tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60948709586375136482024-03-12T19:16:26.244-04:00Ecole St. Albert Le Grand in Bazou, CameroonNjacko Backo & Valery Woloshyn travelled to Bazou, Cameroon, in January 2009 and visited École Saint Albert Le Grand, the school that Njacko attended as a child. During the visit the couple was inspired to help improve the education in the community. This is a 5 year project to make improvements to the school infrastructure.Val and Njackohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773231703718768422noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6094870958637513648.post-15394356503633947972014-07-25T00:00:00.002-04:002014-07-25T00:00:37.980-04:00The Albert + Albert CompanyHello everyone!<div>
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On June 6th we travelled to Belleville to visit Albert College. Njacko was performing at their Junior School as part of their Francofête day to thank them for doing some fundraising for Ecole St. Ablert Le Grand. It was a beautiful day! Mme.Evelyne Proulx, the French teacher for the Junior School, planned a beautiful day full of art, music, stories, food and games all around the theme of Africa.</div>
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All of the children and teachers at the school were wearing beautiful handmade kaftans that were made by volunteers. The gymnasium was full of bright and glorious colours! We learned that the kaftans were purchased by <i><b>each and every</b></i> child in the school to raise money for St. Albert Le Grand. Can you imagine? They called their business "The Albert + Albert Company" - a small school-based business in Belleville helping a small school-based business in Bazou - how perfect! We were each given a kaftan too - even baby Nkoni! Have a look at <a href="http://us3.campaign-archive1.com/?u=e67bfe3050066d0cb5312873e&id=89565f8b63&e=%5BUNIQID" target="_blank">Albert College's website</a> for a glimpse of the show.</div>
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After Njacko's performances, they invited us up to the stage to receive the donation. They presented us with a cheque for their contribution. We were speechless!! Such generosity!!</div>
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In addition to this incredible donation of $3,150 from Albert College, the staff at Annunciation School took up a collection and donated $175 from their own pockets. All together, we raised almost $5,000 in our final year of fundraising for St. Albert Le Grand!</div>
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We are in touch with the school, and will be dispatching funds to them in two instalments. The school is considering how to best use the funds, and once they have their decision, we will sent the first sum. Unfortunately, we learned late in June that some of the school roofs had been damaged by inclement weather, but fortunately the school has begun repairs using money they've earned with the business. Here is a glimpse of the damaged roofs:</div>
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We will post again once we hear back from the school. All the best!</div>
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Njacko and Val</div>
Val and Njackohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773231703718768422noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6094870958637513648.post-49770810707639176922014-05-06T21:40:00.002-04:002014-05-06T21:40:42.032-04:00Thank you! May 3rd was a big success What a day it was on May 3rd! We had a wonderful turnout in the afternoon even though there was beautiful weather beckoning folks to play outdoors. In the evening, we had a lovely audience who braved the rain and thoroughly enjoyed the show.<br />
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When we add up the proceeds from the afternoon event, the evening concert, plus a few individual donations received already, we have collected just over <b>$1,700!! Thank you all for your support! </b>This is truly a grassroots partnership that we have with St. Albert Le Grand, and it works because of the generosity of <u><b>all</b></u> of the contributors, and the confidence that you have in the project. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.<br />
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We will report back at the beginning of July again once we receive a few other donations that have been pledged.<br />
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We'd like to thank the Gladstone Hotel for their support of our fundraiser for the past five years. And of course we would like to thank all of the artists who generously gave their talents on the 3rd. Here is where you can find them:<br />
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Soli and Rob: <a href="http://www.soliandrob.com/" target="_blank">SoliAndRob.com</a><br />
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Marni's Move-N-Music: <a href="http://www.move-n-music.com/" target="_blank">Move-N-Music.com</a><br />
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Njacko Backo: <a href="http://www.njackobacko.com/" target="_blank">NjackoBacko.com</a><br />
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DRUMHAND: <a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/drumhandmusic" target="_blank">DRUMHAND.ca</a><br />
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Afrafranto: <a href="http://www.batukimusic.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50&Itemid=56" target="_blank">BatukiMusic.com</a><br />
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Here are a few photos from the afternoon event (sorry that we don't have any from the evening show yet, we will soon!)<br />
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Val and Njackohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773231703718768422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6094870958637513648.post-84184498309696514732014-04-03T11:59:00.000-04:002014-04-03T11:59:07.446-04:00Announcing An Evening for Bazou 5 - May 3, 2014!It's hard to believe it, but this is the fifth and final year of our partnership with École St. Albert Le Grand in Bazou, Cameroon. As such, this will be our fifth and final fundraiser, and we would love to have you all come out for this grand finale! There are two events on <b><u>Saturday May 3</u></b>: <b>Afternoon Family Fun</b> and <b>An Evening For Bazou 5</b>.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.gladstonehotel.com/" target="_blank">Gladstone Hotel</a> is graciously hosting our fundraiser again this year. They have supported each and every fundraiser and we really appreciate it. Thank you Gladstone!<br />
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The funds raised at this year's events will be used to expand the small business that was started last year as a result of our successful <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/building-capacity-at-stablertlegrand-augmenter-les-resources-de-stalbertlegrand" target="_blank">Indiegogo Campaign</a>. The business - renting out equipment for celebrations in the village - was launched in December 2013 and is already off to a great start. The Indiegogo Campaign was about 50% funded, so the remaining items to be purchased for the business are tents and generators. If enough funds are raised, the school may also choose to purchase duplicate equipment and and/or set some funds aside in their bank account for business expenses and school operation/maintenance. The school has already done some improvements using money raised from their business!<br />
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<b>Tickets can be purchased in advance </b>from <a href="http://www.africandrumsandartcrafts.com/" target="_blank">African Drums and Art Crafts</a> located at <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/618+Dundas+St+W/@43.6521311,-79.4018558,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x882b34c2be2609f3:0x963537fd9d05689a" target="_blank">618 Dundas St. W.</a> in Kensington Market.<br />
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<u>An Evening For Bazou 5</u> </h3>
<b>When: </b>May 3, doors at 8pm, show at 8:30pm<br />
<b>Where: </b>The Gladstone Hotel Ballroom, <a href="http://www.gladstonehotel.com/about/contact-2/" target="_blank">1214 Queen St. W.</a><br />
<b>Tickets:</b> $20 or pay what you can; cash bar<br />
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The evening will start promptly at 8:30pm with a presentation of all that has been accomplished over the past four years at École St. Albert Le Grand. You will be amazed by the transformation that has taken just four years! Njacko Backo will then open the evening with kalimba music, followed by some global beats by DRUMHAND that will certainly get you out of your seat. Afrafranto will close out the evening with some sweet palm wine and highlife music that will keep you dancing the rest of the evening. We are pleased to welcome back our talented MC's <b>Luther Hansraj</b> (English) and <b>Jacques Yams </b>(français) who will be your hosts for the evening.<b> This is an all-ages show.</b></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7O3rFZm-Wws/Uz1f2gKH7SI/AAAAAAAAAg0/MTGadqGFKI8/s1600/afrafranto2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7O3rFZm-Wws/Uz1f2gKH7SI/AAAAAAAAAg0/MTGadqGFKI8/s1600/afrafranto2.jpeg" height="200" width="168" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.batukimusic.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50&Itemid=56" target="_blank">Afrafranto</a></b> - Afrafranto ('Butterfly' in the Akan language of <b>Ghana</b>) performs <b>authentic acoustic palm wine and highlife music</b>. Afrafranto is a dynamic group that has entertained audiences over the past few years with their <b>dance-driven music </b>and electric performances.<br />
