“Rafiki” means friend in Swahili and depicts the purpose of the Foundation—to befriend orphans and widows in their distress (James 1:27). The mission of the Rafiki Foundation is to help Africans know God by caring for and educating orphans, providing materials and training in education and Bible study, and giving economic opportunities to widows.
To accomplish this mission, Rafiki established ten Rafiki Training Villages within the African countries of Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, and Ethiopia. These Villages provide living, educational, and lifestyle facilities through Rafiki’s four programs: Childcare, Education, Training, and Widows.
The Rafiki Training Villages perform two main functions. First, they provide living, medical, and educational facilities for orphans and vulnerable children in ten of Africa’s most impoverished nations. Second, they train African churches to care for and educate their orphans and support their widows. The Rafiki Training Villages are operated by Rafiki Overseas Staff who are long term missionaries. They are assisted by national workers and short-term missionaries. Together this team accomplishes the dual purpose of the Rafiki Training Villages—to help orphans and widows and train others to do the same.
The Home Office supports the work in Africa by training workers, developing materials, and facilitating the needs of the Rafiki Training Villages. The Home Office is located in the city of Eustis in central Florida on fifty-seven acres that adjoin a nature preserve. The complex of buildings replicates the design of a Rafiki Training Village in Africa. The Home Office houses the administrative offices, training facilities, printing facilities, and the Rafiki Exchange. A variety of opportunities are available for those who wish to volunteer.
Located at the Home Office, the Rafiki Exchange sells unique handcrafts from ten African countries that are fashioned by widows in Rafiki’s Widow’s Program. Proceeds from the sales provide much needed income to the widows and impoverished women of the African churches.
The Rafiki Foundation is overseen by a board of directors made up of twelve individuals who are committed to the vision and mission of Rafiki.
The Rafiki Foundation is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. See the ECFA’s profile on the Rafiki Foundation.
Rafiki has received a Good rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest and most-utilized independent evaluator of charities. See Charity Navigator’s evaluation of the Rafiki Foundation.
To learn more about Rafiki, watch our video