Public Awareness & Donor Outreach

The HIV/AIDS pandemic has created much need in Sub-Saharan Africa. It has also created much opportunity for generating meaningful solutions. Firelight’s grantee-partners are often best positioned to initiate this change. Their community orientation means they can identify local needs and respond in an efficient, significant way. Unfortunately, these efforts and strategies are rarely highlighted outside of their own communities.

At Firelight we recognize that we are frequent witnesses to inspiring events and important ideas from our partners in Africa. It is a crucial part of our mission to communicate this to a wider audience through a variety of events and activities. We fundamentally believe that linking a community of grantees and philanthropists results in meaningful investments made to passionate people who work for change from the ground up.

Publications
Our 2005 annual calendar highlighted Psychosocial Support, key among many strategies for responding to the orphan crisis. The calendar emphasized the importance of emotional, social, and spiritual support in human development through images and key words like “confidence,” “resilience,” and “courage.” Caring for psychosocial needs means giving children the tools to heal, to cope with loss, and to reclaim their future. The calendar was distributed to Firelight donors, peer organizations, and grantee-partners.

In June 2005 our co-Founder Dave Katz, Board Member Jim Hayes, Firelight supporter David Wittbrodt, and staff members Jennifer Anderson-Bähr and Joop Rubens visited Children’s Town for eight days to film the work of one of our Zambian grantee-partners, Development Aid from People to People – Children’s Town (DAPP - Children’s Town). A 6-minute video entitled Children’s Town, Zambia: From Response to Prevention highlights the effectiveness of community-based care and was produced in late 2005. The video is available on request. DAPP - Children’s Town offers free primary and high school education, raises awareness of children’s rights, and strengthens the capacity of the community to care for children. The program supports Community Orphan Committees as they address the emotional needs of children and assist guardians with economic empowerment programs.

Firelight Advisory Board Meets in Cape Town, South Africa
The March 2005 Firelight Advisory Board meeting took place in Cape Town, South Africa. During the meeting we celebrated our fifth anniversary over a dinner with many of our board members, advisory board members, and South African grantees. While in Cape Town Firelight sponsored the launch of the Voices & Visions: Rights & Realities exhibit. The exhibit featured children’s photography and art that addressed child rights in relation to HIV/AIDS. It ran at the historic Slave Lodge in Cape Town and was developed by the Children’s Rights Centre, a Firelight grantee-partner in South Africa. Through photographs and stories, the exhibit depicts a group of South African children confronting daily challenges and maps out a more hopeful, child-friendly future. During the launch our founder and CEO Kerry Olson, the director of the Children’s Rights Centre Cati Vawda, and a number of youth addressed the attendees. The exhibit attracted media attention and was very well attended. Kerry Olson and Cati Vawda were also interviewed live on South Africa’s national radio station SAFM.

While in South Africa Kerry Olson, Jennifer Anderson-Bähr, Caitlin Brune, and Joop Rubens had the great honor to meet with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. During our conversation the Archbishop highlighted the hope that stems from community efforts to care for their most affected and vulnerable members, and he encouraged Firelight to continue supporting these efforts. The Archbishop reminded us all how a human being is only a human being through relationships, and how in partnership we can truly make a difference in the lives of people across Africa.