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Afrafranto features four members of the <b>JUNO award winning African Guitar Summit</b> - Theo Yaw Boakye on lead vocals and shakers, Pa Joe on guitar and vocals, Kofi Ackah on percussion and vocals, and Ebenezer Agyekum on bass guitar - along with Sam Donkor on balafon, and Marshall Nketiah on congas.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-duCIeNwxmto/Uz1gA3OBEyI/AAAAAAAAAhY/ceot-Rk7zaE/s1600/drumhand2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-duCIeNwxmto/Uz1gA3OBEyI/AAAAAAAAAhY/ceot-Rk7zaE/s1600/drumhand2.jpg" height="141" width="200" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/drumhandmusic" target="_blank">DRUMHAND</a></b> - Hands, sticks and mallets pound out old and new rhythms on weathered skins: evoking ancient forms of ‘messaging’ via global beats for <b>dancing</b> bodies and curious ears! The Toronto ensemble was founded by percussionists David Chan, Larry Graves and Steve Mancuso in 2008 in an effort to combine the circuitous rhythms of <b>West Africa</b>, <b>Cuba</b>, <b>India</b> and <b>Brazil</b> with the jazz-imbued horn work in the spirit of <b>New Orleans</b> parade bands and the uplifting spirit of <b>American Roots Music</b>.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.njackobacko.com/" target="_blank">Njacko Backo</a></b> - Born in rural Cameroon and raised in the hills in a small village called Bazou, Njacko has spent his life writing and performing music in Africa, Europe and North America. He began playing percussion and making instruments at the tender age three. Nicknamed the <b>King of Kalimba</b>, Njacko will open the evening with some sweet melodies on kalimba so you can shake off the stresses of your week and get ready for an evening of dancing and merry making!<br />
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<u>Afternoon Family Fun</u></h3>
<b>When</b>: May 3, 3-5pm<br />
<b>Where</b>: The Gladstone Hotel Ballroom, <a href="http://www.gladstonehotel.com/about/contact-2/" target="_blank">1214 Queen St. W. </a><br />
<b>Tickets</b>: $10 per child, or pay what you can<br />
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Bring the whole family down for our popular child-friendly shindig. We are pleased to welcome back Soli and Rob as well as Marni Levitt who have all supported our fundraisers in the past. The Gladstone's café will be open right next to the Ballroom so that you can grab a drink or a snack while your little ones enjoy the show. The afternoon will be full of songs, dancing and stories!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZyEemPqD8oo/Uz1xRcRBK3I/AAAAAAAAAiY/AJE_rvaiA9M/s1600/SoliRob2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZyEemPqD8oo/Uz1xRcRBK3I/AAAAAAAAAiY/AJE_rvaiA9M/s1600/SoliRob2.jpg" height="183" width="200" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.soliandrob.com/home" target="_blank">Soli and Rob</a></b> - Soli & Rob share a passion for performing to young audiences. The creative collaboration, now spanning over 12 years, came about as the duo, also a couple, combined Rob’s experience in songwriting with Soli’s background in theatre and puppetry. The result is a rare live show that mixes music, humour and puppetry in a way that is truly mesmerizing to children and their families.<br />
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"Toronto's #1 Children's Entertainers" - City Parent Magazine<br />
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<a href="http://www.move-n-music.com/" target="_blank">Marni's Move-N-Music</a> - Songwriter and holistic artist-educator, Marni Levitt nurtures a lifelong passion for expression and transformation through performance and teaching. Move-N-Music provides interactive performances and workshops for all ages and abilities through yoga and holistic music (singing, dancing, drumming).<br />
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<a href="http://www.njackobacko.com/teaching/" target="_blank">Njacko Backo</a> - <span style="color: #222222; font-family: times new roman;">Njacko Backo is a percussionist, singer, storyteller, choreographer, songwriter/composer who has been performing for children and adults since his childhood in Cameroon. He has a lifetime of practice in capturing the subtlety of dance and storytelling with his music – an essential part of the African performing arts. </span></div>
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Below you will find the posters (French and English) - please share with your friends and family!<br />
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<br />Val and Njackohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773231703718768422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6094870958637513648.post-32683948760922139532014-03-21T21:43:00.000-04:002014-03-22T10:55:26.808-04:00The business is launched!!Hello everyone! We have a lot of amazing news to share about École St. Albert Le Grand. Their small business has been launched, and the school has already used some of the proceeds to do their own improvements! This is a very newsy post, so here's a summary of what you're going to find below:<br />
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- A report out from our Indiegogo campaign, and a big thank you to our amazing funders!<br />
- The business is launched! Have a look at what equipment was purchased<br />
- A recent donation from St. Monica School<br />
<b>- May 3rd is the final fundraiser!!</b><br />
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Indiegogo Report Out</h2>
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Our Indiegogo Campaign was run from May 4 to June 30, 2013 and successfully <b>raised $3,425 </b>which was about 50% of our goal. We were elated with the results! Although it would have been nice to have raised the full $6,915, we believe that falling short of our original goal was a blessing in disguise. It gave the school the opportunity to start their business smaller than originally planned to get their feet wet. More on that below.</div>
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<a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/building-capacity-at-stablertlegrand-augmenter-les-resources-de-stalbertlegrand/x/3193376" target="_blank">Please click here</a> to see the Indiegogo campaign - including the video pitch that the wonderful Kelly O'Dette created for us. </div>
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We would like to whole heartedly thank everyone who supported the campaign both financially and by helping us spread the word. We would especially like to thank the following fine folks who contributed to the campaign:</div>
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Superstar of Bazou</h4>
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- John Easson</div>
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Friends Of St. Albert Le Grand</h4>
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- Madame Proulx</div>
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- Eileen Woloshyn</div>
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- Steve Woloshyn</div>
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Education Champions</h4>
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- Anne Benson</div>
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- Jane Benson</div>
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- Mary Benson</div>
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- Sam Benson</div>
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- Debanjan & Aparna</div>
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- Glen St. School</div>
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- Jean Golden</div>
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- Will Hossack</div>
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- Jeremy Kraemer</div>
- Keith Stansfield<br />
- Whitney Woloshyn<br />
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Small Business Boosters</h4>
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- Anne Lederman</div>
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- Julie Leung</div>
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- Carolina McDonald</div>
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- Erin Paul</div>
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- William Pipher</div>
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- Jeff Plotnikoff</div>
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- Quinlan, Gavin & Darren McManus</div>
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The Small Business is Launched!</h2>
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In December 2013, our project coordinator Peguy purchased equipment in Douala to take to Bazou. <i>(Why did it take so long for us to send the funds to Cameroon? Fair question. Njacko and Val had a baby in August 2013 and took a bit of a break to focus on family for a bit.)</i> The school prioritized which equipment would be most beneficial to start with. They decided to put the tents and generator on hold for now, and purchased the sound system/mixing board, cordless microphone and stand, speakers and stands, and 100 chairs. Here they are!</div>
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When the equipment arrived, it was at the end of the school term (which is why you can see the children holding up their report cards in the above photo). The community gathered to celebrate, and the students performed. You'll notice that most of the students are wearing new blue school uniforms - the morale at the school is so strong, the school decided it was time for a change. Among the community, École St. Albert Le Grand is often now called École St. Albert La Belle!<br />
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Early this year, the school provided their sound equipment for a government engagement - it is by far the nicest equipment available in Bazou right now! The school has already put funds that they have earned with the business to good use. They have purchased drums for their marching band and installed ceilings in classrooms to help keep the rooms cooler in the hot sun.</div>
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Thank you St. Monica School!</h2>
