OC SAFARI OF HOPE EVENT RETURNS DIGNITY TO KENYAN ORPHANS

Orange County, CA (September 12, 2007) - A star-lit Maasai village marketplace will greet dignitaries and guests of the first annual Safari of Hope www.safariofhope.org charity gala. The event, benefiting the African Child Foundation in Kenya, will take place September 22, at the Santa Ana Zoo at Prentice Park in Santa Ana, California. Doors will open at 6:00 p.m. Attendees will enjoy a night of inspiration and hope provided by Kenyan native, Father Henry Simaro, the founder and international director of African Child Foundation in Kenya. Special musical guest Milele www.milele.com, whose members were childhood friends in Kenya, will perform the evening’s soundtrack for change. Other keynote speakers include Nyambura Kamua, the Consul General of Kenya in Los Angeles, and Lauren Peterson, director of African Child Foundation USA.

With a fundraising goal of $250,000, proceeds from the Safari of Hope event will transform the lives of orphaned high school age girls in Kenya, saving them from Kenya’s cultural norms for young girls; including servitude, disfiguring female circumcision and despair without hope of opportunity. By paying their boarding school tuition and housing costs, African Child Foundation is able to permanently improve the course and quality of these girl’s lives. The Safari of Hope event begins with a cocktail reception and shopping in a marketplace inspired by the indigenous African Maasai people. The marketplace, erected on the zoo property especially for the event, will be richly stocked with beautifully crafted wares hand-made by the people of Kenya with 100% of the proceeds returning directly to Kenya to fund the education of high school girls.

Tickets for Safari of Hope are available for purchase at www.safariofhope.org. Admission includes hosted cocktail bar, delicious dinner, musical performance and an audience with Father Henry Simaro and other dignitaries. The ticket price is $100 with other sponsorship opportunities at all levels available. To donate, purchase tickets, or to receive more information please contact Jene Meece at African Child Foundation (949) 533-9469.

About African Child Foundation (ACF)
After officiating at 9 orphan funerals in a single week Father Henry Simaro founded the African Child Foundation (ACF) in Kenya in 2000. Father Henry, rescued and educated as a youth himself, felt called to do whatever he could to save the innocent children of Kenya and return their dignity and hope. Today, through Father Henry’s tireless efforts, ACF is supported around the world exclusively by the generosity of donors, volunteer workers and unpaid administrators. African Child Foundation offers the opportunity for sustainable, independent life for orphans, vulnerable children and women in Kenya affected by drought, famine, malaria and the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The foundation currently supports nearly 400 orphans just outside Nairobi by finding them loving homes and supplying them daily food, clean water, clothing, mobile medical care, education and spiritual guidance.

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