Orchard: Africa

OUR NAME

Our name is intentional. For two decades our projects have worked - we have successfully created sustainable change in rural African villages. As the saying goes - "our tree has born much fruit". We had the choice of simply growing our organization bigger and bigger and bearing more and more fruit, or we could help others bear fruit too. We chose the latter. We want to see others equipped to do what we have so successfully done. We want an entire orchard of trees "growing fruit" all over Africa. Our name, Orchard: Africa, is about growth and hope and change.

For twenty years we were called Helping Hands In Africa. Over those years we developed a reputation of excellence. However, we have seen the name "Helping Hands" appear over and over – many organizations worldwide have latched onto this name. It is a great name; it explains so much in so few words. But, it is not unique to us and our organization. People often confused us with one of the many other "Helping Hands" out there. We came to a point where, for the sake of clarity, we needed to move away from the name that served us so well for two decades. We chose the name Orchard: Africa.

THE BOTTOM LINE BASICS

The poverty and AIDS crisis is at its worst in rural Africa yet, because of the remote locations of most villages, they are the most under-served. The logistics of reaching these villages create obstacles that prevent many organizations from working there. Not so for Orchard: Africa. We're passionate about creating change in those areas where the need is the highest, regardless of how inconvenient it is for us to get there. We intentionally seek out the most needy. We then come alongside the local leadership and help to meet the most desperate needs first. These are typically food security for children and clean water for the village. Then we start to tackle the underlying issues in a way that is sustainable by the local community. It is our goal to work ourselves out of a job and place the work in the hands of the local leaders.

We work through a local church in a village as well as with the tribal authorities. In rural Sub-Saharan Africa, tribal and church leaders are the foundation of every community and nothing of significance can truly happen without the co-operation of both.

Depending on the need in the various villages, children are fed one cooked meal five to seven days a week. A typical meal will consist of one carbohydrate and one protein such as maize porridge (which is a staple in Africa) and a soya based topping.

Although many of the issues in rural villages are similar, each village has its' own unique challenges. In some places there is some food from crops but no clean water. The immediate critical need is first to provide water. Once there is a stable water supply, Orchard: Africa then helps to bring food security. In other cases, villages either have government piped water or wells, but they do not have land to grow crops or jobs to provide an income. Food for the children is then a critical first step. In all our villages, the church leaders are trained to implement our Orphan Intervention Program.

OUR WORK IN AFRICA

The Orchard: Network is our mobilizing mechanism. Before any work starts in a geographical area, church leaders are called together and Orchard: Africa forms a network. The purpose of the network is to build and strengthen relationships, provide ongoing training and mentorship, and to provide a forum for these church leaders to fellowship with one another and to inspire and support one another. Once the Orchard: Network is formed in an area, it is ongoing for all who want to belong, not only for our funded Orchard Villages

We work in clusters of villages around a geographical radius. Once the Orchard: Network has been running in an area for a minimum of 1 year a request for proposal (RFP) is sent out. After all the leaders have had an opportunity to present us with their village proposal, those with the most potential to succeed are chosen. These undergo further training and are funded by Orchard: Africa to implement 3 basic programs through their church in their village. These are called our Orchard Villages. From those, one is chosen to be a Model Village. This church is then assisted by Orchard: Africa to expand their capacity and implement more projects in their village. The Model Village also serves in a leadership capacity over the Orchard Villages.

Orchard: Africa is committed to our partners and will do everything within our power to help them succeed. We do however understand that sometimes people flounder. If one of our Orchard Villages fails to successfully or consistently implement the projects they are funded to, they will be removed as a funded partner and another village will be chosen in their place. We will continue to walk alongside the village who has not succeeded, encourage them to remain a part of the Orchard: Network and continue to build capacity and accountability in them. As committed as we are to our African partners, we are also committed to our Support Partners. We will immediately inform a Support Partner if their funded Orchard Village is floundering and will keep all supporters in the loop of changes that may need to take place.

MONEY MATTERS

100% of public donations go to our work in Africa. “Public Donations” is defined as donations made online and/or designated to a particular project, such as our Fund a child, Empower a village, Equip a pastor.

