"During our visit to Hope4Kasi for community service, we cleaned the yard and painted a house for grandparents. This experience taught me the importance of helping the community. It enriches your life, familiarizes you with your community, and connects you with people and ideas that can positively impact your perspective for the rest of your life," shares IAWA Ambassador Tlotlego.
Read More"They shared the harsh realities we might encounter, but the lesson was clear: no matter how challenging it gets, never give up, study hard, and stay true to ourselves," recants IAWA Ambassador, Masetshaba as she reflects on her visit to the University of Pretoria during the capstone trip.
Read More"IAWA is such a special place for young people like me. We’ve witnessed young people flourishing through opportunities to develop their social and life skills leading them to deal effectively with the demands of everyday life." Hear from IAWA Ambassador Sibongile as she reflects on her experiences in IAWA and on the Capstone Trip.
Read More"Personally, the camp felt like a message from God, telling me how much He loves me and that I should appreciate the life He gave me, living it to the fullest. He sent this message through good people like Meisha and all the individuals supporting the organization, allowing people like us to see the light." Hear more IAWA Ambassador Moses and his experiences attending the capstone trip as a Youth Facilitator.
Read MoreElaina tells us about her trip to South Africa: “When we were first introduced to each other, everyone was a bit nervous. By the end of the trip, we all didn’t want to leave each other. I met so many amazing people and built great bonds with them. “
Read MoreWhen IAWA first began the mission was simple, to show young people that with the right tools they could do anything. We had hopes that the work we were doing way back when, would lead to the type of people that would go into communities and plant the same seeds. In a sense that those we taught to fish would some day teach others
Read MoreWe talk about our vision to empower young people. How we see a world where they are socially engaged, globally aware, and economically free. But, what do we mean by that, and how do we accomplish this?
Read MoreI Am We Are had the supreme pleasure of awarding the inaugural The Pastor Gaines Memorial Fund which supports faith based youth work in South Africa. Hope4Kasie is a non-profit founded by Pastor Gladys and her husband in hopes of helping the young people of Oukasie, Rustenburg South Africa find hope and light for their future. They felt a deep responsibility to shine their light to ensure that those after them know the way.
Read MoreJoin us on July 28, 2022, at the Future Africa Campus at the University of Pretoria from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm for I Am Here: UnlockedPotential, a night where BEP alumni will share where they are now in life! We will also share our Impact Report. Get the inside scoop as the alumni recount how your continued IAWA support helped them navigate the twists and turns of life, revealing a future filled with hope and unlocking the limitless potential in us all.
Read MoreAt the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we needed to find a way to keep the connection between our South African youth and our American youth alive. As a result, the Morafe Leadership Programme was created. The Morafe Leadership Programme is a virtual, peer-to-peer initiative designed to bring together our youth from the Royal Bafokeng Nation (RBN) in South Africa and our youth from Prince George’s County, Maryland, USA. Together, the youth learn to build life skills, leadership abilities, and strong cross-cultural ties to support each other’s dreams and ambitions.
Read MoreIAWA is fueled by the kindness of our donors and the solid support of our partners. Thanks to the generosity of several key partners, we can provide unique opportunities for our youth. This post is dedicated to 5 recent partnerships we can’t stop smiling about.
Read MoreAs a Youth Facilitator, my community of fellow facilitators, our ever-patient members of the Nia circle and the joy of my Ambassadors lit my path. This was a year of light for me especially since it helped cement for me that youth development and spaces for young people are where I am supposed to be. Because the light of I Am, We Are exists, I was able to find my way.
Read MoreLast year we launched a new program, the Morafe Leadership Development Programme, and welcomed a new cohort of Ambassadors. From both the United States, Prince George’s County; Maryland and North West; South Africa. This was the first time where we had students from both countries in the program not just in parallel but together. It was certainly a new learning curve having to run a fully virtual programme and training of the Youth Facilitators and we added to the community while learning new things in spite of and because of the pandemic.
Read MoreWe’ve had some new additions and some heartfelt farewells in our community at the top of this year. Find out who are our newest community members, meet our newest Directors Circle members, and learn about our new Impact Assessment Team.
Read MoreThe time for our next art auction is drawing near, and we would like to take a moment to reflect on the tremendous achievements we made at our previous auction. Our 5th Annual Benefit Fundraiser ‘I Am Here,’ which took place last year on December 5, 2020, as a virtual celebration honoring our collective resilience. This bi-continental virtual interactive reception and art auction was an opportunity for donors and supporters to engage with the beneficiaries of IAWA’s flagship program while experiencing South African culture. Thanks to everyone’s support, it was also our most successful fundraiser ever as we raised $15,000 more than the previous year!
Read MoreIt's that time of year again, when we host our annual reception and auction. This year the virtual celebration will bring us together to collectively Let Our Light Shine!
Read MoreIn honor of Giving Tuesday, taking place on Tuesday, November 30th this year, we are launching our Monthly Giving program, the Ubuntu Circle. One translation for I Am, We Are’s guiding philosophy, ubuntu, is interconnectedness. The Ubuntu Circle recognizes our need for communal support to empower our youth or as the African proverb states, “it takes a village to raise a child.” Ubuntu Circle members join us in investing in our youth by pledging support for as little as $15 per month.
Read MoreRecently, we hosted gatherings in the US and South Africa to support our parents, celebrate all we have achieved, and elicit feedback. The first event was a parent’s workshop on “How to Strengthen the Parent-Child Relationship.” On the other side of the world, it was all round happiness when our USA community, which included ambassadors, parents, facilitators and board members, also gathered for Sunday Brunch. On 6 November 2021, the South African community came together again for a special lunch for all community members to reflect on the year’s accomplishments and preview next year’s exciting programming opportunities.
Read MoreI Am, We Are (IAWA) was inspired by the philosophy of ubuntu (oo-boon-too, n.), a South African phrase meaning "humanity" or "I am because we are." The term is derived from the phrase umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu, which translates as, "a person is a person through other people."
Read MoreIAWA partnered with LearnServe International to bring their 2021 Global Summer Fellowship to South Africa. Over five weeks, IAWA Alumni and students from Kitsong School and Mmanape High School, engaged virtually with youth from the Washington, DC area of the United States and Zambia. The social entrepreneurship program culminated in a final pitch competition where one venture from each country could win a seed grant of $100 to help launch the venture. The IAWA winner was Amogelan Moatshe whose venture addressed access to vaccinations for rural populations in his community.
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