In other posts on this blog we have already talked about solidarity ideas as gifts for your wedding guests. But today we want to talk to you, specifically, about the Children of Africa Association. We have interviewed them so that you can discover first-hand their project and the different ways to help:
What is Children of Africa?
Children of Africa (COA) is a non-profit association made up 100% of volunteers, most of them teachers and academics, who dedicate part of their free time to cooperating with local health and education projects in rural areas of Kenya. They also spend a lot of time fighting for gender equality in the world and one of the main projects they support is the collaboration with groups of women entrepreneurs from Kenya, whose craft products are commercialized here in Spain.
What projects are you immersed in right now?
As teachers, we are almost always cooperating with one or several schools. We are currently supporting the construction of Cape of Good Hope School, Mkilo School, Mbandi School and Sembe School, all in the Kinango region, one of the most disadvantaged in the country. We also collaborate with Tsunza Medical Clinic, Makuti Study Center and three women entrepreneur groups (Tsunza 4 Life, Kata na Shona and Dzivani Group).
And how can we help from here through weddings?
Many couples choose to offer a solidarity gift to their wedding guests and, luckily, many choose the thread bracelets or the toiletry bags and hair ties handmade by these women. We process everything through our email and you can choose the products through the website that a volunteer created for it.
Tell us about those products with which we can collaborate.
For weddings and celebrations, the best ones are the colorful thread bracelets, the hair ties and ribbons or the cloth bags/cases because they are the ones that we usually have the most units (they weigh little and many units fit in the suitcases when we go there). But we also bring bags, backpacks, wallets and other various products that we usually exhibit in solidarity markets, fairs and events.
Are the labels personalized?
The products come with a small label with the logo and the web, but it does not leave much space for anything else. We have some editable digital designs that we send to the couples when they have placed the order, in which an explanation of the origin of the bracelets, the couple’s name and wedding date, etc. appears. These are customizable and the bride and groom themselves usually print it in the format, size and material that most pleases them to go according to their wedding style.
What is done with the money obtained?
The women receive 100% of the profits and receive two installments of funds per year (August and December), that is when volunteers usually go there. Then, they share a small part to cover urgent needs and another part is deposited in their group bank account to undertake other larger projects together. For example, some have bought sewing machines, others some piece of land where they are going to build rooms to rent, others have bought chickens, etc.
Are there other ways to collaborate?
All forms of collaboration appear on our main website: school sponsorships, volunteering, contributions, teaming, how to become a member, how to donate, etc. We manage everything from a WhatsApp group in which we are more than 50 volunteers and to which anyone is welcome. As they say in Kenya, «Karibu»! 😉
You know, if you want to contribute your grain of sand by giving your guests a little detail made in Africa, you just have to contact them through their email. You can also follow them on their Instagram account so you do not miss anything they do.