Federica and Aleksander are the spokespeople for World Friends , a non-profit organization that for 20 years has been fighting for rights in the world's suburbs, particularly in slums.
Together we talked about the characteristics that led them to successfully achieve their goals, future projects and what makes World Friends unique, differentiating it from other third sector companies.
In this sector, it's crucial to convey a clear message, reaching donors and making them understand that even their smallest gestures can mean a lot to those in need. World Friends relied on Viva Digital to achieve this goal, and to date, it's one of our success stories . Together, we've developed a strategy to communicate our mission as clearly as possible, along with the activities we carry out every day. But what are they specifically? Let's take a look!
Let's start with a brief introduction of your association. Who is World Friends?
The World Friends association was founded by a group of doctors, healthcare workers, and technicians during the HIV pandemic in Kenya in 2001. This year marks exactly 20 years of our work ! We arrived in Italy the following year, in 2002. We believe that being founded in a developing country is a unique feature that sets us apart, because we were established exactly where our help was needed and where we operated most.
Our guiding principle is our desire to help people in need of medical care in countries where it is paid for, making it inaccessible to those living in poverty and hardship. We believe the right to healthcare is fundamental, and for this reason, we work to ensure it is guaranteed for all.
In 20 years of business we have grown a lot, but obviously we are aware that our journey is still very long.
Would you like to tell us a little about yourself? What do you do in World Friends?
So, I'm Aleksander and I have been working with World Friends for 2 years dealing with the external communication of the association. In practice, I take care of the press office and marketing both digital and offline, I am also responsible for the graphics and video, site management and social media. In short, everything related to communication with the rest of the world passes through me.
I feel very fortunate to work for World Friends because I do a job I enjoy and wanted to do. Even though I studied something else, communications is a career path I forged for myself, and being able to do so in this association is an opportunity with great ethical rewards . Even though I do technical work, I know I'm contributing to the association's mission , and that's an added value.
My name is Federica and I've been with World Friends for three years. My work focuses on fundraising and donor relations . I also manage part of the communications, which we want to be based on shared values , and I work primarily with donors. Working in the third sector is exactly what I wanted to do. I feel it's essential for addressing all those situations and issues that are overlooked by both the public and private sectors.
I really appreciate the social value of my work and I appreciate how World Friends hasn't lost its integrity in pursuing its mission. We want fundraising to go beyond mere marketing for nonprofits, but rather to unite to achieve common goals.
What if you briefly explain what World Friends' core activities are and the services it offers to the people you help?
Having been founded in Kenya, World Friends naturally maintains a deep connection with that country. Our main work is in Nairobi , not only in the city but also in the large slums surrounding it and in the surrounding rural areas . We also operate in Italy , in Turin, where we provide assistance to the homeless and those in difficult circumstances.
Our mission is to defend fundamental rights , paying particular attention to those most in need and to respecting their right to health, which is essential for living a dignified life.
This is why we founded Ruaraka Uhai Neema Hospital in Nairobi, where we provide care to the most vulnerable segment of the population due to the privatization of healthcare. The idea was born from the need for a hospital where those who fall ill can access quality healthcare services without further impoverishing their families. It is a point of reference with a secure healthcare environment , something that is absolutely not a given in slums.
We're working in this direction in Italy too, trying to bring people closer to the healthcare system . There are still many people who don't know they have access to healthcare and therefore don't have access to adequate medical care even though they're entitled to it.
What are the aspects that make you unique? What makes you say we are different?
The strong bond we feel with Kenya , the association's homeland, is a defining characteristic of our work. Many of our workers and staff have chosen to live there permanently, shifting their lifestyle choices even within a more private sphere.
This allows us to get closer to the people who need our support, to understand them better, and to gain more direct experience that allows us to create systems that can help populations not only immediately but also in the long term. Part of our efforts are also focused on training local medical personnel , trying to limit as much as possible a dangerous "brain drain."
Another aspect we approach differently than other organizations is seeking funding . For us, it's crucial to first understand the needs of the populations we want to help in order to seek the most appropriate funding, not the other way around. Sometimes this can get overlooked, but we work with people , and it's them we want to help.
Do you already have other projects in mind? What's cooking for the future?
Undoubtedly, one of our future goals is to expand our activities to other national contexts , beyond just Italy and Kenya. This year, in memory of Carlo Alberto Cimenti, we launched a crowdfunding campaign to build two schools in Nepal , a decidedly different context from the one we usually operate in.
The goal is to bring some level of development to all slums , not just those in Nairobi. We believe our projects have a certain level of replicability, which is why we want to bring formulas that have already worked elsewhere, obviously customizing them based on the location and the different needs. We are confident that the projects that have worked can , with some adaptations, work in other situations as well.
What are the means by which you usually make yourself known? How is World Friends marketing developed?
We don't invest much financially in making ourselves known to the general public; our secret weapon is the relationships we build every day . This is obviously not easy, and it takes time to reach a certain number of people, time to make them feel part of the mission, and time for them to share it with others.
We realize we need to strengthen our marketing strategy , increasing the resources at our disposal and our communication both online and offline. The work done on the website is part of our digital strategy, as is the study of advertising on Google . Digitalization is now transforming every sector, and we know it has significant potential, even in the third sector . The difficult part is simply finding the balance between ethics and efficiency, because our job isn't to sell a product but to promote a mission.
Sharing values is the engine of our work.
If you could launch a final message, at the end of this chat, what would it be?
It would be great if people took a greater interest in the third sector to understand what it does specifically. We believe it's important to understand how we're all involved ; it's a global scenario . For proof of this, just think about how the 2030 Agenda focuses on sustainability goals, which obviously concern us all. Everyone can contribute to development ; this is a fundamental point for the world and for society.
We believe it's important to learn to do your part , choose a company that shares your values, and be part of a change we all need to embrace.
