This
year, AmyÍs birthday passed quietly.
In the early morning hours of April 26th,
several thousand loaves of bread were delivered to the usual
places near Cape Town and George Æ each loaf with a special
sticker attached, ñRemembering Amy ... 25 Cents.î Riding security on our bread truck through the sometimes dangerous
streets of Guguletu, Ntembeko Peni and Easy Nofemela, two
people involved in AmyÍs killing who were released on amnesty
in 1998, were remembering Amy and the difficult twists and
turns their lives have taken from pain and disillusionment
to hope and purpose.
And Æ halfway around the world Æ our family also
remembered Amy, with love and with pride for her and for
the growth of her Foundation and its impact in South Africa
and America.
We have
reached a new point on the maturity curve as a Foundation.
In early April, we signed a landmark four-year agreement
with USAID, just as our good friends Ken Yamashita and Stacy
Rhodes prepare to hand off their leadership of USAID-South
Africa to move on to new lives.
Their support of our work has been invaluable.
Similarly, Ambassador Delano Lewis departs South
Africa in June. He
is the third Ambassador we have known in our South African
journey. All
have become friends.
Some of our projects and programs have been serving
youth and their communities for three years. Thousands are served and hundreds rely on us for the salaries
which support their households.
We have
achieved a level of size and sophistication which demands
our full-time commitment and a constant effort to raise
more money to sustain our work in the face of unceasing
need. We are
thankful for the opportunities to serve those in need and
for the many Foundation friends who continue to support
our work. We
must constantly fight the presumption that with size comes
security. We
know vividly that the larger the Foundation becomes, the
greater the pressure is to support and sustain it.
We are sincerely grateful for every gift we receive.
Our expanding
relationships with some of AmericaÍs great colleges, universities
and their feeder schools are exciting and filled with promise
for our future work and for our responsibility for building
productive bridges from the United States to South Africa.
We are thrilled with these possibilities and are planning
to invest more time in their fulfillment.
Each year, more interns from these institutions charge
our people and our work with high energy, dedication and
friendship.
This
NEWSLETTER reflects our emerging diversity and the quiet
maturing which is taking place within our organization.
The pieces written by Kim Biehl, Molly Biehl Corbin,
Ashleigh Murphy, Renatta Van Rooyen, and Nwabisa Bonxo add
texture and reflect growth.
As we
celebrate a daughterÍs birthday, we acknowledge with pride
and humility the changing face and growing capacity of the
Foundation that shares her name.
On Thursday,
April 5th, our driving range at Khayelitsha Golf Club was
crowded with boys and girls Æ many in their school uniforms
Æ and television camera crews.
Watching intently as the kids hit golf balls was
a young white golfer who then approached each boy and girl
with some gentle coaching and advice on the art of the golf
swing.
At twenty-one
years of age, Trevor Immelman was spending his first hours
in a black informal settlement and was conducting his first
clinic for black and colored youth in the nation of his
birth. The
newest professional golf phenom from South Africa is accustomed
to the rigors of international tournament golf and to the
world of corporate golf events Æ but was astonished to discover
a beautiful golf driving range in a black informal settlement
barely fifteen minutes from his family home near Cape Town.
Moreover,
he was amazed to learn that historically-denied, poor youth
would be interested in learning and playing a game that
had been reserved exclusively to white South Africans for
generations.
In the
three hours he spent with the kids, Trevor did a fine job
and related comfortably to them.
Boys were in awe of him. Girls giggled and said he
was cute. Older
men nodded respectfully as he hit shot after perfect shot.
Trevor
Immelman came to our Khayelitsha Golf Club to teach a horde
of township kids something about golf.
The television cameras were there to record this
unusual event. As
the sunny and perfect afternoon slipped by, the questions
became clear: who
is teaching whom here and who is learning from whom?
The ñHidden
Golfers of Khayelitshaî who conceptualized the driving range
project were correct when they claimed that golf can bring
South AfricaÍs races together.
Moreover, young Trevor Immelman experienced the value
of golf as a classroom.
