"Rafiki" is a Swahili word that means "friend". For over 25 years Rafiki has been just that - a friend to Africa. Rafiki has been a friend through its mission which is to help Africans know God and to help raise their standard of living. To accomplish this mission Rafiki works with African partner church denominations to establish one Rafiki Training Village in each of Africa's ten poorest countries. Located in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, these villages fulfill this mission through five programs: Child Care, Education, Bible Study, Widows and Advanced Learning Institutes. Through these programs Rafiki cares for hundreds of orphans, markets handmade crafts from thousands of widows, develops and distributes Christian classical curriculum and Bible class materials for its schools and church partners, and provides post high school education in teacher training, business, music, and art.