For several decades a church in Chapel Hill has had a relationship with a church in Nairobi, Kenya. In 2002 they decided to see how they might respond together to the AIDS epidemic. A business woman in the Kenyan church began to teach women affected by AIDS in one of Nairobi’s slums how to weave and sell rugs. With that skill, they wouldn’t have to sell themselves to keep food on the table. The Chapel Hill church imported rugs to the US and sold them. They also helped other American churches to build a relationship with the Kenyan program. The experience of assisting a grassroots African organization has been so rewarding, and so effective that a group of people formed the nonprofit, Africa Rising, to multiply the opportunities for others to have similar experiences.

The work of Africa Rising is done by about 12 people and continues to grow. We all have “day jobs” and volunteer our evenings and weekends to the work of Africa Rising. The only person paid for her work is Mary, a Kenyan woman living in Nairobi who travels throughout eastern Africa to find organizations worth supporting, and to facilitate their interactions with others.

We see Africa Rising as a form of Christian hospitality. The motivation of our board is our Christian faith. We welcome all faiths to our volunteer groups, the African organizations we support, and the people and organizations we network with. For all those who want to see Africa thrive, we provide opportunities that are mutually beneficial to the givers and the receivers, whether they be African or from another continent; Christian or of another faith perspective.