annual report 2010
ANNUAL REPORT 2010
2
A woman with an imagination is able not only to plan the life of a family, or a society but also the future of the millennium� Rigoberta Menchú Tum Nobel Peace Prize 1992
annual report 2010
WHO WE ARE
Data refer to 2010
12
ANNUAL REPORT 2010
2
countries
42
years
65
projects
660,414 314,256
total beneficiaries, of which are women
T N E M P O L E V E D SUSTAINABLE ITY
L I B I S N O P S E EQUITY RTION JUSTICE PARTICIPA RESPECT FOR PEARCIETY LOCAL CULTURES SOLIDA N O I S U L C N I P I H S R E N T R PA TERDEPENDENCE IN OF PEOPLE Our values
ACRA (Cooperazione Rurale in Africa e America Latina) is a non-governmental, non-profit, secular and independent organization, founded in 1968 and recognized by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Union. For over 40 years ACRA has been fighting against poverty side by side with the rural communities of different countries of Africa (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Senegal, Tanzania) and of Central and South America (Bolivia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua).
In Europe and Italy, in a perspective of solidarity between peoples, ACRA is promoting a culture of peace, dialogue and intercultural exchange through education, information, communication and awareness campaigns. Since April 4, 2011 ACRA became a Foundation for participation. Our commitments • Finding solutions to poverty; • Promoting local empowerment; • Protecting fundamental rights; • Highlighting the centrality of the rural world.
d go to fetch water e, prepare lunch an us ho e th because an cle , and go to university s ie I wake up at 5 am ud st y m e nu hool. I will conti school I say to go before going to sc the girls who left l al To r. he ac te a me m is to become I would like to beco regret it. My drea ill w ey th y sa I se who refu back and to those a teacher. igro, Chad s old, village of Ad ar ye 14 , im ah Br Charrafia es el Naranjo, e community Plan th of ’ ua Ag de a . t of the ‘Junt lding this position I am the Presiden the only woman ho am I . la at ca th ar d M an t of y in the municipalit mittee managemen en trained on com be ve ha have great to d ou pr I am very e twice, proving to m r fo d te vo ity un y comm the residents of m e. confidence in m arcala, Honduras , municipality of M os nt Sa a nz ra pe Sofia Es
Letter from the Pr
esident
Angelo Locatelli
These are only two fragments of the many stories we heard from women who worked with us in 2010; stories of courage and strength, stories of resilient women, capable of activating processes of personal and social growth. These women believe in the need for change, in the importance of their role within the process of human development and are engaged in the forefront in their rural communities and territories. Our Annual Report 2010 is devoted to those women and to all women that are involved in development processes – at all latitudes of the planet, day after day. We strongly believe that they should be supported with strength and determination because in them reside our hopes for a fairer and more just future.
ACRA works in the most marginal rural areas of the planet, with extreme poverty that is measured by the difficulty of daily survival and guaranteeing basic necessities such as water and food. Thus, for an organization like us, working alongside women is much more than a choice; it is a commitment that we want to implement more and more. Through their faces and their words, we wanted to tell and illustrate ACRA’s projects worldwide with particular attention to gender equality. Focusing ACRA’s actions on gender means to light a beacon on the reality of women as important drivers of human development.
3
ANNUAL REPORT 2010
4
OMEN THE STATUS OF W
75%
IN THE WORLD
of the world’s poorest people are women
Data source: see note on page. 6
2/3
90%
19%
percentage of income reinvested
female representation in parliaments
by women for the benefit of their families
54%
of the 774 million illiterate adults are women
in terms of global average
percentage of girls out of 72 million children that are not
attending school
+1/2
more than half of people living with HIV/AIDS are women
THE LONG WAY O
F WOMEN’S RIGH
TS
1948
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
1975 1979
United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
First World Conference on Women - Mexico City
1980
Second World Conference on Women - Copenhagen
1985
Third World Conference on Women - Nairobi
1993
United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women
1995
Fourth World Conference on Women - Beijing
2000 2000
UN Security Council Resolution on Women and Peace building
UN General Assembly Special Session “Beijing +5”
2005 2006
Fifth World Conference on Women - New York “Beijing +10”
European Pact for Gender Equality adopted by the European Council
2010
European Parliament Resolution on Beijing +15: United Nations Platform for Action for Gender Equality
2011
World Conference on Women - Caracas 55^ Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) - New York
5
S OPING COUNTRIE EL EV D IN EN M O THE STATUS OF W RA aging Director of AC an Letter from the M Elena Casolari
If the status of women worldwide clearly shows how hard we have to work to be able to achieve real gender equality, their condition in developing countries – where ACRA has been working for more than 40 years – is even more serious and alarming. In many countries during recent years, many movements have sprung up from the grassroots level; associations defending human rights and combating discrimination
Gender Inequality Index
6 ANNUAL REPORT 2010
and governments also have drafted regulations aimed at women empowerment and gender equality. However, the way to go is still long and requires the commitment and the concerted efforts of diverse actors. From our point of view, this is a duty that organizations like ACRA cannot escape. It is with our Annual Report that we want to tell the efforts ACRA makes alongside women.
