AVSI-USA Annual Report 2011

2011A V S I - U S A2 0 1 1 A n n U A l R e p o R t

w w w . A V S I - U S A . o R g

SectIon IBackground on

AVSI and AVSI-USA

Page 1

SectIon II2011 Year in Review

Page 9

SectIon IIIReflections on

Development

Page 18

SectIon IVFinancials

Page 22

ta b l e o fc o n t e n t S

Annual Report 2011

Mission

w h o I S A V S I ?AVSI-USA is a network member of AVSI Foundation,

which was founded in Italy, in 1972 after a group of

Italian friends embarked on a volunteer development

project in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Today,

forty years later, AVSI’s programs are on-going in

38 countries across Africa, Latin America, Eastern

Europe and Eurasia, and East Asia with a consolidated

budget of $50 million per year. AVSI’s portfolio is

centered on long-term development interventions,

with education as the primary point of entry and

focus, with specific emergency relief and post-conflict

operations as needed. AVSI’s identity continues to be

intimately linked with its origin, with the impetus and

energy behind its emergence and growth, which is

the Christian experience as lived within the Catholic

movement of Communion and Liberation. This

experience broadens reason and makes possible a

meaningful engagement with reality in all of its factors.

To promote the dignity

of the person through

development activities

and programs with

particular attention to

education, drawing from

the social teachings of

the Catholic Church.

A V S I M I S S I o n

1 Background on AVSI and AVSI-USA

High school students at the Cardinal Otunga School in Nairobi, Kenya are hard at work in the science lab.

A V S I I n t h ew o R l d

w h A t w e d oAVSI programs are moved by a passion for the human

being, rather than a drive to solve problems or to simply

apply the best scheme to eliminate poverty. The objective

of all our efforts is to nurture an environment in which

individuals, families and groups have the space, confidence

and tools to be protagonists in their own lives. Being a

protagonist means

starting from one’s

desire for happiness

and truth and taking

steps forward, guided

by the intuition of

the road towards the

desired good. For AVSI,

every program is the

possibility to reawaken

these desires and to

sustain them along a

path through human

relationships with people

and communities, thus

putting into motion their

capacity and creativity

to use every opportunity for their own development,

including policies, programs and financial investments. In

this way, people are the main resource for development.

This approach is demanding and requires time. AVSI’s

long-term commitment has been possible due to the

dedicated and professional AVSI staff members and the

sustained commitment of AVSI’s supporters, as well as

public and multilateral funders.

Ultimately, AVSI’s aim is to empower individuals and local

organizations, namely non-profit groups, associations

or cooperatives and businesses, to sustainably provide

educational, medical and social services and economic

development as a fundamental contribution to the

building up of their communities. AVSI seeks to facilitate

partnerships between the private sphere and the public

sector to more effectively share resources, energy and

ideas, working towards the common good.

• Founded: 1972

• Headquarters: Cesena, Italy; Milan, Italy

• Presence: 38 countries

• On-going Projects: 100

• Human Resources: 1,450 employees (150 at

HQ and expatriates abroad)

• Direct Beneficiaries: 4,000,000 people

• Indirect Beneficiaries: 17,500,000 people

• Distance Support Program: 33,338 children

• Local Partner Organizations Involved: 700

• Member Organizations of AVSI network: 35

• AVSI Foundation total budget, HQ 2011:

28 million Euro ($35.5 million USD)

• AVSI Foundation consolidated budget,

including country offices 2011:

35 million Euro ($44.5 million USD)

• AVSI Foundation Funding Sources:

65% from private donors, business and

groups, 35% from institutional donors

including Italian government, European

Union, UNICEF, UNHCR, USAID, US State

Department.

AVSI provided safe places for children in Cite Soleil, Haiti, following the 2010 earthquake

Our educational programs help thousands of Somali refugees in the Dadaab, Kenya, camps

Annual Report 2011 2

centRAlIty of the peRSonThe person is seen according to his/her unique value and

fundamental relationships: within the family and in society. The

person cannot be defined by a social category or a limitation such

as poverty, disease or disability.

