Voices for Bulembu: It’s An Act of Love

He doesn’t give many interviews. In fact, he’s quite the recluse. But Volker Wagner, the man behind the vision that is the Bulembu Foundation just gave his first ever interview to Canada’s National Newspaper, The Globe and Mail; about his work in the town he is devoted to helping rebuild. And he did so with good reason.

This weekend marks the 2010 Voices for Bulembu campaign in which Mr. Wagner and the Canadian Tenors hope to raise $2 million, just about a million dollars more than they raised during last year’s event. And to think, all of this started when Wagner visited Swaziland on a completely different mission.

As a professional businessman, Wagner’s original goal was to help raise funds for an eye clinic in the African country but after a conversation with Swaziland’s king, he ended up walking away with another burden on his heart. The eye clinic opened in 2004 with substantial funding from one source, the Teldon Community Foundation. In the meantime, Wagner was also thinking about Bulembu, the tiny town he had pledged to help restore. Forget that it was a ghost town after the main employer abandoned its citizens and employees after more than 60 years. Forget that the people who did live there were barely alive thanks to the highest AIDS rate in the world. Forget that there are 56,000 AIDS orphans in Swaziland. Forget that two-thirds of the people live on less than $1.25 a day. Wagner saw something in Bulembu; something that made him believe this town could come back stronger than ever.

What Wagner saw was an opportunity to teach a man to fish. He saw an opportunity to be the Hands and Feet of Jesus Christ instead of just throwing money at the problem, hoping it would fix itself or just go away. Through prayer, Wagner says he realized things could be done differently. In 2006, he partnered with numerous business executives who enabled the $1 million deal to buy Bulembu in an effort to restore this town and ultimately restore a nation.

Four years later, the Bulembu Foundation has raised $9 million from donors. Bulembu is now home to 2,000 including 270 orphans and annual revenue is $3 million, with a $250,000 profit. All the money made is pumped back into Bulembu. The vision is to create a completely self-sustaining community while caring for 2,000 orphans by 2020.

The Canadian International Development Agency will grant $500,000 to help convert an old building into a training facility for the hospitality business and a convention centre, which will ultimately bring more people to Bulembu.

The Canadian Tenors joined the efforts of Wagner and the Bulembu Foundation in 2008 after their first visit to Bulembu. They have remained steadfast in their support and are especially passionate about the children of Bulembu. They have recently returned from their second visit and will share stories of the progress being made at two Voices for Bulembu concerts this weekend. The first concert will be held at Mission Hill Winery in Kelowna on Saturday, September 18. This concert is sold out. Their final fundraising concert will be held on Sunday, September 19 at the Chan Centre for Performing Arts.

Wagner, who pours 60 hours a week into the Bulembu Foundation and makes no money from this endeavor, believes another $45 million is needed to achieve all of their goals. This is something in which he finds great personal joy. He doesn’t refer to any of this as a coincidence. It is a God moment, an act of love.

Fans who want to support the Canadian Tenors can make a secure donation by clicking on the banner.

The Global Orphan Crisis Part II

Allow me to overwhelm you with a few more staggering statistics.

If orphans were a country, it would be the 8th largest country in the world in population – ahead of Russia.

Every 5.2 seconds a child dies.

On 9/11 – 2,972 people died. Today, 16,600 children will die but you won’t hear about it on the news.

On 12/26/04 – 298,000 people died in the Asian Tsunami. Over 300,000 children will die in the next 21 days.

From 1939 – 1945 – Hitler executed 6 million Jews. Over 6 million children will die this year alone.

Every 2.2 seconds an orphan ages out of the system worldwide.

Every day 38,493 orphans age out and are sent away.

In Russia, of those who age out:

• 10-15% commit suicide by age 18
• 60% of girls become prostitutes
• 70% of boys become hardened criminals

In the United States – more than 520,000 kids are in the foster care system and 120,000 are immediately adoptable.

In New York’s Foster Care system – 60% of kids who age out end up homeless.

There are 27 million victims of human trafficking worldwide. Of that number, 13 million are children.

(Statistics according to UNICEF)

Where does it end?

