This Blog has been running since May of this year, and every so often I get an email from non-profit groups wanting to be featured in an article. However many of these organizations do not meet the criteria to be the subject of the All African (Self Help) Bazaar Blog. So, I am going to run a series of articles that review the organizations that have been featured, and explain why I wrote about them. Today's article will focus on some of those organizations that help children and women. And because many organizations that I have written about have more than one focus, some organizations that help children or women, as one of several goals, may be listed under other categories.
To begin, I have to say that I have only written about organizations that have (or have had) existing programs. Many organizations say that they "plan" to do a particular thing, or that they "are going to" provide a particular benefit. But until it has a project that goes operational, an organization will have to wait to be the subject of an article.
STAND UP FOR AFRICA
The first organization that I wrote about that helps children is Stand Up For Africa (SUFA). Led by Elsie Nemlin, this London based organization, among other things, has worked to tackle the problem of child poverty and to foster "Youth Empowerment." SUFA also sponsors 10 children in Benin, and in 2004 Stand Up For Africa published a report on Child slavery. Our choice of SUFA shows that you don't have to be a large organization to be featured on the Blog, just as long as you are doing something.
The full article: Stand Up For Africa
OPRAH WINFREY LEADERSHIP ACADEMY FOR GIRLS
While the Oprah Winfrey Academy has not yet opened, the money for the project has been committed, there has been a ground breaking and the academy is scheduled to open in 2006.
The full article: Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy For Girls
FAWE
Forum For African Women Educationalists, a registered charity in Kenya seeks to ensure that girls have access to school, complete their studies and perform well at all levels. FAWE has instituted a Girls' School in Kajiado, Kenya as one of it's "Centres of Excellence." It serves rescued girls and has boarding facilities to accommodate 50 girls.
The full article: FAWE
STREET CHILD AFRICA
Street Child Africa's goal is to support African Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and Charities working with and for street children in Africa. They intend to do this by
- Fundraising on behalf of African agencies working with street children
- Raising awareness about the plight of street children in Africa's towns and cities
- Generating fresh approaches to working with and for street children in Africa
- Shareing information with all agencies working with and for street children in Africa.
- Offering advocacy to any agency working with and for street children in Africa, and to any individual street child in Africa.
The full article: Street Child Africa
THE WORLD THROUGH MY EYES
In the first phase of The World Through My Eyes, children were provided photographic equipment and taught basic photography to see if they had the aptitude to excel. At the end of that program, after these children had produced their own photography portfolios, they received a program certificate, ten of their photos in an album and a photo CD.
The long-term goal of The World Through My Eyes is to create a permanent photography school for young Mozambicans.
The full article: The World Through My Eyes
ACTION FOR CHILDREN IN CONFLICT
One project in this program works with child-mothers, the most vulnerable victims of the civil war that raged for ten years in Sierra Leone. Helping girls that were captured, sometimes as young as 12, and abused in every manner (physically, sexually, psychologically) by rebel troops, this project seeks to enable this group of girls to recover from the damage inflicted on them during the war. Counseling is provided, along with basic education and skills training to help them rebuild their lives.
Another of this organization's projects deals with that part of the horror of the civil war in Sierra Leone, which made use of amputation as a weapon of terror by both factions. This practice targeted many young men who, although they were not involved in the conflict, were targeted in order to prevent them fighting for the other side. A group of young men and boys who suffered amputations banded together to form the Single Leg Amputee Sports Club (SLASC), which has over 30 team members and is recognized by the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) as the unofficial Amputee Football Team of Sierra Leone.
The full article: Action For Children In Conflict
SOS - CHILDREN'S VILLAGE LIBERIA
SOS is a large international NGO operating in many countries. It is said to be the world's largest "orphan and abandoned children" charity. They have two children's communities in Liberia, one in Matadi District in Monrovia and the other in Juah Town in Bassah County located in northern Liberia. A short term emergency relief program was also established in Monrovia in June of 2003 for over 7000 refugees who had fled the violence of the civil war.
