Category: News

Written By Afua Gyapomaa,

Accra, 28 August 2024: I had the privilege of attending the 5th African Philanthropy Conference (APC), held from July 29 to August 2, 2024, at the Elephant Hills Resort in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. The conference, themed ‘The Next Frontiers of African Philanthropy’, was a transformative experience that offered profound insights into the evolving landscape of African philanthropy.

The theme captured APC’s essence, focusing on innovative strategies and emerging trends reshaping traditional philanthropic models. This year’s APC was not just a gathering of professionals; it was a movement—a convergence of like-minded individuals and organisations committed to redefining the boundaries of philanthropy in Africa.

The week-long conference featured diverse discussions on topics ranging from the role of digital technologies to the importance of climate science and innovative financing models. An impactful discussion centred around how philanthropy can address colonial injustices and promote cultural preservation through restitution and reparations. These conversations emphasised the need to understand historical contexts to create meaningful and lasting impact. This is particularly relevant as African philanthropy increasingly grapples with colonialism’s legacy and its continuing effects on the continent. The conference highlighted the critical integration of technologies like AI and robotics in philanthropy, stressing the need for responsible use to benefit the greater good. It also underscored the vital role of young leaders in shaping inclusive strategies and enhancing the sector, particularly in fostering practices that empower marginalised communities.

Personal reflections: a time of growth

Participating in the APC was an enriching experience, professionally and personally. The exchange of ideas and the collective wisdom of the participants broadened my perspective on the power of philanthropy to drive social change. The conference reaffirmed my belief that African philanthropy is at a pivotal point, where tradition meets innovation and where collective efforts can truly make a difference. The sessions on feminist philanthropy and governance were particularly impactful. These discussions highlighted the importance of centring the perspectives of historically marginalised groups and ensuring transparency and accountability in all philanthropic endeavours. The feminist lens, in particular, challenged participants to think critically about how philanthropy can be more inclusive and equitable. It aligns closely with the values emphasised in my work, where the focus is on creating fair and just systems for all.

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Afua Gyapomaa is the Partnerships and Philantrophy Officer at AWDF. This article was originally published in  the Alliance Magazine, official media partner for the 5th African Philantrophy Conference 2024.

The African Philantrophy Network will host the APN Assembly from 4th-8th November 2024, at Elephant Hills Resort, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. This Assembly will take place under the theme Collective Freedom from Collective Struggle. 

The APN Assembly is the flagship event of the APN. It brings members, partners and innovative practitioners together to share experiences, new knowledge and collective reflections on development of African philanthropy.

#APNAssembly2024 aims to build a powerful movement of philanthropic actors whose experiences and wisdom will amplify the influence and the recognition of African philanthropy as a driver for systemic change throughout the continent and globally.

The objective of the APN Assembly is to provide a platform for members and other delegates from the continent and globally to actively reflect on issues of agency facing African communities, and how responsive African philanthropy practices and policies are. Participants will use the space to celebrate ideas and share practical solutions of African generated and African owned philanthropy, and make recommendations with concrete actions to unlock philanthropy’s potential in driving social and systems change.

Registration for the #APNAssembly2024 is  open! Don’t miss the chance to connect and network with African philanthropy influencers and leaders from across the continent and diaspora. Register NOW and attend! https://assembly.or.tz/

 Read more about the Assembly HERE

You still have time to make you voice count. The “Where Is The Money for Feminist Organizing?” #WITM survey deadline has been extended to 31 August

The Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) recently launched their “Where Is The Money for Feminist Organizing?”

Make your voice count,  join in sharing  your lived experience with funding your organizing, claim your power and shine light on the  state of resourcing for feminist movements through this  global online survey

Learn more about the survey and its impact here.

ABOUT THE SURVEY

WITM is a global self-administered online survey designed to shed light on the financial status of diverse feminist movements. It is now available here in Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

TAKE THE SURVEY 

The WITM survey is aimed for groups, organizations and movements working specifically or primarily for the rights of women, LBTQI+ people and on gender justice, in all contexts, at all levels, and in all regions.

KEY DETAILS  

• The survey deadline has been extended toAugust 31st, 2024
• It’s accessible to people with a diverse range of hearing, movement, sight, and cognitive abilities
• Takes approximately 30 minutes to complete

Results of the survey will be shared at the AWID Forum in Bangkok in December 2024 and online.

GET MORE INFORMATION:

Please contact AWID team with any questions you might have about the survey at witm@awid.org

Our team is growing  at AWDF,

We have vacancies for dynamic, driven African Feminists with a passion for women’s rights and social justice. If you are a team player, proactive and excited about working with multiple stakeholders and partners, we’d love to hear from you.

We are thrilled to announce three new positions within AWDF .

Senior Programme Officer (SPO)– Non-traditional and Emerging actors & collectives

Non-traditional and emerging actors and collectives are entities that organise in non-conventional ways and exist outside ‘NGOisation’ limits. They include non-registered collectives and those that exist informally like ‘lose’ coalitions and individual activists. They employ new, radical, unconventional organising tactics like digital activism, artists, other creatives, festivals, to mention a few examples.