I
HONDURAS
Labor force participation of adult women (15 + years)
0,634
Literacy Rate
I
Political role of women
36%
18%
of Deputies
280 deaths
80,2%
Maternal mortality related to childbirth (per 100,000 births)
NICARAGUA 0,648
EL SALVADOR 0,630
I 47%
20,7%
of Deputies
I 40%
19%
of Deputies
170 deaths
67,8%
170 deaths
79,6%
ECUADOR 0,624
I 54% 89,7%
32,3%
of Deputies
210 deaths
BOLIVIA 0,649
I 68% 80,7%
SENEGAL 25,4%
of Deputies
290 deaths
0,689
I 63%
22,7%
of Deputies
980 deaths
29,2%
SOURCES FOR STATISTICS: the CIA World Factbook 2010 - UNICEF Italian Committee, Adolescence. Il Tempo delle Opportunità (Rome, 2011) - UNFPA, maternal health The Thematic funds. Annual Report 2010 (2010) - UNDP, United Nations Development Programme, Annual Report 2010 (2010) - ILO, Economically Active Population Estimates and Projections 1980-2020. 5th edition (revision 2008) - Updated values of UNICEF maternal mortality ratio IGI
2010: PMENT REPORT HUMAN DEVELO DER INEQUALITY EN G F O EX D IN E INTRODUCING TH
The Human Development Report 2010 (United Nations Development Programme - UNDP) has three new indexes that integrate the traditional Human Development Index (HDI), up to now based on health, education and income.
The new indexes are: HDI adjusted for inequality, Index of Gender Inequality and Multidimensional Poverty Index. The Index of Gender Inequality measures lacking results due to gender disparities in the field of reproductive health, empowerment and participation in the workforce.
S IC H A C R A W O R K H W IN S IE R T N COU W O M E N IN T H E T H E STAT U S O F
BURKINA FASO Not Available
I 78%
7
CHAD Not Available
15,30%
of Deputies
700 deaths
I 72%
14,30%
of Deputies
1.500 deaths
12,8%
15,2%
INDIA 0,721
I
34%
10,8%
of Deputies
450 deaths
47,8%
The Gender Inequality Index values range from 0 = perfect equality to 1 = total inequality
NZIBAR)
TANZANIA (and ZA
CAMEROON 0,744
I 53% 59,8%
13,9%
of Deputies
1.000 deaths
Not Available
I 87%
36%
of Deputies
950 deaths
62,2%
using New Estimates from 2008 (2010) - United Nations, World Marriage shown Refer to the latest available year in the period 1990 to 2008 (2008) - WHO, Maternal Mortality in 2005: Estimates prepared by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA and the World Bank (Geneva, 2007).
ACRA TH
Water
RELATION TO EMATIC AXES IN
THE STATUS OF W
OMEN
Water, natural resources and woman
natural resources
ANNUAL REPORT 2010
8 Natural resources, ecological integrity of ecosystems, a clean and not contaminated environment have an absolute value and at the same time represent the basis of life. Water is the most valuable good; it exist for everyone, it belongs to everyone; it is a universal and inalienable right and as such - according to ACRA - it has to be promoted, defended and guaranteed. Water is a common good and for this reason it is managed in a community and participatory perspective within ACRA’s projects. However, it is a good that is available in limited quantities, thus its use must be rational and economical, and should respect the environment and specific ecosystems.
Now, more than ever, the projects for rural development that ACRA promotes involve integrated and interdependent basin management plans for the sustainable use of resources and territory, construction of water systems and water management, fight to desertification , preservation and protection of ecosystems, biodiversity and natural resources, renewable energy production and waste management. For the themes ‘Water and sanitation’ and ‘Natural resources’, women have always been the focus of ACRA’s projects. In fact, women are those who devote more time to fetch water, even when they are still young girls.
They are the ones who miss classes to walk for hours with the cans on their heads, the ones who use water for cooking; the teenagers who do not attend school during their period because at school there are no toilets, the mothers who teach their children good hygiene practices and diseases prevention. Moreover, women often have key roles in micro-credits administration to start projects on natural resources; they are entrepreneurs in projects implementation; members of community committees for the management of forests and water basins and contribute to community work in infrastructures construction.
Madame Marie Clemence Rural community of Coubalan, region of Ziguinchor, Senegal Project: Drinking water for rural communities Since we have taps in our house I do not have to walk a lot to fetch water anymore and then I can work much more in the fields to collect miles, I have more time to cook and look after my children. I can also go to market to sell the fish and buy something for my family, some vegetables for example.
