Thirty Nine Thousands Students Impacted...

One thousand and eighty five primary schools students received textbooks this year as part of African Heritage Celebration's campaign to support education in Senegal. Colorado native Nora Sullivan joined Yacine Fall on Thursday November 7th and together they visited 5 schools in the cities of Bargny and Rufisque to deliver textbooks to young students, during presentation ceremonies in the presence of teachers, parents and administrative staff, marking the 10th year that AHC has worked to improve educational opportunities for children in Africa.

Nora is a former American Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal. Her many years living in a country known for its legendary hospitality and rich cultural traditions have impacted her positively. Like many who have had an extended stay, she is yearning for opportunities to reconnect with the community that hosted her and she agreed to represent AHC for this year's campaign. " The gratitude and hospitality I experienced visiting the schools, I will guard forever", Nora said. Yacine Fall is an educator who taught for 30 years in the public school system and now holds the position of Inspector of Education and Training, with the Ministry of Education of Senegal. She has supported and directed AHC's educational projects since the start.

Thirty nine thousands students enrolled in more than 43 schools across Senegal have received textbooks and accessories . Many of the beneficiaries of AHC's actions are now pursuing post- secondary education, training to become the next generation of leaders and will help improve lives in their communities. AHC intervenes in academic institutions and communities throughout Senegal, since 2007. In the Northern region of Matam is the village of Diorbivol, one of the first primary schools AHC visited. It is also the home of Oumar Dia, an African immigrant murdered by racists in the streets of Denver, in a freezing night of November 18, 1997. The skinheads gunned Oumar Dia down because he was black. He was employed as a housekeeper at the Hyatt Regency Denver. The village of Diorbivol lays on the edge of the Sahara desert. Its arid climate and short rainy season explains the scarcity of trees and bushes. The landscape is mostly flat. The main activity of the villagers is fishing along Senegal River, which runs, on the borders the country shares with Mali and Mauritania. Using an irrigation system , the villagers grow rice, millet and vegetable in their fields. Keur Samba Ka is another village that AHC works with; located in the South central tip of Saloum region. As an important agricultural center, the area benefits from fertile lands . The vegetation is very dense in rainy season. Tall trees along the trails run between fields, providing abundant shade. The air is fresh and pure, remote from the pollution of the big cities like Dakar, the capital.

Keur Samba Ka is a beautiful rural community of farmers and cattle breeders, fifty-seven kilometers from Koalack, once a commercial exchange hub; where for a long period of time, especially before the country's independence, foreigners and locals engaged in the trading of peanuts, an export commodity. Last year, AHC had the opportunity to travel to the Delta of Saloum and serve 1,425 students of 24 primary schools; located in 22 villages, between the city of Fatick and the Atlantic Ocean, a few miles north of the Gambian border. Diofior and Foundiougne are major cities in the area. AHC delegation visited Mar Lodj, Mar Soulou and Mar Fafako (Mar meaning island-village in Serer, the local language.) Mar Lodj is approximately a 35 minute-boat-ride from the mainland village of Ndangane Sambou, and the other island villages stretch out beyond this. Mar Lodj is nestled in the midst of mangroves. The white sands of the beaten tracks leading to the villages, contrast with the green bushes bordering the pathways. The remoteness of the island villages is both an asset and a liability, and life of the villagers has changed little over many years.

Participating as a delegate in African Heritage Celebration's annual undertaking has the benefit of exposing travelers to rural environments and providing opportunities to engage in life changing experience. Travelers stay with hosts family, usually for a duration of 3 to 4 days. While there, the travelers share meals with villagers, and enjoy the dances, the songs and drumming sessions that are held at welcome parties. Cultural traditions of the communities are displayed during the festivities. Visitors and hosts engage in mutually enriching-learning experiences, exploring the history, geography and life style of the localities, and are prone to developing the kind of understanding essential for forging the necessary solidarity, based on the premise of a common humanity; that is needed to build a better world.

November 2017 will mark the 20th anniversary of the killing of Oumar Dia and African Heritage Celebration is gearing up for programs to commemorate his life in United States and the realization of meaningful projects that have had a positive impact in the lives of tens of thousands of children in Senegal. The funds are raised by efforts of volunteers and contributions from generous supporters such as CVentures, Inc., the Mizel Global Cultural Fund , Baal Dan charities, the Miller Family of Littleton, Colorado, Hyatt Regency Denver, many individuals and families who have chosen to help children in Africa by improving educational opportunities, literalizing the proverb, "if you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, ... if you teach a child to fish, you feed a generation". Please help to feed a generation, too, by donating to AHC a 501(c)3 non-profit!

