We Did It!!

We reached the $20,000 goal! As a group we raised over $500,000 in this year's Seva Challenge! Thank you for all of your support. Happy Holidays!

Final Countdown!

As a group we have raised close to $500,000! I am getting closer to my own goal everyday and am so excited about the possibility of actually traveling to Uganda... It is just within reach and with a little less than 2 weeks to go to the deadline, I am hopeful that we can make it happen!

With the holidays upon us I am constantly thinking about how fortunate we all are to have such abundance in our lives and it fuels me even more to give to those that have not been as blessed. When I think about the peoples lives that the Seva Challenge funds will be changing I get so incredibly excited. To give a child in rural uganda a chance at an education gives me hope that we can leave this world a better place for future generations..

I want to say Thank You to everyone who has donated already and encourage anyone who hasn't to please consider giving to this worthy cause. It is amazing how much further our money goes in Uganda and what even the smaller donations will accomplish. Every little bit helps! And, remember that all donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE!

I am still matching donations up until the deadline - December 15th. Simply click the "Donate Now" button to the right to donate. Thank you for your support!

Why Uganda?

For the past 23 years, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has been fighting the government of Uganda. The war has been considered one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world today. An entire generation has never known peace.

At one point, more than 1.8 million people - or 80 percent of the population in northern Uganda - were forced to flee their homes and live in squalid displacement camps with limited services. Protecting the people, especially the children, has not been a priority for the government, despite national and international laws guaranteeing their basic rights.

Throughout the conflict, LRA leader Joseph Kony has created his army primarily through the violent abduction and forced enlistment of children. More than 30,000 children have been kidnapped by the LRA and forced to be soldiers, laborers, and - in the case of girls - sexual slaves.

During the height of insecurity, the lack of civilian protection in villages and displacement camps created the phenomenon of "night commuters". Every night in northern Uganda, tens of thousands of children walk for several miles to urban centers to sleep, in the hopes of avoiding violence and abduction by the LRA. This practice has stopped due to improved security in northern Uganda.

Despite the improved stability, almost half of the displaced civilians still remain in camps. They now face the difficult decision of whether to leave the crowded and disease-ridden camps for the uncertainty of life back home, where basic services such as schools, clean water, and health clinics are rare.

A ceasefire agreement was brokered in August 2006 between the Ugandan government and the LRA. Security in northern Uganda has increased, but the LRA is now attacking and abducting civilians in eastern Congo.

A health crisis still exists in Uganda today, as children have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS and thousands of women die annually in childbirth. 1.2 million children have been orphaned by AIDS. Approximately 42 million children do not have access to education, clean water, or adequate nutrition. These children live in poverty and many remain under constant threat of the rebels of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), who continue to wage war in the north despite cease-fire and peace agreements. The war, one of the most brutal of modern times, has led to the displacement of 1.8 million people and the abduction of 30,000 children for use as child soldiers and sex slaves.

San Francisco to Uganda

After all of our hard work, San Francisco to Uganda has come and gone. It was definitely a crash course in event planning, but so much fun and in the end worth every late night and ounce of anxiety. People did actually show up! I want to thank everybody that helped make San Francisco to Uganda a success! Whether through a donation to our silent auction or help at the event, we could not have done it without you. It was such a wonderful evening and we were able to raise $10,000 for the organizations we are working with through Off the Mat's Seva Challenge! It was so great to see everyone coming together and having fun... The food by Radio Africa & Kitchen was amazing (as usual) and the performances by Greenhorse, the master African drummers and Sila & the Afrofunk Exprience awesome. Here are a few pictures from the evening...

San Francisco to Uganda

Come out at party for a good cause! San Francisco to Uganda is going to be an amazing night of live music and giving. Jessica Welborn (another SF Seva Challenge participant) and myself have committed to raising $20,000 each for projects in Uganda that empower women and children by increasing access to education and health care and have joined forces to throw this very special event. Please join us in celebrating the local community coming together to create social change in the world!

Find us on Facebook, become a fan and RSVP!

You can buy tickets in advance at Brown Paper Tickets or at the door the night of the event.

Tickets are $25+ (which means if you can and wish to give more please do!) and that INCLUDES an amazing dinner by Radio Africa & Kitchen.

The night will feature:

SILENT AUCTION (6-10pm) - come bid on unique and exciting donations from local artists and businesses!

LIVE MUSIC - Sila and the Afrofunk Experience, Cheb i Sabbah, Greenhorse, DJ Amar, performance by master African Drummers and more!

FOOD - enjoy amazing cuisine from Radio Africa & Kitchen!

All net proceeds from the evening will go to supporting a few select organizations that are working to eradicate the tremendous financial and health crises that exist in Uganda, and creating sustainable solutions for communities in crisis:

Building Tomorrow - to build a primary school, housing for all seven teachers and their families and develop a farm on the schools property (www.buildingtomorrow.org)

Shanti Uganda - to build an eco birthing center with a sustainable garden and to support birthing education and training programs for women with HIV/AIDS (www.shantiuganda.org)

PSI/Youth Aids - supporting their work in stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS worldwide (www.projects.psi.org/youthaids)

New Hope School - a local Ugandan orphanage to provide new beds for the children and orphans and supporting the improvement of their water system and educational programs (unfortunately they do not have a website)

Even if you can't make it out please consider giving to this worthy cause!

And the winner is....

Ok - a few days late on the announcement of the raffle winners but I had to ensure that I had tickets included for everyone that purchased them AND I just didn't feel right about drawing the names alone so I had my friend Jessica draw them at dinner tonight. So, without further ado...

3rd place winner of the shadyLady eyeshadow palette is... Patty Iorg!
2nd place winner of the assortment of 6 lip glosses is... Nicole Dunn!
1st place winner of the gift basket of assorted products is... Jodi Cochran!

I will notify the winners by email as well and prizes will ship out next week. Thanks to everyone who participated - this raffle raised a grand total of $506 dollars!!! I appreciate all of my volunteers who helped me sell tickets - and yes you will also be getting a little thank you!

OTM's Seva Challenge video

This year there are 120 people that have committed themselves to this challenge. If we all succeed we will cumulatively raise over 2 million dollars for the organizations we have partnered with that are helping women and children in Uganda. We hold bi-weekly calls where we share our own personal triumphs as well as frustrations and I think the most rewarding part of this journey has been the people I have met along the way and the community of support I have found. I want to succeed and raise the $20,000, but I can honestly say here at the $3,000 mark, if I don't raise another dollar, this has already been to most positive experience of my life. That being said - I am committed and the journey continues! I am really looking forward to the September 24th event - San Francisco to Uganda - that I am hosting with another participant Jessica. I hope you all can make it out.

This video is from Shanti Uganda - an amazing orgnization that is part of the 2009 Seva Challenge..