• • •
to drinking water do not have access le op n pe use every day n io ill m 6 88 ss to basic sanitatio water for domestic ce h ac tc fe ve to ha s no ur ho do n io 2.6 billion people ore than 200 mill the world spend m nd ou ar l al en Wom
9 However, women are often excluded from major decisions. Women are the more responsible for water supply and access to health services; they are the main contributors to the conservation of ecosystems that produce income from natural resources, they participate in the physical work to improve the quality of life of their families and communities and they convey the most important messages to children. Unfortunately women are also the least represented in community bodies and because of this ACRA involves them as much as possible in development projects. Women play a central role in the processes of rural development and their involvement is essential. Working with women and on women has borne fruits: today ACRA can boast outstanding results.
ACRA TH
Water natural resources
ANNUAL REPORT 2010
10
DoĂąa Ursula Sanchez, 80 years old, municipality of Santa Elena, Honduras Project: Water and Natural Resources Throughout my life I have always gone to fetch water at the source or well. Now, thanks to the aqueduct that ACRA built everything has changed. I am happy and I say thank God that we finally have water at home and we can drink clean water.
In Zanzibar national regulations require that water committees in villages guarantee half the seats for women. In a district of Senegal, women have been involved in training courses on the importance of drinking clean water, use latrines and wash their hands with soap, and all households have now water taps and a latrine. In Ecuador, women have a very strong voice in movements for water and committees, aiming at preserving the wet pĂĄramo ecosystem by replacing cows with alpacas that do not compact the soil and produce wool, which can be spun and woven.
RELATION TO EMATIC AXES IN
THE STATUS OF W
OMEN
Water, natural resources and woman
• • •
2050 they may es in the world. In
mate refuge ound 50 million cli Today, there are ar cond s been lost sappears every se tic biodiversity ha a football field di 75% of crop gene of e siz e th to l ea equa A tropical forest ar
In Bolivia, women have contributed significantly to the construction of cisterns and aqueducts. In Chad and Cameroon women produce soap with neem tree extracts. This has also contributed to the reforestation of the Logone Valley through plant nursery. In Burkina Faso the best administrators of funds devoted to environmental plans are women. But ACRA realized that this is not enough. The work already done with women and on women leaves some exposed sides.
In Zanzibar women who are part of water management committees often attend the meetings but do not really participate in decision making processes: in various publications they are described as “seen but not heard”. In Senegal, women have learned and taught their children good hygiene practices, but sometimes their husbands do not pay the bills for water and taps are closed. Moreover, sometimes latrines are not used because there is the fear “falling in the hole”. In Ecuador, the regulation on water can not be approved because there are unresolved issues and camelid wool weavers are struggling to produce attractive clothes for the market. In Bolivia, committees build their own infrastructure but are coordinated by not transparent institutions. In Chad and Cameroon women’s opinion has not taken into account and wells for the plant nurseries have not been funded, undermining the success of the entire work. In Burkina Faso there are new procedures for funds coming from tender requiring that administrators rotate from village to village: this procedure discriminates women who are good administrators but cannot get away from the family.
become more than
200 millions
Far from being failures, these ideas are useful to re-orient ACRA projects. To achieve true participation of women (not just their presence) we need to educate people and take into consideration cultural aspects deeply rooted in men and women. For the adoption of virtuous hygienic practices we must combat prejudices and educate men who often manage the family budget. In order to draft an effective legislation and develop good practice on water resources crucial issues have to be addressed in a cross sectoral way. To achieve efficient management of water and natural resources it is necessary to transmit practices of good governance: transparency, integrity, participation and accountability. To promote income-generating activities for women educators should be well trained. To achieve a distribution of duties and to fulfill women’s rights, we should make more reference to gender policies: women, children, adolescent and men do not think, act and desire the same way and projects about water and natural resources must take this consideration into account. These significant points mark the path of ACRA’s work for the coming years.
11
FO O D
ACRA TH
RELATION TO EMATIC AXES IN
THE STATUS OF W
OMEN
Food and women
Hernantez Angela Sequeira, farmer, department of San Juan, Nicaragua Project: Produce preserving
ANNUAL REPORT 2010
12 As a human right recognized by the UN, the right to food can and should be ensured equally to all people, all over the planet. However, today, for more than a billion people worldwide suffering from hunger and malnutrition - most of them living in rural areas of the developing countries this goal is still utopia. In the last twenty years our planet has experienced a continuous and inexorable decline of agriculture. The productivity of the agricultural sector has suffered from a lack of a global strategy for accessing the means of production, the purchase of quality seeds and the strengthening of the power of actors in the production of sectoral policies. At the same time, the increase in food prices in 2006-2008 (and the one we are seeing these days) has raised awareness about the urgency to identify new strategies to ensure food security for all. Working in this direction means for ACRA to affirm the central role of rural communities as key players in their path towards a sustainable and equitable development. This goal cannot be achieved without a strong involvement of women and their perspective. According to a recent FAO report, if women in rural areas have the same access as men to land, technology, financial services, education and market it would be possible to feed 100-150 million people more in the world. Today, women in developing countries represent 43% of the agricultural workforce and this proportion reaches almost 60% in sub-Saharan Africa.
