Media Relations
Media contact: Linda Whitmore - Communications & Media Relations Manager
519-725-1853 ext 32 | whitmore@meda.org
07.03.08 - MEDA conference encourages growth through failure and success
22.02.08 - Media invited to meet Tanzania malaria fighters...
19.02.08 - Bush sees MEDA's work in Tanzania
14.02.08 - MEDA's loss a gain for TourMagination
13.02.08 - MEDA recruiting business interns
08.02.08 - Sarona assets grow with sale of CAPA
22.01.08 - Family Business Doctor making a house call in Calgary
18.01.08 - Hati Pungazo
03.01.08 - “Do you give to live, or live to give?”
For immediate release March 7, 2008
MEDA conference encourages growth through failure and success
Waterloo, ON – Mennonite business leaders gathered in Palm Springs, CA, recently to talk about Faith: Growth Through Failure and Success at the Mennonite Entrepreneurs Conference organized under the umbrella of Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA).
The 40 people who attended the 28th annual conference of the Mennonite Entrepreneurs Group Feb. 28-March 2 learned how to view both failures and successes through a Christian lens and were encouraged to "fail forward" when they make mistakes.
Bible study leader Dr. Ervin Stutzman, vice president and seminary dean of Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, VA, noted, "The concepts of success and failure are multi-dimensional – including personal, spiritual, social and financial values. As a compassionate judge, God sets the ultimate standards by which to measure failure and success. Our purpose or mission in life – whether in church or business – will significantly influence the standards by which we measure success and failure."
An important part of the conference is sharing by business and professional entrepreneurs. Business leader presenters included residential land developers Dennis and Rene Neumann of Abbotsford, BC, and Art and Leona DeFehr, East St. Paul, MB, of Palliser Furniture.
The Mennonite Entrepreneurs Group meets regularly to seek God’s direction, support one another and encourage the integration of faith and business activities. For many years it was organized by the General Conference Mennonite Church, but now operates under the umbrella of Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA).
The group’s Sunday offering of $6,630 U.S. went to MEDA and Lithuania Christian College.
Next year’s event will be Feb. 26-March 1 in Palm Springs. New attendees are welcome, especially young entrepreneurs.
For immediate release February 22, 2008
Media invited to meet Tanzania malaria fighters, celebrate MEDA’s 3 million malaria nets
What: Celebration of 3 million malaria nets/vouchers distributed
Who: MEDA, Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr, Tanzanian Government Officials
Where: 155 Frobisher Drive, Suite I-106, Waterloo, ON
When: 2:30 pm – Monday, February 25, 2008
Media Opportunities
Images: Cake cutting by MEDA, Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr, Tanzanian Government Officials
Interviews: Tanzanian Government Officials, MEDA, Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr
Contact: Linda Whitmore, Communications & Media Relations Manager -- 519-725-1853 ext 32
As US President George W. Bush witnessed the progress in the battle against malaria in Tanzania this week during his current African trip, Waterloo-based NGO Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) – a key player in the fight – celebrated the distribution of its three millionth anti-malaria net/voucher in the country.
That celebration will be brought to Canadian soil next week with a visit by two Tanzanian officials from the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare – Dr. Donan Mmbando, Director of Preventative Services, and Dr. Alex Mwita, Program Manager for the National Malaria Control Program. They will be accompanied by MEDA's management team for the project, country manager Tim Piper and program manager Faith Patrick. Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr will also be on hand to help MEDA mark the occasion with a cake in the image of a program voucher.
MEDA designed and implemented that country’s novel voucher scheme to get more insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs) into the hands of African mothers and children who need them most. Malaria is the leading killer of children in Africa, claiming more than a million lives every year. (See video link below.)
During the week long visit, MEDA’s guests will visit Waterloo, Toronto, London and Niagara Falls to meet with leaders at Canadian institutions and companies to create more linkages to advance health care in Tanzania.
