Robert attends Tulane University for a Social Mobilization Certificate Course, May - July 1993

New Orleans, 1993

The course was organized by UNICEF's Jack Ling and Tulane University in New Orleans, to educate senior government and private/NGO sector managers in the art and science of social mobilization.

The three month-long course was held at the University campus in downtown New Orleans. There were about twenty five participants from Africa, the Americas, India, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and China. To my recollection, I and one other participant were the only UNICEF officers attending the course. All the participants were employed in health and communication related fields in their respective countries.

At the end of the course, participants in small groups presented social mobilization proposals for their countries. Three of us - Runhua Xi, Mohammad Khan and I - teamed up to prepare and present our proposal Social Mobilization to Accelerate CDD Programme in the Tihama Region, Republic of Yemen (click to view) (CDD=Control of Diarrheal Diseases).

We had a very good team, showing once again what can be done together in a short time by people from totally different backgrounds. This is borne out by my score sheet (click to view).  

A few thoughts about New Orleans. Along with my UNICEF fellow attendee from Sri Lanka, I rented a bungalow about a kilometer from the university campus. I used a borrowed bicycle to get to uni and back and to explore that fantastic city. The multitude of cultures - from French-speaking Cajuns, Creole-speaking Blacks, Spanish-speaking Latinos, and their cuisines - ranging from blackened crocodile, gumbo and crawfish cooked in a bathtub, not to mention the traditional jazz and blues styles which are endemic to New Orleans, fascinated me. The Cajuns were particularly interesting and I spent many a wonderful evening in the local dance halls watching Cajun couples, elderly grandparents and even little children dancing the waltz to the music of the violin, accordion, saxophone and washboard. The strains and beats of traditional jazz permeated the city as small bands performed on the streets. I would use a laundromat that was part of a bar and jazz club where the band played blues throughout most of the day and night. The chore of laundering has never been more enjoyable!

For me, New Orleans is by far the most interesting and engaging city in the US.