December 2005

Dear Harambee Friend,

I am writing to you today to ask if you will join me in supporting the work of the Harambee Centre.  We are a small organization with the large goal of promoting connections between the Pacific Northwest and Africa and to empower women and children in Africa.  I hope that you will join me in making a contribution today.  Our successes are in great measure due to all of you who have stepped up to support Harambee. We are excited to share with you impressive 2005 highlights.

In March, the Harambee Centre had its annual Spring Fundraiser—a celebration of African community.  We were honored to have the first Lady of Liberia as our keynote speaker. We remember her words especially as Liberia elected the first woman in all of Africa to lead its country.  This is indeed a milestone for Africa.

We have worked very closely with the World Affairs Council of Oregon to help arrange for Dr. Wangari Maathai, 2004 Nobel Peace Laureate from Kenya, to speak at the World Affairs Council Speakers Series in Portland on March 16, 2006.  Dr. Maathai is one of the world’s most eloquent spokespersons for environmental sustainability, as well as one of the first to point out the crucial link between environment, democracy, and peace.

2005 has been a wonderful year for our African Community Development projects.  We continue to generate funds from our friends to develop and sustain self-help projects that focus on empowering women and children to realize better lives through improved health, education, and business enterprises. We currently support projects in four African countries.

• In June of 2005, we raised $37,000 to complete a girls’ dormitory in Sampa, Ghana.  I spent a productive month in Ghana with my teenage son overseeing the construction of the dorm.  The building will accommodate 160 girls who otherwise would not have the opportunity to get a high school education.

• We continue to support the Chwele Health Clinic in Kenya, our first project in Africa.  The clinic provides services to an area of 50,000 people living in several villages.  We have received a $25,000 matching grant pledge for construction of a community center to house micro credit training opportunities for small business ventures, house visiting medical teams, clinic staff and other volunteers who wish to donate their services.  We are also raising funds for a much needed ambulance for the clinic. 

• The Naisosian Project in Tanzania continues to help young Maasai women by purchasing sewing machines and expanding the project’s facilities.  This year we sent $1,000 to purchase 10 more sewing machines which will give  even more young women a source of income, livelihood and pride.  (Many of these women are former prostitutes who now have a chance in life.)

• Matale Senior Secondary School in Uganda is our newest project. We are helping build a much needed infrastructure.  The school has more than 300 students, 57% of whom are girls.  About 52% of the students are HIV/AIDS orphans. Three University of Portland students have provided that community with volunteer work.

•  We have an exciting sister school project with Sourthridge High School in Beaverton, Oregon. One of the students, Katie Reed, recently received the Global Action Award at Lincoln Center in New York City from NetAid, a national nonprofit that fights global poverty.   Katie has raised funds to help two dozen Ugandan teenagers through the Matale Sponsor-a-Student Fund she started at Southridge. In August, teachers from Southridge worked with the Matale community to lay the groundwork to take Southridge students there next year. Additionally, Nike has provided equipment, uniforms, and matches employees gifts for this project.

Please know that we are very grateful to all of you for your continued support to make these and future projects possible.  We also want to thank the Black United Fund of Oregon and the Spirit Mountain Community Fund for making it possible for us to develop teacher training for the Africa is Not a Country curriculum We were able to conduct training for 30 teachers this year.

You will also be pleased to know that our co-founders, Jackie Goldrick and Grace Kuto, were presented with this year’s NCOSWA (Nigerian Community in Oregon and Southwest Washington) Award in recognition of their significant contributions to improving the living conditions of many Africans.

In closing, let me ask that you highlight February 11, 2006, on your calendars.  This is the date for our annual Spring Harambee featuring the Children of Uganda who will perform a benefit concert to support our projects in Africa.  This international renowned drumming and dancing group consist of children, ages eight to eighteen, who are orphans of the AIDS epidemic in Uganda. (Please see the enclosed brochure.) Please join me in making a financial gift today to support our organization and projects in Africa.

Thank you for you continued support,

Matthew Essieh, Chair 

Harambee Centre
P.O. Box 6617
Portland, Oregon 97228-6617 USA
Telephone: (503) 710-8264
info@harambeecentre.org