My name is Angela, I have 7 children, and I live and work in the community of Siempre Viva, in the department of San Juan in Nicaragua. I am a farmer and in this plantation I grow different plants: cassava, pineapple, rice, corn, beans, cocoa, quequisque and therefore I can offer my children different foods and a richer and healthier nutrition. With the fruits of the first collection we bought meat: fish, chicken and pork. Before the project we had very few opportunities to buy food, now everything is different. I used to buy a pound of meat, now I can buy three pounds: this is the difference.
In almost all rural societies, it is mainly women who take care of the house, but at the same time they also take charge of a large part (and sometimes more) of the agricultural work: we owe them a large part of world food production coming from developing countries. Moreover, women’s income is generally re-invested in the welfare of the family. They work more hours than men and their activities often include demanding jobs, with important consequences for their health and subtracting time to themselves and to their children. Despite the fundamental contribution of women to agriculture and other areas of rural economy, the economic role of women remains largely unrecognized in statistical studies and ignored by the majority of public policies. Women have a crucial role, but it is not always recognized.
• • •
m cronic hunger d disabilities pulation) suffers fro po ld or w e emature deaths an th pr g of in /6 us (1 ca le n re op ild pe ch Almost 1 billion nant women and ts particularly preg ec ulture labor force aff ric on ag iti of tr % nu al 43 t M en es pr re s ie ping countr Women in develo
13
Ivania Diaz Urbina, person in charge of the pig farming, department of San Juan, Nicaragua Project: Produce preserving
Inequality between men and women in agriculture - a few examples •
The average size of fields owned by men is almost three times more than those owned by women (worldwide).
•
An analysis of credit instruments in five African countries found that women receive less than a tenth of the credit enjoyed by men in charge of small farms.
•
In most developing countries, the triple responsibility of women living in rural areas – agricultural work, housework and economic management – often means working 16 hours. Despite all this, access to major infrastructure and technology that could alleviate their workload is still denied to women. Fonti: Banca Mondiale, FAO e IFAD (2008)
My name is Ivan Diaz Urbina, I am 18 years old and live in the community El Jobo in the department of San Juan in Nicaragua. Here in the community of El Jobo, there is a group of four women who take care of the pigs. In a very short time we became a really wellorganized group. Now we have 31 piglets, we have already sold 25 of them and with the revenues we bought concentrate and corn for the subsistence of pig and piglets. Our conditions are improved and we now have more money for our families... Now, we have our little farm. Our dream? To have more pigs, to improve even more…
ACRA TH
Livelihood
RELATION TO EMATIC AXES IN
THE STATUS OF W
OMEN
Livelihood and women (microfinance, social business and economic development)
ANNUAL REPORT 2010
14
Half of the world’s population lives in poverty, surviving on less than $ 2 per day. To boost the development of their communities, local population and in particular women - often resourceful but with scarce technical skills - need both training and financial resources in order to invest in economic activities. To allow the most disadvantaged groups - particularly women and youth - access the market, ACRA is committed to microfinance, particularly in Ecuador, Senegal and Nicaragua. In Senegal, for example, ACRA supports the URMECS (Union Rurale des Mutuelles d’Epargne et de Crédit du Sénégal), a rural microfinance institution made up of 15 village banks that includes 10,156 people: 3694 of them (equal to 36%) are women. Women are not only customers; they are also involved in the management of the banks: in the credit and supervisory committees there is a female presence of around 20%. There is a financial product aimed at promoting female entrepreneurship: it is a credit line devoted to buy presses for groundnuts oil extraction of and other local products, mills for miles and all that can ease the manual labor of women. The main goal of ACRA’s collaboration with URMECS is to promote up to 40% the female access to credit (at 31st December 2010, 42% of women have opened a bank account but only 25% have obtained funding), to expand its range of socially relevant products such as agriculture and health insurance and achieve - within 3 years - an optimal size (25 banks), a higher number of customers and consequently, the financial sustainability.
In Ecuador, Senegal and Italy ACRA is promoting remittances and their investment in productive and rural development projects through local microfinance institutions. In 2010 ACRA has facilitated the collaboration between rural microfinance institutions and the Italian banking system to allow these organizations working together. According to ACRA, working in the livelihood sector means also to promote the idea of social enterprises1 as effective solutions in addressing the most urgent social problems that vulnerable and marginalized people face every day. ACRA is one of the first Italian realities to promote this kind of approach. In northern Cameroon, ACRA worked with local communities and women’s organizations creating a social enterprise named LogONE that produces Neem oil through a high-tech process (supercritical technology).
