It's D4A's first auction of the year!.
When: March 27
Whom: The South Sudanese Center
Cause: Build wells in Sudan to provide drinking water
Benefit: apart from that great feeling of being part of the great cause, your company's name will get more audience, your logo and link to your website will be placed in D4A website, list of companies with a small blurb will be published in D4A blog.
The last auction in Oct 2007 was a huge success and managed to raise enough funds for turnabout pump which is bringing safe water to a school of over
1,200 in Uganda. This time there are even more designers participating but we can use more designers to raise even more money to help with the cause.
It doesn't need to be your hottest design. Even designs from the last holiday season would be a great contribution. Please send an email to April@aprilstardavis.com to sign up.
We are trying to get more press for the event too. And there is a good possiblity of having some celebrities attendign the event!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Note from John Travis of Dropinthebucket
When Drop in the Bucket first started their Myspace page one of the first friends that we made was Designers4Africa who had such an amazing and simple idea that it amazed us all that it hadn't been done before. Creative people create and are not always the best at marketing or selling their art so they often end up with great things that they have put time, effort, love, thought and often money into. At the end of their season they are often left with things that they wish people could see and enjoy.
Designers for Africa provides a way for creative people to put these items to use doing something positive, raising money for great causes. Drop in the Bucket was honored to be the recipients of the first auction donations from Designers for Africa, April, Kuumba and all of the designers were a joy to deal with we ended up with an amazing auction that was full of a wide variety of jewelry and even a book signed by the author. The range of prices made it possible for everyone to be able to bid on items and feel part of the event, including people working at the venue, but also helped us raise a good amount of money.
At the end of the night we had raised a lot of money and we were able to credit the Designers4Africa part of the auction with having raised sufficient funds to put a roundabout pump on the well at the Masafu Primary school in Masafu, Uganda.
Drop in the Bucket feels very fortunate to have connected with April Star Davis and all of the designers involved with Designers4Africa and looks forward to working with them in the future, it is an amazing concept and an incredible organization.
Sincerely,
John Travis
www.dropinthebucket.org
Designers for Africa provides a way for creative people to put these items to use doing something positive, raising money for great causes. Drop in the Bucket was honored to be the recipients of the first auction donations from Designers for Africa, April, Kuumba and all of the designers were a joy to deal with we ended up with an amazing auction that was full of a wide variety of jewelry and even a book signed by the author. The range of prices made it possible for everyone to be able to bid on items and feel part of the event, including people working at the venue, but also helped us raise a good amount of money.
At the end of the night we had raised a lot of money and we were able to credit the Designers4Africa part of the auction with having raised sufficient funds to put a roundabout pump on the well at the Masafu Primary school in Masafu, Uganda.
Drop in the Bucket feels very fortunate to have connected with April Star Davis and all of the designers involved with Designers4Africa and looks forward to working with them in the future, it is an amazing concept and an incredible organization.
Sincerely,
John Travis
www.dropinthebucket.org
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Musings from April and request for sponsors
John Prendergast has had a huge influence on me. John is an American human rights activist focused on bringing international attention to the genocide in
Sudan and the atrocities of the Lord's Resistance Army in Northern Uganda. Inspite of an always full schedule, he had still given me the time and encouragement in starting d4a & its my sincere hope to have d4a donate items to any fundraiser ENOUGH needs them for.
Volunteering in refugee resettlement & currenntly trying to get family members of a good friend Ida Toe (Liberia) reunited are the fuel that keeps me striving to do all I can to help orgs serving Africa.
Although I havent met or spoken with Mr . Prendergast in person, I hope to when he is lecturing next in Calif. I dont know how to thank him or tell him the huge impact his work has on me personally but will try & put words into action.
Our first d4a fundraiser in Oct 2007 helped to bring safe water to an orphanage in Uganda that serves over 1,000+ kids. I guess thats how to thank him best! I wont stop there though. There's so much to be done & thru my jewelry I sincerely hope to contribute as much as possible.
