Update on Opuk Ja Kinda

Opuk Ja Kinda, a women's cooperative in the Kajulu region of Kisumu, Kenya, is comprised of women that are unskilled housewives with poor literacy levels, widows, single parents and orphaned youth.

The cooperative was created to provide an opportunity for the women who are economically and socially disenfranchised, to create viable and sustainable sources of income for personal and communal development.

Held at the Abila Creative Arts center, Voices sponsors capacity building trainings in crafts and jewelry making. As a result from the efforts and creativity of the cooperative, the women have generated a profit through the selling of their jewelry, enabling them to enroll a group of vulnerable and orphaned children in school.

This is a great accomplishment! And there is more to come!

Above are photos of some of the children enrolled in school!!

If you would like to purchase jewelry or make a contribution towards Opuk Ja Kinda please visit: www.voicesforumoja.com for more information.

Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars

The Coalition for a Sustainable Africa and We Own TV present a special screening of the award winning documentary Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars followed by a Q&A with the film’s Director Banker White and Headlining Artist: Black Nature

Wednesday, February 17 at 7:30pm

$12 at the door

Pan-African Film Festival closing night
Culver Plaza Theaters

9919 Washington Blvd.

Culver City, CA
www.paff.org

ABOUT THE FILM
The film tells the remarkable and uplifting story of a group of six Sierra Leonean musicians who came together to form a band while living as refugees in the Republic of Guinea. A brutal civil war (1991-2002) forced them from their homes in Sierra Leone. Many of their family and friends were murdered in the violence, leaving them with physical and emotional scars that may never heal. Despite the unimaginable horrors of civil war, they were saved through their music. Through music they find a place of refuge, a sense of purpose and a source of power. The film follows the band over the course of three years as they make the difficult decision to return to their war-torn country and realize their dream of recording an album of their original music. For more info, go to www.refugeeallstars.org and www.weowntv.org

See you there!!