—— Happy New Year NextAid Friends and Family!
The team at NextAid looks forward to sharing a progressive 2011 with you. Special thanks to all of our supporters, volunteers, and artists who made our 2010 World AIDS Day campaign a success. We are excited to be breaking ground on the Kawangware Vision Centre in Kenya in just a few weeks. Check back here for updates and stories from the field!
—— NextAid’s Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions Online Auction Thanks to Groove Cruise, Dubspot, Om Records, DJ Colette, SoundCloud, Jeffrey Levin, K. Louise Designs and more…this January (5th -21st) NextAid is offering a mini-online auction themed: “Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions Online Auction,” where bidding on items for a great deal less than market value saves you money while helping you reach some of your resolutions such as Getting in Shape, Taking Time Out, Learning a New Skill, etc., Check it out here!
—— OM Records Holiday Pop-up Store Benefits NextAid Shop at the Om Holiday Pop Up Store or anywhere at the OM Records online store and 15% of your order goes to NextAid. The Holiday Store features limited edition items from Underworld, People Under the Stairs, Mushroom Jazz, and more. Buy the items for yourself or give them away as gifts. The store will be up until January 8th, 2011, so move quickly before the items are out! Click Here to visit the store!
—— Do Something Good! Take action. Doing good to support NextAid is easy!
Your good deeds will help break the cycle of poverty, while providing hope and opportunity for vulnerable children and women in Africa. All of the good you do will have a direct impact supporting street kids in Kenya, orphans in South Africa, and mothers in Sierra Leone. Click here for our list of 10 Ways to Do Good for ideas on immediate actions you can take this holiday season and all year round. Enter to win a fabulous prize pack in our Do Good Contest!
—— Follow our Artist-Driven Twitter Fundraising Campaign
hroughout the month of December, NextAid supporting DJs and artists, such as Fred Everything, Colette, DFUSE helped raise awareness for World AIDS Days through an online fundraising campaign on Twitter and Facebook. The message was simple: FOLLOW OUR BEAT, DONATE $10, TWEET & RETWEET. Join them in helping spread the word and generating much-needed funds for our projects on the ground in Africa! Take things to another level and kick off the New Year with a commitment to make a recurring donation, monthly, quarterly or yearly donation.
—— Holiday eCard Gifts
This holiday season, give a meaningful and world-changing gift by making a gift donation of $30, $50, or $75. NextAid holiday eCards make the perfect thoughtful and sustainable gift for your friends, family, and co-workers. Your gift donation is tax-deductible and will benefit three critical projects in three countries in Africa. Contributions from this year's eCard campaign will support maternal health care in Sierra Leone, education for orphans in South Africa, and an eco-friendly center for youth-led micro-business in Kenya. Recipients will receive an eCard acknowledging your gift in their honor or you can elect to print or email the card directly. For more information and to make your purchases, visit www.nextaid.org/ecards.
—— “Connecting Girls Around the World” Event!
On August 7th, NextAid, KidTribe and Jonathan Morgan Heit hosted a community event called “Connecting Girls Around the World” to celebrate the positive effect of empowered girls on our planet. People of all ages came together to raise awareness of the plight of women and girls in developing African countries and raise funds for women’s health projects in Namibia and Sierra Leone. See photos here of the tween celebs exercising their consciousness and watch the video of The Girl Effect recited by the host, mixed with images and music from the powerful day.
—— Kawangware Vision Center Making Progress
In Kenya, NextAid is working with an inspiring group of youth to build the Kawangware Vision Center (KVC) in one of Nairobi’s largest slums. Locally-created and managed, the KVC youth group’s main activity is making eco-friendly, custom silkscreened gift bags which are sold to Kenyan businesses and safari companies. The new center will allow the group to expand their business, enabling them to support the growing number of vulnerable children in their community. We are thrilled to report that KVC has just been awarded a grant from Global Fund for Children. To help NextAid create tangible and lasting change for youth and vulnerable children in the Kawangware slum, donate today.
—— NextAid’s DJ & Artist promotional video!
