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11 Back to School

DHL Express  Thank you ❤️  Your generous contributions have ensured 100 children in Burundi will be attending school for one year!  

Thank You for your  generous donations of 100 branded backpacks and over $2,000 donations from DHL Express YYC GTW  employees.We were able to purchased school supplies that included uniforms, notebooks,shoes,pens,….

Getting an education empowers children who live in less-fortunate conditions to go on and fulfill their dreams.We could not have done this without your support! 

Thank you again for being a part of this noble cause that will change lives for this generation and generations to come.

Celebrating 10 Years

Dear valued supporters and donors, on behalf of the board of directors of Wings of Hope for Africa Foundation and the many lives you have changed, we would like to express our heartfelt appreciation for your sponsorship towards our valuable initiatives. With every dollar donated, we are helping to empower individuals so that they can step towards a life they have only dreamed about before. They can achieve great things going forward and lead a more self-sustainable, healthier life.

Your generous contributions have supported our mission to improve the lives of hundreds of families in Burundi and Rwanda in east Africa as well as here at home in Calgary. Thanks to your faithful support over the last 10 years, families now have access to community gardens and can send their children to school. They have access to a learning centre where they can learn basic literacy skills. We also teach individuals how to sew. These accomplishments would not have been possible without your generosity. We are  so grateful that you believed in us and our vision to help change lives for the better through education and other endeavours.

We greatly appreciate what you’ve helped us to achieve as we celebrate our 10th anniversary today. With our partners abroad in East Africa as well as in Calgary, we’ve been able to witness growth in all of our projects. We hope you will continue to support us as we continue to empower communities in the countries we serve, including Canada.

We will look to the next 10 years with optimism and perseverance, knowing that there is so much more that can be done to break the cycle of poverty. Together, we can support individuals and families to achieve their dreams and make their communities better.  Thank you so much for your generosity. 

With Kindness,
Aline Gahiza
Founder

Infographic

Best Wishes from Board of Directors

Best Wishes from Sponsor and Partners

Best wishes from Volunteers

Best wishes from volunteers from Burundi & Rwanda

Sponsor a Child in Burundi, Africa

One of the major ways that the Wings of Hope for Africa Foundation assists with the welfare and education of children is through our sponsorship program, which specifically targets children living in Burundi that are either orphaned or vulnerable. This project provides support to in-need youth with aspects including: proper healthcare, access to education, and the opportunity to mature in an environment surrounded by hope and security.

There are currently youth living in Burundi that have been waiting over a year to be sponsored, but with your help, we possess the ability to improve the quality of life and general outcomes for these children. When you make the decision to become a sponsor, you are providing a child with the opportunity to reach their full potential. Further, when you make the choice to become a sponsor with our organization, you are able to choose the age and gender of child you would like to donate to. From there, we will allocate your donation to the child, or children, that have in-need for the greatest period of time. The list of children currently on our sponsorship list can be found here.

Once you become a sponsor with the Wings of Hope for Africa Foundation, you will receive the following: an electronic welcome letter and a photograph and life history of the child you are sponsoring. You will also receive updates on your child twice a year related to education and life, and we will provide updated photographs at the same time. We also make it possible for you to visit your sponsored child in Burundi, and many of our sponsors have taken this opportunity. Our donation page can be found here.

All donations made by Canadian taxpayers are tax deductible, and a receipt will be issued automatically upon submission of your donation. If you have any questions regarding our sponsorship program, we urge you to contact us at info@wingsofhopeforafrica.ca.

Thankyou Calgary Journal for sharing our story

Thank you to the Calgary Journal, for writing such a great piece on all of the hard work we’ve been doing! We have more than doubled the number of local families we’ve helped since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic! Even though “The donations dropped a lot, that didn’t stop us from making a difference for some families in Alberta,” said Aline Gahiza, the founder of the charity. Read the article here: https://calgaryjournal.ca/2021/03/12/calgary-based-charity-delivers-hope-both-locally-and-abroad/

Community Garden Expansion

Community Garden Expansion in Nyarumanga, Burundi

We are happy to be announcing our plans to expand our community garden in Nyarumanga, Buterere. This would be an addition to the already successful garden located in the province of Kivumu. With the Kivumu garden, we saw the growth it provided for communities and families. It helped them in more ways than one.

Nyarumanga is one of the poorest regions in Burundi and we know it is in need of our Wings of Hope community garden. This educational and co-operative project will generate income, provide food and foster community building. It also will give a sense of pride and dignity to families. Along with strengthening agricultural self-sufficiency in their community, too. This project has proven itself and we are wanting to expand it to another location that is in need of it.

Burundi Background

To shed some light on the history of Burundi, they are still recovering from a 15-year (1993-2005) conflict that has led to 300,000 people dead. Agriculture is the main employment sector in Burundi. It is also the traditional source of food and income. Land scarcity is a huge deal in Burundi and lots of farmers have small plots of land, but growing just enough food for their families is also a struggle.