Your viewers can hear directly from these Tanzanian leaders and learn how a Canadian NGO has helped save the lives of thousands of children across the globe.
Please contact us to be included in their visit.
View video – Hati Punguzo: Insecticide-Treated Mosquito Nets for Tanzania
For immediate release February 19, 2008
Bush sees MEDA's work in Tanzania
Waterloo, ON – As US President George W. Bush witnessed the progress in the battle against malaria in Tanzania yesterday during his current African trip, Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) – a key player in the fight – celebrated the distribution of its three millionth anti-malaria net/voucher in the country.
That celebration will be brought to North American soil next week with a visit by two Tanzanian officials from the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare – Dr. Donan Mmbando, Director of Preventative Services, and Dr. Alex Mwita, Program Manager for the National Malaria Control Program. They will be accompanied by MEDA's management team for the project, country manager Tim Piper and program manager Faith Patrick. MEDA will mark the occasion by cutting a cake in the image of a program voucher.
MEDA is the Tanzanian government's logistics manager for Hati Punguzo, an initiative that promotes a unique public-private partnership that provides Tanzanians with subsidized vouchers to purchase insecticide-treat mosquito bed nets (ITNs) at very low cost. Through the initiative, MEDA has helped to create a network of more than 6,500 retail outlets nationwide, where previously the life-saving nets were not available.
During a stop in the town of Arusha, Bush visited the Meru District Hospital – where pregnant women at the clinic receive the vouchers to obtain an ITN. The president also toured the net-making factory of A to Z Textile Mills, the only manufacturer in Africa to produce the life-saving, long-lasting insecticide net, which MEDA distributes through Hati Punguzo.
So far the impact of the project is staggering. Research suggests that six lives are being spared for every 1,000 nets sold. In addition to the lives saved, ITNs prevent serious illness that would devastate families – wages would be lost and costly treatment would be needed.
President Bush launched the five-year, $1.2 billion President’s Malaria Initiative in 2005. The program aims to cut malaria-related deaths by half in 15 African countries.
View MEDA's video on YouTube
For immediate release February 14, 2008
MEDA's loss a gain for TourMagination
Head of resource development moving to private sector
Waterloo, ON – Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) has spawned another entrepreneur, this time from the ranks of its own management team. MEDA, which prides itself on creating business solutions to poverty, has accepted the resignation effective April 30 of Ed Epp, vice president of resource development, "with great reluctance," said president Allan Sauder.
Epp joined MEDA in 1998 as director of international operations, managing programs in Mozambique, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Haiti, Nicaragua, Romania and Bolivia, as well as exploring new programs. In 2003, Ed moved into the newly created position of director of new business development and strategic planning, and the following year was appointed vice president for resource development.
"Ed's contributions to MEDA have been many," said Sauder. "At a recent meeting of MEDA’s board of directors, a resolution was passed thanking Ed for his hard work and commitment to MEDA over the past nine and a half years and wishing him well as he moves into the world of business. Through his creativity and resourcefulness, Ed leaves MEDA with the launch of MEDA Trust (www.medatrust.org ), a consistent marketing image, and record levels of contributions, as well as a number of innovative programs throughout the world.”
While Epp has decided to go into business and will be joining TourMagination on May 1, MEDA is pleased that he will maintain a business relationship with MEDA in arranging and leading tours for its members.
"My passion and belief in MEDA remains stronger than ever," said Epp, "and I look forward to being a real MEDA member. My decision to resign is due only to opportunities to try out the business world – putting into action my words and theories. I am committed to remaining a MEDA supporter, member and advocate."
Recruitment for this position is currently under way.
For immediate release February 13, 2008
MEDA recruiting business interns
Waterloo, ON
– Two seven-month internships for 2008-2009 have been announced for
recent U.S. college graduates by MEDA – Mennonite Economic Development
Associates.
