July 6, 2016, Ottawa, Canada — A local charity is using its latest mission to Ethiopia to kick-off its first-ever online crowdfunding campaign, which aims to help the indigenous nomadic Afar tribe replace some of the estimated 2 million goats and sheep that perished during the recent drought.
As part of its 12th Mission, which is scheduled July 12–21, Can-Go Afar will be launching The Can-Go Afar Livestock Challenge, a crowdfunding effort on GoFundMe.com with the goal of raising $50,000 CDN to buy much-needed livestock for the Afar people and families most affected by the drought.
“With more than 2 million livestock killed as a result of the devastating drought in Ethiopia, this will be our most important mission to date.” says Warren Creates, Honorary President of Can-Go Afar. “The need is massive. Goats and sheep are the very lifeblood of the pastoralist Afar people, providing them with milk and food during their daily travels in what’s been called the hottest inhabited place on earth. We need to help them get back on their feet as soon as possible.”
Funds raised by the online campaign, which will go live on July 12, 2016, will be used to buy livestock for Afar families: with goats costing $50 CDN and sheep costing $75 CDN. If the campaign reaches its goal it will generate enough funds to buy nearly 1,000 goats or 700 sheep: enough to fully restock 100 Afar households.
This inaugural crowdfunding campaign is timed to coincide with Can-Go Afar’s latest mission to Ethiopia, which will see a team of five volunteers from Ottawa fly to the Afar region to deliver $65,000 CDN ($1 million Ethiopian bihr) raised during the organization’s 9th Annual Fundraising Gala in April.
Mission 12 participants include: Warren Creates (immigration lawyer and co-founder of Can-Go Afar), Professor Joseph Magnet (University of Ottawa Constitutional scholar and Afar advisor), Jason Kelly (Businessman and VP of Can-Go Afar), Ahmed Mohamed (Afar leader), and Brad Mackay (award-winning writer and Communications Manager for Can-Go Afar).
For the first time, Can-Go Afar will also be live-blogging the nine-day Mission with a series of daily updates available on their website www.CanGoAfar.ca. The Can-Go Afar Livestock Challenge will go live on Canadian website www.GoFundMe.com the morning of July 12, 2016.
Contacts:
Warren Creates, wcreates@perlaw.ca, wcreates@mmd.fts.mybluehost.me, 613-220-4995
Brad Mackay, mackbrad@gmail.com
www.CanGoAfar.ca