In Oct 08 I am planning (if funds come thru) to go to Uganda & meet Jolly again from Invisible Children & together we will start micro business for women in Gulu.
Im looking for sponsors to help with the cost as well as to start this program. Please contact april@aprilstardavis.com for more information on this upcoming program or interested in sponsoring.
- April
www.aprilstardavis.com
Sudan and the atrocities of the Lord's Resistance Army in Northern Uganda. Inspite of an always full schedule, he had still given me the time and encouragement in starting d4a & its my sincere hope to have d4a donate items to any fundraiser ENOUGH needs them for.
Volunteering in refugee resettlement & currenntly trying to get family members of a good friend Ida Toe (Liberia) reunited are the fuel that keeps me striving to do all I can to help orgs serving Africa.
Although I havent met or spoken with Mr . Prendergast in person, I hope to when he is lecturing next in Calif. I dont know how to thank him or tell him the huge impact his work has on me personally but will try & put words into action.
Our first d4a fundraiser in Oct 2007 helped to bring safe water to an orphanage in Uganda that serves over 1,000+ kids. I guess thats how to thank him best! I wont stop there though. There's so much to be done & thru my jewelry I sincerely hope to contribute as much as possible.
In Oct 08 I am planning (if funds come thru) to go to Uganda & meet Jolly again from Invisible Children & together we will start micro business for women in Gulu.
Im looking for sponsors to help with the cost as well as to start this program. Please contact april@aprilstardavis.com for more information on this upcoming program or interested in sponsoring.
- April
www.aprilstardavis.com
Sunday, December 9, 2007
International Rescue Committee - The IRC
Another organization that D4A will be working with to raise funds is The IRC . IRC works in multiple countries across the world helping refugees/displaced families including Iraq and Congo where there is a lot of violence and terrified families.
While going through the site, came across their blogs about IRC helping in Jordan where they opened doors for Iraqi refugees recently. It had a sweet story by Melissawinkler of a happy moment there. In another blog, another story unveiled that is so disturbing and makes you wonder what is going on in Africa. This story is about raping of Congo women and girls which just shows how many different problems that great continent is facing. Hundreds of thousands are displaced in North Kivu due to violence particularly in the Rutshuru district and the nearby hospital is under-resourced (ofcourse!) while lot of cases are coming in with malaria, respiratory infections that could be life-threatening if not treated.
In the Invisible children case, children couldn't sleep at home in fear of terrorists abducting them and so walk miles to a city/town to sleep in the hospital and bus parks. In the Congo women's case, they too are afraid of sleeping at home and so go into the forest to sleep. IRC is responding with emergency aid and launching counseling services and training health workers on clinical care for victims or rape. It must be equally hard on the aid workers too to be in the middle of war zone and provide the counselling and medical aid.
While I can't imagine how long and how many organizations/people effort its going to take to get all these regions settled and restore peace and basic human needs, I keep wondering how many years/generations its going to take to actually heal these deep wounds on their hearts!.
Kudos to IRC for providing such awesome services everywhere there is a need.
-Sheela
While going through the site, came across their blogs about IRC helping in Jordan where they opened doors for Iraqi refugees recently. It had a sweet story by Melissawinkler of a happy moment there. In another blog, another story unveiled that is so disturbing and makes you wonder what is going on in Africa. This story is about raping of Congo women and girls which just shows how many different problems that great continent is facing. Hundreds of thousands are displaced in North Kivu due to violence particularly in the Rutshuru district and the nearby hospital is under-resourced (ofcourse!) while lot of cases are coming in with malaria, respiratory infections that could be life-threatening if not treated.
In the Invisible children case, children couldn't sleep at home in fear of terrorists abducting them and so walk miles to a city/town to sleep in the hospital and bus parks. In the Congo women's case, they too are afraid of sleeping at home and so go into the forest to sleep. IRC is responding with emergency aid and launching counseling services and training health workers on clinical care for victims or rape. It must be equally hard on the aid workers too to be in the middle of war zone and provide the counselling and medical aid.
