With a fraternal welcome by Brother Ismael Beltrán, Visitor of RELAL (Spain and Portugal), the Bureau of the Worldwide Union of Lasallian Former Students held a series of meetings from 29th to 30th of May, 2004, at La Salle Regional Center – Madrid.

The following people participated to the meetings: Br. Claude Reinhardt, UMAEL Advisory and General Counselor, (Rome); José Ramón Batiste Peñaranda, President , (Spain), Humberto Valladares Buenfil, Vice-president, (Mexico), Claudio Iván Zegarra Arellano, General Secretary, (Perú), and José Manuel Avila Bosch, Web Master (Spain), as a guest. Due to personal reasons, the General Treasurer, Andrea Gumina (Italy), could not be present.

Area of GENERAL SECRETARIATE

Enrolment to UMAEL has been approved for the following Associations:

• Asociación de Exalumnos De La Salle de Cochabamba – Bolivia

• Asociación Excolegiales La Salle-Blanca Castilla de Aravaca – España

• Associacition des Anciens Eleves du Likés – Quimper Cedex – Francia

• Asociación Exalumnos La Salle de Benicarló – España

• Asociación Cultural de Antiguos Alumnos La Salle de Consuegra – España

• Old Collegians Saint Bede’s College Mentone – Melbourne – Australian

(Any Association of Lasallian Former Students over the world is entitled to apply for enrolment to UMAEL, in accordance with the new Statutes approved by the Extraordinary General Assembly held in Mexico in May 2003).
mayo 2003)

www.umael-lasalle.org/Eng/UMAEL/Secretary/Inscription.htm

Solidarity Area

Once in Madrid, UMAEL Bureau seized the opportunity and paid a visit to the head-quarters of the Lasallian NGO PROYDE (Promotion and Development), where we were welcomed by its Director, Br. José Manuel Ruiz.

www.lasalle.es/proyde

We could also visit the NGO HOMBRE NUEVO, TIERRA NUEVA (A new man, a new land), formed by Cuban Lasallian former students residing in Madrid, who are dedicating all their efforts to send medicines and teaching material to Cuba, all of which with the coordination and help of the Brothers in Cuba and of Cáritas.

We invite you all to visit their internet Web:
www.hombrenuevotierranueva.pangea.org

Contacts

UMAEL President had a meeting with Br. Michel Koassi MEZAN, Visitor of RELAF (Africa) to discuss over the Former Students Associations of Togo (2) and Benin (1), respectively, and their interest on being part of the UMAEL Lasallian net.

We could also greet Br. John Fernando, Visitor of India, who expressed his gratefulness to UMAEL for having activated the solidarity project “Educational and employment opportunities for the physically challenged youth” in KEESARA – India.

We do feel very satisfied by the results reached with this meeting.
The next plenary session of UMAEL Executive Committee (formed by 11 members) will take place in Cochabamba (Bolivia) from 20th to 21st of November, 2004, following an invitation by the Former Students Association of Cochabamba and by the Bolivia District, with the occasion of the celebration of the 5º National Congress of Lasallian Former Students, under the slogan: “Sharing our commitment”