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March is here—the month of spring—and it’s time to share some news about your association. We hope you’ve had a good start to the year and that this newsletter will give you a chance to reconnect with the world of Casa Alianza, both here in Geneva and in the countries where we work.
As always, please feel free to contact us for more information, if you have ideas for activities or fundraising, or if you’d like to receive a print copy of QUE PASA. Our contact information is:

12 rue du Diorama
1204 Geneva
Tel. 022 321 82 86
info@casa-alianza.ch

On behalf of the entire Casa Alianza team, we hope you enjoy reading this issue!

Meeting in London between Casa Alianza Switzerland, Casa Alianza UK, and Covenant House

Marjorie, your dedicated Executive Director, traveled to London on Monday, January 15, for a meeting with Fred Shortland, coordinator of Casa Alianza UK, and Judith Nichols, Senior Vice President for Development at Covenant House.
The urgent need for a regional coordinator was raised. Closer communication between the European Casa Alianza branches and Covenant House was suggested, and this meeting provided an opportunity for the two European offices to reaffirm their commitment to the cause of street children, to highlight their funding challenges—and yet the fundraising potential they represent—and to emphasize the need for support from the parent organization.
This meeting was also very useful for establishing a personalized relationship among the three entities and should lead to closer collaboration in the future.

The Committee on the Rights of the Child – Session of January 29, 2007

The Committee on the Rights of the Child is a body composed of 18 independent experts that monitors the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by States Parties.
Following the October 2006 meeting, during which Honduras was heard (a closed-door session between the Committee and civil society that provided the NGOs present and UNICEF with the opportunity to offer their own perspectives on the implementation of the Convention at the national level), the Committee prepared a list of questions for the government. The government was required to respond in writing prior to its appearance before the Committee on January 19, 2007.
You can view the government’s report at http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G06/433/44/PDF/G0643344.pdf?OpenElement.
Following this January meeting, the Committee will issue a list of recommendations known as the concluding observations. The government is expected to follow these guidelines to improve the situation of children and youth in the country.

Committee on the Rights of the Child… continued and concluded.

Noboru came from Casa Alianza Guatemala to meet with members of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on February 8. The discussion focused on the two Optional Protocols to the Convention, which address children involved in armed conflict and those sold for adoption, forced labor, sexual exploitation, etc.
Casa Alianza prepared a report on the second Optional Protocol mentioned above. Casa Alianza’s report will be available on the Child Rights Information Network website (www.crin.org ) before the end of the month for those who wish to learn more. The meeting was closed to the public, so it is not possible to provide details about the discussion itself.

Eliane’s Trip to Guatemala

In December, Eliane, our Guatemalan Committee member, flew back to her home country to visit her family and, of course, the entire team at Casa Alianza Guatemala.
She brought back hundreds of photos and will be happy to answer your questions about Guatemala, Casa Alianza’s programs, and more at the 2007 General Assembly.
Feel free to contact her at her email address: eliane@casa-alianza.ch .

Changes to the Committee

These changes will be approved by the Annual General Meeting in March 2007, but we are already announcing the departure of Lisa Myers and Emanuel Campos from the Board.
The Association’s treasurer will be replaced by Julia Lambert. Julia has long been an active member of the Association. She was instrumental in managing the administrative transition between Myriam’s departure in October 2005 and Marjorie’s arrival in March 2006. She is well-versed in accounting, and her energy and cheerful disposition are valuable assets for Casa Alianza Switzerland.
We therefore wish Lisa and Emanuel the best of luck in their endeavors and welcome Julia to the Association’s executive board.

2007 General Assembly: March 29 at the Casa Alianza office

Mark your calendars!
This year’s General Assembly will take place on Thursday, March 29, 2007, at the Casa Alianza office, 12 rue du Diorama, 1204 Geneva, starting at 7:00 p.m.

2007: We Need Volunteers!! Get Involved in a Project with Casa Alianza Switzerland!

If you know anyone looking for a meaningful way to spend their free time, please feel free to direct them to Casa Alianza Switzerland.
Raising awareness and everything related to it can be an exciting area of activity—whether working on the web, on our exhibition, on conferences or events to be organized, or simply joining an existing team like the live-CD team, which handles the development and promotion of the Compil’ Casa Alianza.
If you’re interested, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

Would you like to get more involved?

• We always need our members’ time and ideas to support street children. If you’d like to become an active member, you can:
• Join a Casa Alianza Switzerland team. Please email info@casa-alianza.ch or visit our website (www.casa-alianza.ch).
• Help with stuffing envelopes? For our mailings, we’re looking for a few people who are available to help with stuffing envelopes. Please sign up at info@casa-alianza.ch
• If you have ideas for activities, please contact us by emailing info@casa-alianza.ch.

Thank you for your support!