AALV: The Association of Africans Living in Vermont, Inc.

Huge thanks to lovely Lauren Weiss from Project Porchlight for popping by Radio Africa studios this past weekend for a conversation with DJ Thato Ratsebe.  Lauren explained to listeners the importance of transitioning away from those old energy-sucking incandescent blubs and replacing them with long-lasting CFLs.  CFLs last five times longer and use 75 percent less energy than the incandescents.  That translates into big savings for households that use the bulbs.

AALV Outreach Workers will be out in the community delivering these bulbs during the next couple of weeks.  To learn more about Project Porchlight or get involved, visit their website now.  Or you can check out these translated one-sheets: somali swahili

Kim Ianelli from CVOEO’s Fair Housing Project stopped by the Radio Africa studio on June 8th to inform our community about their rights when renting or purchasing a home.  No one deserves to be discriminated against when they try to secure one of their most basic needs – shelter.  You’re protected from discrimination based on your race, nationality, religion, and receipt of public assistance, among many other protected statuses.  You can learn more by listening to the Radio Africa interview or by reviewing these quick fact flyers: kirundi, swahili, somali, and english1.

Affordable childcare is a major concern of families in the African-born community. Childcare in Winooski and Burlington is hard to find, and when you find it, it’s often not affordable. African households benefit from the ‘legally-exempt’ childcare provider system: one adult takes care of children from multiple low-income households and receives a small state subsidy for the labor. Until recently, the system’s paperwork requirements were prohibitively onerous.

Department of Children and Families Deputy Commissioner Kim Keiser explains changes to this system that should improve participation in the legally exempt program. Listen here.

During one of our most informative Radio Africa interviews to-date, the Radio Africa crew sat down with Jonathan Kissam of the Vermont Workers’ Center to discuss worker rights, protections, and advocacy campaigns. With limited English and lack of legal awareness, Vermont’s African-born community members are some of the most vulnerable to workplace mistreatment. Knowing our rights is vital. Listen to the interview now!

Translated one-sheets are here: somali / swahili / french / english.  You can also visit the Vermont Workers’ Center ‘Health Care is a Human Right’ campaign blog.

Another Radio Africa interview from the vault – this one with Dr. Karen Fondacaro, Director of the Behavior Therapy and Psychotherapy Center at UVM. Karen spoke with DJ Thato Ratsebe about the Connecting Cultures project. The project is a partnership between BTPC and the AALV that provides African households access to both formal and informal mental health counseling. AALV staff make referrals to BTPC, and Ph.D. students from BTPC keep Friday afternoon office hours at AALV. BTPC staff also provided a “Strategies for Parenting in America” men’s breakfast with the AALV yesterday. Listen here.

Translated copies of the parenting presentation materials, distributed during the men’s breakfast are accessible in the following languages: parenting-somali / parenting-swahili / parenting-french

Although the Radio Africa Blog is new, Radio Africa has been broadcasting since February 2007.  The Sunday afternoon show features interviews with different area experts on a variety of topics.  We’re digging back into the vault this week to broadcast a few previous interviews.  Jean-Luc interviewed Cheryl Fatnassi from Opportunities Credit Union on February 3, 2008 – a fantastic interview with loads of helpful hints about how to manage your household expenses.  Listen here!

We’ve also developed sample monthly budget sheets for you to use at home.  english / french / kirundi / somali / swahili