Tag: AWDF

Please click AWDF Activity Report 2011 to download.

Please click 2011 Audited Accounts to download AWDF’s audited accounts report for 2011.

The Executive Board of the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) is pleased to announce that in January 2013 Professor Sesae Mpuchane will take over as Chair of the Executive Board of AWDF. This follows the completion of two terms in office as Board Chair by Dr. Hilda Tadria, co founder of AWDF. The Board and staff of AWDF offer their sincere thanks to Dr Tadria for her six years of exemplary leadership in that role, and look forward to benefitting from her expertise as an ongoing member of our Executive Board.

Professor Sesae Mpuchane has been a member of AWDF’s Executive Board for 3 years, bringing her considerable experience in academia, science and fundraising to the work that AWDF does. She sees her work with AWDF as “an opportunity to be part of a network or movement that is committed to the full empowerment of women through the creation of an enabling environment for positive change” and cites AWDF as “one of the few organisations that scouts or explores for value in women, at all levels, brings that value to the fore and helps to make it grow and flourish. A caring organisation such as the AWDF can bring about much needed change to society”

Theo Sowa says, “ It has been my priviledge to work with a committed Executive Board under the leadership of Dr Hilda Tadria. I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Dr Tadria and all of AWDF’s Executive Board for their service to the organisation. I am pleased that Professor Sesae Mpuchane has accepted the nomination of her peers to take office as Board Chair. The whole AWDF team look forward to working with her in the service and achievement of African women’s rights”.

Click to read Professor Sesae’s bio

The Co-Founders of the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF), Her Excellency Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, First Lady of Ekiti State, Nigeria; Ms Joana Foster, Head of Mission, medica mondiale, Liberia; and Dr Hilda Tadria, Executive Director of ‘Mentoring and Empowerment Programme for Young Women’ will be honoured on Tuesday 27^th November 2012 with the IPPFAR Philanthropy Award at the 60th Anniversary Gala of the International Planned Parenthood Foundation. This celebration takes place at the Birchwood Hotel, Johannesburg, South Africa.

IPPFAR states, “Philanthropy Awards recognises the work of individuals and institutions that are actively impacting communities and women’s development on the continent through philanthropy and community engagement”.

Theo Sowa, Chief Executive Officer of AWDF said, “We are delighted that the pioneering work of the 3 Co-Founders of AWDF is being recognised by IPPF-AR. It is important to celebrate the individuals and institutions that are working so hard to move this continent forward, and Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, Joana Foster and Hilda Tadria are powerful symbols of the change that African women are leading throughout their communities and on the continent today.”

From the 19 – 21st November 2012, AWDF will hold a 3 day skills building workshop on ‘Rights and Results Based Programming’ (RBP) in Johannesburg, South Africa, for 30 grantee partners from the Southern Africa region (Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Botswana and Swaziland). This training will seek to adapt the framework of the RBP to the needs of women’s rights organisations. Participants will be trained on how to use the RBP framework within the context of women’s rights activities and to understand the core questions around the implementation of RBP.

Key objectives for the skills building workshop are:
• To identify some of the common challenges within women’s organizations in their ability to track and report change in their programme to different stakeholders.
• To provide skills that will enable grantees to systematically align their work to anticipated results, track changes and report them in more coherent and compelling ways to the different stakeholders.

This training will be co-facilitated by Hope Chigudu, a women’s rights consultant; Zeytuna Abdellah Azasso, Monitoring & Evaluation Officer, AWDF and Nafi Chinery, Capacity Building Officer, AWDF.

Watch this video interview with Abigail Burgesson, AWDF’s Special Programmes Manager to learn more about the work that we do

The Power of ‘we’ is about teamwork. The power of ‘we’ is about unity of purpose. Unity, undoubtedly, translates into concrete strength, huge achievements, steady and sustained progress amongst other benefits.

According to a recent publication in the American Political Science Review,” a new study on violence against women conducted over four decades and in 70 countries reveals the mobilization of feminist movements is more important for change than the wealth of nations, left-wing political parties, or the number of women politicians”. New York, NY (PRWEB) September 28, 2012

This confirms the benefits of the power of ‘we’ exhibited by the feminist movement.

