Lasting Development for a Better Future
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NEWSLETTER 2008 LASTING DEVELOPMENT FOR A BETTER FUTURE BUILDING BLOCKS AN EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR THE FUTURE 3 JOURNEY 10 EDUCATION 12 www.selfhelpafrica.com INTRODUCTION HOW SELF HELP AFRICA WORKS Dear Supporter, For close to 25 years, A brighter future for Africa Self Help Africa has been ‘Self Help Africa’ is a rural development agency that works in countries in Sub- working to alleviate Sahara, to improve the lives of Africa’s poorest people. poverty and famine, and help some of the Self Help Africa works with local staff, partners and local communities in Ethiopia, Eritrea, most disadvantaged Malawi, Zambia, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, Togo and Burkina Faso - communities in the world to a better life. Enabling people to grow enough food so that they can feed themselves all year round It is challenging but hugely rewarding Improving opportunities for people to earn a living and support their families work for all involved, and we are Providing Africans with the skills they need to move out of poverty, and manage their fortunate to have a team in Ireland, futures the United Kingdom, and across Africa Improving access to basic social services such as clean drinking water, health-care, and who show commitment and common education. purpose that is above and beyond the Supporting local communities to preserve and rehabilitate their natural environment call of duty, in their pursuit of this goal. Through advocacy, partnerships, dissemination, and best practice, seek to influence Few who have witnessed the very real policies and attitudes in both Africa and the West, to issues That affect the lives of sense of achievement and satisfaction rural Africans. – on the faces of farmers who have transformed their holdings into Self Help Africa has ambitious plans - to effect change, and deliver more support to more gardens of plenty, or in the expression people. Support us as we seek to provide more Africans with the training, the skills, and the of mothers now earning money and tools to lead a life free from hunger, poverty and need. able to send their children to school, would dispute that our ‘self-help’ approach to sustainable development, is the way to achieve long-term lasting Self Help Africa at work change in Africa. The global economic downturn of recent months, following as it did the alarming inflation in global food and fuel prices, underlines the uncertain times in which we live. Nonetheless, it is more pressing and urgent than ever for us to play our part, and help the people of Africa so that they can once and for all escape the poverty trap in which they have lived for far too long. 6 Self Help Africa is indebted to all those 1 who have supported us over the years. 3 7 Without this support our work would 2 not be possible. We have achieved a EAST AFRICA great deal in the past quarter century, 4 UGANDA 4 WEST AFRICA 5 and have ambitious plans to deliver 5 KENYA HORN OF 1 BURKINA FASO AFRICA more programmes to more people in 2 GHANA 6 ERITREA the future. 3 TOGO 7 ETHIOPIA We hope that you will join on this journey, as we seek to realize our vision 9 of an Africa that is free from poverty 8 and hunger in the years to come. SOUTHERN AFRICA Yours sincerely, 8 ZAMBIA 9 MALAWI Ray Jordan Chief Executive 2 SELF HELP AFRICA NEWSLETTER 2008 FOREWORD CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES An Historic Merger The historic integration last summer of Harvest Help and Self Help Development International to create Self Help Africa has established a new and vibrant organisa- tion which can make an even greater contribution in overcoming poverty and hunger in Africa. Our dynamic staff and partners throughout our nine countries of operation in Africa are doing fantastic work supporting rural families and communities work their way out of poverty. We are seeing success in all our areas of opera- tion and one of our major challenges for the years ahead is to build on that success. We have a proven track record of success over nearly a quarter of a century but the challeng- From left : Steve Langdon, UK director, Ray Jordan, CEO, Nigel Clarke, UK chairman, and Tom Corcoran, Irish es still remain at every level of our operations. chairman, at the launch of Self Help Africa, in London, last Summer. As an organisation our shared vision is to see an Africawww.selfhelpafrica.com free from poverty and hunger. We re- to reduce global poverty. to help them to achieve better incomes, better main firmly committed to the philosophies and The Secretary General of the UN Ban Ki-Moon living conditions, and better opportunities for ethos which were instrumental in the founding singled out the role to be played by small-hold- their families, in the years to come. of both Harvest Help and Self