This new position of  Senior Programme Officer in this portfolio  (SPO) Non-traditional and emerging actors and collectives’ entities is responsible for the implementation of AWDF’s resourcing strategy to strengthen and uphold African women’s and feminist organisations and movements. Furthermore they are responsible for ensuring the successful implementation of the organisational and departmental strategies by ensuring our resourcing work (grantmaking and accompaniment) is responsive to the needs of the particular type of entity they are focused on. 

Check out more information HERE 

Applications for the vacancy should reach AWDF no later than Monday, 5th August 2024.

Senior Programme Officer (SPO)– CBOs and NGOs 

CBOs and NGOs -are more formalised entities regulated by their respective members, and by governments in accordance with the laws governing such entities. Individually or in collaboration with others, feminist NGOs organise around a range of issues.

Serving in this portfolio, the Senior Programme Officer (SPO) CBOs and NGOs’ entities is responsible for the implementation of AWDF’s resourcing strategy to strengthen and uphold African women’s and feminist organisations and movements. The role is responsible for ensuring the successful implementation of the organisational and departmental strategies by ensuring our resourcing work (grantmaking and accompaniment) is responsive to the needs of the particular type of entity they are focused on.

Check out  more information HERE

Applications for the vacancy should reach AWDF no later than Monday, 5th August 2024.

Senior Programme Officer (SPO) “At scale” partners 

Also part of the resourcing team, the Senior Programme Officer (SPO) “At scale” partners’ entities is responsible for implementing the AWDF Resourcing Strategy to strengthen and uphold African women’s and feminist organisations and movements. The role is responsible for ensuring the successful implementation of the organisational and departmental strategies by ensuring our resourcing work (grantmaking and accompaniment) is responsive to the needs of the particular type of entity they are focused on. 

 “At scale -Partners” –  include consortia, coalitions, or networks of diverse movement entities (individuals, NGOs, CBOs, and non-formal entities) united by a common geography, membership, and set of objectives, whose work is national, sub-regional, continental, or global.

To apply  check out more information HERE

Applications for the vacancy should reach AWDF no later than Monday, 5th August 2024.

African Feminists have and continue to challenge entrenched systems of power and oppression that have systematically invisibilised African feminist knowledge. This zine captures the narratives that we are hearing and learning from African Feminist Movements on the role of African indigenous knowledge systems and ways of knowing as well as the role of the arts and creative expression as powerful tools for challenging erasure and silencing.

Read the Magazine here 

Are you ready to work in close collaboration with colleagues in the “Nurturing” cluster, to unlock the agency of African women’s rights and feminist activists, leaders, organisations, collectives and movements so they flourish and are impactful?

Do you have experience in conceptualising and leading technical capacity strengthening  for movement partners using a transformative and de-colonial  approaches? Are you passionate about co-creating tools and processes that afford   feminist and women’s rights activists, organisations and collectives in Africa the ownership, confidence, self-determination and space to make transformative choices and impact their communities across the continent?

AWDF is hiring to fill a vacancy for the position of Programme Specialist – Agency and Resilience. To fill this position, we are looking for a highly motivated Programme Management Specialist who is passionate about reimagining the future of feminist capacity strengthening.  We are keen to work with an individual who is passionate about women’s rights and feminist movements in Africa, is excited about African feminisms, embraces African women’s diversity and is innovative..

Please follow this link to apply for the position of Programme Specialist – Agency and Resilience

Do you have experience in: Programme and Project Management; Consortium Coordination; Thought leadership on issues, partners and funding approaches to Counter Anti-Rights and Anti-Gender movements; Programme Resourcing and Convening African Women’s Rights and Feminist organisations and movements?

Are you interested in developing a strategic portfolio of partnerships through the Komboa Funded Initiative that is inclusive, feminist, trust-based, collaborative and responsive which includes longer-term support?

Are you a highly motivated person who is passionate about women’s rights in Africa, excited about African feminisms, embraces African women’s diversity and is innovative to join the team.

If this is you, then apply to come and work with us.

We are hiring to fill a vacancy for the position of Funded Initiative Coordinator – Komboa Initiative.

How to Apply: 

Apply  online via https://awdf.simplicant.com/jobs/53468-funded-initiative-coordinator-komboa-initiative/detail

Qualified and interested persons should send the following on the online application platform :

• A cover letter of not more than 2 pages addressed to the Human Resources Manager, explaining their interest and excitement in applying for the position to work for AWDF; and highlighting their experience and competencies as they relate to the specific areas of duties indicated in the vacancy to demonstrate a good fit for the role.
• A CV of not more than 3 pages outlining their educational qualifications and employment records with key achievements on relevant positions held.

Applications for the vacancy should reach AWDF no later than Monday 29th July 2024. Due to our limited capacity, only short-listed candidates will be contacted for additional information and interviews. 

In line with AWDF’s Mission, qualified African women and gender expansive persons are encouraged to apply. 

