Professional Documents
Culture Documents
www.unatampabay.netfirms.com
Regular Monthly Meeting
Date: December 9, 2006 Time: 11:45am
Location: Schiller University—300 East Bay Dr Largo, FL 33770
Directions: From Tampa take the Howard Franklin Bridge to the Ulmerton Road Exit. Then take Roosevelt past the St.
Pete/Clearwater Airport (Roosevelt becomes East Bay at US 19).or take the Gandy Bridge to Roosevelt Blvd. (Roosevelt
Blvd. briefly joins Ulmerton Road before veering off again to the right to pass by the St. Pete/Clearwater Airport) it then
becomes East Bay Drive at US 19. Schiller is located across from the Largo Central Park.
Reservations & Payment In Advance Required: Members and guests $15; Students$7. Make check payable to
UNA‐USA Tampa Bay and send to Mary Trevino, Treas., 30720 Wrencrest Dr, Wesley Chapel, FL 33543. Use the form on
page 3 to submit payment by December 4, 2006.
Discrimination of Ethnic Minorities in Cameroon
Denis Mouyenga was born and raised in Douala, Cameroon. From 1998‐2000, he attended the Faculty of Law and Politi‐
cal Science at the University Centre of Douala. Continuous Human Rights violations compelled him to immigrate to the
United States in 2001. Mr. Mouyenga obtained his B.A in International Relations and Diplomacy in May 2005 and is
scheduled to receive his M.B.A in International Business in December 2006 from Schiller International University. Denis
has avidly worked with Schiller and their Model United Nations group traveling and receiving awards both regionally
and nationally.
The Republic of Cameroon is a unitary republic of central Africa. It borders Nigeria,
Chad, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and
the Gulf of Guinea. Cameroon, a German colony at the time of World War I, was
split among the French and British as war spoils after the defeat of Germany. In
1960, French Cameroun became an independent republic, merging with the south‐
ern part of British Cameroons in 1961 to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon. It
was renamed the United Republic of Cameroon in 1972, and the Republic of Camer‐
oon or République du Cameroun in 1984 (its official languages are English and
French). Cameroon is divided into 10 provinces and subdivided into 58 divisions
(called départements in French). The divisions are further sub‐divided into sub‐
divisions and districts. The provinces include: Adamawa Province, Centre Province,
Cameroon East Province, Far North Province, Littoral Province, North Province, Northwest
Province, West Province, South Province, and Southwest Province
Population: 17,340,702
Compared to other African countries, Cameroon enjoys relative political and social
Infant Mortality: 63.52 stability, which has in turn permitted the development of agriculture, roads, and
deaths/1,000 live births railways, as well as an extensive petroleum industry. Despite movement toward
Life Expectancy: 48 years political reform, however, power remains firmly in the hands of an ethnic oligarchy.
Unemployment Rate: 30% Monthly Board Meeting 10:15 am on January 27, 2006.
Monthly Regular Meeting 11:45 am on January 27, 2006
Page 2
Message From The President Elect
At the Annual Meeting of the Chapter on Sat., Nov 18, The Young Professionals for International Cooperation
I agreed to serve as President for 2007. Some of you (YPIC) has sprung up during the past year. They’re dynamic
may recall that I did a stint as president from the mid and just vibrating with reserve energy, and they are integrat‐
nineties to 2003. Some of you have signaled that you ing with our membership in a way that can challenge all of
want this to be a year of transition. So now I would like us. You’ll be hearing more about them beginning probably at
to hear from any of you who have thoughts as to what, our next meeting. This is a national program and they oper‐
if anything, you feel we should continue to do, do dif‐ ate as a program of the Tampa Bay Chapter with their own
ferently, or begin doing. officers and finances. . So fasten your seat belts ladies and
gentlemen, here comes YPIC!
Our members are generally concentrated in Tampa and
St Petersburg with some reaching to the four corners of Another national program that is beginning to blossom in the
Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties. So should we con‐ Tampa Bay Area is the UNA‐USA Student Alliance in gram‐
tinue to meet at a different location each month, or mar schools up through college and graduate level. The pro‐
would it make more sense to pick one central location gram is to broaden and deepen an understanding of the UN
in Tampa and one in St Petersburg with easy access to system, and to promote efforts that advance the goals of the
the interstate, and then divide our meetings between UN Charter through education and training. This is now
the two? We will immediately look into this. growing at the University of Tampa and in an elementary
school in St Petersburg where we have 50+ members. All
Our immediate past president, Susan George, did an
YPIC and Alliance members must be UNA members. Our
excellent job reaching out to colleges and in bringing us
Chapter serves as a gracious mentor for these groups. Repre‐
some fine programs. We want to cultivate these student
sentatives from YPIC served on our Board in 2006 and the UT
activities and work cooperatively with them because in -Susan George
Student Alliance has been added to serve for 2007.
so doing we can mentor to our future leaders. We have
a wealth of talent and experience among our older What a challenge for the students and Young Professionals!
members. We want to create and foster an environ‐ What a challenge for the oldsters! It behooves all of us to lis‐
ment where the experience that comes with age can ten, learn, and lead without unduly pushing.
fuse together with the youthful talent and energy. ‐‐‐‐Paul Yingst
The Carter Center and River Blindness in Cameroon
The Carter Centerʹs River Blindness Program began working in the West province of Cameroon in 1996. Onchocerci‐
asis, or river blindness, is widespread in the nation, with an estimated 5.1 million people infected and approximately 62
percent of its population at risk for infection. Some 60,000 people are believed to suffer some degree of visual impair‐
ment from the disease. Transmitted by the bite of black flies found near fast‐flowing rivers, onchocerciasis causes severe
itching, eye damage, and sometimes blindness.
