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Austin
2 Africa Benefit Concert
An Evening of Bands and BBQ to Benefit a South African Orphanage
Event:
Performances by four Austin musical acts Benefiting: Austin
volunteer project to improve a crowded orphanage in Nyanga,
S. Africa
When:
Sunday, July 26, 2009, 5pm-9pm
Where:
Momo’s, 618 West 6th Street, Austin If You Go: Tickets
sold at the door for $10
Bands
and BBQ Benefit
Hear some great local music, eat free Rudy’s barbecue
and rub elbows with some fellow Austinites who are now just
a few months away from helping some special kids in South
Africa.
To help these volunteers achieve their goals, join us Sunday,
July 26th for beer, bands and barbeque! Hear the music of
Akina Adderley & The Vintage Playboys, Lindsay Rae Spurlock,
Paul Banks & the Carousels and Tandoorifinger. Get there
early to chow down on free Rudy’s BBQ between 5pm-6pm.
You
can also buy a $1 raffle ticket for a chance to win a variety
of prizes donated by local businesses, including a 50-minute
spa treatment, free restaurant meals and tickets to live theater
performances, just to name a few. Tickets for the benefit
concert will be $10 at the door. Kids under 12 can enter free.
What
makes this event so worthwhile? It directly benefits
the efforts of 10 dedicated Austinites who want to make a
real difference in the lives of some children in South Africa.
This November, the group will travel to the village of Nyanga
to help in the development of an orphanage that currently
houses 32 children.
The orphanage's founder, known as "Mama," started
by housing a few kids suffering from AIDS, but the numbers
kept growing, and she's simply out of room. "Mama"
gets no governmental assistance and relies solely on donations
and grants.
The orphanage includes 2 rooms, a small kitchen and a tiny
bathroom, all of which are in bad and unsanitary conditions.
32 children cannot grow and flourish when each child shares
a single mattress with three others.
The goal is to restore the existing rooms, and more importantly,
to demolish the shack in the back part of the garden and replace
it with proper walls and floor to make the house bigger. The
lack of space is a huge problem there and this will allow
the children to live and grow in a comfortable space, and
to potentially welcome new orphans in need of a safe home
and happy place to live. At the same time, this project will
potentially allow the orphanage to be helped in the future
by the social services, since it has to meet the requirements
of the government to do so, and one of the first things is
to eliminate temporary structures like shacks.
Finally, this project is also going to involve the community
in the township, where the unemployment rate is tremendous.
The project will hire from the community for its development,
and invite everyone at its completion for a celebratory event.
If AIDS orphans are considered as active members of the community
rather than just victims, their lives can be given purpose
and dignity.
The Volunteers
The goal for this group of volunteers is to raise
$20,000 in 8 months.
When initiating the project, the group wanted to make a stronger
impact than simply making a financial donation to a specific
charitable organization. Besides being involved in every part
of the process, from the screening of the project to its management,
the Austin volunteers wanted to raise awareness in the local
community through their fundraising events and have unexpectedly
found around them "a little world willing to help the
whole world," even during an economic crisis.
"The
right of a child is universal,” says volunteer Vanessa
Noel. “Even in this tough economy, I am seeing so many
generous people in this wonderful town who are giving what
they can towards this project, even if they’re struggling
financially themselves."
Since November, this group of Austin volunteers has been meeting
twice a month to raise funds and make plans for the upcoming
trip. They've worked countless hours to spread the word and
raise money.
All ticket and raffle sales will go to the South African project.
Anyone interested in learning more or donating toward the
cause can go to Austin2Africa.com.
Documentary
Film Screening Benefit:
Austin Volunteers to Improve a Crowded South African Orphanage
Event:
Testing Hope: Grade 12 in the New South Africa film screening
When: Monday,
March 23, 2009 at 7pm
Where: Alamo
Drafthouse Village Cinema, 2700 W. Anderson Ln.,
Austin Benefiting:
Austin volunteer project to improve a crowded orphanage in
Nyanga
Contact:
Michele Kim Carter at (512) 413 2253 or Vanessa Noel, (512)
904 1121
Testing Hope:
Grade 12 in the new South Africa, an award-winning documentary
by Molly Blank, follows four 12th grade students at a high
school in Nyanga, outside of Cape Town. The students work
extremely hard to pass a crucial nationwide make-or-break
exam called Matric. The film contrasts the sharp educational
differences between the black African students and the white
students in post-Apartheid South Africa.
20 amazing Austinites are responsible for bringing the movie
to the Alamo Village theater. This coming November, the group
will actually travel to Nyanga to re-build an orphanage that
currently houses 32 children (9 boys between 9 and 17 years
old + 5 girls between 8 and 14 years old + 18 little ones
between 0 and 7 years old).
Children at the crowded orphanage are now sleeping 3 to 4
to a bed, or on the floor. The orphanage's founder, known
as "Mama," started by housing a few kids suffering
from AIDS, but the numbers kept growing, and she's simply
out of room. "Mama" gets no governmental assistance
and relies solely on donations.
The Film
For students in Nyanga, South Africa, a high school
test means everything! The test is called Matric and one student
calls it "the decider". For many, it means the difference
between higher education and jobs, or a life of unemployment
and poverty. "Testing Hope: Grade 12 in the new South
Africa" is an award-winning documentary by Molly Blank.
It follows four 12th grade students at a high school in Nyanga,
outside of Cape Town, as they take this exam that could determine
their future. But the question remains how these students
will achieve those dreams in a country where racial segregation
has been governmentally-enforced for almost 50 years. A friend
of the filmmaker, who has been to the school, will be present
for Q&A after the film.
The
Volunteers
The goal for this group of volunteers is to raise $80,000
in 8 months. That's roughly $4,000 each.
Vanessa Noel, who started the project, came back from a sabattical
in South Africa and knew she had to do something. "The
right of a child is universal. Even in this tough economy,
I am seeing so many generous people in this wonderful town
who are struggling even for themselves, give what they can
towards this project."
"Our goal is to restore the existing rooms, and more
importantly, to build a second level that will allow the children
more space to live and grow, and to potentially welcome new
orphans in need of a safe home and happy place to live,"
Noel says.
Since November, this group of 20 Austin volunteers have met
twice a month to talk about ways to raise money for the project.
They've worked tireless hours on spreading the word and holding
fundraising events.
All ticket sales will go to the South African project. People
can go to Austin2Africa.com
to donate or learn more.
Tickets
for the documentary at the Alamo Drafthouse Village are on
sale for $10 on www.originalalamo.com.
At the website, select the date March 23rd and the “Testing
Hope” screening information link will appear.
Online
Resources
•
For a preview and more information on the Testing Hope film,
visit: http://www.matricthefilm.com/story.html
•
To watch an online video about this dedicated group of local
volunteers, go to: http://tr.im/gYUh
•
To read more about the local group of volunteers and to send
a donation, visit www.Austin2Africa.com
•
To purchase an advance ticket for the Alamo film screening
on March 23rd, visit http://www.originalalamo.com/Show.aspx?id=6263
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