TRUE Africa offers a time-tested approach to non-profit and humanitarian work that is unique from main stream efforts
TRUE Africa's approach to humanitarian work is unique, as we embrace the following principles:
OPTIMISM
Is optimism realistic when the children and schools in Uganda face such challenging circumstances?
At TRUE Africa, our sense of optimism comes from an unusual source – the orphans and vulnerable children of Uganda!
While the media efforts of many humanitarian organizations focus with great dramatics on the despair and desperation of vulnerable children, it is actually shown, time after time, that even the neediest children in Uganda are themselves driven by a sense of optimism and hope.
It is true that, from time to time, all of these children are sad and feel desperate, but don't we all have intimate and private moments of despair in our lives? It is truly amazing and inspiring to see how much more dominated these children's lives are by a focus on an optimistic view of their future.
At True Africa we feel obligated to follow the lead of these children and embrace an optimistic view of the possibilities waiting in their futures, and to infuse everything we do with an optimistic belief that through education these children can and will accomplish great things.
You can support these amazing children who are just waiting for an opportunity to learn, grow, and become future leaders and teachers! Share in the positive hope for the future by giving the life-changing gift of an education to a dedicated child by becoming a sponsor, meeting our currently sponsored children, or sending basic necessities such as mosquito nets and food to a child.
While the media efforts of many humanitarian organizations focus with great dramatics on the despair and desperation of vulnerable children, it is actually shown, time after time, that even the neediest children in Uganda are themselves driven by a sense of optimism and hope.
It is true that, from time to time, all of these children are sad and feel desperate, but don't we all have intimate and private moments of despair in our lives? It is truly amazing and inspiring to see how much more dominated these children's lives are by a focus on an optimistic view of their future.
At True Africa we feel obligated to follow the lead of these children and embrace an optimistic view of the possibilities waiting in their futures, and to infuse everything we do with an optimistic belief that through education these children can and will accomplish great things.
You can support these amazing children who are just waiting for an opportunity to learn, grow, and become future leaders and teachers! Share in the positive hope for the future by giving the life-changing gift of an education to a dedicated child by becoming a sponsor, meeting our currently sponsored children, or sending basic necessities such as mosquito nets and food to a child.
COOPERATION
Why is cooperation more effective than competition?
When we think carefully about typical humanitarian efforts, we realize that by shipping school supplies and materials to Africa – the very things that local entrepreneurs are trying to make available in their home countries – we might actually be putting some of the local entrepreneurs out of business!
At True Africa, we are committed to cooperate with local merchants, schools, and communities. As we we help them succeed in their businesses (rather than compete with them) we can help create stronger local social and economic environments. Ultimately, stronger local environments will give the orphans and vulnerable children that we help a better chance for success outside of school.
True Africa will always purchase African-made and African-distributed goods and materials whenever possible. By committing to do so, we hope that our efforts will create broad, long-term social and economic opportunities for the African communities where our children live and will soon become a integral part.
Help us commit to local cooperation and community support by choosing to donate locally-made and marketed school supplies and care items for children such as mosquito nets, beans, matooke bananas, blankets, clothing, goats, and more! This act of generosity will support the children we serve and the local economy.
At True Africa, we are committed to cooperate with local merchants, schools, and communities. As we we help them succeed in their businesses (rather than compete with them) we can help create stronger local social and economic environments. Ultimately, stronger local environments will give the orphans and vulnerable children that we help a better chance for success outside of school.
True Africa will always purchase African-made and African-distributed goods and materials whenever possible. By committing to do so, we hope that our efforts will create broad, long-term social and economic opportunities for the African communities where our children live and will soon become a integral part.
Help us commit to local cooperation and community support by choosing to donate locally-made and marketed school supplies and care items for children such as mosquito nets, beans, matooke bananas, blankets, clothing, goats, and more! This act of generosity will support the children we serve and the local economy.
SUSTAINABILITY
Why is sustainability more important than immediate, apparently more dramatic, results?
Our efforts focus on helping the children, schools and communities that we work with to not need our continued help – they need, and in fact desperately want, to become self-sustaining!
When True Africa helps a child, school or community, we do so in a way that helps them become independent of us as soon as reasonably possible. That means that our efforts focus on sustainable growth over time, not singularly dramatic events.
