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PRESERVATION PHOTOCOPY
file
AID
U.S. Agency for
International Development
USAID
PHOTOCOPY
PRESERVATION
U.S. Agency for International Development
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20523
VITA
USAID's ENHANCED VITAMIN A EFFORT: SAVING LIVES AROUND THE WORLD
Introduction
Areas of Potential Collaboration
For less than a penny a week per child, the deaths of
The following activities are the basis of the Domestic
as many as one million children under the age of five in
Alliance strategy to achieve VITA's objectives:
developing countries could be averted. The cause of
these deaths and also the leading cause of child blind-
Develop and market vitamin A-fortified foods in
ness, is not a microbe or parasite, but a simple deficien-
developing countries where the need and the market
cy of a vital nutrient, vitamin A. Worldwide, more than
potential exist
250 million young children and many of their mothers
Provide assistance to U.S. companies at international,
are vitamin A deficient, increasing the severity of com-
regional, and country levels to promote policies and
mon illnesses and their risk of death. USAID-supported
programs, overcome barriers, and develop strategies
research confirms that vitamin A is a powerful child
to expand the distribution of fortified foods
survival tool, reducing overall child mortality by 23-34
percent. A more aggressive global approach to vitamin
Enhance the quality and safety of foods produced in
A delivery will extend the child survival impact of
developing countries to meet international standards,
vitamin A.
thereby increasing the number of potential partners
for joint ventures
The VITA Effort
Work with host country governments to establish
Given these findings, USAID has launched VITA, an
sustainable delivery systems, for example, through
enhanced effort to reduce vitamin A deficiency. By
integration of vitamin A delivery into child survival
Child Survival:
coordinating efforts to enhance supplementation and
and maternal health programs
Vitamin A Decreases
food-based approaches, including fortification and
Mortality
nutrition education, vitamin A deficiency can be
Support nutrition education campaigns designed to
virtually eliminated.
benefit all, particularly at-risk populations' consump-
However, USAID
tion of vitamin A-rich foods
cannot accomplish
Collaborate with our alliance partners to identify
this alone. USAID is
Deaths of children under 5 years of age
areas of mutual interest in research and technology
23% reduction in
creating a multi-
childhood deaths
development
sectoral Domestic
Alliance comprised
Benefits to the Domestic Alliance
Before
of the private sector,
VITA
non-governmental
Better collaboration with in-country food industries,
After
organizations (NGOs),
multinationals and USAID missions to establish
VITA
private-voluntary
appropriate fortification programs and/or nutrition
organizations (PVOs),
education/vitamin A marketing campaigns to improve
and civic organiza-
public nutrition and potentially increase the market
tions. Their combined
demand for vitamin A-fortified foods
efforts and expertise will help to reduce child mortality
Increased capacity of host countries to: establish
by up to 30 percent over the next five years by improv-
quality assurance and control of vitamin A products;
ing vitamin A sufficiency in young children and their
monitor vitamin A status; and establish mechanisms
mothers. The VITA Domestic Alliance will create a
for product promotion and distribution
leadership role for our domestic partners to shape the
global agenda and to position the U.S. at the vanguard
Appropriate food laws, regulations, and policies
of the international VITA effort.
developed and adopted to facilitate the marketing
and distribution of vitamin A products
VITA Strategies
USAID assistance in consumer education and market-
VITA will use multiple strategies to fight vitamin A
ing to increase demand for vitamin A products
deficiency by:
Collaboration with USAID on market research and
Providing vitamin A supplements to young children
identification of emerging market opportunities in
and mothers, particularly in Asia and Africa
developing countries
Increasing the regular consumption of vitamin A-rich
foods through dietary diversification
USAID
Fortifying commonly eaten foods such as sugar, flour,
and cooking oil with vitamin A
January 1998
LESSONS WITHOUT BORDERS:
Local Problems, Global Solutions
OPERATION DAY'S WORK - USA
We sow the seeds of our future in the minds of the world's children.
Introduction
Individuals and organizations concerned about the need to continue America's
leadership role in the world understand that domestic and global issues are interrelated. All
nations, whether developing or industrialized, are inextricably interconnected by trade,
travel, telephone and Internet.
If America is to maintain its leadership role in world affairs, it must continue to reach
out and share its abundant energy, talent, and resources--and to show concern for those most
in need of help. A twentieth century historical benchmark which exemplified this approach
was the Marshall Plan. Now it is important to restate the U.S. leadership role in building a
stronger global community among the upcoming generation of young Americans.
Borrowing from Norway, Denmark and Sweden, the three most generous and engaged
nations when it comes to global involvement, the U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID) and a number of public and private partners are working to replicate a development
education program designed to help young people recognize the importance of their role in
the international community.
