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My name is Lindy Wafula. I am the founder of PROJECT AFRICA - a non profit organization established with an aim to empower women in rural Africa with skills and resources for enterprise development. I wish to share with all of you a little about my story so that you can understand the passion I have to see women in Africa liberated from the dungeons of gender inequality that aggravate the spread of poverty and poverty related catastophies like HIV/AIDS.
Turning Vulnerability in Victory .
I lost both my parents to HIV/AIDS when I was 14 years. It is unfortunate that traditional customs of my people do not allow women/girls to inherit or own property so I was not allowed to inherit whatever property that belonged to my Parents. In addition to this, I was subjected to abuse, homelessness and other insecurities as Istruggled hard to protect my younger brothers and keep the family together. Today, thit is the scenario of many African girls and widows who have been affected by HIV/AIDS. The pain of my past life has been too much but as I always say to all audiences that get to hear this is that I dont tell my story to gain pity but rather to show that each one of us can turn our painful pasts into powerful engines to start the wheel of change in our society. It is with this attitude that I find the courage today to share about PROJECT AFRICA.
Women in Africa play the greatest role in fight against poverty, HIV/AIDS and malaria, unemployement, illiteracy etc yet they remain to be the most vulnerable group marginalized in every sense and denied the right as well as the resources to participate favourably in sustainable community development. In every village where I have been priviledged to interact with the rural women whether she is a commercial sex worker on the border strips waiting for cross border tourists/truck drivers or a house wife/farm labourer with her bunch of children, the sentiments of their struggle to earn a living are the same. They Say to me, "Lindy I am doing this that I am doing so that my children can go to school, have food or have a better life than that which I have been priviledged to have." I believe that My mother said the same before she contracted AIDS and died.
"We
can overcome
if we choose to
turn every pain into power
and our vulnerability into victory"
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Education is a Key to the fight against Poverty
These words are what keep me want to share with you more about PROJECT AFRICA and the vision I have for women in Africa. I believe that if educated and given a chance to train in vocational skills, African women can be empowered custodians of every good thought that those with development mindsets have for Africa. That if empowered with resources; financial, material, spiritual and moral then women in rural Africa can invest in every area of the social fabric of the African continent and will become the agents of change we so much want to see in Africa.
That is why we in PROJECT AFRICA have chosen to work with women in rural Africa. Through our Women's leadership Academy in Kenya, women are being trained to sharpen vocational skills such as sewing and stitching, mechanical engineering, repairs of mobile phones, agriculture, culinary arts and other so that they can establish trades out of these and earn an income. Our cottage industry project give them resources and facilities to work together and earn a living from profits earned from their handicrafts and other trades.
BUY Made in Africa and Build Africa!!!
Their challenge is branding and marketing of their produce which is difficult to come by both locally and internationally. We are encouraging the international community to do both aid and trade with African women. In Sweden, PROJECT AFRICA volunteers sell the handicrafts produced by women in our programs at various exhibitions and free markets. Profits are later sent to the women to pay their wages.
How you can help
We are encouraging partnership with individuals and organizations in developed countries to consider sharing skills and resources with women in Africa. May be after graduation from her sewing class, a woman has no start up capital for a small business or a sewing machine. One can choose to buy such resources by paying directly to the dealers and PROJECT AFRICA can collect the Machine on behalf of that woman or group of women that you choose to partner with.
Secondly become a volunteer and development mentor and share the skills you have wit the women in PROJECT AFRICA. Opportunities are open all year round just tell us when you are available. This transfer of skills from the North to the south is a great tool to fighting global poverty.
Thirdly, Be a friend in Swahili we say "Rafiki" meaning my friend. Being a friend to motivate a woman in our project is an empowering tool. One can write letters, post cards, video messages and other to women in our PROJECT to encourage them. Each one of us needs moral support. We know we do best when we hear cheers and shouts of love that encourage us to push on. Join our Rafiki Mwafrika team today and send messages of Love to women in our project. Send letters to PROJECT AFRICA, Rafiki Program, P.O Box 1055, 50100 Kakamega, Kenya.
Together we can BE THE CHANGE and empower women in Africa.
Visit my blog from the founder's desk
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