A local solution to a local problem delivered by local people!
A fundamental pillar of African society has always been the duty of the extended family to support any members of the household in need of help. But this traditional strength is now collapsing across the continent as too many children, who have lost one or both parents to AIDS, overwhelm family members already struggling under the burden of persistent poverty. The result is that whole families are dragged too far below the poverty line to survive. Severe malnutrition, preventable diseases and infant mortality rates increase. School attendance rates plummet, and many are forced to migrate from their villages to become urban street children, creating a whole new raft of social problems.
The Mango Tree Orphan Support Programme believes this snowball effect to be one of Africa's most appalling problems, and has discovered what it thinks is an innovative, effective and very cost efficient way of tackling it at its roots.
Since it was established in 2002, The Mango Tree Orphan Support Programme has been driven by several central principles. One of the most important aspects of The Mango Tree is the all encompassing psychosocial support for our orphans throughout the entire project. The Mango Tree believes that it is one big family and the support, love, and concern the orphans get from the volunteers, staff, and everyone within the organisation, upholds that feeling of belonging to a family. So although we help in Education, Health, and Community Development, all these departments are also fundementally linked in with delivering psychosocial support.
You can read more about these principles by using the menu on the left..