It was
a great day for each of us who was present.
A NOTE FROM
THE PROJECT MANAGER
By Ashleigh Murphy
Human
Rights Day was celebrated in South Africa on Wednesday,
March 21st.
In
this new nation, holidays occur on a particular date as
contrasted with the US practice of moving holidays to create
long weekends with minimum disruption of work schedules.
So, a South African holiday is celebrated on its
date Æ even if the entire working world must come to a halt
on a Wednesday. As
frustrating as this can be, I have come to realize that
South AfricaÍs future depends on remembering from where
it all began. So, Wednesday was Human Rights Day, in remembrance of those
69 who lost their lives in the Sharpeville Massacre Æ on
March 21, 1960.
When
asked to fill the Project Manager post, my charter was to
put in place systems to create a more professional environment.
It has required patience and determination to instill
a planning discipline, particularly in our township program
managers, who lack training in this important activity.
So the decision of our after-school teachers to host
an all-school holiday celebration, including song, dance
and speeches by struggle participants, required a special
level of planning and preparation and a lot of work for
some of us.
But my
heart soared long and far on this day.
On this day, 500 children from 4 of our after-school
programs assembled to celebrate rights for which people
had died in 1960.
They had practiced their dances for weeks and their
nervous smiles showed how excited they were in anticipation
of their performances. Each child listened carefully to speeches from three members
of the movement in Xhosa (their mother tongue) to permit
full comprehension of how South Africa came to be what it
is today.
The dances
were amazing - not one child missed a beat Æ and the energy
of the crowd urged everyone on.
Human rights - including the right to live a happy
and healthy life - were being celebrated by 500 children,
gathered together to perform and to share.
They werenÍt on the streets, they werenÍt being subjected
to violence; they were enjoying the day.
Prevention
of youth violence is at the heart of the Foundation, and
on this day we succeeded in our work.
And, after nine months as Project Manager, I was
rewarded with a well-planned, well-attended and well-organized
event. At such
times, I am keenly aware of what I am here to contribute
and of the joy that follows a job well done.
From
The Community Baking Trust
By Renatta Van Rooyen
I, the
writer, was asked to write a story about a very special
bakery. Now,
I am not a good writer and cannot always put into words
the emotional experience that I am about to tell you of. What started out for me as just another job seems to have turned
into a fulltime passion.
This is what happens to people who come into contact
with any and all aspects of this Bakery.
There is a certain magic to this place and its people.
Really, if we look carefully and are open to this
power, there are magic fairies and angels out there.
Exploring this magic world of this special Bakery
makes a person realize how much good and giving there is
within you. ItÍs
a good feeling.
My introduction
to this world was quite normal and uneventful, until about
the third day I was here.
Then it started, the realization that everybody involved
with making this very symbolic bread is special.
The mixer, the baker, the slicer.
This same magic touches everybody that inhabits the
world of the Amy Biehl Foundation Trust, even the occasional
visitor to this Bakery.
However, most of the guests to our world stay on
and become part thereof.
We are by no means an island, but rather a larger
family that opens its arms wide for all who want to experience
this magical feeling of goodwill towards your fellow human
beings. The
founders of the Amy Biehl Foundation Trust first introduced
this magic when they met each other years ago.
Then came the little fairies and one of them decided
to come to South Africa and introduce this magic to our
world. This
wonderful magic has its origins in a very bad event, but
it spread so much joy and relief as its end product.
This
same magic touched a young man called Mkulili so much he
decided to improve his own situation and circumstances.
Now Mkulili is an employee of Community Baking Trust
and for this previously unemployed young man this job brought
great relief. He
now had his own room, built from wood and corrugated iron
and is no longer sharing a room with his sister and her
children. He
had returned to school to finish his education.
He now can send money to his ailing father in the
rural areas of the Transkei, and also look after his brother
who lost a leg in an accident.
