Angels available in Victoria via website

One of our volunteers is experimenting with asking for donations in a new way.

UsedVictoria.com is a popular website for buying and selling items. Now African AIDS Angels has a spot in the folk art category. You can check this out at www.usedvictoria.com, and type African Aids Angels in the search box.

Since items are delivered in person, it only works for orders in the local community. It's an interesting new fund-raising effort, and we're curious to know how the experiment turns out.

Ideas

Design Inspirations

Many of you have asked for more photos of different styles of angels. Carol has created a link to an album of varied angels, including some notes on how they were made. Check the website and click on “What’s new”.

Thembalethu Report

Thembalethu (Our Hope)

The name of the children’s shelter that Lorraine and Vic Parsons worked at from October to December 2007 pretty much sums up the hope for the future of the many orphaned and abandoned children in this part of South Africa. Both the shelter and St. Mary’s Hospital are located in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, the hardest hit part of South Africa by the HIV-AIDS pandemic.

We were astonished at the deep connections that the Zulu order of nuns, Daughters of St. Francis, have in the local community. The shelter is located two hours south of Durban in a rural setting of steep hills and green valleys. Not only do the sisters run the shelter, which accommodates between 20 and 26 children at a time, but they also provide meals for local schoolchildren, and they have an Outreach program that supplies food parcels – rice, beans, cornmeal, dairy supplements, oil – and blankets. If someone needs a wheelchair, they will work diligently to find one. If an ill person needs assistance to get a doctor’s certificate so they can get a pension from the government, they will explore all means possible. They also run a day care for children at the Assisi mission, and help support another about 10 kilometres away that serves 80 local kids. They distribute fresh food from their gardens to the local community.

When we consider the word Hope, we think of little Sanelisiwe, a toddler who came to the shelter shortly before we arrived. She had been abandoned by her mother for days and the only brief care she received was from passing strangers. Although she has not been tested, because she does not have a birth certificate and her mother has disappeared, she most likely carries the HIV virus. At first, no one could approach her crib without her bursting into tears and crying loudly. The only way the sisters and caregivers could get her to stop was by tossing a blanket over her head. Gradually, she allowed people to hold her, and then to give her small amounts of food. By the time we left Assisi, she would grin happily whenever we opened the door to the shelter. She would play with the other children and was so proud of her little frilly dress. To us, it was a minor miracle!

The other program African AIDS Angels contributes to is Born to Live at St. Mary’s Hospital just outside Durban. Drugs are given to pregnant moms to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. About 4,000 babies and 3,500 mothers have gone through this program with a 95 per cent success rate. The AAA money provides counseling so the drugs are taken appropriately. If the drugs are not taken properly, the therapy would fail.

Angel Supplies

Where to find angel making supplies

Angel making kit complete with:

Angel bodies, with 15 hair and 5 without

Name tags

Raffia

Glue sticks

Will be available from Mary after May 12.

Send a message to africanaidsangels@gmail.com to arrange pick up.


The following are also available:

Fabric, bling, ribbon, beads

Remember:

Angels can be delivered to angel making sessions.

Come to pick up materials, or exchange fabric even if you do not have time to stop and make angels with the group.

See dates and locations posted on the blog.

Reports from the Field

Over forty people attended our information meeting in Victoria on March 13th. We were able to get a much better sense of the impact of our fundraising efforts. Vic and Lorraine Parsons described the family atmosphere provided by the nuns at Thembalethu Orphanage in South Africa and the community outreach work they are also doing. AIDS Angels will be providing funds to assist with the outreach program in future.

Pierre and Lee Ann Dil presented a slide show about Makeni and the orphanage in Zambia that you can view on You Tube. Check below for the links.

Teddy Phiri sent a report and photos from Malawi about one of the families we are supporting. That is included below.

You can find more photos by checking the website.

Malawi Report

Teddy Phiri, one of our Malawi contacts has sent this report about a family that we are supporting. This gives a good picture of the larger issues that this family and others affected by AIDS are facing. Further comments in italics.

