St John's Youth Group!

What an awesome time we all had at St John's youth group last week! Emmanuel (Coopy Bly) was invited to perform and minister to the youth of Healesville in a mini concert. It was a really special time, and everyone had so much fun, dancing and jumping along to the music and were all left touched and moved by his deep, inspirational lyrics. Thanks for all those who attended, may God richly bless you, just as you blessed us! :) #blessedtobless #lovetotheworld #giventogive 

Rolling Hills Primary School

Our school outreaches have continued to be a huge success with another great day held at Rolling Hills Primary School! We were able to interact with over 120 students who absolutely loved the drumming workshops and paper bead making classes! The best part of the day would definitely have been the 'Question Time' when all the children came together in a big group. The kids were soooo interested in finding out more about Uganda and Emmanuel's life that this session ended up going for an hour and a half! The students were also very interested in listening to Emmanuel's Music (Coopy Bly) so he was able to treat them to a performance of his new release song 'Guruka'. The Children loved it and danced and jumped to the music! Such a special moment!

Thanks for having us Rolling Hill's Primary School, we were truly blessed by your hospitality and keen interest in life in Africa. Hope to see you all again soon!

AFRICAN FUNDRAISER

In October 2014 YIMBA UGANDA is hosting an ‘AFRICAN FUNDRAISER’ at Hedgend Maze in Healesville to raise money for our school outreach/sanitation program that we are to launch in November 2014.

So come along, bring your family and friends and have some fun this October while directly donating to improve the lives of those who truly need it most!

The fundraiser will be jam packed with African themed activities such as:
-Live Performances
-African Drumming workshops
-Paper bead making lessons
-African Crafts on sale
-African themed secret message hidden in the Famous Hedge-Maze

Other Exciting Activities include:

-Face painting

-Fairy Floss

-Mini Golf
-Frisbee Golf
-HUGE 1.2km Hedge-Maze
-Fossil Dig
AND MUCH MORE… 

EXTRA DETAILS:

When: Saturday the 4^th and Sunday the 5^th of October
Where: Hedgend Maze Healesville (163 Albert Road Healesville 3777)

Time: 10am-5pm (both days)

Cost:  $15 adults (16 years and up)

$10 children (4-16 years)
 0-3 years free

How to purchase Tickets:
Please follow the link to purchase and print your tickets online:

https://tickets.myguestlist.com.au/540813dc261c4/african-fundraiser/

Or alternatively call Anne-Marie on  +61) 431 736 118 to put tickets on hold, and pay on the day.

*Please note that ALL TICKETS must be either pre purchased or pre booked in order for you to receive the discounted price AND most importantly for the money to go to Yimba Uganda. *

100% of the profits made from the African Fundraiser will go towards the funding of Yimba Uganda’s Female Sanitation Project! - Click on the 'Sanitation project' tab on the side to read more about this project and find out exactly where you money is going! 

Bayswater North Probus Club!

Well, what a special morning we had visiting the lovely women of Bayswater North Probus Club!
It was a great opportunity to meet with these women and share our passion, and the work of Yimba Uganda with them. The women were really touched by the presentation and we had some incredible feedback, including multiple women stating that 'it was the best presentation they have ever heard!'  So praise God for that! :) A big big thank you to these women for inviting us to speak to you all, and an even bigger thank-you for the great generosity shown to us through support of our up-coming female sanitation program. May God Bless you richly!

#lovetotheworld

#yimbauganda

Primary School Incursion #1

The team at Yimba Uganda has had an action packed week so far! 

Monday and Tuesday we spent time with students at Lilydale West Primary School teaching their 5/6 classes about the unique Ugandan culture, how to play African drums and also how to make hand-made paper beads.  Both days were a huge success and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there! We have also received great feedback from both students and teachers. The students absolutely loved making the beads, and were eager to go home and teach their parents and siblings. They were very interested in Emmanuel's knowledge of Uganda and asked many insightful questions! A big thank-you to the students and teachers of Lilydale West Primary School for inviting us to your school, it was a great experience and we hope to visit you again soon!