AFRICAN HERITAGE CELEBRATION 2015 CAMPAIGN.

The following is a summary of the results African Heritage Celebration’s (AHC’s) 2015 fundraising and distribution results. The distribution trip to West Africa was executed from October 27 through November 17. • Thanks to a generous grant AHC received from Baal Dan Charities and partnership with the Hyatt Regency of Denver, the 2015 campaign to support education has been completed and we have been able to provide support to a record number of children. • On November 3rd, AHC visited the central localities of Diourbel and Bambey. o Second graders at Cheikh Ibra Fall and Serigne Mbaye Sarr elementary schools In the city of Diourbel received supplies . o AHC went to five schools in the department of Bambey. Mr. Babacar Diouf staff member of the office of primary school inspection led the group to the villages of Mbattall, Ndimb. Ngueye-Ngueye, Sob-Sessene and Keur Meissa. o Altogether 762 students received supplies in the region of Diourbel.

• AHC group left Bambey and headed West to Foundioungne . We booked a 2-night stay at the beautiful " campement le petit bateau," a campsite, run by Mr Yague Fall which has a veranda-like restaurant by the Ocean water. • One of AHC’s objectives for 2015 was to expand our support to add children in schools in the very remote Delta of Saloum. We worked with education officials in Senegal to identify 24 schools of villages from Betenty and Diam Niadio to Dionewar and Niodior, where there is greatest need of educational supplies. • Getting the materials to many of the individual villages, which are on remote islands, would require much more time and resources than AHC had available Bringing the Headmasters to the primary school inspection of Foundioungne was more feasible than the difficult task of trying ourselves to put the supplies on the desks of students of these localities, isolated from each other by water and great distances. o On Nov 4, we met Mr. Nogaye Diop primary school inspector of Foundiougne. He introduced us to his colleague Mr Guedel Mbodj, manager of logistics and equipments. o The distribution of supplies was held in the courtyard of the inspection building of Foundiougne. With the help of Mr Guedel Mbodj, we were able to allocate supplies to headmasters of 24 schools, which are spread out in the various islands in the country's Southwestern part, called the Delta of Saloum ,

• Within three hours, the school Headmasters received each: Textbooks, slates, notebooks, crayons, erasers and pens for a total of 1260 students. • The next day , on Nov 6, AHC was scheduled to meet Inspector Habib Wade in the City of Diofior. After a Brief introduction to inspector Ba, who is the head of this educational district of the region region, Mr. Wade led our way to the departure platform in the village of Ndangane Sambou, located several miles west of Diofior. o A 35-minute-boat ride took us to Mar Lodj, the first of three Mars( island villages) we were supposed to visit. Mar Lodji seems to enjoy the comfort of nestling in a dense vegetation. White sands of the streets contrasted with green bushes along the pathways. o Upon arrival we loaded the supplies on horse-drawn a carriage and started for the schools.

o After visiting students in Mar Lodj and Mar Soulou, we were heading to the next village, when our carriage experienced a flat tire. We got off and walked the rest of the way to Mar Fafako, while the horse pulled the load to the last schools. o We provided supplies to 165 first graders, in this part of Diofior educational district. One must state the beautiful environment surrounding the islands in Delta of Saloum, especially Foundiougne and the Mars. • On Nov 09, Mr. Sileye Djiby Niang, a representative from a sister NGO, Denver Senegal Humanitarian Foundation and AHC delegation took a 12-hour journey to the Northeastern village of Diorbivol to deliver gifts of Colorado organizations to 210 students, from elementary to high school and college. • Diorbivol is the village of African immigrant Oumar Dia who was murdered in a hate crime in Denver. • Oumar Dia who worked at the Hyatt Regency Denver as housekeeper was gunned down on November 18, 1997. • Colorado organizations have been working with the village on various development projects, ranging from health to classrooms construction, since 1998. • The southeastern locality of Keur Samba was another village AHC travelled to on its 2015 campaign. 177 students from 1st to 6 grade were given supplies.

• On Nov 15, AHC provided supplies to 198 students of "Franco-Arabe" in Bargny. • On Nov 16, 442 first and graders received textbooks and supplies when we visited both Mixte A and Mixte B, and Secka Gueye elementary schools, in Bargny. • In the city of Rufisque, we visited several institutions: We presented 930 notebooks, 400 chalk slates, pens and erasers to Mrs Anna Gaye, founder of "Le Petit Prince d'handiscole", a special education institution. Lastly, at Mamour Diop I and Mamour Diop II elementary schools, we provided textbooks and supplies to 197 elementary students there. • African Heritage Celebration received appreciation awards from academic authorities and parents in Rufisque. The distinctions were given in recognition of AHC's continuous efforts to support education.

