Please join or renew membership in our dynamic and exciting organization! As you can see from our website, there are many ways to contribute. We have done good, hard work this year, and the SCD Board extends our deep gratitude to all our volunteers!

Recent highlights:

Arusha, Tanzania
• The Arusha committee provides school uniforms for 20 orphans in a primary school in Arusha every year.

• New project: bringing together Durham civic organizations to expand the school uniform program and perhaps create a sustainable tailoring industry in Arusha.

• The committee won a large Sister Cities International (SCI) grant to improve Arusha’s public health through a solid waste management project!

Durham, UK
• A delegation from NETPark (North England Technology Park) met with RTP officials.

• Rotary Club representatives in the two Durhams participated in the “Durham Reads” activity of the Durham County Library through video-conferencing.

• Four couples from Witton-Gilbert (a village near Durham, UK) will visit Durham, NC late this summer in the first “Neighborhood Exchange”.

Kostroma, Russia
• In May, through a successful art sale, the Kostroma Committee raised funds to help a Kostroma artist's widow and family.

• In November the committee won a third Open World grant that brought 5 librarians from Kostroma to stay with 3 Durham host families for a week.

• On November 15, the Kostroma Committee celebrated its 20th anniversary with a dinner. The celebration also included a student art exchange.

• In September 2010, a delegation of Durham librarians will visit their Kostroma colleagues to learn about Russian libraries.

Toyama, Japan
• A newly-negotiated agreement with Duke University Medical Center will bring interns from Toyama here on a regular basis! These connections between our 2 “Cities of Medicine” have also led to a Duke physician’s lecture in Toyama.

• The Toyama Committee hosted a prominent Japanese horticulturalist at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens Asian Gardens for 2 weeks in the early Fall. Check out the tea ceremonies in the Gardens!

• 2 Toyama city councilors visited to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the official linkage of the two cities. Japanese middle school students will visit Durham in Fall 2010; then in 2011 a middle-school delegation and Durham Children’s' Choir will visit Toyama.

Triangle Area Sister Cities
• We have commissioned a painting to be installed at RDU’s International Terminal to raise awareness of Sister Cities organizations in the Triangle! (More info here.)

• See us at the International Festival of Raleigh, October 1-3, 2010!

We are proud of our global citizen diplomacy network. Please do not hesitate to share your ideas for continued success and growth.

Sincerely,
Dr. Richard Hill
President, SCD