1. A social enterprise is characterized by an economic activity managed with systems and strategies that are specific to a trading business, but differs from the others because it has a social mission as main objective. In order to foster there kind of enterprises ACRA aims at involving not only philanthropic but also business investors.
• • •
e labor force in th of the total femal % 50 nd ou ar e ar itions orld property in precarious cond and own 1% of w e m Women working co in l ta to ld % less than men 10% of wor id from 10% to 30 pa Women earn just e ar en om w , condition On equal working
e world
15
Elisa Barahona, Director of the Red de Mujeres with a focus on marketing - Ecuador Project: Migrant communities protagonists of development In Tanzania, ACRA works with local partners and with the strategic partner Fundaciòn Paraguaya to create a social enterprise for the management of a self-sustainable agricultural technical school. In India, ACRA with its partner FEM (an association working for women’s empowerment and social business) is engaged in a scouting project, i.e. the research of excellent social enterprises operating in the field of rural electrification, construction of ecological low-cost houses, waste management, health micro-insurances and water purification.
The network has now 350 members, organized into 17 committees and divided by 7 juntas parroquiales (i.e. districts). It has 700-1000 customers a week, with a monthly turnover of $ 35,000. The network is made by women united by a common interest in promoting alternative social organizations to all forms of pyramid, patriarchal, macho and false representation of authority and hierarchy. Early in the history of the network, husbands forbade women to join the organization, saying that the members were rebel women. When some women began to join, and to know their rights, requesting credit for productive activities and improving their economic status, there has been an increasing participation. The fact that husbands were against the network meant that it was really working. The network is a founding member of the cooperative Jardin Azuayo, a leading credit and savings bank in Ecuador founded in 1997
ACRA TH
E ducation
ANNUAL REPORT 2010
16
RELATION TO EMATIC AXES IN
THE STATUS OF W
OMEN
Education and women
ACRA is drafting the guidelines on education and rights of children / young people using a participatory methodology. ACRA strongly believes that these categories – together with women – are crucial social subject in the construction of strategies for overcoming poverty and all forms of discrimination. Education is a cross sectoral component in all ACRA’s projects: from literacy to environmental education, technical and vocational training and informal education for adults, with particular attention to women. According to the latest UNICEF estimates there are 69 million children that are not attending primary school and 2/3 of them are girls. Moreover, there are 71 million adolescents who do not attend secondary school. The progress made towards achieving the second MDG – universal primary education, a still distant goal for many countries – show the existence of a substantial discrimination against girls. This discrimination hinders the achievement of the third MDG - promote gender equality and empower women - by 2015. In addition, improvements in accessing primary education are reduced by the alarming gap that still exists between boys and girls. In poor countries, completing primary school is very difficult for girls and this discrimination is accentuated in secondary schools and universities. An example of COMMITMENT TO FEMALE EDUCATION is the social campaign LAUNCHED IN CHAD in 2011-12 promoting the right to education. The campaign aims at increasing primary school enrollment for boys and girls and at reducing school dropout especially for girls. According to UNICEF, in Chad, the net rate of primary school enrollment is 41% for boys and 31% for girls, while in secondary school is 13% for boys and 5% for girls.
Wilfredo Fuentes, 23 years old and María de la Paz Garcia Morales, 22 years old, President and Vice president of the nationally recognized Red Juvenil Torogoz - El Salvador Project: Young and active citizenship Red Torogoz was able to grow and became stronger, launching unthinkable projects: some young people, in fact, have formed small cooperatives businesses. But Red Torogoz also worked for entertainment and education because that is what adolescents like: staying together, learn, meet, having fun... in a word, growing. So we organized music, art and dance courses and we created a virtuous circle of active citizenship. Self-esteem and identity are essential assets for the future of our country.
• • •
) ld are women ce: UNESCO, 2010 iterate in the wor ill n io ill m 4 77 are girls (data sour of ol ) ho 2/3 bs sc jo s to g ou in rd go za d in ha children not them are exploite of 54% of 72 million 15 (1 rs re bo la n are child 215 million childre
Koumte Helene, 16 years old, CM2, village of Sido, Chad Project: Provide education and reduce gender disparity Not all the members of my family agreed to send me to school. After the death of my parents, I was adopted by one of my paternal uncles who had no money to send me to school and so they “used” me only to work in the fields. I have fought to enroll in school and in 2005, thanks to small businesses, I did it, although this has been a source of great disagreement between me and my uncle.
Parvinder Kaur, Amarjit Kaur, persons in charge of the organization of mutual help groups in Dhinghi, a village in the municipality of Nabha, Punjab - India Project: Education and Economic Development
In ACRA educational projects of a lot of attention goes to recruitment of women in various positions as crucial actors in contacting other women. The creation of AME (Associations Mères d’Élèves - Associations of students’ mothers) is strongly supported with the aim of involving them directly at various levels: literacy of mothers, promotion of income-generating activities aimed at the financial sustainability of the school, active role of women within the family and the community in fostering girls’ school enrollment. Who better than a sensitized mother can support the schooling of a daughter?
