More Photos from Guinea Kids Benefit Concert

Photos by Ilona Berzups. (c) 2008 All rights reserved

GUINEA KIDS BENEFIT CONCERT!!

Photos by Ilona Berzups. (c) 2008 All rights reserved

...Was an amazing experience of friends and community and children coming together to support broadening the life opportunities for children around the world! WE HAVE RAISED NEARLY $6000 TO DATE from this year's event!!! The concert was truly a beautiful thing. The space was transformed into a gorgeous African dream. There were exciting things to browse and buy including Guinea and Seattle Kid's Collaborative Art Cards. There were yummy things to taste including fried plantains and ginger juice.

The children's dancing was a highlight for me. Their bright spirit's shone on stage and their joy was infectious. Some of the children even got the treat of dancing to live drumming when we had a sound glich. Hey, even better...we had the real live thing instead of recorded music. I loved it!

The photos and information about Guinea added a deeper understanding of this amazing place that has captured the interest and love of so many of us. Probably the best feedback I received about the event was a woman who said that it made her want to go to Guinea and that she appreciated that the event expressed not just the poverty of the place, but the joy and beauty of Guinea equally. To convey that aspect was so important to all of us involved. I am so gratified that it came through.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all involved, all contributors, and all who continue to keep this light alive with me.

Marissa

GUINEA KIDS BENEFIT CONCERT!!

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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18th, 2008
4-6pm
(Showtime 4:30pm)
Immanuel Lutheran Church Parish Hall
1215 Thomas Street, Seattle, WA 98109

RSVP at: http://gkef-concert-08-emailinvite.eventbrite.com/?invite=Nzk1OTUvbWFyaXNzYWRhbmNpbmdAZ21haWwuY29tLzA%3D%0A


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Great Dancing Video Clips!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8339496127541613112

These video clips of dancing begin with the most adorable kids dancing in their village on Tabaski (holiday) and continues with a Christmas eve performance by a professional dance company. Knock your socks off dancing!

The Classroom Foundations Built

These photos are of the 3 new classroom foundations that have been built at Groupe Scolaire Sabadou with the money that Guinea Kids Education Fund provided. A goal of this year's Guinea Kids Benefit Concert will be to raise the money to complete these classrooms. Please attend this worthwhile and fun fundraiser on October 18th, 2008. See below for details.

Wontanara (We're all together),
Marissa

Photos of Guinea Kids Beneficiaries

These are all photos of the students that Guinea Kids Education Fund is supporting to attend school! And all the clothes and school supplies we are providing also! 19 out of 20 students passed their end of the year compositions and all are receiving summer tutoring as well, thanks to the money raised at last year's benefit concert. Please join us for this year's fundraiser and help us continue their educations!

Wontanara (We're all together),
Marissa

Guinea Kids Benefit Concert

To benefit
Guinea Kids Education Fund
supporting
children’s education in
Guinea, West Africa

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• West African Music and Dance
• Master drummer from Guinea, Karim Koumbassa and friends
• New Discovery School World Dance Classes

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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18th, 2008
4-6pm
(Showtime 4:30pm)
Immanuel Lutheran Church Parish Hall
1215 Thomas Street, Seattle, WA 98109

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A Taste of Guinea Soiree

In July and August we held two Taste of Guinea Soirees to celebrate the 2007-2008 Guinea trip with Karim Koumbassa and to raise awareness about Guinea and the fundraising work that Guinea Kids Education Fund is doing.

We had live Guinean music and dance, we ate yummy African fare Guinean-style (all around large platters with our hands!), we shopped at the marketplace, listened to stories about Guinea, and danced!

Here is an excerpt from my story and some photos.

"About four hours out of Conakry, the capital city of Guinea, into the lush forest region on a bus packed with chickens, food, luggage, an entire kitchen, drums, chairs, instruments, and about 20 people singing and making music, We found ourselves in a magical place called Kindia. Land of tree giants, waterfalls, thick vines hanging lushly everywhere and ancient-looking broken stone patios, pathways, and stairs leading through the trees to more waterfalls. This is where we held our dance and drum classes each day of the 3 or 4 days we were there… with the mist of the waterfall at our backs and the wonderful smell of a jasmine-like flowers in the evenings.

One day I took my book and my journal and went looking for some solitude. As I climbed the stairway through the vines and trees, I noticed two boys following me. I sat down and they curiously came closer. They did cartwheels and showed me their monkey-like climbing abilities. They were bright and curious and began to talk to me and ask me questions. There was something in they way they presented themselves to me that as a teacher I recognized and I could just tell that these children were attending school. So I asked them about it and they told me about going to school. They sang me songs they had learned. I wanted to sing with them, as I do with so many children, so I asked them if they sing the ABC’s. They sang me their version in French and I sang them my version in English. I think for both of us it was a moment of connection across our vast globe. I wondered at what new awareness of other places that exchange may have brought to them."

Wontanara (We're all together),
Marissa

Video Footage of Dec. 2007 visit to Groupe Scholaire Sabadou

Finally, I am posting a link to take a look at my visit to the school, Groupe Scholaire Sabadou. The video footage is quite long and is mainly us touring the empty school (the students were on break), but if you click ahead to 32:00, you will find the part where Sarah Lee Koumbassa is telling the school founder about the money we were giving to them. Its mostly in french, but there is a part where Sarah Lee explains what was said. But you can see from the looks on their faces what is going on.

Its also worth it to take a look at a few points along the video to get an idea of what the school and classrooms look like. There is also a section where some of the students in the neighborhood come in and do recitations for us. I'm mostly too emotional or tearing up through the whole thing to say much of anything...


http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5855844589534373603

Wontanara (We're all together),
Marissa