It is a continent where 25 million adults and children are battling A.I.D.S. Civil wars rage among citizens who are constantly at the mercy of political strife. Millions live in abject poverty with little expectation of improvement. In Africa, the facts are grim and it is easy to ask the question that hovers in the minds of many: How does one begin to help?
Africa Aid, a new nonprofit organization based in San Diego, claims it has the answer. Founded by UCSD graduate and Executive Director Eric Woods, the organization heeds the call of Africa’s underprivileged communities and does it with a plan that is unique to the hundreds of relief groups aiding Africa.
Woods was inspired to create Africa Aid by current international economic theories, “The End of Poverty,” by Jeffrey Sachs, a former personal advisor to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and a trip to Ghana — an experience that allowed Woods to see the problems in Africa more clearly than ever.
After considering the astounding task of easing Africa’s poverty with a manageable and efficient system, Africa Aid concludes that the most practical way to do so is to separate itself from political and money-driven establishments in order to allow a different force to help Africa, a force that holds not only the desire but also the power to help: the people.
Its plan rests on students and the academic resources of universities as the main hub of the program. So far, Africa Aid has collaborated with San Diego State University and the University of San Diego in creating education programs and relief projects with close ties to key communities in Africa. Localizing relief efforts is what Africa Aid believes will be the key that opens the door for hunger relief, water sanitation initiatives and a solid method of education.
“We wanted to find a way to tackle all these problems at once,” Woods said. “In my eyes, the only way to do that is invest in all areas of the community. You have all these minds that are working together and you have students who are passionate and want to get involved. This is the nucleus of our program.”
UCSD graduate student Jon Shafran, a sociology major, believes that it is this power within the students and the resources that a university setting provides that motivates Africa Aid in its plan of action.
“When you’re in college, there is so much exposure,” Shafran said. “Students are historically involved in civil activism and it’s one of the best ways to get involved.”
But more than using the energy of universities to feed the task of aid, it is the responsibility of maintaining the flow of relief from the United States, localized or not. Executive Vice President and Thurgood Marshall College Senior Chris Taylor is adamant in not only providing aid, but providing a trustworthy relationship with communities in a culturally conscious manner that will allow for positive change.
“We want to focus on sustainability and in order to do that, you have to work with the locals — Africans — and help them design their programs because they know their needs more than anyone else,” Taylor said.
Africa Aid is also keen on allowing students to use their education to an advantage by stepping outside the limits of the university and applying their skills, for example, on engineering projects, international economics, teaching and health care.
“There’s a lot more to life than just your studying or just your books,” Shafran said. “Africa Aid provides hands-on work.”
Africa Aid is currently working with the community of Buduburam, a Liberian refugee settlement in Ghana that holds about 52,000 residents, according to Africa Aid. Upon the official end of the Liberian civil war, the result was a settlement with no safe drinking water, an unsteady education system and a severe shortage of doctors and teachers.
“It’s getting this stuff out in classrooms and letting students design programs specifically for places where you [not only] have aid that’s … tailored, but allows students to use their knowledge and applying it to the real world,” Taylor said. “The problems in Africa are reasonable when they’re scaled down.”
Members will travel to Buduburam in two weeks to assess the problems in the settlement. They will take water samples to develop a substantial water sanitation system for its residents.
The organization acknowledges the difficulty of achieving slow and steady improvement in Buduburam. But after the initial frenzy of introducing their idea to professors and universities, Woods and Taylor gained their ultimate goal: developing an established model for other organizations to adopt and consider.
Africa Aid partners itself with other organizations such as the One campaign, a promotional site that actively works with celebrity names to further capture the attention of an audience that is interested in the cause to end poverty, but uncertain of where to begin. And events such as the Live 8 worldwide concert and films like “Invisible Children,” a documentary detailing the Sudanese civil war’s effect on neighboring Uganda and its children, have showcased the relief possibilities to a younger generation.
“We’ve had such a strong response because we have grassroots, community level programs,” Woods said. “[The] One [campaign] rallies millions, and we’re the bridge that takes it over to Africa with programs.”
Africa Aid is a pending student organization at UCSD but, as a new nonprofit organization, is slowly gaining recognition through word of mouth, its Web site and promotional events here in San Diego. Eventually, Africa Aid aims to expand to other Southern California communities in Los Angeles and Orange County. Here in San Diego, the foundation has been built and its model is ready for other organizations to follow.
Currently, Africa Aid is collaborating with Bridge for Africa, a La Jolla based nonprofit organization, to design a plan for building relationship between Liberian and Ghanian craftsman so that their trades can be brought to the United States.
“We have committed people who believe in the goal and who believe in helping Africa and when you have that, you have an undying effort,” Woods said.
For more information regarding Africa Aid, visit http://www.africaaid.org.
