Bridges to Africa

“Why aren’t Canadian charities who are operating across the continent of Africa talking to one another? They’re building schools right down the street from each other, but why aren’t they sharing resources?”

Along with friends Tk Azaglo (Future of Africa) and Keita Demming (Village Seed), these are the types of questions we were asking over coffee.

That’s how ‘Bridges to Africa’ started. Our mission: A network of individuals who are committed to development work across the continent of Africa, uniting to foster an environment of learning and sharing.

In February 2012, we brought about 20 charities and nonprofits together for our first ever ‘Bridges to Africa Symposium’. Charities shared successes, challenges, and lessons learned with one another. They also discussed questions like: How do we become irrelevant? How do we leverage local expertise?

It was clear, charities wanted to work together.

On a scale of 1-5 (with 5 being most useful), all participants (except one) rated the event as 5 or above. One participant wrote:

"I enjoyed meeting individuals working on similar projects and learning about the work of different organizations. I think the group activity allowed us to share personal experiences and challenges. It was a good first step to forging a network between us."

It’s amazing where a few coffee conversations can take you. Our first event expanded into organizing an informal networking event, ‘Development Drinks’, scheduled for this Monday, July 23rd. Our expanded coordinating committee is also planning the next Symposium for this Fall 2012.

To learn more about our upcoming events, contact us at any time.

Popy Dimoulas-Graham
Founder, Charity Republic