every year, we hold a fundraising gala in new york city. this year, the event hosted over 500 people. and while it was our biggest and best gala to date, it didn't cost us much; the whole event was underwritten by corporate sponsorship. a special thanks to our event sponsor, bank hapoalim's new york branches.
2011
also visit: jha 2010 report >
a year of jewish heart for africa
on new years day of 2012, jewish heart for africa turned four. we couldn't be more excited to start our fifth year, and to celebrate turning five with all of you in just 365 days. but as we look forward, here's a quick look back at what we've accomplished together in 2011.
in february 2011, the jha team arrived in malawi for the first time. for months, we'd been working with the malawi mission to the united nations and our in-country partner goods4good to lay the groundwork for our expansion. within a month of our arrival, we not only hired a local project manager, but also powered our first solar project.
millions of east africans faced famine this year, and while it is not our mission to provide emergency aid, we couldn't bear the thought of just sitting by. we asked you for your support, and you helped us raise enough money to provide hundreds of meals to those who would have died without them, and to provide much needed operating support to aid organizations on the ground in somalia.
this year, we hosted our first ever gallery exhibit in soho, showing the work of time magazine featured photojournalist peter dicampo. dicampo's "life without lights" series tells the story of communities that are part of the 1.4 billion people worldwide living without electricity. dicampo will be traveling to uganda in 2012, where he will document our solar solution to the challenge of energy poverty.
it all started when students began reaching out to us back in 2010--having learned about our work, they wanted to find a way to help. so we gave one to them: the student task force. this student-run community has held events on ten campuses in the past year. they have hosted concerts, educational programs, glow in the dark parties and more to raise funds and and awareness for our work.
two hundred thousand people now have access to solar energy through our 47 projects. that might sound like a big number, but we don't think of it that way. we think of it as the individuals that make up the 200,000. every one of them has a story, every one of them has a life that has been changed for the better by israeli technologies. and all that is because of you--because you support our work and make it possible.
jewish heart for africa's work isn't just in africa any more. we're so glad to be working with communities around the country to provide them with educational opportunities about the challenges facing africa today, and the solutions to be found in israeli technologies. a special thanks to temple beth avodah in newton, massachusetts; IKAR in los angeles and the frisch school in new jersey, who've become key community partners in our work.
the goal of the eco village is to combine all of our projects in a single community. each eco village will have a solar powered school, medical clinic, water pump and drip irrigation system in order to improve their healthcare, education and economy, all using sustainable technologies. we're now in the process of completing our first eco village in ndaula, malawi.
