The little nonprofit that DOES...

It's been our pleasure over the years to meet and work with a variety of nonprofit groups, all of them compelling, all of them passionate and all of them doing good to better the world. This month, we'd like to highlight Ndebele Art Project Africa, an organization whose exuberant optimism and 'on-the-ground' work is reminiscent of the children's story: The Little Engine That Could. With what sounds a lot like the 'I-Think-I-Can' motto repeated in the story, this group is making an impact while managing on a shoestring. Monetizing the resources they do have, this small and devoted team continues to plug away, slowly but surely, turning a love for their dear friends of the Jabulani Village into steady and sustainable progress.

Their challenge is not unlike the awesome ferocity of nearby Victoria Falls. Zimbabwe's political crisis and resulting economic breakdown has led to abysmal access to public healthcare, a collapsed infrastructure, a crushing HIV epidemic, political violence, food shortages, cholera outbreaks, malnutrition, the world's highest inflation rate (at over 231 million percent) and an unemployment rate of 90 percent. Many better known NGO's who've sent doctors and other aid workers into the country have been run out while NAP Africa's stream of under-the-radar support -- coming from a group of seven board members and a handful of volunteers from Orange County, California -- has to date been unwavering and unencumbered.

This story of endurance began in 2004 when Sandy Orrill was inspired to take action after visiting a Zimbabwean village with her daughter Jennifer Kemper, a dealer in African art. They became acquainted with the talented carvers and the families living in the Jabulani village and saw first hand how devastating an impact the economic downturn was having on their new friends' lives. Acknowledging that there were no safety nets in place to support the Zimbabwean villagers during these unstable times, and that an art form was on its way to extinction, the two began dreaming up what would later become Ndebele Art Project Africa while flying home from their trip.

The work this steadfast group has accomplished in a short period of time is astonishing. To date NAP Africa has funded the building of the Jabulani Pre-School, which serves roughly 55 students, 30% of whom are orphans, and employs two phenomenal teachers year-round. Nearby is the centrally located windmill they installed, equipped with six water tanks for clean water that can serve over 500 people's water needs. In addition, the group provides emergency medical aid and food in monthly stipends.

In 2008 NAP held an incredibly successful village health clinic with sports medicine specialist Dr. Wendy Norman of Laguna Niguel, CA, treating over 90 men, women and children. Dr. Norman will return later this month to conduct a second clinic and to begin health education classes. Awaiting her arrival will be a 1-ton shipment of nutritional supplements and vitamins that she will distribute to the village families to help combat malnutrition.

This year NAP is taking legal steps to form a Trust (Zimbabwe Art Project - ZAP) with local chiefs and community leaders planning a number of new village initiatives. ZAPs first project is a community garden that will help feed villagers as well as allow them to sell product to local hotels and restaurants.

The long term commitment that NAP and its 'engine' of board members, volunteers and donors has made to the Jabulani villagers is to help bring hope, health and economic sustainability back to the village, restoring the majestic 'tall blondes' to the world marketplace and carving a brighter future in Africa through art.

WOMEN FOR WOMEN INTERNATIONAL - CHANGING THE WORLD ONE WOMAN AT A TIME

Women for Women International mobilizes women to change their lives through a holistic approach that addresses the unique needs of women in conflict and post-conflict environments by providing them with the necessary tools and resources to move beyond crisis and poverty toward stability and self-sufficiency, thereby ultimately promoting viable civil societies.

Women for Women International begins by working with women who may have lost everything in conflict and often have nowhere else to turn. Participation in their one-year program launches women on a journey from victim to survivor to active citizen. The organization identifies services to support graduates of the program as they continue to strive for greater social, economic and political participation in their communities.

As each woman engages in a multi-phase process of recovery and rehabilitation, she opens a window of opportunity presented by the end of conflict to help improve the rights, freedoms and status of women in her country. As women who go through the program assume leadership positions in their villages, actively participate in the reconstruction of their communities, build civil society, start businesses, train other women and serve as role models, they become active citizens who can help to establish lasting peace and stability.

Women begin in the Sponsorship Program where direct financial aid from a sponsor helps them deal with the immediate effects of war and conflict such as lack of food, water, medicine and other necessities. Exchanging letters with sponsors provides women with an emotional lifeline and a chance to tell their stories - maybe for the first time. As their situations begin to stabilize, women in the program begin building a foundation for their lives as survivors.

