WHO IS THIS SHIPMENT HELPING?

“We want to empower communities to become self-sustaining,” write Crossroads’ partners in Tanzania. It’s a challenge in rural areas where people are so dependent on agriculture that changes in climate or a poor harvest can devastate entire families’ livelihoods.

The most vulnerable in these communities are children and young people living on the streets, or without family support. Our partners have a network of children’s centres and training programmes for these groups of children and youth, knowing that without education and a place to live, there would be no hope of escaping the poverty cycle. “Most of these children were abandoned because they happened to be children of single parents, or victims of diseases like HIV/Aids, tuberculosis, or typhoid.”

We are shipping goods to support their work, including textbooks and stationery for school students, appliances and household goods for children’s homes and offices, clothing, bedding, blankets for vulnerable children and youth, and goods like fabric for their tailoring training programmes.


‘Orphans’ aren’t always those who’ve lost both parents. Many children in children’s homes or in-home care in our partners’ communities, like Doris (right) and Juma (left) have people to care for them, but their relatives are themselves so impoverished that they need extra support from our partners for basics like food, clothing and school fees. Goods from this shipment will support some of those needs.


BUILDING ON PAST INVESTMENTS

Crossroads shipped to these partners some years ago, sending educational goods, clothing and furniture. Staff wrote of the impact that the shipment made. School books helped raise the grades of primary and secondary students (above), while preschool children now have comfortable furniture to use while learning. Children in their network of children’s centres were grateful for clothing and shoes to help relieve the burden of affording these basic essentials themselves.

The needs are growing, though. Our partners are expanding their services and building new buildings that are waiting to be filled with furniture and equipment. Not only are they opening new children’s homes, but they are seeking to give in-home support and care to more children who do have relatives to live with, but who are financially strained. Goods from this shipment will support education and training for these and other vulnerable children.


The harbour at Dar Es Salaam, home to a busy trade port, is helping a rapidly growing economy, but those in rural areas, particularly orphans and vulnerable children like Felicia (below), and people living with diseases or disabilities, can be left behind.


WANT TO BE PART OF THESE LIFE CHANGING STORIES?

Sponsor a container: We need HK$ 50,000 to send any of our waiting shipments on their way. Email us for a list of projects needing funds: partnerships@crossroads.org.hk

Give goods: We can help your company or group find projects that need your quality superseded goods. Email partnerships@crossroads.org.hk

Volunteer: We need regular volunteers in a huge variety of roles across the work, from manual labor to administration and specific skilled roles. Email volunteer@crossroads.org.hk

Reference No : S1864C

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Ethiopia Snapshot

Population: 57.3 million.
Capital: Dodoma
Largest City: Dar es Salaam
Main languages: Swahili (official) and English, and more than 100 local languages.

“Tanzania is in transition,” says a recent UN report. “East Africa’s second biggest economy is growing rapidly. Its population could approximately double to 100 million by 2050 with an unprecedented shift of people from the countryside to the city. With its population set to grow by one million a year, demand for housing, water, sanitation and healthcare is climbing steadily.” About 80% of the population still relies on agriculture to survive, and one in four people are living below the poverty line.

Source: UNDP

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At the end of last century, Ethiopia faced a catastrophic famine that caught the world’s attention and caused the death of millions. Today, despite relative stability and a fast-growing economy, nearly a quarter of the nation is still living in poverty. The 2016 Horn of Africa drought and floods showed that the rural population is still highly vulnerable to the effects of natural disasters.

We are shipping to a college in Ethiopia with a special focus on leadership training, aiming to be part of the positive growth and development of the nation. Their heartfelt goal is to produce graduates ‘passionately committed to transforming their society.’

When Crossroads first shipped to these partners in 2006, their college was occupying rented quarters, waiting for help to move into a permanent site in 2007. Our goods helped furnish their new facility, helping educate hundreds of students. “That shipment enabled us to set up a computer lab, and to furnish several classrooms with hundreds of chairs and classroom desks. The shipment allowed us to equip the men’s dormitory with chairs and the whole operations of the college used materials to facilitate learning.”

Now, once again, they’re expanding and they have asked for our help. This time, they’ve built a women’s dormitory large enough to accommodate 258 students, as well as a new kitchen and dining facility, but they’re waiting for furniture and equipment to bring these spaces to life and make them fully functioning.


SUSTAINABILITY INNOVATIONS

Operating in one of Africa’s poorest nations has meant our partners have to seek creative solutions for their college to stay sustainable, like this poultry project, as well as raising their own cattle and farming crops.

Goods from this shipment will help administer projects that continue to help their sustainability.


EDUCATED FOR PEACEMAKING

When fighting erupted in Amanuel’s village between different tribes, Amanuel was well trained to help broker peace. He had graduated from our partners’ college in Ethiopia, taking courses in conflict management and resolution as part of his education. Now an elementary school teacher, Amanuel’s training in conflict resolution helped him take leadership in the efforts to solve the village’s in-fighting. He began organising seminars, gathering tribal leaders together to inspire cooperation and peace. His approach was successful, and the community was able to exist in harmony once more, thanks in part to the education Amanuel had accessed through his college. Amanuel is a wonderful example of our partners’ goal of producing graduates ‘passionately committed to transforming their society’.

Goods from this shipment will help our partners accommodate hundreds more Ethiopian students like Amanuel, who can grow in their leadership skills and help build a more peaceful society.


The bustling capital of Addis Ababa presents a stark contrast to rural communities, where life moves at a slower pace and poverty is widespread. As Ethiopia develops rapidly, our partners believe that educating students to be leaders with a passion for investing back into their communities is a vital part of that development.


WANT TO BE PART OF THESE LIFE CHANGING STORIES?

