2015! ! Annual!Report! - ZARA AINAzaraaina.org/.../11/Zara-Aina-Annual-Report-2015.pdf · 3!!!!! Directors’!Message!! 2015!was!a!year!of!profound!growth!and!success!for!Zara!Aina:!!

! Annual!Report!Copyright!2016!Zara!Aina,!Inc.!

2015!!

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What’s!Inside!!

!Directors’!Message!…………………….………………………………………………………...! 3!Our!Mission!…………………………………………………………………………………………! 4!Building!Our!Future!…………………………………………………………………………….! 5!2015!Milestones!…………………………………………………………………………….........! 6!! Youth!Company!&!Antananarivo!Clubhouse!…………………………………….! 7!! Partnership!with!UNICEF!………………………………………………………………..! 8!! Andavabato!……………………………………………………………………………………! 9!! Pedagogy!Training!in!the!United!States!…………………………………………...! 10!! Rhinebeck!Middle!School!………………………………………………………………..! 11!Our!Impact:!2015!in!Numbers!……………………………………………………………...! 12!Financial!Report!………………………………………………………………………………….! 13!Our!Supporters!……………………………………………………………………………………! 14!Our!Team!……………………………………………………………………………………………! 15!From!Our!Facilitators!…………………………………………………………………………..! 16!! ! !

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Directors’!Message!!

2015!was!a!year!of!profound!growth!and!success!for!Zara!Aina:!!In! addition! to! the! items! highlighted! a! little! later! in! this! report,! we! received! our!501(c)3!status!in!March!of!2015!and!are!now!able!to!directly!accept!donations.!!!The! highlight! of! 2015! was! in! August,!when! we! opened! the! ViMA! Center! for!Kids,! our! temporary! Zara! Aina!Clubhouse!in!Antanananarivo.!!!The! generous! support! of! our! partner!Zouzar! Bouka! and! his! company! ViMa!(Vision! Madagascar)! allowed! us! to!!negotiate!a!one^year!lease!for!the!space!in!a!neighborhood!near!where!our!kids! live,! and!ViMa!will! cover! the!costs!of! rent!and!utilities!for!the!entire!year!of!the!lease.!!The!Clubhouse!has!a!library,!a!classroom!for!homework!help!and!English!classes,!a!counseling!office,!a!kitchen!providing!meals!and!snacks!for!all!our!kids,!and,!best!of!all,!a!big,!beautiful!rehearsal!room!for!playing!music,!creating!dances!and!building!shows.!!!As! you’ll! learn! later! in! this! report,! we! also! hired! a! permanent! staff! to! run! the!Clubhouse! and! the! Youth! Company,! allowing! us! to! increase! the! support! and!programming! for! our! Youth! Company! and! allowing! us! to! expand! the! Youth!Company!to!include!another!15!students.!!Your! generosity! enables! us! to! change! lives! for! children!who! need! it! most.!Thank!you!!!!!

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Lucas!Caleb!Rooney!!

Bryce!Pinkham!Artistic!Director!

!

Executive!Director!

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Our!Mission!!

Zara!Aina!is!a!Malagasy!phrase!that!means!share!life.!Broadway!actors!Lucas!Caleb!Rooney!and!Bryce!Pinkham!founded!Zara!Aina!to!help!at^risk!children!expand!their!capacity!for!achievement!through!theatrical!performance!and!storytelling.!!!