We recognize this struggle as well as those who do not have the opportunity to grown their own crops or feed their families.

Our goal is to raise $25,000 for the expansion. From the original one hectare at the Kivumu garden to another one at Nyarumanga. As a reminder of the power of the garden, the Kivumu location is currently in its seventh season. It has alleviated food insecurity, provided income and helped with people’s health issues.

Our Objectives

  • Expand self-sufficient agriculture projects to provide families with food security.
  • Increase energy levels and health maintenance.
  • Generate income through selling their produce in the market.

With the crops grown, 60% will be sold to the market, 20% are kept by the families and the remaining 20% are kept as seeds for the next participants.

Currently, this project supports 70 families. There are 2 growing seasons with 35 families participating per season. With the expansion, we will be able to help more vulnerable families.

Thank you

We appreciate any kind of help for our community gardens. Please consider donating and helping us in the expansion of the garden.

We also have other programs for you to check out.

If you have questions, feel free to reach out. We are happy to answer them.

Help expand the community gardens

Our 2021 Programs and Plans

Wings of Hope For Africa 2021

This post will highlight our 2021 programs and plans.

First, we wanted to say Happy New Year to you and your loved ones! We are so blessed to be on this journey with you and we would like to share with you our plans for 2021.

Let’s Get Started

We’d like to kick off our year with an Easter fundraising event from March 1st to April 4th. Our goal is to sponsor 50 children. 

We will also keep empowering families and communities through our community gardens in Kivumu and Buterere. Our goal is to add an extra hectare each. 

With our healthcare and disease prevention, we are aiming to donate 100 healthcare cards.

Wings of Hope also wants to continue our back-to-school campaign from July 1st to September 1st where we aim to send 100 children to school. 

We will also keep on with our Christmas Hope for 2021 from November 1st to December 24th where we work together to help families in need in Burundi and Rwanda. 

Along with that, our Hope for Kids Canada Program will still be an ongoing fundraiser. We will provide food hampers and gift cards to families in need in Alberta. 

Another huge thing we wanted to highlight and keep on is our emergency Covid relief efforts in Alberta, as well as our relief efforts in Burundi and Rwanda to help support refugees.

To add on, we have monetary goals to help with administration and operation–it takes a dedicated and passionate team to run things behind the scenes. 

Wings of Hope for Africa 10th Anniversary

Another thing we wanted you to be part of is our 10th anniversary on Saturday, September 11th. Happy 1 decade to us! It has been a remarkable decade full of helpful and caring people. We could not have done this without you. We hope you know how much our volunteers and donors mean to us.

Join us this year and support our 2021 programs and plans.

Together, we can help a lot of people. 

Written by Shama Palangdosan

Programs & Projects

Check out our programs and consider donating.

Our Highlights of 2020

Highlights of 2020

Wings of Hope For Africa has had a few highlights of 2020.

It’s been a year of struggles for millions of people. From food insecurity to not having necessities, families and individuals have been impacted more than ever. Adding in the pressure of the holidays makes it tougher, too.

At Wings of Hope, we try our best to help those in our communities. We can’t help every single person, but we know the impact when we help one family at a time. We are proud of what we have accomplished this year!

Christmas Donation

This past Christmas season we launched a campaign: 30 days of Giving Hope from November 24th to December 24th. Our Christmas campaign supported families in Buterere, Burundi. The families we are helping have been severely impacted by the pandemic. With your generosity, we’re able to provide tools to help them during these times.

The donations also help break the cycle of poverty. Your donation gifts ranging from $5 for soaps and toothbrushes to $250 which helps sponsor a child for one year–helps tremendously and is greatly appreciated.

We were also able to help more than 500 families where we donated beyond meat sausages and ground beef in our local community of Calgary.

Covid Relief

Another highlight was our Covid-19 relief efforts this year. We have been supporting our communities with food hamper deliveries and gift cards. Since April, we have helped 1,850 families. In May, we had a food drive. We were able to provide 36 gift cards/groceries to those who needed it the most. We also made another round of food deliveries to individuals this past October. In November, we delivered fresh eggs to more than 60 families in Calgary.

We are grateful of what we have accomplished this year and we know that this was not possible without everyone who has volunteered and donated. It fills us with joy and hope that we have a support system that is continuously helping.

We appreciate your kindness, generosity and your willingness to help and share our cause.

We wish you and your loved ones a happier new year! Stay tuned for our 2021 plans.

An End of Year Thank You

A Message From Our Founder Aline Gahiza

Click here to give a helping hand to communities in need.

See you next year.


Written by Shama Palangdosan

Support Our Programs

We appreciate your generosity, effort and time. Learn more about our programs here.

Thank You Donors For Helping

A thank you to our generous donors

We want to thank our Donors for helping. Last week we mentioned our selfless and hardworking volunteers. Today, we want to give a huge thank you appreciation post to our supportive and thoughtful donors!