While continuing to receive sponsorship support, women embark on the next leg of the journey and participate in the Renewing Women's Life Skills (ReneWLS) Program that provides them with rights awareness, leadership education and vocational and technical skills training. Women build upon existing skills and learn new ones in order to regain their strength, stability and stature on the path to becoming active citizens.

Women for Women International believes that establishing a means to earn a sustainable living is critical to being fully active in the life of a family, community and country. To help women transform their new skills into financial independence and sustainability, they offer job skills training to strengthen women's existing skills and to introduce new skills in traditional and non-traditional fields so women can access future employment opportunities.

Building on the skills training program, Women for Women International offers comprehensive business services designed to help women start and manage their own micro-enterprises. The organization gives them access to capital and operates micro-credit programs in Afghanistan and Bosnia & Herzegovina with an overall repayment rate of 98%. They give women access to markets by facilitating product sales through outside retailers and provide expertise such as product design, production assistance and business development workshops. They also help women form micro-enterprises such as production facilities and cooperative stores to sell the goods these women produce.

View the Other Side of War - by Zainab Salbi: Founder and CEO, Women for Women International

Listen to Alice Walker read her introduction and view slideshow. *Then buy it here from Amazon.*

Founded in 1993 by Zainab Salbi, Women for Women International has empowered over 153,000 women survivors of war to move toward economic self-sufficiency with its year-long program of direct aid, rights education, job skills training, and small business development. The organization has distributed $42 million in direct aid, micro-credit loans, and other program services, while having mobilized more than 125,000 women and men in 105 countries worldwide to reach out and support women survivors of war - one woman at a time.

© Copyright 2008 Women for Women International

Southern Poverty Law Center

We the People have just witnessed an historic moment in our nation's history - the election of our first African-American president, fulfilling a dream that many Americans never thought they would live to see. Barack Obama's ascension to the Presidency surely marks racial progress in the U.S., yet a rash of hate crimes and bias incidents in the wake of his election clearly show that America is far from being a 'post-racial' nation - where race no longer matters and where racism no longer exists. In the weeks following the election, an increased wave of hate incidents demonstrated quite clearly that race still matters in this country. According to the Secret Service, President-elect Obama has received more threats than any incoming president in history.


Hate in America is a dreadful, daily constant and bias is a human condition. American history is rife with prejudice against groups and individuals because of their race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or other differences. The 20th century saw major progress in outlawing discrimination, and most Americans today support integrated schools and neighborhoods. But stereotypes and unequal treatment continues to persist and is often exploited by hate groups.

When bias motivates an unlawful act, it is considered a hate crime. Race and religion inspire most hate crimes, but hate today wears many faces. According to FBI statistics, the greatest growth in hate crimes in recent years is against Asian Americans and the gay and lesbian community. These crimes involve violence far more often than other crimes. In a report published on 11.21.05, the data showed 84 percent of hate crimes were violent, meaning they involved a sexual attack, robbery, assault or murder. By contrast, just 23 percent of non-hate crimes involved violence.



The report also showed that 56 percent of hate crime victims identified race as the primary factor in the crimes they reported. Ethnicity accounted for another 29 percent of the total. Hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation were 18 percent of the total. Given that the best studies indicate that 3 percent of the American population is homosexual, this means that gays and lesbians are victimized at six times the overall rate.

Once considered a Southern phenomenon, most hate crimes today are reported in the North and West. Daunting statistics show that somewhere in America:

* Every hour -- someone commits a hate crime.
* Every day -- at least eight blacks, three whites, three gays, three Jews and one Latino become hate crime victims.
* Every week -- a cross is burned.

These numbers are just the tip of the iceberg. Law enforcement officials acknowledge that hate crimes - similar to rape and family violence crimes - go under-reported, with many victims reluctant to go to the police. Even if victims where to report these incidents, some police agencies are not fully trained in recognizing or investigating hate crimes. While this information doesn't bode well for society as a whole, there is good news to report.

And the good news is ...
All over the country people are fighting hate, standing up to promote tolerance and inclusion. More often than not, when hate flares up; good people rise up against it - often in greater numbers and with stronger voices. Experience shows that one person, acting from conscience and love, is able to neutralize bigotry. Imagine, then, what an entire community, working together, might do.




*Documented hate group in red
*People standing strong against hate
(shaded by density)

© Copyright 2008 Southern Poverty Law Center

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