Our Ugandan based AfA Africa Team continues to work closely with our UK and US based members to develop sustainable educational programs for our Tororo and Gulu communities. An incredible 2011 summer training led to the creation of our AfA Storybook, a project that encouraged community members to write, paint and perform about their personal stories consisting of family, positive health and peace & reconciliation after the 20 year civil war. The book is currently under design and will be published early next year in both English and Acholi.

We have already begun some exciting new partnerships, including providing educational workshops for World Vision and The AIDS Support Organization (TASO). These will continue through 2012 and into the foreseeable future. We are working on developing a business mindset in our community members, such as starting up investment clubs to bring business ideas to the market so they can expand their financial power. This is called our Business Mentoring Project, and in 2012 we will launch a series of workshops that will use creative techniques to help train rural communities in business skills. Crucial to this is improving the quality of artwork and crafts that are currently being produced by workshop participants and finding additional outlets to market them. In addition, we are in talks with UK based and local Ugandan microfinance firms to team up with them on delivering this project in a way that will create lasting sustainable development.