Citizens Put Their Necks Out for Orphans in Africa
 
Welcome to "Love Made Tangible!" the official newsletter of Animals for Africa!
Animals for Africa is a nonprofit arts program that benefits and empowers Africa's most vulnerable women and children through the hand-crafting and exchange of simple, folk-art inspired stuffed animals. Since it's inception in May, 2011, when I first traveled to Malawi, Africa with VoiceFlame Writers, I have continued to work with friends and allies all over the world to empower a group of impoverished village women in Tukombo Village to form their own crafting cooperative (or Animal COOP!) as dozens of "concerned citizens" step forward to contribute their creative energy and "money as love" to create personalized animals for orphans and vulnerable children in Malawi.
So far, over 80 wild and wonderfully creative animals have been wrangled up for delivery to Malawi this summer - with nearly 30 of those thanks to our creative collaborator and super- ambassador, Sue Hickman and her friends, truly the "hostess with the mostest!" We're having so much fun! And new alliances are forming to help bring "Love Made Tangible" to Ghana, Uganda and even Cambodia! (Did someone say Animals for Asia?) A brief glimpse of these happenings are touched on below, along with details on our special upcoming event- an Art Safari at Safari West on Saturday, April 21st! To get more scoop on these stories and more, follow our blog and be sure to check out our updated website for more information about who we are, what we do and how you can help make or support Animals for Africa! And finally, if you want to track all our most current shennanigans, "like us" on facebook! I hope you enjoy reading about all our recent and upcoming adventures!
WIth Love and Hippo Hugs!
Robbyn Alexander, Founding Director
Animals for Africa
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Girls Get Wild
at CERI Animal Art Party!
The Center for the Empowerment of Refugees and Immigrants (CERI) in Oakland, CA hosted Animals for Africa at their own Animal Art Party in January. I was delighted to spend two Friday evenings chatting and crafting with this group of compassionate and wildly creative young women, while they made their own ecclectic versions of the animals for orphans in Africa, and planted seeds to bring "Love Made Tangible" to orphans in Cambodia.
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Art Safari!
Get Your Zebra On!
Sat, April 21
A Wild & Crafty
Creative Retreat
11am-4:30pm
at Safari West
Santa Rosa, CA
Feeling wild and crafty? Join Animals for Africa on an Art Safari!
Come "get your zebra on" as you connect and create on a day-long retreat with new friends, great food & crafting-for-a-cause!
Your contribution of $150 includes safari, lunch and crafting supplies. Space is limited to 8 adventurers! ($10 Early Bird Discount if you register by March 20!)
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Upcoming Travels
and New Alliances
Our menagerie of hand-crafted animals keeps growing, and thanks to our ambassadors and friends, we already have nearly 80 animals in the stable, almost half way to our goal of 200 by July! That's a lot of "love made tangible" for Malawi! Travel plans are underway for our return trip to Africa this summer for delivery to the children in Tukumbo Village and Blantyre. New alliances are also brewing that could have us spending a few weeks in both Ghana and Uganda to seed artisan crafting cooperatives for women and youth there as well!
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