In summary for 2015, African Heritage Celebration (AHC) distributed 6,140 notebooks, 3, 050 chalk slates, 2,600 crayons, 2,600 pens, 2,700 erasers and 2,878 textbooks to more than 3,000 students across Senegal. It has been a highly successful year, thanks to the support and efforts of many individuals, as well as organizations such as the Hyatt Regency Denver Convention Center, the Mizel Global Cultural and Baal Dan Charities. Your ongoing participation and support has enabled us to make a difference in the lives of over 34000 young children since 2007.

African Heritage Celebration 2014 Campaign.

African Heritage Celebration has completed another year of outreach and support in West Africa. Mohamadou Cisse and I returned from Senegal a couple of weeks ago. While we was there, we was able to visit 18 primary schools, 2 kindergarten schools and 1 special education school.

These schools were spread over 6 small remote villages and 4 urban areas in the western, central and southern parts of Senegal.

This year, thanks to the success at the Hyatt Regency gala, as well as the supporters of AHC's mission to provide opportunity for education for children, we were able to deliver textbooks and school supplies to 2120 children.

In addition, we also met with the leadership of Oumar Dia's village, Diorbivol, and made a donation to help further expand the school facilities there, which are used by children from Diorbivol and five other villages in the vicinity, continuing Oumar's legacy.

As in years past, the children, faculty, officials and parents at all of these schools are incredibly gracious - and grateful - for the generosity shown via this project. In addition, the schools are seeing significant and ongoing improvement in the performance of these students. Using Diorbivol as an example, when we first began this project, each year, between seven and twelve of the graduating sixth graders would successfully complete entrance exams to go on to 7th grade. Now, the vast majority of the graduating class - that is, about 90% of the 30+ sixth graders at the school - qualify for 7th grade.

The teachers, administrators and parents of these children attribute this notable improvement to the availability of quality educational textbooks and supplies that the contribution of our supporters and the annual gala enable.It'd be best if you could experience the gratitude of the villagers firsthand, but I can tell you that the authenticity and enthusiasm of their gratitude has not waned; and nor has ours! Thank you so much for all that you've done over the years! Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

Kevin Miller Chairman of the Board, AHC

AHC RAISED $60,000, IMPACTED 15,000 STUDENTS.

The African Heritage Celebration provided school supplies for 2,164 students in Senegal during its humanitarian campaign in October and November 2013. 1,544 Students from 1st to 6th grade at the elementary schools of the villages of Mbokhadene, Sessene, Ndimb, NGueye-NGueye and Battal, located in the rural community of Ngoye , Bambey; and in city of Diourbel, received learning materials for the academic year 2013-2014, in the central region of Senegal.

In early November last year, AHC distributed supplies to 620 second graders at primary schools in Bargny and Rufisque, where educator Yacine Fall, and retired administrator Pape Ousmane Thiaw joined academic inspectors Abdou Fall, Dr. A. Sadikh Niang, along with parents and teachers for the delivery ceremony.

In the rural community of Ngoye, AHC was responding to calls by local authorities who sought assistance after heavy rains and windstorms damaged homes and classrooms. AHC took the opportunity and traveled to central Senegal on October 28 to extend its humanitarian actions for students of areas where it has not been before. Bambey school district workers Bassirou Mbacke and Babacar Diouf guided the visit to the different villages.

African Heritage Celebration has raised 60,000 dollars and has impacted more than 15,000 students since 2007. AHC raised most of its financial resources through the contribution of volunteers; a 25,000 dollars challenge grant generously given by the Mizel Global Cultural Fund and the annual Dinner Gala hosted by the Hotel Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center. In November of 1997, racists murdered African immigrant Oumar Dia in Denver, while he waited at the bus stop for a ride home, after a long day of labor. Oumar Dia worked as a housekeeper at the Hyatt Regency Denver. Since his death, Coloradoans have established relations of solidarity with communities they visit in Senegal. In late fall, corresponding to the beginning of the school season in Senegal, AHC organizes trip to the country to distribute the supplies, bought in-country to support the local economy. Last year, AHC helped Denver Senegal Humanitarian Foundation carry out its educational projects in the villages of Diorbivol, Kounkane and Diaocounda.

