Fundraising

Terri Wingham, Volunteering in Paradise!

Terri Wingham is an inspirational cancer survivor who used her fight against cancer not only to help herself but provide support, guidance and meaning for others who are in a similar position. Realising a distinct lack of support for survivors once they have been placed in remission and the challenges in rebuilding a life after chemo, Terri has dedicated the year to researching volunteer organisations which would be suitable for cancer survivors to dedicate their time to and volunteer.  Terri shares with us her thoughts after spending a day with us in Zanzibar….

Sweat creeps from my kneecaps to my ankles and slides off the tip of my chin to free-fall onto my already drenched t-shirt. With sand and sunscreen intermingling on my fingers, I reach up to wrestle a lock of hair out of my line of sight. When I have both hands back on the handlebars, I push down hard on the bike pedals and attempt to accelerate through the layer of thick sand in front of the Jambiani Tourism Training Institute.

Eventually I give up and, following the lead of the veteran volunteers, I dismount and line up my borrowed bike against the inside wall of a small shed and look beyond the palm trees on my right while I breathe in the thick salty air. Of all of the places in the world to volunteer, Zanzibar (off the coast of Tanzania) has to be one of the most picturesque. I can’t help but take an extra 10 seconds to admire the aquamarine of the Indian Ocean as it quietly laps against its powdery white shore.

Over the next 90 minutes, I rotate between several groups of young men (and the occasional veiled young woman) and observe the creative English instruction going on. African Impact volunteers from across Europe and North America have engaged their students in everything from reading Primary School books to playing games of Hang Man to having the students teach them about the political landscape of the country (depending on the level of comprehension in each group).

The African Impact Project Coordinator tells me more about how the 8-week curriculum for these adult students works and how at the end of the most recent 8 weeks, the Level 5 students had the chance to write an exam and apply for a free slot in the yearlong Jambiani Tourism Training Institute Program. Although separate from the African Impact program, JTTI allows the African Impact volunteers to borrow space on their patio each morning for the English lessons. For many of these adult students, this free opportunity to learn English will mean the difference between being able to earn a decent living for themselves in the hospitality industry or not.

When lessons wrap up at JTTI, we climb aboard our bikes and tour three of the local nursery schools. I watch volunteers use flash cards to teach rambunctious 5-7 year olds the words for sea animals. Young veiled girls grin with glee when they get called up to the front of the room and then have the chance to race with the boys to be the first to reach the octopus or dolphin card hanging on the wall (depending on what word the volunteer calls out).

At noon, the children sing a little goodbye song in English and then clamber to help put chairs on top of tables. As we empty into the dusty football pitch and climb back onto our bikes, the children clutch the artwork from the day between their fingers and try to hop onto our bicycles for a free ride through the sandy streets of Jambiani. When we make it back to the home base/bungalows, three of the volunteers change into their bathing suits to swim in the ocean and wash the sweat of the day off before having lunch and heading into the community for the afternoon projects.

From my day with the African Impact team, I couldn’t help but leave impressed with the sustainability of the projects, the enthusiasm of the volunteers, and the picture perfect (albeit hot) location. As I volunteer around the world seeking partners for the future Fresh Chapter Foundation (to help other cancer survivors select, fundraise, and plan for their own international volunteer trips), I am looking to build partnerships with only those companies that provide extensive pre-departure and in-country support, ethical volunteer practices, and safe volunteering opportunities. African Impact has made it onto my list of partners well worth considering and I hope to have the chance to experience a full African Impact project in the near future.

If you would like to follow in Terri’s footsteps and come and join us in the tropical paradise of Zanzibar read more about our Volunteer Teaching & Community Project in Zanzibar. 

Investment Banker saves Lions

Asli featured in the Turkish version of 'Hello'

Asli Gedik – an ambassador to our Hands on Lion Rehabilitation Project at Antelope Park, Zimbabwe – has been an animal rights activist for many years – both in her native Turkey and also in Germany where she now lives and works. Born to Turkish Aristocracy in 1974, Asli learnt about promoting human, nature, environment and animal rights from an early age.

Now a top Investment Banker in Germany, Asli still finds time to pursue her passion for animal welfare. She is the coordinator of HAYTAP, an Animal Rights Federation responsible for Wildlife, Animal Testing and Fur commissions in Turkey, as well as recently becoming an official Ambassador for our partner organization ALERT (African Lion and Environment Research Trust).

We would like to thank Asli for her continued support and are looking forward to her joining us once again in the near future!

Feet of Fire!!

Walking on hot coals might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but Cassandra Beattie explains why it’s just the start of her fundraising!

“Before I set off for Antelope Park last December I wanted to raise some money for the orphanage. Through a raffle I raised $2,000. After visiting the orphanage and talking with Simba Giya, AP’s Community Project Manager, it was decided that it would be used for toys, clothes and school supplies. After returning from AP I had to return to work the next day and immediately put in a request to take another three months off work to return. Unfortunately I had to settle for two months, but I’ll be heading back to the Park this December.
This time, I’m serious and with 10 months between my placements I’m aiming for $30,000. I got in contact with ALERT’s partner, THAF, and arranged to do this through them. Most people thought I was being unrealistic, but so far I’ve raised almost $28,000!!
I knew I’d have to come up with some interesting ideas so after much consideration I decided that my main event would be a Fire Walk – a sponsored walk over hot coals.

I’ve also organised a race night at a greyhound track and several raffles. With the success of the first Fire Walk, which raised $19,500, I’m now organising a second one. I even resorted to crazy ways of advertising the events by getting designs and information shaved into my hair!
It’s been a lot of effort to organise but I know when I see the projects this money has helped to complete and the lives it has impacted, I know it will have been worth it.

Link Lion projects:
http://www.africanimpact.com/volunteer-projects/projects/african-lion-rehabilitation/details
http://happyafricafoundation.org/

 
To support Cassandra:
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserPage.action?userUrl=cassandrabeattie&faId=74966&isTeam=false

Just a small taster…

We recognised that Duncan Phiri, a young man from one of the communities that we work with had incredible talent, but unfortunately no means to further his education.  He had impressed us with his building skills when he helped us with our building project at Malota School.  He has also proved his talent with wood, constructing many pieces of furniture for the projects and our staff.  Now thanks to our sponsorship programe he has enrolled at the Institute of Business and Engineering in Livingstone to start his Building Construction course.  The course is 18 months, during which he will study carpentry and joinery, bricklaying and plastering and power electrical.  Once he has completed the course, Duncan plans to focus on his small carpentry business that he has already started, utilising all of the new skills he has learned.  After starting the course in May, Duncan is already proving to be a star student, his latest results from his carpentry module were 98%!  Well done Duncan!