Established!in!2012!with!headquarters!in!New!York,!Zara!Aina!is!a!501(c)3!non^profit!organization!working!with!partners!to!develop!sustainable!programs!that!empower!and!change!lives.!!Zara!Aina!confronts!the!lack!of!educational!opportunities!facing!children!in!developing!countries!by!providing!a!child^centered!learning!

model!using!theatrical!storytelling!and!performance!to!enable!at^risk!children!to!recognize!their!potential.!!We!engage!children!ages!10!–!14!years!old!through!collaborations!with!community!organizations!serving!at^risk!youth!who!are!prone!to!panhandling!and!homelessness.!We!partner!with!organizations!to!create!performance^based!programming!that!addresses!critical!needs!in!the!community!such!as!communication!and!social!skills.!!As!we!grow,!Zara!Aina!seeks!to!forge!partnerships!beyond!Madagascar!and!develop!programming!where!our!children!are!not!only!supported!creatively!and!emotionally,!but!also!develop!important!learning!skills!which!can!translate!towards!brighter!futures.!!At!the!heart!of!Zara!Aina!is!the!transformative!power!of!storytelling.!We!believe!that!access!to!theatre!activities!creates!confident!learners!who!are!better!prepared!to!participate!actively!in!their!education,!community!and!social!lives.!From!thinking!creatively!to!collaborating!with!others,!and!from!communicating!clearly!to!following!an!idea!from!conception!through!implementation!to!production,!theatrical!storytelling!and!performance!can!profoundly!motivate!children!to!achieve!more!and!invest!in!their!sense!of!possibility.!

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Building!Our!Future!!

As!2015!was!about!solidifying!our!foundations,!2016!will!be!focused!on!building!the!future! of! Zara! Aina.! In! August! 2016,! we! will! graduate! our! first! group! of! Sifakas!(“Dancing!Lemurs”)!our!fierce,!talented!third!years!who!have!been!with!us!from!the!very!beginning.!They!will!be!our! first!alumni!and!we!could!not!be!prouder!of!how!much!they!have!grown,!learned,!and!shared!with!us!over!the!past!three!years.!!We! spent! the! second! half! of! 2015!building! a! plan! to! help! provide! a! solid!foundation! for! growing! our! activities,!both! in! Madagascar! and! here! in! the!United! States.! In! early! 2016,! we’ll! be!expanding! our! staff! in! New! York! to!better!support!the!increased!activities!–!allowing! us! to! expand! our! Pedagogy!Training! and! outreach! work! in! the!United! States.! By! training! more! artists!in!our!work,!and!by!working!with!more!organizations!in!the!United!States,!we’ll!not!only!expand!our!network!of!partners,!but!we’ll!also!further!refine!our!Pedagogy!and!continue!to!enhance,!expand,!and!improve!the!work!we!do!in!Madagascar.!!In!late!2015,!we!also!began!to!work!with!a!branding!and!marketing!agency,!founded!by!a!dedicated!Zara!Aina!volunteer,!to!help!us!become!better!at!telling!our!story!to!!potential! supporters,! allies,! and! advocates.! As! part! of! this! process,!we’ve! begun! a!comprehensive!review!and!overhaul!of!all!of!our!marketing!and!branding!materials!from!the!website,!through!the!logo,!and!down!to!our!social!media!hashtags!so!that!we!are!better!able!to!engage!with!a!larger!audience!and!share!our!work.!!2016! won’t! just! be! about! building! a! future! for! the! organization,! but! also! about!ensuring!a! future! for!our!Youth!Company!as!we!are! in! the!process!of!building!our!very! own,! permanent! Clubhouse! for! the! Youth! Company! and! their! community! in!Antananarivo.!This!year,!the!ViMA!Center!for!Kids!has!reinforced!how!important!a!home!is!to!the!continued!success!of!the!Youth!Company.!The!ViMa!Center!is!a!great!start!and!we’ve!already!learned!valuable!lessons!not!only!in!what!our!needs!are!for!the!space!but!what! it! takes! to!run!a!successful!center!and!to!become!a!supportive!member! of! the! community,! but! we’ve! also! learned! that,! we!must*be! right! in! the!middle!of!our!kids’!neighborhood.!2016!is!dedicated!to!finding!the!right!location!and!securing!the!funds!to!create!this!permanent!home.!