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This past February, Njacko had the pleasure of going to St. Monica School through the teaching he does with <a href="http://www.mariposaintheschools.ca/" target="_blank">Mariposa In The Schools</a>. When he was at the St. Monica, Njacko spoke with the children about our project with St. Albert Le Grand. The students were so motivated that they decided to have their own fundraiser for St. Albert!</div>
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They <b>raised $675</b> by having their social justice group design and make Valentine's Day and Olympic themed buttons and magnets that they sold to the students at St. Monica. They also helped to raise awareness about the purpose of their fundraiser through announcements and posters posted around the school. </div>
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Way to go St. Monica School! Thank you so much for your support!!</div>
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Final Fundraiser - Saturday May 3</h2>
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The <a href="http://www.gladstonehotel.com/" target="_blank">Gladstone Hotel</a> is graciously hosting our annual fundraiser once again on Saturday May 3. As we have done for the past three years, we will hold two fundraisers on May 3rd - an afternoon show for children/families, and an evening all ages concert.</div>
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This will be our fifth and final fundraiser for École St. Albert Le Grand, and marks the end of the 5 year partnership with this school. The funds raised will be given to the school to help boost their small business and to do any more minor repairs that they need right now.</div>
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We will be announcing the incredible lineup for this final year of fundraising in the coming week. Stay tuned!</div>
Val and Njackohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773231703718768422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6094870958637513648.post-18429620693847037642013-09-05T16:19:00.001-04:002014-03-21T21:44:28.847-04:00Summer 2013 Project UpdateHello everyone!<br />
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First off, we'd like to apologize for taking so long before posting this update. But, we have a wonderful reason for being away from the computer recently. We just welcomed the newest member of our family into the world on August 11, 2013. If you would like to hear more about baby Nkoni, please have a look <a href="http://www.njackobacko.com/2013/09/05/its-a-boy-introducing-nkoni-leo-woloshyn-backo/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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This summer's project has gone very well indeed. We have received many photos from Peguy, and we share those with you below. The last time we heard from Peguy, the finishing touches on the school were on hold until the rain stopped, so we expect some final photos of the finished work any day now. The upgrades this summer rehabilitated the remaining school buildings for the main school site. We're really impressed with the quality of work! They were able to accomplish a lot thanks to your generous support!<br />
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Also, later this month we will be talking with the school about getting their small business started. We had a very successful <a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/building-capacity-at-stablertlegrand-augmenter-les-resources-de-stalbertlegrand" target="_blank">Indiegogo Campaign</a>, and although we didn't raise the full amount, together we raised enough to give the small business a great start.<br />
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You'll hear more from us later this month. Until then...<br />
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Njacko and Val<br />
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<br />Val and Njackohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773231703718768422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6094870958637513648.post-70010701272624919542013-06-25T22:29:00.002-04:002014-03-21T21:44:39.511-04:00Funds are being dispatched this week! 5 more days for Indiegogo CampaignHello again everyone!<br />
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Wow, what an amazing week we've had with the <a href="http://igg.me/at/BazouSchool" target="_blank">Indiegogo campaign</a>! When we checked this evening, we have received <b>$2,125</b> in donations from <b>31</b> different people! Not only that, we're told that the campaign has been viewed <b>397 times </b>so far. Amazing! Thank you to everyone who is donating, and everyone who is helping us spread the word. We're getting closer and closer to our goal of $6,915 - there are still 5 days remaining in the campaign, please continue to help us spread the word!<br />
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We also just heard from another school - <b>Our Lady of Providence</b> - that they have completed a fundraiser and are getting ready to send in their donation. This will add to the $2,800 collected so far from the May 11th fundraiser!<br />
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We have been in touch with St. Albert Le Grand, and will be sending the school the first 750,000 CFA (about $1,575 CDN) to get this year's project under way. The focus this year will be to continue (and hopefully complete) the rehabilitation of the school buildings on the main school site (some photos of the buildings that are going to be rehabilitated are provided below).<br />
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We look forward to providing you updates this summer as the project progresses! We'll also be providing an update for you in July to report out on how the Indiegogo campaign finished.<br />
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We hope that you are all having an enjoyable summer!<br />
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Blessings,<br />
Njacko and ValVal and Njackohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773231703718768422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6094870958637513648.post-33381411992452637502013-06-07T07:29:00.000-04:002014-03-21T21:45:10.700-04:00Thank you for your incredible support on May 11th & beyond!Wow, we had a wonderful time with everyone who came out on May 11th to the Gladstone Hotel to support Ecole St. Albert Le Grand! We collected an amazing <b>$2,000 </b>from advance tickets and donations at the door from both events, and have about another <b>$1,000</b> pledged which we hope to collect by the end of June! We would like to give a special thank you to the staff and students at <b>Upper Canada College</b> and <b>Glenn Street School </b>who have continued to support this project through their own fundraisers!<br />
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Here is a video from May 11th with some highlights from the incredible performances by <a href="http://alistairant.com/" target="_blank">Soli and Rob</a>, <a href="http://www.naomityrrell.com/" target="_blank">Naomi Tyrrell</a>, <a href="http://www.njackobacko.com/" target="_blank">Njacko Backo</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Reel-Bulgars/312106672153953?fref=ts" target="_blank">The Reel Bulgars</a>, <a href="http://www.ehtunes.com/" target="_blank">Eh?!</a>, and Mother Tongue.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/u-BnnvahbG4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
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We will be in touch with Ecole St. Albert Le Grand later in June to finalize the plans for the project that will take place this summer. We will be working to rehabilitate more of the school buildings (hopefully we will complete the rehabilitation for the rest on the main school site!). We'll be sure to post photos of the progress.<br />
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In addition to the fundraiser that we held on May 11th, we are also running an online fundraising campaign through <a href="http://igg.me/at/BazouSchool" target="_blank"><b>Indiegogo</b></a> - together so far we have raised <b>$855</b> of our <b>$6,915</b> goal! We have <u>23 days left</u> to continue raising funds, and would really appreciate your support - either financially or by helping us to spread the word. If you visit our <a href="http://igg.me/at.BazouSchool" target="_blank">Indiegogo campaign page (igg.me/at/BazouSchool)</a>, you will find all of the information about how this money will be used to assist Ecole St. Albert Le Grand with starting a new small business. You can choose to donate any amount that you wish, or select one of the donation levels that have <b>exciting perks</b> like...<br />
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<li>a thank you card from students at Ecole St. Albert Le Grand, </li>
<li>a video of the students singing you a personalized thank you song, </li>
<li>an invitation to a thank you dinner party at our place in Toronto, </li>
<li>or a private performance by the one and only Njacko Backo!</li>
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We appreciate your support and encourage you to share the Indiegogo campaign with your friends, family, colleagues and neighbours. There are sharing tools provided on the Indiegogo page which make it easy to forward using email or using social media tools. The short link for the website is <a href="http://igg.me/at/BazouSchool"><b>igg.me/at/BazouSchool</b></a><br />
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<b><u>Together</u></b>, we are making a huge difference for the children in Bazou! Our vision is to assist the school to be come financially independent by the end of our 5 year partnership so that they can continue to maintain the school infrastructure without increasing school fees.<br />
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<br />Val and Njackohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773231703718768422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6094870958637513648.post-46906046581236476262013-05-04T15:09:00.003-04:002014-03-21T21:45:21.438-04:00We are now LIVE on Indiegogo!Hello everyone!<br />