While I can't imagine how long and how many organizations/people effort its going to take to get all these regions settled and restore peace and basic human needs, I keep wondering how many years/generations its going to take to actually heal these deep wounds on their hearts!.
Kudos to IRC for providing such awesome services everywhere there is a need.
-Sheela
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Fundraiser for Drop in the Bucket
It took a little while to streamline everything and get the blog added to the Designers4Africa website. April sent some pictures from the annual fundrasier for "Drop in the Bucket" to share with everyone. "Drop in the Bucket" is another non-profit organization that D4A supports. Its an organization started by a group of friends and their mission is to provide safe drinking water to African villages. It started in Fall of 2006 (just a little over an year) and already have 6 wells done and working on their 7th one. Check out their website for more info.
Quite a few designers donated exquisite pieces for this fundraising event. Ivy and Natalie of Dixie Chicks were there. Sounds like a fun party:)
I will try to get more juicy details about the party but thought I will share some of the pictures of the jewelry. Here's one by AprilStarDavis jewelry. Beautiful Smokey Quartz roundelles handwrapped with a Labradorite pendant. Gorgeous isn't it.
This is an exquisite necklace by Kuumba Divine Jewelry. A choker of gold vines with chockful of Pearls to make any woman feel special. I love the wild look of it yet the Pearls somehow make it delicate.
This elegant beauty was donated by Me&Ro and is called "Loveheart" with a Sterling Silver heart pendat in the center and Garnets individually handwrapped and is sure to make anyone peek at it twice.
This Limited Edition necklace set is by TraceyMathew designs. Simple coral in its natural shape with a few drops handwrapped - would make a great addition to anyone's jewelry collection.
Lastly, here's a pciture of how funt he party was....
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Invisible Children
I thought I will start off a series of blogs talking about the current non-profit organizations that D4A work with. well, Invisible Children came to my mind and I started to look for info. After Fiona pointed me to the official website for Invisible Children, I had to see the movie ofcourse.
I have read and seen a lot of documentaries/movies before on various themes from poverty to how women/children treated but this movie took me by quite a surprise. I guess the description should have given me some hint but that went unregistered. Couldn't stop crying throught out the movie. I know its not about me here but just wanted to say that it moved me soo much. Maybe because now I am a mother and can't imagine my little one going through anything even remotely close to what I saw in the movie.
I will take a little time to gather info about the IC, its projects and ties with Africa et.al but let me start off with imploring all of you to take an hour of your time to watch this movie.
--Sheela Rayala
Here's the movie synopsis from the Invisible Children website.
Invisible Children: Rough Cut Movie Synopsis:
What started out as a film-making adventure in Africa, transformed into much more, when the three young American’s Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey, and Laren Poole) original travels took a divine turn, and they found themselves stranded in
Northern Uganda. They discovered children being kidnapped nightly from their homes and subsequently forced to become fight as child soldiers. This film is dedicated to exposing this tragic, and amazingly untold story.
Even at this moment, in Uganda, Children as young as 8 are methodically kidnapped from their homes by a rebel group called the “Lord’s Resistance Army” (LRA). The abducted children are then desensitized to the horror of brutal violence and killing, as they themselves are turned into vicious fighters. Some escape and hide in constant fear for their lives. Most remain captive, and grow to maturity with no education other than life “in the bush” and fighting in a guerilla war. Of the many ramifications that a 20 -year-long war can cause, the film “Invisible Children: Rough Cut” highlights what the community refers to as “NIGHT COMMUTERS.” We watch thousands of children “commute” out of fear, from their villages to nearby towns each night in order to avoid the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) abductions. They sleep in public places, vulnerable, and without supervision.