StARtIng fRoM the poSItIVeEvery person and every community represents a potential

resource, regardless of their vulnerability. This means valuing and

strengthening all that has been accomplished by the people in the

community and also helping each person to understand his/her own

value and dignity.

doIng wIthThe approach to project planning and implementation consists

of doing with people; that is, starting from a relationship with the

people whom the project is targeting and building with them along

a path of mutual education and empowerment.

deVelopMent of cIVIl SocIety And SUbSIdIARItyA development project must enhance the capacity of people to

associate, recognizing and supporting the creation of intermediate

bodies and local institutions integrated in the social context.

pARtneRShIpPartnerships are promoted with and among all the actors in the

particular context, including institutions that are public and private,

local and international, in order to favor synergies and optimize

available resources

o U R A p p R o A c h t o d e V e l o p M e n t


ALBÂNIA

SWITZERLAND

ÁUSTRIAGERMANY

SPAIN

PORTUGAL

BULGARIA

RUMANIAR.F.da I.KOSOVO

POLAND

ITALIA

JORDAN

PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

LEBANON

LITUÂNIA

PHILIPPINES

ANGOLA

UGANDA

MOZAMBIQUE

SRI LANKA

SIERRALEONA

IVORYCOAST

EGYPT

NIGERIA

D.R. ofCONGO

KENYA

RWANDA

BURUNDI

SUDAN

VENEZUELA

ARGENTINA

BRAZILPERU

ECUADOR

CHILE

CANADÁ

RUSSIA

INDIA

KAZAKHSTAN

THAILAND

CUBA

HAITI

PARAGUAY

MEXICO

UNITED STATESOF AMERICA

COLOMBIA

BURME

I N D I A N

O C E A N

C A R I B B E A N

G

UL F O F

ME

X I C O

P

AC

IF

IC

O

CE

AN

AT

LA

NT

IC

OC

EA

N

Countries where AVSI is implementing projects

Countries where AVSI is promoting activities

Type of projects

Agriculture & Environment

Emergency relief

Vocational training and development of small business

Healthcare

Social-educational

Distance support

Urban Upgrading

where we are, what we do where we are, what we do

AVSI-USA MISSIon To support the AVSI

network by leveraging resources and contacts

in the U.S. in order to enhance and broaden the

achievements of member organizations in promoting

human dignity in developing countries.


10 yeARS of AVSI-USAAVSI-USA is a non-governmental organization

with non-profit status in the U.S. which began

as an initiative of friends in New York who came

together in 2000 to commit themselves more

seriously to the dialogue between AVSI and

U.S. based institutions and individuals. Over the

years, this simple beginning developed with the

establishment of an office in Washington, DC, a

number of growing partnerships with U.S.-based

funding and research institutions, and a widening

network of friends and supporters.

Partnerships with Funders

World Bank Since the mid 1990s, AVSI has had a

relationship with the Bank, specifically through its

contribution of financial and technical resources

to a large program of urban upgrading in Brazil.

Based on a method initially used in the city

of Belo Horizonte, AVSI was asked to begin a

small pilot program in Salvador de Bahia in 1994

with 15,000 families, which grew into a highly

significant long-term effort of roughly $10 million

dollars and that reached 500,000 households. Currently a new initiative is underway, bringing the

methodology and acquired experience to Africa

in a ground-breaking tri-partite collaboration of

the Governments of Italy, Brazil and Mozambique

under the coordination of Cities Alliance, to

integrate slum areas in the city of Maputo.

Reflection upon this case shows that even

technical experts at the highest levels, such as the

staff of the World Bank, can recognize that the

growth of a city, its services and facilities, is made

possible and sustainable through the method

of encounters and collaboration among people,

be they government or institutional officials or

community members.

United States Agency for International

Development (USAID) From the recognition of the

value of AVSI’s work in Northern Uganda

AVSI’s work in urban upgrading began in 1994 with a project to help families living in stilt-homes over the bay in the Novos Alagados area of Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. New, safer housing was built on land, and families were helped to integrate into the community.

• Linkages with donors and collaborators.

• Specific program management support

for U.S. Government funding and U.S.

institutional donors.

• Technical support for research, monitoring

and evaluation of program impact.

• Strategic guidance to AVSI and network

partners.

