Bridge Kids International uses the power of African heritage culture to create communities that support the well-being of young people. We help young people develop their own solutions to community challenges and build positive relationships between African, African-American, Caribbean and other African Diaspora groups for the purposes of friendship, cooperation, and individual and community empowerment.
Bridge Kids International Around the World
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United States Louisville, Kentucky (Global Headquarters) Camden, New Jersey Africa Ada, Ghana Nairobi, Kenya Minembwe, East Dem. Rep. of Congo Chikwawa, Malawi Kigali, Rwanda Saint-Louis, Senegal |
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Bridge Kids Groups
work in their home communities to develop creative solutions to real problems while forming a global network of friendship, cooperation, and support with other Bridge Kids Groups around the world. Bridge Kids from 3 countries putting their heads together in Louisville, KY. Baraka (Rwanda), Bamba (Senegal), Keyta and Miya (USA) |
Bridge Kids International Focus Areas
Economic Development
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Education
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Environment
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Girls'/Young Women's Rights
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Health
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Building Relationships, Celebrating Culture
Building Relationships
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Promoting African Heritage Culture
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BKI Special Project - Our Place at Ben Washer Park, Louisville, KY USA
Our Place at Ben Washer Park, Bridge Kids International’s global headquarters, transforms a deteriorating building in an underutilized pocket park into a unique community gathering place centered around youth social entrepreneurship, cultural exploration, intergenerational relationships, and sustainable living.
What's New at Bridge Kids International
Develop Yourself, Your Family & Your Community with BKI!
Introducing the Kizazi Fund
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The Kizazi Fund is a child-focused, culturally-based, community-centered system for generational wealth building. The Kizazi Fund engages families, the non-profit and philanthropic communities, financial institutions and individuals to build generational wealth in Black families. The Kizazi Fund allows families and other concerned entities to establish accounts for children that will grow with them from birth to young adulthood. Families contribute a modest amount to the accounts annually, the money is held in trust and the funds are collectively invested to improve growth potential. |
Design Class Begins November 17th - Register Today!
We are sorry, but due to the great response, we are at capacity and have to close the class. Please contact us to join our mailing list to be notified of future classes.
We are really missing the African Heritage Festival this year. Let's keep our focus on the power of relationships and cooperation among groups of African heritage.
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Stitching Our Lives Together Preserving Lives at Home and Around the World! Bridge Kids International is excited to begin our global health and economic development initiative – Stitching Our Lives Together. 6 communities in 5 countries are making masks to save lives while promoting the economic well-being of local women. Learn More, Purchase or Donate |
Introducing the
Creative Culture Series
Creative Culture Series
Culture is the Cure Summit
Postponed for our health and safety. We will Reschedule as soon as possible.
Postponed for our health and safety. We will Reschedule as soon as possible.
7 Generations African Heritage Culture Camp
CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC
We are looking forward to camp next summer.
CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC
We are looking forward to camp next summer.
In-person classes will resume as soon as possible. Until then, please check out Cooking with Kin videos in our Creative Culture Series!
Bridge Kids International Group Summit - July 2020, Ghana
Bridge Kids Malawi - Launching Futures with Quails
Bridge Kids Malawi is getting into the quail farming business. Approximately 7 young people in Chikwawa, Malawi will start their new project, Invest for Change, with 150 birds. Protein is an important part of a healthy diet, yet meat is often very expensive for families in Chikwawa. Quail offers an affordable alternative and is just being introduced in the area. The eggs are highly nutritious and lower in cholesterol than chicken eggs and the meat is lower in fat than chicken and offers several health benefits. The eggs will be especially important for people who are HIV+, offering accessible nutritious food they require to boost their immune systems. Excess eggs will be provided to HIV+ members of the community free of charge. The birds themselves are highly resistant to disease, so they have a strong survival rate. As they are relatively small, quails can be raised comfortably without a need for large plots of land.
Demand in the area is high and there are few producers, so Bridge Kids Malawi has an excellent chance at success. Bridge Kids International is providing $900 in seed money and local partner Community Forum will guide BK Group members through the process of getting the project off the ground. The group will sell the quails and eggs in the local markets and to restaurants and lodges. We fully anticipate that the quail business will be sustainable, and profits will be shared by the young people running the project and reinvested into the business. We are expecting the Bridge Kids Malawi members to soar with quails!
