April 23, 2012

Hello friends,

What a wonderful day TFS-A Fdn had yesterday! Mega thanks to the artists who came out for the book signing at Chapters Whyte Avenue in Edmonton. Their enthusiasm and great artwork carried the day, and sales were impressive! Joining us were Mike Bold, artistic director of the project and artist for "T is for Transportation", Michelle McBride with "J is for Jewellery", Mandy Paproski with "P is for Parrot and Q is for Quail", Amanda Schutz with "N is for Nuts" and Davey Thompson with "Y is for Yams". Once again, hugs and huge thanks to these people for their fine art work and for coming out to the signing at Chapters. If you have not seen the book, please flip through, page by virtual page, on the 9 Degrees North book link Sandy, our awesome webmaster, has set up on this site. You can purchase it on our site through Paypal, or contact us to find the closest distributor to you. Best of all, we look forward to seeing the faces of the children in Ghana when they see 9 Degrees North which will be distributed to local Ghanaian schools in June. We leave May 29th, and will try to post blogs from Ghana, so keep in touch!

Also many thanks to the members of Lacombe Rotary Club for their awesome personal contributions.

Marilyn

April 19, 2012

Hello friends,

A quick update on our activities. Firstly, we have a couple events regarding our newly published book, Nine Degrees North: The ABCs of North Ghana. We had our first book launch in Calgary last weekend at Monkeyshines, a fine children's book store. We have two more book launches within the week.

1. People in the Red Deer area are invited to join us at Sunworks (on Ross Street) Friday, April 20th at 7 pm. Please join us for a glass of wine and a 15-20 minute presentation.
   
   
2. People in the Edmonton area are invited to join us for a book launch at Chapters on Whyte Avenue on Sunday, April 22 from 12:30 to 4 pm. This is a special event because Mike Boldt and several other contributing artists will be in attendance.

As well, the next trip to Damongo is now scheduled. Marilyn Ganger, Gail Wyatt and I will be leaving May 29th and returning July 4th. We have a lot of things planned for our time in Ghana including distribution to local schools of about 1,000 copies of Nine Degrees North, setting up five or six computer labs in local high schools, and distribution of over 1,000 soccer uniforms (donated from Calgary and Red Deer soccer clubs) along with 100 soccer balls. And for the first time, we plan on gathering all our scholarship girls together in one room so that they are able to meet each other. That will be an incredible day, likely June 16th.

Tomorrow evening we have a brainstorming session to organize a fundraising event for late summer called SHINE! Please stay in touch if you and/or your friends are willing to donate jewellery you no longer wear. As well we will be auctioning celebrity jewellery, and there will likely be wine and some desserts. If you have old jewellery (costume or the real stuff!) that could help send a girl to university, please contact us through this site and we will arrange a pickup. If you would like to donate a little time to this event, we would love to hear from you on that too.

All for now,

Marilyn

February 4, 2012

Hello friends,

It's time for another good news update!

This week we took delivery of the children's book we wrote called Nine Degrees North: The ABC's of North Ghana. We are looking forward to some publicity in the Edmonton, Calgary and Central Alberta area. As soon as we can, we will have the book available for purchase on this website. In the meantime, people near Red Deer can pick up a copy at Artistry in Gold on the corner of 50th Avenue South and Ross Street, or at Nearly New Books in the downtown Co-op Plaza. We think it is a really amazing book, 48 pages in full color with hard cover for only $20. The last month we have been focusing on the container being shipped Feb 16th with the Emmanuel Foundation. Thanks to Lloyd Arcand, Blaine Ritchie, Dennis Moore, John Wayne Computers, Compusoft, Rotary Club of Red Deer East, Rotary Club of Edmonton South and London Drugs we have been able to refurbish about 100 computers/monitors for Damongo high schools. The computers were donated by Edmonton Catholic Schools. As well many local schools have completed book drive, so lots of colourful children's books will be included in the shipment (besides Nine Degrees North). We are also shipping soccer jerseys from both Calgary clubs and Red Deer Renegades Soccer Club along with about 100 soccer balls, so there will be a lot of happy kids. The majority of the container is really fine medical equipment going to a hospital in Accra.s

Looking forward to April-May, we will again have African-sourced Gift Baskets available for Secretary's Week and Mother's Day. They have been a huge success in the past and we will definitely live up to our reputation. Included in some will be incredible hand painted silk scarves from Uganda.