One is for a micro-business development associate in
Gulfport/Biloxi, Miss., to help people recovering from Hurricane
Katrina. The assignment will be with the Gulf Coast Community Service
Center, which provides training, technical assistance, lending and
mentoring to those wanting to start or grow a business. Qualifications
include a degree in business administration, community economic
development or entrepreneurship.
The second is for a human
resource administrator in Haiti, working with Fonkoze, which provides
small business and savings products for poor people. Qualifications
include knowledge of French and a college degree (preferably studies in
human resources).
Detailed postings can be seen at meda.org . Resumes can be emailed to jobs@meda.org
For immediate release February 8, 2008
Sarona assets grow with sale of CAPA
Waterloo, ON – MEDA's Sarona Risk Capital Fund enjoyed asset growth 20 per cent over budget at Dec 31, 2007 due to the sale of its shares in CAPA, a Romanian microfinance institution.
For immediate release January 22, 2008
Family Business Doctor making a house call in Calgary
Partnerships, Commitments and Dreams: A day of networking, learning and inspiration - Co-sponsored by MEDA and Mennonite Foundation Canada
Waterloo, ON – Seventy per cent of family businesses fail to make the transition to a new generation, but an upcoming workshop will show business owners how to keep their enterprise alive by planning now for a smooth succession.
John Fast, the Family Business Doctor, will help take family business owners From Parenting to Partnering during one of three workshops he'll present at Partnerships, Commitments and Dreams, a one-day mini-convention co-sponsored by MEDA – Mennonite Economic Development Associates – and the Mennonite Foundation Canada.
Keynote presentations include Connecting Faith, Business and Development in a Needy World, by MEDA chair Dr. Mel Stjernholm, of Boulder, Colorado, and Everest: Living a Dream – A 20-year Personal and Medical Journey, by Dr. Bill Hanlon, pharmacist, family physician, travel and tropical medicine consultant from Cochrane.
Dr. Stjernholm, a native of Colorado, received his MD degree from the University of Colorado and has specialized in endocrinology, with a practice in Boulder. Stjernholm, who has been involved with MEDA for the past 30 years, currently chairs the bi-national board of directors. He has visited MEDA programs in Paraguay, Nicaragua and Tanzania.
Dr. Bill Hanlon is the founder and medical director of the Basic Health International Foundation located in Cochrane. He is particularly interested in the culture, health and spirituality of people living in remote villages in the high mountains of the world. Hanlon has climbed the highest mountain on every continent including Mount Everest in 2007.
Other seminars will focus on smart ways for business people to give, business as a calling, and partnering and investing in developing countries. The event will be held March 8 at the Radisson Hotel Calgary Airport. For more information go to www.meda.org or call 1-800-665-7026.
PRESS RELEASE January 18, 2008
| The Hati Punguzo (HP) Programme, also known as Tanzania National Voucher Scheme (TNVS) is celebrating the scanning of the 3-millionth voucher. |
Started in October 2004 by the Ministry of Health (MoH) under the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP), the Hati Punguzo program aims at preventing malaria infection amongst pregnant women and children under five years by increasing the use of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs).
The initial target group during the program start was pregnant women, who receive a discount voucher, the “Hati Punguzo,” on their first visit to a Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) Clinic. The voucher can then be exchanged for an ITN, with a small top-up amount, at authorized retailer shops carrying the Hati Punguzo sign. In the third year the program expanded to include infants and children under five years in some selected areas. Recently, the program has been extended to Zanzibar.
Hati Punguzo vouchers are distributed to pregnant women and mothers of infants through more than 4,200 RCH clinics, redeemed at more than 6,600 retailers, with 260 wholesalers supporting ITN distribution.
The program started with a pregnant women voucher worth TShs. 2,750=, approximately 75 per cent of the average commercial price of an ITN at that time. When the price of ITN went up, the program revised the value to TShs 3,250.