Demand in the area is high and there are few producers, so Bridge Kids Malawi has an excellent chance at success. Bridge Kids International is providing $900 in seed money and local partner Community Forum will guide BK Group members through the process of getting the project off the ground. The group will sell the quails and eggs in the local markets and to restaurants and lodges. We fully anticipate that the quail business will be sustainable, and profits will be shared by the young people running the project and reinvested into the business. We are expecting the Bridge Kids Malawi members to soar with quails!
Welcome Camden, NJ to the Bridge Kids International Family!
Bridge Kids International is putting down roots in Camden, New Jersey! BKI is partnering with the Lanning Square West Residents Association to bring new programs to the neighborhood. Camden is a rapidly developing city, but the Lanning Square West area is has experienced decades of disinvestment. Dr. Susan Stukes, a Camden resident, is the co-founder and Chair of the Board of Directors of BKI and has recently become the president of the Lanning Square West Neighbors Association. In early 2019 Susan proposed that BKI begin operating in Camden. With 2 board members in the area (Dr. Lecia Brown lives in the Philadelphia area just over the bridge from Camden) and several others on the east coast, the expansion is possible.
The revival of the Lanning Square West Neighbors Association (LSWNA) has brought hope and energy to the neighborhood. The leaders of LSWNA have asked BKI to partner in a process to help the neighborhood association build its organizational capacity and BKI is now registered in New Jersey. BKI is committed to sharing program models and expertise, identifying resources, and determining with residents and stakeholders how we can contribute to well being in Camden and Lanning Square West in particular.
LSWNA has taken responsibility for a park in the neighborhood. They open and close it, clean it regularly and sponsor events there. BKI co-sponsored their recent Fall Festival. LSWNA is planning a new initiative for 2020 - The Gathering Table. The Gathering Table at Lanning Square West activates the neighborhood park and 2 vacant lots in the neighborhood to implement healthy activities and programs and beautify and stabilize the neighborhood. The project adapts BKI's Gathering Table project in Louisville and contributes to neighborhood revitalization by engaging residents in volleyball clinics, Let's Cook & Steppin' It Up healthy living programs, and intergenerational food, music and storytelling programs. BKI so excited to be on this journey with the people of Lanning Square West. We can't wait to see what we'll cook up together!
The revival of the Lanning Square West Neighbors Association (LSWNA) has brought hope and energy to the neighborhood. The leaders of LSWNA have asked BKI to partner in a process to help the neighborhood association build its organizational capacity and BKI is now registered in New Jersey. BKI is committed to sharing program models and expertise, identifying resources, and determining with residents and stakeholders how we can contribute to well being in Camden and Lanning Square West in particular.
LSWNA has taken responsibility for a park in the neighborhood. They open and close it, clean it regularly and sponsor events there. BKI co-sponsored their recent Fall Festival. LSWNA is planning a new initiative for 2020 - The Gathering Table. The Gathering Table at Lanning Square West activates the neighborhood park and 2 vacant lots in the neighborhood to implement healthy activities and programs and beautify and stabilize the neighborhood. The project adapts BKI's Gathering Table project in Louisville and contributes to neighborhood revitalization by engaging residents in volleyball clinics, Let's Cook & Steppin' It Up healthy living programs, and intergenerational food, music and storytelling programs. BKI so excited to be on this journey with the people of Lanning Square West. We can't wait to see what we'll cook up together!
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Bridge Kids Ghana School Opens
School is in session! After operating for 2 years in a local church and persevering through the struggles of constructing their building, the Bridge Kids Ghana School is open and bustling with energy. After the success of their My Book, My Friend literacy project, the community in Dawhenya, Ghana asked the Bridge Kids Group to start a school. The courageous and dedicated young leaders of BK Ghana took on this task out of love for their community.
Bridge Kids International raised approximately $4,500 to support the building of the school and our friend Da'Marrion Fleming of Sowing Seeds with Faith in Louisville, Ky rallied his friends to raise additional funds to complete the building and install a drainage system to prevent flooding on the site. Members of BK Ghana used money from their own pockets, sold salt from a local lagoon, encouraged parents and community members to contribute, and added their own sweat equit to make the school a reality. There are currently 150 students! BK Ghana is working on strengthening the sustainability of and furnishing the school. With the determination they have demonstrated, we have no doubt that their efforts will pay off and the school will be a blessing for their community for generations to come!
