positively AFRICA was incorporated in 2006 as a small not-for-profit society. Our mission is to build partnerships that enable those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa to live with hope and dignity. We have a vibrant Steering Committee, dedicated volunteers and more than a thousand supporters. We focus on:
working with the most vulnerable — orphans, children, youth and adults with compro
mised; and,
supporting emerging African groups that are not yet part of the mainstream — what we often refer to as "dirt floor" organizations. We assist and encourage them until they become completely independent or are able to tap into established support networks. Principles of Operation positively AFRICA
• The projects are not ours, but belong completely to African people and communities. They are locally conceived, controlled by local Boards and benefit the communities within which they operate.
• The African projects we support are too small to access conventional funding sources (which are very limited to begin with).
• Although we have a national and international profile, our organization is led by dozens of deeply committed volunteers in the Victoria area: we have a volunteer board, work out of our homes and pay for our travel costs personally — enabling us to keep our overhead extremely low and donate over 80% of money raised directly to grassroots African projects;
• We operate using the GIPA principle – the greater involvement of people living with HIV and AIDS, both here in Canada and in Africa. Many of the African project leaders are living positively, and the people in the projects we support are either HIV positive or orphans.
• Many of our projects are social enterprises or fledgling businesses that generate income, learning opportunities and self-reliance — dignity.
• Where possible we facilitate personal linkages between positively AFRICA, our donors and our African partners. In other words, we make a commitment to, and put a human face on, the work we do.