The program is implemented through a partnership of four contractors, categorized by specific activities. These are:
- MEDA – logistics: voucher printing, distribution, administration and redemption
- World Vision (WV)Tanzania / CARE - training and promotion
- LSHTM / IHRDC - monitoring and evaluation
- KPMG - auditing
The program's structure has been designed with a vision to stimulate healthy economic growth in the private sector through which communities in the most remote areas can have access to ITNs. The program’s successes lie in the cooperation of key stakeholders from a number of different sectors inter-linked through the concept of public private partnership (PPP). Each stakeholder plays an essential role in making sure that the program's primary objective is fulfilled. This is done in three key ways:
- Increasing affordability of ITNs: through a voucher given to pregnant women to subsidize the cost of an ITN
- Increasing accessibility of ITNs: through contracting retailers who will stock ITNs even to the most remote area
- Increasing awareness about malaria prevention by promoting the proper use of ITNs
In June 2006, the program celebrated the scanning of a millionth voucher. Now, eighteen months later, the program has tripled the number of beneficiaries receiving ITNs through the voucher scheme. Today we are witnessing the scanning of the 3-millionth voucher.
Training and Promotion
Initial training is conducted by WV/CARE at the Clinic level to ensure that clinic staff is familiar with the voucher disbursement system and procedures. Ongoing onsite training is also done by the MEDA regional teams to the clinic staff whenever problems are identified. Training also is provided to the Council Health Management Team (CHMT), which is an opportunity for them to become familiarized with whole process.
Promotions are conducted in conjunction with local cultural groups to sensitize communities to proper malaria prevention measures. Advertisements are also done through local media.
Voucher cycle
MEDA sends the vouchers to the DMO’s office, and the DMO subsequently distributes the vouchers to the clinics through the existing system for distributing health-related products. At the RCH clinic, pregnant women and mothers of the infants are issued with vouchers on their first antenatal attendance or on infant’s ninth month visit to the clinic during measles vaccination.
Recipients then take the voucher to the designated retailer, where upon paying the small top amount, they exchange the voucher for the net. From this stage, the voucher is exchanged with an ITN from retailer to wholesaler to manufacturers.
Manufacturers then return the vouchers to MEDA, where they receive their reimbursement equivalent to number of vouchers submitted.
The MEDA Voucher RoomUpon receiving the vouchers at MEDA, they are forwarded to the voucher tracking system (VTS) unit, where they are scanned. The scanning system has had to keep up with the growth of the program. It is currently run on three computers. Two computers run the actual scanning process and store double-sided image files of the scanned vouchers, while the third computer holds the transaction database and keeps a record of the status of each voucher. The database keeps track of each voucher through a unique serial number and updates the status of the voucher to reflect its position in the distribution cycle.
For immediate release January 3, 2008
“Do you give to live, or live to give?”
Speaker Philip Clemens to ask audience Feb. 29
Waterloo, Ontario – Which is it for you? Do you give to live – or to put it another way, do you give back 10% of what God has given you as a payment to God and then you are off the hook and can live whatever way you want?
Or do you look at all you have, realize that God has given it to you and live in a way that you can give back a great deal and you are constantly looking for God to prompt you to meet a need that He has placed before you?
Keynote speaker Philip Clemens will ask his audience to consider these questions at a Feb. 29 dinner meeting of MEDA’s Lancaster, PA chapter.
Clemens has spent his entire working career with his family business in Hatfield, PA. He began on the clean-up crew and worked his way up to be the CEO and President of the company. In 2000, he became Chairman and CEO of The Clemens Family Corporation, a holding company.
Also plan to attend ...
... MMA Stewardship University, March 1, 8am-2:30 pm, for workshops on Giving with the End in Mind, Responsible Energy Use is Good Business and The Art of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Learn how to apply biblical principles to your business, how your business can use energy responsibly and how you can balance the challenges that companies face in the increasing call for socially responsible practices.
To register for the dinner, stewardship university or both, or for more information, contact Carol Eby Good at (717) 560-6546, toll free at (800) 665-7026, or via e-mail: ceby-good@meda.org