Bridge Kids International raised approximately $4,500 to support the building of the school and our friend Da'Marrion Fleming of Sowing Seeds with Faith in Louisville, Ky rallied his friends to raise additional funds to complete the building and install a drainage system to prevent flooding on the site. Members of BK Ghana used money from their own pockets, sold salt from a local lagoon, encouraged parents and community members to contribute, and added their own sweat equit to make the school a reality. There are currently 150 students! BK Ghana is working on strengthening the sustainability of and furnishing the school. With the determination they have demonstrated, we have no doubt that their efforts will pay off and the school will be a blessing for their community for generations to come!
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More from Bridge Kids Ghana - Clean Water and Sanitation
Bridge Kids Ghana is really on the move! With the support of Bridge Kids International and our friends at WaterStep, they are bringing clean water and sanitation to their community. Bridge Kids Ghana has been trying to address a need for safe water and sanitation in their home community of Lolonya for some time. Several years ago BKI purchased a chlorinator from WaterStep for BK Ghana to establish a water purification system, but the group ran into problems when they discovered the groundwater was contaminated with chemicals from pesticides in the area and the system could not address those issues. Their ultimate goal is to establish a "Convenience Center" in the community that will provide safe water, toilets, sinks and showers.
BKI Executive Director Stacy Bailey-Ndiaye returned to WaterStep to seek their assistance and got a tremendous response! Based in Louisville, KY, WaterStep responds to critical needs for safe water by evaluating and implementing solutions and teaching people to use those tools. WaterStep saves lives with safe water by empowering communities to take care of their own long-term water needs. WaterStep provided BK Ghana with an additional chlorinator and $3,000 in funding to set up a safe water system in Lolonya. The Group has already started sanitation sensitization training, including the importance of hand washing, in the community. WaterStep also donated a bleach making business toolkit that will help BK Ghana produce bleach that they will package and sell to individuals, hospitals, clinics and other institutions to sanitize their environments. The profits from the business will help support the work of BK Ghana. WaterStep also sponsored Felix Nyamedor, BK Groups Coordinator and long term leader in BK Ghana, to travel to Kenya for training on their equipment. He will play an important role in training other Bridge Kids Groups if they take on any water projects and may also assist WaterStep in training others in Ghana.
While in Kenya, Felix had a chance to visit with Umoja Bridge Kids. As Bridge Kids Groups Coordinator, Felix is BKI's first level of support for the groups. Having an opportunity to spend time with them in their home community, learn about their project first hand and brainstorm with them about their path to success was invaluable.
We also want to take this moment to congratulate Felix, who recently earned his PhD in Leadership and Theology!
BKI Executive Director Stacy Bailey-Ndiaye returned to WaterStep to seek their assistance and got a tremendous response! Based in Louisville, KY, WaterStep responds to critical needs for safe water by evaluating and implementing solutions and teaching people to use those tools. WaterStep saves lives with safe water by empowering communities to take care of their own long-term water needs. WaterStep provided BK Ghana with an additional chlorinator and $3,000 in funding to set up a safe water system in Lolonya. The Group has already started sanitation sensitization training, including the importance of hand washing, in the community. WaterStep also donated a bleach making business toolkit that will help BK Ghana produce bleach that they will package and sell to individuals, hospitals, clinics and other institutions to sanitize their environments. The profits from the business will help support the work of BK Ghana. WaterStep also sponsored Felix Nyamedor, BK Groups Coordinator and long term leader in BK Ghana, to travel to Kenya for training on their equipment. He will play an important role in training other Bridge Kids Groups if they take on any water projects and may also assist WaterStep in training others in Ghana.
While in Kenya, Felix had a chance to visit with Umoja Bridge Kids. As Bridge Kids Groups Coordinator, Felix is BKI's first level of support for the groups. Having an opportunity to spend time with them in their home community, learn about their project first hand and brainstorm with them about their path to success was invaluable.
We also want to take this moment to congratulate Felix, who recently earned his PhD in Leadership and Theology!
