Voices for Bulembu: The Finale

I can’t believe it. I have been back from Vancouver for a week, and my blog has been silent. Anyone who has ever met me knows that me lacking words is an unnatural phenomenon. (My husband can testify.) I am rarely without words. But somehow I am still left speechless after the Voices for Bulembu concerts and fundraising events with the Canadian Tenors in Vancouver and Kelowna, British Columbia.

The two concerts, presented by Teldon Media Group, were simply amazing. It goes without saying that the Tenors were stunning, as always. The weather didn’t exactly cooperate, but the crowds were gracious, and the venues were delightful. As someone who is deeply moved by the voices of Clifton, Fraser, Remigio and Victor, it was easy for my emotions to carry me to another place entirely but the floodgates were opened quite dramatically when video clips of the their recent visit to Bulembu were sprinkled throughout the concert. And I wasn’t the only one impacted. At Mission Hill Winery in Kelowna, the Tenors watched the opening video from the back of the room, and were almost thankful for some of the technical difficulties they encountered during their opening number, “Because We Believe”. As Victor explained, they hadn’t yet seen the finished product, which they found to be poignant and moving. The chance to fix the microphone problems also gave the lumps in their throats time to dissolve in order for them to “hit the high notes”.

In addition to the videos, each of the Tenors shared personal stories about their experiences with the town and the people they have come to love. Andrew le Roux, Executive Director of Bulembu Ministries, Swaziland, provided an update as to the progress that is being made in restoring this town. Here are some of the highlights:

• Raised approximately (CAD) $9 million ($7.136 million from Bulembu International) for funding and operations (to June 30, 2010)
• Secured (CAD) $2 million in initial funding to purchase the property for operations
• Executed the organizations first public fundraising campaign (Voices for Bulembu – 2009), which raised (CAD) $945,000
• Developed strategic relationships with funding bodies including the Canadian International Development Agency ($500,000), Caterpillar Foundation ($230,000), The Jim Pattison Foundation ($2.75 million), Golder Trust for Orphans (over $200,000) and many others
• Invested (CAD) $1.5 million in capital for strategic enterprises
• Established core enterprises in Bulembu (using established infrastructure and natural resources) including Bulembu Timber, Bulembu Honey, Bulembu Water, Bulembu Country Lodge, Bulembu Dairy, Bulembu Mills, and the Bulembu Store
• Total sales for these enterprises (Year End: June 30, 2010 CAD) $3 million
• Total income (enterprise contribution Year End: June 30, 2010 CAD) $278,000
• Created 320 jobs across various enterprises
• Total jobs created throughout the community – 486
• Secured monthly provision and total care for 253 orphaned and vulnerable Swazi children in over 35 rehabilitated child care homes
• Established a central dining hall with capacity for 250 children
• Established the “Welcome Center” to assist up to 80 children at a time in their transition into the child care program
• Registered over 5,300 patient visits to the Bulembu Clinic
• Opened a second school; Bulembu is currently educating over 261 full-time students in its education system
• Caring for 45 babies in the child care program
• Completed the rehabilitation of the town’s water, electrical and sewage systems
• Started the first phase of the transportation upgrade which includes paving 5 kilometers of public roads and key arteries
• Renovated over 100,000 square feet of industrial and community space
• Renovated 135 homes in the community

When the weekend was over, both Voices for Bulembu concerts (at Mission Hill Winery and the Chan Centre for Performing Arts) raised a total of (CAD) $1.25 million.

Why am I still left speechless? Because so much has happened. And so much more still needs to happen. There is still rampant disease and heartache and tremendous need. The vision to make Bulembu a self-sustaining community won’t happen overnight. But I saw something during that weekend event that has only fueled a passion that had already been burning brightly. When I shook the hand of Volker Wagner, the man behind the vision of Bulembu, I saw the world through a different set of eyes. When I listened to the Tenors sing about being “Instruments of Peace”, I heard the cry of orphans through different ears. As I watched the video presentations and shared personal memories of their journey to Bulembu with each of the Tenors, I began to see love and humanitarian service on a different level.

And my soul reminded me that the Finale really is only the beginning. I know what I must do now.

