Meet our friends from KOMAI!

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Today we wanted to introduce a pair of amazing women who founded Komai. Komai is an online portal that provides a “creative lens for sustainable innovation.” Amelia and Katelyn, the founders of this initiative, have created a unique community that serves as an online marketplace for creative and sustainable products from around the world. This community also fosters and supports an open forum for these creative professionals to network and collaborate as well as share stories of inspirational people that promote a sense of respect for past generations, future generations, and the environment.

This inspirational duo spent time with World Camp in Malawi and got a first hand account of the work we do and the change we strive to create. We thought we'd share a few excerpts from their recent visit with us. We were fortunate to have them write about the stigma of HIV/AIDS in Africa and the contribution World Camp is making to break down barriers and reduce this stigma within Malawi:

“Realising the myriad of issues faced by Malawians from overpopulation to deforestation and soil erosion, to gender inequality and the HIV/AIDS epidemic, World Camp was motivated to start combating unsustainable development through building the self-worth and confidence of younger generations who would one day be equipped to lead the country to a brighter future.”

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Their feature highlights our week long program, Camp Hope, for young children living with HIV. Throughout the week, these children learn to live positively and regain optimism through interactive lessons and counseling sessions about growing up and living with this sickness. At Camp Hope, children build independence, gain self-confidence and enhance their coping and resilience. The goal is to instill optimism, possibility, and hope within each child.

“Spending time in the communities served by World Camp, one can see the progress that has already been made. We witnessed first-hand the pure excitement on the faces of students, village elders and teachers and their urge to learn and create positive change in their villages. And now, communities have even begun to set up their own local not-for-profits which World Camp supports through information disemination and facilitation, providing a perfect example of how the ripple effect can occur at the grass-roots level of sustainable development.”

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While Camp Hope is a powerful program specifically tailored for children living with HIV, World Camp does not stop there. In fact, much of our curriculum within the classroom setting is dedicated to informing youth as well as debunking myths and misconceptions about the illness. These lessons are designed and tailored for school-aged children and include units that provide basic HIV disease biology, transmission methods,  and preventative methods. These programs include breakout sessions for male and female anatomy/puberty discussions, as well as sessions in male and female gender empowerment. Special attention is also paid to educating these children on how to care for people living with HIV/AIDS within their community.

Working with the infected population as well as the affected population in rural regions of Malawi are two initiatives close to our heart. Educating children creates the foundations and resources for an empowered population to make substantial change for themselves.

“They are working on a ‘village model’ which aims to build understanding from traditional village leaders to primary school students on how to create a bright future through investing in education, de-stigmatising HIV, protecting the environment and empowering women.”

Click HERE to check out the rest of the article, see more of their amazing photos from Malawi, and learn more about Komai.