African Art and Cultural Night to Support Hingham Initiatives in Pothawira Village in Malawi

HINGHAM, Mass. - Jan. 7, 2019 - PRLog -- "A Night of Africa" will be held at the Hingham Community Center, 70 South Street in Hingham, MA on Saturday, February 9, 2019 from 6:30-9:30 PM to benefit a service trip to assist an orphanage, school and medical facility in Malawi.

The event will feature African food, beer and wine with dance performances by Roxbury Center for the Arts, African drumming and music, African art silent auction, raffles, prizes, and more.  A limited number of tickets are available at $125.00 at www.pothawira.org.

Hingham resident Dr. Lori Lerner, Chief, Section of Urology at VA Boston Healthcare System, is organizing the event. Lerner and her daughter Emma Fanuele, a student at Hingham High School, went on a service trip to Pothawira Village last year. Fanuele was inspired to do more and founded the Hingham High School Construction Club for Africa. The club is converting a 40 foot shipping container on the school property into a storage unit with solar panels. This will allow Pothawira to have a safe unit to store medical and school supplies, as well as allow them to charge portable devices used in the clinic overnight. Rolling power outages are a significant hindrance to providing medical care.  Some of the students will be able to travel to Malawi next summer and actually do the installation and conversion that they have designed. The high school is allowing the club to use the woodshop, under the guidance of Mr. Malerbi, however the group needs to raise money to pay for the supplies.  Additional funds raised will be used to purchase surgical equipment to perform minimally invasive surgery by the team of doctors and nurses also joining the trip.

"A Night of Africa promises to give attendees a flavor of African food, culture, and art, and learn about all sorts of non profits, not just Pothawira," said Lerner. "We want to bring Africa to the South Shore for one night, and also highlight other Boston area organizations and their work.  I see what the power of helping humanity can do to one's spirit, how it can make people feel.  We may give of our time and money, but what we receive is far greater.  Our volunteer work and this event have even inspired local artisans, who are contributing African themed pieces.  And South Street Gallery turned canvases we bought from the side of the road in Malawi into beautiful, original pieces of art.  This will be a community night!"

About Pothawira International

Like many countries in sub-Saharan African, Malawi has been devastated by the combined force of AIDS, poor economic development and extreme poverty. Despite these challenges, the people of Malawi have maintained a spirit of love that humbles all who visit the country, which is why Malawi is known as the warm heart of Africa.

In 2011, Rev. Peter Maseko and his wife Emma, along with their daughter, Dr. Anne Alaniz, a Gynecologic Oncologist, launched Pothawira, a village community unlike anything the region had seen before. In Chichewa, Malawi's native language, Pothawira means "Safe Haven". On more than 50 acres of lush land, Pothawira has grown to include a school (pre-school through 8th grade), children's homes for more than 126 orphaned children, an outpatient clinic that sees between 200 and 300 patients per day, a soon to open birthing center, and a church that serves as both the geographical and organizational center for the whole community. Ongoing agricultural development provides the community with both nutritional support and opportunities for economic self-sustainability efforts.

The organization's mission is to empower individuals to achieve their full potential by providing access to quality healthcare, education and economic opportunity. They provide comprehensive, accessible and affordable healthcare with a focus on women and children. They provide education and training to break the cycle of poverty and provide economic sustainability programs to support communities, organizations and individuals. For more information please visit www.pothawira.org.