ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2012 VOL10 | Page 5

Introduction to the AGM 2012 Report The NAMCA Annual General Meeting | 2012 Andrew Mungoma | Vice President . NAMCA Edward Wanda | NAMCA | New York For an organization such as ours, time is of the essence. And in our books, delay is, indeed, the enemy of progress. However, we also acknowledge that, like the NAMCA president eloquently laid out, things are moving, albeit slowly. That’s why we are pleased that this report on the activities of December 2012 is finally out. I must applaud all who participated towards the realization of NAMCA conference in Mbale Uganda that took place between the 21st and the 22nd December 2012. This historic conference, marking 10 years, sought to celebrate the goals of cementing the relationship between the Diaspora and the home local community. Hopefully, it will be a tool for us to grow our membership, to stridently push for more development amongst the BaMasaaba, and perhaps, follow the example of those who are putting their money where their mouth is: Here, I am talking about doing more to benefit people on the ground. I characterize this conference as historic and successful because it was the first of its kind and did realize the ultimate objectives that informed the creation of NAMCA. The idea of a BaMasaaba association was crystallized in the first formal conference that took place in New York, at the Armonk Ramada Hotel. This is where the name and constitution of the organization was first given. And from that perspective, this report is unique. It is a story told by one of our own: Edward Wanda. He has eloquently captured the essence of the AGM in a way that not only inspires, but also reminds us of why we do what we do. Hence, without much ado, we present our AGM Report for 2012. The Ramada Inn, Armonk, NY The goals were to affect the lives of Bamasaba in the D ???????????????????Q???????95 ??????????)???5???????????????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????!?????????)????????????????????????????????????M???????)??????????????????????????????????)Q???????????95 ????????????????????????)??????????(?((