HARAMBEE CENTRE
Connecting With the People and Cultures of Africa

 

General Information:
“Harambee” is Swahili for “let’s pull together,” a concept  representing the power of a group to act as a change agent.  Harambee’s logo is the Ashanti adinkra for strength.

Harambee’s mission is to pull people together for the good of the global community.  We directly support health and education projects in Africa, education and cultural programs in the United States, and seek to connect people and groups in both places. 

Harambee believes  multicultural education and intercultural exchange are essential to building genuine understanding, respect and enduring relationships among diverse peoples.

Harambee’s Goals
Support African communities to sustain and develop projects empowering women and children to realize better lives through health, education, and business enterprises.

Offer programs to North Americans that enhance knowledge, appreciation, and celebration of African cultures.

Provide multicultural education and cultural exchange experiences between the United States and countries in Africa including:  Uganda, Ghana, Tanzania, and Kenya.

Harambee’s Initiatives
Multicultural Education  Increase knowledge and appreciation of African cultures and traditions through speaking engagements, cooking events, cultural presentations, art exhibits, book clubs, library services, music, and language classes.

Cross-Cultural Exchange  Facilitate, organize, and support educational and internship programs that introduce Americans to Africa and Africans to people of the Pacific Northwest.

African Community Development  Generate funds from U.S. donors to help African communities develop and sustain self-help projects that focus on empowering women and children to realize better lives through improved health, education, and business enterprise.

 

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Watoto Wa Dunia Mission Statement:
Watoto Wa Dunia (Children of the World) is an international, grassroots organization committed to the emotional and physical betterment of children and communities all around the world.

General Information:
Watoto Wa Dunia is a grass roots organization that works with volunteers in local communities to find sustainable solutions to problems facing impoverished children and communities. We are based in Portland, Oregon and Nairobi, Kenya. We have an office in Nairobi, which is supported by a dynamic and dedicated group of Kenyans known as the Kenya Advisory Council. We work hand in hand with the Advisory council, supporting the programs they develop.

To date, we have developed a Child Sponsorship Program for Kenyan children, a micro enterprise program for poorwomen in the slums of Nairobi, and have begun constructing an Empowerment Village for street children, and a community center in Kibwezi district Kenya. Upon completion the Empowerment village will house up to 40 orphans.

Watoto wa Dunia's programs foster self-reliance by addressing the basic needs of disadvantaged children and communities such as: food, housing, and medical assistance. We provide educational, voluntary, social, and multi-cultural projects through which people may improve their own situations, and that of their community.

Our organization runs completely with the help of our amazing volunteers and board members. There is no paid staff, just passionate people that keep our engine running!

To get involved, contact:
Audra Bates, Volunteer Coordinator
wwdvolcord1@yahoo.com

 

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Bola Moyo Mission Statement:
Supporting and mobilizing African communities in response to poverty, suffering, and inequality.

 

 

General Information:
In 2004, Bola Moyo (Chichewa for Better Life) was formed as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, in response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic and, more specifically, its effects on Malawi, Africa. As we grew in experience and knowledge, we began recognizing this disease's complex relationship with hunger and food security, women's rights, poverty, cultural forces, etc. Bola Moyo is all about relationships. We don't erect big buildings, we don't use any long acronyms to describe what we are doing (and we call ourselves an NGO?), and our programs are certainly not flashy. We aren't looking to "save Africa" or even Malawi, and we don't mind that we can't list off a polished managerial list of our top ten objectives and the statistics that suggest they are being met.

We are interested in truly getting to know people and their community, learning their needs, encouraging discussion and assessment of local resources, and seeing what comes about, organically. So far, what's come about, is:

• The House of Many Stories Youth Centre – A safe place for youth to discover and develop their abilities, talents, and critical thinking skills through the creative arts, small group tutoring, and team-oriented games and sports. 
• PRIDE clubs – A five-level leadership development program and curriculum for youth, loosely based off of the “scouting” models, featuring small groups of around ten, meeting weekly.
• Adult Literacy and Continuing Education for Women – A program resulting from the realization that many of the mothers of the youth coming to our Centre desire to learn how to read and write or continue their otherwise thwarted educations.

How to get involved:
Please visit our website and sign up for our e-mail list to learn more of and stay up-to-date with these projects.  Those interested in getting involved (internship, volunteer, etc.), can contact Dustin Pattison at: dustin@bolamoyo.com or (503) 508-8898. 

Upcoming event(s):
There will be an annual fall event next October or November. 

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HANDZ
(Helping Academic Need and Development in Zambia)

Mission Statement:
Helping to provide equal educational opportunities and encourage sustainable development for communities living in poverty in Zambia, Africa.

General Information:
HANDZ is a group working together to form a nonprofit, tax exempt organization to help provide equal opportunity educational scholarships, tutoring programs, college tuition, career development resources, community development, and sustainability in Zambian villages. 

HANDZ members work with Zambian residents and a Zambian HANDZ committee to gain insight on the communities’ specific needs, work with them to make goals for self-sustainability, and lay out means of communication throughout the year.

In 2007 HANDZ provided over 120 children, ranging from grades 6-12 with partial and full academic scholarships.   These scholarships went toward their school fees, blankets and food, the cost of books and supplies, and helped pay for their mandatory school uniforms.  HANDZ plans to strengthen the scholarship program by increasing the number of scholarships granted and by providing assistance for college students.
   
HANDZ also funded two community endeavors for the local women's centers, including a purse making project and a community garden meeting area.  Our continuing goal is to support and help create income-generating projects for the villages, namely the women’s centers. 

In 2007, all of HANDZ’ scholarship and community support projects took place in the Copper Belt region of Zambia and were funded with only $5,000 USD.

How to get involved:
HANDZ members work together to raise funds, educate the local community (mainly in Portland), and get involved with global poverty and AIDS awareness organizations.
    
HANDZ seeks to raise awareness of and help to combat the current poverty, hunger, and AIDS stricken situation in Zambia.  Thus, our greatest need is assistance in organizing fundraising events, writing grants, and attending non-profit events as a HANDZ representative.
    
Please visit our website, HANDZambia.org. Check the “Get Involved” section for more ways to help out!
Website: http://www.handzambia.org
Email:  handzambia@gmail.com
Emily Smith (President, International Relations Coordinator )
Jill Winger  (Marketing Coordinator, Vice President)
Kimberly Lewis (Fundraising Coordinator)
Andrew Gross (Financial Coordinator)

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