Animals for Africa

05/08/2018

11/10/2017

Deadly Flames Threaten Wildlife Site But One Man Stays Behind With Hose To Keep Animals Safe

We had a fundraiser event at Safari West Park in 2012 - so happy to hear that the animals were saved from the devastating fires raging in Northern California.

As wildfires blaze through the state of California, thousands of people have been forced to evacuate to safety. The huge fires have destroyed homes and businesses across the state, but the flames aren’t just threatening people. Thousands of animals are in danger as well, especially those living in z...

31/08/2017

If you are interested in using the Animals for Africa concept for your organization, or in developing a similar project, I would be happy to collaborate. You can also support the much-needed mission of empowering people economically and creatively by starting your own transformative art project, or by donating to one of the other amazing initiatives listed in the comments below.

31/08/2017

One rainy afternoon, a few weeks into my trip to Africa in May 2011, I was moved to craft a little-stuffed zebra doll for a nine-year-old orphaned girl I'd met named Witty in Tukumbo Village. I was haunted by Witty because she’d seemed so devastatingly sad and lonely. As I hand-stitched her name onto my little zebra creation, I realized I was infusing it with all the love and compassion I felt for her and all the other vulnerable women and children I'd met in my travels in Malawi.

My spontaneous “animal crafting” inspired my co-travelers as well, and soon they were not only creating their own animals to give to the orphaned children, we were detouring back to Tukombo Village to teach the women there how to make them - as a way to learn and practice practical craft-making skills.

A few months after my return to the United States, I officially launched Animals for Africa-Love Made Tangible and since then, dozens of caring and compassionate citizens happily hosted "Animal Art Parties," recruiting friends and raising funds to support the mission and vision.

The original crafting cooperative in Tukombo took root and the women began to meet weekly to make animals. Within four months they had earned $350, a substantial amount considering that over 90% of Malawians live on less than $750 a year! With funds earned through their own creative efforts, the women were able to reinvest in more crafting materials for the cooperative, provide a bit more food for their own families and to purchase school uniforms for seven of the orphaned children in their village so they could attend primary school.

With so much support from fans and friends, we were able to return to Malawi to develop and nurture the social enterprise we planted in Tukombo Village in May of 2011. We were also able to seed more crafting cooperatives through collaborations with the HALO Foundation and In Movement: Art for Social Change in Uganda.

We received a small grant from Art4Moore which helped pay for some crafting materials and lodging while in Africa for four weeks. We also raised $2,500 more through our IndieGoGo campaign, which helped cover plane tickets for two artist/educators to travel from San Francisco to Malawi, from Malawi to Uganda and from Uganda back to San Francisco. Additional donations and funds were collected to cover ground transportation, meals, and other travel-related expenses and we were able to bring additional crafting supplies to leave for women and youth so that they could continue developing their crafting cooperatives.

In its two years of active operations, Animals for Africa did succeed in its core mission-to empower people through creativity, connection, and love by bringing citizens of the world together to create simple, folk-art inspired stuffed animals for vulnerable children in need.

However, as its founder, I was unable to sustain the project long enough to fulfill its economic purpose due to events in my personal life.

Our long-range vision was to expand our artisan training and crafting campaigns to other countries and continents, to make more love tangible around the world. I am still committed to this vision, and to fostering community and connection through grass-root crafting circles, art education, workshops, and presentations with socially conscious collaborators and organizations.

So, if you are interested in using this concept or in developing a similar project for your organization, I would be happy to assist you. You can also support the much-needed mission of empowering people economically and creatively by starting your own transformative art project, or by donating to one of the other amazing initiatives listed in the comments below this post.

If you can't donate money as love, you can still help in many other incredibly impactful ways! You can get involved, volunteer, or become an "ambassador" simply by spreading the word about these organizations' and the empowering work they do!

http://www.voiceflame.org/

https://haloworldwide.org/

http://www.inmovement.org/

http://www.edirisa.org.uk/about-us/

http://womenswisdominitiative.org/

http://cerieastbay.org/web3/index.php

https://www.soroptimistinternational.org/

17/02/2017

Volunteer (Kansas City): International Ambassador - Africa

Volunteer (Kansas City): International Ambassador - Africa

As an International Ambassador for The HALO Foundation, you will live in a developing country for 2 years while making a difference in the lives of orphaned

21/07/2015

Animals for Africa's cover photo

14/05/2014

I voted for HALO in Kansas City, for art therapy programs, which include the making of Animals for Africa!

Forty causes will receive a $25K grant to make a positive change in their neighborhood, and it’s up to you to decide where it goes

01/03/2014

Animals for Africa were a hit, at the 9th annual HALO Foundation auction!

26/02/2014

9th Annual HALO Kansas City ArtReach Auction Promo Video

Animals for Africa is donating 100 hand-crafted stuffed-animals, made in Malawi and Uganda, to the 9th Annual HALO Kansas City ArtReach Auction, to support The HALO Foundation 's art & sewing projects in Kampala!

Video created by Josh Fry with Ambitious Pixels: http://www.ambitiouspixels.com. The HALO Foundation is hosting its 9th Annual ArtReach Auction on Friday, Fe...

14/08/2013

Make a difference in the lives of women and children in Africa and gain valuable experience in community art and transformative education! Animals for Africa is seeking an intern to support our artisan training programs in Malawi and Uganda! For specific application information, contact [email protected].