Operation Day's Work - Norway
Norway, like Sweden and Denmark, makes one of the world's highest per capita
contributions to developing countries. Awareness about foreign assistance begins with a
school-based program entitled "Operation Day's Work" an annual fundraising effort
organized by high school students to earn money for less fortunate counterparts in developing
nations. This program began in Norway 34 years ago and now more than 900 high schools
and 220,000 students participate each year. Annually, Norwegian schools have
"International Week," in which students learn about a preselected developing country.
Norway's students not only raise government-matched millions, but also become fully
immersed in all aspects of the country they have chosen, incorporating the study of that
country into the school curriculum. The program raises student awareness about global
economic issues, the importance of preventing wars, the impact of disease on populations and
the necessity of democracy building. It also underscores the notion that we sow the seeds of
our future in the mind's of the world's children.
It is important to impart this same spirit to American youth.
U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
320 TWENTY-FIRST STREET, N.W.
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20523
Who
In addition to USAID and the Government of Norway, the following organizations
are interested in helping to bring Operation Day's Work to the U.S. All interested
individuals and organizations are invited to join this effort.
Adventist Development Relief Agency (ADRA)
American Field Service (AFS)
America's Promise
American Refugee Committee
Close-up Foundation
Creative Associates, Washington, D.C.
The Humphrey Institute, Minneapolis, MN
Interaction
Inter-American Development Bank
International Youth Foundation
National Peace Corps Association
Partners of the Americas
Quest International
Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
Talk Radio News Service
Washington State Peace Corps Association
World Concern
World Learning, Brattleboro, Vermont
World Vision, Washington, D.C. and Seattle
When
The program will be announced in February in Washington D.C. Planning with local
communities for first year activities will begin immediately.
Where
Several communities, including Minneapolis, MN; Thetford, VT; Seattle, WA and
Washington, D.C., are interested in being first year pilot communities. Preliminary
discussions are underway in each of these communities with several other communities
expressing similar interest in the program.
1998-1999 Tentative Agenda
February 1998
Program launch
February - April 1998
Pilot Planning Underway
April 1998
Students from Pilot Schools visit ADRA Global Village on
Washington Mall
October 1998
U.S. Students visit Norway to observe Norwegian program
November 1998
U.S. Students hold election to determine first year target country
Norwegian students to visit and help with election
April 1999
First ODW Work Day
Operation Day's Work - USA
Under the auspices of Lessons Without Borders, USAID and several other
organizations are working with the Norwegian government to adapt Operation Day's Work
here in the United States.
USAID works with many domestic and international partners to improve the health
and education of the world's poor, help stem population growth, promote democracy and
protect the environment, stimulate local economic growth and food production, and respond
to emergency situations. USAID's Legislative and Public Affairs Bureau is engaged in a
variety of activities to help the American public better understand the issues facing people in
developing countries, and also understand how helping people abroad brings direct and
indirect benefits to us here at home.
In this context, USAID has formed a working group with a number of private sector
organizations and individuals to bring to the U.S. an adaptation of the Norwegian program
that has been so inspirational to generations of Norwegians.
While the initial effort is being spearheaded by USAID and its partners, it ultimately
will be implemented by the schools and students themselves, working with local officials,
NGOs and the private sector. A number of practical concerns about how the program will
actually operate have yet to be decided but it is intended that many details will be determined
at the local level with input from the national umbrella organization. Local participation is
essential in shaping the program to fit the local situation.
There will no doubt be modifications to the Norwegian model in the way the program
is implemented--we will most likely seek private funds as opposed to government funds to
match students contributions, and the way in which students raise funds may be different as
well.
How
The program will be piloted in several pilot schools in the first year and expanded to
other communities in the future. The goal is to have Operation Day's Work - USA become
a nationwide, annual event by the year 2003, with each program being designed and
implemented at the local level.
Year one will be dedicated to establishing a non-partisan, multi-sectoral umbrella
organization comprised of public and private sector agencies, teachers, students, parents and
the business community, committed to planning and developing a model that can be
replicated nationwide. The goal is to enable programs to be developed at and by the local
community and run by the students so as to be most useful and consistent with the needs of
the community. A national umbrella organization will articulate several common threads to
which local programs must adhere, including but not limited to, same day observation,
compliance with community service requirements and selection of one developing country
project from nominations provide by national umbrella organization, to name a few.
Who
In addition to USAID and the Government of Norway, the following organizations
are interested in helping to bring Operation Day's Work to the U.S. All interested
individuals and organizations are invited to join this effort.
Adventist Development Relief Agency (ADRA)
American Field Service (AFS)
America's Promise
American Refugee Committee
Close-up Foundation
Creative Associates, Washington, D.C.
