Africans Do So Much with So Little

The AACDP is the opposite of a large super-charity. I would say we are a small scale, hands on, no overhead, all-volunteer non profit that aims to support local charities already in place.

In 2002 I began to send money from our contributions and craft sales to the Mama Bakhita Cheshire Home for children with disabilities in Livingstone, Zambia.

Over the years I have tried to help local students without means find tuition and believe that education is the most effective way to increase a person’s chances of getting employment.

In 2010 we began the Zambezi Doll Company to provide steady income for the children at the Mama Bakhita whose mothers struggle to care for their families. on it all.

I try to keep tabs on it all. If a student is having difficulty, I find out why. If the doll makers need more supplies, or if someone’s child is perilously ill, I am told about it and respond.

On this small scale, my intention is to provide opportunities for economic development that fit the culture and people, most of whom I have met through the craft business.

We are all just humans struggling to survive on this planet. Your contribution on one side of the globe can make a difference on the other. Africans do so much with so little.

Please help us, if you can.

Many thanks.

Two Semesters to go

My name is Tina Manda, born in Livingstone, Zambia, near the great Victoria Falls. I am 28 years old and come from a hardworking family of five. My mother is a single parent, and though it has not been easy to get by, she has always provided the basics for us.

I met Marsha through her work at the Mama Bakhita Cheshire Home where my niece has been a student for ten years. When I graduated from high school I entered several diploma courses (these were not official degree programs-MW) in business to improve my chances of finding a job. In the last three years I have taken purchasing and supply courses (purchasing and supply is the buying of products and services for the smooth running of an organization). With partial sponsorship from the AACDP I have managed to reach an advanced diploma.

My country’s economy is very unstable right now and people have to really struggle just to earn enough for food and shelter. Getting a job is not easy even with all of my course work and practicums. Most of the advertised jobs are for people with a degree.

I am a good student and have been striving to finish my education for six years.

To achieve my goal I must complete two semesters more. My tuition and expenses cost $600 per semester, because I can live at home, and I have been very grateful to have the support of the AACDP for all these years. I will be qualified to work as a procurement officer, a stores officer and an inventory controller.

If I succeed in finding a job after graduating, my desire is to help others in my family continue in school and to somehow help the Mama Bakhita Cheshire school for disabled children that I have had a close connection to through my niece for ten years. One good job can make a difference in a family and even in a community.

Thank you and God Bless you.

Sincerely, Tina Manda

Sr. Immaculata's Dream Begins

Sr. Immaculata, founder of the Mpekala Project which trains rural Zambian women in the growing and economic uses of sisal, has documented the initial phase of the planting some sisal fields.

She has photographed the new fields and the women are planning to create more fields when the rains come.

Meanwhile, as the first crops grow, the women will learn how to make various items, like baskets, bags and floor mats, from a skilled artisan.

Because sisal needs very little rain to grow it will be a dependable source of material for this purpose and can bring much needed income into these outlying areas and sustain the women and their families.