A V S I - U S A ’ Sc o n t R I b U t I o n


U S g o V e R n M e n t f U n d I n g

$-‐

$1,000,000.00

$2,000,000.00

$3,000,000.00

$4,000,000.00

$5,000,000.00

$6,000,000.00

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

US Government Funding to AVSI

US Government Funding to AVSI

fUndIng fRoM USAId, US dol, StAte depARtMent to AVSI

and Rwanda in the mid to late 1990s when

both countries faced severe crises, USAID has

become an important donor for AVSI projects

in Africa. From 2000 to 2010, AVSI received

over $24 million of USAID funding directed to

African countries. A bulk of that support came

through the program for Orphans and Vulnerable

Children (OVC) in HIV affected communities in

Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda (2004-2010, $15

million from USAID; $15 million from AVSI private

contributions) which benefited over 12,000

children and their families. AVSI has continued

to solidify its relationship with USAID in 2011

through continued work with orphans and

vulnerable children in Ivory Coast and Uganda.

Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)

In 2004, AVSI and its partner organization

in Argentina, the Asociación Cultural para el

Desarrollo Integral (ACDI) successfully obtained

a grant from the IDB’s Multilateral Investment

Fund (MIF) for a project to adapt sophisticated

information and communications technologies to

the needs of small cattle raisers and associations

for management and quality control purposes.

From ACDI’s first experiences, new opportunities

for expansion into other sectors and countries

have come about and ACDI has been called on

to provide technical assistance to other MIF

projects. Building on this relationship, AVSI

has continued its close dialogue with the IDB

at various levels and expects to increase our

collaboration with the Bank in the years to come.

Evaluation and Research

Over the past few years we have also seen an

increased interest in the lessons learned from

AVSI’s programs and in the exercise of impact

evaluation. Within the framework of the multi-

country OVC project mentioned above, AVSI

conducted a longitudinal survey of a sample of

the beneficiaries over time as part of an evaluation

study that was carried out to document the impact

on children and their households. This survey

provided interesting results in terms of the areas

of impact and the mechanisms of change. One

clear conclusion was the importance of the family

environment and family-level interventions to

improve the well-being of children. In 2009, AVSI-

USA entered into an agreement with high-level

researchers at Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA),

a research body housed at Yale University, and

with a private U.S. donor to conduct a randomized

control trial evaluation alongside an expanded

model of an AVSI economic development

program for women in Northern Uganda.


p R I V A t e f U n d R A I S I n g 2 0 0 5 - 2 0 1 1

Community Center in Rio de Janeiro

Opportunity

Uganda

Lebanon

Haiti

Gaza Strip

USA

Uganda

Brazil

2012 Earthquake Response

Chile

Indonesia

Mexico

Paraguay

2009Cilvil ConflictEmergency

Response

2012 Earthquake Response &

Reconstruction

2005 Tsunami

EmergencyResponse

High Schoolin Nairobi

Opportunity2011

Horn of AfricaRefugee Emergency2006

Civil ConflictEmergency Response

Community Education

& Nutrition CenterOpportunity

2011San Rafael

Health Clinicand Foundation

General Supportfor Meeting Points:

International and Kampala

2006Clinic Support for Victims of

Landmines and War

2005Hurricane

Response inLouisiana

gRowIng cIRcle of SUppoRteRS Through our stable presence over the past

10 years, AVSI-USA is increasingly recognized

as a trusted partner for many individuals,

families and foundations in their gesture

of solidarity with the poor of the world.

Charitable donations to individual projects

and to AVSI in general continue to increase.

Over the past years, numerous fundraising

and outreach events have been organized by

friends of AVSI throughout the country.

These include small initiatives of children and

groups (lemonade stands, yard and bake sales)

and larger events (concerts, dinners) which often

benefit from cooperation of business sponsors. As

you can see in the graphic above, through these

initiatives, AVSI-USA has facilitated contributions

to a wide range of causes, the two most significant

being emergency relief after the Haiti earthquake

in 2010 and on-going support of three selected

partners in Mexico, Brazil and Kenya through

our giving program known as Opportunity.

Kenya

WhoWeH e l p


AVSI-USA began to support the initiative of

some friends who took up the cause of the

San Rafael Foundation and its hospice during

2011, in light of founder Fr. Aldo’s visit to D.C.

As a result, over $8,000 was collected for his

clinic, including the hospice for the terminally

ill, school, homeless shelter, and more.

Jenny, a young professional in D.C., met Fr.

