5 reasons NOT to support a charity in Africa

We often hear arguments as to why people feel they shouldn't support us. Here are the 5 most common ones - and what we think.

Please tell us if you agree.

#1

“Charity begins at home”

We have problems in our own country and we should resolve those first. Only then, when all our problems are solved, should we start worrying about others.

To that, we believe we all have a “Global Responsibility”. One doesn’t negate the other. In fact, we strongly believe in doing both. Looking after people and causes in our own country never finishes and should continue. But that doesn’t mean we cannot also care about other people and other causes.

#2

“Aid doesn’t work anyway”

We keep giving money to people in Africa and we can’t see any changes or any improvements. It doesn’t make any difference.

To some extend we agree. Handing out money is not sustainable and doesn’t foster change. We believe in evidence-based solutions proven to improve living standards for generations to come. The old saying ‘Give a man a fish and you help him for a day. Teach a man how to fish and you help him for a lifetime’ is very relevant here.

#3

“Corruption”

We don’t know where the money goes anyway. Only a fraction of donations are going to help the people in need.

We have seen our fair share of corruption and therefore we know the pitfalls. By having an office in both Australia and Tanzania - which also means we are registered in both countries - means we are very transparent with our spending and costs. Look for organisations that have minimal layers and are hands-on.

#4

“Aid creates dependency”

If we keep supporting people they will never learn to be independent. We will end up having to support them financially forever.

We believe in empowerment. Showing and teaching people they are able to learn a skill, set up a business, or improve their academic capabilities - no matter their situation. We believe in community-led solutions and working together as a team finding ways people can lift themselves out of poverty - with a little nudge.

#5

“Donor Fatigue”

We can’t bear to hear another word about how miserable other people are. We already give left, right and center.

Choose your causes and stick with them. Change doesn’t happen over night. Being able to have empathy with people across the globe can open your eyes to new experiences. And sometimes, sharing a post with 5 friends is just as valuable as a donation. Anyone can afford that, right?

Are you going to share this post?

Thank you,

Nina

Mushrooms are the answer to…. EVERYTHING!

Poverty alleviation, better nutrition, job creation, equality, health, climate change, sustainability, and long-term funding of al our projects!

It can’t get much better than that, can it?

Please listen to Tzippora explain here:

How does it work?

We are currently teaching the skills of mushroom farming in the rural communities in which we work. Collecting 2 tonnes of harvest waste from the surrounding fields that would otherwise have been burnt. This creates the basis of our substrate in which the mushrooms will grow.

Our mushrooms grows in buckets in which we have drilled holes in sides. We are using a couple of rooms in our newly refurbished community centre to house the mushroom farm.

Once the mushroom are ready, our participants will learn the right technique to harvest the mushrooms.

Fresh mushrooms have a relatively short shelf life and needs to be sold quickly. To help with this potential issue, we are adding a drying process at the end. Custom built driers not using electricity but only the heat from the sun has been developed and will enable us to make a product ready for local distribution and export.

How can mushrooms help fund other projects?

Once we start selling our crop the income will be used to sustain the mushroom farm and any surplus will support any of our other projects like Kamanga Health Centre and our Outreach Team.

How does the participants benefit?

Each participant learns a skill. Mushroom farming is very new in Tanzania and as such we are pioneers in this area.

The participants can use this skill to set up a small scale farm at home for own consumption, or they can set up a collaborative farm producing mushrooms in larger scale.

Any surplus of produce can be sold to us where we dry the mushrooms and package them to international standards and export the end product.

How can YOU help?

Even though we have provided the training for our participants free of charge, and we will provide continuous support to those who chose to continue to grow mushrooms, there is a small initial cost for the participant to get things needed to starting growing.

You can help by sponsoring one of our conveniently packaged bundles that will enable our participants to start growing mushrooms right away.

“Home Growing Kit” consists of everything needed for a participant to take home to start growing for own use, or maybe sell any little extra at the local market. A kit costs AUD $15 (USD $10).

“Farm Bundle” consist of everything needed for a 30 bucket farm. This is a small scale collaborative farm that can produce for own consumption, the local market or for drying and export. A farm bundle has the value of AUD $110 (USD $77).

Want to know more?

You can read more about this project on our website here

Regular updates are also on our social media platforms - click one of the Social Media buttons below and make sure to follow us!

Or contact Nina, our Founding Director and CEO, directly here

Thinking Outside the (Cardboard) Box

When we talk about our community based rehabilitation outreach programme  for people with disabilities, we often mention the provision of Occupational Therapy services alongside medical services.

But what is Occupational Therapy exactly? In the words of our Occupational Therapist, Daniel: “Occupational Therapy is a client-centred approach which is focused on the promotion of the health and well-being through meaningful and purposeful activities that are age and gender appropriate as well as culturally accepted”.

Even in most Western countries, Occupational Therapy is not something that is widely known. Here in Tanzania, where many people don’t even have access to very basic healthcare services, you hardly find a person who has heard of Occupational Therapy let alone is familiar with the practice.

There is only one university in the whole country that offers studies to become an Occupational Therapist and in 2019, Daniel’s graduation year, there were only 30 students.

Apart from the service and its health benefits being rather unknown, another challenge Tanzanian Occupational Therapists struggle with is the procurement of specialised equipment. Not only is it hard to find, but once sourced, it can also be really expensive.

To bridge this gap, Daniel got creative! It is really impressive what you can do with a little cardboard and a utility knife – but see for yourself what he has crafted!

Occupational Therapist Daniel explains below his innovative use of everyday materials to aid patients regain movement.

The Puzzle

The beloved children’s game can function as OT equipment. Daniel is presenting us a puzzle made out of cardboard for his youngest patients. It improves the children’s shape identification and problem-solving skills and further enhances their motor and coordination skills.

The Range of motion Arc

This interesting looking therapeutic equipment uses a bio-mechanical approach. It promotes and improves the range of motion of the patient’s shoulder, elbow, wrist and joint and is used in all cases where the range of motion of the upper extremities is limited, for example due to a stroke, burn or head injury.

Lid Activity

The lids are used to practice and improve grasping skills, hand-eye coordination and range of motion by opening and closing the lid. It is used for all cases in which the patient shows a limited hand function and, with practice, helps them to perform activities of the daily life such as opening and closing windows and doors or – you guessed it – bottles.

In case you got curious and want to see more of the equipment Daniel and the team have crafted, check out how he created a device for mirror therapy .

Act now to support us further.

Thank you.