Sponsor a container: We need HK$ 50,000 to send any of our waiting shipments on their way. Email us for a list of projects needing funds: partnerships@crossroads.org.hk

Give goods: We can help your company or group find projects that need your quality superseded goods. Email partnerships@crossroads.org.hk

Volunteer: We need regular volunteers in a huge variety of roles across the work, from manual labor to administration and specific skilled roles. Email volunteer@crossroads.org.hk

Reference No : S1191A

Donate Now!

Donate to a shipment like this one.

DONATE MONEY

Donate Goods!

Want to donate goods for a shipment like this one?

DONATE GOODS

Ethiopia Snapshot

Population: 105 million (2017)
Capital: Addis Ababa
Official languages:  Amharic (official), English and many regional languages

Located in north-eastern Africa, Ethiopia is the most populous land-locked country in the world. The country’s population is highly diverse, containing over 80 different ethnic groups, with a rich and important cultural history. Ethiopia also enjoys great natural diversity, with rivers, forests, caves, highlands and desert areas.

Despite a fast-growing economy, Ethiopia is still one of the poorest nations in Africa. A devastating famine and its effects gripped the nation through the 1980s and 1990s. The population is vulnerable to natural disasters, such as flooding which left more than a million displaced in 2016-17. Around 23.5% of the population lives in poverty, with people in rural areas vastly more vulnerable to poverty.

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“Teenage pregnancy is high in this area,” write Crossroads’ partners, about their small region in southern Uganda. “Many teenagers who become pregnant are ostracised and drop out of school. It’s very unlikely that they’ll ever return to school.” Most families in this region work hard as farmers, growing crops like bananas, maize and beans, but life can be difficult, and most families are very poor. For teenagers who are kicked out of home when they fall pregnant, the future is desperate and uncertain. They rarely have the skills and education to find a job that can sustain them and their children.

Our partners on this shipment target young, ostracised mothers and other vulnerable women, and offer counselling, child care, and vocational training in skills like tailoring, knitting, hospitality, laundering, gardening and animal husbandry. Starting just two years ago, they have already taken 50 young women through their programmes, and seen success stories like Jacent and Sylivia (featured below and to the right), but they are eager to expand their services to reach and train more women. They are now building a larger facility in an area closer to where many of the women live, and they have asked Crossroads for help filling it with furniture and equipment to run these valuable projects. Our shipment will include goods like furniture, clothing, recreational goods, health supplies and more.


SYLIVIA’S STORY

“Dropping out of school in grade nine as a result of teenage pregnancy did not stop Sylivia from looking at life positively,” wrote our partners. Sylivia was eager to improve her life, both for herself and her new baby. She enrolled in our partners’ tailoring classes, using their childcare for her baby, and made so much income from her handmade clothing that she bought two sewing machines, and now trains other young women like her.

This shipment will include goods to help train women like Sylivia.


The future can seem bleak for teenage mothers like Jane (above, with her children) without the support, practical skills training and care that our partners can offer. They know it’s hard for young mothers to attend classes with their children, so they offer childcare with nutritious food for the children while their mothers learn.

Construction is underway on our partners’ new, larger centre, but they need help fitting it out with furniture and other goods to help them serve more women in need.


JACENT’S STORY

Jacent was abandoned by her boyfriend, and father of her young children, leaving her with no source of income at all. Like many teenage mothers in her region, Jacent had to drop out of school when she became pregnant, so she couldn’t finish her education or go on to any further skills training. Thankfully, Jacent was brought into our partners’ vocational training programmes. 70% of the women in their skills training are teenage mothers, ostracised by their families and desperately poor. With our partners’ help, Jacent  took classes in knitting and dressmaking (pictured above with one of her creations!) and she now feels like she and her children have a secure future. “I can now take care of my children,” she says. “I can buy them food, I can pay rent, and more.”

This shipment will include goods to equip the training centre that helped Jacent and many other young, vulnerable women.


WANT TO BE A PART OF THESE LIFE CHANGING STORIES?

Sponsor a container: We need HK$ 50,000 to send any of our waiting shipments on their way. Email us for a list of projects needing funds: partnerships@crossroads.org.hk

Give goods: We can help your company or group find projects that need your quality superseded goods. Email partnerships@crossroads.org.hk

Volunteer: We need regular volunteers in a huge variety of roles across the work, from manual labor to administration and specific skilled roles. Email volunteer@crossroads.org.hk

Reference No : S4963

Donate Now!

Donate to a shipment like this one.

DONATE MONEY

Donate Goods!

Want to donate goods for a shipment like this one?

DONATE GOODS

Uganda Snapshot

Population: 42.8 million (2017)
Capital: Kampala
Official languages: English, Swahili

Significant investments in children and women in recent years have led to developmental successes in Uganda, notably in primary education and in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

However, more than half of children in Uganda aged 0-4 are still living in poverty, and 33% have stunted growth. “Children whose growth is stunted at a young age may suffer a lifetime of consequences such as poorer schooling and lower earnings,” say UNICEF.

Thankfully, child mortality rates, and access to clean water in Uganda are steadily improving, thanks to health interventions.

Source: UNICEF

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“I was doing Grade 7 when my father was sentenced to life imprisonment,” recounts Bodiao. “Life came to a standstill as...

read more ...

Liberia: Youth empowerment

WHO IS THIS SHIPMENT HELPING? Liberia as a nation is still suffering deep social and economic wounds from a civil war that ended...

read more ...

Syria: Aid and empowerment for refugees

Shipment Feedback: The conflict in Syria continues to devastate lives and communities, with thousands of people still displaced and living in flimsy...

read more ...

Cameroon: Educating and rebuilding

WHO IS THIS SHIPMENT HELPING? When we first started working with our Cameroonian partners in 2010, they were planning and working on...

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