This film focuses in on 4 young boys: Jacob, Thomas, Tony, and Boni. Through their eyes, we relive the terror of abduction, courage of survival, the heartbreak of losing a brother, and the innate joy- found only in a child. The three filmmakers (Jason, Bobby, and Laren) were amazed to find many things in common between these kids and kids in America, themselves included.
As the three left Northern Uganda, they were appalled by what they had seen, and yet, in awe of the resilience and hope they found in these children, and this community. The filmmakers thought: How could such an atrocity exist for such a long
time, without the world knowing? Believing that the “invisible children’s” story could inspire others to do something, as it did them, they created a documentary, which we now know as the “Invisible Children: Rough Cut”.
They originally screened the film in June 2004 for friends and family and soon expanded to high schools, colleges, and organizations. After audiences viewed the movie, one question repeatedly surfaced, “what can we do?”
And so, a nonprofit was birthed out of a film.
THE UNITED NATIONS ESTIMATES 300,000 CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 18 ARE CURRENTLY FIGHTING IN CONFLICTS AROUND THE WORLD AND HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS MORE ARE MEMBERS OF ARMED FORCES - EITHER BEING TRAINED FOR COMBAT OR USED AS LABORERS. PHYSICAL, SEXUAL AND EMOTIONAL ABUSE IS
COMMONPLACE. MOST OF THESE CHILDREN WERE FORCIBLY CONSCRIPTED OR ABDUCTED BY FIGHTING FORCES TO BECOME INSTRUMENTS OF WAR, TO KILL OR BE
KILLED. WITHOUT EXCEPTION, THE EXPERIENCE HAS DEVASTATING EFFECTS ON THEIR PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT
I have read and seen a lot of documentaries/movies before on various themes from poverty to how women/children treated but this movie took me by quite a surprise. I guess the description should have given me some hint but that went unregistered. Couldn't stop crying throught out the movie. I know its not about me here but just wanted to say that it moved me soo much. Maybe because now I am a mother and can't imagine my little one going through anything even remotely close to what I saw in the movie.
I will take a little time to gather info about the IC, its projects and ties with Africa et.al but let me start off with imploring all of you to take an hour of your time to watch this movie.
--Sheela Rayala
Here's the movie synopsis from the Invisible Children website.
Invisible Children: Rough Cut Movie Synopsis:
What started out as a film-making adventure in Africa, transformed into much more, when the three young American’s Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey, and Laren Poole) original travels took a divine turn, and they found themselves stranded in
Northern Uganda. They discovered children being kidnapped nightly from their homes and subsequently forced to become fight as child soldiers. This film is dedicated to exposing this tragic, and amazingly untold story.
Even at this moment, in Uganda, Children as young as 8 are methodically kidnapped from their homes by a rebel group called the “Lord’s Resistance Army” (LRA). The abducted children are then desensitized to the horror of brutal violence and killing, as they themselves are turned into vicious fighters. Some escape and hide in constant fear for their lives. Most remain captive, and grow to maturity with no education other than life “in the bush” and fighting in a guerilla war. Of the many ramifications that a 20 -year-long war can cause, the film “Invisible Children: Rough Cut” highlights what the community refers to as “NIGHT COMMUTERS.” We watch thousands of children “commute” out of fear, from their villages to nearby towns each night in order to avoid the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) abductions. They sleep in public places, vulnerable, and without supervision.
This film focuses in on 4 young boys: Jacob, Thomas, Tony, and Boni. Through their eyes, we relive the terror of abduction, courage of survival, the heartbreak of losing a brother, and the innate joy- found only in a child. The three filmmakers (Jason, Bobby, and Laren) were amazed to find many things in common between these kids and kids in America, themselves included.
As the three left Northern Uganda, they were appalled by what they had seen, and yet, in awe of the resilience and hope they found in these children, and this community. The filmmakers thought: How could such an atrocity exist for such a long
time, without the world knowing? Believing that the “invisible children’s” story could inspire others to do something, as it did them, they created a documentary, which we now know as the “Invisible Children: Rough Cut”.
