taking a global "leap of camp"

By Haley Fletcher, Senior Manager, Global Partnership Program

In many countries around the world, especially those where resources aren't available to build a full-scale residential camp, a SeriousFun camp experience still takes place thanks to the ingenuity of our Global Partnership Program. Why we do it in these remote places is simple. Children living with illnesses deal with the same challenges no matter the country: stigma, missing out on childhood experiences, difficult medical treatments, and loneliness. How we accomplish this feat is with the help of partners like Worldwide Orphans Foundation (WWO), with whom we've worked for the last seven years. WWO took a "leap of camp" with SeriousFun to deliver joy-filled and educational experiences to children living with HIV and AIDS.

Both organizations have similar goals to give children opportunities to feel safe, loved and respected. SeriousFun brings the expertise of how to run a camp for children living with illnesses – the training, the manuals, and a bag of camp supplies. Worldwide Orphans Foundation brings the expertise of working in a variety of countries – the language, ability to navigate local logistics and where to recruit staff and children. This partnership has grown over the years and is now changing lives in three countries on three continents. All together, these camps – Camp Colors of Love in Vietnam, Camp Addis in Ethiopia, and Kan Etwal in Haiti – have served thousands of children over the years.

We are grateful to the Worldwide Orphans Foundation for the work it does to serve this special population year round and proud that together we can bring SeriousFun to children who need and benefit from it.

Click the link for a look at Camp Addis, our partnership program in Ethiopia.