which build things, like schools, hospitals, water stuff etc…….

Wateraid

Oxfam

Two that I contribute to

Childreach International

Bob Geldof.

I’ll see your Bob Geldof and raise you a Lenny Henry

UNICEF

Save the Children.

Can we ask why?

there must be literally thousands

Medecins Sans Frontieres

And a few others :

http://www.africaguide.com/charity.htm

http://www.christianaid.org.uk/whatwedo/africa/

Well, in an ideal optimistic world, I would like to raise enough money, i’e’ 40-50k, enough to build a couple of classrooms etc, then go out as a civil engineer and help construct it, as a pm type bloke….

I know sonmeone involved with the US version of thisEngineers without borders and she’s often heading off on big projects to work with them, as an engineer it sounds like it might be a fit for you?

This for your african holiday IanPinder? Worked out how you gonna raise the money yet?

tj, I have a few ideas. everything needs to be set in stone

How about http://www.habitatforhumanity.org.uk/

For general interest rather than anything specific to Africa, this might be an interesting read
KAPIT and more Kapit I spent sometime with some Architects who’d been out to help rebuild after the Earthquake – intentionally in the same role as your own. From their experience I’d say something you need to be prepared for is the help you want to give and the help people want might not be the same thing.

Anyway I thought KAPIT was facinating, KARAVAN isn’t an aid agency – its more the equivalent of English Heritage – aiming to preserve traditional vernacular architecture. However it was exactly that architecture that killed so many people in the earthquake – so now rather than preserving a tradition – they are creating a new vernacular that will be safer next time the earth moves

My friend runs http://www.steppingstonesnigeria.org/ – working to help children accused of witchcraft in the Niger Delta. Was featured on a C4 doc a while ago.

Smaller charities are much more efficient!

Grum, I’ve spent a number of years in a few “3rd World” areas and could happily list a host of inefficiencies, mismanagement and corruption by lots of NGOs both large and small 😥

http://www.funzi.org.uk/

This is a small charity that I know of, as I teach the founder’s daughter, you might feel like you can make a bigger impact in something like this?

I can heartily recommend Butterfly Tree.

http://www.thebutterflytree.org.uk/pages/

A small but very well run charity that helps provide water, education and medical facilities for orphaned children in Zambia. They actively encourage people to go out and help them with construction work.

@ Rasta, that’s exactly whaat I was looking for…. through the links of someone else I found another called, buildaschool or something like that.

So the rough plan is raise about £20k doing the tour d’afrique and getting sponsored, (some people think this is optimistic, but oh well) and then get my company to double it, (they have already partially agreed) and then once I’ve raised enough money go and build a school in africa….

Nice one!

Be sure to post your sponsorship details on here. 🙂