Africa Bridge Joins CafeGive to Raise Funds

Right after I graduated high school I went to Honduras on a mission trip. For the next two weeks, I spent a lot of time picking up trash with locals and supervising the burning of these trash heaps. The whole time I was thinking, “There has to be something more I can be doing than just picking up trash, why can’t we work with the locals to organize a sanitation division?”

This is what I love about Africa Bridge. They don’t just go into Tanzania and fund programs! Africa Bridge empowers East African communities to improve the lives of children orphaned and made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS. Established in 2000 by Barry Childs after re-visiting Tanzania, Africa Bridge seeks out local best practices and partners that share their desire to improve the lives of children. Africa Bridge economically empowers families in rural villages to accept responsibility for the care of orphans and vulnerable children. These families have developed sustainable programs touching the lives of over 3,000 children. This model puts the responsibility back on the community yet helps the community enable themselves to take on the challenge.

While the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa serves as the foundation upon which a bridge can be built linking the Western and African worlds, it also serves as a springboard of hope, by sharing complementary lessons and gifts, and creating possibilities for those in need. Africa Bridge celebrated a very successful year in 2008 including the accomplishments below:

• 3,084 vulnerable children were cared for by 1,596 families in two wards.
• 560 of these children cared for by families who have formed into 20 income generating cooperatives.
• 1,153 children provided with primary and secondary school scholarships.
• Africa Bridge’s life skills program (including HIV/AIDS education) adopted into the basic curriculum at eight schools.
• 2,481 children provided with psychosocial support, 243 children given health access, 211 children provided with nutritional support, 194 children given shelter support and 59 children provided with legal services.

Won’t you help Africa Bridge have a successful 2009 by creating widgets and purchasing items supporting Africa Bridge through CafeGive?

For more information on Africa Bridge check out their profile page on CafeGive and become an advocate for them.

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Involved in Africa Bridge? We want to hear from you! Please leave a comment below.