History of All Day FORE Africa
Today, The Abana Foundation a is a non-profit organization that is changing the lives of thousands of kids both in the United States and in the small village of Kibeho, Rwanda. However, the story of All Day FORE Africa began with just one fifteen-year-old girl, ready to make a difference in the world.
In the summer of 2010, Kate was blessed with the opportunity to travel to Rwanda with her mom, Kathy, and her friend, Immaculée Ilibagiza, a Rwandan genocide survivor and New York Times best-selling author of Left To Tell.
In preparation for the trip, she decided to use her passion and love for the game of golf to raise money for a school in Kibeho, Rwanda, that she had the opportunity to visit. She planned to play golf ALL DAY and take pledges in support of this project. After talking to Fr. Leszek, a missionary priest in Kibeho, Rwanda, she was inspired to raise money for a water system that was badly needed. At that time, the children had to walk 40 minutes to fetch water because they didn’t have water for bathroom facilities.
Kate was completely amazed that in only a couple weeks, she and her community were able to raise over $10,000 in pledges towards this project, which was enough money to put in a water system that would help these kids in a great way!
In August, Kate was able to personally deliver the funds for the water system and her life was forever changed. She witnessed first-hand the tremendous need in this small village, and she was inspired to continue working to raise money for this village. She began thinking that if she could use her passion and make a small difference, what would happen if other kids were inspired to do the same?
Kate returned to the states determined to continue to raise funds for these precious kids who are so full of love and joy, but lack so much in their daily basic needs. Her sister, Annie, was soon inspired to use her passion for music to help the kids in Kibeho as well. She asked her friends, Kailey and Laura to join her in putting on a music concert, and they raised significant funds that we quickly sent to Kibeho to help with other projects. More importantly, however, the idea of All Day FORE Africa Kids for Kids movement was born.
They kept inviting others to join us, and soon, kids from across the U.S. were doing what they love to do (singing, dancing, tennis, soccer, volleyball, swimming, and more) to raise funds for ADFA. Today, there are kids all across the U.S. who participate in our annual summer event, fundraise at other events throughout the year, serve on the Abana Ambassador Board, and participate in other opportunities to further the mission of Abana. The Abana Foundation also hosts annual Mission Trips so people can see directly how their donations are impacting lives.
In the past 14 years, the Abana kids have worked hard and been able to raise funds for the following:
• Built a water system at Nyarushishi Primary School
• Built a Medical Center for the village
• Build Teachers Dormitories
• Established and maintain a school lunch feeding program: Mission ABANA (feeding 880 children)
• Provide vitamins, shoes, & school supplies for the students
• Establish the ADFA Scholarship Fund: Currently awarding 15 students full secondary school scholarships
• Built the All Day FORE Africa Children’s Academy: A place where students can come outside of school hours to have intense learning opportunities in language, music, art and more
This is a KIDS for KIDS movement… KIDS in the U.S. use their passions to make a difference for KIDS in Kibeho. Abana has seen the impact this organization has not only on the students benefitting in Rwanda, but even more so on the children in the U.S. who are inspired to help others and show kindness! The Abana Foundation is truly growing the hearts of future leaders. At Abana, we believe you are never too young to make a difference and that by using our passions and talents for good, we can truly change the world.
