Farmers Without Borders is a farmer-led organization with a mission to support struggling agricultural communities in developing regions and to strengthen regenerative agriculture around the globe.
Our vision of the future is a world where farmers thrive through the ecologically-sound production of nutritious food and are empowered to help other farmers, strengthen their communities and preserve the environment.
We envision a future where the monocultures of factory farms and dependency on chemical fertilizers, pesticides, cheap labour and oil are succeeded by diverse systems of food production which are in harmony with the natural world and ensure social justice for those who work on the land.
We believe a bounty of nutritious food can be produced through methods that maintain or improve the fertility of the soil and the health of the environment while providing a sustainable livelihood for farmers.
For more information, please click here to visit the Farmers Without Borders website.
Nissi Orphanage – is a partnership project between VIDEA and Positively AFRICA.
The orphanage is home to 55 orphans who lost both parents to HIV/AIDS or who were lost/abandoned during the 2007 election violence. Nissi is run entirely by an incredible group of volunteers. VIDEA/Positively AFRICA are the only source of outside support and so far has provided funds for blankets and medical care, to plant beans, potatoes and maize, and to install a water tank.
Osopet HIV/AIDS Support Group – is a partnership project between VIDEA and Positively AFRICA.
Osopet provides support for 28 HIV+ children, some of whom are single or double orphans or from child/grandparent headed households. VIDEA/Positively AFRICA sponsors each child so that they can receive ARVs, medical treatment and nutritional supplements. Since support has been provided, the previous high infant mortality rate has been eliminated. VIDEA/Positively AFRICA have also provided blankets for the children and purchased a small motorcycle so that caregivers can quickly respond to the needs of the children.
Kibera Community Youth Programme (KCYP) – is a partnership project between VIDEA and Positively AFRICA
The Kibera Community Youth Programme is a dynamic group of young people who work with the community in the slums on the outskirts of Nairobi. VIDEA/Positively AFRICA are supporting KCYP’s womens’ nutrition project which allows a group of HIV+ women to purchase nutritious foods, thereby improving the effectiveness of their ARV treatments.
Lesotho
Phelisanong HIV/AIDS Support and Vulnerable Childrens Centre, is a partnership project with VIDEA, Positively AFRICA and SOLID.
Phelisanong provides a home and safe haven for 28 physically and mentally challenged children, an HIV/AIDS support programme in nearby villages, a primary school and a crafts cooperative. VIDEA and Positively AFRICA with the inspiring and generous support of the Community Access Team of the Garth Homer Society in Victoria has supported Phelisanong in several ways. Specifically, funds have been given to start a livestock farm (chickens and pigs), to purchase various items for the care of the disabled children, support for the HIV/AIDS outreach programme, etc.
VIDEA and Positively AFRICA have also provided small amounts of money for a new HIV/AIDS support group in Rhaphoka and for a group of health care workers at the Seboche Clinic so that they can visit and tend to the needs of sick people who are bedridden and homebound.
Rwanda
Village of Hope – is a partnership project between VIDEA and Positively AFRICA.
VOH supports thousands of people through youth programmes, training, human rights awareness and demonstration gardens. Positively AFRICA helped to bring water and electricity to this community. Also, VIDEA/Positively AFRICA introduced Therapeutic Touch through a “train-the-trainers” programme which has now involved over 400 practitioners.
Umuhuza.
Umuhuza is a group of approximately 100 HIV+ people on the outskirts of Kigali. VIDEA/Positively AFRICA have supported several projects to assist in income generating. This project benefitted from a VIDEA CIDA-funded intern, who worked with the organization assisting Umuhuza to strengthen its capacity.
Imbabazi - Is a partnership between VIDEA and Postively AFRICA
Imabazi provides support for approximately 1,000 children and 300 mothers in rural Rwanda. VIDEA/Positively AFRICA have provided funds to encourage member families to raise pigs and goats both to generate income and to improve nutrition.
The Nepal Education Fund
Click here to read the October 2008 Nepal Education Fund newsletter.
The Nepal Education Fund is a small privately run charity started in 2004 to help educate children in Kathmandu, Nepal. These children are from very poor families who cannot afford the yearly school fee nor the cost of school uniforms and the requisite school supplies. Some of the children have never attended school while others have had to drop out as their parents can no longer afford to send them because of financial hardship. The Nepal Education Fund currently has over 70 children sponsored to go to school from caring families in Canada, England and the US.A group of trusted Nepali friends select the children and help run this programme. If a selected Neplali family is committed to educating their children, the children are registered in school, uniforms are purchased and school supplies bought. In addition, the children are regularly monitored to check upon their progress.