“We$ have$ witnessed$ great$ progress$ in$

the$ Clubhouse.$ The$ kids’$ acting$ skills$

improved$ a$ lot.$ They$ take$ all$ the$

learning$ we$ give$ them.$ Problems$ are$

solved$ in$ avery$ creative$ way.$ I$ am$ very$

confident$ f$ what$ I$ do$ in$ the$ center$ and$

I’m$ready$to$give$more$of$what$I$know$to$

the$ kids.$ I$ would$ encourage$ all$

facilitators$to$be$confident$in$our$job$and$

give$ the$ most$ out$ of$ our$ ability$ to$

educate$the$kids.”$

++$Solofo,*Artistic*Director$

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2015!Milestones!

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Youth!Company!&!Antananarivo!Clubhouse!!

• In!August!of!2015,!Zara!Aina!expanded!its!Youth!Company,!adding!an!addition!15!middle!school!students.!

• The!three^year!pedagogy!program!was!fully!implemented!for!the!first!time!for!the!45!members!of!the!Youth!Company.!

• Zara!Aina!partnered!with!ViMa!(Vision!Madagscar)!and!it’s!chairman,!Zouzar!Bouka,!who!donated!a!one^year!lease!on!a!building!in!Antananarivo!to!serve!as!the!Zara!Aina!Clubhouse!and!the!home!for!the!Youth!Company:!The!ViMa!Center!For!Kids.!

• Youth!Company!members!receive!year^round!food,!medical!attention,!and!guidance!from!a!social!worker!in!addition!to!their!after^school!rehearsals,!performance!instruction,!and!English!classes!at!the!Clubhouse.!

• The!Clubhouse!operates!full^time!while!schools!are!in!session!and!remains!partially!open!between!terms.!

• Zara!Aina!hired!a!Malagasy!staff!to!run!the!Cluhouse!and!implement!the!instruction!and!support!of!the!Youth!Company.!

• The!staff!now!includes!an!Operations/Company!Manager;!a!social!worker;!and!theatre,!dance,!and!music!instructors.!

• In!December!2015,!the!Youth!Company!performed!its!first!show!entirely!conceived,!run,!and!directed!by!Malagasy!Staff!

“We$at$ViMa$are$very$proud$ to$be$part$of$

your$ beautiful$ and$ marvelous$ project$

which$ is$ Zara$ Aina,$ the$ ViMa$ Center$ for$

Kids.$ What$ you$ guys$ are$ doing,$ helping$

these$ kids$ coming$ from$ poor$ areas$ of$

Antananarivo,$ bring$ them$ to$ the$ stage,$

and$ teach$ them$ spontaneity,$ this$ is$ just$

great,$ and$ nurturing$ the$ spontaneity...$

will$help$ these$kids…$ to$be$better$ citizens$

for$ this$ oppressive$ environment$ that$

Madagascar$will$be,$that$the$capital$city$of$

Madagascar,$Antananarivo,$will$be,$so$you$

guys$ are$ doing$ just$ a$ great$ job.$ Thank$

you.”$–*Zouzar*Bouka$

Youth*Company*members*rehearse*

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Partnership!with!UNICEF!!

• In!2015,!UNICEF!hired!Zara!Aina!to!use!its!theatrical^storytelling!pedagogy!to!expand!knowledge!and!information!about!health!and!hygiene!in!the!midst!of!Madagascar’s!current!polio!crisis.!!

• Zara!Aina!artists!from!the!United!States!trained!local!artists!from!all!22!regions!of!the!country!in!theatrical!storytelling!with!the!goal!of!disseminating!information!about!polio!vaccination,!prevention!and!hygiene.!

• Zara!Aina’s!American!team!directly!trained!44!teaching!artists,!as!well!as!a!dozen!government!officials!during!their!August!residency.!

• Malagasy!staff!artists!from!the!Clubhouse!continued!this!work!throughout!the!fall,!taking!another!4!trips!to!5!different!regions!to!continue!to!train!artists.!!

