Amanda Hamlin
Communications
May 19, 2011
Writing an Appeal Letter
REAL Campaign:
Don’t Exchange Girls for Cows: Give them Education campaign from The Asante
Africa Foundation.
MY Key Publics:
Fathers and mothers, educators and future educators, international travelers,
African Americans
Part 1:
Leads
a. Teach a man to fish and he will eat
for life. Trade your daughter for a cow and you’ll eat beef for a …..
b. As families struggle to survive, daughters
and sons are being traded like livestock in Africa.
c. An economy where trading children
for livestock makes education a distant dream, and slavery too common.
Part 2: Letter
Mary
Mack
12
Wherestreet Blvd.
Nowherenew,
ST 88888
To
our friends and families in America!
Teach a man to fish and he will eat
for life. Trade your daughter for a cow and you’ll eat beef for a couple years,
with a side of guilt – for the rest of your life.
The above
statement may sound like a joke, but the reality of the situation is nothing to
laugh about. That’s why we are encouraging communities in Africa which still
participate in the bartering of children
to choose education instead, for it is the better investment. Far too many
cultures continue to practice in this modern-day slavery that forces young girls and boys into lives of
servitude and illiteracy in exchange for cattle or a bit of cash.
Our
posters read simply “Don’t Exchange Girls for Cows: Give them Education”.
The message is shocking and clear. We expect to increase awareness locally to
gain support for an international campaign. We have already put posters all
over schools in Kenya, in efforts to discourage local farmers from trading
their daughters for livestock. Even a small contribution from you will help the
Asante Africa Foundation get more posters in more places to raise awareness for
this dire situation which is too often overlooked or masqueraded as “acceptable”
tradition – or disregarded as a myth.
Meet
Sophie, 21, who we met last year in Kenya. When she was 14, her father traded
her to a neighbor, in exchange for a small plot of land. She said goodbye to
her family and was taken out of school. She describes her life with her
pseudo-family as better than average. “Many girls disappear to become sex
slaves. I am just here to obey my father’s will. It is what is expected of me. I
heard boys are being traded sometimes now too, in the south.” The wide breadth
of enslavement affects more individuals than many people realize. Thanks to the
ongoing support of Asante
Africa Foundation over the past year, Sophie
gained the resources she needed to gain independence and become a hard-working
student with many opportunities within reach.
This campaign
is only a small part of the Asante Africa Foundation, which has been funding
schools and teacher training programs in prime cities. Our foundation is part
of a communal effort to modernize African nations. For over a decade, as we
have established clean water systems and improved several schools, our name has
gained great recognition and trust. We want them to know that we are willing to
help, but these types of norms need to be abolished in law and in spirit.
We invite
you to join us in this campaign against this slave trade in Africa, which has
been ignored far too long. Together, we can help change the future for these
children and families, and one day, no child shall live in fear of uncertainty,
abandonment, and a worth dictated by an unstable market. Join our cause by
sending us a one-time contribution and to help get these posters up, or commit
to a monthly donation of your choice! Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to
keep updated on the progress and news of our program.
We
appreciate your donations, large and small!
Thanks for
your time and support!
Amanda
Hamlin
PS. Please
realize that this travesty, bartering human lives for tangible objects,
severely hinders the progression of free nations as a whole; children are only
few among many who are victimized. The nightmare of slavery belongs far in the
past, not hidden across the globe.