Stacy and Claudia Daniels at WaterStep with the Bleach Making Business Toolkit
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Felix and Moise, Umoja Bridge Kids Advisor in Kenya
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Felix at his graduation ceremony
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African Heritage Festival at Ben Washer Park
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On August 17, 2019, for the first time, Louisville's African Heritage Festival was held at Ben Washer Park. The African Heritage Festival is an annual celebration of unity, culture, art and history across the African Diaspora. It is a joyous event for the whole family with great food, music, dance, sports, fashion, cultural demonstrations, children’s activities, resources for healthy living and so much more. It's an exciting celebration of African, African-American, and Caribbean cultures!
Stay tuned for more information on the 2020 African Heritage Festival, including the International Soccer Tournament at Spalding University's brand new soccer fields!
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Bridge Kids International is proud to announce the publication
of its first book!
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The Bridge Kids: An African Heritage Family Activity Book is an educational resource designed for readers 7 years old and up, yet it is meant to be enjoyed by the whole family. This activity book, featuring realistic fiction, profiles and explores the lives of children throughout Africa and the African Diaspora. The Bridge Kids is fun, educational, and interactive!
Complete with stories, coloring pages, puzzles, recipes, trivia, writing prompts, and more, this book will entertain and educate as you travel across the sea to meet characters from all over the world. This inaugural book in the series explores the daily adventures of six characters from three different cities around the world - Dawhenya, Tema, Ghana (West Africa), Louisville, Kentucky, USA (North America), and Salvador, Bahia, Brazil (South America). Purchase a copy today! |
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Mizizi Homeschool Co-op
Mizizi Homeschool Co-op is in its second year! The Mizizi Homeschool Co-op supports African American homeschooling parents and their children. We are a grassroots effort founded to provide families with the tools they need to successfully homeschool their children. By inviting homeschooled children into learning cohorts with Black educators our students get the best of both worlds. They are given the opportunity to participate in group learning, cultural and social activities, and their parents are able to collaborate with others on finding the best resources and methods to teach their child at home. The Mizizi Homeschool Co-op serves children ages 1-13. |
The Mizizi Homeschool Co-op was birthed at YAMAH (Young Adult Mothers of African Heritage), a group formed in collaboration between Play Cousins Collective and Bridge Kids International. YAMAH began meeting monthly in 2018 to address the needs of women in our community. We gathered, discussed our lives, conducted asset mapping and envisioned solutions to issues that troubled us. Our desire to take charge of our children’s education quickly pushed itself to the forefront of our concerns.
Play Cousins Collective, a Louisville-based African American family collective and non-profit, is a strategic partner of Bridge Kids International and serves the community with family engagement events, children’s programming, resource sharing, and community outreach. Play Cousins runs Mizizi Homeschool Co-op while Bridge Kids provides support through evaluation and funding. Mizizi is a BLOCSTAR program, focusing on social emotional learning and supported by Metro United Way.
Play Cousins Collective, a Louisville-based African American family collective and non-profit, is a strategic partner of Bridge Kids International and serves the community with family engagement events, children’s programming, resource sharing, and community outreach. Play Cousins runs Mizizi Homeschool Co-op while Bridge Kids provides support through evaluation and funding. Mizizi is a BLOCSTAR program, focusing on social emotional learning and supported by Metro United Way.
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Our Place at Ben Washer Park Programs Bridge Kids International isn't waiting until we move into Our Place at Ben Washer Park to start our programming. Check out what's going on: |
Our Place at Ben Washer Park Legacy Wellness Station with Legacy Pillars
Honoring the African-American, Irish and Jewish heritage of the Limerick neighborhood
Honoring the African-American, Irish and Jewish heritage of the Limerick neighborhood
Next Meeting - Coming Soon |
Bridge Kids International leads the effort to build relationships among Louisville's African Diaspora - Africans, African-Americans, people from the Caribbean and all communities of African Heritage
We've identified the following areas we can impact/create by working together: network of support ♦ sharing cultures ♦ entrepreneurship ♦ a business network ♦ home ownership ♦ health ♦ cultural summer camp for children and youth Our first steps are:
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We Made It! and Sistas with Power Tools
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Bridge Kids International receives national grant to use the power African heritage culture to support the well-being of young people and help them transform their communities.