We would also like to announce our upcoming event, SHINE! As a fundraiser for scholarships, we are collecting and recycling jewellery that is no longer being worn. This event is being sponsored by Artistry in Gold. Terry and his staff have offered to sort, clean and display the jewellery for resale at our event. SHINE! will likely include chocolate, wine and some fine entertainment besides interesting and celebrity jewellery. The event will likely be in September. In the meantime, please 'dig in your drawers' for whatever jewellery you are willing to donate! As you know, everything old is new again. And, please help us spread the word. Any type of jewellery can be dropped off during business hours at 5001 50 Street Red Deer, AB T4N 1Y2. Phone there is (403) 343-6544.

A huge thank you to the many fine people in the Central Alberta community who support and encourage us in so many ways.

Marilyn

January 6, 2012

Dear Friends,

We are pleased to welcome the participation of several Red Deer area schools. G. H. Dawe, Ecole Oriole Park. Ecole Mountview Elementary and several other area schools are taking an active interest in global citizenship. We are proud of these young students for their concern for other students half a world away.

Christmas sales of Damongo Road teas, coffee and chocolate have been very good. Our thanks go to Lyn Goertzen, the new chair of the fundraising committee, who was appointed to our Board in December 2011.

It is an exciting day for all of us at Tools for Schools Africa! Today we are sending off our ABC children's book of Ghana to the printer. We thought we might give you a preview of the front cover! Our special thanks to Mike Boldt, a professional children's book illustrator, who undertook the artistic direction of 9 Degrees North. As well we once again thank the contributing artists. Our book will be available for purchase from this website beginning in February 2012, so please check back. It is a hard cover, full color 48 page book and will likely sell for about $15 in North America. Copies will be distributed to schools in North Ghana later this spring. Updates will be coming with more detail after the end of January.

Just as we wind up the work on this book project, a new one begins. This weekend we are beginning to refurbish the computers donated by Edmonton area schools for Damongo area schools. That too is an exciting project, and we thank Dennis Moore for heading up the computer project.

Best wishes to all our scholarship girls for good results on upcoming term exams. We are proud of you all, and all that you are accomplishing.

Marilyn

October 16, 2011

Please join us on Sunday, Nov 6 at the downtown library, Snell Auditorium, in Red Deer. We would once again like the opportunity to let you know how your donor dollars have been used, and show you what is happening with the project in Ghana. Please pass on this information to any others that you think might be interested. There will be light refreshments served and all ages are welcome.

Click image on left to open or download the event flyer.

August 17, 2011

Friends,

Good news all around!

1. Lori Baugh Littlejohns sold paintings at an Invermere art show and realized a profit of $1,000 which she once again donated to TFS-Africa Fdn. Thank you Lori!
   
   
2. Marilyn Ganger is hosting a "Pedi-Spa" at her place this Saturday, 2 to 7 p.m. For a twenty dollar donation to TFS-Africa, you will get a foot soak, and lots of TLC with lotions and professionally painted toes! (Also brownies, energy bars and raspberries with cream!) For more information on this event please contact me at marilynpottage@telus.net, and I will be glad to forward the necessary information.
   
   
3. We would like to invite everyone to a presentation at the Snell Auditorium in the Downtown Library on November 6, 2 pm. We are accountable to our donors, and at this event we will show you exactly how our funds were used, and introduce you to the girls who have benefitted. Cindy will present the project through the eyes of a first time visitor to Ghana. Coffee, jewellery and gift cards will be available.
   
