Friday, March 07, 2008
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Let me tell you a secret about me: I love creating an awareness, being completely open, creating trust and being direct...One of my goals in life is to contribute in creating more and more changemakers in this world. The Umeebee blog allowed me to create a personal connection between YOU and a community at the other end of the world, to connect with individuals here in Africa and to give them a face and a voice. Yes this blog satisfied me in a way to fulfill this one goal.
During my work on Umeebee it became more and more clear to me that I didn't just want to create a medium for connections and I definitely didn't want to create a structure of just giving and receiving. I kept asking myself the question: how to make an impact on individuals here in Africa? How do I empower people here? How do I bring community members in Africa something that allows them to bring something to others in their community?
I can't tell you how happy I was when I met Anasuya here in Cape Town! With her organization: Let Love Lead she organized workshops in Africa and used the arts to empower, inspire and heal individuals, infected with and impacted by HIV/AIDS.
We have merged Umeebee and Let Love Lead together and started our new initiative: Love to the World
We are offering workshops in arts and leadership as well as Global Peace Tiles workshops. We are identifying community-based organizations that are at a level to receive global investment so that changemakers like you can invest in them in the near future and be a part of transforming lives and countries.
We are also co-producing the first ever Sister CircleSummit of HIV+ women of African-heritage from the U.S. and South Africa! Together these women will share their stories and their struggles living with this virus as well as develop ways they can empower one another on-goingly across continents.
And we are creating a Love To The world Arts and LeadershipAcademy for high school students in the townships. It will be a 12 week courses in theater, creative writing, visual arts, and mentor ship that will train the teens to develop and lead successful community-based projects in their township. These are kids who have never had one extracurricular class in their lives! They have never done arts and no one has ever asked them to be responsible for their world by making it a better paradise! Our academy starts this Saturday! We have no funding and yet, we know we must do it and figure that out as we go along!
The First phase of the Umeebee giving-platform is being build by Matthijs www.movimiento.nl , Hester www.surfchicas.nl/hes and Yannick www.goyaweb.nl . Looking forward to start using this here as well!
This email is an invitation to be a part of bringing Love To The World by
1) going to our website and subscribing (www.lovetotheworld.org )
2) leaving a comment
3) sharing the website with all your friends
4) watching the video
5) making a donation (of any size) or buy something at our "love for sale" shop
Thank you for making a difference!
Love, Fre
Monday, February 04, 2008
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This amazing woman, Anasuya, from New York started her own organization; LetLoveLead a year ago.
We met here in Cape Town after a friend (Lars from Peacetiles) introduced us to each other.
The Mission of The Let Love Lead Project is to empower women and children who have been impacted by AIDS using the arts to heal, inspire and thrust people into action.
The moment we met, we knew we want to work together. She loves the way Umeebee uses online media to give people here in Africa a face and a voice.
We'll update you soon on how our partnership will develop!
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
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I have submitted an entry for the Stockholm Challenge 2008. This Challenge promotes ICT for development with a six category award that invites entries from projects that use ICT to tackle the world's biggest problems. Piece of the applications of each project is online and visible for public. Find my Umeebee entry over here.
Monday, December 24, 2007
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Great news!
Wayan from
OLPC news has sent me an email today, saying; “It’s all about timing - Xmas eve. You could not ask for better.” Find my post and video here on the OLPC news website!
Thursday, December 20, 2007
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The Dutch Television Production Company NCRV contacted me for an interview on their website www.videotalent.nl after they saw my video ‘Township Impression’. Great! The short version of the interview was added in their latest newsletter. The full version of the interview can be found here (unfortunately in Dutch)
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
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I want to thank those lovely individuals at the Heart of Healing for offering me and my American visitor (Peter, founder of Social Actions ) an office space and free internet. In this old Breweries Building, surrounded by such an inspiring individuals; work is so much fun! Heart of Healing is a not for profit organization that provides a vital link between donors and beneficiaries in South Africa. From leading-edge CSI strategic planning to ground partner implementation they help optimise your social investments, make struggling charities sustainable and grow South Africa. Thank you good folks at The Heart of Healing!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
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Do you recognize this girl? Sikhululwe Ntsiko, our star in this Umeebee in 1 minute - video
In this new video she shows you this great Library in Township Khayelitsha and thanks everyone for help making the COSAT-Library dream come true. And you can still help!
Thursday, December 06, 2007
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Reduced the video to 4.44 min....for sure your concentration span can handle this!
Sunday, December 02, 2007
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This video i made shows my vision of Umeebee and the idea of combining the Umeebee-project with the One Laptop per Child project.
Friday, November 23, 2007
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Founder Frerieke speaks...
Saturday, November 17, 2007
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We met Ronald here in South Africa. He is a very bright and social young man from Zimbabwe. He has been living in one of the poorest Townships around Cape Town, called Philipi. He felt like a lucky man; this year he had only been robbed twice....
Ronald is an amazing artist and a wonderfull person. His optimism surprised us and inspired us to help him..
Let this movie inspire you!
Saturday, November 10, 2007
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Back in September, we did some serious workshops with the Umeebee team in the Netherlands to design the looks and the concept of the site, the User Interface. We had fun! Here's a preview;
More images can be found in the Umeebee introduction video.
Then I was on my way to Canada. At the airport of Vancouver, we (Peter, founder of social actions and me) started our 5 week travel to inspire and get inspired, meeting great people, talking about great projects. Starting in Victoria, meeting with Tom Munnecke founder of the Uplift Academy , the three of us being interviewed by Jim Hedger about micro-philanthropy.
Web of Change was an amazing experience. Inspiring individuals, all in action, using technology to do good in this world. An interesting speed geek gave me the possibility to present my Umeebee ideas 10 times in a short 4 min presentation > hectic but interesting. Lots of great comments. Lots of synergies (See for example Luke’s project; we can build an orphanage) and great new contacts. The inspiration and positive reactions gave me a new energetic drive to make dreams come true…
Our trip continued to Seattle, San Francisco and New York. I experienced how well integrated technology is in North America in comparison to Africa and even Europe. Freelancers using the free wireless connection in so many different café’s, Peter doing his webinar (online conference presentation) and meeting people involved with some great online projects, for example; Haney from Omidyar, David Evan Harris, founder of Global Lives Project , Paul Lamb of Man on a mission consulting, Ben Rattray, founder of Change.org, Robert of Changing the present, Lars, founder of the Peace tiles Project, ...
It was a pleasure to meet you all (and all of you I didn’t even mention here), a pleasure to be able to show my ideas to you and get so many nice responses.
There are so many great projects online…let’s try to work together to DO GOOD in this overwhelming online space. I’ll soon write about Umeebee and future cooperation.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
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Yes! We are a registered foundation in The Netherlands. The notary explains in the video the goal of the Foundation (in Dutch), which can be translated by; "To find the financial and material needs to uplift the poor in deprived areas".
'Goeden doelen stichting' Foundation Umeebee, a not for profit, registered in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, Kamer van Koophandel nr 24421035
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
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Sunday, August 12, 2007
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They are very poor, have hardly any opportunities (to study, to climb out of poverty,..), but they are bright, optimistic and working hard to make their dreams come true!
I interviewd these girls because I think it is important to listen to each other. Try to understand this 'other world' and do whatever is in your power to help!