June 13 is now marked as a special day for UCBC. It is the day of tree planting. It is a day that, as Manager of the Student Work Program and Personnel Services Noé Kasali proclaims, "We will commemorate!" It is the day that 324 faculty, students, and staff each planted a tree on the UCBC property. Sadly, Congo is losing its forests to international corporations and subsistence agriculture. UCBC's own neighbors come onto the property to cut trees for firewood and slash and burn to plant vegetables. 

Telecentre: A "public place of access to the Internet and other digital technologies that help promote personal and social development" (www.telecentre.org). Throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America, telecentres serve as places for teaching, business development, business services, and internet hubs. In every case, a telecentre is about leveraging ICT (information, communication, and technology) for the benefit of the community.

Thanks to a generous grant from Elmbrook Church (Brookfield, WI), Congo Initiative is in the process of researching local needs and telecentre models in preparation for developing a business plan. The goal is to establish an income-generating telecentre that also serves as a business incubator for UCBC graduates. The telecentre will leverage graduates' expertise and appropriate ICT services of UCBC and the Center for Professional Development and Vocational Training to benefit the community. It will also facilitate the expansion of UCBC's Economics department to include entrepeneurship and business development education.