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Annual Report 2009
Our vision is an Africa free from hunger and poverty
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In 2009, Self Help Africa’s work Directly
improved 821,485 lives
Backed
8,788 loans
Supported
over 6,000 small businesses
through 256 savings and credit cooperatives and 13 agricultural cooperatives
Self Help Africa Annual Report 2009
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Where we worked in 2009 1 Ethiopia agricultural advice savings and credit cooperative support agricultural cooperative support small business development seed development community development HIV/AIDS awareness 2 Eritrea
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agricultural advice irrigation environmental rehabilitation agricultural cooperative support seed development savings and credit cooperative support gender awareness training community development 3 kenya agricultural advice and support agricultural cooperative support seed development irrigation livestock management small business development land rights advocacy marketing support
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4 uganda agricultural advice and support agricultural cooperative support savings and credit cooperative support small business development seed development HIV/AIDS awareness community development
7 Burkina Faso agricultural advice and support seed development crop diversification irrigated horticulture small business development gender, community development 8 ghana
5 malawi agricultural advice and support natural resource management seed development small business development community development 6 zaMBIA agricultural advice and support agricultural cooperative support savings and credit cooperative support seed development marketing support small business development community development
Self Help Africa Annual Report 2009
agricultural advice and support natural resource management livestock management community development 9 togo agricultural advice and support livestock management water management small business development HIV/AIDS awareness community development
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Economic Empowerment for Africa When it comes to ending hunger and poverty, the facts are actually quite simple. Most Africans live in rural areas, where hunger is concentrated, and they farm land that - with a little help - can produce much more food.
But our work goes further, because we believe that a key part of our role is to advocate on behalf Africa’s rural communities. As farming becomes harder and more complex, Self Help Africa is promoting the long-term interests of these communities in a variety of fora and to a range of audiences.
That little help comes from you, as our work draws support from across Ireland, the UK, continental Europe and now the USA.
The past year has also seen us embark on new initiatives designed to improve the quality of our work - such as looking back at programmes we began 10 years ago, to examine their sustainability.
As a direct result, men and women across Africa are making great strides in the fight to produce more food and provide for their families.
In all of this work, we have two sets of partners - the first are the communities with whom we work, and the second are the donors without whom this work could not continue.
For 25 years now, Self Help Africa has worked alongside these men and women, giving them the support that, within one or two seasons, can see a small farm move from subsistence to surplus.
To all partners in the fight against hunger and poverty in Africa, we say thank you. Without your commitment, none of the successes we achieved in 2009 would have been possible.
In Africa, as in Europe and the US, farming is a business, and the key to making a lasting impact on rural poverty in Africa is to help smallholder farmers make a profit from their small businesses. Last year saw a major expansion of our work with cooperatives, in particular. By joining together, farmers are empowered for the long term, buying cheaper inputs, finding new markets and new customers, making the profit that will send their children to school or buy healthcare for their families.
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Ray Jordan, CEO
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2009 Highlights
2009 Self Help Africa supported over 50 projects across nine countries in 2009 - here are just some of the highlights: Eritrea New irrigation and rainwater catchment initiatives were promoted, initiated and completed. Our focus on working with women was particularly successful, with training in different income generation activities, promotion of fuel-efficient stoves and the setting up of women’s associations. The success of an early-maturing sorghum variety, which was introduced to the Emnihaili Area Based Programme, led to its distribution to farmers throughout the sub-region.
Ethiopia There are now over 26,000 members of Self Help Africa-supported savings and credit co-operatives across the country, with a loan book of around $1m. Over 70 % of members are women. Major new funding was secured from the European Union for agricultural cooperative development in Oromia and SNNPR regions, aiming to improve food security and access to agricultural inputs for 17,500 households. We partnered with the Food and Agriculture Organisation to scale up best practices and agricultural techniques dissemination. Kenya After six years of waiting, the government introduced a National Land Policy that Self Help Africa has been working on at the National Steering Committee, representing Rural Use and Livelihoods. The policy has since obtained parliamentary approval. With continuing drought affecting crop production in many areas, drought tolerant crops were promoted and adopted widely. Farmers associations were linked with sunflower oil refineries, while new markets were identified for fruit growers. Self Help Africa Annual Report 2009
Uganda Two farmer cooperatives were formed, which in turn commissioned cassava and grain milling factories. Thousands of farm families were given access to improved banana, cassava and groundnut seeds. Fourteen diverse new savings and credit coops were set up
Malawi Maize trials using manure returned yields of over 3,000 kg/ha well above the current yield of 1,400 -2,400 kg/ ha. A large number of new groups of lead farmers were trained in sustainable agriculture, agro-forestry and seed bank management. 450 seed revolving committees were established across 45 new villages, 12 irrigation schemes were facilitiated, and 69 food storage facility prototypes produced for demonstration. Zambia Major new funding was secured from the European Union to improve access and supply of quality seeds and agricultural inputs for 100,000 poor farmers. 74 commodity groups were trained and given improved access to inputs and output markets. Agricultural training, agro-chemical usage, post harvest technologies and entrepreneurship training delivered. west africa Total of 4,487 households are now adopting sustainable farming practices and experiencing improved food production. 50kms of stone bunds were constructed to counter soil erosion, with widescale adoption of the ‘zai’ soil conservation method.
