Seeds of Hope International Partnerships (SHIP) is teaming up with local businesses and organizations to put on our first ever Cycle of Hope for Africa which will be held on November 14, 2009 in San Luis Obispo. We invite all members of the community to join us in supporting this event and making a difference for people in Africa. This event will benefit those suffering from extreme poverty and disease in the South African country of Zambia. Why Zambia?

• One child in six does not reach their 5th birthday.
• Only 43% of people living in rural areas in Zambia have access to clean water.
• 54.2% of children aged 3–59 months were stunted.
• Average life expectancy is 42 years. HIV/AIDs causes 43% of all death in children and adults
• 63.7% of Zambians live on less than $1 per day
*Statistics provided by the World Health Organization & the Central Statistics Office of Zambia

Seeds of Hope International Partnerships (SHIP) is a local non-profit organization that trains people in developing countries to transform their communities through holistic community development. Partnering with a wide variety of people, businesses, churches, and organizations SHIP equips native people with tools and practical skills, and enabling them to reverse the downward spiral of poverty and provide hope for the future.

Our belief in holistic community development means we address contributing factors of poverty in communities; lack of clean water, lack of nutritional food, lack of basic hygiene and sanitation knowledge, lack of HIV/AID education, and lack of job skills. By training nationals to do the work, to drill the wells and train others in hygiene, sanitation, vocational skills, and agriculture, we are establishing a sustainable model that will be taught to the generations to come.

Seeds of Hope has grown immensely since its founding on the central coast in 2003. Since then SHIP has provided access to clean water to over 250,000 Africans living in extreme poverty. This growth is in part to the dedication and heart of the local community here at home to help others who are in need no matter the distance. At SHIP we recognize the importance of spreading awareness in our own community about the hard realities that those in developing countries face and giving people on the central coast the chance to help out and make a difference.