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We have <b>exciting</b> news. Not only are we just one week away from our annual fundraiser at the Gladstone Hotel (the two shows are going to be AMAZING! All the details are included in our <a href="http://www.bazouschool.blogspot.ca/2013/03/may-11-fundraiser-details.html" target="_blank">last post</a>), but we just launched our first ever <a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/building-capacity-at-stablertlegrand-augmenter-les-resources-de-stalbertlegrand/x/3193376" target="_blank">Indiegogo</a> campaign!<br />
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Indiegogo is an online crowd funding site that allows us to share our project at Ecole St. Albert Le Grand with the whole wide world and provides an easy way for folks to contribute online.<br />
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We have set a goal of $6,915 for our Indiegogo campaign, which is how much we estimate is needed to help the school start their own small business. Interested in finding out more? Please visit our Indiegogo site at <a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/building-capacity-at-stablertlegrand-augmenter-les-resources-de-stalbertlegrand/x/3193376" target="_blank">igg.me/at/BazouSchool</a> - the video below will also introduce you to the campaign.<br />
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We would really appreciate it if you could help us spread the news by sharing this news with your family, friends, colleagues, neighbours...the more the merrier! Every bit helps!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/s02WIblXWMc?list=UUYo2HBBz2RFNBwthUefMclw" width="560"></iframe>Val and Njackohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773231703718768422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6094870958637513648.post-84186017575771527122013-03-24T20:11:00.001-04:002014-03-21T21:45:37.737-04:00May 11 Fundraiser DetailsHello everyone!<br />
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We have finalized the lineup for the fundraiser on May 11th, and are excited to share it with you. The Gladstone Hotel has graciously offered to host the fundraiser again this year - thank you Gladstone!<br />
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<b>An Evening For Bazou</b> will start at 8:30pm, will be hosted by our talented MC's Luther Hansraj and Jacques Yams and will include the following fabulous performers:</div>
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<b>Mother Tongue</b> - Musical influences from around the globe are fused into the inspired sounds of the band Mother Tongue, the recipients of "Music Africa" awards as "Best Pan African Band" in 1994 and "Best African Band" in 1995 and nominated for a Juno Award in 1994 for their album Enat. Get ready to dance to the infectious rhythms of Mother Tongue! The band is represented by Celina Carroll, Carlo Cesta, Rachel Melas, Conny Nowe, Yared Tesfaye, Maryem Hassan-Tollar and Chip Yarwood.</div>
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<b><a href="http://www.ehtunes.com/" target="_blank">Eh?!</a></b> - A new collaborative fiddle-based trio of Emilyn Stam, Anne Lederman and James Stephens. Eh?! combines an unparalleled depth of knowledge of traditional Canadian music from throughout the country with innovative original expression. Dedicated to exploring the myriad pathways between the old and the new, EH?! brings together veteran and young musicians in creative exploration. All three core members of Eh?! sing and play several instruments: voices, piano, mandolin, guitar, feet, percussion and accordion all weave their way through an Eh?! experience. </div>
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<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Reel-Bulgars/312106672153953" target="_blank">The Reel Bulgars</a></b> - The Reel Bulgars started in 2011 as the brain child of a small group of parents with musical kids who wanted to provide a musical outlet outside of school ensembles and education programs. The group meets weekly and all the musicians are encouraged to contribute repertoire. Arrangements are created sometimes as written out pieces and sometimes as a group effort in rehearsal. The current repertoire includes traditional Irish, French and Klezmer tunes. </div>
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<b>Afternoon Family Fun</b> will take place between <b>3-5pm</b> and will feature children's performances by the following talented artists:<br />
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<a href="http://alistairant.com/" target="_blank">Soli & Rob</a> - Touted by Amy Verner in TORONTO LIFE magazine as one of the “biggest names in pint-sized entertainment,” Soli & Rob have written & performed 4 Alistair Ant shows, each one a captivating blend of puppetry, acting, dancing & original music. “Bigger the Better, said Alistair Ant!”, in which Alistair laments his smallness, broke KidsVenue audience attendance records at the 2002 TORONTO FRINGE FESTIVAL. Soli & Rob’s entry in the 2004 Fringe Fest, “Double Trouble for Alistair Ant” was selected as a critic’s pick by the TORONTO STAR.<br />
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<a href="http://www.naomityrrell.com/" target="_blank">Naomi Tyrrell</a> - Naomi Tyrrell has performed in very cool places like China, Japan, Yugoslavia and off Broadway New York.<br />
She plans to help Njacko teach story telling through Mime, Mask and Music to folks in his home town in Africa.<br />
For this special fundraiser Naomi is bringing her most favourite wild and wonderful characters. Get ready to sing, sign and laugh your way through a world of fun.<br />
Howl with Gramps, yodel with Gretchen and wrap it all up with Red Dog Rapper.<br />
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<a href="http://www.njackobacko.com/teaching/" target="_blank">Njacko Backo</a> - <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'times new roman';">Story and music time with the energetic and engaging Njacko Backo!</span></div>
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Below you will find the posters (French and English) - please share with your friends and family!<br />
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<br />Val and Njackohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773231703718768422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6094870958637513648.post-47537836276659814582013-02-03T17:01:00.002-05:002014-03-21T21:45:53.347-04:00New video! Mini-documentary for the projectHello everyone!<br />
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We are really excited to share with you a new mini-documentary about the project for St. Albert Le Grade. Our friend Kelly O'Dette made it for us, and we are really grateful for her skills! We also thank Ngasseu Kamga and Jacques Yamdjie for volunteering to be interviewed for the video - their support over the years has been solid and very valuable!<br />
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Please have a look:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cLD4uScc7pM?list=UUYo2HBBz2RFNBwthUefMclw" width="560"></iframe><br />
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We also have other videos that have arrived from Peguy in Cameroon that we will share with you soon. He was able to create DVDs and give them to our friend Jacques Yamdjie, so the quality of these videos is much nicer than the ones we have posted before. Thank you Peguy!!<br />
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Blessings to you all,<br />
Njacko and Val<br />
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<br />Val and Njackohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773231703718768422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6094870958637513648.post-61888193900853169072012-08-31T07:57:00.000-04:002012-08-31T07:57:38.954-04:002012 Project Update - Remarkable Progress!Wow, we have had our socks knocked off with the latest photos that Peguy has sent us from Bazou. There has been incredible progress made this year, and the 2012 project is almost finished! And we have more good news - the school and the parent council have worked together to come up with an initiative that will help the school generate more income without raising school fees. More on that below, first here are the photos.<br />
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These first photos show the portions of the school before this summer's rehabilitation work.<br />
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There has been a lot of work done already this summer, and everything should be ready in time for the new school year. Here are some photos of the work being done. The first photos show the building rehabilitation.</div>
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Those of you who have been following the projects know that last year we constructed new latrines for the school. We also connected a water supply (which you can see in the 8th photo above, counting up), and this year they are constructing the handwashing station!<br />
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One last finishing touch to the latrines - a grab bar is being installed to make the latrine accessible.<br />
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As mentioned above, the school and parent council have come up with a way that we can help them become more financially secure. They have asked us to help them buy a tent, generator, sound system, and chairs so that they can rent this equipment to folks in the community for different funerals and celebrations. We know from first hand experience when we were in Bazou in 2009 for Njacko's parents' funeral that it can be quite challenging to find all of these things when you are planning your event. It can take a lot of work and time to pull all of this equipment together. Almost every weekend in Bazou there will be a different funeral or celebration, and we are really impressed with the school's idea. For our fundraiser this year (May 11, 2013), some of the funds we raise will be going towards this initiative as well as further improvements to the school. Our goal is to have all of the equipment purchased by the end of the five years and to work with the school to help them develop their business plan.<br />