Help Develop- ing farmers, when he addressed an emergency These opportunities are being created for ment International. summit that was convened by the United Na- thousands of rural African families each day, Our ambition is to dramatically build upon this tions in Rome to address the crisis, last July. as a result of the ongoing work of Self Help proven success by scaling up our own work The UK’s ‘Africa Progress Panel’ joined the Africa and its partners. Simple, but effective and as importantly by sharing our knowledge chorus, when it called for substantial new in- measures are enabling households to double with other organisations. If we are to see real vestment to raise agricultural productivity and and treble incomes, by ensuring better quality and lasting development in Africa we need increase food production in Africa and around seed stock is available, by promoting new to work in more effective collaboration with the world, while Ireland’s Hunger Task Force crop varieties, by supporting alternate income like minded organisations and influence policy identified improving smallholder productivity generating activities, access to credit, and by change at all levels. in Africa as the number one priority, when it helping small-scale farmers to organize into published its report at the conclusion of more local co-operatives, to market and sell their Focus than a year of deliberation, in September. produce. The global spike in world food prices during Improving access to health services, to clean 2008 put into sharp focus the critical impor- Our Work water, to better sanitation, and to education tance of food production for the world’s poor. The role of food production at farm house- is also making an important contribution - As a consequence of this crisis, and the food ri- hold, and at community levels, has been at the strengthening local services so that future gen- ots that erupted in many parts of the develop- heart of the work of Self Help Africa since the erations in Africa can enjoy better standards of ing world, our major international institutions mid-1980s. health, a reduction in life threatening disease, HORN OF were prompted to acknowledge the crucial It will remain central to our mission, as we and the passport to a better future that can be AFRICA role that rural agriculture had to play in efforts work side by side with African communities, provided by education. 6 ERITREA 7 ETHIOPIA The Future Self Help Africa is now working directly, and with local partners, in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Zambia, Uganda, Malawi, Kenya, Ghana, Togo and Burkina Faso. We are committed to delivering the very best practice to our development programmes, and to sharing the experiences and the learning of the past into the future. We look forward also to establishing new alliances in our bid to tackle the enormous challenge of global poverty and hunger, and to working to a common purpose with others engaged in development, to achieve this goal. Self Help Africa is grateful to the committed supporters and donors who have been a key part of the organisation for the last quarter of a century. Your support is essential to the ongoing growth of Self Help Africa, and we look forward to being in touch with you again in 2009. SELF HELP AFRICA NEWSLETTER 2008 3 HORN OF AFRICA ETHIOPIA/ERITREA Self Help Africa has been working in ETHIOPIA for close to a quarter century, Ethiopia having begin its activities in the country in the immediate aftermath of the terrible Self Help Africa has its most extensive pro- famine of 1984. The organisation’s model gramme of activities in Ethiopia, where there for integrated rural development largely are currently four area based rural develop- evolved in the country, and in the past ment projects, and two additional regional 25 years Self Help has implemented well projects being implemented which are de- over a dozen area based development signed to strengthen and develop structures programmes in the country. In recent for agricultural co-operatives, and support years Self Help Africa has focused greater the creation of rural savings and credit co- attention and resources on measures to build the structural capacity of local farm- operatives in the country. ers co-operatives, and is engaged in an The integrated area based programmes ambitious plan to roll out sustainable self- (ABPs), focus primarily on developing sustain- governing savings and credit co-operatives able agricultural systems at farm household in Ethiopia. level, strengthen social service provision, and tackle the degradation of the country’s Children look forward to the opening of Legeba School, natural resources. These five year projects are that opened in Self Help’s Huruta project, last year. being implemented at Sodo, Bora and Huruta in Oromia, and in the country’s Eastern High- livestock production, are also underway.