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Growing More Food Investing in agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa will help some of the poorest people in the world to work their way out of poverty. But one size doesn’t fit all. Self Help Africa promotes ‘low input’ sustainable agriculture for the poorest rural communities. For those who have moved beyond subsistence farming, we work with them on farm infrastructure and markets, promoting farming as a business.
In 2009, Self Help Africa used a range of tools to help rural communities grow and sell more food including: providing farmers with a timely supply of good quality seed stock supporting training programmes that increase farmer knowledge promoting irrigated production through the use of treadle (foot) pumps and drip irrigation kits promoting crop rotation and complimentary cropping encouraging the use of manure-based composting encouraging the sustainable use of land and resources.
A key part of this work is supporting farmer groups to organise into co-operatives and producer groups. This allows them to scale up their activities, reduce costs, ensure a timely supply of inputs such as seed, add value to their farm production and access new markets for the sale of their surplus produce and cash crops.
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Supporting Women In 2009, over 45% of farmers and members of savings cooperatives linked to Self Help Africa programmes were women. In 2010, we aim to increase this to over 50%. We target our efforts at women, because we know that makes the greatest difference. In Ethiopia, over 70% of members of Self Help Africa-supported savings and credit cooperatives are women. In Zambia, some of these cooperatives are made up only of women.
Women farmers in Africa make up 33% of the work force, yet they provide: 70% of agricultural labour and 60-80% of the labour required for household food consumption 100% of the processing of basic food stuffs 90% of the labour required to source domestic water and wood fuel 80% of the labour for food storage and transport 90% of hoeing and weeding work 60% of the harvesting and marketing services. source: Food and Agriculture Organisation source: Food and Agriculture Organization
Studies estimate that agricultural output in sub-Saharan Africa could increase by 20 percent if women had access to the same resources as men. Self Help Africa prioritises work with women across all its programmes, helping them adopt new farming technologies and increasing their economies of scale. This increases productivity and encourages them to move to higher-return crops.
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Supporting Enterprises For Self Help Africa, the key to rural economic empowerment is to treat farming as a business. But anyone with a business will know how critical it is to have access to advice, to markets and to credit. In Africa, where the vast majority of rural people have neither access to banks, nor the collateral to secure small loans, the opportunity to develop income-generating enterprises can be extremely limited.
In 2009, Self Help Africa supported over 6,000 rural African small businesses through 256 savings and credit cooperatives and 13 agricultural cooperatives. We are actively seeking new partnerships with private enterprise, to encourage the development of new markets and new products. By fostering these links with for-profit entities at national, regional and international levels, Self Help Africa believes that sustainable economic development will be achieved in rural Africa.
Loans from as little as $80 have allowed smallholder farmers to start new farming activities, have enabled them to add value to existing activities, and helped them to develop off-farm businesses too. Access to markets has been improved by linking these farmers and farm cooperatives with processors and buyers. Across all our country programmes, smallholder farmers are receiving new advice on what crops to grow and how to grow them, through a range of farm extension vehicles, including lead-farmer, farmer-tofarmer, and farm cooperatives.
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Climate Adaptation Climate change is a reality for millions of rural Africans, who have to cope with unpredictable rains, unseasonal drought, and must build their resilience and adapt to this challenge. In 2009 Self Help Africa worked with communities across our nine programme countries, providing practical support and information to help rural farming communities.
