Kids for Kids helps villages in Darfur combat poverty and climate change through goat loan and tree planting schemes.
The combination of conflict, economic hardship and extreme weather means that Darfur is currently in a dire state. Flooding and soaring inflation has led to an economic crisis that has left the majority of families unable to afford basic necessities. However, Patricia Parker, founder of Kids for Kids, explains how goat loans are the solution. When she joins the zoom call from her home office, Patricia immediately greets me with a cheery hello and a warm smile before we launch into conversation about the inspiration behind her organisation.
Despite having "no intention of starting a charity", Patricia found herself determined to make a difference in Darfur after flying to Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, to visit her eldest son who was a Diplomat there. While driving through North Dafur, Patricia came across a 9 year old boy who was walking 7 hours in the scorching heat to reach water. Shocked by the incredible deprivation she witnessed and the realisation that "you could do something about it", Patricia set up Kids for Kids in 2001 and six months later she had installed a handpump near the boy’s home in Um Ga’al. Patricia's ambition was to "improve children’s lives long term." She argues that, while emergency aid is vital to saving lives in Darfur, the only way to make a real difference is through sustainable aid. "Right from the start I wanted to build in the possibility of us not being there from the next day, so everything had to be run by the communities, owned by the communities and be something that they had the skills to care for." Kids for Kids’ ethos is therefore to transform communities by "helping people to help themselves."
The Goat Loan is key to Kids for Kids. After adopting a village, Kids for Kids loans the poorest 15% of families 6 goats that provide essential nutrition to starving children. The offspring of the goats are then given to another family in need after two years. The goats are therefore instrumental in reducing malnutrition in these secluded communities, thus significantly reducing starvation related death amongst young children. She explains how her goat loan scheme empowers women in Darfur: "Our goat loans give women a livelihood. They’re getting money selling milk and yoghurt and after two years they can sell the goats’ offspring so for the first time they have money to spend on their children." With rainfall down 30% over the last forty years and the Sahara advancing by over a mile annually, describing the environment in Darfur as challenging would be an understatement. However, Patricia points out that there remains hope to save Darfur from desertification and highlights the positive impact that planting 'green belts' around villages is having. "The trees that we plant absolutely transform the environment. When we planted our first community forest people came and said that there were clouds. Now to us in England that may not mean too much- we think gosh there are too many clouds but for the people in Darfur to see clouds was a miracle because it symbolised the hope of rain."
After successfully opening their first Kindergarten in October 2013, the dream of accessible education in several villages in Darfur has become a reality. In order to ensure that the schools are sustainable and continue to provide essential education for future generations, Patricia sought the commitment of the State Ministry of Education for funding the school and teachers. By educating young children, Kids for Kids have given them an opportunity to escape poverty and build a better future for themselves. Patricia says, "The whole village takes wonderful pride and ownership over their school- they’ve even set up a Parent Teacher Association." Patricia went on to talk about the impact of Covid on her organisation. "Of course, during covid so much publicity turned inwards as there was a lot of need here so a lot of people stopped looking to Africa." Thankfully, despite no longer being able to have fundraising events and having to move their annual Candlelit Christmas Concert online, Kids for Kids was able to survive the pandemic. Unfortunately, the impact of Covid in Darfur was horrendous: "In the regional capital when it first hit our programme manager told us that 10 to 12 people, his friends, were dying each day. With no testing and no treatment and hospitals with no oxygen or ventilators Covid was basically an untreatable disease."
When I ask Patricia what her highlight was, she emotively recounts meeting the little nine year old boy, who had inspired her to start her charity all them years ago, on her last trip to Darfur. She remembers being speechless when she saw the now 29 year old man, whose child currently attends a Kids for Kids Kindergarten, and describes the moving moment as "beyond words." "Our motto is one goat at a time which basically means one child at a time. If kids for kids changes one child’s life or one’s mother’s life with a midwife then it’s been worth it." Kids for Kids has accomplished a great deal, saving countless lives since Patricia set it up 20 years ago. There are currently 106 Kids for Kids villages, but Patricia emphasises that the fight against poverty and climate change in Darfur is far from over and hopes to continue to raise awareness and encourage people to make a difference in a sustainable way.
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