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THE REPUBLIC of the CONGO Amjambo FEBRUARY, 2019 | VOL.1 / 11 Understanding, Embracing, and Celebrating Diversity in Maine Gratuit Free | Yabure WL OE | BEVNE | AI U | UAAE | OHWO| BMVNO Yubuntu GOVERNOR JANET MILLS SEES DIVERSITY AS BIG PLUS FOR MAINE Alain Michel Igiraneza sings the National Anthem Governor Mills with Nancy Yombe Bongeli, ierry Kitoko, Papy Bongibo, Clement Yombe, Deborah Bafongo Photos by E’nkul Kanakan Photography In (is Issue... DR. ABDULLAHI AHMED SHEDS LIGHT ON THE U.S. SCHOOL SYSTEM Pihcintu at the UN..................Page 2 Dr.AbDullAhi AhmeD, AssistAnt principAl of Deering high school in portland, took time on a recent busy friday aernoon to share some thoughts A<itude by A. Okafor............Page 5 he believes could be helpful for readers of this paper – particularly those who are immigrant parents originally from countries with school systems that are very different from ours here in maine. South Sudanese Community.Page 8 originally from somalia, Dr. Ahmed did doctoral research focused on the involvement of refugee parents Rwandese Community...........Page 9 in the u.s. school system, and he has a special interest in the education of immigrant children. he notes that education is important in determining the trajectory of lives and that, in the u.s. school system, parental in- Governor Mills ..............Pages 12/13 volvement in a child’s education is key. e chance of a student’s breaking out of a cycle of poverty is greatly Mahoro Maine ......................Page 15 improved by parental involvement in a child’s education. Dr. Ahmed notes that, in many countries, school and home life are seen as two very separate spheres. par- In Every ents are expected to take care of children at home, while teachers and administrators are in charge at school. in these countries, the general attitude toward school is “no news is good news!” oen there are no such Issue... things as parent open houses, parent-teacher meetings, chaperoning on field trips, monitoring academic progress via computer grading systems, college information nights, and the like. Calendar of Events .................Page 3 newcomers to maine don’t automatically understand that here parents are expected to be very involved in French Translation .............. Page 4 their children’s schools, Dr. Ahmed says. “here parents should attend events, make sure homework is done, and advocate for the needs of their children with teachers, administrators, and the school board.” he partic- Swahili Translation ............... Page 5 ularly stresses the importance of parent oversight when it comes to school attendance. Kinyarwanda Translation .... Page 6 he says that parents need to make sure their children, particularly high school students, are regularly at- From the Ground tending school. if a robocall comes in from the school notifying the parent of a child’s unexcused absence, the Gabon & Sudan...................Page 6 parent should contact the school. he advises parents not to accept the child’s assurances that it is fine if he/she was not in school. maine has laws about school attendance; children are required to be in school unless they Columns ................................Page 11 are excused by a parent. furthermore, academic success closely correlates with school attendance. if communication is a problem because of english fluency, News In Brief.........................Page 14 a parent can request a translator. in portland, the multilingual and multicultural center can provide a communication specialist in the language of the par- ent. Dr. Ahmed emphasizes that the bottom line is that a call should not be ignored. Country Focus: Dr. Ahmed’s overall message for readers is that it is important for parents to find out how the school system works in maine so they can help their children suc- Rep of Congo ...................Page 14 ceed in the united states. parents should not assume the system is the same as in their countries of origin; in fact, most likely it is different in very fundamental ways. LLLL 38TH ANNUAL MLK CELEBRATION Photos By E’nkul Kanakan Photography Tae Chong Natalia, Shy, and Pgiska of the Boys & Girls Club of Portland Muntaha Mohamed, Hana Tallan, Siham Mpohamed, Hamdi Adan See MLK Event on Page 13 2 amjambo africa! PIHCINTU MULTICULTURAL CHORUS REPRESENTS MAINE IN STYLE AT THE UNITED NATIONS Pihcintu Chorus in front of united Nations Fatimah Lamloon, Prise Josephine, Jemima Msenga, Elise Nzeyimana, Mufalo Chitam, Sara Ali, Andrea Pedro, Nywal Lia PihCiNtu MuLtiCuLturAL ChoruS oF PortLAND traveled to New York on December 17, 2018, to perform at a working session of the united Nations. eir performance was by invi- tation, and honored the adoption of the u.N.’s Global Com- pact on refugees. e uN website says, “e global compact on refugees is a unique opportunity to strengthen the interna- tional response to large movements of refugees and protracted refugee situations. it builds on existing international law and standards, including the 