The Humphrey Institute, Minneapolis, MN
Interaction
Inter-American Development Bank
International Youth Foundation
National Peace Corps Association
Partners of the Americas
Quest International
Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
Talk Radio News Service
Washington State Peace Corps Association
World Concern
World Learning, Brattleboro, Vermont
World Vision, Washington, D.C. and Seattle
When
The program will be announced in February in Washington D.C. Planning with local
communities for first year activities will begin immediately.
Where
Schools will be identified in Grand Forks, ND; Minneapolis, MN; Vermont; and
Washington, D.C., to serve as first year pilot locations. Preliminary discussions are
underway in each of these communities with several other communities expressing similar
interest in the program.
1998-1999 Tentative Agenda
February 1998
Program launch
February - April 1998
Pilot Planning Underway
April 1998
Students from Pilot Schools visit ADRA Global Village on
Washington Mall
October 1998
U.S. Students visit Norway to observe Norwegian program
November 1998
U.S. Students hold election to determine first year target country
Norwegian students to visit and help with election
April 1999
First ODW Work Day
OPERATION DAY'S WORK
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Operation Day's Work, which began in Norway in 1964, has its origins in the
"Give a Day" campaign organized by students in Sweden two years earlier.
Norwegian students, realizing that 1.3 billion people world-wide live in poverty,
wanted to take action. The Norwegian School Student Union took the initiative,
arguing that in Norway everyone is entitled to nine years of free schooling which
prepares them for good jobs, while the majority of youth in the world have little
or no education. They decided to do something. They convinced their schools
to suspend one day of classes each year to allow them to work that day to
earn money for their less fortunate counterparts around the world.
Students also organized a week preceding their work day called "International
Week," devoted to studying all aspects of their project country. In the first year
of Operation Day's Work, thirty five thousand Norwegian students participated
in the program. They worked in factories and offices, washed cars and
windows, sold cakes and cookies, and raised $15,000 for educational programs
in Algeria.
The program has grown by leaps and bounds. In the last three decades,
Operation Day's Work has supported projects in 35 different countries in Africa,
Asia, and Latin America. In 1996 a quarter of a million Norwegian students
participating in Operation Day's Work raised over $3 million which was matched
by government funds, doubling the amount to a total $6 million. Over the
years, Norwegian students assisted in the construction of hospitals and
schools, and donated millions of dollars in textbooks to needy children around
the world.
The money raised is matched by the Norwegian government and is donated to
selected developing countries for educational purposes.
Operation Day's Work is a contributing factor to Norway being the World's
second highest capita contributor to aiding developing countries.
Foreign Assistance as a Percentage of
Donor GNP - 1996
Norway
0.85%
Denmark
1.04%
Netherlands
0.81%
Sweden
0.84%
France
0.48%
Austria
0.24%
Germany
0.33%
U.K.
0.27%
Japan
0.20%
New Zealand
0.21%
United States
0.12%
0.0%
0.2%
0.4%
0.6%
0.8%
1.0%
OECD/DAC Development Co-operation Report 1997
FEB. 13. 1998 5:19PM
MPLS MAYOR'S OFFICE
NO. 0878 P. 2
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
350 South 5th Street - Room 331
Minneapolis MN 55415-1393
Office (612) 673-2100
Fax
673-2305
TDD
673-2157
minneapolis
city of lakes
Sharon Sayles Belton
Mayor
February 12, 1998
J. Brian Atwood, Administrator
U.S. Agency for International Development
Dear Mr. Atwood:
Thank you very much for the briefings provided by your staff on Operation Day's Work.
Such a program, implemented on a broad scale, would surely enhance public understanding
of the need for connections with the world beyond our shores.
We would be very pleased to see Minneapolis serve as a pilot location for Operation Day's
Work-USA. Our schools already have a number of international programs in place. The
City's Youth Coordinating Board has the capacity to facilitate connections with all the
agencies and institutions which serve youth. We believe we can provide the infrastructure
that will make a success of a pilot program in Minneapolis.
We thank you for including Minneapolis in the list of cities which may host a pilot program
for Operation Day's Work-USA.
Sincerely,
Sharon Sayles Belton
MAYOR
SSB:KRF
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER
Recyclod priprir 30% poet consumer waste
American Refugee Committee
WORLDWIDE
World Headquarters
2344 Nicoliet Avenue s State 350
February 11, 1998
Minneapolis, MN 55404-3305 USA
Tel:(612) 872-7050
Curt Reintsma
Fac (612) 8724309
E-mail: [email protected]
USAID
www.archq.org
Operation Day's Work-USA
President and
Chief Executive Officer
Dear Curt Reintsma,
Anthony 1 Kaziowski
I write to you today in support of and to endorse the Operation Day's
Board Officers
Work program. We at the American Refugee Committee feel this
Joseph P. Sulvan. Cher
program is not only important but also necessary.