This work included: Sharing of knowledge about adaptation techniques and sustainable land use between country programmes Development of agro-forestry activities, homestead woodlots and community forestry enclosures Promotion of small-scale irrigation, sustainable water catchment management and water harvesting Promotion and distribution of early maturing and drought tolerant crop varieties Crop diversification Support for environmental rehabilitation Collaboration with four other international agencies to produce ‘Climate Frontline’, documenting efforts by African farmers to adapt to climate change. African agriculture is particularly vulnerable to a change in growing conditions. Less than 4% of agricultural land is irrigated, so production is heavily dependent on the timing and quantity of rain. Climate change is having an impact however – with unseasonally dry weather affecting production in Kenya, Eritrea and Uganda last year, and flooding affecting farmers in Ghana and Burkina Faso. Self Help Africa Annual Report 2009
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Looking ahead after 25 years 2009 was the 25th anniversary year of Self Help Africa. It was a year when gains that were achieved following the historic 2008 merger that created the organisation in its current form were consolidated, and a year when the reach of our programmes was improved and extended. Internally, Self Help Africa carried out a systematic approach to strengthening several key aspects of our business systems within the organisation. We appointed a chief financial officer to oversee all aspects of our funding and finances, and on foot of a comprehensive review of human resources and organizational structures, appointed heads of finance and heads of programmes to support our African country directors, and provide a more robust senior management team. Links with the European Commission were strengthened during 2009 too, with upwards of €2m being received in two separate EU funding grants for our programmes in Zambia and Ethiopia. In the West, Self Help Africa established operations in the USA, and we are confident of finding significant support for our work there. Self Help Africa Inc. was formally launched by former Irish President and UN High Commissioner Mary Robinson in New York, while Ireland’s current President Mary McAleese hosted a reception in Dublin in the Autumn to mark our silver jubilee.
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In 2009 we strengthened our business development systems and fundraising base in both Ireland and Great Britain, received the generous support of a number of very successful fundraising events, including the record-breaking ‘Combines4Charity’ initiative, and also forged new relationships, with close to 70 trusts and foundations supporting different aspects of our work. Self Help Africa continues to be the charity of choice of the Irish Farmers Association, and the support we receive from farming communities in Ireland and the UK is vital to our work. As the year drew to a close the organisation began work on the preparation of a new five-year strategic plan – a document that will guide our future goals, objectives and direction for the period from 2011 onwards. Self Help Africa is very grateful for the work of many in making the achievements of the past year possible. To all our staff and field officers, our partners, our boards of directors and our trustees, I say thank you for your time, energy and commitment, and I look forward to working with all of you again in the year ahead.
Tom Corcoran, Chairman
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ACCOUNTS Consolidated Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 December, 2009 Unrestricted Funds
Restricted Funds
Total Funds Total Funds Unrestricted 2009 2008 Funds
E E E Incoming resources Income resources from charitable activities - Grant income 455,496 5,069,200 5,524,696 Income resources from generated funds - Voluntary income 1,567,451 422,417 1,989,868 Other Incoming Resources - Interest & investment income 43,476 140 43,616 Total incoming resources: 2,066,423 5,491,757 7,558,180
Resources expended Charitable activities (1,561,393) (4,598,069) Costs of generating voluntary income (465,960) (18,196) Governance costs (72,764) - Total resources expended (2,100,117) (4,616,265) Revaluations of investment assets 2,373 - Transfers between funds 529,199 (529,199) Merger transaction costs - - Net incoming/(outgoing) resources 497,878 346,293 Funds at beginning of year 725,111 1,118,816 Exchange gain/(loss) on consolidation 40,423 (158,366) Funds at end of year 1,263,412 1,306,743
(6,159,462) (484,156) (72,764) (6,716,382)
E
£
Restricted Funds £
Total Funds Total Funds 2009 2008 £
£
5,440,752
405,619
4,514,122
4,919,741
4,332,742
3,132,733
1,395,815
376,163
1,771,978
2,494,752
54,971 8,628,456
38,715 1,840,149
125 4,890,410
38,840 6,730,559
43,776 6,871,270
(7,625,310) (1,390,421) (714,865) (414,937) (74,012) (64,797) (8,414,187) (1,870,155)
(4,094,581) (5,485,002) (6,072,416) (16,204) (431,141) (569,283) - (64,797) (58,939) (4,110,785) (5,980,940) (6,700,638)
2,373 - -
(8,165) - (37,273)
2,113 471,252 -
- (471,252) -
2,113 - -
(6,502) (29,682)
844,171
168,831
443,359
308,373
751,732
134,448
1,843,927 (117,943) 2,570,155
1,845,668 (170,572) 1,843,927
705,910 (12,452) 1,136,817
1,089,190 (221,755) 1,175,808
1,795,100 (234,207) 2,312,625
1,358,407 302,245 1,795,100
Full Consolidated Financial Statements for 2009 are available at www.selfhelpafrica.org
Self Help Africa Annual Report 2009
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ACCOUNTS income sources
Trends in total income
2009 (E)
Irish Aid EU General Donations Trusts/Foundations/Others
2,805,000 1,726,393 1,989,868 1,036,919
How your money was spent
2009 (E)
Income 2005 Income 2006 Income 2007 Income 2008 Income 2009
4,900,139 5,857,832 8,271,679 8,628,456 7,558,180
2009
Charitable Activities Fundraising Governance
92% 7% 1%
9m 8m 7m 6m 5m
Charitable Activities
92%
4m
Irish Aid EU General Donations Other Institutional Donors
37.1% 22.8% 26.3% 13.8%
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Charitable Activities Fundraising Governance
In 2009, our programmes worked with 164,297 households in Africa. Excluding fundraising and governance costs, it costs about â‚ŹE37 to bring economic empowerment to a rural African family.