They originally screened the film in June 2004 for friends and family and soon expanded to high schools, colleges, and organizations. After audiences viewed the movie, one question repeatedly surfaced, “what can we do?”
And so, a nonprofit was birthed out of a film.
THE UNITED NATIONS ESTIMATES 300,000 CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 18 ARE CURRENTLY FIGHTING IN CONFLICTS AROUND THE WORLD AND HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS MORE ARE MEMBERS OF ARMED FORCES - EITHER BEING TRAINED FOR COMBAT OR USED AS LABORERS. PHYSICAL, SEXUAL AND EMOTIONAL ABUSE IS
COMMONPLACE. MOST OF THESE CHILDREN WERE FORCIBLY CONSCRIPTED OR ABDUCTED BY FIGHTING FORCES TO BECOME INSTRUMENTS OF WAR, TO KILL OR BE
KILLED. WITHOUT EXCEPTION, THE EXPERIENCE HAS DEVASTATING EFFECTS ON THEIR PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
A special moment with Jolly Okot...
The most important person to wear my jewelry & you have probally never heard of her..
Jolly Okot, Country Director, Uganda
Jolly is our inside informant, our African mother, and our friend. "Invisible Children" is proud of Jolly's recent nomination for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize, for her rehabilitation efforts in Northern Uganda. Jolly has been an inspiration to us all, and we are honored to have her work with us to end the repression In Northern Uganda through education. Jolly has been working through her own foundation "H.E.A.L.S.", a play therapy program which has now merged with IC toward the execution of the Invisible Children Education Program. She is responsible for advising any IC staff on culture and tradition, and keeping the program running in Uganda.
Jolly is a devoted daughter, sister, wife, and mother. When Jolly is not working for the children in Northern Uganda, she is at home with own children: Daniel, Davis, and Danika (or "baby D"), and her loving husband, Emmy.I had the pleasure of meeting Jolly , Davis & baby D when they were here in USA for the IC Displace me event.... My friend Fiona who volunteers with Invisible Children brought them to my little house & we went in back to my tiny studio... like most women we all played with the jewelry trying on different styles & combos & Jolly picked out a beautiful gold & tourmaline necklace & gold lotus hoop earrings... She looked at herself & said she felt like a movie star!Well like Ive said many times shes far more than any movie star!
Im honored & delighted to have my craft bring joy to such am amazing women & in all honesty thats who my jewelry is for! Amazing women!!!
----April
Jolly Okot, Country Director, Uganda
Jolly is our inside informant, our African mother, and our friend. "Invisible Children" is proud of Jolly's recent nomination for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize, for her rehabilitation efforts in Northern Uganda. Jolly has been an inspiration to us all, and we are honored to have her work with us to end the repression In Northern Uganda through education. Jolly has been working through her own foundation "H.E.A.L.S.", a play therapy program which has now merged with IC toward the execution of the Invisible Children Education Program. She is responsible for advising any IC staff on culture and tradition, and keeping the program running in Uganda.
Jolly is a devoted daughter, sister, wife, and mother. When Jolly is not working for the children in Northern Uganda, she is at home with own children: Daniel, Davis, and Danika (or "baby D"), and her loving husband, Emmy.I had the pleasure of meeting Jolly , Davis & baby D when they were here in USA for the IC Displace me event.... My friend Fiona who volunteers with Invisible Children brought them to my little house & we went in back to my tiny studio... like most women we all played with the jewelry trying on different styles & combos & Jolly picked out a beautiful gold & tourmaline necklace & gold lotus hoop earrings... She looked at herself & said she felt like a movie star!Well like Ive said many times shes far more than any movie star!
Im honored & delighted to have my craft bring joy to such am amazing women & in all honesty thats who my jewelry is for! Amazing women!!!
----April
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