History
Maya Angelou once said, "I'm convinced of this: Good done anywhere is good done everywhere. For a change, start by speaking to people rather than walking by them like they're stones that don't matter. As long as you're breathing, it's never too late to do some good." This quote illustrates why it is so important that organizations such as the African Family Revival Organization (AFRO) are vital to the community and the world.
AFRO was first established in two friends (Fadhwa Yusuf and Mona Loffelmann) living room in January, 2015 in Kitchener. The two women were keenly aware of how their community was struggling and misrepresented in society. The aim was to bridge the African community and the general population in the Waterloo Region through orientation sessions, seminars, and cultural events. Six months later, it moved into its first office in the Family Centre. Unfortunately, Fadhwa Yusuf left the organization to pursue her dream job.
Mona Loffelmann continues to be the Founder and Executive Director of AFRO. A year later, as AFRO got recognition as an important community resource by people who shared the same vision, they were granted funding over four years through the Lyle S Hallman Foundation as part of the Resilience Project. This funding allowed us to start our Mini-me-to-We and Cultural Enrichment Programs, which we continue today. More recently, we have also received upstream funding from the Region of Waterloo that supports many of our programs.
Mini-Me-to-We is a ten-week program that teaches young girls between the ages of 11-13 years where we work to empower girls to feel confident, increase their self-esteem, and self-worth. By sharing their stories, they learn not only to forgive themselves and others, but learn to give advice and support one another. This project was targeted at helping them recognize their strengths to be able to increase their resiliency. This project aimed to help the girls realize the positive effect on their lives, their family's lives, and the community.
The Cultural Enrichment Program focused on the African children and youth who feel are often caught between two cultures to learn about their heritage through the different African cultural displays. AFRO's objective is to increase the resilience of these young people.
In addition to the aforementioned, AFRO began two different youth projects: Boys and Girls Basketball and Sports, and AFRO Youth Drop-in at the Family Centre. AFRO strives to teach young people leadership, teamwork, and important life and social skills for future success through team-based sports and physical activity. Also, AFRO has a University Girls' Group, with participants learning about financial management plans, empowering them with the skills needed to become successful women in the future.
In 2020, AFRO was selected to participate in a 4-year project with the Research Institute for Aging. Our project. Called Support Through the Generations, provides culturally-informed support to older adults living with dementia. Building relationships between elders and youth, we use an intergenerational approach to reduce isolation, build skills and experiences in youth, and increase access to supports and cultural opportunities.
Also in 2020, AFRO was selected by the Canadian Red Cross to provide on-the-ground support to Black older adults in Waterloo Region during the COVID-19 pandemic. AFRO was also awarded a grant through the KW Community Foundation’s BIPOC Fund, supporting the continued growth and development of our organization.
AFRO is dedicated to collaboration and holds partnerships across the community. We share the Community Hub with ten different organizations and has developed strong relationship many organizations through the Resilience project.
AFRO is a non-profit, grassroots, mutual aid organization supporting Black, African, and newly immigrated families within the Waterloo region. AFRO is committed to facilitating the full participation of all persons of African origin in Canada's social, cultural, and civic life and preserving and promoting their rich, diverse cultural heritage.