   
4. TFS-Africa will soon be marketing African coffee under our own label. We look forward to having you sample some of our fine blend.
   
   
5. One of our long time donors has again given us a major donation of $10,000 to help with scholarships. With that cheque many lives will change for the better. Thank you Debbie!

We have heard recently from both Aloysita and Sophia, two of our university students, who are both happy, healthy and totally dedicated to their studies. We continue to work with our African Board and Scholarship Committee, and look forward to another school year of academic accomplishment for our 46 girls.

Marilyn

June 21, 2011

Hello all,

We have more good news to bring to you! We will once again be marketing gift baskets for Secretary's week and Mother's Day 2012. The biggest news is that each one will contain a hand painted silk and/or batiked silk scarf, done by a fine young African artist named Dominic Lukandwa. Pictured on the right is a batik that I bought from him personally - isn't it wonderful? We also have five of Dominic's wall batiks for sale at prices from $50 to $250. and will put images on the site under the Support Us / Gifts link soon. As well they will have hand made necklaces with beads made of bone. Local jewelry artist Leanne Keyes is assisting us with this part of the basket project. The baskets will contain an array of other unique African free trade items/products, so keep us in mind for gift giving for Christmas 2011, and in 2012. Of course all profits go to the scholarship program.

Speaking of the scholarship program, here is a picture of Janet with me last month. She is one of our scholarship girls that is now graduating and looking for a post secondary education sponsor. Janet would like to go to teacher training college, and will let us know when she has been accepted. Her academic marks and leadership skills are outstanding. Please let us know if you are interested in sponsoring a post secondary girl's education. We can help handle and transfer funds. Costs range from $800 -2,600 per year for two to four years.

To help support our scholarship girls, TFS-Africa Fdn. will soon be marketing African coffee under our own label! We will put a picture on line as soon as we have the coffee available, but it should be within the next three weeks or a month at the most. It is WONDERFUL coffee; we have had rave reviews. The beans will market for $16. per pound, and will be available in one pound and half pound packs.

Thanks so much to you all for your commitment to TFS-A. I appreciate all that each of you contribute to our organization.

Marilyn

April 15, 2011

Dear friends,

Above is another sample of the fabulous art work done by the generous illustrators who have donated their work toward our soon to be published children’s book, Nine Degrees North: ABC’s of Northern Ghana. Mike Boldt continues to do a wonderful job in coordinating this project and we all look forward to having copies of this book available in early summer. The picture above represents the letter C for cloth which focuses on the vibrant hand made fabrics Ghanaians create and love.

In a couple weeks Cindy and I will be heading for Damongo. We are taking several laptops, and Cindy has arranged to take some really good soccer balls with us, so there will be some happy kids in Damongo! Of course we will be checking on the progress of the 44 girls presently on scholarship and sponsoring some new girls as well.

It will be Cindy’s first trip to Africa, so it will be fun to see the area through the eyes of a newcomer. Likely the next blog you get will be hers. Until then,

Marilyn

March 11, 2011

Dear friends,

We are moving ahead with a variety of projects, but as you know, GOOD THINGS TAKE TIME! We have found that the artists helping us with Nine Degrees North: The ABC's of Northern Ghana book were too rushed, so we have delayed the printing of the book to meet a more realistic time schedule for the artists. Cathy Sather, Jennifer Stange and I continue to research and write, and we are having fun doing it. Mike Boldt continues to do a wonderful job in the artistic department.

Cindy Jefferies, deputy chair of TFS-A Fdn, will be traveling with me to the Damongo project in early May. We will spend about two weeks checking on the marks and general well being of the girls presently on scholarship, and with the scholarship committee will be selecting scholarship recipients for the coming year. We have also made arrangements to meet with some families of the girls. This week Sophia, who is in Business Administration at the Catholic University of Ghana at Sunyani, received a laptop thanks to the generous neighbours and friends that support this educational project. While Cindy and I are in Damongo we will explore the possibility of another building project in the summer of 2012. This project would again be with Kelley Beaverford and the U of M Faculty of Architecture students, likely a primary school classroom block and library.

