NEWS BITS

1a. As I headed towards Muscle Shoals to attend my first Board Meeting of the International Center for Soil Fertility and Agricultural Development, I was shown the direction of the birthplace of Helen Keller, Tuscumbia and I exclaimed, "What?"
You will recall we gave some prominence to the role of Helen Keller International and Helen Keller Worldwide in our last issue. How fortuitous, that I was able to actually visit the birthplace of this most unique woman, a place that is now a historic site and receives many visitors each year. Every summer the play "The Miracle Worker" is performed. I was taken round by Ms Amber N. Hammock who played the part of Helen Keller last summer. I felt most blessed and privileged to have had the opportunity , on a trip that I carried so many copies of that issue that the suitcase was ripped apart due to the weight of the journals on this rather long journey.

1b. Dear Mrs. Ruth
Hope all is well with you and your family in Kenya and abroad. Knowing of your affection for Helen Keller's biography, you will enjoy a new website at http://www.themiracleworker.org for the outdoor drama 'The Miracle Worker'. Many of the photos were made inside Helen's home.
Best wishes
Amber N. Hammock
Senior Secretary/Associate Personnel Officer, IFDC

2. The Annual SCN Meeting for this year will be in Chennai, India. For the first time in a long time, I will not attend the SCN meeting. I made up my mind to begin to withdraw from certain events, to pave way for young professionals. In my place, Ms Sophie Ochola, the Chair of KCAN - Kenya Coalition for Action in Nutrition - will attend. In addition, Dr Flavio Valenti of Brazil, managing the Civil Society Group has managed to find funds to bring regional representatives to the Chennai Meeting. This move should be commended, because it is the first time there has been real effort to seek funds to enhance more developing country participation in this August gathering of Nutritionists from around the world, representing various programs within the UN, NGO community and the Civil Society.

3. NEPAD is actually up and running. My closest encounter with it, was in November 2002. I was part of the group of Professionals who attended a meeting organized by the NEPAD Secretariat and Sasakawa Africa Association. The message: only agriculture-led economic revitalization and industrialization make sense. Even NEPAD has that ingrained in its mandate.

4. World Food Prize - I attended it for the first time in October last year, and I must say it is an amazing event. Dr. Pedro Sanchez was the proud winner in 2002. We offer our heartfelt congratulations!

5. Kenya just concluded its historic elections, held on December 27th, 2002. So far the transition from former President Daniel arap Moi who held office for 24 years appears to be going smoothly as the NARC goverment of President Emilio Mwai Kibaki settles down and begins to address the many problems that face the country.
The challenge of course, is, how can democracy be sustained given the much-weakened KANU, previously in government ever since independence in 1963? Please stay tuned and in touch as events unfold. Can Kenya remain an example of smooth political transition and can the gains in the democratic process be sustained? Can Kenya provide a flicker of hope on a continent that continues to be erased from the global scene?

Provide us news bits of interest for inclusion in the journal,in both English and French.