In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit countries across the world, we witnessed the withdrawal of International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) from Africa, removing expatriate staff and closing down offices, including a restriction of funding if it was not directly related to health services or in some way directed to Covid-19 responses. This meant that local actors and organizations like TrustAfrica had to step in and fill the gap left by INGOs and other bilateral aid institutions, raising local resources and mobilizing efforts, and in many cases increasing the profile of regional champions and philanthropists.
Our dear colleague and friend, Sibongile Mkhabela, a member of our Board of Directors, has been honored with Chevalier de l'ordre de merite (National Order of Merit for outstanding contributions to social development), a very high distinction awarded by the Republic of France. TrustAfrica, celebrates this great achievement and has prepared a message to celebrate the accomplishment.
This is a well-deserved recognition of Bongi’s exemplary performance in the transformation and development of post-apartheid South Africa. As you know, she led the building of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital and the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, both of which she co-founded and headed as Chief Executive Officer for many years. From April 2020, she began establishing a new corporate initiated but independent foundation, The Barloworld Empowerment Development Foundation.
Please join us in congratulating Bongi.
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The Covid-19 pandemic exposed, at a global level, the abnormalcy of prevailing social, economic and political systems – particularly their failure to protect the most vulnerable. At TrustAfrica, we are clear that there is no going back to the old normal. Accordingly, our current focus is on building forward better. We need new models across our economic, social and political systems that will protect the most marginalized and work for everyone. Earlier this month we concluded our strategic retreat, where we reaffirmed the theme of our strategic plan for the period 2020-2024 as Shaping the Future we Want for Africa!
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TrustAfrica in collaboration with EM2030 jointly hosted a virtual training in data driving advocacy, on May 3-4-5, 2021. Many women's rights organizations face resource and capacity gaps that prevent them from effectively doing their work. How to collect and effectively use data and evidence is one of the pressing issue they face to strengthen their advocacy. During the three day training, 18 champions have seen their gender advocates skills strengthening in the basics of data research, analysis and evaluation. They now have a clearer understanding of how to use data in their advocacy work. This was a good moment of learning that reinvigorated women leaders, especially in the social movement. As advocacy must be data driven, it was important for our champions to learn how to meet GBV data requirements before it can be collected, analyzed and communicated. This three days was also an opportunity for women’s leaders from different countries and different context to learn from others.
On May 29, TrustAfrica will host a webinar titled "Amadou Mahtar Mbow and the Emancipation of Peoples in Africa and Around the World."
The webinar, which will feature a panel discussion with TrustAfrica's Executive Director, Dr Ebrima Sall, Dr Jean-Bernard Ouedraogo, journalist Barka Ba, and Vincent Foucher, is part of a series that started on March 27, 2021.
Gateway Zimbabwe, a collaborative culture-shifting initiative of Kufunda Learning Village, ORAP and TrustAfrica, hosted a session "How can inner work unleash new energy and resources when working in challenging contexts?" during the Mindshift Growth that Matters Participatory Conference on May 12th from 9:50am-11am (CAT). The Conference looked at the Inner Development Goals (IDGs) as a way of tracking the qualities and shifts needed for sustainable ambition towards a healthier society.
The Covid-19 pandemic exposed, at a global level, the abnormalcy of prevailing social, economic and political systems – particularly their failure to protect the most vulnerable. At TrustAfrica, we are clear that there is no going back to the old normal. Accordingly, our current focus is on building forward better. We need new models across our economic, social and political systems that will protect the most marginalized and work for everyone. Earlier this month we concluded our strategic retreat, where we reaffirmed the theme of our strategic plan for the period 2020-2024 as Shaping the Future we Want for Africa!
Fifteen years ago now, TrustAfrica was birthed as a vehicle to mobilize the big resources required to support African Agency in setting priorities and championing responses to the most pressing issues facing the content. This remains the most important purpose behind our existence. Our raison d’etre!
As we reflect on the way ahead, two priorities particularly come to the fore for us as the key questions of our time and therefore the overarching themes defining all our work – ACCOUNTABILITY and EQUITY! Together these two add up to and speak to our commitment to JUSTICE in everything that matters for the continent’s development and humanity’s progress. The global dynamics at play makes t it critical to ensure that we are Shaping the Future We Want for Africa and that Africa is not left behind in the big project to build forward better
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Dakar, Senegal – TrustAfrica with the support from Open Society Foundations (OSF) is implementing a pan-African project to strengthen the voices of citizens and advocate for accountability of the security sector during and post COVID 19 lockdown measures.
The Security Sector Accountability (SPaCVOSSA) project is being implemented with four civil society partners in countries distributed across different regions of the continent.
The project conducts country-level and pan-African level interventions that include research into the impact of securitised lockdown measures on vulnerable communities, hosts citizen forums, and conducts advocacy initiatives raising the awareness of government agencies and African institutions.
Written by Florence Kayemba (SDN), Ese Emerhi (TrustAfrica), and Charles Kojo Vandyck (WACSI)
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In March 2021, the World Communities Forum brought together organizations working with local communities to reflect on the past year and how Covid-19 has impacted the work that they do. TrustAfrica hosted a breakout session on “Community as a Response: Communities Organizing for their Development” on Day 1 of the virtual conference to tease out what are the enablers in supporting local communities in self-organizing for their development. The breakout session was facilitated by development practitioners and community leaders Ese Emerhi (TrustAfrica - Nigeria), Florence Kayemba (Stakeholders Democracy Network - Nigeria), and Charles Kojo Vandyck (West Africa Civil Society Institute – Ghana).
This follow-up article elevates key recommendations offered during the breakout session, by first giving some context on the challenges faced by local communities (often in conflict) and centering the article on factors that have enabled communities to respond to development challenges, including what priority interventions donors should invest in to support community actors to build resilience when responding to power dynamics within the broken aid system in the Global South.[...]
This year's International Women’s Day (IWD) theme recognizes the impact of the COVID-19 global health pandemic in 2020. For the 2021 campaign, the UN Women announced the theme "Women in Leadership: Achieving an Equal Future in a Covid-19 World". A social media campaign was launched to inspire women to #ChooseToChallenge and call out gender prejudice and disparity. The theme profiles women's incredible work in creating an equal future for everyone, recovery from the pandemic, and the existing gaps. At TrustAfrica we were excited to host a series of meetings throughout the month with partners under our initiative to redress gender-based violence and challenge the norms and stereotypes which strip women of agency and also spent time planning how we prioritize gender responsive programming through the collaborative Community Immunity Initiative.
