Bulletin 1 / 2005
February

IKO PORAN,

- Good News!
Due to our consistent work and the great support of our partners, in January and February of 2005 we have increased our activities by a total of one hundred and fifty percent. This is more than we managed to achieve in the whole year of 2004. We will grow more than 1,000% within this year, remembering that our high season is from June to August when it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere;

- Showing that our efforts to build a fair and equal society are heading in the right direction, Iko Poran's General Coordinator was interviewed by United Nations Radio in December of 2004. You can listen to the interview (in Portuguese) through the following link:
http://www.ikoporan.org/media/iko-4.wma

- Iko Poran was recently highlighted on a news and current affairs TV program called "Edição Nacional" (National Edition) on the Educative TV Channel. The program included an interview with Iko Poran's General Coordinator, and the following international volunteers; Liz Kennedy, from Ireland, Annouck Gevaert, from Netherlands, and Nathalie Velki, from the United States;

- We recently established an incredible partnership with Mr. Gwenael Allan, from "Solar de Santa" and we now have an amazing house in the Santa Teresa neighborhood with breathtaking views of Rio de Janeiro, a huge jungle garden, cable TV, computers (wireless fast Internet 24x7), a fully equipped kitchen and laundry, a veranda with hammocks, terrace with sauna, Jacuzzi & barbecue place, and many other facilities! In the first month we have full occupancy and received the following volunteers:

Liz Kennedy , from Ireland;
Mihaela Victoria, from Romania;
Jonatham Curiel, from France;
Billie Soo, Shea Farrel, Erick Ormsby and Matthew Thorne, from the United States;
Najin Kim, from Korea
Niels Koldewijn, from Netherlands;
Tanya Lewis and Joana Lesurf, from Canada;
Angus Kerr, Dipak Natali and Dimple Natali, from the United Kingdom;
Barbara Loeshing, from Austria;
Ragnheidur Sturludottir, from Iceland;
Henriette Larsen and Camilla Joahansen, from Norway;

- Having established the house in Santa Teresa, we have been able to format a variety of new programs involving integrated local development projects with the organisations; Dança para Galera (dance and IT training), SAMP - Society of Friends of the Morro dos Prazeres (recreation, painting, English classes, medical assistance and health promotion) and O Nosso Papel (craftwork and recycling);

- This year we have put in to place a new organizational structure that now also includes on our Advisory Board Mr. José Junior - Executive Coordinator of the Grupo Cultural Afro Reggae, Ms. Heloisa Coelho - Executive Director of RIOVOLUNTARIO; and, on our Auditing Board, Mr. Sérgio Perim Junior - General Coordinator of the Social Program Crescer e Viver, Ms. Dyonne Chaves Boy - General Coordinator of the Grupo Cultural Jongo da Serrinha, and Ms. Márcia Florêncio de Souza - Administrative Coordinator of the Grupo Cultural Afro Reggae.
Please check Iko Poran’s complete composition through the following link:
http://www.ikoporan.org/1_1_ikoporan_sociedade_eng.asp

- Happy with the impact of their work and with the experiences that they had on our programs, two past volunteers have now become Iko Poran Ambassadors in their countries. They will help to promote our activities and provide a point of reference for any prospective volunteers and/or partners: Bram Hoffmans in the Netherlands, and Fyaz Faisal in Canada;

- We recently conducted a variety of Community Tours in conjunction with SAT Tours to passengers of the Ship Europa and tourists with the company "Turner Tours". The last tour we conducted included 31 tourists that visited the Final Feliz Project, in Anchieta. Through this tour we generated more resources for the project than they have been able to raise in six months from other sources;

- Iko Poran recently received Mr. Robert Stumberger who visited the following organizations on our Community Tour: Final Feliz, in Anchieta; Afro Reggae's Cultural Center Lorenzo Zanetti, in Parada de Lucas; and OndAzul Foundation's Recycling & Culture project, in Vigário Geral. Mr Stumberger thoroughly enjoyed the trip and the presentation of the work we are doing with each of the projects and has kindly offered to provide a regular tax-deductible donation of US$ 200 per month to the Final Feliz Project through our partner US-Based 501(c)3 "Dreams Can Be Foundation". He has also helped us to develop a funding proposal for Afro Reggae and is trying to get software licenses for the OndAzul Foundation;

- Refered by Ms. Glória Brito, Marketing Director of RIOTUR - Rio de Janeiro's Tourist Authority, we conducted a Community tour to demonstrate our initiative to the Swiss travel operator KUONI Travel, and BODANA Travel ( kindly refered to us by DETOUR). These were both great successes! Through the following link you may access pictures and testimonies of these tours:
http://www.ikoporan.org/news/04_09_tour_2004_eng.asp

- Referred by Mr. Paulo Marcos, Marketing Director of the renowned Windsor Hotel chain, Iko Poran's General Coordinator presented a speech about "Sustainable Tourism" for a group of university students from the US who are participating in the program "Semester at Sea";

- Through the links below you may access pictures and testimonies from the following international volunteers:

Davide Tassi, from Italy, working as a monitor in the Social Program "Crescer e Viver":
http://www.ikoporan.org/news/03_01_2005_davide_tassi_eng.asp

Jin Voeks, from the US, developing many activities and teaching English at the organization "Nós do Cinema":
http://www.ikoporan.org/news/03_01_2005_jin_eng.asp

Alice Chandler, from the UK, teaching English at "Spectaculu":
http://www.ikoporan.org/news/03_01_2005_alice_chandler_eng.asp

A new gallery with pictures and testimonies of many more volunteers will be available soon on our website.

- We would like to thank the following organizations for the support we have received through their international promotion:

Kaeru Travel; Just Volunteers; Queens University; PAYAway - United Kingdom; Il Trovatore Mondo - Itália; The Rhythm of Hope in Brazil; Kenan-Flagler Business School