News/Events

October 2010
Join CSAfrica for a Screening of Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai Wednesday, October 28, 2009 7 PM
http://csafrica.ning.com/events/screening-of-taking-root

CSAfrica Movie Screening Invite -

July 2009
Guest Speaker Agrippa Ezozo We are excited to announce that Agrippa Ezozo, the Founder and President of The African Diaspora Foundation, will be speaking at our July 21st General Meeting. The former president of the UCLA Black Faculty and Staff Association and co-chair of the California delegation to the National Summit on Africa, Agrippa is also a Benefits Analyst at UCLA, publisher of The Black Church Review magazine, and the past Executive Director of the League of Patriotic Nigerians in Los Angeles, California. Born in Nigeria, he graduated from Wudil Teacher’s College Kano and subsequently became a teacher at Kundila Primary School in Kano, Nigeria. He immigrated to California in 1981 to attend Los Angeles Trade Technical College, and later attended and graduated from California State University at Dominguez Hills with a B.S. in Computer Information Systems, and the University of California, Los Angeles with an M.A. in African Areas Studies, with emphasis on Public Policy in 2001. Please join us at our upcoming meeting to meet Agrippa and hear him speak.

"Our Trees, Our Pride" A Film Documentary
Stephan McGuire, President of CSAfrica and a Producer with Tree Media, is Directing and is Executive Producer on an upcoming documentary focused on the challenges and solutions that rural Namibians are facing. With ecosystems in decline and what little forested areas remain, GAWA, in partnership with CSAfrica and with funding from the UN’s FAO, is embarking on a two week trip to the Oshana, Oshikoto, Omusati, Ohangwena, Tsumkwe and Kavango regions along the Angola border, as well as the Caprivi region on the Zambia and Botswana borders. This film trip from July 23 – August 10 will include interviews with local community forestry committees and conservancy groups who are pioneering sustainably produced indigenous natural products and fair trade organic crops. Namibia has become a role-model-nation in regards to developing smart commercial partnerships and sustainable economic ventures based on natural resources. The documentary will explore not only how this has come to be, but also the race against time to ensure continued research and benefits to Namibian society as these positive trends meet rampant climate change, severe environmental degradation and abject poverty.

CSAfrica, Go Campaign and GAWA are Turning Namibia's Schools Green!
Together with the Namibian Government, and in partnership with CSAfrica, the first phase of citrus tree plantings have begun – creating Green Zones in 43 of Windhoek’s Schools! In a big week-long campaign, Stephan was interviewed on the nation’s most popular radio station: http://www.radiowave.com.na Together they launched a SMS contest for the first 15 schools to receive 25 citrus trees each. This first phase was possible through funding by the US based GO Campaign, The Diamond Trade Company and Namibia Diamond Trade Company. Many students, teachers and headmasters called in to express their excitement about the contest and GAWA’s role in creating a Sustainable Namibia. The tree plantings begin in 2 weeks with a ceremonial planting at one of the local schools. Organic gardening will be included as a second phase early next year, as both the trees and food grown from these plantings are officially mandated by the Namibian Government and will also be included in the Nations’ official national education curriculum.

June 2009
Lee Fox presented KooDooZ at CSAfrica’s May General Meeting
KooDooZ was introduced to CS Africa for the purpose of engaging kids to get behind the causes for which our coalition so passionately works. As a safe (COPPA-compliant) online portal, middle and high-school kids are rewarded for achieving specific calls-to-action... such as raising money, participating in awareness campaigns and volunteerism. The KooDooZ mission is to teach kids how to turn everyday challenges into lifelong achievements. This is accomplished by outlining the fundamentals of goal-setting via an interactive eLearning wizard. More importantly, it gives organizations like ours the opportunity to capture the passions and good-will of these young change-makers. At the presentation, the founder, Lee Fox, highlighted the power of engaging youth. Of note is the potential to amass micro-donations (giving in small amounts across a significant number of donors), as well as the ability to attract a higher number of cause-advocates. Designed by a mother, and kid-approved KooDooZ is rich in social learning and service to communities. Their strategic partnerships include nonprofits, foundations, youth-brands and schools. New to market, KooDooZ launches this summer with our own GO Campaign (among other youth-oriented orgs). We will be working closely with KooDooZ over the next few months to bring CSAfrica into this incredible opportunity.