Amarjit and Parvinder - who had never left their homes or their village, - had the courage to talk to their husbands about their desire to contribute to the economic livelihood of the family. The two women were encouraged to organize mutual help groups in their village, helping their friends and neighbors to join and establish new groups experimenting personally the motivation and willpower they can convey. Since then they have been working with The Nabha Foundation in the organization of mutual help groups in other villages in the municipality of Nabha that are included in the project. Through their joint effort, The Nabha Foundation has established more than 40 groups in the last 10 months. Today, Amarjit and Parvinder can open bank accounts and help other women to work together in the realization of embroidery from the Punjabi tradition.
17
ACRA TH
H ealth
RELATION TO EMATIC AXES IN
THE STATUS OF W
OMEN
Health and Women
ANNUAL REPORT 2010
18
Since long time it has been recognized that from a nutritional point of view, women - especially pregnant and lactating women - are one of the most vulnerable segments of the population. Numerous studies have shown that, in women chronically undernourished, taking the same diet during pregnancy and lactation has a negative effect on maternal nutritional status and health of infants.
Early motherhood, maternal mortality, the spread of HIV / AIDS virus - that statistically affects women four times more than men - are further obstacles to the improvement of social, economic, educational and health status of women. Having access to health care services - in addition to being a human right - is a strong indicator of gender equity, economic development and fight against poverty. Eradication of hunger and poverty takes place through the promotion of equality between men and women, with the improvement of pregnant women conditions, with the reduction of child mortality and the achievement of primary education for boys and girls.
te • Complications rela
• •
d to pregnanc
us among the main ca y and delivery are
es of death for ad
olescents
are women between 15 and 19 ected by HIV/AIDS aff le physical violence op pe of lf d sexual abuses or te More than ha ec bj su en be s three ha One woman out of
Marthe Tchafene, employee, Bethlehem Foundation of Muda - Cameroon Project: No barrier to the future My name is Martha Tchafene, I had four children. I first met the Foundation in 1999 with my handicapped daughter Clarisse Muda. The Foundation welcomed us and I made myself useful in some way. I kept in order, did housecleaning and occasionally helped the newcomers to communicate because many of them do not know French. When my daughter died in 2000 I decided to stay and continue to help. I am very proud of my work. My family stayed in Muda and thanks to my work, my children can go to school. The Foundation has done a lot for handicapped children. When I arrived there were only three babies and an older boy. Now there are many children who would otherwise be left on their own without treatment. My daughter was too weak to survive, but many children could really make it.
According to ACRA, the commitment to the right to health encompasses a broad and universal concept, which includes the well-being of individuals and communities in a holistic perspective. ACRA promotes and supports health care through the Good Samaritan hospitals in Goundi and N’Djamena in Chad or through cooperation with the Bethlehem Foundation in Cameroon. The health care model that ACRA supports is aligned to the policies of the different countries that are designing a health care system inspired by the model proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO). This model is based on primary health care aimed at strengthening and improving
peripheral services of medical care and prevention (Primary Health Care - PHC) and to make health systems sustainable and accessible to all. In these contexts and in collaboration with other associations or hospitals, ACRA supports programs of immunization, maternal and child health care and is committed to prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV / AIDS and support for women through psychosocial services of counseling. ACRA has been working for over 20 years on the sanitary district of Goundi and its health centers in the nearby territories. The project clearly proves how it is possible to ensure the health of women and youth.
ACRA not only supports the partners’ initiatives through the selection and sending of qualified medical personnel that is able to hand down surgical skills to local medical and nursing staff, but also invests energies and skills into the exploitation of traditional medicines in close collaboration with rural communities and healers as it is shown by the projects in Senegal and Mali. Special attention is given to the fight against malnutrition through the valorization of natural resources that are locally available. These projects are entirely managed by women. However, ACRA believes that to be truly effective, its work can not be limited to provide infrastructure and to ensure and expand access to health care services, but should also include other factors that directly affect health such as: sanitation facilities, access to drinking water, personal hygiene, environmental protection, enhancement of agrobiodiversity, use of local products for therapeutic purposes, food security, education and information. For this reason, ACRA’s guiding principle lies in the empowerment of local human resources: increasing professional and management skills, knowledge sharing and promoting sustainability, without diverging from the general dynamics of the sanitary global context and fostering the comparison between different health care systems.
