Second Life has, over the years, raised an impressive amount of money for Relay for Life. The sale of virtual goods, online entertainment and a whole amazing ways of raising money has seen more three million US dollars raised. And a leading event in this fundraising has been the fabulous Fantasy Faire. Last year alone it raised L$ 9,031,915 (US$ 34,738) through sales, special events and parties.
Generally, all the money raised goes to the American Cancer Society (ACS) which, as well as a number of outreach programs in the US, is also a major funder of research into Cancer worldwide, and a number of public education programs that reach beyond the borders of the United States to countries including Mexico, Columbia, Brazil and India. You can read more about that work here.
This year, however, Fantasy Faire has been asked by the American Cancer Society to take part in a very special project. All the funds that will be raised from this year’s Faire (which runs from April 19th – 29th) will be used directly to help build a Hope Lodge in Nairobi, Kenya, in the grounds of the Kenyatta National Hospital.
What is a Hope Lodge?
The ACS has built about 30 places in the US where cancer survivors and their caregivers can stay for free while undergoing their treatments at facilities that are far from their homes. The plan is to create a similar Lodge at the leading Hospital in Kenya for cancer treatment.
Currently, cancer is the third leading cause of death in Kenya, and, while survival rates have been improving in the western world over the last thirty years, they have remained largely unchanged in Kenya. Building a Hope Lodge will provide valuable support for people receiving cancer treatment and for their caregivers too.
Fantasy Faire have published a series of articles about the project on their website, and I would urge you to read them all.
Fairelanders Called To Action
A Word from the Management (about the Hope Lodge project)
Why Kenya?
Prim Perfect 
Thank you to our partners and fellow Fairelanders at Prim Perfect!