June 2009 Newsletter

Contents

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Introduction

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Flemish Development Co-orporation Awards APOPO

€

1.199.858 grantfor demining in Mozambique

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APOPO named finalist in Lien i3 Challenge

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Tuberculosis detection: Fact-finding mission to South Africa

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Meet the Chemist: Negussie Beyene

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REST explained by Neguessie Beyene

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A Welcome and a Thank You

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Support APOPO’s work As summer and warm temperatures approach, we hope that everything is well! In Tanzania, we are moving into our cooler time of the year after therains have stopped. Our HeroRATs continue to detect and train to create a better world for us all! In May, two rats passed their final training test inlandmine detection.In this newsletter, you will find an exciting announcement: a grant from theFlemish Development Corporation for demining of the Gaza Province of Mozambique. The Flemish Development Co-operation officially announcedthe grant in mid-May. These funds will be instrumental in APOPO’s deminingoperations in the region. As well as this, APOPO has also been named a finalist in the Lien i3 Challengefor innovative responses for social issues. APOPO also went on a fact-findingmission to research the possibilities for expanding the activities of APOPO

into Cape Town. See more about the Lien i3 Challenge and the fact-findingmission later on in the newsletter. You can also learn more about our chemist Negussie Beyene, and see hisexplanation of the REST project that will help us to clear more land morequickly. We hope you enjoy this month’s newsletter! We look forward to working with you in the future!Best wishes for June!

Flemish Government Awards APOPO

€

1.199.858 grant fordemining in Mozambique

In May, the Flemish Development co-operation, under the guidance of KrisPeeters, the Flemish Minister President, approved a

€

1,199,858 grant for APOPO’s demining operations in Mozambique. The funds from this grant arefor the demining of the Gaza Province of Mozambique. The total area that will be demined by APOPO in the Gaza Province is 3.8 square Kilometers. Thisgenerous grant will make our demining work possible in this province.The Government of Flanders has supported APOPO’s demining activities inMozambique since 2003, and they have committed to provide financialsupport until 2013 with the decision to grant these funds to APOPO. With thenew financial commitment to support the Mine Action Plan 2009-2013, theGovernment of Flanders has reconfirmed the importance of humanitariandemining for the development of Mozambique.The Flemish Development co-operation has committed itself to contribute tothe Millennium Development Goals. It works to do this through several mainaims, including; “to cooperate with its partner countries in order to reducepoverty, to improve the quality of life of the most vulnerable groups withintheir population and to guarantee their right for development; to contribute toawareness raising and sensitization of the Flemish public; to strive for policy coherence within the Flemish government on matters related to theinternational agenda.”

The Flemish Government granted these funds to APOPO due to APOPO’sinexpensive and efficient demining process, and APOPO’s internationalreputation of being an important demining organization in East Africa.Mozambique is also one of the three partner countries of Flanders, whichmakes APOPO’s demining work an important aspect in the partnership between the countries.

APOPO named finalist in Lien i3 Challenge

APOPO was announced as a finalist in the Lien i3 Challenge. The challengeaims to catalyze socially based projects that are innovative, implementableand impactful in Singapore and Asia. The challenge is organized by The LienCentre for Social Innovation at the Singapore Management University and hasa possible one million Singapore dollars (700,000 USD) for the mostinnovative and sustainable ideas that they receive. APOPO applied to the challenge to train and facilitate Thai nationals to learnto implement the HeroRAT technology in their own country. If APOPOreceives a portion of the funds, APOPO would organize a HeroRAT trainingcourse at Sokoine University of Agriculture in Tanzania, Africa. A selectedgroup of Thai nationals will follow the course, and return to Thailand withtheir animals, to form a HeroRAT capacity in support of humanitarian mineaction co-ordinated by the Thai Mine Action Center (TMAC). APOPO willsupport the project in Thailand with provision of Tanzanian traininginstructors for 3 years. If successful, the TMAC can evolve into a regionalcenter, from where the HeroRAT technology can be further disseminated toother South-East Asian governmental and non-governmental mine actionorganizations. After further idea development, the winners of the challenge will beannounced in October of 2009 and implementation would be possible startinglater that month. We hope to have good news for you in the future about theLien i3 Challenge!

Tuberculosis detection: Fact-finding mission to South Africa

Last week, Christophe Cox, APOPO's CEO, and Renaud de Hemptinne, volunteer consultant in health economics, traveled to Cape Town, South