19
HEALTH 7,7% WATER 18,1% LIVELIHOOD 15,6%
RKS H O W A C R A W O thematic area ces for Use of 2010 resour
S
CE NATURAL RESOUR 26,5%
EDUCATION 16,1% FOOD 16%
9 ITALY INDIA 2
ANNUAL REPORT 2010
20
HONDURAS 2
3 EL SALVADOR
NICARAGUA 7
CHAD 9
11 SENEGAL 3 BURKINA FASO
CAMEROON 4
3 ECUADOR
TANZANIA (and ZANZIBAR) 6
6 BOLIVIA
HONDURAS
SENEGAL
INDIA
EL SALVADOR
BURKINA FASO
ITALY
NICARAGUA
CHAD Total: 65 projects in 2010 classified by thematic areas 15
Water
ECUADOR
CAMEROON
Natural resources
12 10
Food
9
Livelihood
BOLIVIA
TANZANIA (and ZANZIBAR)
Education Health
13 6
O U R R EC EN T AC H
IE V EM EN TS
In November 2009, ACRA has received an important award, the 2009 Oscar di Bilancio (a prize for the best annual report) awarded by the Italian Federation of Public Relations (FERPI) to the best economic, social and environmental report among the categories of the nonprofit organizations.
At the national level ACRA is a member of CoLomba (the association of the NGOs in Lombardy Region) and as a member of this second level association, it participates to the dialogue supporting the initiatives of coordination with different NGOs working both in Italy and in developing countries and supporting the joint efforts of advocacy.
At the international level ACRA is a member of IUCN International (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and WIN (Water Integrity Network). Together with these networks, ACRA defines guidelines in favor of transparency and against corruption when it comes to access and manage water resources in the countries where ACRA works.
Since December 2010 ACRA has been part of the Organizzazioni Socie Aderenti (Member Organizations) of the Istituto della Donazione (Institute of Donation), which subscribe the Carta della Donazione (Charted of the Donation) and meet higher management standards and adopt practices that ensure maximum and objectively verified credibility in their daily work. In conducting their activities, these associations follow the principles of transparency, effectiveness and efficiency, consistency and fairness.
From April 2011 ACRA has become a Foundation for participation: a more transparent and rigorous legal status with respect to the previous one of Association. With this legal form ACRA aims at protecting all its stakeholders with greater assurance and in this regard the Audit Committee has been strengthened and a College of Arbitrators has been established as warranty organ.
21
MENT FINANCIAL STATE 2010 AT 31st DECEMBER
This selection of indicators is an immediate representation of the focal points on which ACRA has focused its attention and commitment and gives important information about the strategy ACRA has implemented.
2009 project financing sources
ANNUAL REPORT 2010
22
Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
€ 2,720,719
28%
European Union
€ 3,426,852
36%
Lombardy Region
€ 68,617
1%
Other agencies donations € 1,698,290
18%
Foreign donations
€ 251,801
3%
Private donors
€ 1,378,050
14%
Total
€ 9,544,329
100%
Private donors 14%
Use of resources by geographic area 2010 ASIA 0,3%
Cost management and promotion
EUROPE 6,8%
LATIN AMERICA 34%
<30% 91,6%
European Union 36%
Foreign donations 3%
Comparison between the use of funds ACRA 2010 and the benchmark for the non-profit (A-Guru for the Sun 24 hours).
>70%
Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs 28%
nations
Other agencies do 18%
ACRA compared to the benchmark
Institutional activity
Lombardy Region 1%
8,4%
AFRICA 58,8%
benchmark values ACRA 2010
Overhead costs 12,0% 10,0%
10,0%
9,8%
9,4%
8,0%
8,6%
8,4%
6,9%
6,0% 4,0% 2,0% 0,0%
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Balance Sheet at
A SS ET S
31st December 20
10 (in Euros)
2010
2009
126,317 2,546 103,544 20,227 17,305,781 8,059 15,789,613 9,437,573 2,590,995 3,366,426 320,373 12,730 61,516 1,508,109 17,432,099 4,107,522 238,821
130,006 5,017 104,762 20,227 22,247,939 11,403 19,395,885 13,127,661 1,972,066 3,893,091 340,393 5,611 57,063 2,840,651 18,000 22,395,945 4,134,439 469,488
332,994 4,090 271,958 56,946
327,730 56,721 170,784 100,226
79,944 18,427 16,807,301 16,105,566 399,339 144,273 158,123 193,433 17,432,099
45,770 6,597 22,007,138 21,501,391 385,087 120,660 8,710 22,395,945
Income for projects and campaigns From Italian government organizations From European Union From overseas local bodies From other donors From private donors From campaigns Income from overseas offices Income from financial activities and others TOTAL INCOME
