This summer I am traveling to Africa. A romantic notion, right? The breathtaking savannah sunsets, the exotic skins of animals, and the miles of uncharted land lying before your feet - unfortunately these feverish dreams are unattainable without the sufficient funds.
That's why I'm appealing to you.
Down in Southern Africa, there is a family owned farm that is nationally known by the name "Harnas Foundation" or "Noah's Ark Wildlife Centre." For years the Van der Merwe family and close friends have kept this small bit of heaven alive in the eastern part of Namibia, in a remote location about three hours outside the nation's capital of Windhoek.
In Namibia, wildlife are often considered "problem animals" because of the damage they can cause to nearby livestock and local agricultural farms. Farmers frequently resort to shooting, trapping and ultimately killing these animals in an attempt to solve these problems. Harnas has taken in several of these animals in order to preserve and protect them from becoming endangered and sometimes extinct in their local area. They also work with the locals, educating them with positive alternatives to solving the problems they encounter with the local wildlife.
After years of taking in these animals though, the Van der Merwe family is not able to sufficiently care for all of the animals without the help of volunteers like me, and many others from across the world.
Right now I am asking for your assistance. The reality is it costs a substantial amount of money to travel to Africa as well as live there for three consecutive weeks.
My goal is to raise $5,000.00 to help buffer the cost of this trip. If you find it within your heart (and within your budget) please click on the "Donate" button to the right. Any amount is acceptable. As incentives for those who donate I will be providing the following:
$10.00 - After returning home I will send you a personalized postcard made out of one of the many photos I will be taking while there in Africa.
$25.00 - Before leaving I will send you a wildlife conservation t-shirt (design soon to follow) which you can wear proudly while you're thinking of me in Africa :) Donations of this amount though need to be made before June 1, 2010, in order for the t-shirts to reach you and everyone else in a timely manner.
Each additional $25.00 donation will be eligible to receive an additional t-shirt (i.e. $50.00 = 2 t-shirts, $75.00 = 3 t-shirts) as long as it is submitted before June 1, 2010. And for those wishing to donate $200.00 or more, special arrangements can be made for you to receive a framed 8"x10" photo of your choice from the many wonderful photos I will be taking while there in Africa.
For all of those who will be visiting this site again in the future, I will be posting pictures before and after my trip that you can view for your pleasure. (All images will be and are subject to copyright) I will also be making posts with information about wild animals, local wildlife conservationalists i.e. zoos, and really any animal related material. My request of you viewing this site is that you tell others about it! Feel free to link this site to your own and contact me if you would like to use any of the pictures you find on here. The only way this will work is through networking so please tell family, friends, co-workers, church members, neighbors, and anyone else you can think of.
In the event that more money is raised than the $5,000.00 goal, (which would be amazing) all surplus will be directly given to the Harnas Wildlife Foundation to help them with the costs of food for the animals and the upkeep of their facility.
In my experiences in life I've really learned the lesson of "a little goes a long way." Think of how much a smile can do for someone, who will in turn smile at someone else, etc. Suddenly by one simple gesture the world has become a much happier place! So here I would like to remind you that any amount helps. And if you find yourself in a situation where you cannot donate please tell three or four of your friends, family or co-workers about me and my site, and hopefully someone along the line will be able to add to this "Africa fund."
Remember, by these small gestures you can help me and help the wildlife in Africa.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
Posts
