My name is Jen Vigdor and I’m one of Kujali’s 2010 Kilimanjaro climbers!  As a fundraising tool for Kujali, we have partnered with Baking For Good, a baking company that uses all-natural, organic, local, and seasonable products to bake irresistible treats, and commits 15% of profits to the charity of your choice. You can order from anywhere in the country, and enjoy eco-friendly, secure packaging delivered right to your door overnight or with 2-day delivery.

This week, Kujali is a featured charity on their bakery e-commerce site.  As a partner charity, Kujali will receive 15% of the store proceeds from anyone who shops and selects ‘Climb for Kujali’ at checkout!

Now through August 1st, you can receive 10% on all purchases for Climb for Kujali using the promotional code: “10Kujali.”

Hope you’re hungry…

Thanks!

A silent auction will be held during the tournament featuring signed celebrity memorabilia, all expense paid trips, and more!  Food and drinks are included with ticket purchase.

Tickets are limited!  Purchase your ticket today, learn more at:http://kujali.givezooks.com, or join us on Facebook to stay updated on event guests, prizes, and news!

• Thursday, July 29th, 2010
• 6pm-7pm Registration
• 7pm - 12am: Tournament
• Tournament Buy-In: $250 (food/drink included)
• Entry Only: $50 (food/drink included)
• Prizes Include: WSOP Academy Seat, cash prizes, celebrity memorabilia, and more!

Also, meet special attendee Emily Vogelsong, M.Ed., who just returned this week from one year of work in Tanzania as Kujali’s Educational Program Director.  In addition, several of Kujali’s Kilimanjaro Climbers will be in attendance, and are eagerly awaiting their “Climb for Kujali” Kilimanjaro Trek scheduled for August 17-22nd, 2010.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Location: 7967 Woodrow Wilson Dr., LA, CA 90046

Time: 6pm - 8pm

Price: $100 entry; $25 student discount

RSVP today.

Rainy season in Tanzania had certainly made the trip to our school in Mkuranga an adventure, traversing muddy roads and sometimes, water.

We arrived safely and our students and teaching staff welcomed Hasheem to HOCET Secondary School.  Hasheem spent his time touring the school grounds while listening to HOCET’s Executive Director, Hezekia Mwalugaja, describe the organization’s history and vision for the future.

After hosting a basketball tournament over the weekend in Dar es Salaam, Hasheem returned to our city center on Monday afternoon to visit with our primary aged children, listen to a performance by our choir and speak with our kids about his life experiences and transition from Tanzania to the United States. I was struck by his appreciation of his journey and acknowledgement of the educational opportunity basketball had afforded him. He truly understands the context in which we operate and the challenges our kids face as they come to age in Tanzania.

All in all it was a fantastic visit and on behalf of Kujali International, we look forward to welcoming him again to HOCET. Keep an eye out for Kujali’s public service announcement featuring Hasheem.

We hope you enjoyed your visit and we appreciate your support!

With much gratitude,

The Kujali & HOCET Family

The school is located in a low-income neighborhood in Chicago, IL.  I personally visited AGC just a few months ago, interested in learning more about their innovative sustainability initiatives in education.  They are the first school in the US to feed their students 100% organic, locally grown food.  They also have a number of wonderful sustainability projects, from solar power to small-scale gardening, composting to chicken coops!  AGC is trail-blazing in sustainable education, and we hope you’ll consider joining us in supporting them with your vote.

To Vote:

Check the K-5 “Academy for Global Citizenship” box and then click VOTE.  It’s that simple.

Thanks for your support.

In solidarity,

Sydney

The Tanzanian Center plans to make an assist—educating youth of East Africa.

Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania—May 3, 2010—The NBA’s Hasheem Thabeet is starting his off-season as the official spokesperson of Kujali International (Kujali), a US non-profit organization that partners with local communities to help establish free secondary boarding schools for orphaned and vulnerable children in East Africa.

For Thabeet, the first and only NBA athlete from Tanzania, education is fundamental to building a more sustainable world. “I believe that you can solve many of the world’s problems with a proper education,” said Thabeet. “We have to do our part to help the next generation develop so that the issues faced today can be eliminated tomorrow.”

As the official spokesperson of Kujali, Thabeet will kick off the partnership with a visit and tour of HOCET Secondary School on Friday, May 7. HOCET Secondary School (HSS) is a free private boarding school for disadvantaged teens that was co-founded by Kujali International and its Tanzanian partner organization, Hananasif Orphanage Center (HOCET). The school is located 30 miles outside of Thabeet’s hometown of Dar-es-Salaam.

HSS provides housing, education, healthcare, and extracurricular programming free of cost for 95 students from all over Tanzania; it also features pilot projects in agriculture farming, fine arts, and entrepreneurship training. Through investments in small businesses that will fund school operations, Kujali and HOCET have been working to establish a new, self-sustainable model for providing free, quality education and life-skills training to orphaned and vulnerable youth.

Thabeet has also pledged $10,000 towards the completion of a new computer center at HSS, an important step toward ensuring that its students have access to 21^st century resources and skills.

“We are thrilled to name Hasheem Thabeet as our official spokesperson,” said Kujali Founder and President Sydney Schaef. “He is a member of this community, he understands the landscape, and he is committed to helping us open the door of opportunity to children in need.”

Thabeet, a native of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, was the second overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft to the Memphis Grizzlies. He joined the NBA after a successful three years at the University of Connecticut where he was one of the nation’s most touted defensive players. Standing tall at 7’3”, Thabeet began playing basketball at age 15. To find out more about Thabeet, log on to http://www.hasheemthabeet.com.

Founded in 2006, Kujali International is a US 501c3 non-profit that seeks to equip disadvantaged children with the tools, resources, and opportunities to overcome poverty and become agents of change in their communities. Kujali and HOCET are in their fourth year of partnership, working toward a shared vision for youth empowerment and poverty alleviation through education and social entrepreneurship. To learn more, visit http://www.kujali.org/.

# # #

CONTACT: Ilana Nunn, BDA Sports Management, inunn@bdasports.com, 203-545-3855.

Press Release: Thabeet-Kujali Partnership

You can visit our climber’s individual webpages to learn more about our team and see their progress!

If you’re interested in joining the team, contact Sarah Lowe at sarah.lowe@kujali.org

Stay tuned!

We are so excited to announce a new partnership with givezooks!, an online fundraising platform that makes grassroots fundraising simple, fun, and community-driven.  Through our Kujali givezooks! site, you can create your own fundraising page, launch a campaign, organize an event, track your fundraising goal with a real-time widget, maintain a blog, keep a guest book, and accept online donations through checks, gift card transfers, pledges, and more!

Visit our KUJALI GIVEZOOKS PAGE today!

]]> http://www.kujali.org/blog/?feed=rss2&p=1057 http://www.kujali.org/blog/?p=884 http://www.kujali.org/blog/?p=884#comments Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:46:57 +0000 sydney http://www.kujali.org/blog/?p=884 This August, we’re inviting a team of 20 individuals to join us for our 2010 Kilimanjaro Fundraiser Climb Challenge.

Proceeds will go toward completing school construction of Hananasif Academy.  Our goal is to lay our last brick this year by raising enough capital to complete infrastructure and become a registered secondary boarding school in Tanzania.

For more information, you can download our Kili Climb Info packet below, or complete an application if you’re interested in joining us.  You can also help by spreading the word!

Kilimanjaro Climb Information Packet 2010

Kilimanjaro Fundraiser Climb Application Form