TrustAfrica is making an impact! Perhaps you're not aware, but we have been reaching out to partners, stakeholders and interested parties all over the continent. Last month we were in Tunisia, discussing the drivers that led to the Arab Spring. In May we were in Zimbabwe, rapping, painting, dancing and debating about how the arts can encourage change. Here in our own Senegal we were lending a few neighbors a helping hand through our community grants program. To really get a feel for some of the work taking place, check out the homepage of our Website and click on the "Impact" link just underneath the photo gallery or just click here. You'll see, hear and read news directly from our partners about the important work they are doing.

A new year is upon us and with that, TrustAfrica has big plans! This year promises to hold more convenings, workshops and publications than ever before. In addition, as you'll learn below, we've taken on new projects, feted major dignataries, liased on major political movements and the need to strengthen social justice. We're communicating more, reaching out more and developing more as an organization going into its sixth year. Thank you for being a part of it all and for continuing to join us as we move forward.

With your help, TrustAfrica is reaching out more than ever to make an impact around the continent. We are convening and sponsoring meetings (our grantee spotlight comes from the recent gender conference we co-sponsored), writing books to help strengthen civil society and the legislative process and making videos about the amazing strides our grantees have made combating gender violence. Earlier this week, the news reported the death of Dr. Wangari Maathai, a great activist and the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize for her work on the environment, women's rights and human rights.

Now that we've closed the books on our 2010 fiscal year, which ended on March 31, we're taking stock of what was, by any measure, our busiest and most successful year to date. We not only doubled our grant making, but also made significant strides to strengthen our operations, undertaking an internal audit of our grant files and upgrading our computer systems. With your support, we're determined to achieve even more this year. This edition of TrustAfrica Now describes some of our most significant activities and accomplishment in recent months.

TrustAfrica's ICBE Research Fund has just issued its fourth call for proposals, opening a new round of funding for scholars throughout the continent. In this round, we aim to support studies that shed light on policies and practices that can help ensure that the benefits of economic growth in Africa are broadly shared, paying particular attention to creating livelihoods and opportunities for the poor. We are focusing closely on issues relating to small and medium-sized enterprises, or SMEs. Our peer reviewers and pan-African jury will consider three pools of applicants seeking up to $10,000, $50,000 or $100,000 respectively. The deadline to apply is July 29, 2011.

A few weeks ago I returned from a three-month sabbatical, my first extended break since we began laying the groundwork for TrustAfrica nearly a decade ago. For me, it was a welcome period of rest, reflection and writing. For TrustAfrica, it was a timely opportunity to show how deep the talent runs within our organization. One of the toughest things every civil society organization faces is the tendency to become too dependent on its founding director. As I take stock of what our staff has achieved in my absence, and how smoothly our operations have run, it is clear that we are well ahead of the game and poised for long-term sustainability. This edition of TrustAfrica Now describes some of our most significant activities and accomplishment in recent months.

Our pan-African jury met on August 23-24 in Dakar to evaluate 81 research proposals submitted to our Investment Climate & Business Environment (ICBE) Research Fund. The fund, which awarded US$2.8 million to 53 research teams in 16 African countries during its first phase, recently entered its second phase with approximately US$1.9 million in additional funding from the International Development Research Centre. As in the past, proposals were screened by peer reviewers before going to the jury. We are now conducting due diligence on each of the winning proposals before announcing them later this year.

TrustAfrica and partners launch US$20 million campaign

Inspired by Graça Machel, nearly a dozen civil society organizations have mounted a pan-African response to the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12. The aim is to show solidarity with the Haitian people, mobilize financial resources from Africa and beyond, and advocate for long-term reconstruction and development. As a founding partner, TrustAfrica has helped set up a website (www.africaforhaiti.com), begun receiving online donations, and worked to coordinate the campaign.