25/04/2013

BeadforLife

Angels on the beach and a tour straight from heaven. What more could we ask for?http://www.beadforlife.org/en/opportunity-tour

24/01/2013

Street Art Save My Life

• RELATED ART FORMS •

◦ Elephant Butterfly ◦
artist: Saulinis

21/11/2012

A great holiday gift idea- unique, hand-crafted stuffed animals made by apprenticing artisans in Africa! For a minimum donation of $20, you'll receive 1 animal, or get 2 when you donate $30 or more. Donations are tax-deductible and help support Animals for Africa's 4 women's crafting cooperatives in Malawi and Uganda.

https://www.fracturedatlas.org/site/contribute/donate/5382

19/11/2012

wonderful email to wake up to:

"how are u Robbyn sorry i never got in touch with u because i have been a bit busy. i hope u remember me am Juliet from Kayda animals for Africa project, well the women made more animals and we even sold some to whites that came to the center and u know what they mostly loved the rhino because its big in size. personally am grateful to u thank u for the skill."

18/11/2012

Here's the 3rd and last chapter from Africa Trip, photos from Uganda, where we worked with In Movement and The Halo Foundation in Kampala.

18/11/2012

17/11/2012

09/11/2012

Animals for Africa delivered dozens of hand-stitched stuffed animals to orphans in Tukombo Village and facilitated sewing, crafting and card-making workshops with women and youth. A woman-lead artisan crafting cooperative was established to help generate income and provide for the needs of the orphaned children in their community. All photos by Coco Harrison.

29/08/2012

Today we partnered with our first official distributor! La Caverna and Cafe Mandala in Blantyre, Malawi has bought 6 of our best animals to sell in their gallery! if they do well, they will order more - Congratulations to our women's crafting coop in Tukombo Village! Yippee!

14/08/2012

Here's my test sample from a new crafting project we will be introducing when working with younger children and youth in Africa, who are not quite able to sew- Animal Cards!

If you have a moment and $5 to spare, you could
sponsor a child to participate in one of these workshops, where they will get to keep the crafting supplies to keep creating on their own! http://igg.me/p/157887?a=812042

14/08/2012

Animals for Africa:Love Made Tangible

Hey friends,
If you've been meaning to donate but just haven't had a chance, now's the time! We are packing up art & sewing supplies (we bought a ton to leave behind with all the women and children after every workshop!) and gearing up to go- our flight leaves tomorrow, and that's when our IndieGoGO Campaign ends! If you can, please chip in- even $5. It will go a long way in Africa- every dollar makes a difference in helping us do what we do! http://igg.me/p/157887?a=812042

Help us deliver over 200 hand-stitched stuffed animals to orphaned children and fund artisan training for women and youth in Africa.

14/08/2012

that's a whole lotta animals, swingin' in a swing!

14/08/2012

Bingo!

14/08/2012

THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who came and donated at the Safari Soiree on Thursday! I have been so busy since i haven't had a chance to post pics, but it was a huge success! We bought all kinds of great art and fabric supplies to leave with the women and children after they use for the workshops - thanks to your support!!! pics later!

10/08/2012

Hope to See you All tonight! 1119 E. 15th St Oakland! 7:30-10 for cocktails and Bingo, all for a good cause!

09/08/2012

DROP BY AFA Headquarters TOMORROW NIGHT AND WIN
any OF THESE AWESOME BINGO PRIZES- YOU WIN, YOU CHOOSE! (thank you to all our donors!!!)

Archival Prints of original paintings by Peruvian Artist/Musician Hugo Franco (courtesy of Coco Harrison)
Elephant Inspired original woodprint by artist Shari Weiser
African-inspired original linocut by artist Veronica Lopez
Animal inspired original artwork by Sonia Garcia

Other Cinema Digital DVDs (5 to choose from) courtesy of Craig Baldwin
-Mock Up On Mu
-Nomads and No-Zones
-Afro Promo: Black Cinema Trailers 1946-76
-The Subject is S*x
-He Who Hits First, Hits Twice (The Urgent Cinema of Santiago Alvarez)

Crooked Beauty "Wellness" Package: Courtesy of Ken Paul Rosenthal
- Crooked Beauty DVD
- 3 4x6 inch Photographs of Crooked Beauty frame stills
- Transcribed/Illustrated Crooked Beauty Script
- Mental Health 'zine by Jacks Ashley McNamara

Handcrafted Animals for Africa- Made in Malawi by Tukombo Women's Crafting Cooperative (15 to give away)

Animals for Africa Tote Bag
Animals for AFrica T-Shirt

Gift Certificate Francesca's Collections, courtesy of Bethany Trombly

Gift-Certificate for One Hour Intuitive Reading/Healing session- courtesy of Denise Schwab

Gift-Certificate for One Hour Ayurveda Consultation- courtesy of Rumin Jehangir

Gift-Certificate for One Hour Astrological Reading - courtesy of Patty Moore

Gift-Certificate for One Hour Creative Mentoring/Muse Work- courtesy of Robbyn McGill

Gift-Certificate for One Hour Dreamwork Session- courtesy of Robbyn McGill

08/08/2012

Caysi Campbell adds another 19 animals to her menagerie before shipping out to us, to help insure we have plenty of "pets" for all the kids at the Naotcho Preschool in Blantyre, Malawi! Thank you Caysi- for your creative crafting energy! - plus check out the awesome, original "mascot" she made! wow! inspiring, and cuddly!

03/08/2012

KarmaTube: The Story of Change

inspiring!

It's not easy to change a dysfunctional system that puts corporate profits above the health and happiness of people. It takes more than just

31/07/2012

10 year old Caysi Campbell makes a record breaking 7 animals in one weekend for orphaned children in Uganda! Caysi is really into community service and works to earn the Presidential Service Award every year at her school. Yay Caysi! Thanks so much- the children are going to love them!