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The principle of our association is sustainability, which we’re trying to reach with finding long-term solutions to problems. Instead of one-time donations we’re trying to find and provide new opportunities, so the locals can make use of the given tools and knowledge years later as well.
I am an economist and a hobby graphic artist. In the Association I mainly deal with economic tasks. I am currently working in the field of consumer protection, which gives me the opportunity to fight people’s vulnerability every day.
I believe in the power of art to help self-expression and shape the soul, as well as the beneficial effect of artistic methods in the education. Among other things, my dream in the Association is creating an artistic scholarship program for school children.
I’ve been working as an HR professional for 10 years, because it was always important to me to have a job where I can work with people. It was one of my dreams coming true, when I volunteered in a Kenyan orphanage in 2018. Here 45 vivacious kids grew very close to my heart. Among the difficult circumstances their honest love of life, sociability and joy has left a lasting mark in me until today. Due to all this, it became clear to me that I need to continue the work I’ve started in Africa, so after my return we’ve founded the ASANTE Association. I believe that through our work with Asante now we can give them real help and many little joyful moments, also from our home.
Here you can read more about my time volunteering in Kenya: https://hildainkenya.webnode.hu
It’s always been one of my many dreams to volunteer in Africa. When it finally came true in 2019, as a medical student it meant a lot to me, that I could do my volunteering in the field of healthcare. During the week I worked at a local clinic, while in the weekend we helped the locals with several medical outreaches in the rural areas of Kenya. During these I’ve experienced the lack of basic knowledge about health and faced many problems arising from it. Through Asante I hope we’ll be able to provide basic knowledge about health and hygiene to many children and adults.
Here you can read more about my time volunteering in Kenya: http://kenyainyar.hu/
The aim of the BTESZ foundation is to help the members of the next generation who come from a disadvantaged background, but live with dreams similar to their more privileged fellows. We’d like to support those who start off with the same abilities but far less opportunities.
The foundation helps in many areas in Hungary, such as promoting the education of children, supporting talented children with scholarships. Our main project is an educational pilot project for the English learning of underprivileged children.
We are very happy, that the Asante Association, therefore the Kenyan children belong to the first ones, who are supported by BTESZ outside Hungary.
The foundation has also supported the building of the water tower in Masaai Mara. Now with their support we’re able to give 10 tablets with the Xeropan language learning software for the students of Southern Cross Academy.
We believe that this project will greatly contribute to expanding their opportunities and giving them the freedom of choice about their life.
During our time volunteering in Kenya we both (Hilda&Angi) worked with Marafiki Community International. This organization was born from the dream of a self-sustaining Kenya., where people can earn what they need and rely less and less on donations in the long term. Therefore they are thinking in sustainable solutions and work with like-minded institutions.
The volunteers of Marafiki work in such orphanages and hospitals, while the founders of the organization Izzo and Marta create numerous independent projects. They’ve built a school near the Maasai Mara National Reserve after finding a man teaching kids under a tree. Today there are over 200 students attending the school. They’ve also built a water tower in the area so the children have time to go to school instead of spending their day walking for hours to fetch water for their families.
In Kenya we’ve learnt a lot from Marafiki, therefore after returning home and founding Asante we’d like to support them and keep working with their help, since this assures that valuable projects are born from our donations.
During our time volunteering in Kenya, we’ve experienced what the real Africa is like, over the point of what usually gets to European people.
Africa is much more than the sad faces of children on the pictures. The kids there, they play, they dream and they laugh a lot. They dance and sing with their whole heart, and most of all they enjoy life and turn to each other with great love.
These are the children we’d love to help with Asante for Kids in realizing their dreams.
The principle of our association is sustainability; therefore we’re always looking for long-term solutions. Instead of one time donations we’re thinking in creating new ways to help, so the locals can use the given tools and knowledge years later as well. We’d like to help, so that at the end of our projects there’s less and less need for us, and the kids and teens supported by us are able to provide for themselves.
In order to give efficient and purposeful help we’re working with a local Kenyan organization. In our first project together, we helped in building a water tower in Masaai Mara, which constantly provides clean drinking water for the locals, within reasonable distance. Before this, the kids had to walk for hours to reach drinking water, so they did not have the time to go to school. Building the water tower and saving them the hours of walking was the first step in moving forward with their education.
Primarily we’d like to support kids and teens, since this is the time in their life when a big impact can be made, giving them a chance for long standing change. By educating the kids nowadays, and broadening their perspective, the next generation can start off from a better position. We are giving special attention to young girls, since because of the local traditions they are the most vulnerable and have the least opportunities.
Our goal is to give the opportunity of a free choice for kids – especially girls – considering their future (e.g. education, work, marriage, mutilation), therefore we’re emphasizing their education in our work. Learning languages and a profession in school opens a new door to opportunities for them. We’d like them to get to know other cultures, perspectives which could inspire them to change and give them new ideas, cause most of them only know the way of thinking and the culture they grew up in.
As part of their education we’d like to give them basic knowledge about hygiene. It was staggering to see that they’ve never heard of some things that are mostly obvious for us in the developed world (e.g. the importance of a healthy diet and clean drinking water or the way HIV can be transmitted). Providing such information for them could mean a monumental change in their life.
We believe it is important that instead of forcing our plans and ideals on them, we try to help and create change acknowledging the local culture and circumstances.
The Asante Association is helping the kids in Kenya through a local Kenyan organization called Marafiki Community International. We participated in the volunteer program of Marafiki, when we were in Kenya and they are the ones who showed us how we can help in an effective way. The principle of Marafiki is creating sustainable change through supporting hospitals, orphanages and even building new schools. During our time in Kenya we got to know Izzo and Marta, the leaders of Marafiki, therefore we’re convinced that working with them we are able to create real and long term change in the life of kids who need it the most.
The change of perspective we’ve experienced through volunteering in Kenya had a big effect on us. We’d like to show the Hungarian people what the values and opportunities lie in foreign people and cultures. We’d like to promote sustainable thinking in Hungary, helping people understand the importance of the way we’re helping others. Creating real change starts with understanding and acknowledging the culture and background of the people we’re trying to help.
For Europeans it is usually hard to imagine what life is like in Africa. We’ve been through it and we know how difficult it can be to take off and go volunteering to an unknown area. We’d like to help with that. If anyone is thinking about doing volunteer work in Kenya, we’re happy to help with anything. Practical advice as well as some encouragement, since the time we’ve spent there was one of the most important experiences of our lives.
