Causes

There are several things that hurt my heart when it comes to Africa, the continent that is blessed with so many resources, yet due to mismanagement, greed, corruption and all sorts of social ills that retard what could be the greastest region in the world. The end result of all of this is people living in substandard conditions. Now I know people create NGOs and non profits to further their personal (mostly financial agenda) pretend to be down for a cause, meanwhile they eat whatever funds are raised, but there are some organizations that provide genuine help to the causes that they're rallying for. Here are just a few of them doing great work to raise awareness, educate, empower and effect change in their communities and countries.

Down Syndrome Association - Nigeria
It comes at no surprise to me that there is no valid data about the number of babies born with Down Syndrome in Nigeria, and they're no resources to support families with babies born with Down syndrome. This organization helps to raise awareness about Down Sydrome, educate parents and give them a support network, which is very necessary in a society that pretends people with Down syndrome don't exist.

Hakikazi
This Tanzanian group is focused on making sure people have a right to their say. They educate people on social, economic, environmental and technical decisions that affect their everyday lives and through the education, they continually empower them to be a part of that decision by having their say. Education and empowerment of the "regular" man in Africa is usually unheard of, I commend this group for their grassroots effort to involve more people in decisions that affect them and changing (slowly, surely) their country.


Streets Ahead
An organization focused on helping children (aged 6 - 20) who are living on the streets of Harare. These children are byproducts of poverty, HIV/AIDS, alcoholism etc. and Streets Ahead works to rehabilitate them. They provide a safe space for them, support and counsel them, while acting as advocates for children's rights in Zimbabwe.


There are many more organizations throughout Africa that are spearheading their causes. I am a fan of the above organizations and one day I'll highlight all the organizations that bring me hope.