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Hi, I'm Steve! I’m writing on behalf of a group of extraordinary and dedicated people. I’m doing my part to help them build a recording studio in a beautiful and historic park, located in Nairobi, Kenya. The studio will be part of an existing facility in “The Park”, that provides valuable services to addicts and alcoholics seeking recovery.
The studio will give recovering artists a clean and sober facility in which to create and record. Volunteers have worked tirelessly to create a recovery space for drug and alcohol treatment program that is saving lives. They are asking our extended networks to help fund the next step of their vision for an already successful recovery program.
My connection to Nairobi is through my beautiful wife, who was born and raised in Kenya and still has many close friends and family there. During a recent visit, a close family member (10+ years in recovery) introduced us to some people that he works with at an addiction recovery space called APRAK- Addictions Prevention & Rehabilitation Association of Kenya (www.aprak.org). Since incorporating in July 2019, APRAK continues to directly support individuals seeking recovery, leveraging an ever-growing network of 30+ recovery centers and programs that support and partner with them.
I was so inspired by the passion of the people and the program itself, that once I learned of their plans, I immediately felt compelled to help. Read on!
APRAK’s collaboration with the historic City Park in Nairobi led to the formation of C12 - C for the famed “City Park” and 12 for the 12-step recovery program, which is at the heart of APRAK. C12 offers many services in various areas of support of mental health and recovery from addiction, with more to be added, such as Creative Arts/Music Therapy.
Your generous donation will help C12 build Inuka Studios, to support the Music Therapy program.
Inuka will support the following and more:
· Musical Recording
· Podcasting
· Short film/documentary production
· Recording & live sound for dance/creative movement therapy performances.
"Inuka" in Swahili means, "Rise up". Inuka will be a safe, creative space, free from drugs and alcohol. Inuka is symbolic to those in recovery, to give them the faith and confidence in themselves to “rise” against the challenges in their lives. The goal is to teach recovering artists that clean, creative expression, can not only exist, but it can serve to improve their mental health.
One of the people that I had the pleasure of meeting during our trip was Roba. Roba was a pioneer artist in the Hip-Hop industry in Kenya during the late 1990s, making up 1/3 of a nationally-known Hip-Hop trio. I’m being deliberately a little vague, out of respect for Roba’s mates, who may not want their anonymity revealed. Thanks to the people of C12, Roba is clean and sober today.
In gratitude and service, Roba has architected the Inuka vision as a way to mentor other artists seeking a clean and sober lifestyle. Roba’s vision of this artistic partnership is to demonstrate, first hand, that musical expression, and creativity can be accomplished without the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Assisting Roba in this effort is Levi Wataka. Levi is a Musical Director, Teacher, and Conductor with the Art of Music Foundation. Together, they produce Ghetto Classics, the National Youth Orchestra of Kenya, and the Safaricom Youth Orchestra. The Ghetto Classics project is a recipient of the 2021 Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award.
Through his work, Levi has demonstrated first-hand how musical and artistic expression can divert at-risk youth from the pitfalls of drug abuse and addiction.
Hear Roba and Levi in their own words
Your donation will directly help C12 reach addicts before the slums consume them with poverty and drugs. Thanks for reading and your consideration of our appeal.
Below is the breakdown of the $17K that we are hoping to raise:
$11,183 – Studio equipment – Sweetwater quote here including tax, shipping to Stoneham, MA
$3,000 - Studio site improvements – labor and materials (walls, ceilings, flooring, isolation booth, all finish work included)
$650 – (estimated) GoFundMe fees (~ 3%) GoFundMe pricing
$2,167 - (estimated) Insured shipping from Boston, MA to Nairobi
If I've underestimated either GoFundMe fees and/or shipping, I'll pick it up. If I've overestimated, I'll forward the overage to C12 for them to do with as they see fit.
Thank you so much for your support,
Steve
TO DONATE USING M-PESA in care of The Eden House:
Paybill: 600100
Acct: 0100002719953
The studio will give recovering artists a clean and sober facility in which to create and record. Volunteers have worked tirelessly to create a recovery space for drug and alcohol treatment program that is saving lives. They are asking our extended networks to help fund the next step of their vision for an already successful recovery program.
My connection to Nairobi is through my beautiful wife, who was born and raised in Kenya and still has many close friends and family there. During a recent visit, a close family member (10+ years in recovery) introduced us to some people that he works with at an addiction recovery space called APRAK- Addictions Prevention & Rehabilitation Association of Kenya (www.aprak.org). Since incorporating in July 2019, APRAK continues to directly support individuals seeking recovery, leveraging an ever-growing network of 30+ recovery centers and programs that support and partner with them.
I was so inspired by the passion of the people and the program itself, that once I learned of their plans, I immediately felt compelled to help. Read on!
APRAK’s collaboration with the historic City Park in Nairobi led to the formation of C12 - C for the famed “City Park” and 12 for the 12-step recovery program, which is at the heart of APRAK. C12 offers many services in various areas of support of mental health and recovery from addiction, with more to be added, such as Creative Arts/Music Therapy.
Your generous donation will help C12 build Inuka Studios, to support the Music Therapy program.
Inuka will support the following and more:
· Musical Recording
· Podcasting
· Short film/documentary production
· Recording & live sound for dance/creative movement therapy performances.
"Inuka" in Swahili means, "Rise up". Inuka will be a safe, creative space, free from drugs and alcohol. Inuka is symbolic to those in recovery, to give them the faith and confidence in themselves to “rise” against the challenges in their lives. The goal is to teach recovering artists that clean, creative expression, can not only exist, but it can serve to improve their mental health.
One of the people that I had the pleasure of meeting during our trip was Roba. Roba was a pioneer artist in the Hip-Hop industry in Kenya during the late 1990s, making up 1/3 of a nationally-known Hip-Hop trio. I’m being deliberately a little vague, out of respect for Roba’s mates, who may not want their anonymity revealed. Thanks to the people of C12, Roba is clean and sober today.
In gratitude and service, Roba has architected the Inuka vision as a way to mentor other artists seeking a clean and sober lifestyle. Roba’s vision of this artistic partnership is to demonstrate, first hand, that musical expression, and creativity can be accomplished without the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Assisting Roba in this effort is Levi Wataka. Levi is a Musical Director, Teacher, and Conductor with the Art of Music Foundation. Together, they produce Ghetto Classics, the National Youth Orchestra of Kenya, and the Safaricom Youth Orchestra. The Ghetto Classics project is a recipient of the 2021 Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award.
Through his work, Levi has demonstrated first-hand how musical and artistic expression can divert at-risk youth from the pitfalls of drug abuse and addiction.
Hear Roba and Levi in their own words
Your donation will directly help C12 reach addicts before the slums consume them with poverty and drugs. Thanks for reading and your consideration of our appeal.
Below is the breakdown of the $17K that we are hoping to raise:
$11,183 – Studio equipment – Sweetwater quote here including tax, shipping to Stoneham, MA
$3,000 - Studio site improvements – labor and materials (walls, ceilings, flooring, isolation booth, all finish work included)
$650 – (estimated) GoFundMe fees (~ 3%) GoFundMe pricing
$2,167 - (estimated) Insured shipping from Boston, MA to Nairobi
If I've underestimated either GoFundMe fees and/or shipping, I'll pick it up. If I've overestimated, I'll forward the overage to C12 for them to do with as they see fit.
Thank you so much for your support,
Steve
TO DONATE USING M-PESA in care of The Eden House:
Paybill: 600100
Acct: 0100002719953