Due to poverty, lack of education, no job skills, and prevalence of diseases including tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, the widows and orphans in Africa are often very vulnerable to abuse, neglect, malnutrition, trafficking, and for girls as young as age 9 being sold as child brides. Fingerprints Across Africa is committed to partnering with local initiatives and churches in holistically meeting these needs by providing the needed training, skills development, and education along with spiritual care for widows and orphans to develop self-sustainable micro-enterprises in which they can provide hope and a future for themselves. Sustainable initiatives include drop in day care centers for orphaned preschoolers, skills training for teen orphans and widows, and orphan family homes for high risk vulnerable orphans. Furthermore, we provide empowerment training in micro-enterprises and using the Village Savings and Loan concepts. Check out the Projects page for more information, and join us in making a lasting impression on the lives we touch!
"Once someone touches your heart, the fingerprints last forever."
Current 2017 Project
The Problem:
One of biggest social problems facing urbanizing Africa are the orphans and street kids. With over 1 million orphans, few orphanages, and diminishing extended family support, the number of orphans living in child-headed households or living on the streets is rapidly increasing. These children are at high risk of abuse, neglect, malnutrition and disease. Without help, these orphans and street kids have NO HOPE for the future!
Street kids, as young as preschoolers, sleep in abandoned buildings, shacks made from cardboard or corrugated tin, use cardboard for blankets, or sleep in front of stores at night.
Children survive by begging, digging through garbage, or stealing.
Girls are at high risk of being trafficked out of the country to South Africa, Europe and Asia.
Girls, as young as age 9, are also high risk for being forced into child marriages.
Results in many children & teens developing STI’s (highest risk group for HIV/AIDS).
Many become addicted to sniffing glue or chewing chamba (marijuana) to try and numb the pain.
#LetChildrenBeChildren...not beggars, thieves, wives, or slave labor.
We have built orphan homes (House of Promise & Onesimus) including some dedicated for the rehabilitation of street kids. These homes house up to 10 children in one home with loving house parents. Here they are given loving care, safety, and the children go to school plus receive medical care. This year, we will complete the first home for street girls.
We have also established a preschool (Kondanani) for early start on education for 150 orphans where they also receive one nutritious meal a day. In addition, we have worked with a teen vocational skills training facility (Songani) where these teen orphans learn skills like carpentry, tailoring, and tinsmithing or pot making. This provides them with skills to earn a living and be self supporting so they do not have to beg or steal for a living. Furthermore, we have built a community center that provides additional skills training in the capitol city for both orphans and widows.
Now we need to ensure that all of these are completed, are functioning well, and are locally self-sustainable. Our goal is to help them live holistically today plus give them opportunities to build their future and leave a legacy for the next generations ~ to pass on the opportunity and skills, to give hope for their future.
The Solution:
This will enable us to completely finish the following projects ~
Kondanani Preschool classroom block. Walls are up, but it still needs doors, windows, chalk boards, and desks ~ $5,000. COMPLETED!
Songani Teen Vocational Training Center needs an industrial planer and other tools for teaching the orphans skills ~ $6,000. COMPLETED!
Lilongwe Community Center needs electricity hooked up and the septic completed ~$5,000. COMPLETED!
Lilongwe House of Promise home for orphaned girls needs flood-damaged walls repaired ~ $7,000. COMPLETED!
Onesimus Homes for street kids rehabilitation needs a water-bottling facility installed for fresh, clean water and to provide income generation ~ $12,000. TIME IS RUNNING OUT ~ THIS STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE.
You helped us complete the first four projects. Will you help us raise the remaining $12,000 for Onesimus Homes?
