Amici del Mondo World Friends Onlus is an association set up in 2001 and legally constituted as a non–profit body. Since 2004 it has been registered in Italy in the General Register of Non profit bodies (Anagrafe delle Onlus), and since 2011 it has been recognised by the Italian Foreign Affairs Ministry as an international NGO.
It has its head office in Rome (Italy). The aim of the association is to operate for the promotion of man in all parts of the world, contributing to the implementation of principles in accordance with the fundamental rights established in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, giving priority to health, housing, and education. World Friends is in Kenya since 2002 as a donor agency, even though many of its members and founders are professionals, researchers, social operators and technical experts with a much longer experience in the country. Since 2005 it has been registered in the country as an International NGO.
World Friends implements development projects in different areas in third countries. Priority sectors of intervention are:
Health (both rural and urban): WF operates to strengthen local communities by improving healthcare services and establishing preventive programs, with particular focus on the health of children and mothers, on AIDS prevention, on health education.
Training, education, capacity building: WF supports both educational and professional training to empower people.
Income-generating activities: WF supports women and youth groups in implementing income-generating activities.
World Friends implements its projects directly and in some cases supports the activities and projects of its local partners (NGOs, associations, agencies and official institutions) acting as a donor agency. WF’s development projects aim to promote positive and lasting changes and to reduce long-term dependency, with the purpose of gradually retreating after each intervention. The association works in strict cooperation with the local communities, promoting technical and professional training of local operators and beneficiaries of the projects. Local communities take part in the management and the evaluation of the projects: the final evaluation of the results is ncessary to improve the skill and the efficacy of the interventions.
Professionalism is essential to the work of World Friends: WF employs workers with high technical skills and long experience in development projects.
In Europe and in Italy (its country of origin) World Friends promotes awareness and knowledge on the causes of the severe inequalities between the North and South, through initiatives of information and training. Particular attention is devoted to youth education, through programmes involving schools and University students.
The Countries where the main activities are or have been carried are: Kenya, Senegal, Uganda, Tanzania.