KAFAALO

Kafaalo Welfare Organization (KWO) is a Somali Humanitarian organisation which works for orphaned children in Somalia and the Somali populated areas of East Africa. Kafaalo works to improve the rights of these orphaned children, in living a dignified manner and a life of quality. Kafaalo does not limit this humanitarian work just to orphaned children but also extends a helping hand to the weak groups in Somalia. KWO is a politically neutral, volunteer based organisation, which does not belong to a specific group or region in Somalia.

KWO wishes also to improve the education of the orphaned children so that they can better participate in the society and become valuable citizens. This investment in the children’s education will produce a sustainable development of the community thus improving the living standards of the coming generations.

The need for Kafaalo      

Somalia is griped in a long civil war for many years now. This has created a huge number of orphaned children which live in a precarious situation. These children have experienced this bitter war which has led to the death of one of the parents or in some cases both. With both home and lives destroyed the children often end up in the streets and have to make a living on their own. The children usually face situations which are unimaginable and heartbreaking.

The picture of a starving orphan, living in the streets and no one to care for them has left a deep impact on many people. This picture and situation has given rise to the building of Kafaalo Welfare Organisation. Poverty and a long lasting civil war has forced the remaining children who in fact did go to school to drop out. The reason behind this being that there are no government schools, a lot of private schools which are expensive have been opened. Many children have stopped their education because of this. Some of these children also live in remote areas with no access to schools or a functioning educations system in place. Without an education the future of these children looks very bleak and sad.

The other reason for the establishment of Kafaalo was the critical humanitarian crisis in Somalia with droughts, famine and a lot more acute situations. In certain areas of the region it does not rain for years causing severe drought which in return causes severe hardship on the nomadic people who are dependent on rain. Kafaalo with its’ volunteer members provide relief to victims of disasters and help people prepare and respond to emergencies. It is important for Kafaalo that lifesaving services reach the needy people.

What Kafaalo has done so far

Kafaalo mobilised its’ members and started to find sponsors for the orphaned children. This was called the “sponsorship project”. The aim was to find as many as possible sponsors for the orphans. With the help of our members, Kafaalo was able to build a number of orphanages in several places in Somalia. The “sponsorship project” is Kafaalo’s main project. Kafaalo has allocated most of its’ resources to this project but there are also other projects. We work with other important projects such as management of waist and water projects. In the future Kafaalo would start with rehabilitation of hospitals and clinics.

The situation for the orphans

The situation in Somalia is such that people living in Somalia receive money from relatives living abroad. The situation with orphans is thus that they do not have relatives abroad who send them money. With no schools to go to these children often tend to end up in the streets and usually steal to make a living and become criminals. The right to education and a basic living standard is every human beings right. Kafaalo wishes to provide this basic right to these children.

The future plans for Kafaalo

The future plans for Kafaalo is to increase our member base, maintain good relations with our local partners in Africa, build more orphanages in Somalia and more fund raising activities to support our many projects.

Starting phase