Africa Urgent Food Insecurity - Sending Relief

                             

 Kogali teens rehearse Hamlet in Luo, Swahili and English, August 2019


                                     As Covid-19 stubbornly persists, so does food insecurity in Africa 
                                     Especially the regions that depend on world tourism.
                                     This  campaign won’t end world hunger.
                                     There will always be hungry kids at home and away.
                                     But this is how it starts...
                                     With the ones I know personally,  the ones I cannot forget.  


BACKGROUND:

My name is Blaire Baron and I am the founder of the Shakespeare Youth Festival . For the past three years, I have traveled and lived in Botswana while teaching theatre in a rural village school.  The people of Motopi have become a second family. 
Sixth Graders recite Prospero's final speech, in Motopi, Botswana (Kalahari) 


Word spread of the work in Botswana,  and in 2019,  our entire Shakespeare Youth Festival  team was invited to Eastern Kenya to live for 10 days and teach theatre to 120 children for Sauuti Kuu Foundation ,  in the rural village of Kogelo. 
Sauti Kuu kids rehearse Hamlet in Kogelo Village, Kenya.

After our time ended there, we paid a call on the the children of the Maasai of Nkoirero Village on the Maasai Mara. The people of the Village welcomed our team into their homes like we were family.  
Children gathered to meet us on the Maasai Mara. 

This profound experience lives on.  I remained in contact with Augustus Sayiaton Sameri Jr., a young leader of his people.
Back in June 2020, Augustus explained that there is a  COVID-19 related hunger crisis in his community. This has been also confirmed by my friend in Botswana, Brooks Kamanakao,  a leader in Motopi village.  Food insecurity is now rampant anywhere in Africa that depends on world tourism.

Maasai Children  - May 2020

A Go Fund Me campaign was started.  Your answer to the call was immediate!
Funds were donated and foodstuffs were swiftly and efficiently delivered and distributed by Augustus (in Kenya) and Brooks (in Botswana).   Both Augustus and Brooks are leaders and caregivers. Their primary aim to help families.

Augustus and team bring foodstuffs to provide hunger relief. It was a 24 hour turnaround!

Brooks Kamanakao, upon receiving GFM donation, wasted no time getting supplies to hungry Motopi within the same day.

And every dollar went much much further than what it would in the U.S. feeding one village of 230 for an entire month!  Again, this campaign won’t end world hunger.   But it will help.  It will show good will from America. 
And we will continue to raise money for our vulnerable sisters and brothers!
We will persist, we will give, we outlast this virus and its repercussions... 
And we will be there for the most vulnerable people!

Motopi mother says "Danky" (thank you) on the video. 

Our African friends have consistently checked in on us with concern about America at this critical time.  That's who they are.  A unique and rare culture: we treasure them. 
So from our Village to theirs, please join us in this effort .  
We are so thankful.

Blaire 

Special thanks to my friend, Greg Orson for co-charing this campaign. 
Special thanks to my friend Lee Garlington for championing this and future campaigns.