This
same magic was evident when Edmen and Thokozile had to move
their houses within twenty-four hours or risk losing it
all. When the
drivers of loads of AmyÍs Bread decided to forfeit their
much needed sleep to break down, move and re-erect their
houses. When
the management of this company decided it is not too much
to rent a huge tent so Edmen could have a roof over his
familyÍs heads that night.
The magic that teaches an ordinary man to come to
his fellow beingÍs aid when needed.
It spread its power once again when a bakery driver
decided to go without rest to help a community make their
donated peace park habitable again so that the kids could
have a safe place to play.
This magic has touched driver, Jeffrey, so much that
when he goes home after his shift on the truck, he carries
on visiting his clients and spreading the influence of this
calling because also to him its not just a job anymore.
In other
ways this magic has touched countless others Æ the kids
in the different programs, the hungry family who gets a
loaf of bread for free, the shebeen owner who gives a free
condom to help prevent HIV/AIDS, the recipients of our donation
bread. Individuals
like Hilton Meyer and Mama Evelyn.
As we walk on into the future nearly all of who have
and still are experiencing this magic will spread it further.
It touches our families, our friends, our children,
our lovers.
To the
Founders of this magic we are grateful that they are sharing
it with us. None
of us will ever forget Amy, not only for her work in South
Africa, but for her legacy and epilogue.
My
Journey to the USA
By
Nwabisa Bonxo
I left
Cape Town, South Africa on 14th of January 2001
departing from Cape Town International Airport.
I arrived in the USA on the 16th of January
2001. I was
very excited to have such an opportunity to visit abroad.
On the
16th of January, Peter was waiting for me at
the airport to welcome me. He greeted me and accompanied
me to the car, and we drove off to La Quinta in the California
desert where they have their welcoming, warm and peaceful
home. As usual,
it was jokes all the way and site seeing at the same time.
Linda was waiting at the house and when I saw Linda,
I was happy and excited.
Being
in the States for me was an eye opener and a learning process
as well. Because it broadened my thinking and opinion on the issues
we deal with everyday.
It was
a life changing experience visiting the Amy Biehl Charter
School which is in New Mexico where I met Tony who is the
co-founder of the school.
Also while in New Mexico, I was fortunate to share
my views on a project that the Amy Biehl Foundation might
be venturing into involving the construction of an adobe
hotel in the wine country outside of Cape Town.
It has ever since interested me so much that I would
like to be involved in the construction business.
On our
return journey to La Quinta, California, we spent the night
in Wickenburg, Arizona where I met Aunt Lulu who is Linda
BiehlÍs sister. From
there we went back to La Quinta and we made preparations
for an upcoming speaking engagement where we were invited
to meet a group of visitors from Ireland to engage in a
dialogue on conflict resolution and how we can bring about
inner peace, togetherness and harmony in our communities. Through this experience, I realized that conflict is everywhere
but it is not essential.
Let us, instead, learn to rise and overcome these
obstacles in life.
Also
while in the US, I shared in the celebration of PeterÍs
birthday with the family at large and spent my last days
at Kim Biehl and her fianc³, JameÍs, home. IÍve since exchanged
letters with my new friends in the development and empowerment
community and I am looking forward to seeing them again.
IN
THEIR OWN WORDS -- HOW SOUTH AFRICAN YOUTH VIEW OUR PROGRAMS
By
Kim Biehl
I was
fortunate enough to spend two weeks in Cape Town in February.
This time, instead of writing about my own thoughts
and experiences, I thought I would offer our stateside supporters
an opportunity to learn a bit about a few of the FoundationÍs
20+ programs as perceived and articulated by the participants
themselves. During
my visit, I interviewed young people involved in 5 of the
current projects ÆIntshinga After-School School (the Girl
Guides in particular), Buthisizwe Training Porgram, Khayelitsha
Driving Range, Youth Reading Role Models, and Ncedisizwe
Sewing Cooperative.
The questions asked were basic so as to be similarly
interpreted by our South African friends and our American
readers. The
following is a compilation of responses in the very words
used by the young South Africans interviewed.
What
is the purpose of the program as you see it?
- To
be the role models of the school.