This family of Mr and Mrs Ngwata live in Dunduzu area about 10 km from Mzuzu City. Both of them are on ARV treatment. (Anti-retroviral drugs suppress the symptoms of Aids and may allow the person to assume some of their responsbilities). One child died in January 2008. He was also on ARV treatment. They have had 8 children, 5 are still living. Their eldest, a daughter, just disappeared leaving behind two children. The last-born child who is 7 months old also shows signs of being HIV positive.

Discovery of HIV Status

The husband in 2004 became very sick. After tests at the hospital, he was diagnosed as HIV positive and the wife was also tested and she was found positive too. Immediately both of them were put on ARVs.

Community Support

They feel no segregation in the community despite their illness. The village Headman is very supportive to the family ever since they declared their HIV status openly. (in the past many people were isolated and shunned when their HIV status became known)

Acceptance by their Children

Both parents informed their children of their status. The children are very supportive to their parents. For example the oldest boy and daughter are the main income generators of the family through general farming and vegetable gardening. They always make sure that parents have taken the ARVs. Due to a shortage of fertilizer they mix fertilizer and maize husks in their vegetable gardens. The vegetables grow very well (This was a new lesson learnt by us).

(Because soils in Malawi are depleted by overfarming, chemical fertilizer is necessary . However, soil can only be rebuilt with organic matter such as compost and manure. These young farmers have made a good discovery)

Education
The wife Elita is playing a vital role in the community by encouraging people to go for testing. They informed us that there are many people in the village who are on ARVs due to their civic education.

Availability of ARVs

The medications are always available at the hospital and hospital staff are very supportive.

African Aids Angels Support.

The family is supported by African Aids Angels in the following way.

1. Seeds and fertilizer for their farm.
2. Youth training: One boy dropped out of school in Standard 7 in order to help the family. He is receiving training in market gardening and is provided with seeds and tools to grow vegetables.

Zambia slide show/video

For all those who missed the James Bay slide shows, here's a You-tube version of the presentation from Pierre and Lee Ann Dil.

Read the note below, then click here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N6rGstJKFQ


Suggestions and notes about what you will see:

The presentation may take a while to download. If you set it up and walk away, you can return when it is downloaded. Then you can enjoy the music and images without interruption.

In sequence you will see maps to orient you to Makeni which is located on the outskirts of Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. Next come photos of Lusaka to give you a flavor of the city.

Then you move to Makeni where you will see some of the workshops and photos of Rev. and Mrs. Dil, the founders of Makeni and Pierre’s parents. The orphanage is part of Makeni and you will see lots of photos of the children at work and play. Look for the “Keep Zambia Clean” day and the children’s swimming field trip. The soccer players are wearing uniforms donated from clubs in Victoria. Finally you will see the additions to the dormitories. More space is needed as some of the orphans enter adolescence. The buildings were funded by an Aids Angels special donation and by funds from donors in Holland.

Coming to James Bay, Victoria

New Group
James Bay
Victoria

An African Aids Angels group is starting up at the James Bay Community Project.

547 Michigan

The group will meet every Thursday morning from 10 until 11:30 a.m.

Many thanks to Catriona Campbell for organizing this new location.

How much did we earn in 2007 and where is it going?

Through the efforts of a large group of volunteers, in 2007 African AIDS Angels raised $75,000.

Donation Sources:

Victoria shops: $8000
Out of Town groups: $15,500
Angel makers: $8300 informally, among friends and acquaintances
Home Fair/Tea: $6200 in one afternoon
Craft Fairs: $5000
Seeds for Malawi (Saltspring): $14,000

The rest is made up of generous donations and many small fundraisers.
These figures are rounded. A detailed financial report will be presented at our AGM later this year. The total is slightly higher than 2006.

Where will it make a difference in southern Africa?

The Board of Directors decided that the money raised will be spent as follows:

1. Zambia orphanage

$5000 has been sent to the building fund
$10,000 will go for orphan support
$7000 will be considered for a new project proposal

2. South Africa orphanage

$12,000 will go for orphan support
$2000 will go for community outreach (family support)

3. South Africa hospital

$20,000 will go for support of mothers & children with HIV

4. Malawi agriculture & family support

$14,000 has been sent from Saltspring's Seeds for Malawi
$3000 will go for hospice programs.

A small balance covers expenses, mainly angel bodies and printing.
These figures are rounded. A detailed financial report will be presented at our AGM later this year.