Our favourite questions of the day:
'Do all Africans have dreadlocks?'
'Do Africans only eat fish?'

Emmanuel Playing BasketBall with the kids at recess

Bead Making :)

Australian Outreach!

Hey All!

Sorry for the absence on the blog as of late, it has been a very busy month! If you are looking for more ongoing updates, remember to check out our Facebook page! 

 Emmanuel is currently in Australia, which has been a really great experience so far.  He will be in Australia for 3 months duration, fundraising for Yimba Uganda, raising awareness for our current and upcoming projects as well as engaging in a cultural exchange in a number of schools and community groups.  Here are a few pictures and stories of what he has been getting up to! Enjoy!

Emmanuel presenting at Rotary Club of Healesville:

Emmanuel made quite an impression on the Rotary Club of Healesville, giving a presentation on Yimba Uganda and Uganda at large. All the members were very intrigued and thoroughly enjoyed his presentation. In the coming months Emmanuel hopes to present at a number of other Rotary groups throughout the district.  

School Outreach: Yimba Uganda is all about reaching out to those around you, using the talents that you have to teach and encourage others.  So what a perfect opportunity to have Emmanuel reach out to the youth in Australia, educating them about Ugandan music, culture and traditions.  While in the schools, Emmanuel has been giving presentations on what life is like growing up in Uganda, the needs people have there, as well as providing an insight into the diversity of the country. He has also been teaching African drumming, whilst Anne-Marie or Sandy teach African paper bead making for a more hands on experience. We have had some amazing feedback from this program, and have many other schools booked for the coming months. 

Markets: One of Yimba Uganda’s greatest source of funding is coming from the sale of Ugandan crafts at market stalls throughout Melbourne. Currently, we are fundraising for sound machines to lower the costs of all our outreaches, providing us with the opportunity to expand our school and community outreach programs. Slowly by slowly we are coming up with the money for this project, so please pray that we will be able to find the rest of the money to launch this project when Emmanuel returns to Uganda in October.  Whilst at the markets, we have been engaging with different members of the community, teaching them some African drumming and Crafts as well.

Coopy Bly Music: During the month of September, Emmanuel has been given the opportunity to speak a number of Church Youth groups, about life as a Christian Musician in Uganda, and how he has used this special gift to give back to vulnerable communities. He will be performing at these events, and engaging with a wide range of Australian Youth. If you would like to come and watch at any of these events, let us know and we can provide you with the details. 

CD sales: Another form of fundraising during Emmanuel’s Australia tour is the sale of CD’s. The CD’s are a playlist of Coopy Bly’s (Emmanuel’s) greatest hits. All of the money from the sale of these CD’s will go towards ministry in Uganda. So please contact me if you would like to purchase one of these CDs! anne-marie_reddan_lives@hotmail.com or 0431 736 118.

Please continue to pray for Emmanuel’s stay in Australia; including his upcoming presentations and programs in youth groups and schools, that everything would run smoothly and people would be impacted by his presence. Please also pray that more opportunities would arise both for Emmanuel and his work through Yimba Uganda. He will continue to keep you updated throughout the remainder of his trip, through Facebook, and bloodspot. 

-Yimba Uganda 

#lovetotheworld

Healesville Market

In order to raise some extra money for Yimba Uganda, we have organised some Market stalls in Victoria, Australia. We have purchased home made African crafts from women and men in Uganda, and are reselling the items to raise money to further bless these communities.  The first market stall was held in Healesville, Victoria and was a huge success! We have been overwhelmed with people's generosity and willingness to help! 

We pray that we will be able to continue raising money in this way, including the Ugandans we are aiming to help in the process; by making crafts to not only benefit themselves, but assisting in the further develop of their own communities. Another special aspect of the market stalls, is the opportunity to directly interact with our customers, informing them of the needs many Ugandans face on a daily basis, and the ways in which they too can get involved in breaking the cycle of poverty in Uganda. 

Here are a few pictures of the stall.