Empowering Changes: The Community-Driven Approach of Bread and Water for Africa®

Sub-Saharan Africa, where Bread and Water for Africa® works in 11 countries in partnership with 21 community organizations, is known for its majestic wildlife and scenery, but tragically it can also be deadly.

For example, more than one million people (primarily children under the age of 5) die from pneumonia each year.

Ninety-four percent of the world’s 250 million cases of malaria occur in Africa, killing more than 610,000 annually.

And 1.5 million children on the continent die every year due to waterborne diseases because they have no choice but to risk their lives every time they take a drink of water from an unprotected and potentially contaminated source.

For almost 40 years, thanks to the supporters of Bread and Water for Africa®, we have been working to literally save countless lives by providing medicines, medical supplies and equipment to rural clinics and health centers where dedicated medical staff treat patients the best they can with their limited resources.

We assist orphanages located in Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. These homes offer all the essential needs including  education and emotional support, to help the children lead successful lives and recover from the emotional trauma they have endured. Tendai Chimhamhiwa, Lerato Children’s Home Administrator, shared with us…

”Thank you, Bread and Water for Africa®, for making it possible to provide a conducive environment where children can heal from their past traumatic experiences.”

Our WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) program has dug wells, drilled deep boreholes and repaired nonfunctioning wells which haven’t worked in years, protected dozens of freshwater spring sites, and more recently constructed latrines at schools benefiting thousands of students – primarily girls – allowing them to continue their education without fear.

Additionally, 13 million children are suffering from extreme malnutrition in eastern and southern Africa which makes them susceptible to deadly diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, cholera and meningitis.

Hundreds of thousands of children suffer from life-threatening upper respiratory infections that are easily treatable – yet remain deadly due to weakened immune systems.

During this decades, Bread and Water for Africa® has been helping combat diseases epidemics like cholera, Ebola and famine in Africa by providing food, water, medicines and medical supplies to clinics and orphanages.

We provide the medicines and supplies to our partners who are already on the ground – trained and working hard in the clinics to fight these treatable, but often neglected, diseases.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, our mobile clinic services hundreds of individuals every month. Mr. Beklola Jean, the village chief of Lyanda in the DRC, shared with us…

“Before this project, our people were left to suffer in silence. We had no medicines, no doctors, and no means of reaching the health centers. But when the mobile clinic arrived in our village, it was like a miracle. Our children were treated, our women received care, and we were taught how to protect ourselves from diseases. For the first time, we felt seen and valued. We hope this project will continue and reach even more villages like ours.”

Our goal is to support communities by increasing accessibility to healthcare and providing a healthy environment through educational programs on proper hygiene and sanitation.

Bread and Water for Africa® has been working in Africa for many years with many successes, yet there is still so much to do – so much more that can be done with the continued support of generous people like you.

Last year alone, thanks to the generous supporters of  Bread and Water for Africa®, more than 114,000 received healthcare services across 70 hospitals, health centers and clinics in eight sub-Saharan African countries including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi and Sierra Leone.

Additionally, we were able to complete 84 WASH projects ensuring that more than 70,300 individuals has access to safe and clean water; more than 32,500 children and youth were supported through our school fees support program and shipments of donated textbooks for use in primary and secondary schools; more than 27,000 individuals benefited from our agriculture/food self-sustainability program in Malawi and Sierra Leone; 448 children and youth were supported through orphan care programs in Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe; 224 school children living in the Nairobi slum of Kibera received two meals each school day through our school meals support program.

And to those who helped make it all happen, executive director Beth Tessema says:

“As we look ahead to 2027, we are excited to deepen our collaboration with grassroots partners to foster lasting self-sufficiency within these communities! While we acknowledge the challenges arising from a decline in humanitarian aid, we remain optimistic.

“On behalf of the thousands of beneficiaries who have been positively impacted—and who may not have a voice in this crucial discussion, I would like to extend our deepest gratitude for your unwavering dedication and support.”