2011 South Africa With Africa Foundation
by April Howland
Lilydale, 2011. This is where it all began.
Back in 2011, I set off on my first journey to Africa with the eco-tourism company &Beyond. During this safari, I had the opportunity to go on a local community visit with a representative from Africa Foundation (USA) to tour schools, orphanages, medical centers and businesses. I learned about how the foundation works with the people of remote areas throughout Africa to make their lives better.
It was here that the seeds were planted for what has now grown to become Adventure Artists International.
Schools in South Africa are most often started by the residents of the local communities. The locals use their own time and resources to develop buildings to conduct classes in for the children. Before the schools can become eligible for any government assistance, they must meet the criteria set by the Department of Social Development. This means that they must have certain facilities in place, such as a classroom, bathroom, running water, electricity and a functioning kitchen.
This is the state that the Veyulani Primary School in the community of Lillydale was in when I first visited it. It was just a single makeshift building which did not come close to meeting these requirements.
Africa Foundation (USA) had just begun working with the staff of this school to begin renovations, in an effort to obtain future government assistance, including pay for the teachers, daily operations and nutritional programs.
The image of this school and the wonderful children that attended it kept haunting me upon my return home. I couldn’t get it off my mind. I needed to do something to help. So I decided to take action. I was going to use my art to make an impact.
So I got to work on creating this painting of one of the local villagers and her child, titled “I Have a Future”.
I Have a Future, © April Howland
I then put together an art show where I raffled off this painting. With the support of my generous and compassionate supporters, I was able to raise a substantial amount of funds. This money was donated to Africa Foundation to directly assist in the funding of a brand new kitchen for the school!
This was a rewarding experience that changed my life. Knowing that I have the power to help people across the globe through my work as an artist has inspired me to continue to keep finding new ways to make a difference.
Our days out on safari during this trip were magical! The beauty of the land was awe-inspiring. We were surrounded by majestic wildlife that captured my heart and inspired me to build upon my portfolio of wildlife paintings.
Here are a few of the ways that I was able to take the reference photos that I took and bring them to life on canvas.
Africa left a lasting imprint on my soul. I thought about the people and the animals constantly. It kept calling me back. I knew I had to return. So I did.