| Mission: Alleviating poverty through the recycling of goods
How: We provide poverty solutions in four focus areas:
- Collecting and recycling Americans’ goods to the poorest in Africa
- Business Partnership Programs
- Community Development Programs
- Family Sponsorship Programs
Where: Currently we are working in Tanzania, Africa
| Who: Our staff, along with volunteer and in-country caseworkers assess the needs of the community, and work with the families to break the cycle of poverty.
How We Are Organized: Stuff for the Poor (SFTP) is a private, non-profit organization headquartered in Wilmington, IL, USA. It is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. SFTP operates under the governance of a volunteer board of directors, comprised of successful business professionals, |
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experienced humanitarians and community leaders. SFTP receives its support from collections, various fundraising activities, and family and corporate donations.
Our story…
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In 2002, Providence Rubingisa came his country to avoid persecution from his government. He came to America seeking safety, refuge and freedom. As this was his first time out of Africa, he was amazed at everything that Americans have at their disposal. While happy to be here and be part of this wonderful country, he did not forget the people he left behind and those he loved so much. Instead, he began to tell people about his homeland and their great needs in a quest to help the poorest of the poor of this world. |
He soon met Christina Dyer, a Wilmington resident who had traveled to Africa in 2006, and together they created a partnership to start the non-profit organization, Stuff for the Poor.
Christina Dyer has led a rich and varied life, traveling independently to over 25 countries around the world, while exploring and photographing various cultures from the Masai tribes of Kenya to the people of Katmandu, Nepal. She traveled to Rwanda to photograph the sick and dying children and survivors of the 1994 genocide with a missionary relief organization.
After visiting the country and witnessing Africa’s poverty firsthand, she and Providence formed Stuff for the Poor, a non-profit public charity working with the poor of Tanzania in Africa. |
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The goal of SFTP is to ease the hardships of those afflicted by disease and poverty. Christina and Providence believe that Stuff for the Poor will grow to international recognition and become a leader in providing relief to those most affected by starvation, injustice, civil war and hopelessness.
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Stuff for the Poor collects America’s gently used shoes, summer clothes and baby items, and then brokers these to small businesspersons in Africa. These items, which are considered luxuries, are then made available at substantially discounted rates to the middle class of Africa. The monies collected from the sale of these items goes to fund various development projects, such as the introduction of clean water systems, community agriculture/livestock projects, and toward life-saving medicines for the sick and most vulnerable people in the villages. |
Even in the poorest African villages, different socio-economic classes exist. Sadly, it is all too often that the poorest of the poor cannot break the cycle of poverty, even with our community projects in place. It just is not enough. Thus, Stuff for the Poor has also implemented a Family Sponsorship Program, where American families can adopt the poorest African families. A small monthly donation provides food, shelter, medicine, clothing and education—a family’s basic needs. Twelve families have already been sponsored, and we have a list of 95 more families waiting.
WILL YOU BE THE NEXT FAMILY
TO SAVE A FAMILY”S LIVES?
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