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Andavabato!–!Canteen!&!Educational!Support!!

• Zara!Aina!continued!to!build!on!its!2014!Rebuild,!Replenish,!Rehearse!strategy!in!Andavabato:!

o Zara!Aina!continued!to!support!the!children!by!providing!school!supplies!for!200!students.!!

o Zara!Aina!helped!to!build!a!new!roof!for!the!school.!o Zara!Aina!also!stocked!a!canteen!to!lessen!the!impact!of!the!hungry!

season!on!the!students!and!their!families.!!

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Pedagogy!Training!in!the!United!States!

!• To!help!further!refine!the!theatrical!storytelling!pedagogy,!Zara!Aina!

implemented!comprehensive!training!sessions!in!New!York!City.!!• In!addition!to!enhancing!the!work!Zara!Aina!does!in!Madagascar,!this!new!

initiative!will!allow!Zara!Aina!to!implement!a!series!of!outreach!workshops!with!underprivileged!children!in!New!York!City!and!the!surrounding!communities!in!2016.!!

• As!part!of!implementing!this!program,!Zara!Aina!began!a!volunteer!recruitment!drive!that!brought!the!volunteer!pool!up!to!75!local!students!and!theatre!artists.!!!

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Rhinebeck!Middle!School!!

• Zara!Aina!continued!to!work!with!students!at!the!Rhinebeck!Middle!School,!leading!a!workshop!for!approximately!40!students.!!

• In!addition!to!learning!the!pedagogy,!these!students!also!participated!in!a!cultural!exchange!with!the!Zara!Aina!Youth!Company!in!Madagascar,!building!a!performance!with!the!same!Malagasy!folk!tale!that!was!then!shared!with!the!students!at!the!Clubhouse.!!

• Students!at!Rhinebeck!also!sponsored!a!tech!drive!for!Zara!Aina,!collecting!computers,!cell!phones,!and!other!pieces!of!equipment!to!be!used!by!staff!in!Madagascar.!

• The!cultural!exchange!will!continue!in!2016!when!the!Rhinebeck!faculty!member,!Henry!Frischknecht!will!travel!to!Madagascar!and!spend!time!with!the!Youth!Company!in!Antananarivo.!!

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Our!Impact:!2015!in!Numbers!!

1:1!!The!ratio!of!Zara!Aina!Teaching!Artists!(American!&!Malagasy)!to!Malagasy!students!in!our!Youth!Company!!

1110!!Number!of!hours!for!one^to^one!mentorship!offered!to!our!Youth!Company!!

100!!Total!pounds!of!school!supplies!that!were!given!to!children!in!Ranomafana,!Antsirabe!and!Antananarivo!!

350!!Number!of!sessions!of!intensive!theatre!training!offered!to!a!Malagasy!child!in!our!Youth!Company!

1032!!Number!of!Malagasy!children!who!received!training!by!Zara!Aina!teaching!artists.!

2366!!Number!of!people!who!saw!Zara!Aina’s!Youth!Company!performances!!

900!!Number!of!hours!of!theatre!instruction!offered!for!our!Youth!Company!

10!!Number!of!communities!served!by!Zara!Aina!in!2014!!

9!!Number!of!local!Malagasy!teaching!artists!hired!to!work!with!our!Youth!Company!

45!!Number!of!kids!who!received!year^long!medical!&!dental!care!!!

45!out!of!45!!Zara!Aina!Youth!Company!members!passed!their!national!exams!(up!from!zero!in!2013)!

3!!Number!of!American!volunteers!who!helped!directly!in!programming!activities!!

365!!Days!of!food!for!at^risk!families!in!Andavabato!!!

30!!!Number!of!kids!who!received!year^long!medical!&!dental!care!!!

550!!!Pounds!of!clothing!donated!to!Youth!Company!members!and!their!families!!

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2015!Financial!Report!!

SUPPORT'&'REVENUE'! ! ! !

