2016 News www.AFCAids.org

@AFCAids

ANOTHER FULL YEAR

WHAT YOU HAVE DONE

It is always a pleasure to visit the programs we support and once a year, I

find myself headed to Africa, excited for what I’ll see. Driving through

green, majestic lands and through desolate, desert-like landscapes in differ-

ent countries of Africa always brings a smile to my face. I get excited to re-

turn to this beautiful continent where I know I will meet friends with whom

I’ve worked for many years and where the stars shine brighter than any-

where else I’ve been.

Yes, Africa is incredibly beautiful, but what makes me most excited is the

fact that I get to visit hospitals, schools, and orphanages where children are

thriving because of people like you. You’ve made it possible for a small or-

ganization like AFCA to feed children and their guardians; to give children

and pregnant moms the medicine they need; to train families in husbandry

and gardening so they can become self-reliant; to keep children in school

through the provision of school fees, school supplies and feminine products;

and to provide the families with seeds, water filters, solar lights, and live-

stock. So, basically, we can say that YOU make me smile as I visit projects

because you’ve made what we do possible!

In a continent hurt by drought, famine, epidemics of all kinds, and war, I

know that AFCA is making a difference in the lives of the babies and chil-

dren in our programs. I want you to meet some of these people, so please

meet Martin and read about Kibiito Hospital. If I could share with you all

the stories of the good being done by AFCA and you, we’d have to go

through reams of paper. So, instead, check out our website at

www.AFCAids.org and read about it there. You’ll read that girls are staying

in school, that babies are being born healthy, that children are eating well,

and that sustainable

projects are increas-

ing. I hope you’ll

know that you are a

vital part in all of this.

Without you, there

would be no AFCA.

MARTIN

One thing that makes Martin special to me is his desire to learn. He has little - a hovel for a house, no parents, and no means with which to get himself out of a horrible situation. But, he knows that education can get him out of that hovel and that if he studies hard and does well, he can continue on to college and to a good job. When I first met Martin, it was 7 years ago and I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. He looked at me blankly, not able to comprehend that one day, with the right medicine and good food, he'd make it to adulthood. He'd seen his parents die of a virus that was in his own body and he assumed he'd meet the same fate. Now, ask him what he wants to be and Martin will look at you in the eyes, he will smile a little smile and will say, "a pilot". I hope that one day, when you are flying to some corner of the world, you'll see the flight crew boarding the plane before you and you'll look at the handsome pilot's name tag and you notice that says MARTIN on it. When you do, smile a little smile, look at him in the eyes and tell him "I knew you could do it".

“I am just the pair of eyes who had the privilege of seeing your hard work come together” - Tanya Weaver

There’s even a room for women who

walk 20 miles to deliver their baby at

Kibiito. They come early so that they

can make the walk without giving

birth on the road and they can stay

here, comfortable and cared for until

their little one makes his or her ap-

pearance. I must look so silly, smiling

away, touching things I’ve touched be-

fore, but in PA. I keep thinking that our

volunteers, those who make this type of miracle happen, should be

here to see the fruits of their labor.

The district president arrives and I am supposed to “hand over” the

donation. I have no idea what this means exactly, but he looks me

square in the eyes and says, “please thank the people of the United

States for loving the people of Uganda. You’ve always been so gener-

ous to us and you have given us hope. Tell all of them how grateful we

are.” So, to each person who touched any of the items in that contain-

er, THANK YOU. To all the donors, and to all of those who sewed,

cleaned, packed, inventoried, loaded, unloaded, boxed up, counted,

folded, and prayed…thank you.

The celebration in Kibiito Hospital was not mine. It was all of ours

and I am just the pair of eyes who had the privilege of seeing your hard

work come together.

Well done, team. Well done.

KIBIITO HOSPITAL, UGANDA

Kibiito Hospital is the exact opposite of when I saw it last.

I visited the hospital two years ago and it was a thing of beauty. Brand new

construction, gorgeous floors, nice sized hallways, a large surgery room, etc.

Problem? It was empty. All this space and all these dreams stood empty.

Today, that new building is what hope looks like. The maternity ward is in full

swing, delivering an average of 220 babies per month and the mamas are rest-

ing on beds donated by AFCA while the babies are wearing little hats crocheted

by those who love these babies, even without meeting them. Brand new mat-

tresses bring out a groan of delight from one mom who says, “this is THE most

comfortable I’ve ever been. The bed feels so solid and I know it won’t fall be-

neath me”. The NICU is a wonder to behold with incubators, cribs, baby warm-

ers, and other necessary things. Yes, all from AFCA’s warehouse. Every piece of

furniture came from AFCA’s warehouse and the head doctor is so incredibly

proud to ask us to sit in his office, now that he has a desk and chairs.

The file cabinets? Yes, from AFCA.

