Friends of Noah
Bruce Andrews Design proudly supports NOAH, which stands for Nurturing Orphans of AIDS for Humanity. This registered non-profit organization was founded in South Africa in the spirit of “Ubuntu” (caring for one another), with the goal of helping orphaned and vulnerable children stay in their own familiar communities rather than being institutionalized. The organization has been empowering these communities to care for their orphaned children since.
In 2010, Friends of NOAH was incorporated in the United States to bring the effort to the attention of the American people. The resources provided by donations sent through Friends of NOAH include physical, educational, psychosocial and general healthcare support. In addition, Friends of NOAH contributes educationally to the communities these children reside within by sharing the knowledge, skills and strategies to help the community members themselves form and run successful organizations that will support these vulnerable children.
The goals of NOAH are quite simple: to support effective programs that are designed and implemented to bring positivity into the lives of these children orphaned by AIDS, and to raise awareness in America as to the plight of these South African youngsters.
What NOAH Does for Their Children
HIV prevention counseling is one of the programs Friends of NOAH helps to fund in the hopes of breaking the cycle of AIDS deaths attributed to and decreasing the number of children who lose their parents to this horrific pandemic.
Daily meals are provided to the children, an effort at the core of the work implemented by Friends of NOAH. For many of these children, a protein-rich daily meal would not otherwise be guaranteed. It is unfathomable to imagine trying to study in class without having a single good meal a day.
Grief counseling is another of the efforts Friends of NOAH supports. After all, losing one’s parents is a tragic experience, made particularly more catastrophic given how often it is occurring in these villages. NOAH’s counselors are trained in techniques of helping these children make the transition as their parents are dying or cope with having lost them.
Enabling “Barefoot Social Workers” to be the eyes and ears on the ground is an important strategic piece to NOAH’s success. These volunteers are scattered throughout the communities where they are needed, their tasks ensuring that children are being looked after. These miracle workers are key to identifying children who become vulnerable or orphaned so that NOAH can enter them into their programs.
New stoves we purchase allow counselors to cook daily meals for more than 250 children. This effort is in continual need of growth so donations to Friends of NOAH help this cause greatly.
Sharing the Spirit of Ubuntu
According to Friends of NOAH, supporting a child can be achieved for as little as $100 per year. Our founder, Bruce Andrews Macdonald, has been a keen supporter of NOAH since 2007. Being a native of South Africa, he has seen the need for and the benefit provided by the charitable organization firsthand. As Desmond Tutu said, “Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can’t exist as a human being in isolation.” Interconnectedness is critical because, after all, we can’t be human all by ourselves.
If you would like to join Bruce Andrews Design in supporting Friends of NOAH, you can donate or contact the organization to contribute in other ways.