Thomas S. Durant M.D., Vice Chair
Bud Frankel, Vica Cheir
Sung Won Sonn. Ph.D. Treasurer
Today's youth have much to learn about the world, but they also have
Nancy Roberts, Secretary
much to give. This program would allow thousands of young people
Michael T. McCormick, Assistant
Secretary and General Counsel
to-bccome involved with the world around them and to learn, at a
Barbara Forster. Recent Part Chaw
young age, the world is indeed their home.
Founder and
Honorary Chair
Perhaps it is the younger generation that understands how
Neal Ball
interconnected we all are today. It is time we let them take a lead.
Directors
Kind Regards,
Louis E. Braile, M.D.
Sonia Caims
Rashid A Chaudary
Jules Jules Hersman Hersman
Herizn Cleveland
Communications Director
W.D. Conicy
Rabli Yechiel 2 Eacton
Gary L Filerman, Ph.D.
Melvin M. Goldfain
Anna E. Goldtex. M.D.
Michael Howlett
Kamran Khan
Susan J. Klaseus
F Gon. (Red.) James F. McCall
Sleven Miles. MD.
Holly Myers
Glen J. Skovhoit
James Small
in
Mary Tyocvoid
Carol D. Winclow
Program Offices
Cambodia
Croatia
Guinea
Rwanda
Somala
Sudan
Thaird
NATIONAL PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION
February 11, 1998
The Honorable Brian Atwood
USAID
Washington, DC
VIA Fax: 202/216-3237
Dear Mr. Atwood:
I want to express the full support of the National Peace Corps Association for the
Operation Day's Work USA program. We have been involved with the early planning for
the program, and we are enthusiastic about its potential.
As you know, the third goal of the Peace Corps is to "bring the world back home" and to
help Americans better understand global interdependence. Therefore, our network of
returned Peace Corps volunteers is already involved in similar activities throughout the
country. I am quite sure many of our members would participate actively in the
Operation Day's Work program if it is implemented.
Please let us know what we can do to be supportive.
Sincerely,
Charles F. Dambach
President
1900 L Street, N.W., Suite 205
Washington, DC 20036
Phone 202-293-RPCV (7728)
Fax: 202-293-7554
www.rDcv.org
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
Twin Cities Campus
The Humphrey Forum
Humphrey Center
Hubert H. Humphrey
301-19th Avenue South
Institute of Public Affairs
Minneapolis, MN 55455
612-624-5799
Fax: 612-625-3513
February 13, 1998
J. Brian Atwood
Operation Day's Work
United States Agency for International Development
Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue
Room 6.10
Washington, D.C. 20523
Dear Mr. Atwood:
When Francis Howard called last month to tell me about Operation Day's Work she was
convinced the project would fit right into our program at the Humphrey Forum. Since then,
I've had a chance to talk with members of your staff and to read about Day's Work in the
material they sent to us. Francis was right; Operation Day's Work represents the ideas we
consider essential to our mission at the Humphrey Forum. I'm looking forward to working
with you to bring the project to Minneapolis.
The Humphrey Forum is a museum and center of citizen education at the University of
Minnesota's Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. We frequently work with
Minneapolis teachers and students on issues of government and politics. We are especially
eager to get together with the Youth Coordinating Board and the mayor's office to plan for
a Day's Work in Minnesota.
The elements of community service and international relationships make the project
immediately attractive to teachers. The way in which it connects our new citizens and recent
immigrants with our Norwegian traditions makes the cultural impact of Day's Work
especially compelling for Minnesotans. Finally, the project's support of educational
initiatives in developing communities complements the work of many of our colleagues
here at the Humphrey Institute.
I have spoken with Minneapolis School Board president Bill Green about Day's Work. We
both expect other members of the Board, the district's administration, teachers and
community members will endorse and support the effort. The course of study, the personal
relationships, and the international understanding that can result from participation in the
project will be particularly beneficial.
Thanks very much for including us in your discussion and plans. We're looking forward to
contributing to a Day's Work in the spring of 1999.
Cordially,
surn
Steve Sandell
Director, The Humphrey Forum
FEB-13-1998 16:17 FROM TALK RADIO NEWS
TO
2163036 P.02
The Talk Radio.
News Service™
2514 Mill Road NW
Washington, DC 20007
Brian Atwood
Administrator
The Agency for International Development
Washington D.C. 20523
February 13, 1998
Dear Brian,
When we were broadcasting in Norway, we learned about "Operation Days Work," and we were
determined to bring it to the United States. Listeners often express a lack of understanding of
the need to support our global neighbors. We believe that learning about "Operation Days Work"
and the national commitment and support that Norwegians give their global neighbors will help
Americans make that connection.