1951 refugee Convention and human rights treaties, and seeks to better define cooperation to share responsibilities.” Pihcintu was founded by Con Ful- lam in 2005 and is directed by Mr. Fullam. e 34 girls and young women in the singing group are from 20 different coun- tries. Many of the chorus members arrived in Maine as refugees. Laura DeDoes, one of the chaperones, said, “e girls were excited, singing most of the way to NYC.” eir songs of choice on the bus? “Songs of peace, with plenty of pop music mixed in,” according to Ms. DeDoes. e brave chaperones Photos by Laura DeDoes laddertothemoonnetwork.org 3 amjambo africa! Ladder to the Moon Network PO BOX 10379, Portland ME 04104 Tel: 207-553-2525 | Fax : 207-553-2526 CALENDAR OF EVENTS Publisher and Editor “ON HER SHOULDERS”: A FILM ABOUT A WOMAN’S STRUGGLE TO SAVE HER PEOPLE Georges Budagu Makoko February 11, Free [email protected] 6:00 pm | WCHP Lecture Hall, Parker Pavilion, UNE Portland Campus e Center for Global Humanities is proud to be showing “On Her Shoulders.” For more info visit: www.une.edu/calen- Managing Editor dar/2019/her-shoulders-film-screening-cgh Kathreen Harrison [email protected] IMMIGRANT ENTREPRENEURS:STARTING A BUSINESS IN MAINE. Sponsored by Bangor Savings Bank Graphic Designer Feb 25th to March 13th Mondays and Wednesdays 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM Portland Adult Education, 14 Warner Graphics Locust St Portland | ToRegister, Call 207.874.8155. Free Translators Nathalie Gorey INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY OPEN MIC NIGHT Friday, March 1, 7:00 (doors open 6:30) | Mayo Street Pastor Maurice Namwira Arts, 10 Mayo St., Portland. Tosign up or for more information, Jenny Van West: www.jennyvanwestmu- Jean Damascène Hakuzimana sic.com/contact. Sliding scale admission/Pay what you can/Suggested donation $10 adv./$15 door Copy Editor BLACK STUDENT UNION HAIR CARE FAIR Sunday, March 3, 10 a.m. – 5 pm. | DTAV Community Cen- Stephanie Harp ter, 138 Rangeley Road, Bangor For more information: [email protected] Members of the community Sponsors/Partners will braid students’ hair at no cost. cPort Credit Union Lee Auto L7A REGION FARMLAND ACCESS &FOOD ECONOMY CONFERENCE ursday, March 7, 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. Auburn | For more info: Good Food Council of Lewiston-Auburn, Facebook @GoodFood4LA MEMIC For area farm seekers, retiring farmers, land owners, service providers, city/town officials, staff, and economic de- velopment professionals. Discussion about accessing, transferring, and saving farmland, and growing the local food and farm business sector. Free Amjambo Africa! welcomes letters to the editor, notices of local events, photographs, and suggestions for future stories. Contributions are published at the discretion 10TH ANNUAL WOMEN UNITED AROUND THE WORLD GALA AND INTERNATIONAL FASHION SHOW of the editor and as space allows. Saturday, March 9, 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. | Italian Heritage Center, 40 Westland Ave., Portland | Ticket sales Amjambo Africa! is available by subscription and donations will support and provide opportunities for women to learn a trade skill as professional seam- for $50 (+tax) per year. stresses so they secure financial independence and contribute economically to the community. Write to [email protected]. Early Bird Ticket $50 until 1/31; $60 aer 1/31 Amjambo Africa! is also available for download http://www.laddertothemoonnetwork.org/newspaper.html Email: [email protected] THE UNIVERSITY OF MAINE SCHOOL OF LAW –JUSTICE FOR WOMEN LECTURE All contents copyright 2018. All rights reserved. Wednesday, March 27, Reception 5:30 p.m., Lecture 7 p.m. | See page 14 for more information. Printed in Maine. m Events and Photos Support Us! e views expressed by contributors belong solely Pictures are a great way of sharing your community with Amjambo Africa! is an initiative of Ladder to the Moon to the author, and do not necessarily reflect those others - would you like to submit a photo to Amjambo Network, a Maine-based non-profit. We are a free commu- of Ladder to the Moon Network. Africa? Do you know of an event or story you would like us to cover? Amjambo Africa! is your newspaper - please nity newspaper that relies entirely on advertising revenue, let us know of upcoming events. Contact Kathreen Harri- grants, and donations. If you can, please make a donation son at [email protected] by check or credit card to support our work. All donations Photo submission guidelines: are tax-deductible. Checks should be made to: Ladder to OURMISSION • Photos must have a caption. the Moon Network with Amjambo Africa! on the memo • Names of people in pictures are optional. Welcome to Amjambo Africa! line. Please contact Kathreen Harrison for more informa- We are • Include the name of the photographer if he/she Maine’s free newspaper for and about New Mainers from wants a name included. tion by emailing: [email protected] ank you! Sub-Saharan Africa.
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