Businesswoman and activist Anna Young hopes to bridge the gap between people in Revelstoke and undeveloped countries by, among other things, staging informative and entertaining events.
The first event is the screening of the film War Dance – a story that follows three children from war-torn northern Uganda as their school unexpectedly has the opportunity to compete in the national music and dance competition in the capital, Kampala . All proceeds from the film will go to the Patongo Fund to help provide education for the children of the Acholi tribe, featured in the film.
Many people have altruistic impulses and Young’s were most recently energized when she spent three months working in Bangladesh for the UN’s World Food Programme early last year, learning how to deliver food in emergencies so she could be deployed into disasters around the world. It was this experience that inspired her to create Red Telegraph, a social enterprise that is devoted to bringing communities together for mutual benefit.
“I was deeply effected by the poverty there — 45% of people in
Bangladesh go to bed hungry and many of these are women,” Young said in a statement. “When I got home to Revelstoke it was difficult to reconcile the abundance and choice that we have in Canada but it got me thinking about how we can realign the balance, even if it is in small ways.”
Red Telegraph has just received its second shipment of bags and baskets from Bangladesh and is sending them to stores around BC including the Talisman here in Revelstoke. But Red Telegraph isn’t just about selling crafts.
As the logo suggests, Red Telegraph is about ‘connecting people, products and places across the globe.’
“Part of what I wanted Red Telegraph to be was a way for Revelstoke to help people in the developing world, and to help inform and connect people here with projects and issues happening in the developing world,” Young said.
Red Telegraph is in its early development and Anna is eager to hear from local people who have ideas for events and suggestions on how to connect communities with communities.
“I know that folks are doing lots of great things in town and if people have ideas for films, fundraisers or how to connect schools and our community to places in the developing world I would love to hear from them”.
For more information about Red Telegraph please contact Anna Young at www.redtelegraph.com or give her a call at 250-837-2630. For more information about War Dance and the Patongo Fund please go online to www.shineglobal.org/ and http://thepatongofund.org/ .
