Monday, November 24, 2008

Weekend at Pionniers

This past weekend, I spent at the École des Pionniers in Port Coquitlam, where I met with the other participants for the Sénégal trip . We spent three days talking and making plans for next March. We had presentations from other people who have been to Africa and who have done charity work. I learned a lot and I realized I have a lot of work to do before I am ready to go.

I have to get vaccinations and they cost a lot of money, but I must have them. For example, if I don't have the yellow fever vaccination then they won't let me get off the plane.

We are a group of of teens from Vancouver, Comox, Kelowna, Nanaimo and Prince George.

I had a great weekend and it was nice to meet everyone I will travel with.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

What I acheived today for Yaakaar

Today I managed to create this blog and I also created a Facebook Group called "Yaakaar 2009 - Mimi's Journey" so if you want to add the group to your Facebook page, please go look for the group. I sent out invitations to help me fundraise to more than 400 people today. If everyone gave only $10, it would be $4000 towards the project! We can spend $10 on two coffees at Starbucks!! So donating it to a great cause would taste a lot better than the coffee - don't you agree?

But I won't stop here. I am hoping that my uncles group Masabo and my dance group Miyanda will be putting on a fundraising show before we leave for Senegal - stay tuned.

Mimi

On March 11th, 2009, 40 students from all over BC will embark on a two humanitarian journey to Senegal, West Africa. The project, called Yaakaar 2009 (Yaakaar meaning hope in Senegalese Wolof language) will represent the final component of a Global Perspective course.


Our goal is to support the bridging of two communities through a long term sustainable exchange of ideas and resources in order to embrace and celebrate our common humanity. Out vision is to create an active partnership by connecting students, teachers and anyone else who would be interested, with our global friends of Africa by negotiating and fulfilling common projects, navigating the fine line of ethical cultural exchanges and partnering with sponsors (for services and resources) who share our vision.


Above all, our goal is to give out students the opportunity “earning” their life-long global citizenship. When our students leave Senegal in March 2009, they will truly know, head and heart, what a humanitarian effort entails - giving of yourself freely to the betterment of other. Everyone of us will benefit immensely from the life lessons that these 40 young people will receive throughout their global experience. They will become Canada’s future humanitarians and community leaders.


We hope to bring $80,000 of aid. Our source of revenue comes from our many hours of fundraising, grants and sponsor donations. Our financial plan is organized in three parts.
1) Administration - covered by School District #93
2) Travel - Students and accompanying adults will travel to Africa on their own expense. Individual fundraising by the students for their travel cost is part of the course.
3) Humanitarian Aid - All the funds raised by the group will be applied to this area. All donations and grants do directly to African. Sustainable development projects in Africa will be developed by the joint consultation in the areas of education, healthcare and family/micro-economics.


Why Africa?
Africa is a continent in an unprecedented human crisis. Not only is its general population being devastated by AIDS, strangled by economic/political burdens, and suppressed by extremes of poverty, but its children are caught in events that place then and their future at an even greater risk. They are quickly losing their basic human rights to family, education, and healthcare. They will too soon be a lost generation, a generation without a safety net, vulnerable to those who prey on the innocent. Our students are core to this project - who better to speak to the children of Africa, who better to empower a parallel generation?


Why Senegal?
We are a French Public School district; our students are all Francophones. We have chosen to partner with a French-speaking country in the westernmost point in Africa called Mbour, Senegal. Mbour is a town located 50 kms south of the capital of Dakar on the Atlantic ocean. This country is a third of the size of the province of BC and has a population of 11 million. As a democratic republic that is more than 90% Muslim, Senegal has been a diplomatic and cultural bridge between the Islamic and black African worlds.


Other Quick Facts:
Life expectancy is 57 years
Literacy Rate is 50% for males and 39% for females
Average age is 19
Population below the poverty line stands at 57%
Yaakaar 2009, our project, supports 3 important areas - education/literacy, healthcare and micro-economy.


To learn more about Yaakaar 2009 or to make a donation, you may:
Call Madeleine Mulaire at 604.469.0509
Visit our website www.ragelemoine.ca/html/afriqueaccueil.htm (French)


We thank you in advance for your time.

Yaakaar 2008 Video on Youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zVs18HtGTQ

To my Blog Visitors!

My name is Mireille Loussouko. I am a grade 11 student at l'Ecole Gabrielle Roy in Surrey, BC. I am participating in a project called Yaakaar 2009. This project entails a humanitarian trip to Senegal in March 2009, and represents the final component of a Global Perspectives course at school. This course is enabling me to explore the concept of “development”, while expanding my knowledge of unequal development. Attached to this letter is a brief description of the project.
All students and adults will travel to Africa at their own expense. Individual fundraising by all students for their travel costs is part of course. Cost for the trip to Africa will be approximately $3000. This amount includes airfare, vaccinations and room and board in Senegal.
I invite you to play an active and important role in helping me fund my trip to Africa. Part of your donation will go towards funding my trip to Africa, and part of it will be added to the humanitarian aid which we hope to bring with us to Africa next spring.
I thank you in advance for your time and your generosity.