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All of this work and progress wouldn't be possible without all of your support, the support of various schools here in Ontario who have been doing their own fundraising, the support of all of the artists who have been generously giving their time and talents at our fundraisers, and the Gladstone Hotel. On behalf of the students and school in Bazou, we thank you from the bottoms of our hearts.<br />
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Blessings,<br />
Njacko and Val<br />
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<br />Val and Njackohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773231703718768422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6094870958637513648.post-60778999748852154312012-06-09T22:02:00.000-04:002012-06-09T22:02:39.320-04:00We have passed the $5000 mark!Greetings everyone,<br />
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We just arrived home from the <a href="http://www.muhtadidrumfest.com/" target="_blank">Muhtadi International Drumming Festival</a> and wanted to share some great news with you.<br />
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Last week Njacko went to Upper Canada College to meet with the two boys who lead the fundraising effort at UCC for St. Albert le Grand (Henry Gage and Neel Ismail). Based on their efforts, the students came together and raised $421! Thank you UCC!<br />
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Our total for the fundraising this year has now reached just over <b><u>$5,500</u></b>. We are really looking forward to getting this year's project ready. In the next couple of weeks we will be talking with the school to firm up the plans for this summer's project. We'll be in touch to let you know when work will be starting.<br />
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Blessings,<br />
Njacko and ValVal and Njackohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773231703718768422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6094870958637513648.post-45822118778181876202012-05-27T23:02:00.000-04:002012-05-27T23:04:39.688-04:00May 12th fundraiser a success!!Hello everyone! We are still floating on air since the two fundraising events held on May 12th at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto! We raised <b><u>$4500</u></b> at the fundraiser, including a donation of <b>$200</b> from <b>Glenn Street PS</b> from a bake sale that they held for the project! We would like to thank everyone for their generous support - and thank those of you who are still sending in donations.<br />
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We would also like to thank <b>Upper Canada College</b> who has contacted us to let us that they have raised an additional <b><u>$420</u></b> from their casual day held last week! Thank you UCC!<br />
<br />
If you would like to contribute, we have a couple of options for you:<br />
<br />
- you may mail a cheque made payable to Valery Woloshyn to PO Box 632, 31 Adelaide St. E, Toronto, ON M5C 2J8<br />
- you may send us an email transfer to Love@NjackoBacko.com. Please use the question: Where is the school? And the answer: Bazou<br />
<br />
We had a wonderful audience for the afternoon family show. The children (and parents!) were singing, dancing, and playing along for all three performances! Here are a few photos:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7iYt4_jhRqo/T8D3Kx_-TSI/AAAAAAAAAJU/OL-Jp3xLa8E/s1600/IMG_0067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7iYt4_jhRqo/T8D3Kx_-TSI/AAAAAAAAAJU/OL-Jp3xLa8E/s320/IMG_0067.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soli & Rob - <a href="http://alistairant.com/">alistairant.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0oboJ_Y-2wQ/T8D3Q2UpSlI/AAAAAAAAAJc/ev0y05BcqbQ/s1600/IMG_0070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0oboJ_Y-2wQ/T8D3Q2UpSlI/AAAAAAAAAJc/ev0y05BcqbQ/s320/IMG_0070.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charlie Kert - <a href="http://www.littlefingersmusic.com/">www.littlefingersmusic.com</a><br />
You can catch Charlie and the ROCKgarden Party at <a href="http://www.fringetoronto.com/" target="_blank">Fringe</a>!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H3eA99jA8fc/T8D3a8uQYuI/AAAAAAAAAJk/uo8pxDeabOc/s1600/IMG_0091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H3eA99jA8fc/T8D3a8uQYuI/AAAAAAAAAJk/uo8pxDeabOc/s320/IMG_0091.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Njacko Backo presenting African Voyages</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Later the same day, we welcomed a full house for the evening concert. There were people who came from near and far...some all the way from Kingston, Maynooth, Brampton, Chatham, Prince Edward County, Montreal, Georgina, Bolton, Mississauga, Oshawa...<br />
<br />
The energy for the whole concert was incredible. The audience was dancing right off the bat thanks to the grooves put down by Kome Manu (and Fojeba). When Sahara Sloan took the stage with Justin, she had us all captivated with her angelic voice. Finally, when Afroteque took the stage, the energy shot through the roof and the dancers took to the floor. We will have video footage of the performance in the next few weeks to share, however in the mean time, we hope that you enjoy these few photos:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7auw6YmnPHY/T8D25A0cFPI/AAAAAAAAAI0/KGLrZ6q1Q94/s1600/Fund+Raiser+05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7auw6YmnPHY/T8D25A0cFPI/AAAAAAAAAI0/KGLrZ6q1Q94/s320/Fund+Raiser+05.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Val and Njacko welcoming the room full of beautiful supporters</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dr7_MX5TtAk/T8D3BJa0NpI/AAAAAAAAAJE/HwkHL0Kb6fA/s1600/Fund+Raiser+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="166" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dr7_MX5TtAk/T8D3BJa0NpI/AAAAAAAAAJE/HwkHL0Kb6fA/s320/Fund+Raiser+11.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beautiful supporters! </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NXMRhsdP5rY/T8D2-YN1juI/AAAAAAAAAI8/Jep6IcD8jJU/s1600/Fund+Raiser+06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NXMRhsdP5rY/T8D2-YN1juI/AAAAAAAAAI8/Jep6IcD8jJU/s320/Fund+Raiser+06.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kome Manu - his new CD is available online at <a href="http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/komemanu2" target="_blank">CD Baby</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3h9REFbVUvo/T8D3hIgFQwI/AAAAAAAAAJs/1Mb73bJruu8/s1600/IMG_0108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3h9REFbVUvo/T8D3hIgFQwI/AAAAAAAAAJs/1Mb73bJruu8/s320/IMG_0108.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sahara-Sloan-Soprano/109521845741270" target="_blank">Sahara Sloan</a> with Justin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oBWiTDbdQ1g/T8D21qZ_UXI/AAAAAAAAAIs/aA5Pidf3E4M/s1600/Fund+Raiser+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oBWiTDbdQ1g/T8D21qZ_UXI/AAAAAAAAAIs/aA5Pidf3E4M/s320/Fund+Raiser+01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Afroteque with Jane Bunnett</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ghadBRZqWHs/T8D3ELsKoMI/AAAAAAAAAJM/13MMV94_do8/s1600/Fund+Raiser+24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ghadBRZqWHs/T8D3ELsKoMI/AAAAAAAAAJM/13MMV94_do8/s320/Fund+Raiser+24.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ngasseu Kamga Sylvie - a HUGE supporter of the project <br />
(she sold $880 of advance tickets for the fundraiser!)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wKCRFRegA18/T8D3sL3RSRI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/X9o3iKnSqpM/s1600/IMG_5048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wKCRFRegA18/T8D3sL3RSRI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/X9o3iKnSqpM/s320/IMG_5048.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="p1">
June 15 @ 7pm <b>Celina Carroll</b> will be performing for a music meditation with Shakuhachi (bamboo flute) Master Debbie Danbrook at The Inner Garden at 401 Richmond St. W. Celina will be playing Berimbau and Kalimba. <a href="http://www.theinnergarden.ca/#!events" target="_blank">Website</a></div>
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</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XQKE6wSEx0g/T8D37v2rW7I/AAAAAAAAAJ8/ijDRqCv8YmE/s1600/IMG_5050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XQKE6wSEx0g/T8D37v2rW7I/AAAAAAAAAJ8/ijDRqCv8YmE/s320/IMG_5050.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The one and only Jane Bunnett! <a href="http://www.janebunnett.com/">www.JaneBunnett.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We will be in touch with the school in the next couple of weeks to finalize plans for this summer's work. We will be constructing and handwashing station and rehabilitating another portion of the school which is shown in the photos below.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yfyG4tkq_04/T8LqB8bSs8I/AAAAAAAAAKI/8HhusP8Z7jo/s1600/IMG_0058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yfyG4tkq_04/T8LqB8bSs8I/AAAAAAAAAKI/8HhusP8Z7jo/s320/IMG_0058.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5AX6FeZEfHM/T8LqJmCXWUI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/9K8VwnlUx5M/s1600/IMG_0059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5AX6FeZEfHM/T8LqJmCXWUI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/9K8VwnlUx5M/s320/IMG_0059.