Excitement it BUILDING!

Your glasses that you've purchased are starting to make a difference in Ghana. Here's a note I received from Sarah Abotsi-Masters AWB's Ghana National Coordinator.

"Excitement is building as preparations continue towards the September 1st partial eclipse!

First there was the delivery of 3,000 pairs of eclipse glasses from AWB, carried into Ghana from Geneva by Dr Nana Ama Browne Klutse from GSSTI (Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute).

Then, on Thursday 25th August, a training session was held for those planning to organise viewing events. We wanted to ensure that they all understood how and why an eclipse happens, so as to better appreciate the wonderful phenomenon they will be witnessing! Through demos, models and hands-on activities, attendees learned about the relative sizes of the Earth, Moon and Sun and their movements. They also created eclipses for themselves using torches and Earth balls.

We then showed them various ways to view the eclipse SAFELY, for example using mirror projection or a kitchen colander!

At the end of the session the donated eclipse glasses were presented to each group, and we hope that the participants will now have the confidence to explain the eclipse to their group members and reproduce some of the activities.

One of the best things about the training session was that we were able to reach a diverse range of groups, many of whom had not visited the planetarium before, and some who were unlikely to have the means to do so. They included 6 community libraries, a charity that works with street children, a university astrophysics society, a community science project and various schools. (A full list of organisations and their websites is at the end of this report).

Huge thanks to AWB for providing the glasses, and all those who contributed to the fundraising. Now we just have to hope for clear weather!!"

Sarah Abotsi-Masters
AWB NC - Ghana

List of organisations that received eclipse glasses:
Lab_13 Ghana:
https://www.facebook.com/LightyearFoundation

Six libraries from the Osu Childrens Library Fund project: http://www.osuchildrenslibraryfund.ca/about-oclf/libraries/

Chance for Children:
http://www.chance-for-children.org/en/

African Science Academy:
http://www.africangifted.org/about-us-2/the-african-science-academy/

Seaside International School (organised by GhScientific)
http://ghscientific.com/category/stem-activity-days/

Project Decathlon (glasses went to schools in the Central and Northern regions)
https://www.projectdecathlon.com/about.html

Astrophysics Society from KNUST (Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ashanti region)
Alko International School, Jamestown, Accra
GSSTI (Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute):
http://gssti.gaecgh.org/

Planetarium Science Centre
https://www.facebook.com/ghanaplanetarium/

Glasses Have Arrived!

I have just heard from our contacts in Rwanda and Ghana. The glasses have just arrived in those countries thanks to our careful carriers who brought them personally to our distributors.

Thanks to Dr. Mary Bishai for taking 2000 glasses from the US into Rwanda. She told me that she already has given some excited students in a local school! Dr. Pheneas Nkundabakura acted as liason organizign the effort in Rwanda and will continue to distribute glasses until Sept. 1.

Also Ghana received their 3000 glasses thanks to Dr Nana Ama Browne Kultse. She carted a 34lb box from France to Ghana! Sarah Abotsi-Masters received them and will distribute the glasess around the country. This effort wouldn't have happened in Ghana if not for Sarah.

More to come...

We're Already Sending Glasses

Thanks to you, we have just sent 1000 glasses to Sao Tome and Principe and 2000 to Rwanda. Thanks to our generous network of carriers, they will be able to get them safely to their destination country. 

Eager Nigerian Children Learn

Here's what a success our last campaign was from our Nigerian contact, Olayinka Fagbemiro.

"The last eclipse, October, 2013 was hugely successful. Our focus was on school kids, kindergarten to high school; aged 4 to about 18.

We set up viewing centres across Nigeria and also went on the streets. For most of the kids, it was their first time of witnessing a solar eclipse, so the excitement was out of this world!

Most of the pupils came as early as 4 hours before the event, there had been much sensitization, in the print and electronic media, so they were all expectant.

We gave a lecture about the eclipse and subsequently, the kids filed out in batches of 50s as we had very limited pairs of the solar filters. Just 500 pairs for the over 5000 kids that showed up across our viewing centres and on the streets!

We had centres in some rural schools, the kids were so excited, in fact, there had been so many myths surrounding the subject of eclipse in Nigeria, especially among the rural dwellers. Through this event, we were all to demystify these myths and the pupils were able to understand the science behind the eclipse.