Well, first it has to start somewhere. Click here to learn about National Orphan Sunday, which is on November 7, 2010. See what you can do to help. If you can’t find a church in your area that is participating in Orphan Sunday, consider supporting Voices for Bulembu, a supporting arm of the Canadian Tenors and The Bulembu Foundation. Funds donated will aid the 2000 orphans in this tiny town in Swaziland, hit hard by devastating unemployment and the highest rates of AIDS in the world.

Contact me directly if you have questions. Children are the future, and we can’t keep our eyes closed anymore.

Voices for Bulembu: Tales from Mozambique

I met Debora Hoeksema through Facebook because we both happened to be Canadian Tenors fans. It wasn’t long before we discovered our bond went deeper through a passion for helping orphans. Together, we developed the Canadian Tenors fan site and have worked on Raise YOUR Voice for Bulembu, a fan-based fundraising initiative in support of the Tenors’ efforts through Voices for Bulembu. Today, Debora shares what she experienced on her own mission trip to an orphanage in Mozambique. It is but a glimpse of what the Tenors have seen and will see when they return to Bulembu in August.

Debora, the floor is yours.

Who hasn’t seen those heartfelt commercials on TV of children in Africa, orphaned by AIDS or war? I must have been about seven or eight years old when I first saw one of those commercials and told my parents that I wanted to go to Africa to help those children. They were the words of a little girl, but I did think back to them when I stepped on a plane to help out in an orphanage in a rural area of Africa last January.

Over the years I had read so much about the continent – its problems and culture – that I felt prepared and ready for my adventure.  A bit naïve I know now. The hardship the people of Africa have to endure is something people from the Western world could never imagine. How could I ever be prepared to see people starve for food, or mothers walking 30 KM in 50 degrees Celsius to the orphanage to get some powder milk because malnutrition has not given them enough milk to breastfeed? How could I ever be prepared to see a baby die?  But most of all how could I ever be prepared to see children and people who were so joyful and happy despite the difficult lives they lead.

Ruama, the orphanage, where I worked for three weeks, is in Mozambique and home to 50 children. The children are usually placed in the orphanage when they are very young, some of them only a couple of hours old. All of these children lost their mother, and some of them also don’t have a father anymore. At the house they are in the good care of local women who raise these children with the culture and customs of the area, so they can adapt better when they are placed back with their father or other relatives. A question I have heard many times when telling the story of my time at Ruama is, “Why would they place those children back with their relatives and let them grow up in poverty?” The answer to that question is one that shows the strength and character of the African people; for them family is the most important, and not sharing what little they have with an orphaned niece or nephew is not an option.

And they don’t only share with their family. I was only in Africa for three days when the pastor of the orphanage invited me to listen to his sermon that Sunday and come to lunch at his house after church. I accepted his offer, partly because I was curious what his life would look like, and partly because I knew that refusing this offer would be very offensive to him and his family. His house was nothing more than a pile of wood. His wife and children were awaiting my arrival inside. They had borrowed a table and chairs and plates. And I had to sit in the best seat. And if I wasn’t feeling awkward enough, I was offered a drink: A bottle of Coca Cola. That doesn’t seem terribly impressive when you we buy them in bulk without thinking about it. But how would you feel if you knew that one bottle of Coca Cola cost him more than 50% of his monthly income? That one little, insignificant bottle of Coca Cola was a big eye opener for me. I recognized that the people that hardly have anything are the ones capable and willing of sharing the most.

Ever since I came back from Africa, I have been trying to find ways to become more giving and motivate others to do so too. The great thing is that you don’t have to think big. Start by thinking about the little bottle of Coca Cola. Something small for us is something big for the people in Africa. So consider for one day, don’t buy that meal at McDonald’s or that delicious Frappucino at Starbucks. Instead use that money to make a change for a deserving person, family or town.

Lately I have been involved with a charity called the Bulembu Foundation. Bulembu is a town in Swaziland that once was deserted because of high unemployment. But with the help of a group of entrepreneurs, the town is going to be restored, giving hope and a life to more than 2000 people by the year 2020. A feasible goal that is backed up by celebrity ambassadors the Canadian Tenors. Besides being great artists, they are also great human beings who use their talent to give back to those not as fortunate and prosperous as themselves.  The Canadian Tenors will be returning to Bulembu in August to check on the progress that has been made since their last visit. I am pretty sure they will be seeing a lot of the hardships I witnessed in Mozambique. Progress is being made but it is slow. However, like myself they have been touched by the happiness, determination and generosity of the people there. And even though their effort is admirable they can’t do it on their own. Wouldn’t it be great if all of us would step up and show the people of Bulembu that, far away in a world they can only dream about, there are people who care about them?