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Val and Njackohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773231703718768422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6094870958637513648.post-75720555091577395712012-04-26T20:20:00.000-04:002012-04-26T20:20:08.270-04:00<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wow! We just heard amazing news from Peguy in Cameroon. The work that we have done here in Canada to raise money to support the improvements at Ecole St. Albert le Grand has inspired others to start contributing to the school! The school now has electricity and two computers! It is beautiful news for us to hear that the generosity that started here in our communities is spreading. And all of it is for the benefit of the children in Bazou. Thank you to everyone for their support, we're really looking forward to coming together with all of you on May 12th at the Gladstone Hotel!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3-5 PM Afternoon Family Fun!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">* City Parent Magazine’s 2008 “Toronto’s #1 Children’s Entertain</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">ers” SOLI & ROB with ALISTAIR ANT (alistairant.com)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">* Ontario Arts Council sponsored educator CHARLIE KERT who will perform interactive songs from his LITTLE FINGERS MUSIC catalog (<a href="http://www.littlefingersmusic.com/" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.littlefingersmusic.com</a>)</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">* African tales with NJACKO BACKO (English and French)</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">Tickets are $10/child (adult included)</span></span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8:30PM An Evening for Bazou</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">* Multiple Juno Award winner JANE BUNNETT</span></span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; display: inline; text-align: left;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">* Toronto’s newest Afro fusion band AFROTEQUE - Music from the Sun (featuring Njacko Backo, Altaf Bwana Moto Vellani, Celina Carroll, Maryem Hassam, Rick Lazar, Paul Neufeld, Paco Luviano)</span><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" /><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">* Up-and-coming opera star SAHARA SLOAN with COLIN DOROSCHUK of Men Without Hats fame, </span><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" /><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">* Cameroonian KOME MANU who just released a new album</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">Tickets are $20 (or pay what you can at the door)</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">Tickets can be purchased in advance at African Drums & Art Crafts, 618 Dundas St. W</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">Questions and interview requests can be directed to Love@NjackoBacko.com, 416.836.8951</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">With thanks to the Gladstone Hotel for their ongoing support!</span>Val and Njackohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773231703718768422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6094870958637513648.post-87145668943632686382012-04-20T07:18:00.000-04:002012-04-20T07:18:27.101-04:00Welcome aboard students of UCC!We have just learned that the students of Upper Canada College have decided to donate the funds raised at the Casual Dress Day on May 18th to our project. Thank you so much UCC!!<br />
<br />
It is absolutely incredible to have the young people of Toronto working to support the young people in Bazou. Last year the money raised by schools in Ontario was a significant portion of what was invested at St. Albert Le Grand.<br />
<br />
Schools that have helped in the past include Albert College, Annunciation Catholic School, Michael Powers Secondary School, Glen St. Public School.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">If you or your school would like to get involved to help this year, please get in touch!</span></div>Val and Njackohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773231703718768422noreply@blogger.com0Upper Canada College, 200 Lonsdale Rd, Toronto, ON M4V 1W6, Canada43.6933324 -79.404131543.4450939 -79.87105050000001 43.9415709 -78.9372125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6094870958637513648.post-75546650896002956372012-03-05T07:54:00.000-05:002012-03-05T07:54:14.598-05:00Announcing our lineup for May 12th!Greetings everyone,<br />
<br />
We just sent out our first press release this morning, and are really excited to share our line up for our annual fundraiser with you! As was done last year, we are going to have two events on May 12th - there will be an afternoon event with children's entertainment, and an evening concert for all ages. Please check out our poster for our exciting lineup, and stay tuned for more info coming your way in the next month!<br />
<br />
Best,<br />
Val and Njacko<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wgWfB_vZjqM/T1S20UHKzHI/AAAAAAAAAIc/EF2NdaoViK8/s1600/Bazou+Show+3+French+2012-05-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wgWfB_vZjqM/T1S20UHKzHI/AAAAAAAAAIc/EF2NdaoViK8/s320/Bazou+Show+3+French+2012-05-12.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uaZfJOZ0fhE/T1S3LYuwkmI/AAAAAAAAAIk/XAj9eh6NZ2A/s1600/Bazou+Show+3+english+2012-05-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uaZfJOZ0fhE/T1S3LYuwkmI/AAAAAAAAAIk/XAj9eh6NZ2A/s320/Bazou+Show+3+english+2012-05-12.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>Val and Njackohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773231703718768422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6094870958637513648.post-79682993670266953392011-10-16T22:30:00.000-04:002011-10-16T22:30:32.047-04:00Latrines are finished, soccer uniforms delivered & photos are in!Hello everyone,<br />
<br />
We are really happy to share with you some photos to show the finished latrines that were built as part of the 2nd year of the project at École St. Albert Le Grand. The latrines were finished in time for the start of the school year, and include a paved pathway for improved accessibility. A grab bar to improve the accessibility of one of the latrines is planned (it was left out of the original construction). The school also now has a connection to the piped water supply for the village, and the hand washing station can now be constructed.<br />
<br />
We're also very excited to share with you that Jules (our project coordinator in Cameroon) has helped to start a parent council at the school who are now becoming more involved in the school community and in our project. We're really happy that this group has formed and look forward to working with them for the rest of the project.<br />
<br />
We were fortunate this year that the exchange rate worked in our favour and we were able to realize this phase of the project under budget. Because of that, we were able to purchase soccer uniforms for the school and are thankful that our friend Jacques Yams was able to visit the school on a recent trip to see his family in Cameroon. The uniforms and soccer ball were really well received by the children!<br />
<br />
Here are some photos taken by Jules during construction and when Jacques went to visit the school a couple of weeks ago (October 2011).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://0.gvt0.com/vi/6onoIDVw_dA/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6onoIDVw_dA&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6onoIDVw_dA&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><br />
<br />
<br />
Please remember that our third annual fundraiser will be taking place on May 12, 2012. Don't forget to mark your calendars!Val and Njackohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773231703718768422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6094870958637513648.post-4182788601119052782011-08-04T03:57:00.000-04:002011-08-04T03:57:17.768-04:00Construction has started on the new latrinesHello everyone,<br />
<br />
We are very happy to announce that the first donation for this year's main project has reached Bazou, and work on the new latrines has begun. Below is a glimpse of the work that is already in progress. You can see from the video that this is not easy work! Thank you again to everyone for your ongoing support. We will be in touch soon with another update.<br />
<br />
Blessings,<br />
Njacko and Valery<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-x9zMyn8Hfw?hl=en&fs=1" width="425"></iframe>Val and Njackohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773231703718768422noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6094870958637513648.post-3746319447094621482011-06-23T21:56:00.000-04:002011-06-23T21:56:08.933-04:00A pleasant surprise!We would like to sincerely thank the staff and students at <b>Albert College</b> in Belleville and<b> Annunciation Catholic School</b> in Toronto who have done their own fundraising to contribute to the projects at St. Albert Le Grand! Between these two schools, they have raised about another $1500! This will allow St. Albert Le Grand to expand the project for this year. We are still in the planning stages, and will post again when we have heard from the school about their project plan.<br />
<br />