AHC volunteers and Coloradoans Joe Phillips and Brett William traveled 12 hours from the capital city of Dakar to delivered DSHF gifts to 345 students in Diorbivol, Matam.

The 5-day-stay in the village of Oumar Dia were highlighted by ceremonies of supplies distribution, meetings with the elders, the youth association, celebrating friendship relations with a community Coloradoans visit since 16 years.

From October 17 to October 25, 2013, DSHF president Theresa Neuroth lead a delegation of volunteers including Tony and Jordana Lachance to the village of Kounkane and Diaocounda , in the region of Kolda.

DSHF is funding a classroom construction project in Diaocounda and have also provided textbooks and accessories to students in the south eastern part of the country.

Theresa Neuroth lived in Kounkane for 3 years as a U.S. peace corps member, in late 1990s. She was positively impacted by the beauty of life and the country’s rich cultures. Her organization’s continued involvement in development projects is well appreciated by the villagers and constitutes an example of solidarity based on mutual respect. The trip to Senegal is an annual expedition to strengthen relationships of understanding; to learn and share life experience.

African Heritage Celebration 2013 School Supplies Campaign.

The African Heritage Celebration(AHC) provided supplies for more than 2000 students last year in Senegal , during its 2012 school supplies distribution campaign. From Nov. 7 to Nov. 22 , 2012, volunteers of AHC visited 19 primary and secondary institutions in Bargny, Rufisque, cities located in the Northwestern region and Keur Samba Ka, a small community, in the Southern part of the country to deliver the supplies there. Kindergarteners and Elementary school children received notebooks, textbooks, slates and materials essential for them to make a successful academic year. Also, AHC provided 345 Math, English and French literature textbooks to the middle school of Bargny Kipp. In addition, the group of AHC volunteers made the 10-hour journey to the region of Matam and delivered school supplies Denver Senegal Humanitarian Foundation(DSHF) had bought for students in the Northern village of Diorbivol, and communities of Diaocounda and Kounkane, located east of the country. AHC has provided supplies for more than 8,000 students and has impacted more than 15,000 children, since 2007. The textbooks are passed onto forthcoming students and can serve up to several academic cycles. Students received the supplies during presentation ceremonies attended by parents, teachers and local notorieties, where the importance of education in improving living conditions is emphasized. All the school AHC has impacted, so far, have seen a significant increase in the student's success rate. African Heritage Celebration is a Denver-based non-profit organization engaged in projects aimed at helping eradicate illiteracy. AHC was established in 2005 and continue a traditional of solidarity between Colorado and Senegal, since African Immigrant Oumar Dia was shot and killed by skinheads in Denver. Oumar Dia was murdered on a chilly night of November 18, 1997, while he was waiting for a bus to go home, after he was off from his job. Oumar Dia worked at the Hyatt Regency Denver as a housekeeper. Most of the funds are raised through the annual Dinner-Gala hosted by the Hyatt Regency at Colorado Convention Center and the contributions of volunteers. African Heritage Celebration raised close to 60,000 dollars over the course of 5 years . It has benefitted from a $25,000 dollar-challenge grant graciously provided by the Mizel Global Cultural Fund. Significant contributions from Prof. H. Malcolm Newton, President of The Denver Institute of Urban Studies, Charles Hauber of Cventures and Kevin Miller, chairman of the board and the in-kind donations of the Mizel Museum have been so valuable to the implementation of the educational projects. On Friday June 28, AHC will hold its 7th Dinner-Gala. It will be once again hosted by the Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Celebration. Entertainment will be provided by The Drum Master and guest artists . There will be a silent auction. AHC leads every year groups of volunteers to Senegal to help deliver the supplies. The volunteers get to work and live the communities where the schools are located. They discover and experience different the way of life, especially in the rural communities, which provide a unique opportunity of a lifetime experience so greatly appreciated by the travelers who get to share the food the dance the songs of the villagers . They also get to visit historic and cultural sites, like the slave house on Goree Island. Goree Island located 3 mile off the coast of Dakar, Senegal's capital City. It served as a slave holding docks, between 1576 and 1830. Millions of kidnapped African have transited through the island before being sold and transported to Europe and the Americas. The Africans captives walked through the infamous Door of No Return to board the ships and were never to see their homeland again. The Goree Diaspora Festival , a bi-annual celebration, which is held on the Island to honor the memory of those who were enslaved , opens "the Door of Return " for thousands of tourists from all the world who attend the November festivities . Mohamadou Cisse

VAfrican Heritage Celebration School supplies distribution 2012. TS 27 1A

VTS 28 1