All the schools that participated in the last eclipse have been contacted and they are all excited to be a part of another eclipse event.

The eclipse event provides an avenue for children to learn Astronomy in Nigeria. It provides an avenue for us to demystify the very many myths surrounding this astronomical event in rural areas. It helps raise awareness about Astronomy. The event arouses the curiosity of kids in the subject of Astronomy and encourages children to pick up interest in STEM. 

We have received so many positive reports from teachers of schools that participated in the last eclipse event on the impact it had on their pupils' performances especially in STEM.

So another eclipse event would provide another avenue for learning and it would help consolidate on the previous successes.

We have over 500% increase in the number of kids, teachers and schools that have shown interest to be a part of this year's event.

We plan on getting more rural schools involved and there is increased awareness."

"We Want to Be Scientists Too"

After running a similar campaign in 2013 we received this email from one of our distributors in Tanzania. Here's what it said:

"Hi everyone,

Attached is a photo of about 20 Standard 6 students (5th-6th grade?)who heard we were in the village of Kin'gori and wanted to meet with us because they want to be scientists too.

So they and their teachers came to school on a Saturday to learn about the eclipse.

Now they will teach the rest of the 500 students at the school and other villagers about next Sunday.

We left them solar glasses (Thanks to Astronomers Without Borders), and a few small 30mm scopes for solar projection, and KiSwahili handouts with Eclipse information and directions on how to create pinhole viewers.

We'll be teaching in 4 secondary schools this coming week -- reaching thousands of students and about 100 teachers.

Northern Tanzania will be ready for the 3 November Eclipse!!!

Be well,

Sue and Chuck Reuhle"

The Faces of the Future

Here are some photos of the children who you will be helping stay in science and be what they wish to be!

Received earlier today from Ryan Lemon a dedicated Peace Corp volunteer who teaches Physics in Tanzania. The question posed to his students was - Why do you want to study science? Here are their answers:

Kids that You're Helping

Here's a note from Ryan Lemon who's a Peace Corps Volunteer and a physics teacher in Rukwa, Tanzania. Here's what he says about the children that will be receiving the eclipse glasses.

"I'm working at a school in Rukwa Tanzania. It is an extremely rural area. The students at my school have all been born within a 25km radius of the school, and many of them have never been any further away than that. A handful have been to the nearby town, Sumbawanga, which takes about an hour to get to by bus. The problem is usually the equivalent of a $1.50 bus ticket, that they simply can't afford to buy very often. They'll go to town on official business only. I teach at a secondary school for students who's age is generally 12-17. I also have a handful of students who are repeating, who are as old as 23. 

Our school has a very poorly equipped laboratory and we are working on building and equipping a new one, with help from the government. 

Another thing I have tried to get funded is a field trip for our students. They have never been on a field trip and there are so many wonderful things to see in this country. 

If my students can get these glasses, it would be like the laboratory and the field trip have been brought to our backyard. It's so rare that an experience like an eclipse will be visible from your school, and is really a great opportunity to give these kids the experience of a lifetime. They have the chance experience a real application of the physics they learn in the classroom, on a monumental scale."

Rainbow Symphony Gives 3200

We're delighted to announce the support of Rainbow Symphony, the manufacturer of our eclipse glasses, with a donation of a case of 3200 pairs of glasses to go to Africa. Rainbow Symphony has manufactured safe solar viewing glasses for many years and is the first choice of organizations and companies for eclipse glasses for next year's total eclipse in the US. Rainbow Symphony has been a supporter of Astronomers Without Borders programs since its founding.

Link: www.rainbowsymphony.com

Glasses for 14 Schools!

It's important to us that you know who will be receiving the glasses. So far, we've raised just under $2000! This is almost like funding all of the students in Rwanda. That's 14 schools! Here are the schools that you could support in Rwanda:

UR-College of Education
Kigali International School
Remera Primary School (Catholique)
Ecole Secondaire Rulindo
Ecole Primaire de Fatima
Ecole Primaire Regina Pacis
TTC Matimba
Ecole Secondaire de Janja
Ecole Primaire Nyakinama
Ecole Saint Vincent
Ecole Primaire St Marc
Lyce de KIgali
Ecole Secondiare St Andre
Excel school

BRAVO and Thanks to all who have donated so far! Let's keep building the momentum and share the excitement of this great eclipse!