Peguy has sent us the photo below to show the current condition of the latrines at the school. As you can see, there is a lot of room for improvement to have safe and clean latrines for the staff and students. We were performing at a fundraiser recently for the U of T Cameroon Working Group of the International Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation, and had a discussion with Dr. Lynn Cockburn about the importance of making the new latrines accessible. We will work with the school to ensure that there is an accessible latrine for any staff or students who have special needs. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_aTIuy_N4uE/TgPtrLeGJJI/AAAAAAAAAII/cqWz1A9GZoo/s1600/toillets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_aTIuy_N4uE/TgPtrLeGJJI/AAAAAAAAAII/cqWz1A9GZoo/s320/toillets.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Thank you for your continued support and generosity. We are really excited about the work that is to be done this summer in Bazou!Val and Njackohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773231703718768422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6094870958637513648.post-29510312449697830662011-05-26T20:50:00.012-04:002011-05-27T07:12:42.942-04:00Thank you for your support!We would like to thank everyone who came out on May 21st to the Gladstone Hotel to contribute to the 2011 project for Ecole St. Albert le Grand. The day was a great celebration filled with amazing performances by some of our favourite Toronto-based performers. In total we have raised (to date) $2,670.50 from the May 21st fundraiser and all of this money will go to support the projects for 2011. Our next step will be to get in touch with the school, provide them with the budget, and work together with them to plan the project. The goal will be to rebuild the latrines for the school, and to construct a new hand washing station (and connect the school to the village water supply).<br /><div><div><br /></div><div>We have some great video footage from the fundraiser on May 21st, and we will be posting it in the coming weeks. In the mean time, please have a look below at a few photos from the event, and please do check out these artists' websites. Each of these performers donated their time and talents for this project, and we are very thankful for their support. We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to the Gladstone Hotel who continue to be strong supporters of our project.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>As well, we would like to make a special mention to the students and staff (especially Tania Brachmayer) at Glen Street Public School. They sold 500 (!) cupcakes to raise more than $300 for this project.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you are interested in contributing to the 2011 project, please get in touch with us at love@njackobacko.com or 416.836.8951. You may also mail us a cheque to:</div><div><br /></div><div>Valery Woloshyn</div><div>PO Box 632</div><div>31 Adelaide Street East</div><div>Toronto, ON M5C 2J8</div><div><br /></div>Artists who performed at the fundraiser on May 21st (check out their websites to find out where you can see them again!):<div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 15px; font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;">* MARNI’S MOVE-N-MUSIC ~ </span><a href="http://www.marnilevitt.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">www.marnilevitt.com</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;">* SOLI & ROB with ALISTAIR ANT! ~ </span><a href="http://www.alistairant.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">www.alistairant.com</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> ~ they have a brand new show "Bungalow Bugs" THIS WEEKEND, May 28-29 at Solar Stage - box office 416-368-8031 or </span><a href="http://www.solarstage.on.ca/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">www.solarstage.on.ca</span></a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><a href="http://www.alistairant.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" style="cursor: pointer; color: rgb(59, 89, 152); text-decoration: none; "></a>* THE BELLWOODS TRINITY </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">* MUHTADI & THE WORLD DRUMMERS ~ </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><a href="http://www.muhtadidrumfest.com/">www.muhtad</a></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 15px; font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.muhtadidrumfest.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;">idrumfest.com</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> ~ the Muhtadi International Drumming Festival is FREE and is held at Queen's Park on June 4 & 5</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;">* HANNAH BURGÉ & PACO LUVIANO ~ </span><a href="http://www.musicvillage.ca/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">www.musicvillage.ca</span></a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">* KEN WHITELEY ~ </span><a href="http://www.kenwhiteley.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">www.kenwhiteley.com</span></a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">* SAHARA SLOAN & COLIN DOROSCHUK, </span><a href="http://www.saharasloan.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">www.saharasloan.com</span></a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">* THE MARNI LEVITT</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 15px; font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">COLLECTIVE ~ </span><a href="http://www.marnilevitt.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">www.marnilevitt.com</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> ~ will be performing at the Muhtadi International Drumming Festival on Ju</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 15px; font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;">ne 4th</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">* NJACKO BACKO & KALIMBA KALIMBA ~ </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><a href="http://www.njackobacko.com/">www.njackobacko.com</a></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px;"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 128px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qM7IgK21R-M/Td8A77nl51I/AAAAAAAAAHA/46FcfPromEE/s200/IMG_0223mod.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611204690342963026" /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px;"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 128px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ncjL0TbKQWo/Td8FYsMbtOI/AAAAAAAAAIA/k41ksTfLwks/s200/IMG_0233mod.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611209582465234146" /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 128px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gsntWXwVkkA/Td8EXHsuNcI/AAAAAAAAAHw/bWh4UK36aZU/s200/IMG_0267mod.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611208455977055682" /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px;"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 131px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E_DDTVfEnAc/Td8EW_7EMPI/AAAAAAAAAHo/buG0tKlfEI4/s200/IMG_0252mod.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611208453889732850" /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px;font-size:11px;"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 160px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cr4MueQYhj8/Td8A8JT5ZAI/AAAAAAAAAHI/K73XgctqeSs/s200/IMG_0227mod.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611204694018450434" /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3X0L9mwbLRE/Td8A8h3eAPI/AAAAAAAAAHY/Mxvg4DaBTNE/s200/IMG_0261mod.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611204700610101490" /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px;font-size:11px;"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 128px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5oIUcYhNEf8/Td8EXa1126I/AAAAAAAAAH4/rZ6Z2Y8fnVM/s200/IMG_0293mod.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611208461115579298" /></span></span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D6qCWc8riw4/Td8A87daXCI/AAAAAAAAAHg/3F0pffFY7C8/s200/IMG_0247mod.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611204707480132642" /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>For those of you who didn't make it on May 21st, here is a video summary of the work completed in 2010:</div><div><br /></div><div><iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zBD3Zf_wXXk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Val and Njackohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773231703718768422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6094870958637513648.post-13210777261204321402011-05-01T23:35:00.003-04:002011-05-01T23:38:59.665-04:00May 21st - full details!<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vcNjw-T4qmk/Tb4m8YK5WaI/AAAAAAAAAFo/z-oUK2_uqkQ/s1600/SnipImage-1.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 381px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vcNjw-T4qmk/Tb4m8YK5WaI/AAAAAAAAAFo/z-oUK2_uqkQ/s400/SnipImage-1.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601957805217634722" /></a><br />Hello everyone, happy international labour day!<div><br /></div><div>Please see our latest newsletter for the full details about the fundraiser on May 21st.</div><div><br /></div><div>http://mim.io/b36e01</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Val and Njackohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773231703718768422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6094870958637513648.post-9256693267895549322011-04-24T15:31:00.005-04:002011-04-24T22:17:09.570-04:00May 21st! and more about École Saint Albert Le GrandMay 21st is rapidly approaching, and we're REALLY excited about the fundraiser that is coming together! Before we get into those details, we wanted to share a bit mo<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">re information about </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">École Saint Albert Le Grand.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Number of students: 212</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Number of staff: 1 principal, 3 teachers</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Class size: on average 70 students per room (2 classes of 35 students with 1 teacher), about 19 boys and 16 girls per class</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Source of school funding: 100% comes from school fees (no government support), 11,000 FCFA (~$23) per student per year</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Now for May 21st...we're really excited! The Gladstone Hotel is generously allowing us to hold two events on May 21st.