Its important that at this and every stage in our movement building work we evaluate our activities to date and re-strategies around them: This is my personal analysis of our current strength, weakness, opportunities and the threats we face.

Our strength is our unity of purpose in creating a better world for all. A weakness is a movement that is still fragmented and under resourced. Yet there are huge opportunities out there. There remains a critical mass of women who could join the movement to strengthen the work that we do. In other words there is more room for fresh ‘recruits’ across board. Our threats remain uninformed people who misconstrue the campaign for equality.

If we do the above, the movement will be a stronger force to reckon with. Consequently, the spirit and the power of ‘we’ will yield more dividends.

By: Grace Amenyogbeli

Administrative Manager, AWDF

The Executive Board of the African Women’s Development Fund is pleased to announce that Theo Sowa has agreed to be confirmed in post as AWDF’s CEO.

AWDF’s Board Chair and Co-Founder Dr Hilda Tadria says, “ As many of you know, AWDF’s visionary Executive Director and Co-Founder, Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, having led AWDF since inception, stepped down at the end of 2010, following her husband’s election as Governor of Ekiti State, Nigeria. Theo was approached to step in as Interim CEO, to provide a safe pair of hands for the organisation while the Board found the new substantive CEO. Theo did a sterling job of handling the transition for AWDF and her quiet, inclusive, yet firm leadership meant that many stakeholders did not even notice the transition taking place. Having started the Executive search, it became clear very quickly to the Board that the best person for the post was Theo and that confirming her in post would allow also for consistency, continuity and the grounding of some of the adapted systems she has introduced. I am sure you will join with the Board and staff of AWDF in our pleasure at this development.”

To read the full press please click here

[tp lang=”en” not_in=”fr”]The Executive Board of the African Women’s Development Fund is pleased to announce that Theo Sowa has agreed to be confirmed in post as AWDF’s CEO. AWDF’s Board Chair and Co-Founder Dr Hilda Tadria says, “ As many of you know, AWDF’s visionary Executive Director and Co-Founder, Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, having led AWDF since inception, stepped down at the end of 2010, following her husband’s election as Governor of Ekiti State, Nigeria. Theo was approached to step in as Interim CEO, to provide a safe pair of hands for the organisation while the Board found the new substantive CEO. Theo did a sterling job of handling the transition for AWDF and her quiet, inclusive, yet firm leadership meant that many stakeholders did not even notice the transition taking place. Having started the Executive search, it became clear very quickly to the Board that the best person for the post was Theo and that confirming her in post would allow also for consistency, continuity and the grounding of some of the adapted systems she has introduced. I am sure you will join with the Board and staff of AWDF in our pleasure at this development.”

Over the past several years, Theo Sowa has worked as an independent advisor on a wide range of international issues with a focus on social development. Her work has covered advocacy, service delivery, evaluation, facilitation, policy and organisational development with a range of international and intergovernmental organizations and grant making foundations, including UNICEF, the Stephen Lewis Foundation, the African Union, DFID, and UNDP, amongst others.

Theo Sowa says, “ It’s a privilege for me to bring my experience and skills to the service of African women’s rights organisations. African women’s leadership is critical to development, and I am delighted to be able to offer my service to the African Women’s Development Fund and the hundreds of grantee partners we work with in 42 African countries. I am grateful to the Executive Board, and staff of AWDF for warmly welcoming me to AWDF, and to all our grantee and donor partners who have shown tremendous support throughout the leadership transition process. “

Theo has extensive experience of working with grant-making organisations and foundations. She serves currently as a Trustee of Comic Relief and the Chair of its International Grant Making Committee, is a member of the Africa Advisory Board for the Stephen Lewis Foundation and serves on the board of the Museum of AIDS in Africa. Theo is also an Advisory group member of the ‘Every Child a Reader’ literacy initiative, a member of the British Refugee Council Leadership Group and a board member of the Graça Machel Trust. She holds a public appointment as a board member of the Charity Commission for England and Wales and was awarded a CBE in 2010.