If you wish to make a difference, start by clicking on the banner below. You will be redirected to the Bulembu restore website, where you can make a donation starting as low as one dollar. The Canadian Tenors are doing all they can through the Bulembu Foundation and Voices for Bulembu to make a difference in the lives of the citizens of Bulembu. Won’t you consider joining this team and give hope to a nation that needs it?

Voices for Bulembu: A Conversation with Remigio Pereira

Everyone has an outlook on life; you’re either a glass is half full or glass is half empty-type of person. After spending some time with the Canadian Tenors, I can say without pause that Remigio Pereira, Victor Micallef, Clifton Murray and Fraser Walters are glass half full people. As I have reflected on the conversations I had with the Tenors about their experiences in Bulembu (past and future), I keep coming back to two words: joy and hope.

One of the first things Remigio made clear to me in our conversation is that nothing can outweigh the strife and pain the children of Bulembu have seen in just their first two weeks of life; strife and pain that seems to never cease. Each of them made it clear that they never want to diminish the hardships and challenges these citizens face and the resulting impact on their own hearts.

“A lot of people see it on television or read about it in the paper,” explained Remigio, “but it doesn’t have the same effect as when you go there. It isn’t the same as when you’re talking with someone who is dying and his whole family and extended family has been wiped out, and you’re the only one left to carry on the name or to meet a woman who has been raped countless times or to see women who walk for miles to get medicine for themselves or their children. You think what do these people have?”

What they have – and what the Tenors made sure to stress – is hope and joy.

Remigio pointed out that, “With the right resources, with the right capital, and with loving hearts, anything can be accomplished.”

Perhaps it is the indelible spirit of the people they have met that enables the Tenors to see beyond the pain and suffering to the hope and joy that really does exist. Perhaps the citizens of Bulembu live with such hope and joy because they just don’t know any better because they haven’t yet been presented with the right resources, capital or loving hearts. But we know better. And that’s what stirs these young men to make a difference.

“I have things I want to do,” said Remigio. “It opened up new goals for me on a humanitarian level.”

He spoke of the natural talent of a group of orphans he got to meet on his first visit and how, given the opportunity, “these kids could realize a dream, that a lot can be accomplished, and the restraints of their condition don’t allow for a boundary for their dreams to come true.”

He spoke of wanting to give them the same chances that are afforded to kids in wealthier nations: dance camp, a guitar instructor, traveling beyond their own borders to experience the possibilities.

There is much work to be done if these children are to be given such opportunities. The vision of the Bulembu Foundation aims to raise up the next generation of leaders who can take this town and country to greater heights and prosperity, giving new generations the hope of a future. Perhaps the work starts at home within our own hearts, as it did for Remigio and his musical brothers.

“No matter what happens in your life, you can still find a smile in something,” Remigio reflected. “That is the biggest lesson. It could be raining and gloomy down where we are, but then you take a plane up and there’s sunshine all the time. It’s what you delete out of your life, what you don’t see is what you should actually look for.”

The 2000 orphans of Bulembu are counting on the loving hearts of people who have resources to make a difference. The Tenors will be visiting Bulembu again in August and will hold their fundraising event, Voices for Bulembu: A Legacy Weekend at Mission Hill, featuring their cornerstone concert at the Chan Centre for Performing Arts in September. (Click on the link for dates and ticket information) In the meantime, please consider donating on behalf of the Canadian Tenors by visiting the Bulembu reSTORE donation catalog. (Clicking on the banner below will take you directly to the Bulembu secure online donation catalog.)

Voices for Bulembu: A Conversation with Clifton Murray

Whoever is at the wheel is at full throttle, but it appears the Canadian Tenors don’t mind the speed at which they’re traveling. And the direction they’re heading is up: up the record and popularity charts. With the whirlwind of activities they’ve recently experienced, they might simply be running on adrenaline. But they are focused if they are anything. And one focus for them continues to be their work supporting the Bulembu Foundation through their own Voices for Bulembu (VFB).