9.544.328 2.789.335 3.426.852 251.801 1.698.290 1.378.050 88.134 884.003 10.516.465
8.332.426 2.013.685 3.633.921 374.281 1.106.805 1.193.362 10.371 49.902 846.406 9.228.733
Expenses for projects and campaign Projects financed by Italian government organizations Projects financed by European Union Projects financed by overseas local bodies Projects financed by other donors Expenses for campaigns Expenses for overseas offices Expenses for financial activities and others TOTAL EXPENCES Profit for the period
9,544,328 3,017,986 4,556,890 251,801 1,717,651 87,175 880,872 10,512,375 4,090
8,332,426 2,473,049 4,358,385 374,281 1,116,341 10,371 50,039 789,547 9,172,012 56,721
Fixed assets Intangible fixed assets Tangible fixed assets Financial assets Current assets Leftover stock Receivables Receivables for projects from institutional organization Receivables for projects from private donors Receivables from ACRAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s monetary commitment quota (to be collected)
Receivables from local partners Receivables from clients Other receivables Cash Accrued revenue and deferred charges TOTAL ASSETS Commitment to projects with contracts that have already been underwritten
Commitment for bank guarantee
LIABILITIES & NET ASSETS
Net assets Profit/loss for the period Other reserves Statutory reserve Contingency reserve TFR (Severance pay) Notes payable Accounts payable for projects Bank debt Payables to suppliers Other payables Accrued expense and deferred income TOTAL LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS
r 2010 t at 31st Decembe Income statemen
IN C O M E
EX P EN SES
PKF Auditorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Report of the Financial statement
23
ANNUAL REPORT 2010
24
SU P P O R T A C R A H O W YO U C A N Post Office account: n° 14268205 Bank account: Banca Popolare di Milano IBAN: IT78 S055 84017 0600 0000 0081 83 Credit card: www.acra.it Tax deductibility of donations Your contribution to ACRA is tax deductible. No special arrangement is requested to deduct the payment, simply keep the receipt of payments. Article 14th of Decree Law 35/2005 (Decree Law on Competitiveness) amended the rules to take advantage of tax benefits in respect of donations in cash or in kind from individuals and agencies subject to corporation tax in favor of non profit organizations. In particular, donations up to 10% of total declared income are deductible, and in any case to a maximum of â&#x201A;Ź 70,000 per year.
the world A C R A offices around
ACRA Italy Via E. Breda 54, 20126 Milan Ph. +39 02 27000291/27000826 Fax +39 02 2552270 Web: www.acra.it E-mail: info@acra.it
ACRA El Salvador Avenida. Los Cedros 1019 Urbanización Universitaria San Salvador, El Salvador Ph/fax +503 22254588 email: acraes@gmail.com
ACRA Bolivia Pasaje Subteniente Aramayo 1008 Esquina Jaimes Freire Sopocachi - La Paz, Bolivia Ph. +591 2 2410708 fax + 591 2 2424467 e-mail: carlokrusich@acra.it
ACRA Honduras Entrada Principal de Marcala Ciudad Nueva, Honduras Ph. +504 96945042 email: acracore@ibw.com.ni
ACRA Burkina Faso 06 BP 9288 Ouagadougou 06 Burkina Faso Ph. +226 5045 2699 Diapaga office: Ph. +226 73491279 ACRA Cameroon Yaoundé office: Nouvelle Route Omnisport Yaoudé, Cameroon Ph. +237 2211551 fax +237 2211144 Maroua office: BP 115 Maroua, Camerun Ph. +237 229 1871 e-mail: acracam@braouz.net ACRA Chad BP 1099 - N’Djamena, Ciad Ph. +235 2251 9223 e-mail: acratchad@acra.it ACRA Ecuador Calle Alemania 616 y Mariana de Jesús Quito, Ecuador Ph/fax +593 2 2529692 / +593 2 2546023 e-mail: acra.ecuador@andinanet.net
ACRA Nicaragua Calle Carmen Casa No.523, Reparto S. Juan, de la UNIVAL 1/2 Cuadra al Sur Calle el Carmen 523, Managua, Nicaragua Ph. +505 2277 4888 fax +505 2277 4676 e-mail: acracore@ibw.com.ni ACRA Senegal Dakar office: Sacré Cœur II Villa n. 8613 E, Senegal Ph. +221 33 827 6413 fax +221 33 867 1910 e-mail: acradk@orange.sn Ziguinchor office: 41, HLM Boudody, Senegal Ph. +221 33 991 3526 e-mail: acrazig@orange.sn ACRA Tanzania Dar Es Salaam office: Plot no. 1260/C, Mikocheni “B” Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Njombe office: c/o Nazareth Center P.O. BOX 807, Njombe Iringa Region, Tanzania Ph: + 255 753 168 065 fax. +255 782 776 7952 Zanzibar office: PO Box 3067, Shangani Stone Town, Zanzibar Ph. +225 773 152107 e-mail: tanzania@acra.it
ACRA Cooperazione Rurale in Africa e America Latina Cooperation in Rural areas of Africa and Latin America Via E. Breda 54, 20126 Milan MI - Italy Ph. +3902 27000291 - Fax +3902 2552270 - www.acra.it - info@acra.it