Click here for Theo’s full bio[/tp]

[tp lang=”fr” not_in=”en”]Le Conseil d’Administration du Fonds Africain de Développement de la Femme est heureux d’annoncer que Theo Sowa a accepté d’être confirmée à son poste en tant que Directrice Générale d’AWDF. La Présidente du conseil et co-fondatrice Dr Hilda Tadria d’AWDF dit, “Comme beaucoup d’entre vous le savez, la visionnaire Directrice exécutive d’AWDF et co-fondatrice, Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, ayant conduit AWDF depuis sa création, a démissionné à la fin de 2010, après l’élection de son mari en tant que gouverneur de l’État d’Ekiti, au Nigeria. Theo a été approchée pour intervenir en tant que Directrice exécutive par intérim, pour fournir une paire de mains sans danger pour l’organisation tandis que le Conseil a conclu le nouveau Directeur de fond. Theo a fait un travail remarquable pour gérer la transition pour AWDF et son calme leadership inclusif mais ferme, signifiait que de nombreux intervenants n’ont même pas remarqué la transition en cours. Ayant commencé la recherche, il est devenu clair très rapidement à la Commission que la meilleure personne pour le poste était Theo et que sa confirmation en poste permettrait aussi de la cohérence, la continuité et la mise à la terre de certains des systèmes adaptés qu’elle a introduit. Je suis sûre que vous vous joindrez à la Commission et le personnel de AWDF avec notre plaisir pour ce développement. ”

Au cours des dernières années, Theo Sowa a travaillé comme conseiller indépendant sur un large éventail de questions internationales en mettant l’accent sur le développement social. Son travail a couvert le plaidoyer, la prestation de services, l’évaluation, la facilitation, de la politique et du développement organisationnel avec un éventail d’organisations internationales et intergouvernementales et d’octroi de subventions de fondations, dont l’UNICEF, la Fondation Stephen Lewis, l’Union africaine, le DFID et le PNUD, entre autres.

Theo Sowa dit, “Il est un privilège pour moi d’apporter mon expérience et des compétences au service des organisations de femmes africaines. Le leadership des femmes africaines est crucial pour le développement, et je suis ravie d’être en mesure d’offrir mon service au Fonds Africain de Développement de la Femmes et aux centaines de partenaires bénéficiaires de subventions avec lesquelles nous travaillons dans 42 pays africains. Je suis reconnaissante au Conseil d’administration, et au personnel d’AWDF je souhaite chaleureusement la bienvenue à AWDF, et à tous nos partenaires avec les bénéficiaires et les donateurs qui ont manifesté un appui considérable au long du processus de transition du leadership. ”

Theo a une vaste expérience de travail avec les organisations et fondations subventionnaires. Elle sert actuellement en tant que fiduciaire de Comic Relief et le présidente de son International Grant Making Committee, elle est membre du conseil consultatif de l’Afrique pour la Fondation Stephen Lewis et siège au conseil d’administration du Musée du sida en Afrique. Theo est également un membre du groupe consultatif de la “Chaque enfant est un lecteur” une initiative d’alphabétisation, un membre du British Refugee Council Leadership Group et un membre du conseil de la Graça Machel Trust. Elle est titulaire d’un siège en tant que membre du conseil de la Charity Commission pour l’Angleterre et le Pays de Galles et a obtenu un CBE en 2010.

Cliquez ici pour voir la bio complète de Theo[/tp]

We have had a most active first half of the year over here at AWDF, from launching an ambassador for our new thematic area, to celebrating International Women’s Day in memorable style, to fundraisers, to organisational events for grantees.

Finally, here is a modest compilation of these months for your reading pleasure: Our Newsletter – January to June 2012

We look forward to your feedback.

In May this year, I found myself in an inspiring and thought-provoking event in Los Angeles, USA. It was the annual summit for Women’s Funding Network, and the theme was “Women Economics and Peace”. It was a most refreshing experience for me. This was mostly on account of the worth and quality of the presentations done during the event, and I share a particularly stimulating one with you today.

It was a presentation by Jeff Kudash on “Catalytic philanthropy to collective impact- How funders effect large scale systemic change’’, which led me subsequently to read the article “Catalytic Philanthropy”, written by Mark R Kramer. This article discusses why the traditional approach to philanthropy cannot possibly be effective in the long term and highlights the need to paradigm-shift to catalytic philanthropy. Reading Kramer’s article brought to mind some challenges I had observed over the years, working in Fundraising and Financial Management at AWDF, and led to this desire to share my understanding of Kudash’s presentation, Kramer’s article, and their mutual relationship to the challenges hounding women’s organisations in Africa.

