African Children’s Choir perform to raise funds.

Today I came across this fascinating story by Angella Wollen in the Sun News, which I thought I must share with you.

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In February 2011, Thirteen Ugandan children started their travel though the Southeast states of the U.S in the quest of raising the support they need for their education.

The children, ages 7 to 11, are part of the African Children’s Choir. Scheduled to perform about three to four times a week,  their concert will feature African dance and songs sung in the native language of Luganda, as well as familiar favorites like “He’s Got the Whole World” and “Highway to Heaven.”

The African Children’s Choir has been in existence since 1984 with the goal of providing education to African children. Since its existence the choir has helped thousands of African children.

The children chosen for the choir are some of the neediest in their country. They are given five months of training by the organization before coming to the U.S. for a year.

“The goal is to find the most vulnerable and needy children to be ambassadors for their country,” said Kari Penrod, tour leader for the choir who has been with the organization for two years.

Kari’s first experience with Uganda was through a study abroad program. After she returned home, she a concert, fell in love with it, and signed up to become a leader two weeks after she graduated…

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When I read this story, I thought this was an inspirational story about brave children in pursuit of a dream, and the people gracious enough to help them reach that dream. If this story appeals to you, please get in touch with the Guardian Network to find out what we do, and see how you can get involved… better yet click on the following ‘link’ right now. We might be a small charity but we’ve got a big heart, and just the same level of passion for our kids!

If you would like to find out when the choir will be in your area, please visit their website africanchildrenschoir.com.

Source: The Sun News

Isn’t it time we start planning ahead…. ?

Africa is the only continent to have become poorer in the past 25 years.  

With each economic year, Africa grows more dependent on international support for food, investment and education; a risky position that would eventually prove to be our detriment. Our delicate position is clearly reflected in a recent report by the United Nations, which stated that the orgnisations global drive to get every child into primary education is being knocked off course by the global financial crisis.

In the annual report on its ‘Education For All initiative’  UNESCO warned that much of the progress of the past decade could be undone as education budgets everywhere – particularly in sub-­Saharan Africa – get cut back as the flow of aid from rich countries dwindles. There are currently 72 million children in the world with no access to education, whilst in sub Saharan African countries 50% of  young adults have fewer than four years of education.

Looking to external sources for funding and charity is not sustainable in the long term. The recent global economic crisis is a reflection of this; once more developed countries got hit by financial hardship, support for developing countries plunged. Do we really want to continue to place the future of our countries and the lives of our brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews, in someone else hands?

It is up to us to develop the resources we have in order to safe guard the future of our home countries. One of these resources – indeed one of the most important – are its people and we can capitalize on this by providing them the opportunity to access the knowledge and the tools required to instigate change.

For Africa’s children, education is perhaps their strongest barrier against poverty. Educated children are likely to be more productive when they grow up, get better paid in the workplace, become able to lead and inspire others. Girls are likely to marry later, in more favorable terms and have healthier children.

Help a child receive education today, and help shape Africa ’s economic future. Visit the Guardian network website today to find out how.

Sources:

http://www.unicef.org/mdg/poverty.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/jan/20/education-for-all-unesco-warning

Seven great real life stories of success and hope

We wanted to share with you, the stories of seven children whose lives have been changed by the kind support of seven people who wanted to make a difference to a child in need. Each is story of the real success that child sponsorship can bring in changing the lives of underprivileged children in Africa. To learn more and to sponsor a child in Africa visit our website. It costs from as little as £6.50 per month to change a life forever.

Motale Blaise

Motale Blaise- came top of his class!

Motale Blaise was a little 10 year old intelligent boy who was at his final year in primary school when we found him. Blaise lost his father and his mother is unemployed and could not afford to register him for the final year exam which meant that he was at risk of not sitting for the exam and going on to secondary school.

Thankfully, we found Motale a sponsor and he emerged as the best pupil in his Common Entrance exam centre. Motale now has the ambition of becoming an engineer and with the continuous help from his sponsor, he is pursuing his dream.

Sabina Bih Mongo

Sabina Mongo now has new "guardian"

Sabina’s father died when she was just fours years old in 2008, leaving her to be looked after by her mother who struggles to make any kind of income by being a peasant farmer and petty trader. Their living conditions are desperate.

Sabina did not go to school but helped her mother by selling food on the streets. Her mother and Sabina desperately want her to go to school like the other children in her community and she knows that eventually Sabina will need to support the family in her later life.

