kampala were involved to choose the right tree to become The Children’s Meeting Place. Finally the choice was between a huge and very prominent tree in front of the City Hall and the Peace tree. The choice fell on the Peace Tree. It’s a very beautiful tree with three equally strong branches spreading out close to the ground. We spoke of the symbolism. The Deputy Mayor Dr. Hasib Kabuye Takuba said the number three is important as three stones make the foundation of the fireplace where you cook food for the family. The Peace Tree – The Children’s Meeting Place is situated in a protected corner on the grounds of the City Hall of Kampala.
The ceremony started with a meeting at the office of H.W. the Mayor and continued outside the City Hall where most councilors were gathered. The children shared their concern for the future with dance, songs and poems. The schools were represented by their Head Master and teachers.
We were invited to two schools and a cultural evening with music and dances from many tribes of Uganda and visited the Kasubi tombs.

# 09 Inauguration in Mwanza, Tanzania
After a long bus ride through the night we arrived to Mwanza. A remarkable landscape of wonderfully shaped rocks appeared when we came closer to Mwanza. There the Project Leader Mr. Christopher Mafuru welcomed us.

The local name of the Children’s Tree near the Mwanza City Hall is Jakalanda. The tree gives cure for malaria, stomach ache and artists use it for carvings. H.W. The Mayor Leonard Bihondo was held up by international flight connections but his welcome was given to all present. Deputy Mayor Mouladin Mohammed, Mr. Fumbuki and his daughter Mary Makek, Assistant City Cultural Officer received the united soil and water and presented it to the roots of the Children’s Tree. Children and youth from 17 schools sang, danced and drummed their joy.The 2 day program in Mwanza
Go to top

# 10 Inauguration in Kisumu, Kenya
H.W. the Mayor of Kisumu Cllr.C.O. Karan invited children, youth, teachers and others to the Chamber of the City Hall. He repeated his experience of the Prep. Roots Meeting in April 2003:
-”The three days at the Children’s Meeting Place at the United Nations have changed my life! I’m not the same after that! I meet my own children in a different way and I decided to have a department for children and youth affairs”. The Deputy Town Clerk also shared her concern for children and the importance to dialogue, listen and learn.

The preparation of the Children’s Meeting Place around the tree Ficus thoningi.

The Children’s Meeting Place in Kisumu is not only a tree but a whole park called Jamhuri Park. The chosen tree grows on a hill and one can see it has a significant meaning. A bonfire was lit near the tree in the evening before the ceremony. Storytelling, songs and dancing took place as the African evening fell upon us and we were later on invited for dinner. We know for certain story telling will be an important part of the children’s sharing of ideas and their concern for the future. Singing, games, traditional plays and cocking will also be around the Children’s Meeting Place.

The inauguration ceremony took place the day after. President of Globetree together with the Mayor of Busia and Mukono and Deputy Mayor of Homa Bay Cllr Karogo inspected the Guard of Honour on behalf of the mayor of Kisumu.

The children’s tree is a Ficus thoningi and is a goodhabitat for birds as the seeds are so delicious. The seeds are sterile but can be made to germinate after going through the digestive system of the birds. When the birds visit other trees the droppings can land in forks of the tree. The seeds start growing - down to the roots and engulf the tree – strangles the tree to death. A natural process of taking care of old trees. The tree can also grow in cracks of walls and in other difficult conditions signifying the difficult conditions in which the African children grow up.
Program and inauguration in Kisumu (pdf)
Go to top

# 11 Meeting with a Root of Tanzania
Together with Chris Mafuru we were climbing the rocks and entered the Folklore Center at Nyegezi Hills. It is managed by a Sukuma Elder Mr. Fumbuki Lubasa, who invited us to sit on the ground. Sukuma is the largest tribe of Tanzania and we learnt a lot about sukuma traditions. Mr. Fumbuki who is also a dance teacher and tutor at Butima Teacher’s College seemed to swim in an endless ocean of knowledge. – The meeting and dialogue between young and old is crucial for all, he said. Tradition is like wholesome hardwood. Whether we like it or not, it is always there; culture carved out of nature, carried over from the past, placed in the middle of people’s lives. Hundreds of year-rings of learning passed through its roots. Layer on layer of survival embedded in its trunk. Tradition is a log – MAGOGO and the elders are sitting on it BAGOGO.

Sukuma Elder Mr. Fumbuki Lubasa joining the
ceremony at the Children’s Meeting Place
in Mwanza, Tanzania
Read more about Magogo-Babobo

# 12 Seminar & Workshops in Entebbe
The Way forward!
The aim of the seminar was to share visions, ideas and practical work between cities and municipalities of the Lake Victoria and the Baltic Sea region. The result of the seminar is a web of interactions over boundaries of age, professions, nations and cultures. 30 projects are proposed together with wishes of exchange of experiences and learning together.

