News Archive 2011
2011
-
English Access Microscholarship Program Graduation
Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM), Virginia Palmer, awarded graduation certificates to 45 very excited English Access Microscholarship learners from Soweto, Chatsworth (Durban) and Walmer (Port Elizabeth) as part of a three-day event in Johannesburg to honor their achievement in completing the intensive two-year program of English language study.
-
Success Story for Community College Initiative Program Alumni
Eight young South African men and women, who participated in the fully-sponsored U.S. State Department’s Community College Initiative Program, were recently offered full-time employment with an international mining and construction company, after completing a one-year project management learnership.
-
South African Youth at COP-17
18 high school learners from around the country will be attending the opening days of COP-17 in Durban to hold a youth summit and to develop a youth protocol that highlights African perspectives on climate change challenges.
-
Facing the Music in South Africa
September 29, 2011: Music is sometimes considered a universal language, capable of bringing together people of many different countries and cultures. That ability was on display here as the members of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Band “Touch ‘N Go” gave performances and met with local music students.
-
Ambassador and Mrs. Gips Fete the 2011 Community Grantees
September 28, 2011: Ambassador and Mrs Gips celebrated this year's 2011 Community Grants Program and the Community Grantees at their residence...
-
National Day Celebration
September 15, 2011: "Our partnership stretches beyond South Africa. Together, we work to promote peace, democracy and economic development around the world. While we sometimes disagree on the tactics to achieve these goals, we are always united in our ultimate objective—a world where all are free to determine their future."- Ambassador Donald Gips
-
Peace Corps Volunteers are Sworn In
September 8, 2011: The Volunteers will be assigned to rural primary and secondary schools to work in Northern Cape, North West, and Limpopo Provinces. Most of the Volunteers will be teaching and working with local educators and principals to deliver Math, Science, English, Literacy, and Basic Computer Literacy.
-
Climate Change Orientation for Students
August, 2011: With the Durban hosted U.N. Climate Change Conference just a few months away, the U.S. Consulate Durban in collaboration with the Mazisi Kunene Foundation conducted an Environmental Program to discuss climate change with students at KwaHluzingqondo High School.
-
"Eco Day" at the Tshwane University of Technology
August 27, 2011: Environment, Science and Technology Officer John Griffith urged young South Africans to get active about climate change. Drawing a comparison with the 2010 World Cup, Mr. Griffith said the upcoming COP 17 climate change conference in Durban could similarly raise South Africa’s profile on the global stage.
-
Sustaining Life through PEPFAR Funding
August 10, 2011: “We haven’t lost a child in more than two years.” Father Stan, founder of the St. Francis Care Centre, explains to a visiting U.S. educational delegation how U.S.-financed antiretroviral therapy has sustained the lives of orphans housed at the centre, which treats adults and children infected with HIV and AIDS.
-
Cape Town Students Dream Big and Win in Black History Month National Essay Contest
July 25, 2011: The school hall at Cape Academy for Maths, Science, and Technology erupted with thunderous applause, whistles, cheers, and tears of pride on the afternoon of July 25 as Grade 10 learner Carla van Niekerk was awarded top prize in the Black History Month National Essay Contest.
-
HIV Positive Graduates Ready for Prime Time
July 22, 2011: Through a President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) grant, the Consulate (Johannesburg) worked with GlobalGirls, a U.S.-based NGO, to train 10 HIV-positive young women from Soweto in social media and reporting skills.
-
Regional Medical Officer Visits Mae Jemison U.S. Science Reading Room
June 2, 2011: On May 25, Dr. Andrew Trego, Regional Medical Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, presented “The Science of Medicine” program to approximately 35 members of the Mae Jemison U.S. Science Reading Room.
-
WWF African Rhino Expert Talks about “Why Rhinos Matter” with Mae Jemison U.S. Science Reading Room Members
June 1, 2011: On June 1, Dr. Joseph Okori, manager of the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) African Rhino Program addressed approximately 50 Mae Jemison U.S. Science Reading Room students on “ Why Rhinos Matter.” Dr Okori, who coordinates WWF’s rhino conservation efforts throughout Africa, started his wildlife career as a veterinarian in Uganda.
-
Health Education through Music
May 19, 2011: Over the course of fifteen days students in three rural schools in Mpumalanga learned about, wrote about and sang about HIV/Aids and staying healthy. Funded by PEPFAR and managed by the US Embassy, for this project the musicians and Educators of the Positivo organization worked closely...
-
Mae Jemison U.S. Science Reading Room Celebrates 2nd Anniversary with Open House
May 7, 2011: Cheers and music resonated at the Mae Jemison U.S. Science Reading Room on May 7th as more than 300 library members, their parents and guardians, U.S. Government and University of Pretoria visitors and key science education contacts gathered to celebrate the second anniversary of the reading room with an Open House.
-
Ms Gips Visits Meetse a Bophelo Primary School
April 19, 2011: Elizabeth Gips, education expert and Senior Education Advisor at USAID, as well as the spouse of Ambassador Donald Gips, visited Meetsi a Bophelo primary school in Mamelodi, a township outside of Pretoria.
-
RFK in the Land of Apartheid-A Ripple of Hope
April 10, 2010: Ambassador Donald Gips gave a keynote address to nearly 400 Wits alumni and invited guests in celebration of the newly released documentary RFK in the Land of Apartheid-A Ripple of Hope. The screening, held in the Wits Great Hall where Robert Kennedy gave his seminal speech in Johannesburg some 45 years earlier.
-
Peace Corps South Africa Swearing-In Ceremony
March 24, 2011: After taking the Oath of Service, the 46 Volunteers were subsequently deployed to the provinces of Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape. They will all be involved in providing services directly related to HIV/AIDS and Education through local Community Based Organizations.
-
South African Library Week
March 28, 2011: As we celebrate South African Library Week , the U.S. Embassy recognizes the pivotal role that South Africa’s libraries play in supporting education, fostering economic growth, fostering health awareness, and informing citizens for their fullest participation in a robust democracy.
-
Urban Dance Cultural Envoy Program
March 23, 2011: Two U.S. cultural envoys led a series of artistic workshops aimed at amplifying positive role models in urban culture to promote social development, crime prevention, and community empowerment among youth.
-
USAID Assesses South Africa’s Flood Damage and Provides Assistance
March 17, 2011: USAID contributed financial support to RSA to provide immediate relief aid and, importantly, to partner with municipal and provincial disaster management authorities, as well as other agencies, to lead flood relief and recovery efforts for families.
-
Peace Corps celebrates 50th Anniversary
March 1, 2011: Over the past five decades, Peace Corps Volunteers have served in nearly 140 countries, bringing a wealth of practical assistance to those working to build better lives for themselves and their communities.
-
South African Community College students volunteer on Martin Luther King Day
February 16, 2011: Two South African students, Crystal Fortune and Shene van der Westhuizen, currently studying at Kapi’olani Community College in Honolulu, recently volunteered to work for an organization on Martin Luther King Day.
-
Health Heroes Lead the Response to HIV and TB
February 14, 2011: US Consul General Alberta Mayberry presented awards to two local health workers, winners of an international President's Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) contest. “Progress in the fight against HIV and TB is made by one health hero at a time”, said Dr. Mayberry. And these health workers have certainly walked the extra mile -- often literally...