OrphanAid Weekend!

So, in December 2009, Kofi and I left the UK to get on the road to Ghana. Exactly a year after, to the same DAY, we celebrated our 1 year African birthday with OrphanAid Weekend, a range of activities throughout Accra culminating with a concert at the Alliance Francaise.

The event ran very well and was a lot of fun, with artists Blakk Rasta, Samini, Fiifi Selah, King Ayisoba and the Vibration Kings bringing a total party vibe and encouraging some seriously sweaty dancing amongst a mixed crowd of Ghanaians and ex-pats. The following day we had a sportsday for kids with Marcel Desailly at his new sports centre in Accra.

The whole experience was a really good one for us, with a full on media schedule with our artists across TV, radio and press to ensure that the word of OrphanAid Africa was spread far and wide, alongside posters all around town, flyers and an online Facebook campaign.

The show will also be aired on national TV in the next couple of weeks, during which an SMS shortcode will be displayed for people to donate money via text, where we hope to raise a lot more money for OA.

And now onto the next adventure...which, honestly, could be anything, but our main focus will be the festival and its location, previously revealed, on Busua Beach...which is where we are this weekend for another “site visit” (YES!!!!). My next blog will detail exactly how it’s developed, what we’re planning, and details of the begging-for-money process we’re about to go through.

ONE YEAR ON and the madness continues. The time has gone so quickly it’s unreal yet I can’t even begin to explain what a fucking roller coaster ride it’s been. Fucking madness. Maybe I should start posting excerpts of the private “warts-and-all” journal to beef up this watered down

version... ;-)

OK, our camera is no longer working, so I’ve stolen a little selection of pics from facebook (thanks everyone...!) Big thanks to all our artists, our sponsors Africa Cola, MTN, Shoprite, Alliance Francaise, Marcel Desailly and the Lizzy Sports Complex, all our media partners, Multimedia, The Graphic Showbiz, the Mirror, Iso Paelay and the guys at TV3, our host Blakofe, Panji, Eric Don Arthur, Nana Yaw, Bizzy Mill, GH Facebookers and of course the lovely Lisa Lovatt-Smith of OrphanAid Africa, and all the energy their kids brought to the show.

Beating Tracks – Event producers indirectly involved in saving children’s lives.