—— NextAid’s Premiere Event in South Africa with Nickodemus
On July 2nd NextAid brought its “dance for a difference” social movement to the country of one of its beneficiary programs (goGogetters) by hosting a launch party in Cape Town South Africa. Partnering with Good Times Events, Fusicology, and Urban Youth Brands, the party featured Nickodemus, Fletcher, and Circuswing, raising over $3,000, enough to send more than 35 children to school! A long time supporter of NextAid, Brooklyn-based Nickodemus made his first pilgrimage to South Africa to indulge the energy and spread his love, light and organic vibe, he WILL be back! Click here to see photos from the event! Check out the beautiful record that resulted from his visit: The Earthchild Project produced by Nickodemus and GoodTimes.
—— Children at Red Rhino Are Settled In Their New Homes!
Through our partnership with Make-Up Designory (MUD), the sale of a limited-edition eye shadow palette last year, with the of DJ’s Rap, Colette, Samantha James, Ultra Nate and Eve Falcon, NextAid was able to generate sufficient funds in order to complete the construction of two homes at the Red Rhino Orphanage in Kenya. Well today…we are thrilled to report that these two ecologically built homes are finished and the children are sleeping soundly in their new beds. Click here to read more and see photos of the children in their completed homes!
—— Send a Child to School in South Africa
NextAid is working with the well-respected South Africa organization, loveLife, and their goGogetters program to “Send a Child to School.” The lack of, or deprecate condition of a school uniform should not hinder a child from receiving an education, but many children are refused admittance or drop out because of it. Something so simple should not be an adversity that these children face, especially when the solution costs as little as on Friday night dinner. It takes just $75 to enable one child’s education for a year. This donation will ensure that the child is equipped with a school uniform, shoes, and school supplies. Click here to view the inspirational video about the many grandmothers (gogos) who have dedicated their old age years to helping children in need. Donate Now / Learn More
—— 6th Annual For the Future Mega-Benefit at Café Cocomo!
For over 6 years the SF dance music community has rallied behind NextAid, channeling the positive energy from the dance floor to create change for vulnerable children and youth in Africa. 15+ DJ’s will gather at For the Future to share the music, spread the word, garner hope, and raise funds. Benefit-goers should arrive early for a special 3hour CityDeep session with Halo, David Harness, and Brendon Boden, and stay late for a DJ set with Moniker. Local favorites playing throughout the day include Adnan, Cali, Chris Smith, Fil Latorre, Galen, Little John, M3, Marissa Guzman (live vocals), Michael Anthony, Miss Watkins & DJ 4AM, Sammy D and Solar. The event will be broadcast live on www.prepartyradio.com from 1PM-8PM. $10 pre-sale tickets at http://nextaid-for-the-future.eventbrite.com. Spread the word!
—— NextAid’s Director Honored at the African Goodwill Awards
NextAid’s co-founder and director, Lauren Segal-Avenna, was honored as an Ambassador of Goodwill at this year’s African Goodwill Awards in Culver City! Congratulations to all of the amazing recipients; thank you for your dedication and commitment to compassionate work that has touched communities all over the globe! Also, a very special thanks to African Focus Inc. for hosted the event and bringing the community together around a message of hope and inspiration. For more information: Newsletter / Website.
—— Help BEERings Build Hope! Green Wave founder, Janine Johnson, has found yet another way to channel her passion and talent for creating eco- conscious ways to affect change in the lives of children, with the creation of the eco-adorable beerings! With the help of TreeSpaceStudio's Amy Tan, Janine has created a unique design especially for NextAid. These playfully chic creations are constructed from recycled beer bottle caps, eco-polyurethane, and come sustainably packaged on an eco-friendly fibered card. 100% of the proceeds go towards the Green Wave Children's Sanctuary at the Kawangware Vision Center. Beerings are only $15! Order your pre-sale beerings today by sending an email w/ subject "Beering Reservation" to greenwavefounder@gmail.com .
—— BEATS BUILD HOPE, THE party of the 2010 Winter Music Conference
Beats Build Hope took over the beautiful Shore Club with 3 areas of music on Friday, March 26th, with an amazing lineup of: The Crystal Method, DJ Rap, Barbara Tucker, Mark Farina, Heather, Colette, Ultra Naté, Andy Caldwell, Gene Farris, D:Fuse, Jazzanova, Anané, Chuck Love, Jay-J, Nickodemus, DJ G OV, and more. We thank all of these amazing DJs, artists, and voluteers for donating their time. Also, a very special thanks to the Shore Club, Tomas Ceddia of The Loud Minority, Love Fatigues, SF LovEvolution, Dubspot, and all of the other wonderful partners for helping make our benefit for NextAid, LIFEbeat, Green Wave and SOIL, a great success! For complete details visit the official event page. View photos from the party at Nitevibe / Eventvibe.
