The Great Hall at The University of Western Ontario will be transformed into a lively East African Market Mar. 25 as the university celebrates the successful women-led, micro-enterprise initiative utilizing probiotic yogurt developed at Western in response to the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa.
In the Market for Western Heads East will be an evening of poster programs, sharing the experiences of some of the student interns who have visited Africa. There will also be food and wine pairings, busker entertainment, multi-media presentations, and much more.
There will be a silent auction of hand-carved crafts made by Tanzanian and Kenyan crafters, and paintings from local London artists.
In attendance for the evening will be a number of special guests including the Ambassadors of Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda and Zambia.
Western Heads East, first established in East Africa in 2004, is a unique collaboration between Western, governmental and non-governmental organizations in Tanzania, Kenya, and more recently, Rwanda. Documented evidence shows the probiotic yogurt has health benefits, especially for people with compromised immune systems and suffering from under-nutrition.
This simple, life saving technology has formed the core of women-led social businesses in Africa, with a goal to make this probiotic yogurt accessible and affordable to all community members. So far, 34 Western students and 10 staff members have visited and spent time with the women’s groups, government agencies, and institutions of higher learning in these three countries, and these have become our firm partners in the transfer of technology, research and service learning.
Tickets for the evening event are $50 per person ($25 for students) and are available at InfoSource in the University Community Centre.