New group in Los Angeles

A group of keen angel makers has formed in Los Angeles, and a shop in Venice California is displaying their work. These photos show their creative dreadlocks for hair. They also have good display tool: it's a tree branch in a vase full of sand. Congratulations.

Map of National and International Angels

Where in the WORLD are YOU!

We want to map angel groups, raising funds for African Aids Angels, that are located outside of Victoria, B.C. Canada.

We'll send an email to the groups we know about but if we miss you, please send an email to africanaidsangels@gmail.com to let us know where you are.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Map of the Victoria Angels

Where are you?

We would like to make a map to locate angel making groups.

If you are making angels at your home in Victoria, as an individual or as part of a group, we'd like to know where you are located. This will help us plan how to distribute materials effectively.

We'll be sending emails to home groups that we know about. If we miss you and you are planning to make angels any time this year, please send an email at africanaidsangels @gmail.com and tell us where you are located.

Congratulations and Thank You

From Nov. 16^th to Dec. 31^st African Aids Angels volunteers from all over Vancouver Island, the lower Mainland, and several other locations in Canada and the USA have raised $32,800 for our four projects in sub-Saharan Africa.

Thank you to everyone who worked for this goal in many different ways….

“hairdressers” … “body makers”…face painters…fabric cutters….angel dressers…collectors of jewelry, fabric and bling….dressing session organizers….craft fair organizers and participants…the home craft fair crew…our diligent and hard working Board….the shops that sponsor us all year round and those who stock the shops….the name tag volunteers…the supply shoppers…those who spread the word about angels

Watch the blog for a summary of our full year of fundraising and how we will disburse it.

Makeni and Thembalethu

New Photos

Go to the website (green box top right of this screen: click on African Aids Angels)

then click on What’s New

and connect to two lovely photo galleries of up to date pictures from Zambia and South Africa.

Our travellers have returned safely and have pictures to share.

Aids Angels go International

A special welcome

to the new groups that are beginning this year,

especially those in the USA and the UK.

A note from Pender Island

I wanted to let you know that all those little angels on Pender Island brought in approximately $2,481 in 2007.

It is all very amazing...so simple, and so grass-roots.

How Can I get Involved?

New Members

Our volunteers are taking a short break in January. If you are new and want to get involved with Aids Angels here are things to do until the next angel making session.

Read through our website and blog (check back through the archives). This will give you a good idea of our history and the purpose of our organization.

You can start collecting materials that can be used to make angels

*double wired ribbon (for wings),

*bits of old jewelry (rings, brooches and earrings are best),

*African or ethnic looking fabric. At the moment we have lots of cotton prints.

*feathers

If you are outside the Victoria, B.C. area ask for the email manual “Making a Difference” and begin to plan.

Anyone who wants to be on our email contact list can send an email to africanaidsangels@gmail.com. We will include you on our contact list and send you brief email message when there is new information on the blog. ( every 2-3 weeks.)

Angels in Campbell River

News Link

click below for news of the African Aids Angels group in Campbell River

http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_north/campbellrivermirror/lifestyles/11384341.html

Inspiration for Angel Makers

Song for Nkosi

Simon Fraser Elementary School Peace Choir’s favourite song was written by their Choir Master, Marisa Orth-Pallavicini and her fellow songwriter, Pat Davit. It is called "For Nkosi", and is dedicated to Nkosi Johnson, an 11-year-old South African, who addressed the 13th International Aids Conference in Durban in 2000.

His entreaty to everyone is featured in the song:

"Do all that you can,

with all that you have,

in the time that you have,

in the place where you are."

This link will give you more information about Nkosi. Note the connection between his story and the comments that Vic writes (below) about the ARV program at St. Mary's hopsital.

http://www.simplytaty.com/bios/nkosi.htm

Angel Donations

Where Do I send the Money?

Many of you are making angels at home and getting donations from friends and family. That's a great!

The most efficient, carbon neutral way of handling those funds is:

1. Write a cheque to African Aids Angels for the same amount (i.e. you raise $75 from your home, keep the cash and write an equivalent cheque)

2. send a message to africanaidsangels@gmail.com and ask where to send the funds.