
Challenge:
Using outsourced printers for their communications and educational materials gave the Rafiki Foundation little flexibility and few creative options. They learned that a Fiery print server on a Canon digital press could solve these challenges as well as help them lower printing costs, increase the speed of their workflow, and open the door to new opportunities.
On any given day at the Rafiki Foundation (“Rafiki”) headquarters, a rhythmic hum can be heard as two Canon digital presses, powered by Fiery® digital print servers from EFI,™ steadily churn out a multitude of educational curriculum and colorful communications pieces that are forever changing the lives of orphans in Africa. In fact, in just over a year, Rafiki has printed more than 4.5 million pages of Bible study and school curriculum, and they are thrilled with the results.
Africa’s orphans are at the heart of Rafiki’s services. The Eustis, Floridabased non-profit has established ten Rafiki Training Villages – in Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, Malawi, and Zambia – that provide orphaned and impoverished children with a loving home, medical care, Bible studies, and education. Each Training Village is operated by overseas Rafiki staff, with help from local caretakers, national workers and short-term missionaries, and each provides up to 180 orphans with 24/7 care.
Also at the heart of Rafiki is their Widows Program, which gives many African widows the opportunity to make crafts, such as jewelry, baskets, and handbags, which Rafiki then purchases and sells through the Rafiki Exchange and on its website. Without this program, many of these widows would not have a way to support their families.