The full article: SOS - Children's Village Liberia
THE UGANDA CHILDREN'S CHARITY FOUNDATION
The Uganda Children's Charity Foundation (UCCF) works to provide orphaned and other disadvantaged children in Uganda education and care that will enable them to become self-sufficient, assume leadership roles, and have a positive impact on Ugandan society. The organization was founded in 995 by Alexis Hefley after she had lived and worked with AIDS orphans and other disadvantaged children in the capital city of Kampala for 18 months. UCCF has goals in addition to that stated above. Among other things they seek to increase global awareness of HIV/AIDS and its impact on children
UCCF conducts successful fundraising tours of the "Children of Uganda" dance troupe, which bring the organization notoriety and help to deliver its message.
The full article: The Uganda Children's Charity Foundation
THROUGH THE EYES OF CHILDREN
Through The Eyes Of Children operates a photographic workshop in Rwanda where children using disposable cameras photographe the world around them. This project was begun by David Jiranek and inspired by Rosamond Carr, an American woman who had lived in Rwanda for over 50 years and who had founded the Imbabazi Orphanage there.
UNICEF, in its publication "The State of The World's Children" recognized THROUGH THE EYES OF CHILDREN in their 2003 publication and said: "Through the process of learning photography, young people can develop and broaden their confidence and self-esteem as they acquire vocational skills and a new perspective on their lives."
The full article: Through The Eyes Of Children
SOS AIDS ORPHANS PROJECT
SOS has projects helping more than 48,000 African Children orphaned by AIDS in more than twenty African countries, and is growing as rapidly as its resources allow it. This help consists of practical help, food, medicine and love.
There are several aspects to this program, but initially the focus of these programs is on medical assistance, payment of school fees, donations of clothes and foods, regular visits to the patients, as well as activities of information, education and communication. They also have Family Carer Programs, Social and Medical Clinics and many other programs.
The full article: SOS Aids Orphans Project
PLAN - GIRLS FIRST IN HAITI
Partnering with a local organization, Voluntariat pour le Developpement des Jeunes (VDH) Plan is working with adolescent girls and young mothers in Haiti to make sure they are equipped with all the information and knowledge necessary to face adult life's challenges. The organization has a four point approach that addresses
- Responsible sexuality
- Leadership and life skills
- Rights of the child and gender equity
- Business skills
The full article: Plan - Girls First In Haiti
SOS STREET CHILDREN
SOS Street Children has programs in several countries, but I only focused on projects in Zambia and Kenya. In these countries they offer children Medical Centers, Social Centers and a variety of other assistance.
The full article: SOS Street Children
KIDS LEAGUE UGANDA
Kids League Uganda says that it "uses sport and sports related activities to bring diverse communities together to promote health, education and life skills with individuals and organisations in the UK, Africa and elsewhere and through the creation of youth leaders and ambassadors, we work to educate and inform the global citizens of tomorrow." This organization uses football to foster community building among the youth of civil war ravaged Uganda.
The full article: Kids League Uganda
SOS CHILD SOLDIERS
One specific goal of SOS Child Soldiers is to re-unite former child soldiers with their families and to help them come to terms with what they have been through. This involves helping communities to understand that the children themselves are not really to blame, even when they have committed atrocities. They also work to assist abandoned children born to mothers in captivity, abducted and sexually abused girls with their babies, AIDS orphans and children whose parents have been killed in the conflict.
The full article: SOS Child Soldiers
STUDENTS IN FREE ENTERPRISES
SIFE was founded as a global, not-for-profit education organization whose aim it is to do teach the principles and values of free market economics to students around the globe in order to improve the quality of life and standard of living around the world. SIFE organizes, trains and motivates these university students who, operating in teams, teach others an understanding of the principles and values of free enterprise.
The full article: Students In Free Enterprises
UKIMWI ORPHANS ASSISTANCE
UKIMWI Orphans Assistance (UOA) was founded in 1989 to provide assostamce to AIDS orphans in Tanzania. UOA has served orphans located in six wards in the three districts of Kagera region by helping the assisted villages to create about 65% of resources needed to raise the orphans.