'$157,202.25''Non!Profit!Income!

! ! ! ! !!

Total!Unrestricted!Contributions!! !

!$93,022.25!!!

!Total!Restricted!Contributions!

! !!$20,000.00!!

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Grants!! ! !

!$16,450.00!!!

!Program!Income!

! !!$17,690.00!!

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Benefit!Ticket!&!Tshirt!Sales!! !

!$10,040.00!!!EXPENSES'

! ! ! ! !'$80,573.37''

Management!&!Operations!! ! !

$21,374.84!!! Fundraising! ! ! $4,886.73! ! !

! ! Events! $626.73! ! ! !! ! Website!Design!&!Development! $1,260.00! ! ! !! ! Consultant!Fees! $3,000.00! ! ! !

!Management!&!Office!Expenses!(US)!

!$16,488.11! !!

!!

! Payroll!+!Stipends! !$11,601.16!! !! !

!! Technology!&!Repair! !$519.33!! !

! !!

! Taxe,!Licenses,!Fees! !$1,279.13!! !! !

!! Dues!&!Subscriptions! !$1,657.12!! !

! !!

! Office!Supplies! !$948.20!! !! !

!! Printing,!Postage,!! !$162.59!! !

! !!

! Meals!&!Entertainment! !$320.58!! !! !Program!Services!

! ! !!$59,198.53!!

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Madagascar!YearVRound!Programming!!

!$33,625.22!!! !

! !Zara!Aina!Clubhouse!Antananarivo!(AugustU!December)! !$29,539.51!!

! ! !! !

!!!!!!Student!tuition,!food,!!clothing,!medical!expenses!! ! !

! !Programming!Supplies! !$648.10!!

! ! !! !

Malagasy!Facilitator!Stipends! !$1,327.10!!! ! !

! !Madagascar!InUCountry!Groceries! !$869.34!!

! ! !! !

Youth!Company!Field!Trips!&!Gifts! !$984.66!!! ! !

! !Translation!&!Intepretation! !$256.51!!

! ! !!

Zara!Aina!US!Trip!to!Madagascar!!

!$24,365.31!!! !

! !Airfare!&!Ground!Transport! !$19,325.07!!

! ! !! !

Room!&!Board! !$2,352.70!!! ! !

! !Madagascar!Live/Work!Space!(+utilities)! !$2,537.17!!

! ! !! !

Madagascar!Rehearsal!Space!Rental! !$9.11!!! ! !

! !Youth!Company!Meals! !$141.26!!

! ! !!

US!Programming!!

!$1,208.00!!! !

! !Rhinebeck!Middle!School!Workshops! !$448.00!!

! ! !! !

Pedagogy!Training! !$760.00!!! ! !

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Our$Supporters$!We!are!incredibly!grateful!for!the!support!and!generosity!of!our!donors!who!not!only!helped!us!to!keep!the!mission!alive!in!2015,!but!also!allowed!us!to!expand!our!Youth!Company!and!increase!our!impact:!!!Fahitna$“Visionary”$Donors$ !Catherine!Adler! Melody!&!Claude!Bernstein!Matthew!Bernstein!&!Emily!Tucker! Joel!Coen!&!Frances!McDormand!Distracted!Globe!Foundation! Jeff!DeMunn!George!Fraise! Stefan!Findel!&!Susan!CummingsNFindel!!Peter!Friedland! The!Hess!Foundation!The!Marcia!Brady!Tucker!Foundation! Thomas!Marshall!Tony!Shaloub!&!Brooke!Adams! Sunshine!Comes!First!Foundation!Dennison!Young! !! !Tompon+daka,/“Champion”$Donors! !Diane!&!Jerry!Cunningham$ Joseph!McIntyre!Ruben!Nazareno$ Pete!Rooney!Jordan!Roth$ Eli!R.!Sharp!Jeffrey!Wise$ !$ !Fana/Vaozana,/“Innovator”$Donors! !Deborah!Burden$ Daniel!Caja!Katherine!Downing!&!Jack!Hoffmann$ Susan!Geelan!Kenda!Greenwood$ John!Gross!MaryAnn!L.!Hajduk$ Todd!Hollander!Brigid!Merriman$ Grace!Merriman!Carl!Palladines$ Annie!Parisse!&!Paul!Sparks!Mary!Ellen!Rooney$ John!Silverman!Carol!Waechter$ !!