LOUISVILLE, KY – Bridge Kids International, a global non-profit organization based in Louisville, KY is using culture, community, and connection to promote healing, restoration, and the evolution of individuals and communities.
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek, Michigan has awarded Bridge Kids International a grant of $300,000 over a 3 year period to support the general operation of the organization.
“This level of funding will allow Bridge Kids International to fully focus on creating the kind of community in Louisville where young people of African heritage can thrive,” says executive director Stacy Bailey-Ndiaye. “We have many pressing challenges in the city and there is untapped potential in African-Americans, Africans, and all people of African descent coming together across generations to heal, develop creative solutions, and change our lives and communities.”
Over the next 3 years Bridge Kids will be opening Our Place at Ben Washer Park, the organization’s headquarters and unique community gathering place; publishing a children’s activity book series; and implementing Mending the Bridge to heal relationships, develop cooperative work, and share cultural knowledge across the African Diaspora in Louisville. The Mending the Bridge group will establish an African heritage cultural education summer program and two other economic, health, housing and/or education initiatives. Bridge Kids will also continue to grow the African Heritage Festival, arts and culture programs, and to support young people in their leadership development. In the 3rd year of funding, Bridge Kids plans to host an International Summit on the Development of Young People of Africa and African Diaspora.
“We are excited to partner with Bridge Kids International because of their unique approach to advancing racial equity and healing and fostering authentic community engagement,” says WKKF program officer Nadia Brigham.
ABOUT W.K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast cereal pioneer, Will Keith Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF works with communities to create conditions for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in school, work and life.
The Kellogg Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Michigan, and works throughout the United States and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special emphasis is paid to priority places where there are high concentrations of poverty and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF priority places in the U.S. are in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans; and internationally, are in Mexico and Haiti. For more information, visit www.wkkf.org.
LOUISVILLE, KY – Bridge Kids International, a global non-profit organization based in Louisville, KY is using culture, community, and connection to promote healing, restoration, and the evolution of individuals and communities.
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek, Michigan has awarded Bridge Kids International a grant of $300,000 over a 3 year period to support the general operation of the organization.
“This level of funding will allow Bridge Kids International to fully focus on creating the kind of community in Louisville where young people of African heritage can thrive,” says executive director Stacy Bailey-Ndiaye. “We have many pressing challenges in the city and there is untapped potential in African-Americans, Africans, and all people of African descent coming together across generations to heal, develop creative solutions, and change our lives and communities.”
Over the next 3 years Bridge Kids will be opening Our Place at Ben Washer Park, the organization’s headquarters and unique community gathering place; publishing a children’s activity book series; and implementing Mending the Bridge to heal relationships, develop cooperative work, and share cultural knowledge across the African Diaspora in Louisville. The Mending the Bridge group will establish an African heritage cultural education summer program and two other economic, health, housing and/or education initiatives. Bridge Kids will also continue to grow the African Heritage Festival, arts and culture programs, and to support young people in their leadership development. In the 3rd year of funding, Bridge Kids plans to host an International Summit on the Development of Young People of Africa and African Diaspora.
“We are excited to partner with Bridge Kids International because of their unique approach to advancing racial equity and healing and fostering authentic community engagement,” says WKKF program officer Nadia Brigham.
ABOUT W.K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast cereal pioneer, Will Keith Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF works with communities to create conditions for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in school, work and life.
The Kellogg Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Michigan, and works throughout the United States and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special emphasis is paid to priority places where there are high concentrations of poverty and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF priority places in the U.S. are in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans; and internationally, are in Mexico and Haiti. For more information, visit www.wkkf.org.
Problem Solution
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Conflict has created instability and members of Umoja Bridge Kids in East Democratic Republic of Congo too often have to move around to stay safe. Even when they are relatively safe at home, meeting basic needs is a struggle.
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Meet the first resident of Umoja Bridge Kids Farm! BK International helped the group purchase her in June. By selling her milk, they will grow the farm, adding other animals and crops. Umoja Bridge Kids is building a steady source of income and stability!
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"Membership [in] Bridge Kids has helped me on how to plan and take decisions in a SMART way both in my life and to provide help for other ladies. This platform is helping me to learn to become a leader in my community; what could have taken me many years to learn and do well." |
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Bridge Kids in Action Support Bridge Kids
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You can help Bridge Kids change their lives and communities!
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