Mission and Philosophy

Our philosophy is simple: the most effective and sustainablekind of help is self-help. Orphan Support Africa knows that the hope for Africa lies in its people. Our role is only to assist through partnership with their communities so that they may discover and implement their own solutions.

OSA’s role, then, is as facilitator, not a director to the communities and organizations with whom we work. We firmly believe that local organizations already have the necessary skills within their communities to create ownership, self-reliance and sustainability. We believe as well that their commitment to bettering their lives supersedes anyone else’s. The missing links are resources and opportunity.

In keeping with this philosophy, communities set their own priorities and allocate local resources towards initiatives that will best lead to the improvement of the lives of children, families and the community at large.

At OSA, we believe local challenges require local solutions; what works in one community may not work in another. Likewise, not every solution will have equal success. Therefore, the risks on the part of local organizations must be minimized. Each community-based organization (CBO) is unique, and needs to be treated as such. CBOs work within their own set of collective ideas to address and find solutions to overcome the effects of HIV/AIDS and poverty. From this exchange of ideas and diversity comes the rich opportunity for grassroots leaders to share their ideas with other local leaders, who face similar obstacles and problems in their efforts to care for the vulnerable children of their
respective communities.