Palmerston P.S. teacher Allyson Tache.
Cheers,
Vanessa
Vanessa
"As
many of you are aware I have been involved with Refuge Enfants Pour Tous -
doing charitable work in Burkina Faso for many years already. Our work through
this organization is continuing and evolving… Refuge Enfants Pour Tous
(REPT) - Hounde; Souman Nafaman Orphanage; and now Building Blocks Burkina
(BBB). We continue to find ways in which we can make a difference – and we
would like to invite you to hear some of the stories of our evolution,
celebrate some of our successes, and enable us to carry on by providing your
support.
On Saturday June 1st,
2013 we will be hosting a Fundraiser at the new MEASURE Bar/Resto (formerly The Annex Live) on Brunswick
Avenue. The evening will feature:
· music by The Thin Skulls (a group of
musician- lawyers who regularly donate their time & talent to support
worthy charitable causes such as this one) – for your entertainment
· an African Market – some
original textiles, beads & artifacts from West Africa will be for sale
to raise funds to support our charity (cash only)
· a Silent Auction - including
some original work by West African artists
Brigitte Roussel and Allyson Tache –
the dynamic women who together form the anchor of the organization and who have
the perspective from the source - will be present to discuss the ongoing work,
the future plans and to answer questions.
All money raised will be used to
support our initiatives in Burkina Faso which are focused on improving the
lives of needy children. This is our 6th year! We have made a positive
difference to the lives of dozens of Burkinabe children so far and we expect to
reach thousands more through the innovative & unique Building Blocks
Burkina program which we introduced last year.
For those new to our organization,
some brief highlights of our activities are below:
*
Refuge Enfants Pour Tous, Hounde - fully supports 12 needy children by
providing shelter, meals, education and medical care. In addition we
provide tuition fees and school supplies for 10 other children who live with
their families but wouldn’t otherwise be able to go to school; infant formula
for 6 orphaned babies; scholarships for 2 students at a Teacher Training
College school; and financial support to a summer camp for 20 children in
Hounde.
* Souman Nafaman (Seeds of Hope) Orphanage, Bobo Dioulasso –
provides shelter, meals, education, extra-curricular activities and medical
care for 12 orphans.
* Building Blocks Burkina - locally manufactures kits of
building blocks (300 small blocks per kit) for use in pre-schools throughout
the country and provides training for teachers on how to use the blocks in the
classroom. So far 80 schools have received the kits and over 200 local
educators have been trained to use them to effectively introduce and promote
independent, self directed learning skills in their young students – a pedagogy
which has been proven to lead to academic success. Through this program,
thousands of children will develop essential cognitive skills that will enhance
their learning and increase the likelihood that they will become, and remain,
fully engaged students.
Please join us any time after 7:00pm on Saturday June 1st at MEASURE Bar/Resto – 296 Brunswick
Avenue. (South of Bloor, between Spadina and Bathurst.)
The
event will have a cover charge of $20 for adults and $10 for students.
Any
additional donations will receive a tax receipt from REPT. Cash or cheques only
please.
There
will a cash bar, food options and an outdoor patio."
