Our Vision: Respect.
We prefer to not consider SOLFA as a "charitable" or "humanitarian" organisation. People in Africa do not ask for charity, but for equal development opportunities. Basic rights, on which we, as citizens of a welfare state can count, are in many African countries still part of a distant dream.The African citizen is often exposed to corruption and suffers from a lack of sound democratic governance, and support by effective legal institutions. Quality education and affordable healthcare are missing or inaccessible; conditions required to offer citizens a fair chance to grow and develop. Impunity and corruption disrupt daily life and unstable political conditions keep investors away. A predominantly informal economy is the rule which combined with the often negative effect of the ever-present influence of the global economy puts the African population in a vicious circle of poverty and lack of opportunities. Only persistant political will be able to resolve this distressing situation. Meanwhile the life of millions of people is being reduced to a daily quest for survival.
The understanding that our personal prosperity is not only the result of our own efforts and merits, but also happens thanks to the opportunities offered to us as citizens of a welfare state, leads us to deeply respect and show sincere solidarity with people who are in need.
Our goals:
In Africa, more than elsewhere, women and their children represent the 'motor' of society. And where poverty prevails, the woman is even more often the 'cornerstone' of the family.
Therefore we choose to invest:
- in her health; where she is the most vulnerable; through caring for her in our medical programme of treating and preventing genital fistula
- in her day-to-day wellbeing; through our programme of "Ecofours" which offers a more economical and environmental friendly way of cooking
- in her economic self-sufficiency, via our social enterprise programme through which she can enjoy the benefit of providing herself and her family with more nutritious food and of saving health points to be used to pay for her and her family's healthcare