RANKINGS

Charity Navigator has given

AFCA its highest ranking—4

stars.

AFCA has a Gold Star rating

with Guidestar, thanks to our

fiscal responsibility and trans-

parency.

AFCA has 20/20 points from

the Better Business Bureau.

Charity Watch has given AFCA

a Top-Rated Charity ranking.

Independent Charities of

America declares AFCA a “Best

Charity in America”

New NICU, fully equipped

Pregnant women, resting on new beds

What does it mean to have

4 stars or to be top rated by

a charity watchdog? It

means they have reviewed

our programs and finances

and found that we are

transparent, honest, truly

serving the children in our

care, and that we are fiscal-

ly responsible.

VACATION WITH A PURPOSE

AFCA has an exciting program called Vacation with a Purpose. When

people go on one of these trips, they get the chance to work side

by side with the communities in which we serve. Together, we

paint schools, houses or churches; we do medical care for the

community; we teach English; we build houses for orphaned

families; we play with children; we build playgrounds; and we

give HOPE while having an incredible experience in another part

of the world.

Right now, we have teams going to:

Miwani, Kenya in June and July 2017

Bulawayo, Zimbabwe in August 2017

Papoli, Uganda in August and November 2017

Matopos and Bulawayo, Zimbabwe in December 2017

If this type of travel interests you, please contact us at adven-

tures@AFCAids.org. We’d love to have you on one of our teams!

Doctors, nurses, administrators, teachers, painters, gardeners,

moms, dads, builders, plumbers, businessmen and women,

seamstresses, electricians, and people of all backgrounds are

needed, so don’t think that you don’t have skills you can share!

We have travelled with folks of all backgrounds and each of them

has been a valuable member of a team, sharing their skills with

members of the community and making things a little better for

the kids we serve.

AFCA started work in

Africa in 2005

AFCA works in Zimba-

bwe, the Democratic

Republic of the Congo,

Uganda, and Kenya

AFCA has a staff of one

full time person and one

half time person

AFCA has a warehouse

in Lebanon, PA, where

donated medical sup-

plies and equipment are

cleaned, inventoried,

packed and shipped

Presently, 97% of HIV+

children in our pro-

grams survive this pan-

demic when they re-

ceive the food and med-

icine they need

Kibiito, Uganda

3

DID YOU KNOW?

2/3 of the cost of each trip goes directly to our programs!

Our Climb Up so Kids Can Grow Up family of adventures has expanded

to include New Zealand and Peru! Now, you can climb Mt. Kilimanjaro

in Tanzania, trek up to Machu Picchu in Peru, hike and kayak in the

Southern Island of New Zealand, or climb up and help rebuild Bigu in

Nepal. So many adventures on which to embark! Visiting other parts

of the world is exciting, isn’t it?

We are proud that each of these trips provides food, medicine, and hope

to hundreds of children we serve. A full 2/3 of the cost of each trip goes

directly to our programs!

If you are interested in learning more about these adventures and to

discover part of the world you’ve always dreamed of going to, please go

to www.AFCAids.org/climb for more information or drop us an email at

adventures@afcaids.org.

2016 will end with a bang for AFCA,

in the very best way possible. We

have some incredible projects lined

up, all of them with the intention of

helping HIV+ children and moms

break the cycle of poverty.

In Zimbabwe, we are opening a sec-

ond multiplication center, where

goats will be bred to ensure a good

line of animal that will produce more

milk and more meat, depending on

the needs of the community. From

there, orphaned families will each

receive three pregnant goats once

the families are trained in their care

and basic veterinary skills. This is

basically a “goat loan”, as after three

years, the beneficiary families will

give three pregnant goats to another

trained family. By this time, the orig-

inal families should be able to care

for themselves, not needing AFCA

anymore.

In Uganda, a second set of orphaned

families is being trained in livestock

care and gardening so they can

break out of the cycle of poverty. A

container of medical supplies is

scheduled to leave USA, bound for

Uganda in mid-November, as well.

In Kenya, we are working closely

with a sisal project (fiber from where

bags, rope, and many other things

are made) which hires HIV+ moth-

ers so that their children can go to

school, so that they can all eat well,

and so that they have enough funds

for their basic necessities. Attached

to that project is a school, for which

we are raising funds in order to

build good, decent, hygienic bath-

rooms.

In the Democratic Republic of Con-

go, the folks w e trained as vet-

techs are now providing vaccines to

the community animals, earning

some income for themselves while

making sure that the animals are

well-taken care of and healthy. They

use the only solar vet fridge in the

region, thanks to AFCA!

CLIMB UP SO KIDS CAN GROW UP

LOOKING FORWARD

4 If you’d like send an end-of-year contribution to AFCA, please make check out

to AFCA and send to 6221 Blue Grass Avenue. Harrisburg, PA 17112 or go to

www.AFCAids.org and click on the donate button.