Baskets for secretaries week which were a success in 2010, will be available in 2012. Due to our traveling schedule and other commitments, we are not able to produce them this year. We are working with women in a Nigerian textiles co-operative to produce some wonderful hand painted scarves to be included in the 2012 baskets which are sure to be crowd-pleasers. We do currently have coffee and necklaces and a small number of paintings for sale.

Mosaic Market will take place Nov 6 of this coming year. Mark it on your calendar and tell friends as profits from this sale are used for social justice and educational causes both here and abroad.

MANY THANKS to all of you who continue to work with and support Tools for Schools Africa Fdn. in so many ways.

Marilyn

February 12, 2011

Dear Friends,

Update on 9 Degrees North: The ABC’s of Northern Ghana

The generosity of people continues to amaze us! Mike Boldt of Boldtman Studios has organized our ABC book project with a number of professional artists, all of whom are donating their work. It is wonderful! Here are a few examples, but please visit the Nine Degrees North website at http://9degreesnorthproject.wordpress.com/ to see more about the project, including bios on the artists. We hope to go to press by the end of February.

Many thanks to he Red Deer schools who generously donated to Tools for Schools Africa Fdn. as part of their Christmas giving. We are thrilled with your help. A special thanks to the students at West Park Middle School and GH Dawe Elementary who offered us the opportunity to share our story.

We will be moving ahead with a fundraising venture to be decided in the near future....stay posted.

Marilyn

November 30, 2010

Dear friends,

Here is a quick update on TFS-A projects.

We had a call from Sophia this morning, and just hearing the joy in her voice was wonderful. She is in business administration in Sunyani, and is leaving soon to go home for the Christmas break, but reports that all is well and her marks are very good. We are encouraged by the educational achievements of all forty-four of our scholarship girls.

Presently most of our time is being devoted to the book we are publishing for Northern Region schools called 9 Degrees North: The ABC's of Northern Ghana. It is basically a children's picture book but with a difference. The first feature is that talented professional illustrators have each donated their work for one letter of the alphabet, so we are hoping to publish an award winning calibre book. The second is that the book will have an appendix with additional information on each subject so that teachers can use the book in classrooms as a teaching tool. About three quarters of the run (likely about 3,000) will be given to schools in northern Ghana while the remainder will be for sale in North America. We hope the profits from sales here will fund future printings. We have a separate website set up that will show artwork as it is finished, and you will be able to see blog comments from the artists. So far it is just up, but check back to see the progress on this project at:
http://9degreesnorthproject.wordpress.com.

This year we have several classrooms which are contributing to TFS-AFrica through a variety of school initiatives. We thank all these very young global citizens! As always, we wish to thank our wonderful friends at the Rotary Club of Edmonton South, especially Norm Dueck, and the members who continue to support us yearly. A special thanks to Lyn Goertzen, Laurie Harder, Ron & Mary Fath, and Sara Coumantarakis for their understanding of the power of education for Ghanaian girls. And as always, many thanks to Sandy who continues to update and maintain this awesome website for us free of charge. Finally, a HUGE thank you to Sule Abdulai for traveling hundreds of kilometres (on Ghanaian roads!!!) to get some picture images needed for the book.

Marilyn

October 27, 2010

Dear friends,

It is through the generosity of two fine Central Alberta family that we are able to announce we now have four girls in post secondary education. Aloysita, (right), is attending the University of Developmental Studies in Tamale, and is in the Faculty of Medicine. She has already completed a science degree at Kwami Nkrumah University, Kumasi, and will require four more years to become a medical doctor. She promises us that she will work in the Northern Region, hopefully in Damongo. Aloysita is our latest scholarship recipient.

