Tapestries of Hope: Silent Bravery by Fresh Water Spigot

"Tapestries of Hope" is a series of ‘documentary stories’ of various people and situations in Africa that independently are strong and striking, but taken as a whole are even more vital and important. The content will weave together three major issues that affect many if not all of the countries of Africa – the water crisis, AIDS and Malaria, and violence against children. These stories are to be filmed independently through a variety of interviews in various locations in Africa, and then woven together via film, the web, and other media to communicate discussion and compassion about important global issues.

SILENT BRAVERY is the first installment of this series and will capture the stories of Young Chldren in Africa. It will also bring to light the inspiring stories of Betty Makoni and women of the Girl Child Network in bringing hope to the women in that region.

The film is being independently produced by Fresh Water Spigot, a Michealene Cristini Risley film production company.

The three general story themes to be filmed are:

• Silent Bravery (The Abuse of Young Children in Africa)
• The Water Crisis in Africa
• The AIDS and Malaria Crisis in Africa

Silent Bravery (The Abuse of Young Children).
Abuse of children is rampant in Africa in a variety of forms. AIDS ties closely to this issue/story as well. Interviews/filming that will showcase this issue include:

• We will show the African government’s view of virginity as a cure for AIDS.
• Betty Makoni and the Girl Child Network (GCN) We will explore the formation of the GCN. (how they are affecting the government, how they are outing rapists, and domestic Violence Law)
• Global Development (Bridge Building)
• The influx of workers who pay children for sex. This causes the spread of AIDS, the rape of children and child pregnancies.

The Water Crisis
One in six people in the world does not have access to safe drinking water. The average American uses 176 gallons of water per day. Many people in developing nations struggle to find two to four gallons. Many of us take out water for granted, but in other countries, unsafe water causes diseases like diarrhea, which kills more than 2.2 million people each year. That is the equivalent to 20 jumbo jets crashing every day. Every 19 seconds a child dies from unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation and 80% of all sickness in the world is attributable to unsafe water and a lack of basic sanitation. One toilet flush is equal to the amount of water a person in the developing world uses all day to wash, clean, cook, or drink.

More than half of the population of Africa does not have access to clean and safe water. A person can survive a month without food, but only three days without water. The water crisis truly is a crisis and the story needs to be told in order for a solution to be found.

Interviews/filming that will showcase this issue include:

• The Bridge Crossing – The Bridge to Zambezi
• The Water Problem ( The distance a child must travel to get water and the vulnerability of children enroute to water.

AIDS and Malaria
Every 13 seconds someone dies from Malaria, a treatable disease. If you combine global death from AIDS, measles, cancer, leprosy and TB it is still less than the death from malaria. 90% of those dying from malaria are under 5 years old.

• Interviews/filming that will showcase this issue include:
  
  • Global Development (Bridge Building) - which addresses the issue of water and its effects
  • Zimbabwe AIDS misinformation and the epidemic as a whole
  • The mosquito netting business which is hindering the eradication of malaria
  • The research of Louie Greeff, a South African who created the Food Against Diseases Fund (FAD) which is geared towards eradicating Malaria through the use of natural waste products (banana pulp)