1859 March | April 2016

VENTURES
game changers + biz briefs
Africa Bridge
written by Lee DiSanti
Gary Grossman
IT TAKES A VILLAGE to
raise a child. In Tanzania—an
African country roughly three
times the size of Oregon—
people in remote villages, hobbled
by poverty and AIDS, take
the sentiment literally.
“People who have nothing will
take in a homeless child, and
that is the biggest risk a poor
family can take,” said Tanzanian
native-turned-Oregonian, Barry
Childs, 70. “It means they have
another mouth to feed when
they can hardly feed the mouths
that are already present.”
In 2000, Childs founded Africa
Bridge—a Portland-based
nonprofit that helps vulnerable
children who are extremely
poor, malnourished, orphaned,
abandoned, marginalized or
HIV positive—by helping individual
families by empowering
whole villages.
Childs grew up trekking
through Tanzania’s distant villages
with his father, a botanist.
While the elder Childs
taught agricultural practices,
the younger learned games,
languages and culture among
village children.
He left Tanzania in 1969
to pursue an education and a
career, then returned thirtyfive
years later to experience
a country rife with poverty
and epidemic. Yet, Childs saw
strength in the commitment to
protecting and caring for children
within the communities.
“I didn’t know how, but I
knew I had to make a difference,”
he said.
When conceptualizing Africa
Bridge, Childs interviewed
Africans from all walks of life.
One man, a South African
“Zulu-Jew” doctor, made a
lasting impression.
He told Childs that every
dollar that came to aid Africa,
came with a Western agenda.
“People in countries that send
money decide how to spend
money, but have no context
of what the realities are,” said
Childs. “What makes sense
abroad may not make sense in
Africa.”
He believes that Tanzanian
children need a voice in the organization’s
programs.
“When I first came up with
the idea, my buddy thought I
emerged from a lunatic asylum,”
Childs said.
Africa Bridge first interviews
at-risk children before it enters
new villages.
“Children know what’s going
on in the community, and they
are transparent,” he said.
The organization layers aid
efforts. It partners with Tanzanian
government committees
to identify vulnerable areas
and provide immediate social
services. It also establishes agricultural
co-ops to help families
and economies.
In the dairy co-op, families receive
American-Tanzanian hybrid
cows, capable of producing four
times the milk of a local variety.
“A family receives immediate
sustenance from the milk,”
explained Alex Chester, 34, the
organization’s finance and operations
manager.
Families then sell excess milk
for income.
“We can transform children’s
lives by transforming the families
and communities that take
them in,” said Childs.
GETTING INVOLVED
Africa Bridge’s mission is to
empower Tanzanian families
to protect, support, and care
for vulnerable children by
helping villages implement
sustainable social services
and economic solutions.
How you can help:
DONATE
VOLUNTEER
INVOLVE STUDENTS through
the “This is My School” program.
africabridge.org
74 1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE MARCH | APRIL 2016