AIAIA Sunday 2023

 There are two highlights of my trip I’d like to share.

Last year, on AIAIA Sunday, I talked about how I got involved by taking my first trip to South Africa in 2015… How I was overwhelmed with how much Joy I saw from people that had so little. I went back this past February and I’m happy to report that even with the hardships caused by the pandemic and sustained unemployment, the Joy is still there!

On my 2015 trip to South Africa, I met a young woman named Zinzi. Her mom & dad had both died… she was an orphan caring for her younger sister. She benefited from the food, education and healthcare programs AIAIA provided in Cape Town. To show her appreciation, she volunteered to take me and a few others on a home visit while we were in the area.

During one of our discussions, she told me about some of her life’s challenges, but she also told me that her personal goal was to become an accountant. This was not a typical goal and I encouraged her to try her best to achieve it.

Fast forward 8 years later to 2023… We went to JL Zwane Church and Zinzi was still volunteering! Better yet, Zinzi was working as an accountant for a small company. She only had a few classes left to finish her accounting degree. Keep in mind that the pandemic hit South Africa harder than most countries, Keep in mind that youth unemployment has been steady at over 60%, Keep in mind that 1 out of 4 girls become pregnant as a teenager… but Zinzi stuck to her goal.

This story was so compelling that we invited Zinzi to the US to share her success at AIAIA’s summer event. Those who were there know she did an amazing job telling her life’s story… But I’m here to tell you that the story gets better… an anonymous donor offered to pay the rest of Zinzi’s tuition to complete her accounting degree… and the story gets EVEN better… Based on her familiarity of our programs, Zinzi is our newest board member of AIAIA serving on the finance committee. She is a perfect fit since one of our organizational development goals is to have more of our board be represented by South Africans.

I love sharing that story, but unfortunately, Zinzi’s path is the exception vs. the reality of life in South Africa. As I mentioned before, unemployment remains one of the biggest challenges in the country.

The official unemployment rate is 33%. However, if you include those that stopped looking for a job, it’s 42%. Youth unemployment is a staggering 64%. When you couple that with double digit food inflation, it becomes very difficult for families to make ends meet. This is a great segway into the second highlight of my trip…

As you may know, AIAIA leads an annual delegation to South Africa. This gives us an ability to understand the needs of the community and focus our resources to generate the biggest impact. Things like wheelbarrows, hospice care, and community gardens are good examples… but there’s a new program we’re supporting that’s truly inspiring.

With unemployment so high, we needed a program that will reskill parents that were unable to provide for their families. The focus is on the women of South Africa. Not only because there’s a high population of unwed mothers, but in South Africa, like most places around the world, it’s the women who know how to get things done! Utilizing the space from one of our youth education programs, we set up a class to train women to become plumbers! To be fair, this wasn’t our idea, it was theirs… but as soon as I heard about it, I loved it because it breaks down all stereotypes and supports an unmet need in the community.

The first class was offered and 30 women signed up for a 13 week program. They met on Saturdays. Each class was 6 hours long and the students were provided instruction and a meal. Participants were given “hands on” classroom training AND some basic business skills. When they graduated, the women divided themselves into six groups of five in order to form small businesses. AIAIA provided 6 sets of plumbers tool kits for them to share as needed for jobs in their communities. This program hits the mark on so many levels,

1. Creates jobs

2. Builds an entrepreneurial spirit

3. Lills a need with a shortage of plumbers

4. Empowers women

5. Provides a model for other vocations and skill sets that are needed in the townships. Learning more about this program was one of the highlights of our 2023 trip to South Africa.

AIAIA provides Food, Healthcare, and Education… and we couldn’t do any of it if it wasn’t for all of you. We’re coming up on our 24th delegation to South Africa in February and the need is still there. I know some of you may be thinking, “Why should I help those people when we have people in need here in the US? The simple answer is… If not us, then who? Who will help these people in a country that has the largest income gap of any country in the world. This is a country where 10% of the people have 85% of the household wealth. If not us, then who?

Here’s what we need…

1. We need you to continue to contribute annually at the same level you have been giving… that will make sure we don’t lose any recurring programming dollars. Our goal for this year’s fall campaign (from today  thru the end of the year) is $197k… this is exactly what our contributions were last year.

2. We would like you to consider including AIAIA in your estate planning or memorials. This is a great way to honor a loved one by providing life-saving support through an end of life event.

3. Finally, if you are fortunate enough to have a little extra money to give, We’d like you to consider a contribution to AIAIA’s endowment. For those of you that don’t know what an endowment is, think of it as a savings account. AIAIA will get to use the interest earned from that account towards our annual program dollars. This is the gift that keeps giving, because we can’t touch the principal you donate, only the interest earned from it.

Thank you for your continued support.