We are looking for consultants/firm to support our work under the Komboa consortium  to undertake in-depth analysis and produce a documentary video on the impact of the consortium in countering the anti-gender and anti-rights movement

The Komboa consortium is comprised of the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF), Initiative Sankofa d’Afrique de l’Ouest (ISDAO), the Doria Feminist Fund (Doria), Purposeful, and the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA).

As a Consortium of funds primarily based on the African continent, primarily led by Africans, we are accountable to African women, girls, and gender-expansive people of all ages. All aspects of our programming and resourcing thus center on African feminists, their knowledge, and advancing gender justice on the continent: we seek to comprehensively resource our partners and allow their knowledge and expertise to inform our programming. Our cultural insights and strategies are infused in our work as regionally-anchored organizations, our collectivist, collaborative approach, and African ways of being and commitment to decolonizing inherent in centering African leadership in the struggle for gender justice.

We seek the services of a consultant or firm to undertake an in-depth analysis and documentation process that will creatively capture innovative approaches utilised by our consortium members to showcase the intricate aspects of who we are, what works and how, qualitative and quantitative impact as well as scalable lessons in countering the anti-rights and anti gender rights movement in Africa and the Middle East.

The purpose of this assignment is to develop two video documentaries depicting why the consortium exists, what issues the consortium focuses on and showcasing the impact of the consortium. The final product will be used for advocacy and communication purposes.

The consultant/firm is expected to produce two videos; edit the footage; record and edit narration; Audio balance the final product and convert it in formats for use on web; Embed subtitles in different languages in the video as per need Conduct interviews with selected Komboa Consortium members and external partners; Ensure that release forms are signed and that consent is duly sought with additional sensitivity to visual documentation; include appropriate Komboa Consortium branding and crediting of Komboa Consortium ownership for the produced videos; Work closely with the Knowledge Management Committee to shape the final product.

Please Download  the full Terms of Reference for more details and mode of application.

Closing date is no later than 23:59 PM UTC on 8 August 2024.

How to Apply To apply,

Please send the following to fundraising@sihanet.org and abena@awdf.org

1. A concept note demonstrating your understanding of the TOR and your proposed approach
2. The CVs of all team members
3. Your technical and financial/budget proposals
4. One example of a relevant video that the consultant/s/firm have worked on recently
5. A Cover email – Email subject header: Application: XXXXX Consultancy which sets out what excites you about this piece of work and why you’re applying.

AWDF is thrilled to announce an exciting opportunity that has arisen in its team.

Are you ready to be part of a passionate, diverse, and dedicated team working to support and strengthen feminist organisations and movements in pursuit of gender justice and social transformation in Africa?

Then join our team as the next Programme Assistant (shared) for the Knowledge and Voice and Non  Traditional Actors.

Job summary

The Programme Assistant (Non Traditional Actors and Knowledge and Voice) is a shared role that is responsible for providing administrative and programmatic support, contributing to the efficient operation of AWDF’s Knowledge and Voice work and our partnerships with non-traditional actors and collectives. The role will work in close collaboration with both the Knowledge and Voice Specialist and Senior Programme Officer for Non Traditional Actors supporting the implementation of initiatives that serve to unlock voice and agency of non traditional African women’s rights and feminist activists, leaders, collectives and movements.

How to Apply:

Qualified and interested persons should send:

• A cover letter of not more than 2 pages to the Human Resources Manager via  the following link

https://awdf.simplicant.com/jobs/53381-programme-assistant-shared-knowledge-and-voice-k-v-and-non-traditional-actors-nta-cluster/detail

explaining their interest and excitement in applying for the position to work for AWDF; and highlighting their experience and competencies as they relate to the specific areas of duties indicated in the vacancy to demonstrate a good fit for the role.

• A CV of not more than 3 pages outlining their educational qualifications and employment records with key achievements on relevant positions held.

Applications for the vacancy should reach AWDF no later than Monday, 23rd July 2024. Due to our limited capacity, only short-listed candidates will be contacted for additional information and interviews.

Leading from the South (LFS) is a feminist global South-led consortium conceptualized and managed by four leading women’s funds: African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF), Fondo de Mujeres del Sur (FMS), International Indigenous Women’s Forum (FIMI) , and Women’s Fund Asia (WFA). As a feminist resource alliance, LFS supports feminist activism and lobbying efforts by women, girls, and trans-led organizations, movements, and networks at the regional, national, and grassroots levels in the Global South.

What actions are the beneficiaries taking? Discover 3 of them:

Women Leaders Network for Development (RFLD), Benin

• Advocates for the effective implementation of the legal framework prohibiting Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in the Republic of Benin.
• Engages in dialogue on FGM with religious and traditional leaders in Natitingou, Benin.

African Girls Empowerment Network, Nigeria

• Launched in September 2023, this campaign aims to engage over 10,000 men in the fight to end rape, child marriage, intimate partner violence, and the stigma against women’s reproductive choices.

YOWLI Burundi

• Implements labor laws to promote the rights of domestic workers.
• Celebrated International Women’s Day 2023, attended by YOWLI Burundi members, domestic workers, representatives of domestic worker associations, and journalists.

Bintou Mariam Traoré