The Guardian Network Africa found Sabina a sponsor – a little girl called Mika who is not much older than Sabina- who had forgone recieving her birthday presents to help Sabina. Now Sabina is enrolled in school and can look forward to a brighter future.

Nadesh Kudi Kakon

Nadesh - back at school and rebuilding her life

Nadesh is a very intelligent orphan who always tops her class. Despite her brilliant results, she had to repeat year 5 in primary school because her care-taker (aunt) could not afford the extra cost of about £20 to register her for the First School Leaving exam.

Only last year, Nadesh’s aunt died and with no one else to sponsor her, Nadesh was forced to drop out of school one month to the end of term.  She went to live with her uncle in Wotutu village and joined the struggle for survival with ten of her other cousins under his care.

With the help of her teachers, our Child Support Manager, Orock, found her just two weeks before her end of year exam living under deplorable conditions, and got her back to school by finding her a sponsor. She was able to move on to the next class where she would pass her Common entrance with flying colurs. Nadesh is now in secondary school.

Mdajong George Mukwe

George -given a second chance by The Guardian Network Africa

At the tender age of eleven, George lost both his parents and had to go live with his uncle in Douala. However, George was not sent to school to complete his primary education and was ill-treated by his uncle. He ran away and went to live with his aunt who works as a housemaid in Limbe. But because she could not look after him with her meager wage, George found a job as a house help in exchange for food and shelter.

George has two younger siblings residing with other relatives in their village, whom he is directly responsible for, but cannot do much to help them under his circumstances.

We felt that George’s childhood was stolen and wanted to give him the chance he had unfairly missed to better his future. We found George a sponsor and a mentor, and now George is looking to start as an apprentice electrician, while still maintaining his house help job that provides him food and shelter.

Lois -Tracy Ngemba Tambe

Lois Tracy Ambe can now go to school

Lois-Tracy lost her dad when she was just one year old and her young widow mum, Felicitas, became a victim of a common cultural malpractice of suffering ill treatment from her family in law.

Felicitas  was kicked out of her house, all their property  seized and she was left alone with just a bed, a single room, no job, no husband and a baby to cater to.

For three years after her father’s  death, Lois-Tracy and her mum lived  hand to mouth trying to make ends meet but with very little success. Having had very little education herself, her mum has been unable to find work and is relying on help from other family members and good samaritans for food and basic needs.

Now Lois Tracy life has changed for the better and through the generous support of a sponsor she is now back at school, eagerly getting on with her primary school studies and looking to a brighter future.

Faithgreat Tendor

Faithgreat - Our most recent success story

Faithgreat Tendor is a smart and intelligent kid, but lacked the financial resources to support his education. His father abandoned him and his mother who is just 18 years of age. Both mother and grand mother find it very difficult to provide the basic needs of the child, talk less of education and medication.

Despite getting brilliant results and great praise from his teachers, Fathgreat Tendor stopped going to school when he was in nursery but thanks to a kind sponsor, Elvis Tabi Nimba, Faithgreat will once again be given the chance of going to school and living up to the great expectations that his school have of him.

Limunga Magdalene Mwambo

Limunga - reunited at school with her new classmates

Limunga is a 15 year old orphan who was raised by her grandmum. Being  only one of nine children she was forced to drop out of school as her grandmum could no longer afford to send her to school. She had become too weak to cultivate and sell crops in the market – their only source of income.

But now, with the help of one of our sponsors, Limunga was able  her primary education and is now enrolled into a technical secondary school in Limbe which will give her more chances of integrating into the community when she graduates.

A big thank you to our supporters-

Changing children’s lives – one at a time

Read the stories of Yuh and  Akoakwe now and become part of another success story.

Meet Nadesh…

Nadesh is a very intelligent orphan who always tops her class. Yet, she was forced to drop out of school when her only sponsor, her aunt, died last year – 2009.

Fortunately, our local representative Orock, found her and she is about to experience a life changing opportunity. Read more about Nadesh here.

The curious case of George…

The curious case of George

George’s childhood was stolen at the tender age of 11 when his parents died, leaving him with two younger siblings. Due to the ill-treatment he subsequently suffered at the hands of family members, George had to resort to an extremely bold and courageous decision that cost him his entire childhood.

We felt the need to give George the opportunity he was so unjustly denied. Read more on George’s story here.