From the heart for the heart of Africa!
When the dream becomes reality…
„When I am wealthy, I will build wells in Africa!” I used to say, following a two-minute discussion with one of the missionaries who presented a volunteering project in Africa. In that conversation, I asked what the biggest challenge people face in Africa is. His answer marked me to obsession. He told me that beyond diseases, lack of food, political regimes, etc., the greatest challenge is the lack of water. He vividly described how children literally die of thirst while their parents are helpless. For 13 years, this thought haunted me, and I spoke passionately about my dream: to build wells in Africa for thirsty children. The prospect of financing the wells from my own resources became less and less achievable. The only constant throughout this period was the passion with which I spoke about my dream.
After 13 years, my dream met someone’s idea to create an association to develop my dream into projects. The idea of bringing people into this project who empathize with the needs of others was what my dream lacked. From that moment on, my dream was no longer just mine, but it became the dream of hundreds and thousands of people who have donated or volunteered to fulfill the desire to provide water and food resources to disadvantaged communities in Africa.
The first well will be in the courtyard of an orphanage!
The providential encounter with Dr. Marin convinced us to set out on the journey. He has dedicated the better part of his life and resources to the needs in Africa. At the time we met him, he had already been in Mozambique for 16 years and had achieved remarkable things. Beyond the medical support provided to Mozambicans, Dr. Ladar established an orphanage and paved the way for the support of hundreds of children in school in Mozambique. Associating with a man who put his own resources at stake for the needs of others was very important for our project. We decided on the spot to build the first well in the orphanage courtyard. And we did it. Now, in addition to the 67 children in the orphanage, another 2500-3000 people from that community also have access to water at their discretion.
More than five wells…
Although our perspective when we started was to build 2-3 wells, which seemed remarkable to us anyway, in a short time, numerous people who resonated with our idea joined the project. In the first year and a half, 5 wells were built, also because there were situations where some decided to finance the full costs for one well.
As „the good is the enemy of the best,” we decided not to stop here. Funding one well at a time meant putting many people in acute need of water on hold. Over 400,000,000 Africans spend, on average, 4 hours a day ensuring their water needs. African women spend over 4 billion hours annually carrying water. This exceeds the entire workforce of France for a year. We cannot imagine France being paralyzed for a year – it would be a disaster – yet we remain indifferent to those who need water to survive. Hence the idea of acquiring a drilling rig arose.
Water for 100,000 people
Imagine what the population of all the towns in Cluj County, except Cluj-Napoca, represents. Imagine that all these people have to spend many hours a day carrying water, then imagine that, in one year, these people receive the chance to have unlimited water, 10-12 minutes away from their homes, for free. That’s what purchasing a drilling rig means in numbers. The rig would ensure much lower costs for each drill (€3000, compared to €7500 currently), total independence in scheduling drills, shorter duration for completing a drill, and many other advantages. Our project is that, in the next year, after the drilling rig is put into operation, 100,000 people in acute need of water will benefit from abundant water. The calculation is simple: every 2 euros donated to the project ensures water for life for one thirsty person. We just need to reach as many thousands of hearts as possible to open up to this need.
Water and food for the orphans of Mozambique
Mozambique has one of the highest percentages of orphans per thousand inhabitants. Some statistics say that 2 out of 5 Mozambican children become orphans by the age of 5. The cause is the high mortality due to AIDS. Society or the extended family does not take in these children because resources are already limited. This also means high mortality among children. Another project of the Cara Rosa Association, which is currently being implemented, is the acquisition of agricultural land for the development of a vegetable farm. The land is very fertile, which ensures that providing water on these lands will achieve maximum productivity. The agricultural products or the proceeds from agricultural production will be directed exclusively to the needs of children in the orphanages in the Nampula area (the city around which we have built the wells so far).
100% Volunteering
The vision of the Cara Rosa Association is to direct money towards the construction of wells in a percentage as close to 100% as possible. Thus, we do not have rented offices, we do not have employees, we do not have ancillary expenses. All efforts are voluntary: creating promotional materials, making the website, traveling, time allocated for project presentations, relationship with donors, information letters, relationship with partners in Mozambique, including travel from Mozambique (done after the first wells were built) was done from our own funds.
A piece of gum or a glass of Coca-Cola
Because every euro is important and brings us closer to thirsty people, we decided to treat any resource, no matter how small, responsibly. So your contribution matters. Are you willing to give up a piece of gum a day or a glass of Coca-Cola, and in return, 17,000 kilometers away, a child is saved, a mother can hold her child longer in her arms, a community is helped to eliminate diseases and poverty? Think with your heart, give for the heart of Africa!
Cara Rosa Association
+40 721451234
Cluj-Napoca, Romania
fantaniinafrica@gmail.com
www.fantaniinafrica.ro
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