New Board Member-Uganda

June 13 TH 2016

Introducing BayHeal and BLAIR to a new board member-Uganda

Name of Org: Bay Area Healthy Living Support and Communication Platform-BayHeal

Vision: Empowering individuals to demand, access, utilize healthy living options, make informed decisions and engage in self-development activities for durable holistic & quality health outcomes.

MISSION: We are contributing to eliminating health disparities among sub-population groups by reaching out to the African immigrants in the Bay Area.

Target: Any beneficiaries or Africans and recent immigrants from Africa living in Bay Area.

MEMBERS:

1.     Tom R. M. M.

       1230 Market Street #150

        San Francisco, CA 94102

        Telephone: 415-410-8340
        E-mail: Tom@bayheal.org

                          

2.      J. B.M. Ssentongo JD

        Palo Alto, CA

        @JbmConcise

        (Dr. J. B. M. Ssentongo, is a Clean Water Access Fanatic, an American Lawyer, Energy &      Lighting, Entrepreneur, Teacher, and a custodian for Justice.)

Agenda

1.     Opening Remarks

2.     Introductions

3.     The Bay Area Healthy Living Support and Communication Platform-BayHeal

4.     Conclusion

Minute 1/Opening Remarks/Talk Points/6/13/2016

Thomas introduced the vision and mission of organization.

The organization has the following vision: Empowering individuals to demand, access, utilize healthy living options, make informed decisions and engage in self-development activities for durable holistic & quality health outcomes.

It is a not-for-profit organization registered in California, USA.

The organization has a 20 year strategic plan. Please check it out via this blog site.

The immediate catchment area: Bay Area of the West Coast (Northern California) and other parts of the USA and the world.

The organization addresses healthy living and holistic development issues among persons from Africa.

We are in the process of soliciting funding for the 20 year Strategic Plan which can be accessed here via this blog.

The organization needs a Ugandan board member to be part of the board that comprises of other members from different African countries and America.

The organization reports to a board, beneficiaries, funders and anyone who seeks to know what we do.

Pointed out how Dr. J.B.M. Ssentongo can help mobilize Ugandan community through the Radio Ekimeeza and other Community events such as designed messages on historical facts about USA/Uganda.

There is hope that health messaging can only become part of the community events when it delivered as a sandwiched package with other information products.

Dr. J. B. Ssentongo agreed to become a board member as well as become a key mobilizer for the Uganda community in Northern California. 

ACTION POINTS: Asked Dr. J. B. M. Ssentongo to become a board member.

Minute 2/Introductions/6/13/2016

The organization was initiated in 2012 but the name, vision and mission took form in 2014. Two persons from Tunisia asked the founder to direct them where to get dental care. He escorted the two as they made plans to visit a dental clinic and what transpired led to the beginning of the organization. Two other experiences also made the founder remain focused on registering it formally. During the Ebola outbreak of 2014. Africans in Oakland, Hayward, San Jose and San Francisco shared with founder experiences of denigrating remarks made by people towards them just because they ‘were from Africa.’ The third reason was when the founder lost his job when a client made it known he was scared of Africans and that they are bringing Ebola to USA.

ACTION POINTS: To mobilize resources for office space.

WHO: Thomas.

Minute 3/Bay Area Healthy Living Support and Communication Platform-BayHeal/ 6/13/2014

The organization is a platform to mobilize marginalized communities to access health care services (not only Africans, it benefits anyone). The Bay Area consists of nine counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma. It is a platform that will, as well, make referral in situations requiring other interventions in these 9 counties under the “Know Your County-Know Your Service-Needs [KYCKYS]” Drive.

The organization will reach out to about 20,000 adults above 21years as well as 60,000 below 21 years (this is an anecdotal estimation). Priority Africa Network puts the population of persons from Africa living in the Bay Area at 2% of the Bay Area Population. Recent Statistics on Bay Area Population is: 7,002,425 (Census 2000 SF1, SF3, DP1-DP4, Census 2010 DP-1, American Community Survey 2006-2010). 2% of this population is about: 140,048.5 people.

The organization has been registered as a not-for-profit. It originally was operated out of a home at 636 Peralta Avenue, San Francisco CA and the first benefactor was Mr. Selwyn Jones who has since passed away. The organization reached milestones in the first 9 months of its existence: 3 members were escorted to the Human Services Agency where they registered for Social Security benefits and 2 were escorted to the San Francisco General Hospital for medical services. Mr. Selwyn Jones contributed $ 1,150 towards the money that was used as transport (on average $100 per month for a transport card+ travel beyond BART areas) and pocket money used for the exploratory and mapping exercise to gauge numbers of Africans in the Bay Area. A report on this has been produced. Mr. Selwyn, as well, left furniture which he instructed should be used as office furniture if and when the organization gets funded. I wish to fulfill this with your help. The immediate issue is to get the furniture out of the house he used to stay in by April 25th 2015.

Those who have so far accepted to be part of the advisory board: Mr. Sam Mwangi, Mr. Sciarillo Joseph (still undecided), Mr. John Stovall, Ms. Stephanie Urtusan and Mr. Austin Padilla. There are other members who will join and updates will be provided.

ACTION POINTS: -Website, Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram.

                                - Map out social services in Northern California and develop and referral data base.

                                - Develop a calendar to reach out to beneficiaries using their established community gathering mechanisms & voluntarily elected leaders. E.g., Egyptian and Tunisian community meet at Al-Mansul (Geary St.); Moroccan (Marrakech Moroccan Restaurant (O’Farrell St.); Congolese (SF/Oakland/Bay Area African Dance   Fiesta for Mozambicans/Angolans (24th & Mission); Chimurenga for Zimbabweans (SF Public Library, San Francisco & Priority Africa Network, Berkeley at 6501 Telegraph Avenue Oakland); Kimeeza for Ugandans (St. Mary’s Seminary, Oakland), West Africans (Little Baobab 3380 19th Street/Bissap and Little Baobab Restaurant 3372 19th Street); Uhuru for Kenyans ( various venues), Ethiopians and Eritreans also have various meeting points ( from restaurants, soccer games to festivities).

WHO: Thomas

Minute 6/ Conclusion/6/13/2016

The meeting was adjourned.