The Rockefeller Foundation, Human Capital, and Development in Africa the rockefeller foundation centennial series shared journey the rockefeller foundation, human capital, and development in africa By Kathryn Mathers, Ph.D. Innovation for the Next 100 Years Rockefeller Foundation Centennial Series Shared Journey Preface from Dr. Judith Rodin 14 Foreword – Archbishop Desmond Tutu 18 Introduction 22 1 Fighting Hookworm in Egypt 34 11 Public Health for the World 48 111 Promoting Understanding 64 1v Africa Advancing 84 v Turning Toward Postcolonial Africa 104 © 2013 by Rockefeller Foundation in this publication. Images held by the v1 Training Health Workers in 118 The Rockefeller Foundation Centennial Series Rockefeller Archive Center have been Foreword copyright Books published in the Rockefeller deemed to be owned by the Rockefeller the Congo and South Africa Desmond Tutu, 2013 Foundation Centennial Series provide Foundation unless we were able to All rights reserved. case studies for people around the determine otherwise. Specific permis- v11 Academic Explorations 134 world who are working “to promote the sion has been granted by the copyright Cover: well-being of humankind.” Three books holder to use the following works: Top: Photo by Anthony Pappone. highlight lessons learned in the fields v111 Champions of Higher Education 156 Getty Images. of agriculture, health, and philanthropy. Jonas Bendiksen: 2-3, 22, 62-63, Bottom: Photo by Image Source. Three others explore the Foundation’s 98-101, 190-191, 207, 208, 212, 213, 1x Apartheid and South Africa 178 Getty Images. work in Africa, Thailand, and the United 225, 244-245, 250 States. For more information about Antony Njuguna: 6-7, 17, 132-133, 214-215 Africa and the Green Revolution 192 Book design by Pentagram. the Rockefeller Foundation Centennial Steve McCurry: 10-11, 232-233, 252, 260 x initiatives, visit www.centennial. Zerihun Sewunet: 46-47 Shared Journey: rockefellerfoundation.org. London School of Economics: 67, 73 x1 Population and Well-Being 216 The Rockefeller Foundation, Human Jeff Attaway: 76-77 Capital, and Development in Africa Notes & Permissions Los Angeles Public Library Photo x11 Empowering Women 234 The Foundation has taken all reason- Collection: 87 Printed in the United States of America. able steps to ensure the accuracy of the New York Public Library: 91, 106 information provided in the book; any Stevie Mann/ILRI: 102-103 x111 AIDS and the Return to Public Health 246 Published by errors or omissions are inadvertent. This Fabian Bachrach: 107 The Rockefeller Foundation book is published without footnotes or United Nations: 111, 119, 178, 182, Conclusion 264 New York endnotes. A manuscript version with 185, 188, 235 United States of America citations and references for all sources Courtesy Paul Jackson: 116-117 Acknowledgments 272 used is available at www.centennial. Courtesy Jeremy D. Kark: 130, 131 In association with Vantage Point rockefellerfoundation.org. Getty Images: 138 Historical Services, Inc. Associated Press: 157 List of Illustrations 274 South Dakota Captions in this book provide informa- University of Arizona Herbarium: 194 United States of America tion on the creator and the repository Marion Kaplan: 201 Index 278 from which the images in this book were Wendy Stone: 221 ISBN-13: 978-0-9796389-7-8 obtained. The Foundation has made its Vince Smith: 262-263 ISBN-10: 0-9796389-7-6 best efforts to determine the creator Rodger Bosch: 264 and copyright holder of all images used Shared Journey 13 preface shared journey By Dr. Judith Rodin President of the Rockefeller Foundation ohn D. Rockefeller gave hundreds of millions of dollars to philan- organizations in Africa after World War Two. We partnered with Africa’s thropy, but he believed that Standard Oil, the company he created to new leaders, other American foundations—like the Ford Foundation and manufacture oil to light cook stoves and streetlamps around the world, the Carnegie Corporation—as well as development agencies to help train Jalso had a profound effect on the well-being of humanity. If Rockefeller a new generation of African professionals and intellectuals in health care, could visit Africa today, his faith in the ability of entrepreneurs and innova- education, and agriculture. These were challenging times for many people tors to improve the quality of life in their communities and nations would in Africa, characterized by political instability, economic distress, and, be reconfirmed. all too often, shortages of basic foods and medicines. Philanthropy made a I hope Rockefeller would also be delighted to know that the Foundation difference, but the legacies of colonialism were all too pervasive. he created is working closely with other donors, non-governmental