The Tenors will return to the tiny town in Swaziland in August; their second trip in as many years. They will check on progress being made in the ongoing efforts to return this town into one of prosperity through self-sufficiency. Their last trip showed them the devastation of a place ravaged by AIDS and a dwindling population thanks to a lack of reasonable employment. The Tenors committed to helping the people of Bulembu through VFB, their inaugural fundraising concert, in 2009. Their efforts raised $1 million.

I recently sat down with all four Tenors to talk about their previous trip and what they’re expecting on their upcoming visit. I’ll share the thoughts of each of the guys in the coming days through blog posts like this one. Today we’ll hear from Clifton Murray.

Clifton will be making his first trip to Bulembu as he was not yet part of the group when they last visited there. But he’s heard plenty of stories and has seen video and photos of their trip. He admitted he’s incredibly excited about going.

“I’m looking forward to the emotional impact and having a visceral connection with what’s going on over there,” he said. “I’m looking forward to caring that much more about the project.”

Going there without any reservations, Clifton said he hopes to gain a deeper understanding of what can be done to help, and he’s certain he’ll leave with renewed energy and focus.

“It’s a gift to be able to go there and see what’s going on,” he continued. “It really is a gift to have that affect us, and inspire us to go back, spread the word and raise money to help people in this part of the world who desperately need our help.”

Before ever stepping foot on an airplane, Clifton knows the emotional rollercoaster ride he’ll encounter while he’s there. But fellow Tenor, Victor Micalleff, says that there was never any hesitation on Clifton’s part when he first joined the group and learned of their supporting role with the Bulembu Foundation.

“He immediately saw the opportunity there,” noted Victor. “It’s just become a common goal for all of us, and he’s so excited about the possibilities.”

The Canadian Tenors are currently preparing to host their next cornerstone fundraising concert event, Voices for Bulembu: A Legacy Weekend at Mission Hill, which takes place September 17 – 19 in Vancouver.

Fans of the Canadian Tenors can add to the final tally by making donations on behalf of Raise YOUR Voice for Bulembu, a fan-organized and sponsored fundraising campaign. Click on the banner below learn more and make your donation.

Check back on Wednesday, July 7 when we’ll have a conversation with Victor Micallef.

Restore a town. Transform a Nation.

Bulembu is a small town in the northwestern region of Swaziland and is privately owned by the not-for-profit organization, Bulembu Ministries Swaziland. This once booming town was almost deserted when nearly all of its 10,000 residents left after the main employer, a mine company, shuttered its doors in 2001, requiring residents to seek employment elsewhere. Today there are approximately 2,000 people in Bulembu, and the AIDS epidemic continues to change the landscape.

Swaziland itself has a population of more than 1.1 million but it also has the highest rate of AIDS cases in the world. Statistics indicate a 900% increase in AIDS cases from 1992 to 2002. The current life expectancy is approximately 32 years of age, and, with the negative growth rate (-.41%) coupled with the current death rate, the Swazi people will cease to exist by 2050.

Bulembu was purchased with a vision to rejuvenate the town to a self-sustaining entity that combines sustainable, innovative enterprises with orphan care for Swaziland’s most vulnerable children.

The Bulembu Foundation‘s mission is as a not-for-profit organization serving Jesus Christ by restoring hope to the people of Swaziland through community enterprise and community care and accomplishing that goal by 2020.

The Canadian Tenors joined forces with Bulembu Ministries Swaziland through Voices for Bulembu, their annual concert raising funds to continue the transformational work taking place in Bulembu.

“One cannot help but be inspired by the countless signs of hope,” reflected Canadian Tenor Fraser Walters. “This hope is especially embodied in the children of Bulembu who, with continued support, now have the opportunity to become the country’s future leaders.”

Fans of the Canadian Tenors have launched a supporting initiative called Raise YOUR Voice for Bulembu. By going to www.bulemburestore.org, fans can view the online catalog and make donations that will go toward the final dollar amount raised by the Tenors at their cornerstone weekend event, Voices for Bulembu: A Legacy Weekend at Mission Hill, September 17-19, 2010.

