AYA Students-2-Cuba

Please DONATE  to help send the AYA students  - our ABEN International  Scholars to Cuba to present their academic work at the 43rd Annual Caribbean Studies Association  (CSA) Conference in Havana, Cuba June 4th-8th.

Under the direction of (Mama Davis) Dr. Danielle Davis, select AYA Educational Institute high school students - our First  ABEN International Scholars - answered the calls for papers with their academic work for AYA’s Family-Lore Project (www.ayaed.com/flpbook).  Their scholarship was accepted. With your help, they’ll present it internationally!

We need your help to raise the funds to send 10 AYA school students to Cuba and the experience of their lives!

Allie, one of our seniors, said it best -  "Going to Cuba will be a dream come true. It will be a fitting end to a great high school education at AYA. Presenting a paper written by me and my peers to an international audience is  ...  I don’t have words."

AYA is an African-centered educational institute founded 20-years-ago  by Wekesa and Afiya Madzimoyo (www.ayaed.com/cuba ).  We have provided students a challenging and nurturing middle and high school education.  This year has been no different.

The theme of the CSA conference this year is Education, Culture, and Emancipatory thought in the Caribbean. The students' papers in the Family-Lore project is a perfect fit.  The students' work from their Writing About Literature features their researching the stories, proverbs, sayings, songs, recipes and even the writing from their families. In the words of Dr. Amos N. Wilson, the students are "healing alienation." As they get the river of stories flowing again, they will mine these stories and writings for values, history, identity, and skills that often get lost through the generations.

Here's how one student put it: "Learning, analyzing, and reflecting on my Family-Lore has made me appreciate my family more. It has made me stronger and has made me a better writer. I feel closer to them."

This group of students has been chosen as the First ABEN International Scholars. ABEN stands for A Black Educational Network (formally known as the California Alliance of African American Educators). The students will focus primarily on the CSA conference and on networking with older scholars from across the Caribbean.

PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITS:

Under the guidance of professional photographer, Tafari Melisizwe, of The Indigenous Lens, AYA's photography students  - a select few - will get a chance to bolster their art portfolios and increase their skills as they photograph Cuba (Havana, Matanzas, etc.)  They are soliciting and will fulfill custom orders for archival framed 18x24 inch prints. These photos will form the basis for local photo exhibitions where they will tell their stories to their peers and others in 5 different cities from NY to Miami to South Carolina to Santa Jose. 

MEDICAL SCHOOL:

Did you know Afrikan Americans can get an MD education and degree in Cuba for free? Students will also visit ELAM (Escuela Latinoamericana de Medicina) to learn about the outstanding medical training program. Cuba has over 60 K doctors and technical advisers in Africa today! ELAM even has an extension campus in The Gambia. Whether they want to become physicians or not, the goal is for them to learn about great education options outside of the United States - especially in Africa and the Diaspora.

Please help us to make our students' dreams come true. Maybe one day they'll return the favor to make our ancestors' dreams our reality.



Thank you in advance for your donation, and thanks for your support over the last 20 years!

AYA Celebrating 20 Years!

Help us make 20 more! 

www.ayaed.com

https://www.aben4ace.org/

https://www.facebook.com/theindigenouslens/