Where Dance Changes Everything
Deep in Mtandire- a periurban village right in hub of the capital city of Malawi, Africa- sits the Hope for Widows Vocational Training Center and the neighboring Hope Foundation Christian Academy preschool. Step inside those gates on any given day and you’ll be met with life. So much life. Women carefully measuring fabric to be tailored. Busy hands planting maize and mango trees. You’ll notice scores of preschoolers kicking up dust- so much orange dust- on the playground. You’ll undoubtedly hear singing.
And you’ll see dancing.
Now, dance is nothing new to Malawi generally or this community specifically. Dance is and always has been an integral part of Malawian life. However, ballet? Tutus? And structured classes? In this community? Unheard of.
Quite literally.
Until now.
Thanks to a partnership between The Lilongwe Dance Program and Richmond Urban Dance, the children of Hope Foundation Preschool- kids in one of the most vulnerable communities in the city- began this school year with the exciting addition of weekly ballet and gymnastics classes. And man has it been a hit. We’ve watched these preschoolers who happen to live in some of the hardest of circumstances tap into a new world of creativity as they twirl and plié across their concrete preschool floors. In fact, as you read this on Giving Tuesday, they are just days away from their first ever recital where they will perform alongside dozens of other youth from across the city.
And now we have the chance to expand this opportunity to even more kids from this community. With your help- coupled with the generosity of Lilongwe Dance- we hope to bring dance and gymnastics now to the school-aged children of Hope for Widows. Widows are easily among the most marginalized of populations in Malawi, and these ladies spend an unbelievable amount of energy ensuring the most basic of needs are met for their children. Access to the arts should never be a privilege, and yet when bellies must be fed and school fees paid, this is the simple reality for these kids.
But we can change that. Just $700 can provide weekly classes for this additional group of students for an entire year.
Imagine the possibilities if we could raise even more.
So yes- this Giving Tuesday, we at Richmond Urban Dance would love nothing more than to see the love of dance spread beyond our doors. To be part of this vision, we invite you to give to Lilongwe Dance through The Performance Zone Inc (dba The Field), a not-for-profit, tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization serving the performing arts community and Lilongwe Dance specifically. We will ensure that any money given to Lilongwe Dance throughout the month of December will be directed toward the Hope for Widows dance program.
Because, as we’ve always said, Richmond Urban Dance exists to make dance accessible and empowering to all.
Let’s make that happen.
donate