Talk Radio News Service believes in this project, and we will do anything we can to make sure it
is a success. Hopefully, we can help launch "Operation Days Work" by helping with publicity,
donations of our time, and engaging the participants of other radio hosts and stations. We look
forward to working with you on this project.
Sincerely,
Ellen Ratner,
President
Kandy Strand
Kandy Stroud,
Vice President
Tel: (202) 337-5322, 337-8715
Fax: (202) 337-1174
Email: [email protected]
www.talkradionews.com
ADRA'S
Media Relations
0
ADRA'S GLOBAL VILLAGE
Washington, D.C.
H
NEWS RELEASE
GLOBAL
VILLAGE
RELEASE DATE: November 19, 1997
CONTACT: Norma J. Sahlin
301-680-6744 (voice)
301-680-5125 (fax)
202-214-2469 (pager)
ADRA's Global Village Comes to Washington, D.C., April 1998
WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 19, 1997) -- ADRA's Global
Village opens on the U.S. Capitol Mall in Washington, D.C., April 16,
1998. This traveling exhibit features life-size living habitats so that
children can learn about other cultures.
"We are looking forward to sharing ADRA's Global Village with
children in the nation's capital in April," says Ralph S. Watts, Jr.,
President, Adventist Development and Relief Agency International
(ADRA).
12501 Old Columbia Pike
ADRA and the World Bank co-sponsor the village as a way to
expand children's world views. ADRA's Global Village fosters an
understanding of universal human needs, equality, interdependence,
and the importance of cultural differences. The goal is to help children
learn how to make a difference in a world shared with many peoples.
John Donaldson, U.S. Coordinator for External Affairs at the
Silver Spring, MD 20904
World Bank, explains the impact of the village. "Those of us who have
had the chance to get to know other cultures have often wished that our
friends and neighbors, and especially our children, could share these
experiences. While we cannot transport everyone into these
international cultures, ADRA's Global Village provides a powerful
means to bring that experience to them."
" (301) 680-6380
The village contains 10 life-size habitats from around the world,
including a southeast Asian stilt house, African Masai kraal, and Latin
American choza. At learning stations, visitors discover the importance
of clean water, beasts of burden, bridges, and marketplaces. They grind
corn and rice and then participate in an information exchange with the
Fax: (301) 680-6370
ADRA'S
world via Internet and satellite. After the tour, each child helps pack a
0
box of supplies that will be sent to people in need.
"At the Pack-A-Box station, we talk with students about what
they've learned and encourage them to think about how to help
others," comments Casey Bahr, director of development education at
ADRA International.
Based on past attendance, it is estimated that 50,000 children will
GLOBAL
visit ADRA's Global Village as part of scheduled school tours. Because
VILLAGE
of the location on the Mall near the Smithsonian Castle, an additional
100,000 people are expected to tour the village each weekend during
the 21-day event.
"In order to handle these crowds efficiently, we will need about
2,500 volunteers," predicts Ted Wick, director, Office of Volunteers at
ADRA International. "Volunteers at past locations were very
enthusiastic about this project because the children and other visitors
responded so openly."
For more details about how to volunteer for ADRA's Global
Village, call the Office of Volunteers at ADRA International at 301-680-
6738 or 301-680-5122. To schedule a school group tour, contact Carla
Battle at 301-680-6382.
--The End--
12501 Old Columbia Pike
Silver Spring, MD 20904
TT (301) 680-6380
Fax: (301) 680-6370
USAID
U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
PRESS RELEASE
WASHINGTON, DC 20523
PRESS OFFICE
http://www.info.usaid.gov
(202) 712-4320
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Josh Block or Barbara Semedo
Tuesday, February 17, 1998
OPERATION DAY'S WORK -USA
USAID TO ISSUE YOUTH CHALLENGE
Washington, D.C. -- The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) today launched an
exciting new program designed to reach American children where they live and learn, and engage them in
community service and international affairs.
The pilot program, Operation Days Work USA, is based on a Norwegian model. For over 30 years,
young people in Norway's secondary schools have devoted one day in each school year working in their
communities to earn money that is donated to educational projects in the developing world. Operation Day's
Work is a highly successful program that has created a culture of global awareness and generosity among
generations of Norwegians.
"We all remember someone or something from our youth that had a significant impact on how we as
adults see the world and our place in it," USAID Administrator Atwood said. "It is my hope that students
involved in Operation Day's Work will better understand the world and the necessity of working together to make
a difference."
