January Project Update

The Dokotoro Project continues to make progress–despite the holidays and travel, a lot has happened in the last month! Here’s an update from our monthly Steering Committee meeting held during the first week of January.

Jenna_Dokotoro_PicFirst off, we are delighted to welcome Jenna Lohmann to the committee. Jenna will be helping recruit and manage volunteers as our new Volunteer Coordinator. Like several of us, Jenna was a Mali Peace Corps Volunteer, serving as as a water and sanitation volunteer in the Koulikoro region from 2011-2012. She now works as an environmental scientist for a consulting firm in Oakland, California. Welcome Jenna! (To volunteer, drop her a line at jenna@dokotoro.org!)

Translation and Layout

A few issues have come up regarding our plans to produce English and French-language back-translations of the Bambara edition of Where There Is No Doctor. Hesperian staff want to make sure that the information that is published stays up to date, and worry that producing an alternate English-language edition could result in an edition that is hard to keep updated. Regarding the French-language edition, this book is copyrighted (and sold) by the Senegalese NGO ENDA. We received permission to reuse the material in the book via an email from an ENDA staffer, but may need more explicit permission to distribute a new edition of the book in French. So all of this is TBD for now. It is possible that we may produce something, but that it will only be available on request; i.e. not printed or posted publicly on the internet.

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Dokotoro Project Hackathon Planned for January 27 in Oakland

If you’re in the Bay Area, and you’re interested in getting involved in the Dokotoro Project, come to our first Hackathon-style work party on Sunday, January 27 in Oakland.

RSVP to volunteer coordinator Jenna Lohmann at Jenna.lohmann@gmail.com.

page 23 imageWhen:  Sunday, January 27, Noon – 4:00 pm

Where: Pacific Institute
Preservation Park
654 13th Street
Oakland, CA 94612
Google Maps link

Bring:  A laptop if you have one

Why: Because we need a LOT of help from volunteers to keep this project moving. We have tasks to match any skill set, for example: proofreading and editing in English and French, formatting Word documents, inserting and manipulating images, researching and contacting potential donors, creating content for the website and Facebook page, etc.

Steering Committee members will be on hand to get you started and answer any questions. Pizza and beverages provided. We may retire to a local pub afterwards for drinks or to watch football, if that’s your thing (the NFL Pro Bowl starts at 4pm Pacific).

We’re hoping to create a convivial atmosphere where we can come together, build community, have fun, and do important work. Please consider joining us!