ADI Consultations

Irdata, which means help or generosity in the national Ethiopian language, Amharic, is a non-profit organization selling homemade Ethiopian scarves to the general public with the intentions of funneling proceeds to their impoverished creators. By selling these scarves at prices that are considered discounts by U.S. standards, their creators are able to earn a substantially higher income, enabling them to send their children to school, start new businesses, and improve their communities.

If you are interested in getting involved with Irdata or would like more information about our scarves or organization, please dont hesitite to contact us at irdata@africandi.com. We are always eager to welcome individuals wanting to know how they can help make a difference in the lives of others.

Visit Project Website · View Project Photo Gallery · E-mail: irdata@africandi.com

New Hope Ministries is a community-based organization in Uganda that provides food, shelter, education and health care to orphans and vulnerable children. The Friends of New Hope Foundation is a U.S.-based, 501c3 organization that provides financial and technical support to New Hope Ministries. In 2009, The Friends of New Hope Foundation implemented a 5-part project that aims to transform New Hope Ministries from a Ugandan ngo that is entirely dependent on foreign aid for survival to one that is entirely self-sufficient. The project accomplishes this with 5 income-generating activities that will collectively provide enough income to meet all the nutritional, educational, medical and other needs of the orphans and vulnerable children under New Hope's care. The income-generating activities include a pig farm, 10-acre sweet potato farm, poultry project, dairy project and a computer school that doubles as an internet cafe.

The Plight of Vulnerable Children
Life for most Ugandan children is very difficult, even for those with both parents still living. The many Ugandan children living in poverty rarely attend school, eat more than once a day, sleep in their own bed, or have access to basic medical care. We call vulnerable those children living in poverty without access to healthcare, education and the basic necessities of life.

The Plight of Orphans
The life of a Ugandan orphan is scarred by a degree of cruelty and neglect beyond the comprehension of most western observers. After watching both their parents waste away slowly from AIDS, the child is almost always left without an able, and many times not even a loving, caregiver. Siblings are invariably separated. Some are sent to grandparents, others to aunts, uncles and cousins. Generally speaking, the more distant the relative, the higher the degree of neglect. Orphans are treated as outsiders and given last priority in everything from distributing food at dinner to medical and school fees. If a foster family's financial situation worsens, the orphans are the first forced onto the street. With nowhere to go, girl orphans are often forced into prostitution or an early marriage. Boys join the swelling ranks of the street kids--homeless children who congregate in gangs, dig through garbage for food, sleep on store verandahs and subject themselves to all sorts of labor and even sexual exploitation.

Our Program
Under our program, we assist orphaned and vulnerable children in two categories: resident and non-resident. The resident children live on the grounds of New Hope and sleep in two of our secondary school's classrooms. Except for a brief period during the Christmas holiday when most of the children return to their home villages, we are the sole caregivers for the resident children and provide them with all their food, educational support, clothing and healthcare. The non-resident children live with relatives in Busia Town Council and receive a limited amount of food, educational support, clothing and healthcare services from us. These non-resident children come to New Hope at least once a week to play with the other children, participate in life skills training and keep us updated on their situation at home. In addition to providing the basic necessities for the 71 children under our care, we offer them much needed emotional support. So many of our children have suffered through the trauma of losing their parents or living in extreme poverty. We seek to alleviate this by providing a safe, loving environment where our children are free to be kids again. The yearly cost for this project is about $36,000.

Read more on the official website at: www.newhopeafricanchildren.org