organiza- Still, the people of Africa faced the future with extraordinary resilience, tions, international agencies, governments, and the private sector to promote and the Rockefeller Foundation kept looking for ways to be more innovative systemic changes in Africa. He was a big believer in coordination, collabora- and effective. Through the years of the Green Revolution and then the AIDS tion, and integrated systems that lower the cost of delivering products and crisis we discovered ways of convening, collaborating, networking, and services—in business and in philanthropy. institution-building that would have impressed even John D. Rockefeller. When the Rockefeller Foundation was established in 1913, people in In agriculture and food security, we played a key role in building an Africa, like those in many parts of the world, lived close to the land. Today, international network of scientists and researchers bent on improving a growing majority live in cities. The Foundation’s first projects on the agricultural technology to increase the food supply. Over time we came continent aimed to help rural people battle endemic diseases like hookworm to understand the importance of localizing these research facilities in the and to promote institutions that would train health care workers in mining countries that would benefit most from improvements in agricultural towns and agricultural or pastoral communities. For many years, however, production methods. Moving in this direction went hand in hand with the Foundation’s efforts were hindered by the oppressive institutions of investments in human capital, particularly through our Rockefeller colonialism and racism. It was hard to find partners, but the Foundation did Foundation fellowship program and our investments in women’s education, achieve some important successes that impacted the people of Africa and the to enhance the capacity of local communities and individual nations to world, including the development of treatments for various tropical diseases prioritize and address their own needs. and a vaccine against yellow fever. Lessons learned in agriculture provided the framework for responding to Insights gained from these early years, however, provided some guidance the AIDS crisis as it emerged in the 1980s. We invested in scientific research for the Foundation and a host of newly emerging nations and multinational to fund an ongoing effort to find a vaccine for HIV. We invested in building 14 Preface Shared Journey 15 preface clinical epidemiology and health data collection capacity. At the same time, we helped to develop health care systems that could respond to local needs and recognized AIDS as an issue for the whole family and the community, as well as the individuals afflicted by the virus. With agriculture and health care, inspired by John D. Rockefeller, we built bridges between the philanthropic and private sectors to tap the innovative capacity of corporate research facilities and the vast potential of private sector capital. Today, the insights gained from a hundred years of learning-by-doing in Africa are driving the way we work and partner with others on efforts to make health care more accessible and effective, increase the availability and affordability of local food supplies, address environmental sustain- ability, and foster communities resilient enough to withstand the effects of climate change and other shocks and stresses of our time. In agriculture, we launched the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. And as we enter our second century, we have launched Digital Jobs Africa. This $100 million initiative will improve the lives of more than one million people in six African countries through skills training and jobs for youth, harnessing the dynamism of the continent’s booming digital and technology sectors. All of these efforts build on our history in Africa, but they also look to an exciting future. As the economic potential of Africa is unlocked in the coming decades, we see an extraordinary opportunity for philanthropy, government, and the private sector to work together to promote the well- being of the entire continent, including those who are marginalized today by poverty. Indeed, in Africa, more than any other region in the world, we are today inventing the future of philanthropy. 16 Preface Shared Journey 17 foreword shared journey By Archbishop Desmond Tutu he world has tended to laud us South Africans to the skies for Some of the most significant investments by the Foundation have been in achieving the notable goal of defeating the vicious system of its scheme of fellowships. Almost without exception those who have benefit- racist oppression called apartheid. Now I do not for one moment