Children of Africa Day 2016

Editor's Note: June 16th is Watoto wa Africa or Children of Africa Day! You can be a part of what makes this day special. Click here to join this year's celebration!

JBFC is dedicated to improving the lives of children in Tanzania. We believe that no child should have to grow up in extreme poverty, and that every child should be able to grow up in a safe, nurturing environment. We believe in equipping children with the tools they need to become successful adults, through education, learning how to better handle natural resources, and access to healthcare. And we believe that children should have the right to be children. Many of our girls come from situations where they were forced to grow up too early, but we, at JBFC, are doing our best to restore their childhoods. That is why we spend June 16th celebrating our children. 

Many of our residential girls don't know when their birthdates, so Children of Africa Day is used to celebrate everyone's birthday as a family!

In past years, our girls and guests have spent this special day singing, dancing, playing games, eating a delicious meal, and having a water fight! Some favorite games include: sack races, bobbing for apples, musical chairs, pin the tail on the donkey, and even breaking open a piñata! 

This year's festivities will include swimming, arts and crafts, water games, and a dance party complete with glow sticks!

The menu for Children of Africa 2016 is set to be Hawaiian themed, complete with pig, pineapple rice, baked beans, cole slaw, and a mango-pineapple dump cake!

Watoto wa Africa has become one of the favorite days on the JBFC campus and among guests!

We asked some of our returning guests and Children of Africa Day veterans about their favorite past memory and what they were most looking forward to at this year's festivities. This is what they had to say:

"My favorite memory of past Children of Africa days was a water balloon fight, slip and slide, and just pouring buckets of water on each other! I'm most looking forward to the choreographed dance and all of the songs the girls sing!" - Kristen, 3-time Volunteer

"My favorite memory is of the girls getting soda and seeing them be so excited about something we take for granted in the U.S. I'm most excited about seeing the girls swim because I've never seen them swim before!" - Anna, 4-time Volunteer

"My favorite memory is when we had a water fight and we ran out of water balloons. I'd done pretty well in the water balloon fight and got the girls pretty good, but then they held my arms down and poured a bucket of water on me! I'm most looking forward to seeing the girls faces when they open the gift bags and watching them feel so special." - Sam, 2-time Volunteer

We honor those who lost their lives in South Africa forty years ago fighting for better education by being grateful for the countless opportunities and bright futures that our girls now have, thanks to our supporters and friends. We celebrate the family that JBFC has created, and we celebrate the fact that our children can be children once again. 

You can donate to Children of Africa Day 2016 by clicking here!

Children of Africa Day is This Week!

JBFC is one big family. And for many families, birthdays are special occasions. And JBFC is no exception. Our family birthday parties are a lot bigger.

We're now home to 49 girls, which means we have 49 birthdays to celebrate. At JBFC, we celebrate all of our girls' birthdays on Children of Africa Day.

Children of Africa Day or Watoto wa Africa is June 16th. It’s a holiday that’s celebrated throughout the continent of Africa.The holiday’s history is really about raising awareness about the plight of children. On June 16th, 1976, hundreds of South Africans marched and died trying to get better education for their children. In honor of their struggle, June 16th has become known as Children of Africa Day.

At JBFC, the holiday is one big party.

The day is filled with singing and dancing, games and presents, and a chance for children who've been dealt a rough break in life a chance to just be children.

But this is also a day to reflect on our girls growing a year older and to see how far they've come. It's because of our family of JBFC supporters that our girls are able to enjoy a fun-filled day, instead of worrying how they're going to make it from one day to the next.

We never forget that the smiles on these girls' faces wouldn't be possible without you. You can help us continue to make sure these children grow up healthy, strong and with a chance for a good future. If you would like to help wish our girls a happy birthday, please support JBFC's Children of Africa Day campaign.

We'll have more details on how JBFC celebrates Children of Africa Day later this week... stay tuned.