Why Africa and Central America

Africa and Central America belong to the so called "Third World", but in fact they are part of the same world we come from. However, the difference in living and opportunities is so huge that it is hard to comprehend it when living in a developed country.

Africa’s 800 million people constitute more than a thousand tribes, each with its own history, language and culture. They live in fifty three independent countries with borders drawn by colonial powers. Thus each country typically consists of a colorful mix of cultures.  Independent Africa began after the second world war. Ghana was the first country to gain independence in 1957. The process was completed in 1990 when Namibia, the last colony, gained independence. So the “New Africa” is young and facing huge changes and transformations. 

Often the images we get of Africa are those of endless doubts about Africa’s resolve, intention and capacity. However, the truth is that all over the continent, even in the most extreme of circumstances, Africans are engaged in endless numbers of initiatives, projects and programs to enhance life and improve living conditions. The truth is also that the people of Africa have a lot to cope with.  

Africa is the poorest continent in the world. It is a continent that has suffered a history of underdevelopment: slave trade, colonization, apartheid, war and more; currently a continent that is hardest hit by the worst epidemic in human history, HIV/AIDS. More than half of the population lives on less than a dollar a day and the number of people living in extreme poverty is growing,

Facts and figures out of Africa can be depressing,  however behind the figures tehre are human lives; people who, with a unique social network, reach out to care for each other, using all available resources to make the best out of life. Getting to know these people, working alongside them, and creating development together, you realize their strenghts and know there is hope. The people of Africa have a huge capacity to cope and a strong will to make things better, but they need assistance. Fellow human beings who have surplus in the form of skills and knowledge, can assist Africans so they can expand their capacity, resources, money, and the encouragement and energy it provides, working side by side in solidarity with someone who cares.

This is not about charity. People in Africa do not need charity. It is about human dignity and every human being's right to live with dignity and fulfill his/her potential.

The Development Instructor Program offers a unique possibility for you to get involved and be a part of creating development together with the people of Africa. 

The Americas are diverse continents that have been populated by immigrants from all corners of the world, since the earliest Native American settlers making their way through the arctic to settle all over North and South America to the European conquest and numerous waves of immigrants including those forced into slavery.

When we begin to learn about Mexico, Central America, and Ecuador, we can begin to recognize many similarities between their history and present day conditions, to those of Africa. Colonialism, exploitation, and entire communities forced into slavery and poverty being made to produce raw materials and agriculture for export to wealthy countries.  

Languages were imposed and borders drawn with total disregard to a heritage, rich in culture and diversity. Today in rural communities in Central America it is not unusual to find several indigenous languages being spoken in a single community, even though Spanish or English may have been the official languages imposed for many generations now. Large corporations have made their homes there to take advantage of the cheap labor available so they can maximize their profits. The land is rich and fertile but hunger and malnutrition is common.

How do we make sense of this kind of poverty in a part of the world that is so rich in natural resources? Connected and between the richest country in the world and the developing countries of South America?

Fighting poverty means creating opportunities for people to stay and develop their communities and, subsequently, their country. The Fight Poverty Program invites ordinary people to come and take action in eradicating poverty in Central America and Ecuador.