Africa

Gateway House Nears Completion

November 27, 2008 in AIDs, David Youngren, Save Africa Now, Tanzania, africa | No comments

David Youngren and his son Nathaneal are in Tanzania right now. Last summer a group from Red Deer visited the country to help build Save Africa Now’s first of many homes for children orphaned because of AIDS. The house is named the Gateway House because kids from Gateway Christian school helped raise the money to build the structure.

Here’s an excerpt from David and SAN’s Live blog:

It was really special to take the orphans who will live in the Gateway House to see their new place. It’s now almost done. They should be able to move there in less than two weeks. They were crying, especially Consolata. They were laughing. They were singing songs of celebration. We were all very moved when we saw their tears. We realized how much their world had changed since we first saw them. They lived in such horrible surroundings that it is incomprehensible for us to truly understand…how can anyone live like it?

Volunteer in Tanzania with Save Africa Now

August 11, 2008 in AIDs, Save Africa Now, Tanzania, africa | 1 comment

if you have always wanted to travel to Africa. if you have a special nudge on your heart to spend time with children affected by AIDs. if you can’t explain it, but want to do something good, something sacrificial, something different.

think about joining a Save Africa Now Task Force Team.

my friends at the organization are looking for volunteers for a november trip. visit the Canadians for Africa blog to get a sense what such a trip would be like.

and, find out more details here.

Off to Africa!

May 10, 2008 in AIDs, Save Africa Now, Tanzania, africa, daniel kooman | 2 comments

Not me, but my parents, younger brother, his fiancee, some good friends, and a few cousins. 12 people in all, off to Tanzania to build a house.

I didn’t go with them, but I did throw together a quick website for them. Check out their tiny little site and their blog.

They’ve been planning the trip for months. They’re going to build the first of what will be many homes for AIDS orphans. The first will house Juma and Haruna, brothers featured in the film Africa Sing Me Your Song which Daniel shot with David Youngren, and at least four other children.

I’m expecting the trip to be a powerful experience.

Save Africa Now Benefit - Saturday, April 12

April 11, 2008 in AIDs, Save Africa Now, africa, red deer | 1 comment

Want to hear some good music, kick back, and show off some moves on a dance floor?

Well, Saturday night you can! And while you do it, you’ll be helping a team from Red Deer build a house for AIDs orphans in Tanzania, Africa.

Save Africa Now Benefit

SATURDAY, APRIL 12 from 7-10:30 PM

Silent Auction and Dance featuring LIVE music from WOODEN NICKEL

Red Deer Lodge - Piper Creek Room

*Leave a comment if you want me to reserve you a ticket (they’re $10 in advance or 2 for $15 - Children 12 and under are FREE!)

raise their voice - ‘Under Erasure’

March 28, 2008 in AIDs, africa, raise their voice, suffering children | No comments

Warren Buffet on Divestment in Sudan

May 10, 2007 in Warren Buffet, africa, china, darfur, social justice, sudan | No comments

Apparently Warren Buffet has said that “divesting his company’s stake in Petro China, which produces oil in Sudan and exports it back to China, would have no impact on the Sudanese or the Chinese government’s attitude toward the ongoing calamity in the western part of Africa’s largest country” (see Bill Powell’s blog at Time.com, emphasis mine).

The statement, for me, is hard to believe. If drastic measures are taken (divestment that financially cripples) to signal to the Sudanese government that the world will no longer support its disgusting habits, there will be change.

Buffet’s statement also troubles me. As the world’s wealthiest investor, people take note of him and are hungry to model him, especially his investments. Does he make no connection between oil, money, foreign investment to Sudan, and the genocide? Or does he mean to say that nothing can change the Sudanese government’s domestic policy of atrocity? I hope Buffet’s full disclosure on the issue will be made public so that I can further understand what he means. Until then I won’t comment further.

I feel that we are still haunted and deceived by John Maynard Keynes’ words:

For at least another hundred years we must pretend to ourselves and to every one that fair is foul and foul is fair; for foul is useful and fair is not. Avarice and usury and precaution must be our gods for a little longer still.

You can help stop the genocide in Sudan

May 8, 2007 in africa, chinese domestic policy, darfur, social justice | No comments

Fidelity is a major holder of PetroChina, the Chinese oil company that is one of the biggest offenders in helping to fund the genocide in Darfur.

Despite complaints from concerned citizens and investors, Fidelity has not accepted responsibility for its role in investing in companies that help fund the genocide in Darfur and has refused to withdraw these investments.

Tell Fidelity it’s time to stop investing in companies that help fund the genocide.

Click here to sign the petition asking them to cut their ties with businesses supporting the genocide.

While diplomacy is crucial, most international efforts have failed to get through to Sudan.

What a week!

April 16, 2007 in africa, celebration, inventory, plays, red deer college, travel | No comments

To be honest, it was a bit of a doozy. I felt stretched with business, but it was also exhilirating. I am learning Adobe Illustrator at school and when I close my eyes and try to sleep at night I see it’s toolbar.

We rehearsed and re-rehearsed my play Shelter again, then it was performed on Wednesday night. It was well received and an encouraging night. It was cool to see the other playwrights plays from the Scripts at Work program as well. Congrats to Andy Garland, Ron Schuster, Alexandra Mihill, Darren Hopwood, Albertus Koett, and Jenna Goldade (and keep an eye out for these names in the future).

Thursday I also had the pleasure to check out some of the art of the visual artists at the Red Deer College on display, including the work of my good friend Emily Neufeld.

Friday I was busy, after class, selling merch for David Youngren and my younger brother Dan for their exciting documentary short Africa Sing Me Your Song. We took it to Crossroads Church on Saturday and the DVDs sold like hotcakes. I’m going to be writing a short article this week for SaveAfricaNow.org.

Saturday a vanload of us made a quick trip out to Rosebud to see the theatre’s first ever production of a Shakespeare play. Kelsey Krogman was fabulous as Rosalind in the bard’s As You Like It, and brother Aaron was in fine form in a smattering of roles. We escaped to Three Hills for a meal to die for at a small little restaurant, and I had what I think just might be the best coffee ever. Ask Dan about his near-death account at Mable Lake a few years ago. The part about the lost swim trunks and deflated rubber dingy had me laughing so hard, all the food I downed was nearly downed in vain.