The Gathering, Ambosoli Kenya
This image consistently brings back vivid memories of a Maasai village I visited on the outskirts of Amboseli, Kenya. I love the juxtaposition of the vibrant colors the villagers were clothed in with the starkness of the landscape in this very dry region situated in the rain shadow of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
In a country in which 27% of the adult population has died of AIDs the results leaves more than a half a million children orphaned. “A Nossa Casa” which means “A Home for Us” is a holistic approach to this issue, going well beyond providing housing for the children. It is designed to expand and enrich the children’s lives with education, health care, food and nutrition, and vocational training. This past November I headed out to Mozambique as a volunteer geologist for the organization African Millennium Foundation (AMF) to oversee the drilling of a fresh drinking water well in support of this project. The logistics in drilling in Africa proved to be frustrating; however it ultimately gave me the chance to understand the greater breadth of what the project meant. The local community of Maluana now has a successful well installed which is also the cornerstone for the future village of “A Nossa Casa.”
“The Gathering” is a series of framed photography and art cards from my journeys to Africa. Several of these photos have received awards and/or been featured in international exhibitions ranging from St. Petersburg, Russia, Paris France, to Buenos Aires, Argentina! All proceeds from the fine art purchases go towards the "A Nossa Casa" a project of the African Millennium Foundation in partnership with the local NGO Reencontro designed to create sustainable futures for children orphaned by the AIDS pandemic in Mozambique. I have chosen specifically to donate proceeds towards the installation of wells and water distribution systems to provide clean drinking water to the project and the local community.
All proceeds from this project will go towards development of the water supply system for this village.
African Millennium Foundation (AMF) –
on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Gathering/186037254910363
or donations are welcomed at http://www.1amf.org/projects/projects_artafterdark.php