For those of you in the Red Deer region, we will co-host an event in Red Deer on November 6. Tools for Schools Africa Foundation invites you to a craft sale at the HUB on Ross Street. Locally and globally hand made items are for sale by several local charitable organizations. The profits from sales are used to help improve lives somewhere in the world. We have for sale free trade African coffee, African teas, handmade African necklaces, shea butter lotion, gift cards and a number of other items. When you purchase from Tools for Schools Africa Foundation your dollars directly support the education of girls in West Africa. At present we have over forty girls benefitting from scholarships, mostly at the junior high and senior high level. Four girls are now attending post secondary institutions in the faculties of business management, food and nutrition, electrical engineering and medicine. Aloysita is one of those girls. Wonderful professional African women are mentoring each of the girls.

Please find out more about the girls Central Albertans are supporting at our website, http://tfs-africa.org/gifts.htm. Donations are tax deductible. Please pass on word of our cause to any offices looking for a place to give charity dollars, and we are pleased to speak about our cause at your convenience. A pound of coffee, either bean or ground, is $10.00 each and teas are $5.00. We would be pleased to deliver directly to your office with an order of $100 or more. They would be inexpensive gifts for clients or fellow workers.

Thanks for your consideration and best wishes for a wonderful festive season.

Marilyn Pottage

Marilyn Pottage
Tools for School AFRICA Fdn.
www.tfs-africa.org
Phone: (403) 340-3889
CRA registration # 82508 9022 RR0001

September 7, 2010

Hello all,

Just a short update to let you know the building at St. Anne's Boarding House is now complete inside and out. The covered verandah in the centre of the building adds a nice shady area where girls are congregating. The verandah fronts the dining hall. On the left is the study hall, and on the right is the kitchen. Many thanks to the students from the University of Manitoba for their help on this project, and thanks also to the Diocese of Damongo and contractor Claudius Bangfo. I will post more pictures shortly.

As well, we have worked with Noble Donkor in shipping medical supplies to Bekwai Hospital and school supplies to three Ghanaian primary schools, two in the the Kumasi region as well as Damongo Presby Primary. Our thanks to David Thompson Regional Health for medical supplies, Nova Chemicals at Joffree for paper and Red Deer Public Schools for books. As well, many thanks to Della and Brent Ruston, David Weisenbach, Ernie McEachern and several generous neighbours for their contributions to this shipment.

Noble will be shipping another container in about three months. Any working computers/laptops/monitors or medical supplies that could be donated for the next shipment would be greatly appreciated. thanks again for all your support.

You can view the photo album here.

Marilyn

Older News:

Update as of: March 10, 2010 Our present fundraising efforts are lovely African themed baskets for women.
They are excellent as a gift for secretary'sweek, for your wife at Easter, or for your Mother on Mother's day. The basketscontain several African sourced products and include such items as free trade coffee, tea, and chocolate, and a some personal care items. They are excellent value for the $50 cost, and besides the purchaser will receive a $25 taxable deduction receipt. Please have a look at our flyer/order form and consider how you may be able to use a basket. Please click here to open the Basket Order form (PDF). (pictures will be uploaded when available)
Update as of: Feb 2010	Here are three of our scholarship recipients who are presently attending St. Anne's Girls Senior Secondary School. The girls will be finishing their high school either this year or next, and all fourteen of our scholarship girls wish to go on to post secondary education. Each of these girls has received $800 for tuition, books, room & board and uniforms. These expenses were covered by donations made to Tools for Schools Africa, many of which were $20 to $50, so each dollar counts. We all thank you for your ongoing support.
The building of the addition to St. Anne''s Boarding House is moving forward as planned in April 2010. The plans have gone from sketches to drawings and are now moving to the blueprint stage. It will be great fun to have 12 students from the University of Manitoba working on the project with Kelley, the Diocese and us. Our only concern is a shortfall of $10,000 on the $68,000 project. To build the building the size requested we will need to come up with that funding within a month. If not, we will continue with the project but the building will be downsized by 7 metres in length to make up for the shortfall in funds. To raise some of those funds, we are presently working a fundraising project of gift baskets for secretaries/administrative professionals week. The African-themed baskets sell for $50 with a $25 tax deductible receipt, and will be delivered to the door of Red Deer businesses. The baskets have African-sourced fair trade chocolate, coffee, tea, flowers, and a few surprises - they are awesome!! Please pass on word of the project to anyone you think might be interested. Baskets can be ordered through our website at www.tfs-africa.org. Just contact us!! Thanks one and all for your help in offering hope and educational options to talented girls. Marilyn