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92% of funds of 2009 were spent on charitable activities. Fundraising accounted for only 7% of overall expenditure.
President Mary McAleese with Self Help Chairman Tom Corcoran and Uganda’s Honorary Consul, Sylvia Gavigan, at the 25th Anniversary reception
Members of the Combines4Charity group with rugby international Shane Horgan and MEP Mairead McGuinness.
2009 proved to be another exciting and challenging year for our many supporters throughout both Ireland and the UK. Here are a few of the highlight events that took place during the year. We want to sincerely thank each and every person who either participated, supported or donated to Self Help Africa during 2009. 25 years: We marked 25 years of working in Africa with a reception hosted by Irish President Mary McAleese at her Dublin residence and a reception for guests and supporters at London’s House of Commons. Big Give Campaign: In the UK, Self Help Africa raised over €90,000 through the Summer and Winter Big Give appeal. Founded by UK philanthropist Alec Reed, the Big Give appeal matched donations received by Self Help Africa during the relevant period. Combines 4 Charity set a new Guinness world record on August 15th, having 175 combine harvesters working simultaneously in the same field and in the process raising €300,000 for four Irish charities, including Self Help Africa. Skerries Group: Members of the Skerries Sodo Community Group who have supported Self Help Africa in the Sodo region of Ethiopia since 2007 had a chance to see the work for themselves, when they
Self Help Africa Annual Report 2009
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon receives a copy of '2015 - Thoughts and Reflections on MDG 1' from student Ben Cooper of Colaiste Bhride, Carnew, watched by Taoiseach Brian Cowen
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SHA supporters Patricia and Harry Page
undertook a fund-raising trek. The group visited the Sodo Project and met staff and local communities and raised approx €40,000 during 2009. Auction of Promises: Mrs Patricia Page from Worcester organised an ‘Auction of Promises’ to raise funds for Self Help Africa. The evening was an incredible success and raised approximately €8,000. Development Education Educating the next generation continues to be a key objective of Self Help Africa, with programmes developed and implemented in both second and third level schools and colleges throughout Ireland and the UK. The BT Young Scientists 4th annual ‘Science for Development Award’ was won by Muckross College, Donnybrook. Their project on ‘Traditional birth attendants in Kenya’ was featured during our annual Africa Alive study visit to Kenya. 22 students and teachers from seven schools participated in this very successful visit. Self Help Africa continued to give presentations to schools across the UK in 2009 and reached as far as County Durham, spreading the word to children about the issues of poverty in developing countries. Schools throughout the country raised considerable funds in 2009 from organising cake sales to holding non-uniform days.
lp Africa ! e H lf e S f o k r o w or ting the p p su r fo u o y k n Tha 19
www.selfhelpafrica.org Ethiopia PO Box 1204, Bole Road, Addis Ababa, Tel. +251 115 522313
Eritrea PO Box 9313, Asmara, Tel. +291 118 8382 Tel. +265 1750568
Ireland
UK
USA
Freepost, Dublin Road, Portlaoise, Co. Laois, Ireland Tel +353 (0) 578 694034
Freepost RRXU-AZUB-EBEE Westgate House, Hills Lane, Shrewsbury SY1 1QU, UK Tel +44 (0) 1743 277170
Self Help Africa Inc. 304 Park Avenue South, 11th Floor New York, NY 10010, United States Tel: +1-917-289-0670
Kenya PO Box 2248 Code 20100, Nakuru, Tel. +254 O51 2212291
malawi
PO Box B-495 Lilongwe, Tel. +265 1750568
UGANDA Plot 14 B, Off Naguru 2 Rd PO. Box 32249, Kampala, Tel. +256 414 286305
West Africa 12 PO Box 315, Ougadougou 12, Burkina Faso Tel. +226 50 36 89 60
Zambia 181 Bishops Road, Kabulonga, PO. Box 37484, Lusaka Tel. +260 211 265384