Our Partners
“Boring” Data Can Be More Interesting Than You Think
Tracking the work of our African partners can be a bit complicated. Amanda, one of the members of our Africa Partnerships (AP) team recently walked the rest of us through an overview of how our AP team works with our partners, and it was so interesting that we thought you would also enjoy learning more about it! Our partners do life-changing work, and we utilize best practices and international standards in order to measure not only how well we’re already doing, but how we can continue to get better.
COVID and HIV: An Update From The Global Community
Nadia Kist, Blood:Water’s Director of Africa Programs, recently attended the global AIDS conference where she learned that HIV and COVID-19 have an even greater overlap than previously expected. For starters, the fact that so many people require immediate attention adds a large burden to health systems around the globe, many of which are not even equipped for their existing needs. Coronavirus has presented a situation none of us expected or know what to expect from, so we are still learning how it will impact greater issues that were already being faced.
A Glimpse Into What Our Partners Are Up To
As our partners continue to work diligently to adapt to the challenges of COVID-19, we wanted to share some insight and updates about how a couple of them are doing these days.
Her Whole Life Was Transformed
If we need any proof that long-lasting change is capable through our love and commitment to helping one another, Anna is a standing testament that miracles do happen.
Overcoming the Fear of Not Enough
The Kingdom of God is open handed. It is not a land of hoarders and collectors. It is not a place where anyone wonders if they will have something to eat while others die under the weight of their bloated indulgences. It is a grandiose vision of God’s kingdom, and perhaps in the “already-and-not-yet” spectrum of this vision, we feel like we are more on the side of “not-yet.” Still, the abundance of God’s kingdom is here already. We have it all around us. We are sinking in it.
To All of God’s Children, We Are With You
Blood:Water exists because we believe that all human beings were created in God’s image and deserve basic rights: freedom, health, common decency, and tolerance just to name a few. Partnering with sub-Saharan African grassroots organizations, we can sometimes feel distant from the racial issues prevalent here in the US, but we have seen how stigma and prejudice of disease, poverty, and identity can impact people’s lives at the most atomic and subatomic levels. We are just as responsible as any other organization or person for making the world a better place for everyone starting at an individual level. Therefore, we condemn the acts of injustice perpetrated every day against Black Americans, whether intentional or not, systemic or overt, historic or current, in the US or abroad.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
-John 13:34
Exciting Updates from the Field
We are so grateful for your support even in these difficult times and for the incredible work of our partners, so we wanted to give you a little update on how each of them are doing amidst the COVID-19 crisis as it grows in Africa.
What Water Wells and Kidney Transplants Have in Common
We as a culture have looked at the local organization as the younger sibling to the large international organizations. In doing so, we have fueled a long, solutionless investment that has done more to build a western hero complex rather than truly help solve the challenges that continue to burden our world. It is time to change.
The Experts Are Not Who You Think
The question that should pop up in your brain at this point is, “Has the international development community largely operated without elevating the importance and integral role of local expertise?” And the answer to your question is a resounding and painful, “yes.”
On The Frontlines In Uganda, Our Partner Is Taking Action
While COVID-19 still presents a serious threat to them and the people they serve, our partners have been proactively fighting to contain the disease in their corners of the world. And we are excited to highlight the efforts of one such partner to show you how, despite all of our current challenges, we can still band together to help. Partners for Community Transformation (PaCT) has been one of Uganda’s leaders in health for some time now, and they are going above and beyond to proactively address this new pandemic.