Nyaka has many wonderful supporters and volunteers. Every month we want to highlight some of the great work YOU do that helps your Students and grandmothers!
Dana Steiner
Dana was an intern for Nyaka during the Spring 2014 semester. She worked on grant research and development, which will help Nyaka raise money from many fantastic foundations we would never have discovered without her hard work. Our volunteer coordinator, Desiree, sat down with Dana for a quick interview.
What do you do when you aren't volunteering?
I'm studying Professional Writing at MSU and plan on
using my degree to do development work in the future. When I'm not
volunteering, I'm either hanging out with my friends or I'm working...I work
two part-time jobs: at the Broad Art Museum and as a student editor for the
Museum Studies Program.
What might someone be surprised to know about you?
How much I'm into music. I collect vinyl records, mostly
funk and soul music from the 70's.
Tell me how you first got involved with Nyaka.
I found out about Nyaka and was really impressed with
everything the organization has accomplished so far. I knew I wanted to get experience
in a nonprofit setting before graduating, so I approached them about doing an
internship that would help out with anything related to grant writing.
What do you wish other people knew about Nyaka?
The story of how and why Jackson started Nyaka. It's very
inspirational.
Why do you volunteer for Nyaka?
I'm happy to be involved with an organization that's
working to help those affected by AIDS in Africa, especially children. I lived
in South Africa this past summer, where prevalence rates of HIV/AIDS are among
the highest, and visited areas where I saw its devastating effects. As an
American, this really put things into perspective for me. I appreciate that
Nyaka is providing AIDS orphans in Uganda with education and healthcare to help
alleviate these major issues that the epidemic has resulted in.
What is it like to be a Nyaka Volunteer?
Everyone is really friendly, and it feels good knowing
that I'm volunteering for a great cause!
Gwenyvaer Kofoed, 8
Gwenyvaer has been raising awareness and funds for The Nyaka AIDS Orphans Project for the past 3 1/2 years! She believes that every child should have food to eat, a home to live in, and people that love and care for them. Gwenyvaer knows that the students in the Nyaka and Kutamba communities are blessed to have her and Nyaka's help!
Gwenyvaer has been very creative in raising money for the
children of Nyaka! She has done
everything from selling pencils to neighbor kids for
50 cents, to raising hundreds of dollars through selling
Girl Scout Cookies, to donating a quarter when she comes into the Nyaka office.
Gwenyvaer does her best to tell everyone she knows about
Nyaka, including her friends and classmates at school. This year she gave Nyaka
post cards out as her Valentines. She
also invited Nyaka staff members to read Nyaka's new children's book Sitwe
Joseph Goes to School to all of the 3rd graders in her school.
Gwenyvaer also enjoys volunteering on behalf of Nyaka. She
has helped sell Grandmother baskets and necklaces in the community,and volunteers in the office
and encourages her friends to do the same.