The children range in age from 4 year to 18 years. Some are just starting school and others are trying to finish school. All come from similar impoverished backgrounds and typically live in one small room with their parents and siblings. Being a predominantly Hindu nation, Nepal has a distinct caste system that places both social and financial constraints on those in the lower castes. The primary method of breaking out of poverty associated with the lower castes is to become educated.In all cases, the parents are very supportive and want their children to receive an education, as they know this is their primary chance for a better life. Education is held in high esteem in Nepali society. In most cases, the parents themselves are illiterate (52% of the total population is illiterate) so they are eager for their children to have a better future that comes with an education.
The cost to sponsor and educate a child for one year is Cdn $75.00. This pays for the school registration for the year, the three mandatory annual exams, a school uniform, a school bag and supplies.There are no administration costs in this programme, so all your money goes directly to funding your child’s education for a year.In return for your generosity, you will receive a photograph of the child along with information about the family. In addition, we produce a newsletter about 3 times a year to keep everyone up to date on the success of the Nepal Education Fund.Your sponsored child will also be monitored and any change in their situation is reported back to you. Of the 70 children currently in the Nepal Education Fund, there has only been one child quit school due to family circumstances.
Interested in learning more? Take a look at the Nepal Education Fund website @ www.nepaledfund.ca.
SOLID - Saltspring Organisation for Life Improvement and Development is a Canadian NGO based on Salt Spring Island. VIDEA is proud to partner with SOLID on many projects.
SOLID is dedicated to support communities in sub-Saharan Africa facing the devastation of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. SOLID identifies and supports sustainable, community led projects that address health, education, food security and promote economic self-reliance.
SOLID works to engage the Canadian public in the global AIDS crisis, contributing to public awareness campaigns across the country and helping to facilitate Canadians contribution to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.
For more information on SOLID, please click here to visit their website.
The Women's Hope Education And Training (WHEAT) Project raises funds to support the grassroots education and training of women in Southern Africa and aims to promote a culture of giving.
We are currently working with the following partners in South Africa and Zambia:
The Love and Care Project, which provides child care in Masiphumelele Township of Cape Town to 100 children who are affected by HIV/AIDS (approximately half of whom are HIV-positive themselves), support to youth and children to attend school, and support services to HIV-positive members of the community.
Development Education and Leadership Teams in Action (DELTA), focusing on leadership development for women in rural communities regarding the psychosocial needs of children, particularly orphans affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic and HIV intervention with women, through understanding the link between vulnerability, sex, HIV/AIDS and death.
Khululeka Grief Support for Children and Youth, who are distributing the book Someone I Love Died (translated into 4 languages), a collection of stories about HIV/AIDS, loss and hope.
The Women's Hope, Education And Training (WHEAT) Trust, an organization based in Cape Town which supports a wide range of grassroots development projects for women.
YWCA Zambia, who engage in a range of development initiatives and advocacy with a focus on women's and youth empowerment, including the Children In Crisis Centre in Lusaka.
The WHEAT Project was initially operated by WHEAT Canada (which was an independent organization for three years, a sister organization to the WHEAT Trust in South Africa). It has been integrated into VIDEA's Africa Program since the fall of 2006.
The focus of the project continues to be supporting women's education and training initiatives in Southern Africa.
To donate
If you would like to donate to the WHEAT Project, please contact VIDEA or simply complete and send a WHEAT Project donation form to VIDEA. Click here for a downloadable donation form. You are welcome to target your donation to any of the above initiatives if you wish. We will issue a charitable receipt for all donations of $10 or more. Or donate online through Canada Helps (please choose the Wheat Project, or South Africa Relief in the Fund/Designation drop down menu). If you would like your donation to go to a particular initiative, please specify the project in the message box.
glasswaters foundation
The glasswaters foundation is a privately run, family foundation that works to service communities at both the local and global level. The mandate of the foundation is to support the arts, protect the environment, promote health and education, and alleviate poverty. The focus of the organization is on supporting self-determined and community based projects.
Working in partnership, VIDEA and glasswaters foundation have helped support and facilitate the development of boreholes in small communities in Africa and Nepal.
To check out the website for the glasswater foundation click here.
To view a video of a new bore hole for a community school in Mwase Mpwenge click here.
The WHEAT Project was initially operated by WHEAT Canada (which was an independent organization for three years, a sister organization to the WHEAT Trust in South Africa). It has been integrated into VIDEA's Africa Program since the fall of 2006.