- To
keep us safe and away from street violence.
To empower us with skills.
To prepare us for an
unpredictable future and the inevitable things
that come with it.
To help us learn more about other people.
- To
curb violence and prepare our youth for a bright future.
- To
get inside the communities and search for the talent.
To nurture the skills that are already there.
What
is the benefit of the program to you?
- I
feel empowered and above all, it has stimulated my self
esteem. Today
I know my values.
I know what I want out of life because of this
project.
- It
is very educational and we have time to meet people from
other countries.
This project teaches us to respect, care, share,
and trust so that we can be the presidents of tomorrow.
- It
is making us not be shy to talk to people that we donÍt
know. It
has showed us the way to go and to know right and wrong
so that we can be tomorrowÍs leaders.
- You
get to know people.
We were scared of white people.
It has given us confidence.
- We
gain practical experience.
What
is the biggest challenge for you in participating in the
program?
- It
is when I have to present myself in front of foreign people
To get to know people with different values.
But it is great to know that there are people out
there that care about me and my future.
- It
is when I have to do something in front of other people.
I am shy but I have to cope with it.
- The
biggest challenge is to keep away from the streets.
If
you were not participating, what would you be doing?
- Reading
my books.
- I
would be at home, bored with myself.
And somehow I would be in a lot of complicated
situations. Some
of the people who used to be my friends are alcoholics,
parents, prisoners, and some have passed away.
I am on track with my school work because of the
encouragement I get from the teachers that work with us.
- I
would be at home watching ñThe Boldî or ñDays of Our Livesî.
I think I would be one of those girls who gets
early pregnancy.
- I
would be sitting on the streets with noting to do. I would
be drinking and getting pregnant.
- I
am quite involved with other projects like HIV awareness
and AIPGE (African Institute for Personal Growth and Excellence)
to help build self-esteem and motivate young people.
- Going
out to look for work.
What
is your opinion of the Amy Biehl Foundation? How is it viewed
by the community?
- The
community appreciates the FoundationÍs thoughtfulness.
It has really brought a light to the end of the
tunnel. There
is a big change.
- My
opinion of the Foundation is that itÍs very good to us
because in the two hours that we are here, we learn good
things. The
community views it as good because it keeps the children
out of dirty things.
- It
is the very best foundation IÍve ever known all my life
here in South Africa. When we are here, it is like we
are home because the teachers are like our grandmothers
and mothers. They
are always there for us.
- This
is like a miracle for us.
We thank the Biehls and the teachers for wasting
their time to come and teach us. The community is very proud of what we are doing because
they know we are not wasting time when we come here.
- Most
people feel happy about the Foundation.
There are people who feel that the Foundation chooses
people other than them to give money to.
They are people who donÍt know about the Foundation.
What
is your hope for the future?
- I
want to be a lawyer.
- I
want to be a social worker to help people
who have no homes or have been abused by their
families.
- To
make the kids responsible people.
- I
hope for people to more aware of things that are happening
around them. I hope for violence, crime and corruption
to end. I
hope that parents teach their kids about HIV/AIDS and
teenage pregnancy. I hope that all of my dreams come true and everybody elseÍs,
too.
- My
hope is that when I am old enough, I can help the people
with HIV/AIDS and those who donÍt have homes.
- To
succeed
- Ubuntu.
To help my neighbor. To live happily.
- To
be the best sewers in South Africa.
- IÍd
like to be a big business woman.
- IÍd
like to be a fashion designer.
AN
EFFECTIVE PROGRAM PARTNERSHIP, EXCHANGING PROGRAM MODELS
AND FIELD EXPERIENCES
By
Molly Biehl Corbin
A
Presentation to Family Literacy FoundationÍs Board of Directors,
3/19/01
The
program partnership between Family Literacy Foundation (FLF)
and the Amy Biehl Foundation began in July of 1998.
My parents, Peter and Linda Biehl of the Amy Biehl
Foundation, learned of the Youth Reading Role Models program
through my past employ with FLF and saw it as a natural
fit within the Amy Biehl FoundationÍs holistic approach
to violence prevention and youth empowerment.