Trees for a Sustainable Africa
Dr. Toure has been working closely with a new French intern, Alicia Thouy, who recently moved to Abidjan to work at the French Embassy. Dr. Toure has taken her on a tour of the communities involved in the program so that she can record what is happening and document the process. Her participation is to help us promote the program by sending photos, film footage and other updates, all of which will be shared in upcoming months. The National Women’s Council of the Ivory Coast is now an official member of the program giving us further support from the women of this region. We are awaiting Michigan State University’s submittal for the next round of grant proposals for the project. This carbon reduction project has been very well planned to ensure that jatropha plantings do not in any way disrupt or take away valuable land to grow food. These communities will be intercropping the jatropha plants as well as conserving the last forests in the northern areas of Cote D’Ivoire.

Carbon Emissions and Energy Reduction in Namibia
CSAfrica, partnering with GAWA and Tree Media, is an agent of change focusing on raising Namibia’s awareness of environmental issues to generate permanent employment (green-collar jobs) and to contribute toward poverty eradication and community upliftment. CSA is providing Energy Efficiency Services that focus on investment grade energy audits, detailed energy saving recommendations - behavioral changes/awareness programs and low/high CAPEX investments and energy education - workshops, demonstrations, print materials and online resources. Current clients include Old Mutual, Nando’s, Virgin Active, Spier, St Elmo’s, Fair Cape and Banro Corporation to name a few. More updates to follow as this project expands and grows!

May 2009
CSAfrica President, Stephan McGuire receives the Green Dot Visionary Award
Green Dot Awards hosted their inaugural event at the retro-chic Smog Shop in Culver City. This revamped auto garage turned public venue was a fantastic background for the eco-awards reception and ceremony. Complete with vertical succulent gardens climbing up the walls, and an ‘auto garage’ feel in the decorations, the crowd was obviously impressed not only with the award recipients, but with the location as well. Stephan, currently living and working in Windhoek, Namibia, was thrilled to receive the news of this distinguished honor. Receiving his Green Dot in the category of “Visionary” for both his work with CSAfrica, as well as his integral production of “The 11th Hour”. Specifically, the Green Dot Visionary Award honors a person who has had the vision and foresight to present a view of a sustainable world and how we can get there. The GDA Visionary has imagined and/or created unique ways to shed light on the impacts of past behaviors while also offering solutions. The Visionary takes a courageous stand and sees opportunity and possibility where others have not. “Given the context and the terrific work CSAfrica’s amazing Team of Directors have been acoomplishing over the last 3 years, it is my pleasure to share this distinguished award with all of them, as this has very much been a shared journey and will continue to be so.” -Stephan McGuire

Million Signatures Campaign
With a goal to collect one million signatures, this petition is launching a campaign to advocate U.S. support for African unification. We are soliciting members and other interested parties to gain signatures for this movement. Additionally, we are putting together a list of CSAfrica members’ contacts and collaborators on the continent of Africa. This will be given to Sidique Wai, President of the United African Congress. He has asked for our recommendations for ‘honest, trustworthy leaders’ and organizations to promote his goals for the sustainability and unification of reliable NGOs/CBOs. It is our goal to obtain the coordination of the United African Congress on all of these ventures (many of which we have helped establish) such as water purification, cleaning up the environment, ‘green awareness’, jatropha tree plantings, smokeless carbon, HIV/AIDS prevention, care for orphans and many others!!

April 2009
CSAfrica is Spearheading the "I Love Africa" Campaign
The goal is to change millions of lives on one day, May 25th, 2010, by collaborating with organizations and the community to raise funds for Africa and CSAfrica projects. We are at the conceptual stage and intend to define the infrastructure and develop an action plan to make this project a success. It is key that we speak with African leaders regarding their needs, goals, and involvement. This is a great opportunity to bring our coalition together and empower individuals. We encourage everyone to participate and/or provide input in developing and promoting this project. If interested, please contact Martin Dunkerton at creationfilms@hotmail.com and/or attend our next general meeting for further discussion and brainstorming.