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Our motto, "Africa's Future is Its Children,"
guides all that we do.
Our Priorities
Orphans: In Western Kenya, an area with one of the highest rates of HIV infection in the world, we support children affected by the AIDS pandemic. Just $10 per week provides shelter, food, clothing, medical services and education for a child in need.
The Homeless: In the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, we help finance programs for the city’s thousands of homeless children, children victimized by poverty, war, and HIV/AIDS. Each week volunteers provide food, entertainment, education and spiritual support. For the older children there are organized sports programs that build self-confidence and team work. Just a few dollars per week helps a homeless child to participate.
Education: To the greatest extent possible, all of our projects focus on education. In addition, at many locations – as in Tanzania – we provide scholarships for girls’ secondary education. It costs about $1000 to send a teenage girl to middle school or high school for a year. Eventually, we will provide scholarships so that the very best students can go on to university.
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The message for Africans is that the solutions to our problems lie within us…
Wangari Mathai,
Nobel Laureate
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Agriculture: Africa is primarily rural and the majority of the children we support will eventually engage in some form of farming. In Malawi and Ethiopia, we are helping to finance initiatives that help communities leave traditional subsistence farming behind and generate income.
Environment: The majority of our projects have a link to environmental concerns. This is especially true in the agricultural sector where farming and environment are closely linked. For example, in Malawi we are working to help farmers plant trees that produce their own natural fertilizer. The trees stimulate crop production, stabilize the soil, and can be pruned back for firewood. The practice reduces pressure on nearby woodlands and forests and reduces drudgery for girls and women.
Gender: Lastly -- but perhaps most importantly --African Childrens Haven, gives a high priority to projects that support girls and mothers. Africa is traditionally male dominated, but that’s changing as women rise to positions of influence and as women become empowered to support their families, enter the cash economy, and become community leaders.
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