Traditional vrs Catalytic Philantrophy

In traditional philanthropy, what happens is that women’s organisations apply for funding from donors; the donors decide which women’s organisations to support, and how much money to give. What this means is that, the organisations are responsible for devising the solutions to their idetified social problems. However, considering the size and the budgets of most of these organisations working on women’s issues, they persistently face a lot of project and financial limitations, even though they are able to help thousands of people in need.

This is because generally, women’s organisations on the African continent tend to have a low institutional capacity. Some attribute this low capacity to the fact that the organisations do not have the required resources to attract and retain the necessary qualified staff, which eventually renders them inefficient. They are also not financially sustainable, partly because a lot of donors do not provide enough core support, but rather, prefer annual funding to medium-to-long term ones that consider three to ten year commitments. As a result of this challenge to secure long term funding, women’s organisations tend to spend a lot of their time, energy, and resources looking for financial resources rather than focusing on their key objectives, which ultimately makes them ineffective.

Additionally, a lot of women’s organisations tend to work alone, using strategies that they deem fit, with very little opportunity to learn from one another’s best practices, to develop the clout to influence government, or the scale to achieve national impact. This means that however generous the donors, or hardworking the staff, there is no assurance that these underfunded, non-collaborative, and unaccountable approaches of these countless women’s organisations will actually lead to workable solutions for large-scale social problems:

“The contributions of conventional traditional donors and the good work of effective women’s organisations may temporarily improve matters at a particular place and time but they are unlikely to create the lasting reforms that the African society so urgently requires. (modified from Kramer’s article)

Catalytic Philanthropy is therefore proffered as the new approach to philanthropy, already being practiced by some donors with great benefits and impact. These exceptional donors are acting differently, using these four approaches:

1. Taking responsibility for achieving results

Catalytic philanthropists have the ambition to change the world, and the courage to accept responsibility for achieving those results. This emphasizes the fact that funders have a more influential role to play than merely supporting these organisations. Foundations and corporations have the clout, connections and capacity to make things happen in a way that most non-profits do not, and by getting directly involved and taking personal responsibility for theory results, they can leverage their personal and professional relations, initiate public-private partnerships, import projects that have proved successful elsewhere, create new models, influence government(s), draw public attention to an issue, coordinate the activities of different non-profits, and attract fellow funders from around the world. All these powerful platforms are dissolved when donors confine themselves to writing cheques.

2. Mobilising campaign for change

Catalytic philanthropy stimulates cross sector collaborations, consequently mobilising stakeholders to create shared solutions. Funders should therefore seek and engage others in compelling campaigns, empowerment of stakeholders, and creation of collaborative and innovative tools. This is because systematic reforms require relentless and unending campaigns which galvanize the attention of the many stakeholders involved, and unify their efforts around the pursuit of common goals.

3. Using all available tools

Catalytic philanthropists use all tools available for the creation of change, including unconventional ones, and ones external to the non-profit sector such as corporate resources, investment capital, advocacy, litigation and even lobbying.

4. Creating actionable knowledge

Catalytic philanthropists gather knowledge; they create actionable knowledge to improve their own effectiveness and to influence the behaviour of others. Actionable knowledge is one that can impact government spending, and is not limited to compiling and analyzing data. In this same vein, funders must not rely solely on grant applications and grantees for information about social problems they are tackling, but must look beyond, answer their own enquiries through research, and have a broad perspective of the issue(s) at hand rather than focusing narrowly on it in financial terms. The information must also carry emotional appeal to capture people’s attention, and practical recommendations to inspire them to action.

In conclusion, women’s organisations on the African continent need more catalytic philanthropists than traditional philanthropists. These catalytic philanthropists can be institutional funders, corporate institutions or individuals who exhibit the four attributes highlighted above, and can work with the women’s organisations to continuously build their capacities, commitments, communications, connections, networks, and to learn from each other so as to create the large-scale lasting solutions we all want to see. And we do need lasting solutions.

Gertrude Annoh-Quarshie

The Finance Manager

AWDF (African Women’s Development Fund)