The full article: UKIMWI Orphans Assistance
THE "Q" FUND
Founded by Chellie Kew in 2000 this organization seeks to improve the lives of the AIDS orphans through education and providing clean water and food. The funding for the projects is entirely by outside corporate sponsorship, foundations, and on-going fund raising initiatives. Ms. Kew has also donated profits from her photographic book "African Journal: A Child's Continent," which is a collection of 71 photos of the AIDS orphans she encountered while in Africa.
The "Q" Fund provided most of the $30,000 for the construction of The Chimoza Community School in Zambia, which attracts about 100 children a day in 2004. In addition to the school Kew helped the school secure a garden that grows food for consumption and commerce. Also, local widows produced school uniforms for the school children that were then purchased by Kew and supplied to the children.
The full article: The "Q" Fund
CHRISTMAS IN KAMPALA
Christmas in Kampala was the brainchild of one individual, George Srour, who at the time was a 21 year old college student. Srour who went to Kampala, Uganda with the United Nations World Food Programme for an internship in the summer of 2004. While he was in Kampala, he discovered Meeting Point Kampala in the slums of the city - an orphanage that accommodates almost one thousand children, many of whom are "Double Orphans" (those who have lost both their parents to AIDS) and are infected themselves.
When he found that the education building of Meeting Point Kampala was in deplorable condition, he vowed to raise U.S.$8,000 to build a new facility. By December of that same year, he was on his way back to Kampala with almost $40,000 that he had raised. The education building is being built and Srour was able to surprise the children of Meeting Point Kampala with a wonderful Christmas feast.
The full article: Christmas in Kampala
RAINBO
"Rainbo" is an acronym for Research, Action and Information Network for Bodily Integrity of Women. This organization defines itself as "African led international non-governmental organisation working on issues of women's empowerment, gender, reproductive health, sexual autonomy and freedom from violence as central components of the African development agenda." And while it has a specific focus on working to eliminate the practice of Female Circumcision / Female Genital Mutilation (FC/FGM, it has worked in many other areas as well.
The full article: RAINBO
YOUTH FOR TECHNOLOGY FOUNDATION
The organization's aims are to strengthen communities, focus on education empower rural women and girls and to build human and social capacity.
One of YTF's major programs is the TechKids program. TechKids is offered to children between the ages of 8 and 12 years and allows them to explore their own ideas, develop skills and build confidence by using technology. It is a three-month program designed to generate an interest in technology at a young age through projects based on children's own interests and to teach young people basic computer techniques and basic computer applications.
The full article: Youth For Technology Foundation
WAR CHILD CANADA
War Child Canada was founded in 1999 and works around the world to assist children affected by war and to raise awareness for children's rights everywhere. This organization is a part of the War Child International Network that includes War Child UK, War Child Netherlands, War Child Australia and War Child France.
While War Child Canada has projects in many nations one project is its Girls Education Initiative Project in Kitgum, Gulu and Pader Districts of Northern Uganda. Their local partner in this project is The Acholi Education Initiative (AEI).
The full article: War Child Canada
BOONA-BAANA CENTER FOR CHILDREN'S RIGHTS
The Boona-Baana Center For Children's Rights is a Hong Kong Limited Corporation registered as A Charitable Institution in Hong Kong Charity (No. 91/6600) and is A Foreign non-profit limited company in Tanzania: Compliance (No: 45004). The Founders of Boona-Baana, Marco Barra-Castro and Brooke Montgomery left their jobs in Hong Kong in July 2002 to move to Dar es Salaam Tanzania and with the help of Dr. Bart Rwezaura; who had been one of Brooke's law professors - and is a Tanzanian; began the Boona-Baana Center for Children's Rights.
The Boona-Baana Center is a small, grass-roots organization located in Dar es Salaam Tanzania whose aim is to create a series of local, sustainable projects that will assist vulnerable children in accessing their rights under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The full article: Boona-Baana Center For Children's Rights
So, now you have a list of the organizations that I have found that have operational programs to help children and women in Africa (and one in Haiti). Hopefully it will be of assistance to those who wish to initiate projects to see what is being done and how it is being done. You can go to the links provided for each of these excerpts and read the full articles. In these articles, you will also find the links to their individual web sites. I am sure that if you contact them, they will be happy to tell you more about what they do and how they do it.
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