It
also fit well within FLFÍs hopes of expanding the benefits
of the Youth Reading Role Models program throughout San
Diego and beyond.
FLF was then in the process of fine tuning our training
manual, developing a training video and looking for ways
to expand the program benefits without constant hands on
involvement.
I
traveled to South Africa in July of 1998 with manual and
laptop in hand. I was able to train 2 Community Coordinators and a handful
of youth readers across a weekÍs time.
I had brought 2 duffle bags of books donated from
friends of the Amy Biehl Foundation to help develop and/or
supplement a childrenÍs library in Guguletu township.
I also spent time editing the training manual to
better suit the specific needs of the community and help
make the program a success.
The
easiest part of the training of the South African youth
was the ñwhysî and ñhowsî of reading aloud with young children.
The participants genuinely enjoyed the training exercises
-- which included a read aloud session in which a young
man read a moving childrenÍs story about Nelson Mandela
-- and seemed to understand the importance of the program.
The
most difficult part of the weekÍs training session was to
help the Community Coordinators envision how all the various
program components Æ from the use of public transport to
the involvement of Guest Readers Æ would come together across
the semester when theyÍd never seen it done before and would
have no one to walk them through it as they went.
I
left South Africa feeling good about the eagerness of the
youth to have the responsibility of reading to young children
and their hope to be seen in a positive light as role models
in their community. The fact that the young children would
benefit immensely through early exposure to reading was
also exciting. Quality childrenÍs books are essentially non-existent in township
schools and homes, so any exposure is extremely valuable.
I
wasnÍt at all sure, however, once I left what would happen
with the program itself.
There were so many challenges that were so different
from those faced by the inner-city communities of San Diego
that it truly was unclear as to whether or not the program
could succeed.
What
did happen was an 8-week pilot in which the Community Coordinators
tried to implement the program just as it was designed by
Family Literacy Foundation.
The pilot was followed by a redesigning period so
that the program could work in this community with very
specific challenges and needs.
This redesigning period was critical in the survival
of the program.
What
has evolved is a program -- not extremely different from
San DiegoÍs version -- in which there are regular trainings,
the library is used, parents participate as Guest Readers
and Graduation Celebrations are exciting events. Still,
there are numerous differences from the original program
design, the biggest of which is that the program is taking
place during school hours and within an elementary school
setting where the oldest children of the school read aloud
to the youngest children of the school as volunteers with
the permission of their teachers.
I
returned to Cape Town for an official ñProgram Launchî of
Guguletu TownshipÍs Youth Reading Role Models program in
the summer of 2000.The assistant to South AfricaÍs Minister
of Education was the keynote speaker.
Over 100 people were present including a childrenÍs
choir, a marimba band, youth readers, parents, teachers,
school administrators and media.
While
many of the original program components had evolved or were
omitted, I delighted in the fact that the essence of ñsharing
the joy of readingî was clearly maintained. In the whole
course of the program launch the word ñtutorî was never
used, nor was the word ñteachî.
Rather the speakers commented on the development
of relationships between youth and children, the importance
of the development of the imagination through reading aloud,
and the value of the early and unintimidating exposure to
reading skills for the young children.
At the time of the launch in the summer of last year
the program was in 8 schools. Within each school, approximately
6 readers were reading aloud to 30-40 children in 4 classrooms
on a weekly basis.
The program has since been implemented in 18 schools!
An
interview with a teacher involved with the program clearly
indicates its value and universal applicability.
When asked, ñWhat is the purpose of the program as
you see it?î the teacher responded ñ...to help develop responsibility
and the skill of reading...î and ñ...to utilize the library
to find books of interest for young children..î.
When asked of the program benefits, she replied ñ...to
help kids understand English; comprehension Æ even in reading
math problems; and, builds confidence...î
So,
as you can see, the benefits are not too dissimilar to those
that we see here in San Diego and the participants and educators
love it! ItÍs
easily one of the Amy Biehl FoundationÍs most effectively
implemented and successful programs since they had a thorough
manual from which to work as well as the autonomy to evolve
into a program model that works for the specific needs of
South AfricaÍs township communities.
ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS, AT
A GLANCE
1/3
Biehls
attend initial 2001 emergency response training class at
Coachella Valley High School.
Now more fully-integrated into the school class calendar,
the course has 58 students enrolled, with 3 instructors
from American Red Cross, Riverside County Chapter.
1/11
Biehls
meet with staff members associated with the House International
Relations Committee in the Rayburn Office Building on Capitol
Hill. Documentary film ñLong NightÍs Journey Into Dayî is
screened and discussion of Foundation programs follows.
Zach Biehl attends session.
1/
11
US premiere screening of ñTutu and Franklin: A Journey
Towards Peaceî is hosted by the Smithsonian Anacosta Museum
and Center for African American History and Culture in Washington,
DC. The documentary film Æ made by Foundation friends Mary
Braxton Joseph and Renee Poissant Æ features Foundation
staffer, Samora April, and youth from South Africa, Senegal
and the United States.
1/18
Foundation
staffer, Nwabisa Bonxo, accompanies Biehls for a visit to
the Amy Biehl Charter School in Albuquerque, NM.
Students are engaged in discussions of the meaning
of ñwealthî and are fascinated with NwabisaÍs concept of
wealth as a product of sharing all that one has with others
who need help. Opportunities
for teaching and student exchange are discussed and a mural
art exchange is planned.
1/24
Biehls
involve Nwabisa in Stanford University-based ñProject Hopeî,
with 18 citizens of Northern Ireland engaged in a reconciliation
struggle over several days on the Stanford campus.
This innovative project is the creation of StanfordÍs
Byron Bland and Fred Luskin.
The Biehls share their reconciliation story and observe
the process for possible application in South Africa.
1/26
Beloved
Foundation colleague and friend, Henry Williams, suffers
a serious stroke in Cape Town.
Managing Director of our Buthusizwe Construction
Services Trust, Henry is an invaluable asset to our youth
work and cannot be replaced.
We hope for his recovery, which will be a long and
difficult process for Henry and his family.
2/6
Biehls
meet with Joyce Kaufman, PhD Æ Director, Whittier College
Scholars Program Æ to initiate planning for an innovative
conflict resolution initiative involving teams of South
African and Whittier youth engaged with Los Angeles area
high schools and students.
2/13
Linda
and Peter address some 200 young women and mothers Æ members
of the National Charity League Æ in Irvine, CA.
2/14
Biehls
talk to members (and spouses) of the Dick Richard Breakfast
Club in Newport Beach, CA, before departing for Cape Town
later in the day.
2/17
Linda
and Peter share insights with over 700 students and faculty
of Semester at Sea on shipboard during a high wind in Cape
Town Harbor. Interns from University of Washington join
the Biehls in sharing their experiences assisting Foundation
programs in the Cape Flats.
2/20
Ken
Yamashita and USAID team begin two-day visit of Foundation
projects funded by USAID-South Africa.
2/23
Foundation
entertains a visiting economic development group from Egypt.
2/23
Linda does radio interview from Nico Molan Theatre
in Cape Town.
2/25
Kim Biehl
and colleague, Joan Liggett, arrive in Cape Town from Los
Angeles, to begin a working vacation with the Foundation.
2/28
Biehls
attend South African premiere screening of ñRemember the
Titansî, hosted by United States Consul-General and Mrs.
Stephen J. Nolan in Cape Town.
3/1
USAID
team visits Cape Town for final negotiation of a 4-year
agreement with the Foundation.
3/5
Biehls attend final holes and awards presentation
for first non-white golf tournament ever hosted at Mowbray
Golf Club, Cape Town.
This historic competition Æ organized by Lungile
Mbalo of our Khayelitsha Golf Club and sponsored by Alan
Shuman, Western Cape Brand Manager, Bells Scotch Æ attracts
90 township participants. Linda and Lungile speak to enthusiastic
participants, and Kim Biehl hands out prizes.