We could help an orphan or vulnerable child in such a way that their lifestyle immediately improves well beyond the conditions of their local village –- but then that child would not be capable of sustaining that rapidly accelerated standard of living without perpetual support. As each child learns and grows, we provide self-sustainable and incremental opportunities to improve their life conditions in such a way that when they graduate from school (at whatever grade-level they are capable of achieving with our support and encouragement) they will be fully capable of self-sustaining their future lives at that level.
Without a doubt, the level of self-sustainable living achieved by each of these children will be well beyond that which their parents attained, and well beyond what they would have achieved without the help of True Africa sponsors and donors.
For example, we could help a school construct all of the buildings they need in a very short time, but more than just physical structures are needed for schools to become self-sustaining. We take a longer view. This means that we need to help build the human expertise and capacity as well as the school infrastructure. As the human expertise of the school leaders and teachers expands to know how to handle a larger and more complex school and larger groups of students, the growth of school buildings and human infrastructure progresses in harmony. This is our formula for sustainable growth.
True Africa works hand-in-hand with local village councils and school leadership to develop a ten-year development plan for each school. Each year of the plan includes a new building project to expand the school infrastructure, and school leadership training in how to integrate the new development into their existing school.
Even more importantly, True Africa partners with the local villages in the actual construction of new buildings, allowing the school and families to participate in the construction, which leads to village ownership (we are, afterall, building village schools, NOT True Africa schools). TRUE Africa pledges to raise the funds necessary to purchase all construction supplies, while the village parents pledge to fetch all water to mix cement, to manually clear and level the land, to provide food for workers, and aid in the construction process.
Support this year's building projects and the schools and children that they benefit. New latrines, classrooms, chalkboards, and desks, all help improve the safety and function of village schools.
When True Africa helps a child, school or community, we do so in a way that helps them become independent of us as soon as reasonably possible. That means that our efforts focus on sustainable growth over time, not singularly dramatic events.
We could help an orphan or vulnerable child in such a way that their lifestyle immediately improves well beyond the conditions of their local village –- but then that child would not be capable of sustaining that rapidly accelerated standard of living without perpetual support. As each child learns and grows, we provide self-sustainable and incremental opportunities to improve their life conditions in such a way that when they graduate from school (at whatever grade-level they are capable of achieving with our support and encouragement) they will be fully capable of self-sustaining their future lives at that level.
Without a doubt, the level of self-sustainable living achieved by each of these children will be well beyond that which their parents attained, and well beyond what they would have achieved without the help of True Africa sponsors and donors.
For example, we could help a school construct all of the buildings they need in a very short time, but more than just physical structures are needed for schools to become self-sustaining. We take a longer view. This means that we need to help build the human expertise and capacity as well as the school infrastructure. As the human expertise of the school leaders and teachers expands to know how to handle a larger and more complex school and larger groups of students, the growth of school buildings and human infrastructure progresses in harmony. This is our formula for sustainable growth.
True Africa works hand-in-hand with local village councils and school leadership to develop a ten-year development plan for each school. Each year of the plan includes a new building project to expand the school infrastructure, and school leadership training in how to integrate the new development into their existing school.
Even more importantly, True Africa partners with the local villages in the actual construction of new buildings, allowing the school and families to participate in the construction, which leads to village ownership (we are, afterall, building village schools, NOT True Africa schools). TRUE Africa pledges to raise the funds necessary to purchase all construction supplies, while the village parents pledge to fetch all water to mix cement, to manually clear and level the land, to provide food for workers, and aid in the construction process.
Support this year's building projects and the schools and children that they benefit. New latrines, classrooms, chalkboards, and desks, all help improve the safety and function of village schools.
VOLUNTEERISM
Can a non-profit really be built on volunteers, instead of a paid staff, and still be effective?
TRUE Africa is built on the tremendous efforts of its volunteers!
One of the signature aspects of TRUE Africa is that it was founded, built and grown based 100% on volunteer time, talents and energy. So many people have contributed to who we are today. Volunteers spread the word through their personal and social networks. Volunteers design and run TRUE Africa fundraisers with their families, neighbors, churches and businesses. Volunteers help to reach out to sponsors and share the children's letters and photos. Volunteers help keep the face of TRUE Africa alive and active on social media. Volunteers understand the children's care item needs and recruit others to help to meet these critical needs. Volunteers involve their families and children in helping others.