Aldo in Paraguay a few years ago and has been

continuously struck by his radical faith in the

midst of all the suffering that surrounds him,

his sincerity in the face of his challenges, and

the blossoming of charitable works beyond

his talents. The beauty and magnitude of the

fruits borne from this man are clear signs that

what is at work is not just in the hands of man.

Jenny struck up a relationship with his assistant,

Andrea, as Fr. Aldo’s newsletter needed English

translations and his works sought continuous

sources of new funds. Jenny rallied dozens of

friends who got together to plan for his visit.

While Fr. Aldo was in D.C. October of 2011,

unexpected doors were opened and people

who had never met him were moved to tears by

his witness. Meetings with interested groups at

Georgetown University and even officials at the

World Bank and Inter-American Development

Bank were held, where Fr. Aldo was able to

share his work and the accomplishments

of the Foundation which serves highly

vulnerable people in Asunción, Paraguay.

“I always tell my children in the orphanages, you

need to have calluses on your head for observing

so much, calluses on your knees from praying so

much, and calluses on your hands for working so

much, that’s how you find God.” - Fr. Aldo

More information about the San Rafael

Foundation: www.sanrafael.org.py

fUndAcIon SAn RAfAel, pARAgUAy


Jenny helped organize fundraising events in Washington, DC, sharing the incredible experience of Padre Aldo Trento.

At the annual technical meeting of the AVSI network in December 2011 in Milan, Italy, Fr. Julián

Carron, President of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation, gave AVSI the following

provocation: whAt IS left behInd AfteR yoU hAVe Spent All yoUR eneRgIeS And ReSoURceS? His question both confirmed the work done over the past few years to

understand and document the change brought about by the work of AVSI and our partners, and

spurred a greater commitment as we address this challenge in the future.

gUIded by ReAlIty, tendIng towARdS An IdeAl After the crisis years of 2009-2010,

we at AVSI-USA are now seeing new fruits of all the energy put into responding to opportunities

as they emerged and the continuous strengthening of relationships. We are more certain now that

nothing is lost in all our efforts. We also see that organizational growth is possible when judgment

and patrimony is built through thoughtful reflection on past experiences and accumulated evidences,

together with forward thinking and visioning about what may be possible. At the bottom of all this

are the sustained relationships with real people living out their lives in specific places in the world,

and the tireless interest in staying with them with a tension towards an ideal. At the end of all our

efforts, there is also the simple certainty that our task is to follow where reality leads.

Amidst houses piled on top of each other in poor neighborhoods of Oaxaca, Mexico, the Crecemos-DIJO community centers offer a second home to help families nurture and educate their children.

With support from the Dorothea Haus Ross Foundation, AVSI renovated dormitories that give girls the chance to attend school in Eastern Equatoria State, South Sudan.

9 2011 A Year in Review

A yeAR In ReVIew2011

enhAnceThanks to program development support from our office, this year

brought new fruits in terms of projects from funding with the U.S.

Government and private donors, and evaluation projects to help

build the capacity of the AVSI Network to design more effective

programs and communicate results.

extendEach year, our network of relationships extends to new peers in the

field, policy-makers, multi-lateral funders, private supporters and

businesses. This allows AVSI to submit proposals to a larger range

of funders, and engage with a wider audience, for example the new

contacts made in 2011 which led to grants from U.S. foundations.

coMMUnIcAteTaking advantage of the key dialogues and conferences which are

located in New York City and Washington, DC, AVSI-USA attends

and hosts many events each year to stay on top of best practices

and to share what we have learned from AVSI’s history. As these

discussions extend more and more into the on-line realm, we too are

engaging more through our website, e-newsletter, and social media.

In 2011, we continued our work based on these same certainties and

confirmed in our effort with new growth. The events of the year can

be best expressed in the significant three-pronged role we see AVSI-

USA playing in service to AVSI’s work around the world.

In the following section you can read more details on what we have

done and how we are pursuing new opportunities and ways to

collaborate in the following areas:


USAId pRogRAMS foR oRphAnS & VUlneRAble chIldRenIn Ivory Coast, USAID requested a proposal from AVSI to continue

and expand the original OVC program (2005-2010). AVSI-USA

supported the preparation of this proposal and the agreement was

signed in November of 2010. The new program (2010 to 2014) has a

total budget of $10.37 million, with $9.5 million from USAID and the

remainder from AVSI’s Distance Support Program.

