Africa Day is celebrated every May 25, in memory of the creation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1963. Years later, it would be renamed the African Union (AU) and would pursue the objective of defending the fundamental rights and freedoms of both African countries and their inhabitants.
Indeed, the UN considers the African continent a global challenge, marked by the highest extreme poverty rates in the world, political instability, the constant threat of diseases such as Ebola and the harsh consequences of climate change. Moreover, all this has been compounded by the impact of the pandemic generated by COVID-19.
For all these reasons, at Social Promotion Foundation we have always been aware of the urgency and importance of all actions aimed at favoring and promoting the development of the African continent, as well as fostering the resilience of its inhabitants. Thus, this year we have continued our cooperation work in Africa, increasing our efforts to contribute to mitigate the consequences of COVID-19, and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, “leaving no one behind”.
Following this line, we are currently developing the following projects:
Within the framework of our agreement in Ethiopia, we aim to contribute to the reduction of poverty in 5 Woredas in the Somali region, in a total of 17 kebeles. To this end, our actions are aimed at facilitating the access of rights holders to means that enable them to lead a sustainable and resilient life, as well as reducing gender inequalities.
In this regard, we have also launched a project in the Miesso and Gumbi-Bordede Woredas in order to strengthen the resilience of the rural populations of these territories to the impacts of the pandemic caused by COVID-19, as well as other threats related to climate change. Thus, lines of action are being developed aimed at water sanitation, the strengthening of specific value chains in the agricultural and food sector, and the training of citizens in entrepreneurship, management and prevention of natural disasters.
Likewise, access to education is a fundamental right that should be available to everyone in the world on equal terms. For this very reason, another of our fundamental tasks is to facilitate access to this reality on the African continent.
To this end, through the Karibu Sana project in Kenya, we ensure education for street children, mainly from the Kibera slum in Nairobi, where the population lives in shantytowns without running water, latrines or safe electricity.
To this end, Karibu Sana offers scholarships (tuition and school supplies), and support to Kwetu Home of Peace – managed by the Catholic Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of Eldoret, who rescue boys from the streets, aged 6 to 14, to rehabilitate and reintegrate them into society – and to the Kibera schools, Desert Streams of Kibera and Transform School.
In Uganda, on the other hand, we have focused on creating a project that will enable the economic and social transformation of communities in the Wakiso district by empowering women and girls. The aim is to provide them with education through literacy courses, vocational trainings, hygiene, nutrition and health counseling and human rights awareness.