United Purpose

Self Help Africa's Gambia Country Director Mbemba Abdulie Jabbi and Regional Director Patricia Wall (both centre) were joined by members of our SHA Gambia team for a high-level meeting with the European Union in Banjul last week. The meeting provided an opportunity for Self Help Africa to outline our plans and vision for our work in The Gambia, and our commitment to building upon our past achievements in agricultural development, having completed registration in The Gambia this year following our merger with United Purpose. Mbemba Jabbi shared with the meeting that the EU was an important strategic partner of Self Help Africa in The Gambia, and their current partnership on our S-Organic Programme was enabling a scaling-up of the use of organic fertilisers and compost through the participation of the private sector, while applying circular economy principles. Present at the meeting were, pictured from left to right:  Buba Sey - SHA Project Manager on Scaling up Organic fertilisers in The Gambia: Advancing Nutrition, Innovation and the Circular Economy (S-Organics), which is supported by the EU, Ngansa Touray - SHA Programme Manager, Mbemba Jabbi, Self Help Africa Country Director, Patricia Wall - Self Help Africa Regional Director, Samba BADIANE - EU Head of Finance and Contracts and  Lumana Kamashi - EU Development Cooperation Programme Manager

Reminder: Funding opportunity! Is your business 'medium sized' as per 2024 MSME Policy and operating in the Green, Circular and Digital Economy? Are you looking to scale your business, or considering transitioning to more sustainable practices? The EU funded Green Recycling Enterprises Engaging in New Technology for a Circular Economy in Zambia (GREENTech4CE) is currently calling for concept notes covering the following sectors: - Manufacturing - Mining - Digital - Transport and Logistics - Construction - Services - Energy The project intends to enhance the capacity of medium sized enterprises with financial support, allowing these enterprises to transition, upgrade and/or expand their green, circular and digital business models. We are accepting grant offers between €100,000 to €500,000. The deadline for submission of concept notes is Friday 13 December, 2024. To learn more and apply, visit the website below:

Floods, cyclones, droughts, the COVID-19 pandemic and a cholera epidemic have all hit the people of Malawi in the past five years. With global temperatures rising, it's never been more important for NGOs to work together to integrate humanitarian and development programming and ensure that the country is best prepared for and can anticipate what is to come. So, it was fantastic to be able to highlight the importance of that continued collaboration during NGO Day in Malawi this week. The event, hosted by the country's NGO Regulatory Authority, saw our Malawi country director, Kate Hartley-Louis (who is also co-chair of the country's INGO forum) address a packed crowd that included the President of the Republic of Malawi, Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera. 📷 Kate Hartley-Louis greeting Malawi's President, Dr Chakwera on NGO day.

Today, on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, we reaffirm our commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goal 1 - Ending Poverty - in all its forms, everywhere for everyone, by 2030. Poverty is more than economic hardship. Poverty can bring about interconnected challenges relating to access to healthcare, education and more. As we strive to achieve the SDGs, we must address both visible and invisible dimensions of poverty - to ensure that truly no one is left behind.

Our Rural Women Entrepreneurs pilot, funded by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and active in Nigeria, Kenya, and Malawi is providing rural women with training in business and digital skills. 📲 In Nigeria, women like Doris and Aomdongu are being trained in hairdressing, shampoo-making and how to promote and sell their goods/services through social media. 💇 Women's Business Centres like these are transforming lives, not just for the women involved, but also for their families and communities. 🙌 Watch:

Today on International Literacy Day, we thought we'd share a bit more on our five year project in Mozambique, 'She Belongs in School', funded by Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada through Save the Children International. As an implementing partner, we're working with 20 communities in Niassa province, with the goal of enhancing education and learning outcomes for girls aged 10-19. Literacy is a fundamental human right. Yet 1 in 7 adults around the world - 754 million people - lack basic literacy skills. In Mozambique, just over 40% of girls finish lower secondary school. Adult literacy rates are lower for women than men. We're working to change this. Merina, Cacilda and Cheila share some insights into the impact of the project here:

Just outside Banjul in The Gambia, a group of young people are leading the way in transforming and developing agricultural practices through a demonstration farm. At the farm, they’re proving that climate-smart, organic practices can make crops like papayas, bananas, and pineapples grow locally. This innovation reduces reliance on imports and boosts farmers' incomes. Watch this video to see how this farm is making a difference for farmers like Ousman and Sheikh Tijan.

Access to safe water is a human right - something that's being denied to 2.2 billion people around the world. On #WorldWaterWeek, we must continue to push for progress to advance SDG6: Clean water and sanitation for all. At United Purpose/Self Help Africa, we believe everyone should be able to access resilient water, sanitation and hygiene services that help support sustainable livelihoods and healthy lives in a changing climate. Read more about our water and sanitation work here: https://lnkd.in/dzsqPjwB

Our world is facing an unprecedented number of global crises. As we commemorate World Humanitarian Day today, it is estimated that close to 300 million people will require humanitarian assistance in 2024. Today we join the call to #ActForHumanity - we pay tribute to humanitarian workers all over the world, and call for their protection in conflict zones.

Sheikh Tijan Jallow is a member of our Self Help Africa/United Purpose Gambia team, and a passionate young farmer! He had the chance to leave his home in The Gambia and emigrate, but he stayed. "I have three gardens. I see a lot of opportunities in agriculture... In this country we have to grow what we eat, and eat what we grow." Watch as Sheikh Tijan speaks about how our Transforming Access to Markets project has worked with young people to form their own agro-business schemes. Every day, we work with young farmers to grow more and earn more from their farms.