Let's help children and young women

Well, here we are, in the modern, educated, kind of rich (at least in comparison with many countries) country. Not everyone is as lucky as we are! While staying in Vietnam I was helping in an orphanage or went to meet people from the Dioxin village nearby to help.

We all know there are parts of the world that need our help because they can't handle the problems by themselves but do we know how and where to help, really?

Usually, our help goes to children who are poor, cannot afford food or education but can we really make a difference? People are usually afraid of the fact that the money we send or donate is not going to reach the right people in their country. I will be honest with you, I'm also sometimes afraid and that is why I usually go and help myself. But what if the place is too far to do so? What if we can't go there? Does it mean that we give up on certain places and let them be?

What if I told you that you can only skip one meal to help a kid, would you mind to do so? What if I told you that with a few bucks you can even help the whole family would you do so? Let's talk about the facts!

There is a beautiful opportunity for all people who care enough to help. Thanks to the Simuka Africa Youth Association you are able to help not just a few but many! There is a huge problem in Africa that many of you might not know about at all. When you imagine Africa, you might guess, it could be water, food or conflicts, but there is something else important that should pop up in your mind: children's marriage. I know this might be hard to believe as there is no such a problem in "our" parts of the world but trust me this is a serious issue that is worth a read and absolutely NEEDS to stop immediately!

Getting into a few facts, Africa is a huge continent so what part are we talking about? This problem is spread around but it still remains critically in Zimbabwe. Why so? There are many reasons for the issue to continue, such as poverty, gender-based violence, harmful traditional, cultural and religious practices and poor access to educational and overall developmental opportunities. Because of those reasons, the trend of the problem is still increasing. Due to the facts in 2010, 231 000 women aged 20-24 were married before age 18. In 2011, about 31% of women age 20-24 were married before age 18. On average 1 out of 3 children will be married before their 18th birthday. It is projected that approximately 246 000 of the young girls born between 2005 and 2010 will be married or before age 18 by 2030 and that is crazy, isn't it?

But the problem is not only the marriage itself. Let's have a look a bit closer. As a wife in Zimbabwe, you are forced to prove fertility once you get married and that is why many young girls get married -> pregnant really soon and because they are very young and because of complications, young age, and many more factors, young girls die during the pregnancy.

So what actually does Simuka Africa Association do? 

Their campaign is called Skip the Meal and it is made for individuals as well as organizations, or any donors. This association is supporting young women and children to realize their fullest potentials as they say. Their target is quite hight of 1.2 million girls and young women who they would like to help, but they are not able to it ALONE, that's why they NEED our help!

What have they already done?

They have assisted 650 vulnerable and food insecure household with nutritious food and also helped them establish vegetable gardens, reached to more than 300 000 young people and other stakeholders with information, engaged United Nations Online Volunteers, Celebrities, Young professional volunteers and other stakeholders to upscale the campaign, and mobilized their volunteer members to skip meals weekly and donate the equivalent.

How can you help?

There is no amount small enough to donate so whatever you can do it will be worth it, trust me! You can also look for others to donate a small amount of money for those who need it more than we do at some point. If you decide to do more than just a few bucks you have a few options: Adopt a family to feed every month (The cost of a food basket, for a family of five, is $50 per month) or adopt a child to send to school the average cost is $300 per child per year.

Where can I donate?

The easiest way is to do it online on their website: www.payonow.co.zw/saya

If there is the way we will find it, let's do the first steps together!