An interview with Femmes d’Europe
Last month I was honoured to speak with Rita and Silvia from Femmes d’Europe who recently donated $5,000 to Rafiki Mwema to fund the build of a new sturdier greenhouse and the purchase of a cow for Doyle Farm to help us expand the capacity for fresh produce. This is the second grant Rafiki Mwema have received from Femmes d’Europe for our farming work and we are thrilled that they want to continue supporting our projects. You can see a little more information about the first grant over on the blog here.
The Association of Femmes d’Europe is a philanthropic, apolitical and independent organisation based in Belgium and Luxembourg. Over the years, it has expanded and today has some 900 members, all of whom are volunteers. Most of their members come from European Union (EU) countries however, they also have members all over the world, allowing for a global perspective and impact. The organisation was founded by women wanting to make a difference by using their networks and skills to raise funds and donate to many smaller organisations around the world. Last year they granted 300,000 Euro’s across 86 projects with 98% of funds raised donated directly to their projects.
Rita and Silva both came to Femmes d’Europe with professional skills but also a passion for helping people. In particular, it was Rita’s passion for education and children that prompted her to nominate Rafiki Mwema for a grant after she discovered organisation through Celeste Barber. I was so touched by her words as she described that on opening up the Rafiki Mwema website she was instantly brought to tears – “I burst into tears and it moved me so much. I was crying tears of sadness for the children and what they had gone through. And tears of joy for what Rafiki has done for them through their mission. It is awe inspiring and it is giving children a chance at life.” I also found is amazing to see the impact of how one of our Ambassadors has reached a new supporter on the other side of the world and the result is funding that will make a massive difference to us at Doyle Farm.
This level of professional experience also allows the members of Femmes d’Europe to work directly with the organisations that they fund to assist them to progress in areas where they are challenged on long-term plans, enabling them to continue to grow and create new ties and links for future funding. This shows the dedication and passion of the organisation and its members towards making a difference in the world.
What really draws me to Femmes d’Europe is their key objective to make small donations to many charities because these grants have a massive impact to the organisation and their cause. For Rafiki Mwema, their donation of $5,000 enables us to build a new sturdier greenhouse at Doyle Farm and to buy a cow, both of which will enable us to increase the amount of fresh produce that we can provide to our family at Rafiki Mwema. Being sustainable is very important to us, as is providing opportunities for our children and staff to learn these skills and take ownership for the workings of the farm.
Femmes d’Europe is an excellent example of how a group of women can come together and make a significant impact in the lives of others and their vision for the next five years is that they can continue to do what they are doing now. Their dedication, passion, and commitment to helping Not-for-Profits and their projects is inspiring and serves as a reminder that small contributions can make a big difference in the world.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Rita and Silvia and all at Femmes d’Europe for supporting Rafiki Mwema! And we can’t wait to bring you updates on how their funding has directly impacted the lives of our children and staff.
Related tag: rafiki charity