"This is a groundbreaking program for USAID," said Senator Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT). "Operation Day's
Work USA will help Vermont students understand how the world works and how they can work in it. This is great
for Vermont and the other pilot states and great for our children's future."
Rick Little, president of the International Youth Foundation, speaking to the importance of increasing
global awareness and promoting a strong service ethic among youth, said, "Operation Day's Work USA offers a
great example of how effective programs operating in different parts of the world can be shared and adapted to
reach ever increasing numbers of youth."
The first year of the USA program will be devoted to helping the pilot schools plan their own programs by
adapting elements of the Norwegian model. The goal is to have Operation Day's Work USA become a nationwide
annual event by the year 2003 with each program designed and implemented at the local level. The sites selected
to participate in the pilot program are: Vermont, Minnesota, Washington, North Dakota and Washington D.C.
"In Norway, teaching about foreign assistance and appreciation of the importance of foreign affairs begins
at the junior high school level, with this program," explained Norwegian Ambassador to the United States Tom
Vraalsen. "Students come away from this program understanding the world better and feeling more like a part of
both the world community, and their own community at home."
Programs similar to the one in Norway are also in operation in Sweden and Denmark. All three
Scandinavian nations are ranked as the leaders in foreign assistance to the developing world. The campaign in
Norway, run by students for students, raises over $3 million per year.
30 : :
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.
©
1998 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
VOL. CCXXXI NO. 77 EE/WO
TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 1998
INTERNET ADDRESS: http://wsj.com
Work Week
A Special News Report About Life
On the Job - and Trends
Taking Shape There
AMERICAN STUDENTS prepare to
break a sweat for others.
At five public schools in five U.S. cities
next year, students will spend a day working
to support humanitarian projects in develop-
ing nations. As participants in "Operation
Day's Work," sponsored by the U.S. Agency
for International Development, 120 eighth-
graders at Macfarland Middle School in
Washington plan to do community-service
work. Casey Wilson, an 11th grader at
Thetford Academy, Thetford, Vt., says she
would like to work outside that day, maybe
as a landscaper.
Under the USAID plan, modeled after a
30-year-old Norwegian program, students
donate the money they earn from private
employers or sponsors to a foreign project.
"This is a chance to educate American kids"
about global issues, a USAID spokesman
says. Miss Wilson, who heard of the pro-
gram three weeks ago, says it "sounded like
a cool idea."
PRESS ADVISORY
U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
WASHINGTON, DC 20523
THE USAID PRESS OFFICE
http://www.info.usaid.gov
(202) 712-4320
#98- 15
Contact: Josh Block
April 17, 1998
(202) 712-4320, Pager 1-888-721-1238
Operation Day's Work Students & Teachers
to Visit Global Village:
Youth to Tour Developing World as Kick-off of Pilot National Program
During this unique, important learning activity, 120 MacFarland seventh-graders (next year's 8th graders),
along with Operation Day's Work students and teachers from Grand Forks, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Vermont,
will tour ten life-size habitats from around the world, including a southeast Asian stilt house, African Masai
Kraal, and Latin American choza. The students will also pack care packages for refugees in need, and hear
from international development experts from the United States and Norway, including DC Schools
Superintendent General Julius Becton, a former director of USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance.
In Operation Day's Work, students choose a developing country, which they study using curricula researched
and designed by student leaders; perform community service to raise funds; and they contribute these funds to a
development project which they select themselves.
Operation Day's Work has been an annual event in Scandinavia for decades, and has increased social studies
competencies in that country's youth, and is credited by adult Norwegians as having profoundly affected their
understanding of global linkages and the importance of development cooperation. The students' visit to the
Global Village will also initiate their involvement in Operation Day's Work (ODW-USA).
This is a good opportunity to tell the story of Operation Day's Work from the perspective kids who
will be "seeing the world through their own eyes," and illustrate how exposure to other peoples' way
of life and problems can profoundly change American students' view of the world and their role in it.
WHO: Operation Day's Work Participants - Teachers.and Students from MacFarland Middle School in
D.C.(entire 7th grade, and other pilot sites; Grand Forks, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Vermont.
USAID Deputy Administrator Harriet Babbitt
Norwegian Development Minister & Norwegian Ambassador to U.S.