The money is spent on things like food and other supplies, such as gas to cook, pots, stoves, etc. for the feeding projects. It is also used to pay for the transport needed to deliver the food. Some of the money goes toward the jobs that are created for villagers within the village by the projects. An example is: a stipend is paid to the person who cooks the daily food for the children. Another example is the stipend paid to the person who runs the Orphan Intervention Program or the person who runs the AIDS Prevention Program.

If someone donates toward the training of a church leader, the funds are used to cover the costs of the Orchard: Network. Salaries of the training staff is covered, materials like the AIDS Prevention Leaders Manuals and the Orphan Intervention Program Workbooks that the children use are covered. Donations also cover the costs of the training sessions such as the hire of the venue where the training takes place and food for the church leaders while on training.

There are many things that go into effectively running the projects in Africa. Donated funds are used to cover all these costs.

Yes we do. We are able to use 100% of public donations for African projects because we have a group of dedicated donors called the Drum, who believe and invest in our cause and donate undesignated funds. The Drum covers operating costs in the United States such as our rent, staff, travel, and card processing fees. This truly allows 100% of all public donations to feed and care for more children, equip and train pastors, and educate youth.

DONATING

The easiest option is to Donate online. All major credit cards are accepted and our system is secure. Instead of using our online system you can make a donation

by Phone

You can call our office any time from Monday – Friday between 9.00am – 5.00pm MST and we will process your credit card information.

by Check

Send checks, with a note where you want us to use it, to our office at:

1834 E. Baseline Road, Suite 201, Tempe, AZ 85283.

At MyOrchard you will be able to raise funds through your own campaign or donate toward someone's else's campaign. This is the platform where you get to run your own fundraising department for Orchard: Africa. You are the CEO of your campaign. You set the mission statement, you set the goals, you decide what to do, where to do it, how long to do it for (1-6 months). It is up to you. You can set up a lemonade stand on your street corner or you can organize a grand ball. 100% of the funds you raise will go to our projects in Africa.

When you make an online donation, you will receive an automated receipt. If you don't get it, email us and we'll rectify that immediately.

Orchard: Africa sends out annual tax receipts for all donations received outside of our online giving.

GETTING INVOLVED

Visit our volunteer page and fill out the form. We will make sure to contact you within a week to talk about volunteer opportunities.

You can put your church's name on a village and partner with us to create sustainable and meaningful change. One of our major partner groups are Churches and we are passionate about true partnerships. We want to see your church's international footprint expand in a way that is compassionate, relevant, intelligent and sustainable. We have developed tools that will help your entire congregation connect – from children through youth to adults. Email partners@orchardafrica.org or call us 480-966-9037 and we'll get all the information to you.

We also encourage your church to come on a short-term mission trip to see our projects in Africa.

We encourage school and corporate involvement. Here are some ways how.

If you sponsor a village your company's name will go on the Village Report Page of our website. On this page your staff, clients, customers and whoever you want, will be able to see the village GPS coordinates, photos, reports, and much more. You could even send a group from your company to visit "your" village. Email us for more information.

Get an office campaign going on our MyOrchard campaign site. Create your unique page, set a goal and get started. You can see your progress any time. 100% of what you raise goes directly to the projects in Africa.

Most companies have a matching gift program. This means that when staff members donate money (or time) as individuals, the company then donates the same amount of money. 100% of both donations directly fund our projects in Africa.

Helping children become internationally aware and socially responsible is important to us. We have developed free, downloadable curriculum that schools can use to help create awareness as well as to raise funds for our cause. Visit our downloads page.

HOW DO I RUN A CAMPAIGN?

You can run your own campaign on My Orchard.

This is the platform where you get to run your own fundraising department for Orchard: Africa. You are the CEO of your campaign. You set the mission statement, you set the goals, you decide what to do, where to do it, how long to do it for (1-6 months). It is up to you. You can set up a lemonade stand on your street corner or you can organize a grand ball. 100% of the funds you raise will go to our projects in Africa.