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b>Afternoon Family Fun - 3pm to 5pm </b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">The afternoon features some of Toronto’s favourite children’s performers. Included are: </span></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">SOLI & ROB with ALISTAIR ANT!, voted Toronto’s #1 Children’s Entertainers in City Parent Magazine’s 2008 Readers’ Choice Awards </span></span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">MARNI’S MOVE-N-MUSIC, integrated music, movement & yoga workshops for kids</span></span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Story and music time with the energetic and engaging NJACKO BACKO</span></span></span></li></ul> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Everyone attending this portion of the event will have the exclusive opportunity to purchase Njacko’s first published storybook (illustrated by Bruce Parsons) entitled “Baki and the Magic Egg / Baki et l’oeuf magique” before it is formally released this summer. A portion of the proceeds will go directly to this project.</span></span></span></p></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b>Evening of Music and Celebration - 8pm doors, show starts at 8:30pm sharp!</b></span></span></div><div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">We have a line-up of wonderful artists who have generously contributed their time for this cause. </span></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">The interlocking rhythms, magical melodies and infectious joie de vivre of NJACKO BACKO & KALIMBA KALIMBA (Anne Lederman, Bwana Moto, Celina Carroll, Chip Yarwood, Joaquin Nunez Hidalgo, Roberto Riveron) </span></span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Canadian roots music legend KEN WHITELEY, </span></span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">HANNAH BURGÉ & PACO LUVIANO, dynamic and captivating jazz duo</span></span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">up and coming opera star SAHARA SLOAN with “Men Without Hat’s” founding member and classical composer COLIN DOROSCHUK </span></span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">2011 Harry Jerome Award winner in entertainment MUHTADI and his group THE WORLD DRUMMERS</span></span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">the rhythmic melodies of THE MARNI LEVITT COLLECTIVE (with Terri Segal and Valery Woloshyn)</span></span></span></li></ul></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Finally, here is a slideshow that Peguy has compiled showing photos from the projects in 2010. Enjoy!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/T93vAuG74O8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></span></span></div>Val and Njackohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773231703718768422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6094870958637513648.post-14226938524345919692010-12-09T20:24:00.005-05:002010-12-09T20:45:29.367-05:00The instruments are ready!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MGhXZFvibRI/TQGDHAHC6vI/AAAAAAAAAEg/b1SXRywisTc/s1600/PB190035.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MGhXZFvibRI/TQGDHAHC6vI/AAAAAAAAAEg/b1SXRywisTc/s400/PB190035.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548860372209036018" /></a><br />Greetings everyone!<div><br /></div><div>Peguy sent us a few photos last night of the new instruments that were made for the school, and we wanted to share one with you. We're so excited for the students! The instruments include a toum and kak (the two drums), a keu (also known as an African telephone, slit drum, or kri), cow bells, kalimba, zaa koua (the harp), bamboo shakers and bamboo guerro. We're looking forward to seeing some video footage in the coming months of the students practicing with their teacher.</div><div><br /></div><div>Please stay posted for more information about our fundraiser coming up on May 21, 2011!</div><div><br /></div><div>All the best,</div><div>Njacko and Val</div>Val and Njackohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773231703718768422noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6094870958637513648.post-10581626208864263402010-09-07T20:55:00.011-04:002010-09-08T20:59:20.270-04:00Project 1 has wrapped up, school is about to begin!Hello everyone,<div><br /></div><div>We're very happy to let you know that work on the first project has wrappedup! From the photos below, you can see that a lot of work has been done to replace an interior structural wall of the school, new windows and doors provided, and plastering of the school's exterior mud bricks. This was a lot of work, and we're so excited to see that our partners in Bazou successfully completed the project! And we want to thank all of you again for supporting this important work. The school and students at St. Albert pass along their sincere gratitude.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now that school is starting, we're getting ready to work with the school to start the new music program at St. Albert. Many of the instruments can be made by the school (shakers, bamboo sticks), but we're going to help the school purchase cow bells, drums, and kalimbas. This is an interim mini-project. We'll be having our annual fundraiser on May 21, 2011, at the Gladstone Hotel to raise funds for Project #2!</div><div><br /></div><div>Here are some photos showing the completion of Project 1:</div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_MGhXZFvibRI/TIbt7aSps3I/AAAAAAAAAEI/EC7I947PqOM/s200/P8200418.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514356398687368050" /> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_MGhXZFvibRI/TIbt8B6UtHI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/8QyDJVqT-VE/s200/P8200421.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514356409322746994" /> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MGhXZFvibRI/TIbxC_vc5FI/AAAAAAAAAEY/7ZpHgOXl8GY/s200/P7230350.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514359827534242898" /> </div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MGhXZFvibRI/TIbqelLB7-I/AAAAAAAAADw/B1FMy3YHhos/s200/P8170379.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514352604857102306" /> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MGhXZFvibRI/TIbr9aFo9EI/AAAAAAAAAD4/2ZhULqG7Emc/s200/P8170387.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514354233969275970" /> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MGhXZFvibRI/TIbt63s0R5I/AAAAAAAAAEA/ber1f5yJG-8/s200/P8170390.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514356389401872274" /> </div><div><br /></div><div>One video showing a bit of work towards the end of Project 1: </div><div><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz6mN2XpBRigCK3KxlWJ8kjykoWnpxtx87Etk4VRQ0P-zhtxRK1dFG1MZ5y3neqMEZ2j2hgG63Lte72No_gUQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Val and Njackohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773231703718768422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6094870958637513648.post-13710980820989617232010-08-06T22:09:00.015-04:002010-08-29T13:47:09.601-04:00More photos of great progress, & save the date (May 21 2011)<div>Hello everyone, we hope that you are all having a wonderful summer. A great big thanks to the generous few folks who have contributed over the past couple of weeks for the projects. We have enough funds to finish the first project! We are committed to working with the school for at least 5 years, and really appreciate the ongoing support that is coming from all over the community!</div><div><br /></div><div>Please mark your calendars - our next benefit event for this project will be held on <b>May 21, 2011 at the Gladstone Hotel</b>. We thank the Gladstone Hotel for their amazing support for this project! More details on the benefit will be forthcoming.</div><div><br /><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_MGhXZFvibRI/TFzH3i_4zJI/AAAAAAAAADI/AtSeFWQ9I74/s320/P7230338.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502492601841405074" border="0" />We're pleased to see things take shape at Ecole St. Albert Le Grand. These are the latest photos from our nephew Peguy who is documenting the progress of the work with visits to Bazou (he lives in Douala). Without Peguy, this project would be very difficult to realize. He facilitates our communication with the Priest and the Principal of the school (we rely on his cell phone!) He is our eyes and ears and is doing an amazing job keeping us up to date on the amazing progress that you see in these photos!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MGhXZFvibRI/TFzFlrft96I/AAAAAAAAAC4/bmDqXYYgAKk/s320/P7230345.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502490095861495714" border="0" /></div><div>Peguy also has some video footage of the work at the school, and we hope to receive that in the coming month and will share it as soon as it is available.</div><div><br /></div><div>The focus of the first project has been to erect new internal walls for the school to divide the different classrooms. If the budget permits, some furniture will also be provided.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MGhXZFvibRI/TFzSXorTq4I/AAAAAAAAADg/-eY_UX38Jps/s320/P7070329.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502504148237790082" border="0" /></div><div>(...sorry for the sideways photo...I'm still learning some things about blogspot...)</div><div><br /></div><div>As we mentioned in our last post, our next project is going to be starting in September! Starting September, the children in Bazou will be taught traditional music at school. As far as we are aware, this will be the first music program in elementary school in Cameroon.</div><div><br /></div><div>The gentleman in the sideways photo is Bagante, and he is a very talented musician who lives in Bazou. He will be the music teacher. We're really looking forward to seeing and hearing the music that Bagante and the students at St. Albert Le Grand create together! If you are interested in contributing to this project, please get in touch. We will be funding the school to purchase their own instruments for the children to use at school.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Val and Njackohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773231703718768422noreply@blogger.com0