Kiwanis
Initiative for Africa: A Challenge We Must Meet
by Raga
S. Elim, Ph.D., Chairman, Capital District Committee
on International Understanding
Introduction: Many individuals join Kiwanis clubs specifically
because we are an international organization with
a global mission-that lofty goal of changing the
world one child and one community at a time. To
this point, with a few notable exceptions, our
Capital District clubs seem to have focused on
local efforts directed toward helping our own children
and communities. This is commendable, but it does
not address the incredible needs of children worldwide.
To my mind, there is no way that we can achieve
our Kiwanis goals fully, or even partially, without
making major international outreach part of our
current activities.
Last year, our District Committee on International Understanding, which I am privileged to chair, called on district clubs to promote international understanding and, among other activities, to establish linkages with clubs outside the U.S. and Canada. We urged Capital District Kiwanians to join with clubs abroad to increase mutual understanding and determine what kind of collaborative activities we can undertake to serve the children of the world, regardless of nationality, race, religion, or ethnicity.
Some of the clubs that responded to our call highlighted partnerships they already have in place-for example, in the Ukraine, Germany, France, and Italy. Other clubs are attempting to develop relationships with Kiwanians elsewhere-in Luxembourg, Jamaica, Barbados, and the United Kingdom. These are encouraging steps, and we look forward to the flowering and fruition of these relationships. But we do not believe current efforts are sufficient to meet our overall Kiwanis objectives.
We need to expand our horizons so we can offer assistance to children who are in dire need of help in Africa and elsewhere. We need to pursue this goal boldly, cooperatively, internationally, and generously-today, tomorrow, and always. This is our mission and hope for the future and this is why we are Kiwanians. In an age where "One Can Make a Difference," we want to make that difference a positive one …Worldwide.
This is not just my own personal view. It is clearly stated in our Kiwanis Charter and repeated in our current District Strategic Plan. Read together, these two documents clearly link international projects with the fulfillment of our mission.
Initiative for Africa:
Accordingly, our District Committee on International
Understanding has decided to pursue a new approach
to achieving our global mission. We have selected Africa
because its needs are great and most of us know extremely
little about this part of the world. Other regions
of the world may be considered in future years. We
recognize our resource limitations, but surely, we
can extend a helping hand to those we can reach in
Africa without depriving our children here in the United
States. I believe we can do both with pride and with
great satisfaction.
Droughts across Africa are causing record crop failures. All the shipments of emergency food by governments and charitable organizations cannot meet the growing need for food. Only 3 percent of the arable land in Africa is irrigated, with the rest of the land dependant on rain that rarely falls. According to UNICEF, 26,000 children die every day from diseases and malnutrition in developing countries. The need, according to experts, is to expand the irrigation of arable land in Africa-thus offering a long-term solution for a complex problem.
Our goal is to raise $25,000
to help small-scale farmers in Africa increase their
food production, feed their children and families,
and grow small farming businesses. After consultation
with experts, our committee has concluded that our
best partner for this initiative is KickStart International,
a nonprofit organization established in 1991 that has
lifted more than 300,000 people in developing countries
out of poverty. It has developed various human-powered
irrigation pumps (left, man builds pump; right, two
boys operate pump in the field); the most 
powerful can lift water from depths of more
than
50 feet.
These
pumps
can be
assembled and maintained without tools and do not require
farmers to dig wells if there is a pond or a lake nearby.
Priced from $35 to $100 plus shipping, these pumps
can irrigate up to 2 acres of land. (For more information
about the most advanced irrigation technology to date,
please check http://www.kickstart.org/.) To the extent
our funds allow, we plan to pay half the cost for small
farmers who cannot afford the full price.
KickStart's pioneering efforts to expand the cultivation of arable land in Africa have been recognized by U.S. government agencies, the United Nations, and Save the Children. Earlier this year, its founder Dr. Martin Fisher won a sustainability award from MIT and was named "Engineer of the Year" by Design News. Headquartered in San Francisco, KickStart has offices in Kenya, Mali, and Tanzania. It plans to expand its efforts in East Africa and open new programs in Southern and West Africa
Action: We urge all Kiwanians reading this article to make donations to this worthy project. We call on club presidents to undertake fund raising effort within their clubs and involve members of their Service Leadership Programs in partnership. We encourage small clubs to bond with larger clubs to make a contribution. Likewise, we call on our lieutenant governors and regional trustees to do all that they can within their respective divisions and regions to help us uphold our sacred commitment to serving the children of the world wherever they are. We hope this appeal will be heard, and we thank all of you for helping us reach our goal.
You may address your questions to Raga S. Elim, relim@ cox.net or 757-645-4256.
Please make checks payable to"Capital District Kiwanis Foundation." In the memo line make the notation "Kiwanis Initiative for Africa." All contributions are tax deductible to the furthest extent of the law.
Mail checks to:
Capital District Kiwanis Foundation
c/o Charlie Adams 1601 Charrington Drive
Midlothian, VA 23113
