Mazingira Video!

Hi All,

I'm happy to report the first of the short videos from Africa is posted online and ready for viewing!  I'm a bit sad to say the file size is so big that I can't display it here, only provide you with a link.

Many of you will recall the man in Arusha, Tanzania who was cleaning the environment (and supporting his family) by collecting plastic bags from the trash and using them to stuff animals for children.  Well now, you can meet Ramadhani Juma and see just what it takes to make this happen.

I'm so excited about how this turned out and so eager to spread the word about this project, I've submitted this piece to a local radio station's film festival, in hopes that it will be shown! And now it's about time you get a chance to see it, wouldn't you say?

Hey Miss K Productions proudly presents:

The Mazingira Monkey Project

Comments are welcome and orders for toys are gladly accepted.

Enjoy!

Miss K

Climb Every Mountain - Raising Money for Nepalese Schoolgirls

Hi All,

Want to help educate two Nepalese schoolgirls without getting altitude sickness?  Then support the climb-a-thon my friend Kate (pictured here) is undertaking on Wednesday!

I've pasted her letter below (because yeah, I couldn't figure out how to attach it - but I can send it to you if you ask).  Plus, she describes why this particular family and how the climb-a-thon works.

A Swiss woman living in South Africa raising money for people Nepal and receiving support from people around the world.  Yes, we can be quite the global community if we put our minds to it!

So - I encourage you to support her if you can.  She's a fabulous person and I'd like to help her achieve her dream!

Thanks,

Miss K

PS - Please contact Kate (kathryn_crowther@hotmail.com) or me directly to get her banking details... didn't seem like that was something that I should put online for the world to see.  And now to her letter:

While I was in Nepal in 2005, I was deeply touched by the hospitality, friendship and kindness of the local people, even though they had, themselves, many hardships to bear. A porter, Dawa, who trekked with me and my friend for a few weeks, was badly affected by the political situation in his country and the resulting lack of tourists. Because of the shortage of work, Dawa could no longer afford to send his 2 daughters, Chotti and Tschering (then aged 7 and 9) to school. 

Many of you very kindly supported me in my fundraising activity in 2005, to raise money for Chotti and Tschering’s education. I successfully raised 4 years worth of schooling for each girl. Tragically, Dawa became another victim of the violence in Nepal; he was shot and killed just outside Katmandu in May 2006, just one day before he was supposed to go trekking. His children and his widow now rely completely on outside support. Because I knew Dawa personally, it is very important to me to ensure that his girls will be educated and looked after until they can support themselves (and their mother). 

I have chosen my next adventure to be a means of raising money to finance the following years of Chotti’s and Tschering’s schooling. Please, let me explain… 

In April/May 2008 I will attempt to climb Cho Oyu, 8’201m, the world’s 6th highest mountain. I am asking you to donate a chosen amount per 100m of altitude that I achieve, starting at 5’500m, ending at the highest point I reach (climbing up and down does not count double). Here are some examples: Jim would like to donate 5 Swiss Francs (CHF) per 100m of altitude that I achieve. If I reach 5’600m, he will donate CHF 5 (1 x CHF 5), if I reach 7’000m, he will donate CHF 75 (15 x CHF 5) and if I summit, he will donate CHF 135 (27 x CHF 5). All currencies and all amounts are welcome. 

Once I have completed my climb I will let you know just how high I reached (on tippy-toes, with stretched arms) and how much your donation works out to be. I would then ask you kindly to transfer the amount into my Nepal fundraising bank account in Switzerland. From there I transfer the school fees each year. 

I strongly believe that education is the key to a brighter future. “Give a man a fish and he is fed for a day. Teach him to catch fish and he can thereafter feed himself and his family”. This will be my, and I hope our, contribution to the futures of Chotti and Tschering. Every single cent donated will go directly to benefit Dawa’s family. 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me, email would be the simplest (kathryn_crowther@hotmail.com). If you decide you would like to be part of my fundraising project, just let me know how much you would like to donate per 100m, the rest you can leave up to me. 

I will sign off with a big THANK YOU to all of you that decide to support me and go out for a run in preparation… 

A big hug to you all, 

Kate 

 

And the Beat Goes On

Hey All,

Being in San Diego earlier this month and meeting the other people who will be in the documentary film was a wonderful thing.

First off, I got to catch up with my old roommate, Ramon! Although he is quite happy living in San Diego... I'm still sad not to have him as a buddy to see bad performance art with. But in San Francisco, there is a never ending supply of bad performance art and friends you can convince to go with you (at least one time). But I digress.

Our first full day in San Diego was spent sailing around on a yacht and drinking champagne - while being filmed and trying to act casual. It was a beautiful, sunny day and a great way to get to know each other before the hard work of Friday. Seriously.

Friday was spent sitting at a round table (after a visit to the make up artist and the sound crew for our microphones) trying to ignore the four cameras that captured our every move while discussing questions like, "how do you recognize the dream that you're going to follow and what do you do if you don't get support"? Good lord. All this while trying to make sure that no one looked at the cameras - which were surrounding us, really - and that we gave each other a relatively equal amount of time to talk, though it shouldn't seem like we were going in any order. Do I hear the make up artist telling us to sit in her chair because we're getting shiny?

The other people involved in this project are an interesting lot: a guitar player who dreams of rock stardom, a dean who wrote a play for children about divided groups coming together, two women (with a website under construction) who are working to educate people on the importance of banking your infant's umbilical cord blood and finally the man (also under construction) who started it all - the soon to be finished documentary movie . If he has his way, we'll all be on Oprah talking about the film.

Hearing what everyone else had done made me feel a bit like a slacker and vow to get back on track when I got back up to San Francisco. Slowly I'm doing just that. I'm starting to edit the video again, I'm learning about how one improves a blog, I'm reaching out to the connections people are giving me and I'm trying to clarify what in the world it is I'm trying to do in the first place. All that and I've joined the Netflix revolution - so I can rent documentaries - for research. Come on.

The movie should be finished sometime in August and then will be premiered in all the cities where there are cast members. To save yourself a trip to Tucson, why don't you plan on seeing it in San Francisco. Either that or Tivo Oprah.

See you in the movies,
Miss K