The 1998 FORIM officers as elected were:
In 1998 FORIM held meetings on January 12, February 9, March 16, May 4, July 28, and October 7.
At the end of the year, there was a total of $2840.96 in the FORIM bank account. The FORIM account at Lafayette Federal Credit Union was closed so funds could be transferred to a new account with tax-exempt status.
Significant progress was made in preparing the documentation to file for Articles of Incorporation in Washington, DC. This status will be finalized in the first part of 1999.
The FORIM bylaws were amended and accepted by the general membership on March 16, 1998. They can be found on the FORIM web site or in the Spring/Summer edition of the FORIM newsletter, La Perle.
At year’s end, FORIM counted nearly 300 “Friends” in its contact database. FORIM also received a list of additional names from the NPCA.
FORIM dues are $15/person or $25/couple per year. There is no official mechanism for collecting dues. Dues are normally sent in by members using a form on the back of the newsletter.
FORIM held its annual fund-raiser at Georgetown University March 27, 1998. Sixty-five people attended, including the Mauritanian Ambassador, Ahmed Ould Sid’Ahmed, and two former US Ambassadors to Mauritania, Dorothy Sampas and Gordon Brown. The event included a meal of Mauritanian cuisine, music, a raffle, a variety of items for sale, and a chance to share memories of Mauritania. FORIM raised $1,200 in funds to support development projects in Mauritania (see below).
The FORIM web page was greatly expanded in 1998. FORIM uses the web page to post meeting minutes, letters, reports and other information of interest to its membership. It also contains an extensive links section. The address is: http://members.aol.com/FriendsRIM/. The FORIM e-mail address is FriendsRIM@aol.com
NPCA conference: FORIM did not participate in the July 1998 NPCA Annual Conference in Columbus, Ohio.
FORIM participated in National Peace Corps Day on March 3, 1998. In Washington DC, several FORIM members visited a 7th grade class at Francis Jr. High School to give a presentation on Mauritania. Students viewed slides and learned about Mauritania’s environmental conditions, its beauty and its diverse cultures. In West Ilips, NY, an 8th grade class at the Jericho Middle School received a transatlantic phone call from Kerry Luisi. Kerry is an agro-forestry volunteer in the village of Fam Leghzerat, in the Assaba region. From their desks, students asked Kerry questions and her responses were broadcast over a speaker system set up in the classroom. They queried her for 45 minutes about her lifestyle changes, her typical day and what she missed the most. Two Mauritanian students participated in the exchange as well.
FORIM decided to support the Primary School #2 Desk Financing Project in Kankossa, Mauritania through the Peace Corps Partnership Program. FORIM will be donating $500 to this project being coordinated in-country by Peace Corps Volunteer Sarah Swert.
Kankossa Desk Financing Project; $500. Through the Peace Corps Partnership Program, FORIM supported the Kankossa Desk Financing project. The project was begun in the fall of 1997 by PCV Jennifer Rierson, who worked with a parent group and the school director of Primary School #2 to make plans to build 80 desks for the school. The project was taken over by Sarah Swert, who sent FORIM a follow up letter and pictures of the student sitting at their new desks.
Drip Irrigation Project; $435. FORIM supported an innovative drip irrigation project in Mauritania conducted by RPCV Trey Carr. After discovering the $5.00 drip irrigation system on a website, Trey purchased several kits and returned to Mauritania to test the system in the village where he had lived and worked as a volunteer. For a detailed account of the activity, see the Winter 1999 edition of La Perle.
The “Save Slama” Campaign; $250. FORIM supported the “Save Slama” Campaign. Slama Ould T’feil is a 12-year old boy with a fatal heart condition who needs open heart surgery to survive. His condition cannot be treated in Mauritania and his family does not have the means to seek outside treatment. A humanitarian organization in France started the campaign. FORIM set up a bank account in the US for funds contributed to this cause. For more information, see the Winter 1999 edition of La Perle, or the FORIM website.
FORIM produced a Spring/Summer newsletter featuring articles on Woodless Construction, Special Mauritanian Stamps, the FORIM fund-raiser and the Internet. Production of the Winter 1999 edition was begun in late 1998.