Project goal: to improve the coping capacities of 14,000 vulnerable

children and their families, and the capacity of local providers to

ensure quality care and education.

In Uganda, AVSI submitted a winning proposal to USAID/Uganda for

a new phase of the OVC program in expanded areas of the country.

The project consortium is led by AVSI and includes CARE, FHI360

and TPO. The project, Sustainable Comprehensive Responses to

Orphans and Vulnerable Households (SCORE) will last five years

(April 2011 – April 2016) and the total budget is $32.6 million with

$29.38 million from USAID and the remainder from cost-share

sources. The goal of this ambitious project reaching 35 districts and

25,000 households is to decrease the vulnerability of critically and

moderately vulnerable children through a household approach that

addresses economic security, food and nutrition, child protection

and family strengthening issues. AVSI-USA will continue to play

a technical support role, which takes a number of forms: review

of program reports; preparation of publicity materials; support

for monitoring and evaluation activities; attendance at pertinent

meetings and events in the US; and steady communication with

technical experts at USAID Washington.

Project goal: to decrease the vulnerability of 125,000 critically and

moderately vulnerable children through an integrated family based

approach.

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E N H A N C E SAVSI-USA enhAnceS AVSI’S woRk woRld-wIde

2 0 1 1


U.S. StAte depARtMent, bUReAU foR popUlAtIonS, RefUgeeS And MIgRAtIonIn Kenya, AVSI Foundation was awarded a grant from the U.S. State

Department’s Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM),

“Strengthening Basic Education in Dadaab Refugee Camps” with a

total budget of $668,816 with a contribution of $367,338 from PRM.

AVSI-USA led the proposal writing process, taking into account the

lessons learned from the previous attempts to secure PRM funding

for Kenya and other countries and the conversations had with PRM

officers in Washington, DC. AVSI-USA will support implementation

and serve as a liaison with the PRM office in D.C.

Project goal: to increase access and quality of primary education

for all refugee children in Dadaab, Kenya, through two objectives:

increasing classroom capacity and improving quality of teaching

through teacher training.

woMen’S IncoMe geneRAtIng SUppoRt pRogRAM, pRIVAte donoRIn late 2008, AVSI-USA received a grant for a joint research and

development program in northern Uganda from a private funder

in the U.S. The impact of the program was analyzed through a

randomized control trial evaluation by a team of researchers from

the Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) institute located at Yale

University, and program activities were implemented by AVSI-

Uganda. The data at the end of Phase 1 of the project in mid 2010

show incredibly good economic results, pointing to the effectiveness

of the approach for poverty reduction even among the most

vulnerable women in a post-conflict, reconstruction environment.

In 2011, AVSI-USA participated with IPA in preparing a successful

funding proposal to the World Bank, supplementing existing funds for

Phase 2 (2011-2012) & extending the project timeline to August 2012.

Project goal: to support 1,800 women to improve their livelihoods

opportunities through a start-up grant, skills training and follow-

up, and to understand what method works best and why.

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3 .

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pRopoSAl wRItIng And SUppoRtAVSI-USA dedicates significant time to supporting AVSI projects and

partners in various locations around the world and is continuously on

alert for new business opportunities and following leads as they arise.

AVSI-USA is increasingly recognized as an important reference point

for people who are interested in supporting specific initiatives of AVSI

and partner organizations. Together, we submitted over 21 concept

papers and proposals in 2011.

fUndRAISIngAVSI-USA enjoys an ever growing network of supporters and friends

who donate to the organization periodically from across the U.S.

Contacts are made primarily through personal relationships here or

in the field, as well as through public events, the website and AVSI-

USA’s electronic newsletter.

Foundation Funding. AVSI-USA expanded its contacts and portfolio

related to U.S. foundations due to the committed effort of our new

Communications and Fundraising Officer.

• The W. O’Neil Foundation committed a grant of $16,000 for

AVSI Kenya to address educational needs and funding gaps in the

Dadaab refugee camps, to be executed in 2012.

• The DeVry University Foundation contributed a grant of $27,000

to AVSI’s local partner, CDM, in Salvador Bahia, to provide

investments in equipment for professional training of youth.

• The Dorothea Haus Ross Foundation committed a grant of

$13,000 to AVSI South Sudan for the rehabilitation of a girls’

dormitory at the St. Kizito Secondary School in Isohe, Eastern

Equatoria State, South Sudan.

