Shopping and support are the themes of the Amy Biehl Foundation Trust fundraiser being held this week on the second floor of the Alumni Memorial Union.

Visitors can donate to the Amy Biehl Foundation Trust or purchase crafts from South Africa, the proceeds of which will also go towards non-violent education of South African youth.

The fundraiser, which started on Monday, runs today through Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. and Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A variety of products will be sold, all of which were purchased in South Africa and handmade by artisans in Khayelitsha, Cape Town's largest township. The items include HIV/AIDS ribbon pins and pins of the South African flag, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, handmade cards and township bags, hand-made by the women of Khayelitsha.

The products were purchased and shipped to Marquette by College of Arts & Sciences junior Sarah Cotton, who is currently studying abroad in Cape Town.

The fundraiser is "a great way to raise awareness at Marquette, as well as to connect those of us who are here in South Africa back to the Marquette community," Cotton said via e-mail. "Also, it gives Marquette students, staff and faculty an easy opportunity to make a difference in the lives of youth in South Africa."

College of Arts & Sciences junior Mary Dubbs, who volunteered for the fundraiser on Monday, agreed.

The foundation "affects students because Amy Biehl was a foreign-exchange student," Dubbs said. "She was one of us. We have our students who are studying in South Africa. She could be one of our kids too.

"Everyone should definitely come by and get something for their mom or their sister," Dubbs said. "It's for the kids."

The Amy Biehl Foundation Trust, based in Cape Town, was established in 1997 by Linda and Peter Biehl in honor of their daughter, Amy. She was an American student working in Cape Town on a Fulbright scholarship with the African National Congress and the University of the Western Cape — where Cotton currently takes classes — to help register voters for the country's first democratic and free elections.

Biehl was killed in an act of political mob violence in the township of Guguletu on Aug. 25, 1993, according to Cotton.

The foundation's mission statement is "Weave a Barrier Against Violence."

"Violence, especially generated by youth, is a problem in South Africa, as it is all over the world," Cotton said. "The problems in South Africa are especially intense because of the extreme poverty, the existence of squatter camps and shacks instead of houses and the scars that remain from apartheid."

The foundation's mission is accomplished through a wide array of programs, which help empower the youth of Cape Town with skills, talents, knowledge and self-confidence, Cotton said.

College of Arts & Sciences junior Anna Titulaer was the "brain child" of the fundraiser, Cotton said.

"The foundation is not in the best financial situation, and I had been trying to come up with a way to generate funds," Cotton said. "Anna suggested having a sale, and I supported it wholeheartedly."

When planning for the fundraiser began, Titulaer said, everyone involved had the intent to raise money for the foundation itself, but they also saw another facet.

"When we started to go through things, we realized that it's not just helping people in the organization for South Africa and the Amy Biehl Foundation Trust, but it's helping the whole area where Sarah is because she's buying all of this stuff from the townspeople," Titulaer said. "A lot of women make their money simply by doing this. This is how they make their money, their living."

Titulaer said she has been amazed by the "wholeheartedness of people, and how generous, open and willing they are to help with something when they know the cause."

This article was published in The Marquette Tribune on October 11, 2005.,”James A. Molnar”

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