—— Daughtry Drummer Joey Barnes’ Record CHANGE Benefits NextAid
Joey Barnes, drummer for award-winning rock band Daughtry, has released a solo EP aptly entitled “Change”: an inspiring musical reflection of the philanthropic view of the artist and his experiences during his recent trip to Africa during “Idol Gives Back.” Humbled by his experience, Joey decided that a substantial portion from "Change" would go to help children in Africa, believing that the “inspiration should be the beneficiary.” The gracious rockstar and his label, Nascent Republic Records, have named NextAid the beneficiary. Experience the power of music today at joeybarnes.bandcamp.com.
—— Funk Aid Party w/ Wax Poetics at SXSW Benefitting NextAid
The Dubspot + Wax Poetics Funk Aid Party, presented by Puma, Serato, & Avi
d/M-Audio, saw a critical mass of musical talent turn a showcase into musical celebration. Artists from across the country, styles of old and new, musicians of many generations, all joined together to help raise money for projects helping African children in Haiti and Africa, while creating one of the best parties during SXSW. The phat line-up included Brownout, DJ OBaH, Keys N Krates, Rich Medina, Grimy Styles, Jovi Rockwell, DJ Smiles Davis, Chico Mann, Chicken George, Ocote Soul Sounds, J.Boogie, and Black Dynamite Sound Orchestra. Read full recap here. Event details / Photos Photo credit: Yaggiphotography.com.
—— "Send a Child to School" with the goGogetters Program
NextAid has partnered with the well-respected South African organization, loveLife, to be the beneficiary of NextAid's "Send a Child to School" campaign. goGogetters is a loveLife program to support the many grandmothers (gogos) who dedicate their old-age years to the wellbeing of orphans and vulnerable children. All it takes is $75 to enable one child's education for a year. This donation will ensure that a child is equipped with a school uniform, shoes and school supplies all critical to a child s education, especially as many orphans and vulnerable children drop out of school due to embarrassment when they do not have these items. Make a donation. Learn more at the loveLife’s goGogetter page.
—— Successful World AIDS Day Campaign 2009
NextAid’s annual awareness and fundraising campaign around World AIDS Day raised $12,000+ for NextAid’s projects on the ground in Kenya and South Africa. The campaign kicked off on 11/25 in San Francisco and ran till 12/26 in Honolulu! Totaling 19 events in LA, SF, NYC, Phoenix, Baltimore, Boston, Honolulu, Vancouver, Omaha, Philly and Charlotte, NextAid thanks all of our generous supporters and partners. Learn more about the campaign at our World AIDS Day Events Page.
—— Double Your Donation With GO Campaign
GO Campaign is once again generously matching donations made to KSCYP till February 28th! With less than $6,000 needed to reach the first fundraising goal, this is the time to make your dollar count. NextAid and GO Campaign are jointly raising funds to build a new eco-friendly workshop and multipurpose facility (Kawangware Vision Center) to help expand this inspiring youth group’s gift-bag making micro-business. The first phase of the project is already underway with the funds raised through NextAid and GO Campaign last year! The youth skills training program to manufacture eco-bricks, roof tiles and other necessary materials to assist in the construction of the facility is only the beginning of efforts to create lasting change in this slum bordering Nairobi, Kenya. Please visit the GO Campaign and click the orange “Quick Donation” button. Then, help us spread the word about this amazing opportunity!
—— Make-Up Designory (MUD) gives 100% of Eye Colors Palette Sales to benefit Red Rhino Orphanage Project
Earlier in 2009, NextAid partnered with the Red Rhino Orphanage Project (RROP) to help fund the construction of two homes for orphaned children in a poverty-stricken town located 25 miles southeast of Nairobi. Each of the timber-framed homes will provide long-term shelter, food and medical needs for 16 local orphans. Believing that everyone deserves a beautiful future, MUD introduced a limited edition palette of 4 MUD eye colors to help fund the construction of these homes by generously donating 100% of the sales. There are less than 200 palettes left, buy yours today! Spread the word. Download the one-sheet PDF here and banners here.