• The Loyola Foundation confirmed a grant of $10,000 to AVSI’s

partner the Cardinal Maurice Otunga Secondary School in Nairobi,

Kenya, for the purchase of computers and books to improve the

quality of educational resources provided.

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2 .

E x t E n d sAVSI-USA extendS AVSI’S woRk woRld-wIde

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AVSI-USA continued to promote its private fundraising initiative

called “OPPORTUNITY: A Unique Giving Program to Share in the

Adventure of Life.” This initiative is a tool through which people

and groups can choose one of three institutions selected from the

AVSI network to support financially and in other ways over the long-

term. Concretely, donors are asked to register as Partners, making a

commitment of an annual, fixed donation to one specified institution.

The institutions selected are: Crecemos - Desarrollo Integral para la

Juventud Oaxaquena (DIJO) in Oaxaca, Mexico; Cantinho da Natureza

in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and the Cardinal Otunga High School in

Nairobi, Kenya

pRIVAte IndIVIdUAl donAtIonS ReceIVed, 2011

2 0 1 1


3 . RelAtIonShIpS And contActSAVSI-USA supports the representation of the AVSI Foundation in front

of certain agencies of the United Nations system. AVSI enjoys general

consultative status with ECOSOC and UNICEF. AVSI-USA has continued

building relationships with other staff in New York at UNICEF, UNDP, OCHA

and at the Italian Mission and the Holy See Mission to the UN.

AVSI-USA continued to play a facilitating role for AVSI vis-à-vis the

development banks located in Washington, DC. AVSI-USA continues to

provide a link between AVSI and the Cities Alliance program at the World

Bank and has furthered contacts within the Inter-American Development

Bank. In 2011, AVSI entered into an agreement with the IDB for a program

of youth skills development through sports in Brazil, in addition to having

multiple proposals for different countries in the region under review.

InteRnShIpSIn 2011, AVSI-USA sponsored two internships through AVSI projects abroad,

one in Kenya and one in Jordan. Reviewing the various internship arrangements

and experiences of the previous five years, AVSI-USA has concluded that the

most advantageous format is through defined agreements with universities. In

2012 and into the future, AVSI-USA intends to continue its standing agreement

with the Notre Dame Law School’s Program on Law and Human Development

to offer internship opportunities within AVSI’s network, with the perspective of

entering into similar partnerships with other universities.

4 . 2 0 1 1

AVSI-USA’s summer internship program gives students the opportunity to work abroad for 10-12 weeks on issues related to their studies. Here, Tim is shown on an internship with AVSI partner Crecemos-DIJO in Mexico.


toolSNewsletters, Printed and Visual Materials

In 2011, AVSI-USA continued to send out a bi-monthly electronic

newsletter that links directly to our website with a mailing list which

has grown to around 1,500 contacts, including friends and other

development professionals. AVSI-USA updated and re-published its

“AVSI in Latin America” brochure, utilizing the time and talents of a

summer volunteer.

Website

AVSI-USA continued to increase the content on its website and made

a significant advance in the timeliness and quality of updates, given

the addition of a Communications Officer to the full-time staff. Traffic

to the website grew steadily in the second half of 2011, thanks in part

to outreach through the newsletter and an AVSI-USA Facebook page

with around 500 followers.

eVentS And MeetIngSAVSI-USA hosted Public Events

In October, AVSI-USA participated in an event co-sponsored by

Crossroads Cultural Center of NYC and the World Youth Alliance with

the title “Aid to Developing Countries: The Importance of the Human

Factor.” This event featured Ambassador Oscar de Rojas, former

head of the UN Office on Financing for Development, and AVSI-USA’s

Jackie Aldrette.

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2 .

communicatesAVSI-USA coMMUnIcAteS AVSI’S woRk woRld-wIde

VISIt oUR webSIte To find more information and other

publications go to www.avsi-usa.org

AVSI-USA public event in New York City in October, 2011

2 0 1 1


Since 1973, the Cantinho da Natureza in Copacobana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has been providing early childhood education, after-school activities, youth employment and other services to the residents of the favelas (slums) that stand so close to the nearby world-famous beaches and resorts.

