Empower 20 million Africans to sustainably provide for themselves by 2032.

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Proven process for self-sustaining communities

Our Proven Process illustrates our approach to working with communities to become self-sustainable. Developed through four decades of working closely together with African communities, this process involves a continuum of transformation across three stages:

• Saving lives through Emergency Relief
• Building back better through Early Recovery and Transition
• Reaching self-sustainability through Transformational Development

Our approach embraces locally led, integrated initiatives at each stage to comprehensively address community development challenges. This ensures a systematic and coordinated effort, where interventions are carefully organised and layered within and across our core programmatic pillars of Emergencies, Water, Food, Health, Education, and Economic Empowerment.

Our Proven Process involves an integrated programming approach executed across three stages of transformation: Emergency Relief, Early Recovery and Transition, and Transformational Development.

Saving lives through

Emergency Relief


Addressing access challenges to essential supplies and services to save lives and alleviate suffering

Our emergency life-saving interventions include:

  • Emergency food assistance to address immediate hunger
  • Emergency access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)
  • Emergency distribution of Non-Food Items such as shelter, blankets, and medical supplies
  • Emergency humanitarian logistics through coordination and transportation of supplies and displaced persons

Building back better through

Early Recovery and Transition

Expanding availability of essential health services

Boosting climate-smart agriculture

Protecting livelihoods from shocks

Enabling quality and safe educational environments

Facilitating youth transitions into decent work

Increasing income opportunities and financial inclusion

Reaching self-sustainability through

Transformational Development

Building financial safety nets and resilience

Strengthening community governance and accountability

Improving quality and experiences of healthcare services

Speeding up innovation adoption in food systems

Equipping learners with skills for changing job markets

Empowering marginalised groups for economic participation

Improving system preparedness

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Our Core Programming Pillars

A set of assumptions accompanies each stage of our proven process, serving as the underlying framework that guides the conditions necessary for successful implementation. These assumptions recognise external variables that may impact outcomes.

Saving lives through

Emergency Relief

  • Functional local partnerships and coordination platforms.
  • Market systems supply essential goods for relief supplies procurement and delivery.
  • Sufficient funding for pre-positioning and training.

These assumptions underpin the conditions required for the implementation of our proven process, acknowledging external factors beyond our control that may influence outcomes.

During emergencies, vital services like food, healthcare, clean water, and education can become incredibly hard to reach due to damaged infrastructure and other barriers. This worsens the health and well-being of already vulnerable communities.

We respond quickly in emergencies to offer vital support and resources to our communities, especially those at risk, to ensure everyone can access essential services like food, water, healthcare and education.

Building back better through

Early Recovery and Transition

  • Public policy commitments and investments into decentralised infrastructure.
  • Public social service providers are consistent and trusted for needed care.
  • Market forces enable small enterprise growth.
  • No emergency setbacks in the short-term.

These assumptions underpin the conditions required for the implementation of our proven process, acknowledging external factors beyond our control that may influence outcomes.

A shortage of healthcare workers and inadequate infrastructure make it difficult for people to access affordable, essential health services, leading to poorer health outcomes.

The effects of climate change, along with soil degradation, cause smallholder famers to struggle with low yields and incomes, trapping them in poverty cycles.

The loss of income-generating assets during disasters hinders the recovery of local economies, prolonging cycles of poverty.

A lack of proper infrastructure, teaching resources and support services result in environments that are not conducive to learning, leading to low attendance rates.

When the skills of young people don’t match the needs of the job market, it creates uncertainty about their future employment prospects and dampens the economy’s potential.

Many vulnerable households face challenges in maintaining stable incomes and accessing the resources they need to invest in their future.

By establishing community-based healthcare teams in remote areas, even the most underserved communities can receive timely and affordable care. Through our patient empowerment initiatives we ensure that everyone has a voice in their healthcare journey and receives the support they need.

By providing guidance on sustainable practices, combined with access to resources and tools, we help smallholder farmers increase incomes while safeguarding the environment. This includes exploring new higher-value crops or diversifying into alternative livelihoods beyond agriculture.

Through initiatives aimed at protecting income-generating equipment, livestock, and savings from disaster-related losses, we support communities to maintain their footing during recovery efforts. By building financial resilience communities are enabled to recover quicker and rely less on external aid.

By tackling issues like teaching quality, access to clean water, sanitation, health and nutrition we create nurturing spaces where all children can thrive. This not only unlocks their potential but also empowers individuals and communities to find solutions to their own challenges, leading to sustainable development.

By connecting education, skills development and employment opportunities through hands-on learning focused on practical, market-driven skills, a world of possibilities opens for young people. This boosts productivity within communities and nurtures a brighter future for everyone involved.

By building skills, breaking down barriers to access, and offering appropriate financial tools, we enable vulnerable groups to build a better future for themselves without relying on external assistance. We offer a tailored business development programme that equips trainees with the skills they need to start and manage successful businesses.

Reaching self-sustainability through

Transformational Development

  • Public policy commitments and investments into decentralised infrastructure.
  • Public social service providers are consistent and trusted for needed care.
  • Market forces enable small enterprise growth.
  • No emergency setbacks in the short-term.

These assumptions underpin the conditions required for the implementation of our proven process, acknowledging external factors beyond our control that may influence outcomes.

Many vulnerable households face challenges in maintaining stable incomes and accessing the resources they need to invest in their future.

When community bodies lack strength and transparency, it affects the reliable and efficient delivery of essential services like water and healthcare. This lack of accountability further deepens existing inequalities within communities.

Fluctuating capabilities of healthcare workers and inconsistent infrastructure of health facilities undermine the delivery of reliable and dignified care. This erodes trust in the healthcare system and hampers the intended health outcomes.

Limited adoption of new and innovative agricultural practices at the local level slows rural growth and climate resilience.

Static curricula fail to align youth skills with current economic priorities, dampening their promise for work opportunities.

Biases and barriers prevent women and youth from accessing income opportunities, trapping them in cycles of poverty that pass down through generations.

Insufficient capabilities worsen vulnerabilities during recurrent crises, leading to prolonged recovery times due to poor responsiveness.

By encouraging the use of tools like insurance, savings accounts, and responsible credit, we help smooth out income fluctuations and maintain stability in consumption. This ensures that even during crises, communities can uphold their dignity without having to rely on external aid.

By clarifying roles and financing responsibilities while empowering local planning, we enable communities to provide reliable, responsive services tailored to their unique circumstances. This drives ongoing improvements in service delivery.

By improving the physical infrastructure of health facilities and the accountability of healthcare providers, we reshape the incentives for both providers and patients, leading to more consistent and dignified care. This builds trust and ensures that people receive the intended health benefits from seeking appropriate treatment.

By showcasing successful local innovations and providing opportunities for hands-on learning, we enable communities to customise these practices to their circumstances. Through knowledge sharing and collaboration, we help upgrade agricultural practices, boosting productivity, sustainability, and resilience throughout the food system.

Through education reform focusing on transferable skills like communication, critical thinking, and creativity, and providing support for transitioning into employment, youth are better prepared to grab opportunities as they arise. This empowers young people and fuels economic growth and promise.

By creating networks, shifting mindsets towards aspirations, offering financial support, training, and advocating for policy reforms, we help to break down societal norms and structural barriers that hinder access to the workforce. As a result, increased participation ignites community vitality that creates positive ripples of hope and opportunity.

By strengthening the capabilities of local responders and establishing contingency plans, communities are better equipped to respond quickly and effectively to disasters, reducing their adverse impact. This includes stockpiling supplies, expanding early warning systems, training emergency responders and coordinating contingency plans across government ministries.

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