To Make a village.

Grassroots efforts.
Local leadership.

 

We support people with vision and commitment. We finance their plans to build communities where they can raise families, earn a living, and pursue their dreams. Together, we make villages.

We’ve been working in our first village since July, 2021. Follow our progress on our news page.

Afiri Declares Food Independence
by December 2024

 The Women’s Vegetable Garden will feed the village and create its first new business.

A new irrigation system brings well water to the garden for a year-round growing season

Almost two years ahead of schedule, the women of Afiri are buying seeds and tools for this spring’s planting from profits earned by their sewing service. They’re achieving ambitious goals. We couldn’t be more proud of them.

In less than a year, the women’s sewing project is sharing profits to support their garden

Afiri’s Women’s Program is moving fast! Their sewing service, launched in mid-2023, has already provided new uniforms for the village’s farm workers, clothes for everyone in Afiri, and dresses for sale in nearby markets. Now they’re funding their own plans for jobs and economic development.

Help us keep up with them!

Your support – we’ve reached over $100,000 in grants since 2021 – has financed Afiri’s new bridge, two fresh-water wells, and the garden’s irrigation system. We knew the obvious benefits – improved access, better health, more food. Now we’re seeing the creative new projects Afiri can launch with its new infrastructure.

“A village is more than a place to sleep after work. It’s a place to build homes, raise families, start new businesses, and create a community. It’s about freedom of choice and hope for the future. We named our village ‘Afiri.’ It means ‘hope’ in our native language.”

Lucien Obama, Co-Founder, Village of Afiri, Cameroon

Afiri means hope. Here’s where to find it.

Afiri is 25 miles east of Yaoundé, in Cameroon’s fertile tropical highlands. Our first local business partner, Team KKO, operates a 70-hectare cacao farm employing many village residents. Team KKO has also donated land for Afiri’s houses, and assists with project management.

Afiri shares its bridge and fresh-water wells with their neighbors, building a larger community and supporting regional economic growth.

What the people of Afiri want to tell you

  • “We live far away and sometimes there is no truck in the village. I was a taxi driver and if we had a motorcycle, I could drive people to the clinic if they need medical care.”

    MICHEL

  • “I met my husband Bongo here and we have three children. Before, I lived in the north and had a small sewing business. I pray every day for a new machine and am saving to begin again.”

    SUSANNA

  • “I’ve been working here three years. I didn’t come here to play. I came here to work. I am like my country. Cameroon is working to make progress every day and so am I.”

    COLLINS

  • “If my team advances, I know that I advance too. I was looking for a way to change in my life, and working here feels like I am building something for me and my family.”

    ÉTIENNE

Our local partners.

Established in 2014, Team KKO has 25 workers, with plans to create more jobs as their harvests grow. They pay a living wage and give a large share of their profits back to the village.

Workers have already brought families to Afiri, and, as more arrive, they will build their own homes, solar panels, community kitchens, and bathrooms. These projects mean more jobs, a key element of their growth strategy. Access to education and health care has already begun, with web-based reading and writing classes for all, and basic nursing training for select adult residents.

The people of Afiri are always making choices about their future, and they’re eager to tell you about their progress.