Annual concert to benefit Chikumbuso
The North Stonington non-profit Chikumbuso is holding its annual benefit concert at Jonathan Edwards Winery July 7 at 5 p.m.
The organization was founded in 2004 to help women in Ng’ombe, Zambia widowed by the HIV/AIDS epidemic to earn money and support their families. Founder Linda Wilkinson, a resident of North Stonington, said she first went to Zambia with some of her children after her husband went there with World Vision International to deliver AIDS medication to Zambians in need.
“I ended up helping one widow, and from one widow it grew to three, to seven, to thirty, to forty-five,” she said.
Through the Micro Enterprise project, the women learn to crochet handbags from plastic shopping bags. Chikumbuso purchases the finished bags and other handcrafted items from the artists, sells them locally and online and returns the profits to Ng’ombe for programs. In addition to teaching artistic and design skills, the project provides financial training so the women can become entrepreneurs in their communities.
Chikumbuso has since expanded to include programs such as a community school for more than 500 children in Ng’ombe from kindergarten through seventh grade, entrepreneurial opportunities for single mothers and caregivers for grandmothers in the slum.
The annual benefit concert at Jonathan Edwards has been going on almost as long as the organization has been around. Erica Cyr, director of marketing and events, said Chikumbuso has been a longtime partner of the winery and is one of the non-profit organizations that benefit from their summer concert series. Guests are free to bring their own picnic dinners and purchase wine from the winery as they enjoy a concert by the Brothers McCann.
Mike McCann, who sings and plays guitar in the folk-rock band, said they first performed at the fundraiser as an opening act for Ben Taylor in 2010 and have returned every year since.
“After we did it that first year, we had an overwhelming feeling of responsibility to keep doing it as much as we could,” he said, citing the work that Chikumbuso does to help so many people in one slum in Zambia. “To consistently see the impact of that one day ... is extraordinary.”
Wilkinson said last year’s attendance was down slightly due to rain, but normally the concert brings in 100 to 200 people.
“It’s a Thursday night, so sometimes that’s difficult for people, but because this is the Thursday night of Fourth of July weekend, people are already in weekend mode,” she said. The winery also puts up the big wedding tents for the event because of the number of people who attend.
Tickets are $12, and all proceeds from the tickets and crafts sold at the event support Chikumbuso’s projects. The organization also offers a $20 ticket, where the additional $8 purchases a handmade necklace that pays for food for a family in Ng’ombe for a month. The event is sponsored by A Thyme to Cook and Hasbro. For more information about the event or the organization, visit the website.
a.hutchinson@theday.com
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