The Wazee Foundation and its partners focus on helping the overlooked impoverished elderly (the Wazee) in Kibera, Kenya, the planet’s largest slum. Here microloans and healthcare vouchers have immediate and lasting effects. The systems in Africa’s slums are based on mere dollars a day; awful to think about but it also means small amounts of money can tip the scales from suffering to sustenance and from despair to dignity.
Learn more about how your support can restore hope to Africa’s elderly.
The Wazee Foundation: focused on helping the aged and overlooked.
Community Engagement
Loneliness is a horrible thing. Wazee Foundation works with Kibera’s development organizations to sponsor gatherings and educational programs that build up the elderly community and provide a place where they can come together, share stories, and care for each other. Too many elderly end up isolated, alone, and often victimized. Wazee Foundation’s community partners bring the elderly together– from pure social events to special programs like teaching anti-rape/self-defense techniques. Yes, the elderly are raped in Kibera. Help our partners combat this evil through community building efforts.
Microloans
Wazee Foundation sponsors a registered Kibera microloan program providing small amounts of capital for an elder (Wazee) to start/expand a business. Most Kibera businesses operate within a “micro-economy”; people buy food, water, cooking oil, charcoal, even soap– in daily amounts. Oddly, this means small amounts of capital can have big impacts. For example, a small $50 loan to an elderly making and selling soap can increase her purchase of supplies, lowering her costs, and increasing her profit margin. It seems like such a small amount until you see Kibera’s micro-economy work; small amounts improve daily lives.
Healthcare Vouchers
Competent clinics and dentists are available for free to the citizens of Kibera but entering “the system” requires an entrance fee. Wazee Foundation provides this entrance fee (voucher) for the elderly in Kibera, and the small children the elderly often care for. A mere $60 can provide a YEAR of medical system access, meaning a Wazee can get ongoing medical and dental care… for many, for the first time in their lives.
Non-Profit Status
Wazee Foundation is a registered 501c3 with offices based in Troy, New York but its heart beats within Africa’s impoverished communities. For information on our 501c3 charities, please send an email to info@wazeefoundation.org.