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Team$Zara$Aina$!Our$Staff$in$NYC$ ! Our$Staff$in$Madagascar$

!Lucas$Caleb$Rooney$Founder!&!Artistic!Director!!

! Daniel$Henintsoa!Operations/Company!Manager!

Bryce$Pinkham!Executive!Director!!

! Rasolofomananan$Alfred$Leonard!Artistic!Director!!

Alex!Tissiere$Operations!Manager!!

! Dina$Razafindrazaka!Facilitator!!

May$Pamana!Development!Advisor!!

! Mbola$Mihaingo$Radrianarivo$Facilitator!!

Justin$Cimino!Education!&!Operations!!

! Brune$Andrianalizah$Bachasse!Facilitator!!

Annie$Worden!Education!&!Outreach!!

! Sidonie$Emerande!Translator!&!Facilitator!

$ ! Louis$Zo$Rabearison!Dance!Instructor!&!Facilitator!!

$ ! Maevanirina$Sandaniaina$Social!Worker!

!For!bios!of!Team!Zara!Aina,!please!visit!http://zaraaina.org/our<team/!

!Our$2015$Volunteers!!

PJ#Adzima! Charlotte#Allan! Veta#Bates! Danny#Binstock! James#Boland!

Liz#Lark#Brown! Beatriz#Cavalieri! Sam#Combs! Kelsey#Coughlin! Mary#Davis!

Alex#Dzialo! Clara#Elser! Todd##Estrin! Michelle#Goike! Linseigh#Green!

Caroline#Grogan! Dana#Gross! Leslie#Kramer! Jamie#Law! Cecilia#LynnFJacobs!

Christine#Marquet! Grace#Merriman! Jamie#Law! Julia#Ogilvie! Brian#Pollock!

Paloma#Rabinov! Brian#Reisman! Joseph#Reiver! Gabi#Talisman! Ona#Vicente!

! Rebecca#Werner! ! Laura#Zablit! !!

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From$our$Facilitators!

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“In/ a/ very/ short/ time,/ kids/ were/blooming/ like/ vonikazo/ (flower),/there's/ so/ much/ change,/ and/ it's/ just/awesome.”/!<<Staff!members!Mbola!&!Brune!

“Even/if/I/have/been/around/for/not/that/long,/I/could/sense/that/there/is/a/lot/of/improvement/with/the/kids./I’m/very/happy/with/everybody’s/hard/work/and/I’ll/continue/to/encourage/the/team./We/have/reached/our/goal!/As/far/as/I/am/concerned,/I’m/ready/to/give/what/I/can/to/help/Zara/Aina”/!<<Larissa,!Volunteer!facilitator!at!the!Center!

“I/really/love/my/job/at/the/Clubhouse./I/have/seen/great/improvement/in/how/the/Center/in/run./The/kids/enjoy/being/around/here./They/love/the/food/we/serve/them./They/love/helping/out/setting/the/table,/washing/the/dishes./I/have/the/feeling/they/feel/like/home/at/the/Center./And/It/warsm/my/heart/when/the/kids/miss/me/whenever/I/am/not/in/the/Center/to/serve/them/food.”/!<<Totoa,!Center!Nanny!!

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!Zara!Aina,!Inc.!w!P.O.!Box!1199!w!New!York,!NY!10009!

!www.zaraaina.org!!

!Zara!Aina!is!a!501(c)(3)!non<profit!organization.!Tax!ID:!46<0868681!