Why are volunteers so willing to make the tremendous efforts? We see the difference we are making together in the actual lives of these orphans and vulnerable children. We see their smiles, see the light in their eyes, feel their hugs, recognize their dreams and watch them grow and progress from grade to grade. We see them graduate with life-long math and English skills and with critically needed job skills. We are seeing that these children, when grown, are bringing the value of education back to their families, villages and communities. We are thinking generationally and seeing the impact!! We are so grateful for our own education and our many resources, and we want to share what we have these wonderful children!
TRUE Africa also works hand in hand with local village councils and school administrators to prioritize which building projects will most benefit the school and community. Together, we focus on constructing one highest-priority school building per year, targeting the creation of a complete school complex over a ten-year period.
One unique aspect of our approach to school development is requiring school personnel, parents of students, and local villagers to participate in the construction process – each person and group contributes what they can. For example, during construction, the mothers and village women fetch the thousands of liters of water used to mix cement (hundreds of gallons collected and carried several miles to the construction site). These women also help in site excavation, using their own garden hoes to level the ground. This type of local investment and participation in the construction process helps the entire school community increase their sense of participation and responsibility for the maintenance of each building, all of the school grounds, and the future success and long-term sustainability of the entire educational enterprise.
Why are volunteers so willing to make the tremendous efforts? We see the difference we are making together in the actual lives of these orphans and vulnerable children. We see their smiles, see the light in their eyes, feel their hugs, recognize their dreams and watch them grow and progress from grade to grade. We see them graduate with life-long math and English skills and with critically needed job skills. We are seeing that these children, when grown, are bringing the value of education back to their families, villages and communities. We are thinking generationally and seeing the impact!! We are so grateful for our own education and our many resources, and we want to share what we have these wonderful children!
TRUE Africa also works hand in hand with local village councils and school administrators to prioritize which building projects will most benefit the school and community. Together, we focus on constructing one highest-priority school building per year, targeting the creation of a complete school complex over a ten-year period.
One unique aspect of our approach to school development is requiring school personnel, parents of students, and local villagers to participate in the construction process – each person and group contributes what they can. For example, during construction, the mothers and village women fetch the thousands of liters of water used to mix cement (hundreds of gallons collected and carried several miles to the construction site). These women also help in site excavation, using their own garden hoes to level the ground. This type of local investment and participation in the construction process helps the entire school community increase their sense of participation and responsibility for the maintenance of each building, all of the school grounds, and the future success and long-term sustainability of the entire educational enterprise.
Video Message from TRUE Africa's President and Founder, Dr. Steven J. Hite
Dr. Hite gives an explanation of TRUE Africa's guiding values and how they shape our humaitarian efforts:
TRUE Africa Board of Directors
TRUE Africa is run completely by volunteers. We believe in helping children gain access to education, and so we volunteer our time, efforts,
and talents in order to allow every donation to go directly to the children and schools that we serve.
and talents in order to allow every donation to go directly to the children and schools that we serve.
TRUE Africa's Ugandan Strategic Partners
Child 2 Youth Foundation (C2Y)
Ssenyonjo Steven, C2Y Founder
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Child2Youth Foundation, a registered (reg no.8313) non-governmental organization, was started in 2005 by Ssenyonjo Kironde Steven who was concerned by the plight of the needy children and youth who had no means of getting education, health services and other necessities of life due to poverty in their families.
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C2Y & TRUE Africa Social Workers
TRUE Africa team members visit every sponsored child, every year. When TRUE Team members are not in Uganda, each sponsored child is cared for by a local Ugandan social worker. The social workers make home and school visits, and keep TRUE Africa informed of each child's living situation and basic needs. They will also deliver donated child care items, such a mosquito nets and goats, to the children. We are very grateful for the service that these wonderful mean and women provide to these children!
Susan, Head Social Worker
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Joel, Social Worker and Program Coordinator
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Ronnie, Social Worker
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Through Child2Youth Foundation, our local partner, TRUE Africa purchases locally written and published textbooks for all education levels from MK Publishers, in Kampala, Uganda. Website: mkpublishers.com/ |