2 0 1 1Other Conferences: Engaging in Dialogue

Throughout the year, AVSI-USA staff participated in numerous

meetings and conferences in Washington, D.C. and in New York. These

events offered opportunities to stay tuned to relevant discussions,

debates and emerging themes related to international development

work, funding and technical areas, as well as occasions to connect with

other actors and potential partners.

Site Visits and Visits to the U.S.

Site visits taken by AVSI-USA in 2011 included to Jordan, the West

Bank, Uganda, Haiti, and Mexico. AVSI-USA staff attended the AVSI

annual international workshop in Milan, Italy.

AVSI-USA also hosted a visit from Silvia Caironi, working on issues of

micro-credit for the large Brazilian organization ATST, and Sarah Holtz,

an AVSI-USA staff person based in Quito, Ecuador. On both occasions,

AVSI-USA, with the help of its volunteers in D.C., coordinated a number

of meetings including with the IDB, World Bank, Acción International

and the Inter-American Foundation.


Over 450,000 Somali refugees call the sprawling camps in Dadaab, Kenya, home. AVSI has helped to build 4 schools, 20 educational structures and provide teacher training for 730 teachers in the camps since 2009.

ReflectIonS on deVelopMentfRoM the deSk of AVSI-USA

We at the AVSI-USA office have an interesting perspective, sitting across the way from the U.S. Agency for

International Development, down Pennsylvania Avenue from the U.S. Congress, a stone’s throw from the

World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, within the loop of the big think tanks, and all the

while with a mandate to communicate and share the unique patrimony and proposal that AVSI brings to

the world. A good amount of our time is spent interacting with people at these institutions, comparing their

experiences, priorities and visions with what we have learned from our own experience, both personally and

within AVSI. The opportunities to pursue partnerships and ultimately to collaborate on projects are occasions

which enable us to better understand the context we are working in as well as the uniqueness of what AVSI

has to offer.

As in any field of work, the world of international development and cooperation is dominated by a particular

jargon, including the concepts and terms which follow trends and schools of thought. Too easily, the meaning

behind the words that are used gets lost or confused without adequate attention given to clarifying the

nuances or the values under the surface. Our years of experience in the field have led us to understand

how one’s concept of the human person—what is it that makes each of us move and act?—underlies one’s

way of looking at development, and therefore one’s definition of priorities, strategies and, consequently,

results. For this reason we at AVSI-USA often find ourselves returning to this question, open and humble in

front of human freedom and desire. Let us share some examples:

Kiringye, Democratic Republic of Congo Our President, Ezio Castelli, was recently reflecting on his

experience forty years ago as one of the first AVSI volunteers who journeyed to the heart of Africa, the


Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as a young

man recently graduated from university in Italy as

an engineer. During those years of the 1970s and

1980s, the AVSI volunteers worked together with

the people they met to improve their livelihoods

through support along the peanut and rice value

chain, from farming to processing and marketing,

and through help to small farmer cooperatives.

They found ways to promote the valuable

initiatives that had sprung up from the people

themselves, including literacy classes, women’s

programs, water supply and irrigation schemes,

and basic education groups. AVSI learned

that even the best intervention plans must be

continuously cross-checked with the ever changing

context, and that the energy and commitment to

follow through on a project depends on sharing

the same vision with the people themselves. We

have learned that this means listening, watching,

and valuing what is being proposed from “the

bottom-up.”

Ezio also recalls that the commitment of that first

group of farmers caused a positive domino effect

on the surrounding areas. Thousands of farmers

progressively joined the two cooperatives as their

initial hesitation was overcome by the change

they recognized in others. We have learned that

people change when they witness something

positive being lived, and not simply because they

hear nice or even convincing words.

Many activities of that first integrated rural

development project in DRC continue even today

despite the tragic events and general instability in

that part of the country over the past two decades.

We see that the essential factors for success were

the commitment to the needs and interests of

the individuals working on the project, and the

comprehensive way of facing reality brought about

by the Christian event. We have learned that the

impact of projects or “external investments”

depends on the commitment and passion of

individual people who have been moved to work

and foster change.

All of this is in contrast to much of what we

hear around us. Often, development thinking

A project in Kiringye was one of the first stories in AVSI’s 40-year history. Today, AVSI continues to promote education, child protection, economic recovery and other projects in the eastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo.