The Seminar took place in Entebbe as the Mayor of Entebbe invited to the inauguration of a Children’s Meeting Place already in April last year. (See Newsletter August 2003). H.W. Mayor of Entebbe Stephen Kabuye and Secr. Gen. for LVRLAC Dr. Julius Ayo Odongo postponed their travel to an African Mayor’s Meeting in Cameroon to be able to personally give the Opening Speech.

A few hours before the opening of the seminar a senior staff of the City Council died and the H.W. the Mayor and Dr. Julius Odongo were called for a ceremony of the deceased. Deputy Mayor M/s Margret Matembe welcomed all on behalf of the Mayor of Entebbe.

H.W. the Mayor of Mukono and Busia and Deputy Mayor of Kampala set the stage in their Key Note Speeches. The Mayor of Kisumu was represented by the Director of Children and Youth Affairs Mr. Silas Odhiambo and the Director of LVRALAC was represented by Mr. Hillary Dashina.

The six youth of the Lake Victoria Children and Youth Network shared their work and efforts of networking in their cities and their wish to expand the learning together between cities.

The Seminiar program invited all participants from Sweden and many others from the Lake Victoria Region to give their view of The Rights of the Child and Sustainable Development.
The 3 day seminar program

The last day of the seminar Mr. Finn Forsberg, First Secretary of the Swedish Embassy in Uganda, was invited to speak of the commitment of the Swedish Government to support the development in the Lake Victoria Region for the coming 10 years. Mr. Forsberg also took part of the reporting from all the participants.
Go to top

# 13 Reports to the Swedish Embassy
in Nairobi and to Sida
Before leaving for Sweden M/s Kajsa Dahlström, president of Globetree presented the intention of the proposal “Children’s Meeting Place - A Network for Activity Development by Children and Youth in Countries of the Lake Victoria Basin and the Baltic Sea” to Mr. Per Karlsson, Program Officer of Lake Victoria Project, Human Rights/ Democracy at the Swedish Embassy, Nairobi. After the presentation Per Karlsson suggested the same presentation to be done for the Lake Victoria Directorate at Sida, Sweden. The meeting at Sida took place in January.
Before leaving for Sweden M/s Kajsa Dahlström, president of Globetree, presented the proposal “Children’s Meeting Place - A Network for Activity Development by Children and Youth in Countries of the Lake Victoria Basin and the Baltic Sea” to Mr. Per Karlsson, Program Officer of Lake Victoria Project, Human Rights/ Democracy at the Swedish Embassy, Nairobi. After the presentation Per Karlsson suggested to do the same presentation to the Lake Victoria Directorate at Sida, Sweden. The meeting at Sida took place in January.

# 14 International Roots Meeting in Nov. 2004
With the Study Tour and the Seminar in the Lake Victoria Region in Nov/Dec, a good foundation is laid for the International Roots Meeting which will take Place in November 2004 at “The Mother Tree” – The Children’s Meeting Place at the United Nations, Nairobi.
Draft program

The general idea has been discussed at UNEP with Deputy Exec. Dir. Shaquat Kakakhel and Youth and Sports Program Officer Theodore E. A. Oben.

The mayors in the 7 cities in the Lake Victoria Region and 6 cities in the Baltic Sea region have announced they will participate in the International Roots Meeting and share with one another their networking efforts and results.

Persons with special knowledge of “Roots” are invited; Indigenous people from five continents and Elders from the African Continent. The Sukuma Elder of Mwanza, Fumbuki Lubasa will be one of the advisors to the Roots Meeting.
Invited persons
Go to top

The Roots Meeting will also have a Golden Key Ceremony. The six Mayors in the Lake Victoria Region are invited to receive the Golden Key. The Mayors will unite their commitments in a Promise for the Future. (The Mayor of Entebbe already achieved the Golden Key at the Future Vessel Event 2002). Astronaut Loren Acton, Prof. Solar Sciences at Montana State University and Cosmonaut Dumitru Prunariu, Romanian Ambassador to Russia will lead the ceremony by presenting the Golden Key to a child who hands it over to his/her Mayor. You will get updating on the International Roots Meeting in the next Newsletter.

