Amitofo Charity Association
The Amitofo Charity Association is a Taiwanese based Buddhist charity organization. Its primary goal is to build orphanages to care for and educate orphans in all 53 countries of Africa. Up until now it has been funded mainly by Far Eastern Buddhists and well as overseas Chinese Buddhists, it will now begin to raise funds in South Africa and other Western countries.
The three basic goals of ACA are:
- To assist, care for and educate vulnerable and orphaned children and teenagers in Africa.
- To promote world peace and protect the environment
- To help propagate the Buddha Dharma throughout the world
In 2001 the Malawi Amitofo Care Centre was established near Blantyre. By 2008 it is providing care and education for nearly 300 children. It also provides support to more than one thousand needy children in community based organizations in the surrounding area.
A second care centre is planned, near Lilongwe in Central Malawi, which will include a high school and a vocational training college. In Zimbabwe ACA has erected 15 buildings to house orphans in the Zimbabwe Amitofo Care Centre. This first phase will accommodate more than 200 children when construction is complete in early 2009. Care Centres are planned for Lesotho and Swaziland. Land is being sought for a care centre in Cameroon. ACA is looking for support to build a vocational training school in Cape Town.ACA plans to build one orphanage every year in a different country. Each orphanage will include an administrative centre, children’s residences, teenager’s residences, kindergarten, primary school, middle school, library, health centre, play ground, sports fields, activity centre, vocational training centre and a Buddha Hall. The centres will assist local people improve and develop their villages through community based organizations.
2008/03/29