A truly great event!
3/6
Kim
Biehl and Joan Liggett deliver beautiful fabric donated
by American designer David Dart to members of the Ncedisizwe
Sewing Cooperative.
The sewers are thrilled with the fabric and at the
promise of a continued relationship with David Dart.
Special thanks to Anna Song and Ximena Spivey for
initiating this effort and providing the materials.
3/8
Jeff
Bernel and Jim Davis of Gigot Center for Entrepreneurial
Studies, Mendoza School of Business, University of Notre
Dame arrive in Cape Town to plan for 2001 summer intern
program.
3/8
Kim,
Joan, Linda and Peter depart Cape Town for Los Angeles.
3/13
Alastair
Rendall, Cape Town architect for Lynedoch Primary School
and Community Centre, arrives in La Quinta, CA to begin
2-week stay in America.
3/19
Biehls join Foundation friend and South Africa supporter,
Dr. Herma Williams - Associate Provost, Gordon College -
in Boston to address a student body convocation and to participate
in classes and campus life at this human service-oriented
liberal arts college.
3/21
Biehls
meet with Rep. Amo Houghton (R-NY), Courtney Alexander and
staffers of the House International Relations Committee,
Betty Bumpers and staff of Peace Links, during a visit to
Washington, DC.
3/22
Linda
and Peter visit with Elizabeth McGovern, University of Maryland
and with staff at the South African Embassy before departing
Washington for New York.
3/23
Biehls
lunch with Network Refugees, Inc. partners Claudia Pryor
and Gregory Branch in New York to discuss a film documentary
project on reconciliation for PBS and ABC ñNightlineî series
titled ñLiving Boldî. Network Refugees is created to free
its talented producer-founders from network news programming
constraints to produce important stories involving persons
of color. In
1993-94, Claudia Pryor was executive producer of ñInside
the Struggle: The Amy Biehl Storyî for ABC News ñTurning
Pointî. Her associate producer, Daniel Green, is now a producer
with Ted Koppel and ñNightlineî.
3/23
Prior
to departing for Cape Town, Linda and Peter meet with Vincent
Mai, Foundation supporter and friend of South Africa.
3/28
New 4-year
agreement signed by USAID in Pretoria which provides for
an innovative separation strategy between USAID and the
Foundation, in 2005.
4/2
Biehls
begin a fulfilling 2-day visit various Foundation projects
and Community Baking Trust in George, Southern Cape. Arranged
by David Webber and Laura Harley, the visit featured great
people working hard in our community service initiatives
and concluded with a live radio interview before flight-time
April 3.
4/5
An exploratory
meeting is held between the Biehls and Old Mutual Insurance
Foundation to consider opportunities for partnering in economic
development work in South Africa.
4/6
Biehls
meet with Virginia Peterson, Director, Department of Social
Services, Western Cape Province, to arrange an internship
in which Foundation will place an American intern with the
Department for 3 months to analyze Department strategy and
programs and to identify opportunities for further linkages
with the Foundation.
The Department of Social Services presently helps
to subsidize the FoundationÍs after school schools.
4/7
Linda
participates in an HIV/AIDS seminar conducted by Rotary
International and reports on the FoundationÍs HIV/AIDS prevention
programs.
4/7
US Speaker
of the House Hastert and a Congressional Delegation arrive
in South Africa for a fact-finding tour.
They will visit Foundation programs at Buthisizwe
Centre with Ashleigh Murphy an staff on April 9.
4/9
Biehls
address students and faculty of Washington College in Chestertown,
MD hours after their return to the United States, then meet
with students who have spent time in South Africa.
Washington College is the oldest and only educational
institution in America to have been given permission from
George Washington to use his name.
4/10
After
flying to St. Louis, MO, Linda and Peter deliver the 2001
Mary Byles Endowed Lecture on moral and ethical values in
modern society, at Maryville University. The Biehls are
introduced by Dr. Keith Lovin, Maryville President, to an
audience including Foundation supporters and friends, the
Kendall family, and St. Louis teachers who have worked with
the Foundation in Cape Town.