Working with a consortium of international agencies and nongovernmental organizations, The Carter Center is fight‐
ing to control river blindness in Cameroon. The World Health Organization estimated in 2003 that approximately 18 mil‐
lion people worldwide are infected with the disease, and of those, almost 300,000 are blind. For these individuals, pre‐
vention will not only mean a healthier lifestyle; it will mean preservation of their sight.
The primary program strategy is to treat infected communities annually with the drug, Mectizan® (ivermectin), which
was donated by Merck & Co. Inc. In 2003, 6,337 community volunteer distributors in the North and West provinces were
trained to distribute the medication. Thanks to the efforts of these volunteers, more than 1 million people were treated to
prevent permanent loss of sight from river blindness. North province has agreed to test an effort aimed to sustain Mecti‐
zan distribution for the control of onchocerciasis without external funds. The Cameroonian program also offers the op‐
portunity to document the impact of current interventions against river blindness ‐ including health education and an‐
nual mass administration of Mectizan ‐ on transmission of the disease.
**Source http://www.cartercenter.org/homepage.html
Volume XXX No. 12 Page 3
UNA‐Tampa Bay Goes Global
A note from Natasha Ghent‐Rodriguez
The United Nations Association of the United States of
America (UNA‐USA) is a member of an even larger
network called the World Federation of United Nations
Associations (WFUNA). The WFUNA body has over 100
members, national UNAs, which represent every re‐
gion of the world
For the first time in WFUNA’s 60‐year history, member
UNAs from around the world met in Latin America
from November 6‐10 in Buenos Aires, Argentina to
discuss policy, the work of the World Federation, and
to make decisions regarding the organizationʹs future
and leadership. More then 125 delegates from 59
UNAs, representing every region of the world partici‐
pated. It was an empowering experience to see first‐
hand the diversity and grand scope of our organization; and most exciting to have the opportunity to exchange best
practices with UNA leaders from around the world.
My purpose in attending the international gathering of UNAs was to serve as a UNA‐USA delegation member and to
export the idea of YPIC (a UNA‐USA creation) to 30 other UNAs. I was joined by UNA‐USA members from around the
country including Ambassador Luers and Board of Directors member, Irv Stolberg of UNA‐Connecticut.
The YPIC concept was immediately welcomed and now has start ups in Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and
Germany. In addition to our success with YPIC abroad, UNA‐USA’s Irv Stolberg was elected to hold a seat on the
WFUNA Executive Committee from dozens of international candidates. UNA‐USA picked up a second seat, when I, too,
was elected from dozens of international candidates to represent UNA‐USA on the Coordinating Committee for
WFUNA‐Youth. Needless to say, the UNA‐USA delegation was a very “happy camp” at the plenary meeting!
Despite all of UNA‐USA’s “seat gains” the biggest highlight of the plenary for me was Dr. Hans Blix, Chairman of the
Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission, being unanimously elected to be the 22nd President of the World Federation
of United Nations Associations! Dr. Blix is a treasure and a much welcomed contributor to UNAs worldwide.
The next international gathering of UNAs will be in 2009 and will be hosted by UNA‐Korea. It is sure to be an amazing
UNA experience and I encourage as many as possible Tampa members to attend!
If you are interested please contact me! Email: NGhent@gmail.com.
For more information on WFUNA and WFUNA‐Youth please visit: www.wfuna.org and www.wfuna‐youth.org
Non‐Profit Organization
U.S. Postage Paid
Tampa, FL
Permit No. PI 869
Tampa Bay Chapter United
Nations Association
Editor: Alana J. Cefaratti
502 Planters Wood Ct.
Valrico, FL 33594
Email: Ajcefaratti@gmail.com
Officers & Directors
President, Susan George
Vice President of Programs, Janet Nichols
Vice President of Membership, Roslyn Linnen
Vice President of Education, Kelly Miliziano
Vice President of Advocacy & Govt Relations,
Open
Treasurer & Webmaster, Mary Trevino
Asst. Treas & Stetson University Co‐Rep, Amy Siak
Secretary, YPIC Chair, Genevieve Whitaker
Dr. Wasif Alam
Vanessa Carnero, UT Co‐Rep
Alana Cefaratti, Newsletter Editor
Evelyn Danho, UT Co‐Rep
Erin Demery, USF Co‐Rep Check all that apply
New Member
Rush Dozier, Sr., Director
Renewing Member
Natasha Ghent‐Rodriquez, USF Co‐Rep Young Professional
Kristin Houseknecht, USF Co‐Rep Return this form, along with your payment to UNA‐USA, 801 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Dr Said Iravani, Director
Heather Kathrens, USF Co‐Rep
Dr. Jeff Maddux, Director
Jane Mai, USF Co‐Rep
Jonathan Meadows, USF Co‐Rep
Shrimatee Ojah‐Maharaj, Director
Joy Petit, Director & Media Chair
Cindy Scaglione, Director
Gillian Sealy, Director
Dr Robert Strickler, Director
NOTE: PLEASE LOOK AT THE BACK OF YOUR NAME ON THE MAILING LABEL
Paul Yingst, President Emeritus
OF THIS NEWSLETTER. IF IT IS EXPIRED, PLEASE FILL OUT THE FORM ON THE
Candace Webb, USF Co‐Rep
BOTTOM OF THE ADDRESS PAGE OF THIS NEWSLETTER AND SEND IT TO
Evelyn Levinson, Advisor
NATIONAL WITH YOUR CHECK TODAY. If the date on the mailing label is wrong,
Hon. Maurice Williams, Advisor please email our Vice President of Membership, Roslyn Linnen, RSandraL@juno.com