19 Reflections on Development

and planning is based on the faulty assumption

that development will be automatic once certain

conditions are met. These days, many place

unrealistic hope in the availability of tools and

technologies, while others focus on the perfect

set of policies or the amount of financial resources

which will bring us closer to our dream of “an

end of poverty.” We tend to ignore the fact that

human behavior and social life is not mechanistic;

following such logic would reduce human nature

since it would do away with freedom and desire.

Kireka neighborhood, Kampala, Uganda As a

second example, think of the middle aged woman

in this vast urban slum who finds out she is

HIV+ and so are many of her children. What can

have any chance of breaking through the veil of

resignation and anxiety that she has to bear?

We have seen concretely with thousands of

women whose lives have been changed through

Meeting Point International that it is not just the

offer of a service—a regime of anti-retroviral drugs

for example, even if free—that helps a woman out

of her shell to embrace the potential of her life and

responsibility toward her children. Just like each of

us, she needs help to see that her life has inherent

value regardless of the disease and consequential

limitations on what she can do. When she meets

someone who helps her to affirm this, she gains

the courage to face her circumstances. But given

that poverty and disease aren’t circumstances

that are easily dealt with or resolved quickly, she

needs a beautiful companionship that lasts to help

her say “yes” each and every day to the path she

has chosen, which implies taking her medications,

finding work, caring for her children and worrying

about their education. Then, similar to the domino

effect witnessed in DRC, this woman can become

like a lighthouse which catches the attention of her

neighbors who are spurred to wonder how such

change has been possible.

The primary condition for any of us to develop is

to give in to the human desire for fulfillment that

is reawakened through events and encounters

which make us aware of the value and potential

of our life. Thus, human relationships are not a

hindrance to development or simply a tool, but

Rose Busingye founded Meeting Point International in the Kireka slum outside of Kampala, Uganda,, where over 1,000 women living with HIV/AIDS receive clinical care and other support. The women are most easily recognized by their joyful faces, singing and dancing and colorful beads sold to generate income.


When an emergency strikes a community where we are working, AVSI takes advantage of its long-term presence and knowledge of the context to help respond right away. After the Haiti earthquake, we helped to coordinate hundreds of medical volunteers who came to help those affected.

instead occasions to continually reawaken ourselves to the pursuit of beauty, happiness and goodness.

AVSI has moved forward into the world favoring relationships based on friendship, trust, mutual respect

and commitment among individuals and groups. When sparked, the human spirit attracts others and

can generate movement. AVSI’s role is to facilitate the energy and maturation of local “subjects” and their

intelligent, courageous response to the dramatic needs of their environment. This is the possibility for real

scaling-up and replication of successful actions.

Of course, the external environment—opportunities, resources, infrastructure, policies and social context—are

essential influencers on what change is possible. Yet, we will continue to insist that even in the best “enabling

environment,” without attention to the internal environment of desire within the human person, no policy or

technology will serve real needs.

We are fully committed to our engagement in this fascinating field of work, grateful for the opportunity to

communicate real examples of how development programs and international aid can be truly at the service of

the person.

21 Reflections on Development

AUdIted fInAncIAl StAteMent of ActIVItIeSAS of deceMbeR 31, 2011 And 2010

2011 2010

Support and Revenue

Unrestricted Donations 516,059 105,721

Grants 336,903 713,097

Program Service Revenue 6,646 22,577

Interest Income 1,099 2,123

TOTAL REVENUE $860,707 $843,518

Expenses

Program Services 113,963 82,871

Overseas Programs & Grants 536,962 711,266

Management & General 65,128 57,944

TOTAL EXPENSES $716,053 $851,481

Changes in Net Assets $144,654 (7,963)

Net Assets, Beginning of Year $12,514 $20,477

Net Assets, End of Year $157,168 $12,514

AV S I - U S A I S A 5 0 1 ( C ) 3 p U b l I C C H A R I T y R E g I S T E R E D I N T H E S TAT E o F N E w yo R k

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We are grateful to all those who support AVSI-USA, without whom

none of our work would be possible. If you would like to contribute

to our mission or to a specific project.

You can do so by check or credit card. By check, please mail to the following address:

AVSI-USA

529 14th St. NW, Suite 994

Washington, DC 20045

or you may donate by Paypal through our website:

www.avsi-usa.org

Questions? Write to [email protected]

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Documents

AVSI-USA Annual Report 2011