Wine tasting and fundraiser – Barberian’s Steakhouse, Jan 28th

Team Canzania will be holding a “Taste of Africa” fundraiser event at Barberian’s Steakhouse on Monday, January 28th, at 5:00 PM. Please come join us for wine and appetizers at Toronto’s finest Steakhouse!

Barberian’s Steakhouse
7 Elm Street
Toronto, ON

http://www.barberians.com/
All of the funds raised will be be donated to development activities at Matapwili Village.

To RSVP, please contact Edye St. Hill:
e.sthill@rogers.ca

Fish Farming Fundraiser – Hoist Your Sails!

Dear Friends,

There is an immediate opportunity for the village of Matapwili that requires minimal funds over the next couple of months.  The opportunity is to assist the village in a fish farming venture.  Fish farming is proven to have worked extremely well in other areas of Tanzania and all that is required is $2000 for training and equipment in order to provide a viable source of protein for the villagers with commercial market potential.

How can you help?

To raise funds for this worthwhile project, Team Canzania member Edye St. Hill is participating a sailing challenge from the British Virgin Islands to Toronto and looking for pledges of $5, 10$, $20, or whatever you can afford. Edye will be doing the leg from New York City to Toronto beginning May 19th.  Our sponsors will be invited to to a cocktail party on board “Sophisticated Lady” a 50 foot Jeanneau and “L’attitude’s” a 42′ Catalina in Toronto Harbour tentatively set for June 12th.  An e-mail invitation with the details will be sent out to sponsors in the coming weeks.  The boats will be available for personal or corporate charters in Toronto Harbour from June to October with teambuilding activities available aboard.  See www.Windinmysails.com for  trip updates, details of the boats and www.Bigfishinteractive.com for teambuilding opportunities.

Please check back for updates on the sailing challenge! We’re planning to blog about our progress.

How do I make a pledge? 

Pledges can be made through PayPal, TD Bank transfer, or by cheque. 100% of funds riased will be donated directly to the fish farming project at Matapwili.

Paypal: If you have a PayPal account, donations (https://www.paypal.com) can be made by selecting the “Send Money” tab in Paypal and specifying the folliwng e-mail address as the recipient: e.sthill@rogers.com

Telephone bank transfer (if you have a TD bank account): Call easyline at 1-866-222-3456 to transfer a pledge from your TD account to the Team Canzania account, # 0182-520797-2.

Cheque: Cheques can be made out to “Team Canzania” and mailed to the following address: c/o 36 Fawn Cres., Barrie, On  L4N 7Z6

Thank you so much for your support. If you have any questions about this fundraiser, please contact Edye at:  edyesthill@hotmail.com

Sanctuary Tanzania – A Team Canzania Invitation to Kisampa in August 2008!

Team Canzania had the pleasure of  being some of the first guests to visit Kisampa and work with Dr. Robert Barbour and family to build their dream.    You’re invited to join Team Canzania members for a visit to Kisampa in August of 2008.   Enjoy a river cruise, the Sadaani or  the challenge of the climb to Mount Kilimanjaro.   See www.sanctuary-tz.com  for a tour of this amazing conservation and community development minded sanctuary.   If you’re interested in joining us, email edyesthill@hotmail.com.

Matapwili opens two high school classrooms

Team Canzania recently received the following update from Dr. Rob Barbour about the completion of two high school classrooms in Matapwili. This is a great achievement but as you will read below, there is much more to do. Dr. Barbour mentions a neighboring village of Mkwaja, which also needs assistance.

An update from Dr. Rob:

The secondary school is going great.  In fact they have built two classrooms completely and nearly finishing another two. There is going to be an official opening on the 18th of April although all the building will not be complete.  The teachers will arrive and will start teaching so that is very exciting. 

Certainly more funds for the school could be put towards completing the buildings – perhaps providing a rainwater catchment system or some other novel idea that you think of. We have someone who is sponsoring the building of a village library.

