CHILDREN OF AFRICA: THE ASSOCIATION

Children of Africa emerges from the energy and enthusiasm of a big group of volunteers, that come together to create this non-profit organisation that struggles to change the reality of Kenya. Although the association was registered only a few months ago (February 2010), the members have been working to improve to life standards of this African country fro more than three years.

Children of Africa focuses its current projects on two Kenyan villages: Likoni, where the association have been giving support to “Likoni Aids Orphanage”, a home that provides shelter to more than 50 kids who live in precarious conditions; and Tsunza, a rural village, located in one of the five poorest districts in Kenya, and where more than 75% of the inhabitants live under poverty threshold and face the scarcity of resources and infrastructures, constant diseases and dramatic climate conditions that destroy their harvests every day.

So far, the Association has worked in projects related to different fields. On the one hand, we have made it to ensure education to most of the kids in Likoni Home and to the 51 sponsored kids in Tsunza thanks to scholar sponsorships. This big project has even allowed bringing two students to university. On the other hand, other projects have been carried out, especially related to construction and restoration. Three classrooms have been erected in a school from Likoni, thanks to the help of many who have joined our dreams and objectives, the Home has been fully painted and restored, two vegetable gardens have been set up, a sanitary block with two showers and two latrines have been built in Tsunza, and a public library has been put up with the help of so many. Moreover, several programs related to health care, medicine delivery, as well as programs of awareness on topics such as sexuality and family plan, education and hygiene have taken place this year.

Looking into the future, we have already come up with some new projects for 2011. Apart from finding new sponsors for more than 300 kids and trying to make Tsunza become a more self-sufficient community through projects such as carpentry, sewing and soap elaboration workshops, music and computer lessons, we will focus our biggest efforts on the construction of a medical dispensary that will provide the villagers of Tsunza with access to health care. Last, we will not quit our big dream: bringing at least 15 people to university before 2015, since we think that education and formation are key in any attempt to change a country. We do not want to bring European engineers, architects or doctors to Tsunza, but help Kenyan engineers, architects and doctors to build the successful future of their country.

Click here to see the membership board

THE ESSENCE OF VOLUNTEERING

"Volunteering abroad is not an opportunity given to the rich and developed citizens of occidental countries in order to experience an extraoridinary adventure. In fact, I think it's unacceptable that we allow ourselves the luxury of dreaming about sensational experiences, while the people of the needy countries we want to visit can only allow themselves to dream of some piece of bread in their mouths.

A volunteer workcamp is not a selfish opportunity to satisfy our egos or our cravings for travelling; a volunteer workcamp is an opportunity that the volunteer himself provides in order to offer inconditional assistance and support, time, economic resources and efforts to the most needy ones; an opportunity to change a small, tiny piece of the world.

Therefore, a volunteer should never allow himself to become an extra burden for those he's trying to help. It would be simply nonsense. A volunteer must be a relief, water on top of fire, sugar on top of the bitterness that rules their lives, a streched hand, a balm for the open wounds, a whisper of peace...

Then, we cannot expect that a home, where we are planning to spend some time and where they already have problems enough to bring 50 children to school and provide them with food, water, clothes, etc., opens its doors for us only for love's sake, just becoming another mouth to feed. It is not the same being a volunteer in our own country or being a volunteer in a different continent in somebody else's home. Here, we can offer our time and efforts and later go back home where we are catered with everything. In Africa, to become an assistant requires something else.

When we arrive at an orphanage, we become part of it, another member, which means more food, more water, more electricity, more dirty clothes, more washing-up liquid, more bed covers, etc. It is clear that the romantic idea that Occidentals have of bringing our big love and tenderness to those people, of spending time by their side and exchanging our knowledge with them is highly praisable. But there is something that we should never forget: LOVE ON ITS OWN DOES NOT FEED CHILDREN.

I've been moving in and out of Kenya for almost four years now, living with those incredible peoples, and I swear that they really appreciate the time we spend with them, the moments we listen to their problems, the time we play with their children... But, no matter how strong you might me hugging them, if in that moment their stomachs are empty, and there is nothing to bring to their mouths, our big love will be vanished to ashes. And it is normal and understandable: human beings can only allow themselves the pleasure of loving and dreaming when the basic human needs are covered (drinking, eating and sleeping).

As a consequence, with my full belly, I allow myself a dream: to fill their bellies so that they can also dream. And among many others, the best ways to achieve such a dream are those where governments will never invest enough, building up strong and long-lasting infrastructures, with auto-sustainable projects which can bring them autonomy and better life standards and, ABOVE OF ALL, improving the whole institution of education by building up better schools, with better materials, improving teachers formation, and working on the basis of universal values and human rights.

Susanna