The Art of Healing: For Andrea

Those who suffer with depression know how debilitating it can be. Add anxiety into the mix, and you’ve got a concoction that can spell disaster for the person experiencing it. This was true for Andrea, who has struggled with depression intermittently since childhood. Periodic anxiety attacks have kept her from venturing out as often as she would like.

During her first year back in Canada after having lived in Minneapolis for several years, Andrea had been introduced to the music of the Canadian Tenors. A life-long music lover, she decided to see them in concert with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in January 2009. It also happened to be Clifton Murray’s first performance with the Tenors. Whatever anxieties Andrea might have initially felt disappeared while listening to what she describes as a gorgeous blend of voices that were simultaneously rich and ethereal.

In March 2010, Andrea and her husband were vacationing in Las Vegas and travelled to St. George, Utah for two Tenors concerts. The very real fear of having a panic attack in a public place is always at the forefront of her mind as it was before each of these concerts. But remembering what she felt at the last Tenors concert was all the motivation Andrea needed to keep those fears at bay. For her, their heavenly voices provided a calming diversion that gave her the feeling of almost being transported to another time and place.

Speaking to the Tenors after each of the shows lifted her spirits by seeing their warm, gracious and witty personalities. What inspires Andrea most is their humanitarian efforts.  She says their music is a reminder that there is beauty in a world that is so often troubled. In her own words: “Their voices are a divine gift, and their charitable efforts inspire and show us we can all make a difference in the world.”

The men of the Canadian Tenors are indeed gifted and committed to giving back through their philanthropic efforts, including their charity, Voices for Bulembu. Fans such as Andrea are rallying their support through the fan fundraiser known as Raise YOUR Voice for Bulembu. The Tenors will perform two Voices for Bulembu concerts on Saturday, September 18, at Mission Hill, BC and Sunday, September 19 at the Chan Centre for Performing Arts in Vancouver, BC. The money raised by the fan fundraiser will be added to the total raised from the concerts with proceeds going to the Bulembu Foundation.

The fan fundraiser dollars will be miniscule in comparison but is a token of appreciation for the inspiration and joy the Canadian Tenors have brought to so many lives all across the world. They can’t cure cancer or depression. They can’t erase painful memories or prevent future scars. But they can lift our hearts and bring us smiles in times of pain. They can give us moments of pleasure and they can make a difference in our lives and in the lives of the children of Bulembu. If they can do that for us, what can we do for them to show our gratitude?

Voices for Bulembu: The Fundraiser

I have spent the last three months of my life telling as many people as possible about the citizens of a tiny town called Bulembu. I’ve never met anyone there. I’ve never even been there. Six months ago, I didn’t even know where Bulembu was on the map. Heck, I wasn’t even sure how to pronounce it! But after hearing of the plight of the people there from the Canadian Tenors and discovering the hope they have for their future through the vision created through the Bulembu Foundation, telling their story has become one of the most important things I have ever done.

It’s a passion for me because it means more exposure for them. More exposure hopefully means opening more hearts and open hearts hopefully means providing more resources to meet the needs of a desperate situation. I keep coming back to the children, the innocent who deserve a chance at a good life. For them, I will keep on writing until they have what they need.

The Canadian Tenors have just returned from their second visit to Bulembu. And in two weeks they will give their final two Voices for Bulembu fundraising concerts for 2010. In late June, fans of the Tenors launched the Raise YOUR Voice for Bulembu campaign to support their efforts of raising funds for the charity that means so much to them. Our goal was to raise $2500 by the time they reached the stage at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts on Sunday, September 19. It’s almost time!

Options to help are plentiful. Come to one of the concerts; the Chan Centre in Vancouver or consider the Legacy Weekend at Mission Hill in Okanagan Valley (September 17 – 19) in British Columbia’s wine country. Donate as little as one dollar through the secure online donation catalog or make monthly contributions. Select a category or choose from several. Mailing a check is also an option.

So many fans have reached out to me over the last several months and revealed to me how Clifton, Victor, Remigio and Fraser have touched their lives in a profound and positive way through their music. Let’s return the favor by supporting their efforts in supporting Voices for Bulembu.

Please Raise YOUR Voice for Buelmbu!

Click on the banner to make a secure online donation.

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.)

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.