Self Help Africa - Annual Report 2009

www.selfhelpafrica.org

Annual Report 2009

Our vision is an Africa free from hunger and poverty

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

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1 Ethiopia

agricultural advice savings and credit cooperative support agricultural cooperative support small business development seed development community development HIV/AIDS awareness

2 EritrEa

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

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


7 Burkina Faso

agricultural advice and support seed development crop diversification irrigated horticulture small business development gender, community development

8 ghana

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

Economic Empowerment for AfricaWhen it comes to ending hunger and poverty, the facts are actually quite simple. MostAfricans live in rural areas, where hunger is concentrated, and they farm land that - with a little help - can produce much more food.

That little help comes from you, as our work draws support from across Ireland, the UK, continental Europe and now the USA.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Ray Jordan, CEO

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2009


2009EritrEa 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.

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.


2009 Highlightsself help africa supported over 50 projects across nine countries in 2009 - here are just some of the highlights:

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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.

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.

Growing More Food

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.

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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.

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.

Supporting 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 ORgANISATIONSOURCE: FOOD AND AgRICULTURE ORgANIZATION

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Self Help Africa Annual Report 2009


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.

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-to-farmer, and farm cooperatives.

Supporting Enterprises

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.

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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.

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.

Climate Adaptation

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.

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Looking ahead after 25 years2009 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.

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

ACCOUNTSconsolidatEd statEmEnt oF Financial activitiEs For thE yEar EndEd 31 dEcEmBEr, 2009

unrestricted Funds

E

unrestricted Funds

£

restricted Funds

E

restricted Funds

£

total Funds2009

E

total Funds2009

£

total Funds2008

E

total Funds2008

£ incoming resourcesIncome resources from charitable activities- grant income 455,496 5,069,200 5,524,696 5,440,752 405,619 4,514,122 4,919,741 4,332,742Income resources from generated funds - Voluntary income 1,567,451 422,417 1,989,868 3,132,733 1,395,815 376,163 1,771,978 2,494,752Other Incoming Resources - Interest & investment income 43,476 140 43,616 54,971 38,715 125 38,840 43,776Total incoming resources: 2,066,423 5,491,757 7,558,180 8,628,456 1,840,149 4,890,410 6,730,559 6,871,270

resources expendedCharitable activities (1,561,393) (4,598,069) (6,159,462) (7,625,310) (1,390,421) (4,094,581) (5,485,002) (6,072,416)Costs of generating voluntary income (465,960) (18,196) (484,156) (714,865) (414,937) (16,204) (431,141) (569,283)governance costs (72,764) - (72,764) (74,012) (64,797) - (64,797) (58,939)total resources expended (2,100,117) (4,616,265) (6,716,382) (8,414,187) (1,870,155) (4,110,785) (5,980,940) (6,700,638) Revaluations of investment assets 2,373 - 2,373 (8,165) 2,113 - 2,113 (6,502)Transfers between funds 529,199 (529,199) - - 471,252 (471,252) - -Merger transaction costs - - - (37,273) - - - (29,682)

net incoming/(outgoing) resources 497,878 346,293 844,171 168,831 443,359 308,373 751,732 134,448 Funds at beginning of year 725,111 1,118,816 1,843,927 1,845,668 705,910 1,089,190 1,795,100 1,358,407Exchange gain/(loss) on consolidation 40,423 (158,366) (117,943) (170,572) (12,452) (221,755) (234,207) 302,245Funds at end of year 1,263,412 1,306,743 2,570,155 1,843,927 1,136,817 1,175,808 2,312,625 1,795,100



Full Consolidated Financial Statements for 2009 are available at www.selfhelpafrica.org

ACCOUNTS

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incomE sourcEs

in 2009, our programmes worked with 164,297 households in africa. Excluding fundraising and governance costs, it costs about €E37 to bring economic empowerment to a rural african family.

2009 (E)

Irish Aid 2,805,000EU 1,726,393general Donations 1,989,868Trusts/Foundations/Others 1,036,919

trEnds in total incomE

2009 (E)

Income 2005 4,900,139 Income 2006 5,857,832Income 2007 8,271,679Income 2008 8,628,456Income 2009 7,558,180

how your monEy was spEnt

2009

Charitable Activities 92%Fundraising 7%governance 1%

Irish Aid 37.1% EU 22.8% general Donations 26.3% Other Institutional Donors 13.8%

Charitable Activities

Fundraising governance

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

9m

8m

7m

6m

5m

4mcharitable activities

92%

ACCOUNTS


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.

SHA supporters Patricia and Harry PageUN 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

92% of funds of 2009 were spent on charitable activities. Fundraising accounted for only 7% of overall expenditure. www.selfhelpafrica.org

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

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 acrossthe UK in 2009 and reached as far as County Durham, spreading theword to children about the issues of poverty in developing countries.Schools throughout the country raised considerable funds in 2009from organising cake sales to holding non-uniform days.

Thank you for supporting the work of Self Help Africa!

Ireland Freepost, Dublin Road, Portlaoise, Co. Laois, IrelandTel +353 (0) 578 694034

UKFreepost RRXU-AZUB-EBEEWestgate House, Hills Lane, Shrewsbury SY1 1QU, UKTel +44 (0) 1743 277170

USaSelf Help Africa Inc.304 Park Avenue South, 11th FloorNew York, NY 10010, United StatesTel: +1-917-289-0670

EthiopiaPO Box 1204, Bole Road, Addis Ababa,Tel. +251 115 522313

wEst aFrica12 PO Box 315, Ougadougou 12, Burkina FasoTel. +226 50 36 89 60

zamBia181 Bishops Road, Kabulonga,PO. Box 37484, LusakaTel. +260 211 265384

EritrEaPO Box 9313, Asmara,Tel. +291 118 8382Tel. +265 1750568

kEnyaPO Box 2248 Code 20100, Nakuru,Tel. +254 O51 2212291

malawiPO Box B-495 Lilongwe,Tel. +265 1750568

ugandaPlot 14 B, Off Naguru 2 RdPO. Box 32249, Kampala,Tel. +256 414 286305


Documents

Self Help Africa - Annual Report 2009