# 15 Christmas at The Mother Tree
“Welcome Secr. Gen. Kofi Annan”
A new tradition at the Children’s Meeting Place - “The Mother Tree”, evolved on the Christmas Day when fifty orphanage children came together and celebrated Christmas. What a day! Children played together, sang, made drama and storytelling. We told them about the International Roots Meeting and the children wished Secr. Gen. Kofi Annan to be their Guest of Honour. Each one of the orphanage children found a place to write and make drawings. A few took place at a table, some used one another’s backs and some climbed their tree where the branches gave good support for the important assignment of making the invitation. Some of the children had never before been using paper and pens but the result was full of fantasy and very beautiful: KOFI ANNAN YOU ARE VERY WELCOME TO THE CHILDREN’S MEETING PLACE!
A new tradition at the Children's Meeting Place - "The Mother Tree", evolved on the Christmas Day when fifty orphanage children came together and celebrated Christmas. What a day! Children played together, sang, made drama and storytelling. We told them about the International Roots Meeting and all children wished to invite the Secr. Gen. Kofi Annan to be their Guest of Honour. Each one of the orphanage children found a place to write and make drawings. A few took place at a table, some used one another's backs and some climbed their tree where the branches gave good support for the important assignment of making the invitation. Some of the children had never before been using paper and pens but the result was full of fantasy and very beautiful: KOFI ANNAN YOU ARE VERY WELCOME TO THE CHILDREN'S MEETING PLACE!

A file with invitation, pictures and drawings made
by the children was sent to Secr. Gen. Kofi Annan.

# 16 Children’s Meeting Place in
Homa Bay - Strängnäs - Kalmar
At the moment three cities plan for their Children’s Meeting Place. The Mayor of Homa Bay, Kenya wishes to have an inauguration by the end of February/March. The city of Strängnäs and Kalmar (Sweden) prepare for inauguration ceremonies in May. They will coordinate their programs and have delegations coming to one another. Strängnäs has established connection to Mukono and there is an official twining between Kalmar and Entebbe. All are working hard to make it possible for the Mayor, children and teachers from Mukono and Entebbe to join the inauguration program. Do you want to know more? Please contact:
Strängnäs: M/s email:Helena Edvinsson
Kalmar: M/s email:Mirja Betzholtz
Go to top

# 17 World Championship in Cooperation
Globetree is now focused on a Global Event called World Championship in Cooperation. The idea was born after the last Olympic.

Why not have a world event with the aim of working together - an event which will bring about new ideas and challenge old structures... The idea of a World Championship in Cooperation has been presented at several small and large meetings and in the exhibition at the Stockholm Water Symposium last year. The response from young and old is the same: It’s a great idea. Genious! What a challenge!

At the Yearly Globeday in October last year a group of children discussed the idea. It was like opening a gate of flowing water! Now we are certain it’s an idea with endless possibilities. Globetree also presented the idea to the City of Stockholm with the leaders of all 6 political parties and received positive response. We are now waiting for a formal response. Let’s Cross our fingers! Let’s hope the idea of a World Championship in Cooperation will get off the ground!

Rocks of Mwanza. Photo by Sam Samuelsson

# 18 Reports on Globetree website
* Framtiden i barnens tankar - Swedish (The future in the thoughts of children) and an Abstract in English (1 page).
M/s Roberta M. Johansson, Stockholm University, Department of Education made an essay for C-level (in Swedish).

* United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Children, UN, New York 8-10 May 2002.
Report presented from the Children’s Ombudsman in Växjö, M/s Ann-Mari Vråmo together with youth representatives.
Report - Swedish

Special thanks to:
* H.W. the Mayor of Kampala, Entebbe, Mukono, Busia, Kisumu and Mwanza for your personal commitment and hosting of the program of Children’s MeetingPlace and Networking in the Lake Victoria Region

* Mr. Finn Forsberg, First Secretary of the Swedish Embassy, Uganda, who joined the last day of the Seminar in Entebbe and took interest in the commitments presented by mayors, members of City Councils, children, youth, teachers and experts.

* Mr. Per Karlsson, the Coordinator of the Lake Victoria Program at the Swedish Embassy in Nairobi who carefully listened to the ideas of networking over boundaries and gave us suggestions for future actions.

* UNEP; Deputy Exec. Dir. Shafquat Kakakhel and Youth & Sports Program Officer Theodore E. A. Oben who take time and interest in the planning of the International Roots Meeting and participation in Our Uniting Water and Soil Ceremony. We thank Mr. Kakakhel for uniting the Children’s Tree with the newly planted tree in Memoriam of Anna Lindh.

* The Royal Institute of Technology, Dept. of Biotechnology Prof. Gunnel Dalhammar for your efforts to involve your department in the Children’s Garden program.

* Mr. Jacky Foo for taking your holiday time to help us prepare for the proposal! Also thank you for the contribution of the pictures to this Newsletter.

* Brandbergsskolan, Haninge for your great effort to finance the program at Children’s Garden.
Go to top