Julius Becton, Superintendent D.C., Public Schools
WHAT: Students and teachers from Operation Day's Work pilot sites will tour the "Global Village," to see
with their own eyes how people live in developing countries. This will kick-off their involvement with
Operation Day's Work, a new national service-learning program sponsored by USAID, the
Norwegian Government and others, designed to engage American students in foreign affairs
WHERE: THE MALL - meet at GLOBAL VILLAGE HABITAT REGISTRATION TENT
(across from Castle, near Carousel)
WHEN:FRIDAY, APRIL 17th - 2:45PM
###
Operation Day's Work -- Global Village Participants
Grand Forks
Teacher:
Chris Douthit, Schroeder Middle School
Working to develop program for Grand Forks Schools
Milwaukee
Teachers:
Jacqueline and Paul Muirhead
H:414/221-9617
Jacqueline Muirhead
teaches at Pius XI - Catholic High School (private)
Paul Bernard (Pablo) Muirhead
teaches at Shorewood Intermediate School (public 7th & 8th grade)
Shorewood Students:
Adam Ewing Clay, 14
Jordan Elizabeth Kroabic, 12
Pius XI Student:
Erin Beth Merkl, 16
Minneapolis
Teachers/Humphry forum staff helping plan program for Minneapolis
schools. After participating in Global Village, will return to
make it a reality in Minneapolis in collaboration with teachers
school officials.
Ann Kjelsberg
w:612/624-5799
Claire Miller
w:612/624-0849
Vermont
The Thetford Academy
Teachers:
Byron Hathorn, Jr.
802/333-9176
Robin Pettingell
802/333-9882
Students:
Jordan Cole (male), 11th grade
Casey Wilson (female), 11th grade
Lily Hathorn, (female) 11th grade
Washington D.C.
MacFarland Middle School - Entire eighth grade
(this year's seventh graders)
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS
OPERATION DAY'S WORK USA
A national program based on a Norwegian model and launched in the United
States by the U.S. Agency for International Development and several other public
and private partner organizations
Goals of the program are to teach young Americans about foreign assistance and to
help them recognize the importance of their role in the international community.
The program will be piloted in Grand Forks, ND; Minneapolis, MN; Vermont
and Washington, DC., and expanded to other communities in the future.
The ultimate goal of the national umbrella organization is to have the program
become a nationwide, annual event by the year 2003.
Common elements nationwide:
1. Date of service/work day
2. Selection of country and development project by participating students (through
a voting process); nominations to be provided by the national umbrella
organization.
3. Core curriculum on the selected country and development project, to be provided
by the national umbrella organization
4. One local liaison to the national organization
Implementation Plan for the District of Columbia Public Schools(as of 3/17/98)
Suggested Schedule for Pilot
March 31, 1998
Complete Program: selection of the pilot school (conopleted) Middle
April 17, 1998
Students from DCPS pilot school visit ADRA Global
School Chosen sthgrate
3:00 - 5:00 P.M.
Village on the Federal Mall
October, 1998
DCPS student (and possibly a teacher) from pilot school
visit Norway to observe Norwegian program
November, 1998
DCPS students at pilot school hold election to determine
target country/humanitarian project
Feb. or March,
First ODW Day
Target Population for Participation:
All sections of Grade 7 or 8 in one middle or junior high school selected* with the
advice and support of the Assistant Superintendent for Middle/Junior High Schools
and concurrence of the school principal. Preference is for grade 8, which is more
grade-appropriate for the program. Grade 7 is more curriculum-appropriate.
Local Program Design:
DCPS students will engage in service learning activities on the designated day of
"work." This means that the service will relate to their studies. The Corporate and
Community Relations Office will identify sponsors who will make donations to the
pre-selected development project, on behalf of the participating students. The DCPS
Community Service Director will have high school students who are members of
her Service Learning Youth Council to assist with the implementation of the
program.
For additional information, contact: Janie McCullough or Patricia Tucker
202-724-4235
04/16/98
13:46
202 727 6314
DCPS INTERNAT EX
0
002
DISTRICT
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER
OF
Corporate, and Community Relations
COLUMBIA
415 12th Street, N.W., Suite 904
PUBLIC
Washington, DC 20004-1994
SCHOOLS
(202) 724-4235 Fax: (202) 727-6314
February 13, 1998
Mr. J. Brian Atwood, Administrator
U.S. Agency for International Development
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20523
Dear Mr. Atwood:
I am writing to express the support of D.C. Public Schools in the effort to bring
Operation Day's Work to the United States and specifically to the District of
Columbia.
This represents a great opportunity to serve District of Columbia students by
increasing their exposure not only to the broader global community but to students
in other parts of the country also involved in this first year effort. We look forward
to working with USAID, the planning group and the other pilot communities in
exploring a program that will enhance the academic achievement of our students.
Sincerely,
Jame Mc Cullough
Janie McCullough, Director
Corporate and Community Relations
JM:plt
Copyright 1998 Gannett Company, Inc.
