NABUUR is excited to have its first Twitter-based conversation on Thursday, October 15th from 10AM ET - 11: 30 AM ET - and we invite you to join in the fun!

We'll use the wisdom of the crowds to find feasible solutions for concrete problems in 2 different Villages: One in Kenya, the other in Uganda.    

The Actions That Will Be Crowsourced

1. Malaria and HIV Prevention  in Wakitaka Village, Uganda

In Uganda, malaria is the leading cause of mortality. Malaria's negative impact is also felt on the impoverished society as an estimated 25% of household income is spent treating the disease.   HIV prevention is also a crucial issue. With very little support from government programs, communities need to take it upon themselves to educate their own members on the devastating effects of these diseases.  

Youth groups in Wakitaka want to educate themselves in order to train their community on malaria and HIV prevention, and also want to procure donations of moskito nets that will be distributed to the families in the community.  

a. Search for organizations or individuals that could provide donations of moskito nets

b. Search for organizations or individuals that can provide training for youth in the local community on the topics of malaria and also on HIV prevention.  

2. Help put together a training on sustainable gardening for Kimilili, Kenya  

In January 2008 250 orphans and 7 guardians and teachers fled Nairobi, where their facilities were burnt down during the violence surrounding the national elections. They ended up in Kimilili, close to Mount Elgon and the Ugandan border, 600 km from Nairobi.  

In Kimilili a school garden was set up to provide the most essential food for the school children. Lots of resources on how to improve the gardens have been collected. Now they need some help with:

a. Selecting the best resources for a (basic) training in sustainable gardening, to be given to local, low-literate people who don't speak English.  

b. Putting together a training program that can be given to the local community.

How Do You Participate in the Chat?

- First you need a Twitter account. To find out more about Twitter check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter or go to www.twitter.com and sign up.

- Log in on October 15 at 10AM ET. During the NABUUR Chat, use an application like Tweetdeck (www.tweetdeck.com), Thwirl (www.thwirl.com), Tweetchat (www.tweetchat.com) or the Twitter web interface (use the search function http://search.twitter.com) to follow the #NABUUR hashtag and keep up with conversation.

- Join the discussion by tagging your tweets with #NABUUR during the chat.

- As soon as you log in, make sure to introduce yourself, and don't be shy: jump right into the conversation!  

If you have any questions about the Twitter chat, please contact info@nabuur.com

See you on Twitter!  

Romina

on behalf of the NABUUR team