There are millions of orphaned children around the world who are lacking the basic necessities of life while struggling to survive in a cruel and scary world. An incentive of ALIKE is to provide for groups of these sweet children who live in an orphanage in Liberia. 

 

First, we fundraise and collect items and monetary donations (bi-annually, in spring and fall) in order to fund the purchase and distribution of what is needed to fulfill their basic needs. This includes clean drinking water, food, and clothing. Then, we give them the tools to succeed by delivering school materials, resources, and scholarships. 

 

Many of these children lost their parents to a mass Ebola outbreak and only seek to find their way to a better way of life with good health, safety, and newfound love. We, at ALIKE, hope to give them the foundational stepping stones that will guide them to that better place. 

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We have many new immigrants and their families coming into our community on a regular basis and, oftentimes, their earned degrees are not honored and children of a certain age are not at the same academic level as their peers in this country (due to lack of resources in their home country). In order to support our new neighbours, we have put together a system of supports to help them navigate through the process of getting the appropriate equivalent credentials or elevating their understanding of academia through associated programs, tutors, and extracurricular activities. 

 

In addition to providing these resources, we encourage our students to excel beyond the expectations of their studies by offering scholarships every academic school year to those who qualify. 

 

In the community at large, we aspire to raise awareness and support for all those who need a helping hand. We are all navigating this big world together, it is to all of our benefits that we stand strong and support one another during times of difficulty. 

The first step to instilling hope and inspiration is to fulfill basic human needs. 

 

The next step is to support and educate one another through the ups and downs of life. 

 

Finally, we need to connect and elevate everyone within our community. 

 

ALIKE builds initiatives in areas of skills development and supports self-sustainable programs in the Black and visible minority community through local networking and building support systems.

 

Promoting community activities rooted in peace, independence, and self-sufficiency facilitates the growth and development of Black, newcomers, and less privileged members in our community.

 

We support the social and economic participation and inclusion of Black and visible minority women and young adults in the labor market in Ontario. It is very important to our organization that there be an opportunity for vulnerable Black and visible minority youth’s to have access to workshops related to increasing awareness about their financial, physical, cultural, and mental well-being. We aim to provide better public awareness that leads to an informed understanding of various cultural and family structures to successfully mediate a comfortable settlement in Black and visible minority communities.

 

Fostering social opportunities for integration among various Black and visible minority communities can be facilitated by collaborating with government departments and agencies, as well as public and private organizations. This partnership will help reduce the number of vulnerable Black and immigrant youths facing negative social impacts during their shift into Canadian culture. 

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This might look different depending on the circumstances. Some people need to be introduced to a supportive party and given additional tools and resources for success while others may need help with the mental and emotional baggage that comes with shifting countries and cultures. 

 

However, for everyone in and around the ALIKE community, this connection always means that there is a safe and empathetic space for them to turn to in their moments of glory just as much as their moments of sorrow. 

We are supporting Liberian orphanages that are filled with children left alone after their parents were lost during the Ebola outbreak. We host fundraisers and donation events throughout the year in order to provide these children with the resources they need. While the food, clothing, sleeping mats, and blankets, as well as educational resources, are welcomed with gratitude, we want to provide these orphanages with a more consistent and meaningful gift - clean drinking water. 

 

We are currently raising money to build a hand-pumped filtered water system for these orphanages, one at a time. Each unit costs approximately $5500USD. Clean drinking water is a necessity and should be available to these children just as it is available to our own children here in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. 

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Please Get Involved if you believe, like we do, that everyone deserves clean drinking water.