Donation categories include:

Orphan Care – The town of Bulembu needs a new generation of leaders to emerge equipped, engaged and prepared to contribute to the transformational work so desperately needed in Swaziland. The Total Orphan Care and Education program ensures all physical, emotional, spiritual, and social needs of each Bulembu child are being met.

• Medical Sponsorship
• Food Sponsorship
• Caregiver Sponsorship
• Clothing & Housing Sponsorship
• Education Sponsorship
• Total Orphan Care and Education Sponsorship

Enterprise - Community Enterprise focuses on building profitable businesses that will add more than job creation; it will contribute to the overall development of the community. Donations come in shares, which have no monetary value and are non-redeemable and non-refundable. But they represent real capital required to launch a new enterprise in Bulembu.

• Bulembu Bakery
• Bulembu Dairy
• Bulembu Conference Center
• Bulembu Tree Nursery
• Bulembu Fish Farm
• Bulembu Biomass Energy Plant

School – The town’s elementary and high schools are providing the children with a world-class education but there is always a need for more educational resources.

• Library books
• Computer
• Sports equipment
• Sponsor a teacher

Home – There are 1,200 homes in Bulembu, most of which need to be restored before new families can move in.

• Bricks
• Screws
• Windows
• Beds (with mattresses)
• New electrical
• Paint for interior/exterior
• Roof
• Restore an Orphan Care home

Environment – Bulembu’s 1,700 acre property has countless opportunities to rehabilitate and rebuild with greener, more sustainable strategies.

• Tree planting
• Solar panels
• Property rehabilitation

Gift cards are also available and general donations can be made one-time or on a monthly commitment.

Won’t you Raise YOUR Voice for Bulembu on behalf of the Canadian Tenors?

Fans Launch Fundraising Campaign to Support the Canadian Tenors Voices for Bulembu

In between the whirlwind of activity including a cross-country tour promoting their new PBS concert special recently released on DVD, preparing for the next leg of a tour with David Foster and Friends, fall tour dates, private engagements and even presenting before world leaders at this weekend’s G-20 Summit in their home country, the Canadian Tenors continue their philanthropic efforts.

Clifton will join Victor, Remigio and Fraser when they return to Bulembu, the town that has touched their hearts and given them a purpose on a humanitarian level. The trip will take place in August, just before their annual concert, Voices for Bulembu, which raises funds to support their mission of giving hope and restoring this once vibrant community to self-sufficiency after the town’s main employer of 60 years shuttered its doors, leaving thousands devastated. The town’s plight worsened with a negative population growth rate due to the highest rate of HIV/AIDS in the world.

In partnership with a team of entrepreneurs and social developers and an organization called Bulembu Foundation, the Tenors are working toward a common goal: To help this tiny town in Swaziland reach sustainability by providing total care for 2,000 orphans and fostering the development of a new generation of emerging leaders, provide its 7,000 residents safe access to quality work and essential social services as well as access to education and health services by the year 2020.

Knowing the passion the Tenors have for this project, Canadian Tenors fans from across the globe have united to support the upcoming Voices for Bulembu campaign with a fundraising initiative called Raise YOUR Voice for Bulembu. The initiative begins June 25 and ends when the Canadian Tenors host their fundraising event, Voices for Bulembu: A Legacy Weekend at Mission Hill, which takes place September 17 – 19^th, and culminates in a spectacular concert at the Chan Centre for Performing Arts in Vancouver on September 19.

Organizers of Raise YOUR Voice for Bulembu, Theresia Whitfield and Debora Hoeksema, are challenging Tenors fans from across the globe to help raise $2,500 (USD) by the time the Tenors take the stage on September 19. To ensure safety and that all funds raised are distributed appropriately; Raise YOUR Voice for Bulembu organizers have partnered with Bulembu Foundation. Fans can visit www.bulembu.org to learn more about the town, the crisis and the vision.

Secure donations can be made by visiting Bulembu reSTORE, an online donation catalogue that people can use to give a gift to the Bulembu community.  Simply click on the banner for a link to the store and determine at which level you wish to donate.

Donation categories include: orphan care, enterprise, school, home, environment and general funds. Donations can be made for as little as $1.00 (USD), as a one-time gift or a monthly commitment.

When finalizing your online donation, please indicate that you are part of the Canadian Tenors Fans Raise YOUR Voice for Bulembu campaign.

