Supply Depot in Victoria for February

Supplies (bodies, name tags, hot glue sticks) will be available for angel-makers in Victoria from Feb. 4 to 22. Completed angels can also be dropped off. Contact:

• Vic Parsons
• 1473 Banff Pl. (off Doncaster) map
• 250-472-6499
• lvparsons@shaw.ca

If you rely on the bus, arrangements can usually be made to meet at a nearby shopping mall.

Photos from Malawi

Delirah Phiri, our contact in Mzuzu, Malawi sent some new photos of aid recipients. Delirah reports that it's raining frequently which is good for the crops. But fuel is very scarce and if you are able to "find it by chance..prices have soared skyhigh".
If you click on a picture, it will enlarge.
The women above receive supplementary food since their health status prevents them from farming.
The second group are farmers in Choma who receive seeds and fertilizer for three years to feed their families.
Delirah expresses admiration for Bettie Ngulube from the Choma group. Bettie (photo below) has no fingers but still tills the land and is secretary of the group. "I was deeply touched and amazed with this woman's spirit to keep working," Delirah writes.

Money Collected?

If you have collected money for African AIDS Angels, please write a cheque or obtain a money order and mail it to

• African AIDS Angels
• c/o 1855 Neil St.
• Victoria BC V8R 3C6.

Please email us (africanaidsangels@gmail.com) if you need other ways to transfer money.

Cash donations by credit card can be made through the PayPal account on our website, and we use this for online angel orders as well. However PayPal is not a preferred way to send money you've collected for angels because of the fees charged. Thanks.

News from Away

More good news from out-of-town groups:

1) Sandi in Los Angeles who knows people in BC has been making angels for several years and sent another donation from her community efforts

2) a small church group in Red Deer Alberta sent a large cheque from their one-and-a half year project. A newcomer from Victoria who had made angels before suggested this activity to a group of busy young moms and young middle-aged women. Emily calls it an amazing, wonderful experience which met all their goals.
With new babies on the scene and one person moving away, the group has discontinued making angels but they send best wishes to other angel-making groups and the recipients of our proceeds in southern Africa.

University of Victoria group

Last spring a prospective student at the University of Victoria - Megan - expressed interest in making angels. Since our weekday sessions are not convenient for students, we suggested she might like to establish a club at UVic which could meet at an appropriate time. Megan took this challenge on, and after the completion of one successful term, sent this report:

With the guidance and support of AAA board members Laura and Sandra, we created AIDS Angels UVic as a club on campus. We meet every Tuesday evening for a couple hours, making the Angels from supplies generously given to us by Sandra, Carol and Barb.

The other girls who have joined our group bring creativity and positive energy: I truly couldn't have done it without their folding and crafting and gluing efforts! We had a very successful first term, raising around $200 in Angel sales on World AIDS Day on December 1st at UVic, as well as another day on campus.

World AIDS Day was especially rewarding, as I got to work with UVic Aid for AIDS and the African Awareness Club to collaborate on the day's events. A representative from the Island Sexual Health Clinic was at one of our tables which included both information and AIDS Angels. Later that day a guest speaker held a discussion on her anthropological research with AIDS and Papua New Guinea indigenous peoples. Overall, it was a great day for drumming up awareness!

Out-of-town Groups

Congratulations and thanks to:

• Judy and her Nova Scotia colleagues who have raised a total of $10,000 since starting only in spring 2009
• groups in Roberts Creek, Vancouver, and Pender Island who have added to their substantial totals this year.

We are so impressed and grateful.