4/11
Peter
Biehl begins over 2 days of speaking/questions and answer
sessions in middle schools, high schools, and the KendallÍs
Methodist Church Æ including an impressive program at Wydown
Middle School organized by Gloria Sadler and her students
and featuring advanced technologies for communication and
Internet link-ups. Visits to MICDS and Park South High School
are also memorable.
4/12
Larry
Kendall arranges a discussion of youth violence prevention
with a cross-section of St. LouisÍ most outstanding community
leadership devoted to this challenge.
Opportunities are identified through which approaches
developed by our Foundation can be applied to violence prevention
efforts in St. Louis.
A continuing partnership is envisioned.
4/19
Biehls
participate in an innovative conference on arts and their
role in building dialogue across difference, organized by
Dr. James Clowes, Director, Comparative History of ideas
Program University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
4/21
Biehls
join Jim and Erin Clowes and former Foundation intern, Eric
Williams, presently with the William and Melinda Gates Foundation,
for breakfast prior to departure from Seattle.
Among discussion topics are future opportunities
for ñengagedî tourism in places like South Africa.
4/22
Linda
and Peter speak to members of the Mission Viejo Unitarian
Universalist Church and their guests, prior to joining Kim
Biehl at her ñWorking Wardrobesî charitable program for
men in final stages of restoration following prison stays,
substance abuse and homelessness.
Over 100 men are given counseling, haircuts, manicures,
massages, new wardrobes and job interviews in a very touching
program coordinated by Kim. The Amy Biehl Foundation donates
lunch for the event and Linda and Peter speak briefly about
ñtransformation.î
4/26
On AmyÍs
birthday, her parents participate in a screening of ñLong
NightÍs Journey into Dayî and speak to students, faculty
and staff of the Georgetown University M.S. in Foreign Service
Program Æ hosted and organized by former Foundation Project
Manager, Trevor Murphy.
4/27
Biehls
spend a stimulating day with faculty, staff and students
at the James Macgregor Burns Academy of Leadership at the
University of Maryland, College Park.
All students participating have been or will journey
to South Africa to develop research projects as part of
the program of this very special Academy.
4/27
Ambassador
Sheila Sisulu hosts a gala South African Freedom Day Celebration
at the Embassy in Washington.
Minister of Finance, Trevor Manuel greets the Biehls,
along with Ambassador Sisulu.
This
has been a very busy and productive period in the FoundationÍs
continuing evolution and history.
The opportunities to create long-term partnerships
with some of AmericaÍs most respected and impacting universities
and colleges will serve the Foundation and its interests
in South Africa and America for many years to come.
Student interns are a unique and important renewable
resource to our Foundation and Æ in working with them Æ
we are constantly reminded of Amy and are always invigorated
by their energy, integrity and ideas.
Were it not for the loss of our dear friend, Henry Williams,
to the work of the Foundation, this would have been one
of the most rewarding periods in our history.
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS,
BABY CLOTHING URGENTLY NEEDED
Continued expansions of our music education program and
the requirement for creation of community youth orchestras
in townships and informal settlements make it essential
that we renew our call for donation of new or used musical
instruments or of cash for their acquisition.
Excellent
new management energy and focus is creating an enormous
demand for the Amy Biehl Foundation TrustÍs music theory
and musical instrument instruction services among township
youth and under-resourced public primary schools.
Oversight by Solomon Makosana and Samora April is
producing a demand for musical instruments which we can
no longer supply.
Consequently, we must ask for help from Foundation
friends in order not to turn youth away.
In addition,
our colleagues at ñOptionsî Æ a counseling and support service
for pregnant young women and new mothers Æ have an urgent
need for baby clothing for babies who otherwise have no
clothing available to them after birth. Located in George, Southern Cape, Options has been helpful
to our Community Baking Trust in building distribution for
ñAmyÍs Breadî, and its new mothers are recipients of donated
bread from our George bakery.
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