For regular updates on this fan fundraising initiative, visit www.canadiantenorsfans.com. You can also learn new information on the Canadian Tenors Voices for Bulembu Facebook Fan page. Become a fan and then tell all your friends. You can also sign up to receive blog updates about the campaign and to hear directly what the Tenors will be doing while they are in Bulembu.

Let’s rally around the Canadian Tenors and show them they have the best fans with the biggest hearts in the world. Won’t you Raise YOUR Voice for Bulembu?

NOTE: Contact Theresia Whitfield or Debora Hoeksema at canadiantenorsfans@gmail.com with questions.

Raise YOUR Voice for Bulembu

As someone who has interviewed and written about a lot of famous (and infamous) people, I am always intrigued when I have the opportunity to discover if a public persona matches the private reality. In most instances, I am quite disappointed. But in the case of the Canadian Tenors, they are the same off-stage as they are on-stage; polite, humble, engaging, humorous, and ridiculously genuine. What is even more rewarding is to see their kindness extend far beyond the concert hall where they offer their voices in such a way that have brought about life-changing results. Most entertainers would consider their day’s work done with their final curtain call, but not for the Tenors.

When the lights go down is when the real work begins for Clifton, Victor, Remigio and Fraser. They are activists, ambassadors, philanthropists and performers for a variety of charitable causes, including their own Voices for Bulembu, their annual concert raising funds for the tiny town of the same name in Swaziland. September 2010 will mark their next charity concert but first, the Tenors will take another trip back to the town that has touched their hearts and given them new purpose.

Victor, Fraser and Remigio previously visited Bulembu in 2008 and chronicled their journey through a documentary. Clifton will join his Tenor brothers on his first visit there in August. Together, they will take the emotional rollercoaster ride that will remind them of their mission: To give hope and to help restore a once vibrant community to self-sufficiency.

Bulembu was once a thriving town that brimmed with possibilities. Hope vanished when the main employer, a large mining company, shuttered its doors and left town for good after 60 years. Already plagued by the highest percentage rates of HIV/AIDS in the world, the citizens of Bulembu were left desolate while Swaziland became the only developing country with a negative population growth. AIDS has wiped out a generation leaving 15% of the entire population as orphans. With no way to provide for themselves, no social support, and nothing in place to change their circumstances, Bulembu was slowly becoming a ghost town.

Hope returned in 2006 when a team of entrepreneurs and social developers purchased the town with a vision to restore Bulembu to a self-sustaining community. Their goal: Reach sustainability by providing total care for 2,000 orphans and fostering the development of a new generation of emerging leaders, provide its 7,000 residents safe access to quality work and essential social services as well as access to education and health services and doing it all by the year 2020.

Two strategies are in place to accomplish this lofty goal – community care and community enterprise. According to their web site, www.bulembu.org, community care programs are transforming the town through Bulembu’s Orphan Care Program, Bulembu Christian Academy and Bulembu Clinic. Using the infrastructure left behind by the mining industry, Bulembu leadership is developing numerous opportunities to build innovative, sustainable and profitable businesses. Each enterprise is formally a division of the larger charity with the profits from each enterprise flowing into Bulembu’s Sustainability Fund for the advancement of the Vision. The goal is to generate $6 million (USD) a year by 2020 to sustain the town’s social and economic needs.

In partnership with the Bulembu Foundation, the Canadian Tenors launched the inaugural Voices for Bulembu Campaign (VFB) in 2009, which featured a benefit concert and raising nearly $1 million. This year marks the beginning of the “Decade to Make a Difference” in working toward accomplishing their ultimate goal and returning hope to the citizens of Bulembu.

The Canadian Tenors will once again host their fund raising event September 17 – 19^th through Voices for Bulembu: A Legacy Weekend at Mission Hill, culminating in a spectacular concert in the Chan Centre for Performing Arts in Vancouver on September 19. (Click here for details and to purchase your tickets for this amazing event.)

Fans of the Canadian Tenors have heard the challenge and are ready to accept it. Visit www.canadiantenorsfans.com and the Canadian Tenors Voices for Bulembu Fan Page on Facebook where details of a fan-based fund raising event called Raise YOUR Voice for Bulembu will be announced soon.