Update as of: December 27, 2009

News from Damongo

Dear friends,

A new year is upon us and I am pleased to report that the scholarship girls are doing well. I have just added a picture of the three girls we are presently sponsoring at SAGISS a cost of US$800 per year. That includes room and board, and of course books, tuition and uniform. The school is one of the finest in the country and these girls have demonstrated academic excellence in order to pass entrance exams. They are fortunate indeed as the headmistress at St. Anne''s, Gabriella, takes a personal interest in each and every girl, and treats each like extended family. As with students here, you can see that there were a pile of books required. The girls are in either grade eleven or grade twelve.

We have also gotten letters from the four girls (Safura, Samila, Nafkatu and Abagail) attending the vocational high school in Damongo, NDESCO. Madame Mary Temi is teacher/mentor there and is also a member of our scholarship committee. As with Gabriella, she follows the progress and nurtures each one of the scholarship girls. Mary sent along this note. "I write to say thank you and to show my appreciation and that of the headmaster of our school for the wonderful support you and your foundation have given to several of our needy girls. Your assistance has been very helpful for the girls and we hope and pray that the good Lord in his own way will grant you your heart''s desires and hope that you will continue to help the needy girls to the highest level. We also hope that you will get more support so that more of such students can benefit from the package.....Thank you, Azotikemah Mary Teni"

NDESCO student Abigail writes, "I was so happy when I heard that you have given money for the payment of school fees and other needs. My parents too were very grateful and they said at last God had answered their prayers by bringing someone to help them to pay for my fees. They extend their sincerest thanks and appreciation for giving them such help. I am so happy I do not know how to express my gratitude....and I promise that I will not misuse this great opportunity.....I have not forgotten the story you told me about the old woman and her grandson with the groundnuts at our first meeting. I will end here with greetings to you and all your loved ones. Yours sincerely, Senzu Afibuh Abigail."

Although it is true in Canada it is even more true in Africa: education empowers women and gives them options for the future. Not only will the lives of these girls be changed forever, but it is the African way for a woman to support other girls. Each educated girl has the potential to improve both their communities and their country, and will never see their own children uneducated. You can see the ''education'' legacy continues over the years.

I will end with the story of the groundnuts that Abigail referred to. It was told to us by our driver Sule. He said his grandfather was very wise, and well respected in their village. The teenage boys who were behaving badly would not listen to others but would listen to him. So one day Sule ask him how he became such a wise man, and how to live a life well. His grandfather told him to go away and come back in one hour. That he did. When he returned, there were ten groundnuts laying out in a row. Just by looking at them he could tell that the last one was rotten. His grandfather told him to eat the peanuts. He asked if he had to eat them all, and his grandfather said that he must. So he ate the first nine, and they were delicious. Then he gagged down the tenth one. His grandfather said, "Now, which flavor do you remember most, the good nuts or the bad nut?" He replied that the taste of the bad one was still in his mouth. The grandfather said, "Even though there were nine good nuts, you remember the bad one. And it is the same with life. You can do nine good acts, but if you do a bad act that is what people will remember. So all your acts must be kind and honourable". I thought it was a very good story, so I told it to each of the scholarship recipients when we met.

We thank you once again for all that you have done to give these girls such an opportunity.

