Yes, We CAN for Africa

Last week the charity event We CAN for Africa was organized with the collaboration of the Lapland University of Applied Sciences and the University of Lapland. The purposes of this campaign were to spread information about the NGO Health Initiatives Associations which operates in Uganda to help children suffering from HIV, and to gather financial support to help them achieving their humanitarian actions.

The event, held from 25 to 29 April, consisted in a collection of beverage cans and bottles. All the money gathered from the refundable deposit (pantti) was to be send to Health Initiatives Association.

Big boxes were then placed in the main lobbies of the universities so as to greet the donations of students and staff members, who were many to come and drop their empty bottles.

All the week, organizers of the event also went door to door to meet Rovaniemi residents and present their campaign. The generosity of Finns and students, as well as the interest they naturally show to support charity and humanitarian actions, made the success of the We CAN for Africa campaign.

The local newspaper Uusi Rovaniemi also contributed to this success by dedicating an article to the event in its edition of 26 April.

The final word comes from the co-organizer Terézia:

- We would like to thank all the people who made this event possible. We are very happy that the campaign was a bigger success than expected. This success is the success of all the people who contributed to it, whether by dropping a simple bottle or by giving a bit of their time to help us, from the students and Universities staff to Rovaniemi inhabitants.

In total, 1362 bottles and cans were collected for an amount of 219.55 euros.

You can find all the information about the campaign on their Facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/WeCANForAfrica/

Text and photos: Terézia Mináriková and Christophe Dernoncourt