Gannett News Service
February 16, 1998, Monday, FINAL EDITION
SECTION: Pg. ARC
LENGTH: 639 words
HEADLINE: Pilot program to encourage U.S. students to think about developing
nations
BYLINE: JON FRANDSEN; Gannett News Service
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
BODY:
WASHINGTON Hoping to do for foreign affairs what Earth Day
did for the environment, the United States is working with Norway
and nonprofit groups to create a national program that would have
students raise money for a developing country that they study
in depth.
The U.S. Agency for International Development and the ambassador
of Norway will announce Tuesday the pilot project for " Operation
Day's Work -USA" Tuesday.
Three or four schools, and/or school systems, will be picked for
the first U.S. Day's Work next April. Under consideration are
Thetford Academy in Thetford, Vt., and school systems in Minneapolis,
Seattle, Washington, D.C., and Grand Forks, N.D., said AID's Karen
Anderson.
Supporters hope that the program will help to broaden the interests
and education of American students, who generally demonstrate
little academic understanding or interest in other countries and
cultures.
"It is important that future generations understand the importance
of U.S. leadership in the global community and that what happens
in other countries has such an impact on what happens here,"
Anderson said.
The U.S. program will be modeled after Norway's 32-year-old Day's
Work program. Each year, Norwegian students vote to select a project
in one developing country.
Last year, for example, students across Norway chose to study
Indians living in the Amazon jungles of Brazil. They learned about
the various cultures, the vanishing rain forest, and arranged
visits by Indians to Norwegian schools to discuss their way of
life, said Kare Dag Mangersnes, a past president of Day's Work
who will take part in the announcement of the pilot project, which
Norway is helping to start with a grant of about $ 20,000.
Students agree on a specific education-related project and spend
a day doing errands, working for businesses, selling baked goods
or otherwise raising money. In 1997, Mangersnes said, the project
raised $ 3 million to help create textbooks written in the language
of the Brazilian Indians, train teachers and build schools in
the Amazon.
Mangersnes said he believed Americans would embrace the program
enthusiastically because "they are part of the same world that
I am. And they are part of the same world as my Brazilian and
South African friends. I am a privileged man. Most Americans
are privileged as well. But many other young people are denied
the rights that we have.
"It's a big world, but then, it's not. When you meet people
they have exactly the same dreams as I have. This gives me a chance
to do something to help them to get the same chance to do something
for their own," he said.
Anderson added, "I envision this being similar to Earth Day.
Just as every year on the same day schools hold Earth Day events,
we will hold (Day's Work). They all will have the same theme,
but every program is different and is developed by the community
and its students."
Many details remain to be worked out, and some potential participants
find the prospect of having the program in place for the first
U.S. Day's Work next April daunting.
"I hope we will go ahead and take a piece that we can really
handle and do it well, even if it is not as much as we would like
to do," said Martha Rich, head of the Thetford Academy.
AID is working closely with International Youth Foundation in
Baltimore, Md., to set up a steering committee that will both
raise money to help get the pilot programs established, and to
expand the program.
Norwegian students will work closely with the Americans, and U.S.
students involved in Day's Work will visit Norway next October
to see the program in action.
American schools will vote in November to decide which country
they will study and help the following year.
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
LOAD-DATE: February 17, 1998
Feb 18 02:47 - APEDUC - Operation Day's Work - High school students to take part
on global awareness project
Copyright 1998. Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
By HARRY DUNPHY
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) Pick a developing country. Learn all about it, then take a day off school and earn
money to help an educational project in that nation.
Under a pilot program announced Tuesday, that's what high school students in five cities from Seattle to
Thetford, Vt., will do starting this fall. The lead sponsor, the U.S. Agency for International Development,
hopes to turn the project into a nationwide annual event in five years.
Operation Day's Work-USA is based on a model in use in Norway for 34 years to encourage global
awareness and generosity among its youth. Norway raises more than $3 million a year from the project and
is contributing $20,000 in seed money to get the United States started.
``I hope this program will help kick-start young people out of self-absorption, to get involved," said
USAID Administrator J. Brian Atwood. "It's not going to be easy to start. But there's an opportunity to
learn about the world and help other communities."
He said he hoped the program would help students understand foreign aid as Earth Day has increased
awareness of environmental issues.
Kare Dag Mangersnes, a student who runs the project in Norway, recommended that students control the
project at all levels as happens in his country. There are similar programs in Denmark and Sweden.
"This will probably lead to failures along the way but also will be crucial to this project's success,"
Mangersnes said. ``It is very much about learning by doing."
Other cities where there will be pilot projects are Grand Forks, N.D., Minneapolis and Washington, D.C.,
said Karen Anderson, USAID's director of public liaison. She said students would choose and research a
country for a week in October and then do the day's work to raise money in April 1999.
(CAT:Education;)
AP-NY-02-18-98 0252EST
Received Id 514136045 on Feb 18 1998 02:59