Marilyn

Update as of: April, 2009

Dear Friends,

We want to keep you up to date with the most recent happenings so you know how much difference a few dollars can make in the lives of Ghanaian girls.

With ongoing donations from Rotary Club of Edmonton South, the Wild Rose Foundation, and some personal donors, we are once again able to offer a good number of scholarships to promising young girls so they are able to attend junior high, senior high, or post secondary education this fall. If the year end marks of the twelve girls we sponsored this past year are good, we will continue to fund them and expand the program to include at least 24 more girls.

To make the transfer of fund easier, we are working on registering our Foundation as an NGO in Ghana. Being able to control our funds on both ends would streamline the transfer of funds substantially, so we are moving forward with that little project.

As you may be aware, Tools for Schools Africa Foundation has been working for some time on a fundraising event called GHANA GOLD, a small dinner at which we planned to explain the work of the organization, thank donors and give away A Luxury Kenya Safari for two (which was donated to us for this event) as a door prize.

While we had considered staging the event in early June, we are taking time to ensure that all relevant issues are properly addressed. The event is now likely to proceed in the fall. If you were one of the fine people that had been approached to attend this event, we sincerely appreciate your consideration and hope we may contact you once again when the event proceeds. Your interest in our projects and organization is greatly valued. Please feel free to contact any of us for further information or clarification on this dinner or any other Tools for Schools Africa issue.

We hope you will take a minute to check out the fine African paintings and other gifts for sale on this website. Within a couple weeks, more paintings will be arriving, so please check back and help us support these fine young artists. From the selling price, the artists are paid directly and a small selling commission goes to Tools for Schools Africa.

Thanks again to the fine people who have been involved with Tools for Schools Africa over the long term, including the Board of Directors, Norm Dueck, Val Sandall, Jean Mudd, Doug Sather and our awesome webmaster, Sandy Stepien. We so appreciate all that all of you have done and continue to do to help African girls get an education.

Please contact me if you have any questions. Thanks again for your support and interest in the project.

Marilyn Pottage

We have a new "Gift Ideas" page. Please check it out and consider supporting our project through the purchase of something unique and special from these items.

Read the article about Tools for Schools Africa Foundation, by Penny Caster of the Red Deer Advocate. Or download this article in PDF format.

Most Exciting News:
Watch a 10 minute podcast narrated by Marilyn Pottage, who summarizes the project's past, present and future. Very interesting, please don't miss it!
(created Feb. 2008)

Tool for School Africa became a legally registered Incorporated Society in Alberta as of 2008/04/16. (#5013897987), and has since become a legally registered Foundation. As of October 28, 2008, we have changed all reference to 'Tools for Schools Africa Society' to read 'Tools for Schools Africa Foundation'.

Tools for Schools Africa & GiveMeaning
Tools for Schools Africa has recently partnered with the GiveMeaning website in an effort to assist us in our fundraising efforts. You can read all about the GiveMeaning site, and more importantly, review our project pages on their site.

We want you to know that all donations are tax deductable and we guarantee 100% of your dollars will go directly to the project as all staff are volunteers and pay their own costs.  Donations in any amount are appreciated.

Gift Ideas

Please preview the new "Gifts" page here.

Looking for a unique gift idea? Want to create a brighter future for African children? Give a gift with meaning - for only $20 you can purchase a teachers' manual written specifically for African teachers.

For that hard-to-buy-for relative or friend, consider purchasing a manual in their name.

In July 2008, five Red Deer teachers will provide teacher inservice training for 500 local African teachers in Northern Ghana. Each teacher participant will receive a manual with the name of your choice proudly displayed inside the front cover.

* read more about this in the Feb. 10/08 Journal Entry.

Your tax deductible donation can be made to:

Cheques can be made payable to:
Canadians Reaching Out
4757-56 Street
Red Deer. AB T4N 2K2

click here to go to the new Gifts page

Contact us for more info