—— Dubspot Records presents "Funk Aid for Africa"
Dubspot, New York City's one-of-a-kind electronic music production and DJ training institute, has undertaken its first nationwide philanthropic project with a series of charitable mix CDs. The first one, Funk Aid for Africa, benefits NextAid! An inspired collage of Funk, Soul, and Latin tunes created by DJ OBaH, it features songs by twenty different artists including Ticklah, Ursula Rucker, King Britt, J. Boogie, Chico Mann, The Lions, Ocote Soul Sounds, Nappy G, and Pleasuremaker. 100% of the proceeds will go towards a modest "green" sports facility at the YWAV Community Center in Dennilton, South Africa. Buy it today! www.funkaid.com
—— Planetwize and Nickodemus' "Sun People" Exclusive EP Download
Planetwize, a new media startup highlighting global culture and sustainability changing the world one music download at a time, rolled out the alpha launch of its new music service, Actiontrax, offering "Music Downloads that Support the Planet." Every Actiontrax album sold supports a different cause with a portion of the proceeds. Downloads of Nickodemus' latest EP "Sun People," will support NextAid. "Sun People makes the best of every situation. When that sun peaks out in the sky, it's another day to feel and do something positive" Nickodemus says. Purchase @ http://planetwize.com/flex/index.html#op=music&id=159. Other CDs that benefit NextAid are Fela Kuti's "The Best of the Black President" and and Lisa Shaw's "FREE."
—— Digital Bliss Down-tempo Compilation CD Helps NextAid
The down-tempo compilation of the year, Digital Bliss Volume 2, showcases talented female producers, vocalists and instrumentalists from all genres of electronic music. An exotic complexion of haunting melodies, creative loops, lush digital production and poetically charged vocal journeys through electronic landscapes featuring tracks from: Costanza, Divasonic, Celeste Lear, Weather Pending, Auradrone, Return To Mono. A portion of sales from this compilation goes to NextAid. Preview & Purchase @ CD Baby
—— Coalition for a Sustainable Africa NextAid is a founding member of the Coalition for a Sustainable Africa (CSAfrica), a collaboration of nonprofit organizations based in Los Angeles and all committed to Africa. The coalition’s work focuses on providing eradication of poverty and hunger, education, orphan care, gender equality, improvement of child quality of life, general health and HIV/AIDS care, sustainable design and implementation, social justice and stakeholder partnerships, land use rights, eco-village development and application, and development of community-based economics. For more info, please visit www.csafrica.org.
—— Millennium Development Goals from Unicef
In 2000, nearly 200 leaders from around the world adopted the Declaration and committed themselves to achieving a set of eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The ultimate objective of this agreement is to make the world a better place for all by the year 2015. Read more
—— NextAid 2008 DJ PSA
Watch world renowned artists such as Louie Vega, Miguel Migs, DJ Colette and more speak out about the AIDS crisis and give a voice to African children orphaned by AIDS. sponsored by DubSpot NYC Click here (YouTube)
—— Shop for the Cause with We-Care.com Everything you ever need to buy, you can do through the recently launched online "mall" called We-Care.com. This is an incredible way to support NextAid without coming out of pocket in time or money! A percentage of every purchase goes to NextAid. Please spread the word and ask your friends, colleagues and business contacts to shop at the 600+ retailers and service providers and help raise money with no effort! Percentages vary with each store. Check out nextaid.we-care.com. We are We-Care.com's featured non-profit for the month!
—— Causecast.org launches with NextAid
NextAid was selected along with only 25 other organizations to be part of the launch of Causecast! Causecast is a powerful online social medium that connects nonprofits, leaders, brands and individuals to those who want to make a positive impact on the world. The site empowers and entertains using original content and it - most importantly - inspires people to get involved with the issues they want to support in the ways they want to support them. Join Causecast now!
—— Putumayo Records "African Dreamland" Benefits NextAid (Release date: April 29)
NextAid is honored to be affiliated with Putumayo Records. Putumayo Kids presents "African Dreamland," the fourth release in their successful dreamland series features enchanting and calming African songs for relaxation and sweet dreams. Featuring artists like Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Chinowiso, Mapumba, and more. Click on the CD cover graphic above to hear samples of this beautiful music. A portion of Putumayo's proceeds from the sale of this CD will be donated to NextAid. Check out the ecard