 We are still looking for a sponsor to build a new village office so that the village can managed effectively. The budget for this building is about USD $15,000.  This would be very prestigious for Matipwili and will help them store their records, do administration and conduct meetings much easier. If you would like a totally new project you might like to support the village of Mkwaja.  This is the village associated with our beach property where we are about to start construction of the beach camp. The village of Mkwaja could also do with some assistance with their school, water wells or sponsorship of school kids.To date we have not helped that village too much at all and we would dearly like to get them started on something they consider important.

Best Wishes,

Rob

A sewing machine provides a living

During our visit to Matapwili we met a man named Hashim who suffers from Elephantiasis, a debilitating parasitic disease characterized by thickening of the skin and underlying tissues. Hashim expressed interest in obtaining a sewing machine so that he could start a small embroidery business. Upon returning home, Team Canzania took on this project and a few months later, Hashim had a sewing machine.

In Africa, something as simple as a sewing machine can provide a livelihood. We received the following e-mail update from Jeanann at Kisampa Camp:

————————————— 

Dear Edye,

I was in the village the other day and went to see Hashim (who received help from you to buy a sewing machine).  I had guests with me so asked him to show us some examples of the sort of things he was doing these days…he held up this top…embroidered with his machine.  I was amazed…it’s stunning…very colourful, very well done…and all self taught.

I hope you enjoy the picture and that it gives you some idea of the help you gave him.

We have just this week purchased another, similar, machine for our laundry lady, Fatuma, who is over the moon.  She has been putting away money for a few months now.  I will send a picture of her receiving her machine. Richard has yet to put it all together because it had to be packed up small to fit into the aeroplane to get it to Kisampa.Many many thanks for the help you have given to our village,Best wishes.

Jeanann
KISAMPACAMP
Kisampa Conservation Area
SaadaniTanzania

Team Canzania Still Going Strong

The Queen’s executive MBA experience changes lives, sometimes in unexpected ways.  One global business project team “Team Canzania”, wanted to use the opportunity to give something back; instead, they’ve ended up with a life long commitment to a small village in a remote corner of Tanzania.  The villagers of Matapwili have instilled a sense of the beauty of life in these Bay St. dwellers that will remain forever. 

 
Left Team Canzania meets Matapwili village council.  Top right:Team Canzania: from L to R: Ben LaPiant, Dan Price, Richard Provan, Deirdre Fitzpatrick, Edye St. Hill & Gurjit Gill. Bottom r:  Children of Matapwili, first picture. 

The team travelled to Tanzania, and stayed with the villagers, during their MBA, in an effort to work on some economic development projects in the community.  The goal was for the communities’ to guide their own economic development by creating long and short term plans that utilize human and natural resources based on traditional values; while ensuring quality of life, empowerment of the people and a self sufficient economy. This leads to sustainable social, economic and environmental development and a self-directed future.  The beekeeping endeavour has been a great success with the second harvest of honey due any day.

   

Team Canzania climbed Mt.Kilimanjaro, to raise funds to set up a revolving loan fund, which provides equipment and training to the villagers for beekeeping.  Queen’s alumni are everywhere:  Mr. Farouk Jiwa, founded “Honey Care Africa”, in Kenya.  His staff came to train the Matapwili villagers, and provided the equipment to get them started.    The team has just purchased a sewing machine to donate to the village tailor, and his ‘sewing circle’.  These projects give an opportunity for people to create their own livelihoods, without dependence on government or NGOs.  It instils pride and a sense of control over their future and the economic well being of their children, and their community at large. The children have been leaving the village, as they come of age, with no work, and no further opportunity for education past the primary level.  We now are trying to raise funds to build a high school.  For only US$2,000 additional classrooms can be built, and fully equipped.  This cost will provide, the construction material, local labour, the furniture and equipment, the text books, tables chairs, pencils and notebooks needed.  A Queen’s Executive MBA graduation party was held in the Toronto Beaches on June 10^th to kick of the fund raising for the high school project. 

Richard donates medical supplies at Matapwili 

2004 Kilmanjaro Pledge Climb Video

This video chronicles our 2004 trip to Tanzania where we visted Matapwili village and raised funds through a pledge climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro. We raised over $2000 for a revolving loan fund in support of a bee keeping project.