It has been a year of challenges, but also a year of compassion. At Wings of Hope For Africa, our donors mean a lot to us. They have been accommodating and generous. They have supported us with our dedication to empower communities and develop self-sufficient programs to end poverty in Burundi, Rwanda, East Africa and Calgary, Alberta.

A few of our contributing organizations are Second Harvest, Breakfast Club of Canada and Bright Light for Africa. They have kindly donated food and also funded our Covid-19 relief efforts. We’re happy and pleased to have them contribute and donate.

Wings of Hope for Africa have had individual donors as well. They have donated to our organization and helped those who need it the most. We’re grateful for their willingness to lend a helping hand to better sustain communities that require food and supplies.

Covid-19 effort with the help of our donors

A huge mission that we focused on this year in Calgary was to provide a helping hand to those who have been impacted by Covid-19. With food insecurities at a high, we knew that we had to give back. Since April 2020, we have helped over 1,850 families with our donors’ help. 

A shoutout to news networks

Also, a special shout out to Global News Calgary for featuring our Covid-19 efforts on the news! And to CTV News for putting a spotlight on our back to school campaign. It is an honour to have news networks invite us to talk about our passion for helping Canadian communities and beyond. We are grateful to those who tune in and learn about our efforts, too.  

A huge thank you again to our donors for helping our communities. We are so appreciative and grateful to them as they provided us with the means to keep going. Their willingness to give to those in need is heartwarming. 

We are excited to see what 2021 will bring to us. To more contributions, community building and uplifting others. 

Take a look at some of our efforts here. 


Written by Shama Palangdosan

Your Donation Help Further Our Work

We appreciate any donations and support.

Thank You Volunteers for Helping Our Communities

A thank you poster to our volunteers. Helping today building hope for tomorrow.

A thank you to our passionate volunteers

We want to thank our Volunteers for helping. It has been quite a year of sadness and quarantine, but it has also been a year of gratitude and hope. At Wings of Hope For Africa, we could not have done what we do and help our communities without our willing, selfless volunteers. 

They have been dedicated to our cause and are passionate about giving a helping hand. To mention some names, we are thankful to have Mica Bot, who manages our primary social media platforms and Soloya Huang, who manages our secondary social media accounts. They post and interact with you online and inform you of updates. Their efforts do not go unnoticed!

We are grateful to have Evan Machacek for creating our promotion video, as well as Vanessa Pat, who has designed our posters. Their creativity and drive are always appreciated. 

We are also thankful to have Veronique Bellamy, who updates our website and Laura Olmos, who helps us with grant applications. These are such crucial roles to our organization, and we recognize their hard work. 

A special thank you

Wings of Hope also wants to give a special thanks to our volunteers in Africa. A huge thank you to Yvan Kana, who delivers our programs in Buterere, Kivumu and communities in Burundi. As well as Nsengiyumva Aimable for helping with administrative work in Burundi. 

Another big thank you to Colette Mukankusi for delivering our program in Kigali, Rwanda and Samy D. Israel for helping with administration! 

And of course, to Aline Gahiza our founder, who is thoughtful and persevering.

Last but not least, we are happy to have all of you who share the word of our cause. It truly takes a village and a community to help those in need, and with your shares, donations and help, we are able. 

Thank you to everyone who has made this possible. We are so grateful for your passion for helping. We are excited about what’s to come in 2021. 

Thank you again to our volunteers for helping. To more helping hands, community building and uplifting those in need. 

Take a look at some of our efforts here.

Written by: Shama Palangdosan

Volunteer With Us

Come volunteer with us! We appreciate any support.

Covid Relief Efforts Dec 2020

Our Covid Relief Efforts

The pandemic has generated food insecurity for individuals and families in the city of Calgary. During this unpredictable time, a lot of people have been left not knowing if they are able to provide basic necessities. Leaving them in the unknown of when their next meal will be.

To help, we have been supporting our communities with food hampers and gift cards. Since April 2020, we have helped 1850 families. In May, we provided groceries or gift cards (depending on what suited them most) to 36 people who were in financial troubles. In October, we donated boxes of food to many individuals in need. We also delivered fresh eggs to more than 60 families last month.

At Wings of Hope, we make sure they had what they needed: from rice to potatoes, to laundry soap and diapers. We are lending a helping hand to help them survive. All thanks to your help and donations!

With all that said, we are still very much continuing our Covid-19 relief efforts to help out families and individuals that have been impacted by the pandemic.

We have been blessed and are thankful for all of our partners and sponsors throughout this difficult time. Not to mention our dedicated and hardworking volunteers who put their lives at risk with sorting and delivering food and products. They are the backbone of our organization and their willingness to offer their time, support and kindness are unmatched. We thank them and we thank you.

If you are wanting to donate, help or volunteer, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We are a welcoming group willing to help our communities and beyond. We are in this together.


Written by Shama Palangdosan

Your Donation Help Further our Work