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The Murulle Foundation
All Rights Reserved.

Updated: December 11, 2007

TMF 2003 Outreach Events
(April 2003)

The Murulle Foundation was busy in April 2003 working to promote environmental conservation and awareness. Volunteers represented TMF at two outreach events in Colorado, providing exceptional opportunities to interact with students and adults in the community while presenting information about cultural and environmental conservation, specifically in Ethiopia. In conjunction with the events, TMF sponsored a children's coloring contest to encourage active involvement and participation in learning.

On April 6, 2003, in Boulder, TMF took part in "Africa in the Rockies," an event which brought together diverse Colorado organizations working on African-related research, conservation, social issues and the arts. The event was organized by Karen Cockburn and Laura DeLuca of the Africa Centre, a resource for schools and the community. The Africa Centre seeks to enhance the knowledge of citizens about the non-western world especially African politics, culture, and natural resources, all of which are essential to understanding international affairs. The event coincided with the fifty-fifth annual Conference on World Affairs, sponsored by the University of Colorado at Boulder. TMF volunteers met a wide array of people, including Kenneth Kaunda, the former president of Zambia. Our volunteers had a great day of African entertainment and enjoyed discussing the work we do in Ethiopia as well as the issues represented by the other participants.

On April 30, 2003, TMF participated in the Make a Difference Table at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science in Denver, Colorado. The table was part of the exhibit "Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees: The Remarkable World of Jane Goodall. The exhibit included a simulated Tanzanian forest and allowed visitors to get a feel for the life of a chimpanzee, as well as the history of Jane Goodall's research and her lifetime work to conserve the chimpanzee habitat. The Make a Difference Table was designed to offer the public information on alternative ways that they can make a difference in the world and to its natural resources. TMF volunteers handed out brochures, coloring contest drawings, displayed a short presentation on Ethiopia and also brought hands-on items for the visitors to handle and inspect. Students and adults had the opportunity to rest their heads on traditional Ethiopian wooden pillows, inspect hand-woven baskets from Ethiopia, try on jewelry made from seeds and stones, and feel the texture and weight of different animal horns/trinkets. Students were asked to guess what individual items were made from or for and given a brief historical account. One special item was a chain of light, papery, 2 inches long oblong objects. When asked what they thought they were students would remain quiet for a brief moment while pondering the possibilities, followed by an eruption of high pitched shreeks and eeews (more often from the girls) upon the revelation that the necklace was made of beetle wings. Approximately three inch long beetles, to be exact, based on the length of their wings.