World NGO Day – EPIC-Africa Celebrates African NGOs

Today is World NGO Day. Observed annually on 27 February since 2014, it is a day dedicated to recognising, celebrating and honouring the contributions and profound impact of NGOs worldwide and the people behind them.

EPIC-Africa joins the African and global NGO community and other stakeholders in commemorating World NGO Day.

NGOs are critical to Africa's well-being and development. Their efforts in providing services to the most geographically and socially marginalised populations, promoting rights-based approaches, shaping and influencing policy processes, and implementing development interventions, demonstrate and confirm their position as critical development stakeholders. Their contributions complement those provided by states, the private sector and others, and reinforce the necessity of increased collaboration between these stakeholders to respond meaningfully to Africa's development challenges.

At the same time, insufficient data often renders African NGOs' contributions invisible. As a result, many Africans are unaware that many of the benefits they enjoy today directly result from NGO-led actions. Furthermore, NGOs often lack the financial and moral support they need from the public. Invisibility and fragmentation prevent NGOs from connecting with and learning from one another and leveraging the benefits of networking and collaboration. Many worthy NGOs remain off funders' radar, and insufficient funding leads to resource constraints compromising their organisational health and effectiveness.

This reality is less than ideal.

In response to this situation, EPIC-Africa is committed to fundamentally changing the narrative about African NGOs, including the challenges and opportunities they face.

EPIC-Africa's work supporting African NGOs resonates closely with the objectives of World NGO Day. Its ongoing NGO mapping and survey projects, and initiatives such as the African CSO Excellence Awards, generate critical data and insights that increase African NGOs' visibility, credibility, and knowledge by highlighting who they are, what they do and how, who funds them, and the impact they make.

Looking ahead, EPIC-Africa will launch a ground-breaking new intervention, the African CSO Platform, in June 2023. The platform's vision is to strengthen, transform and reposition the role of African NGOs in the broader development and philanthropy ecosystem.

With a database of thousands of African NGOs at its core, it will produce actionable insights on the sector and enable CSOs to find and connect with each other and funders. It will become the strategic, one-stop, online entry point to the African NGO sector.

Similar and complementary to the objectives of World NGO Day, the platform will be EPIC-Africa's unique contribution to celebrating the work of African NGOs on an ongoing basis.

Rose Maruru is the Executive Director, and David Barnard the Programme Director at EPIC-Africa.

EPIC-Africa announces long-list for the 1st edition of the African Civil Society Organization (CSO) Excellence Awards

-       Forty-five (45) organizations have been selected out of close to 400 applicants from 46 African countries

-       The Awards highlight the importance of organizational capacity for civil society

organizations to achieve program impact

 -       Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) are awarded for excellence across eight (8) major

categories of organizational capacity

  DAKAR, Sénégal, 26 February, 2019/--EPIC-Africa, the pan-African organization using innovations in technology to bring greater visibility and transparency to the African philanthropy sector, has today announced the 45 organizations long-listed for the African CSO Excellence Awards. The 45 CSOs were selected from close to 400 applicants hailing from 46 African countries.

 “These 45 organizations represent the width and breadth of the African civil society sector with applicants from 13 countries and working on all major issues impacting the continent such as Conflict resolution, education, water, sanitation and health . These CSOs stand out because of their commitment to organizational excellence as evidenced by their performance across the eight main indicators”, explained Adwoa Agyeman, co-founder of EPIC-Africa.

 The Awards, launched in 2018 with the support of the Rockefeller Foundation, highlight the importance of organizational capacity to achieve program impact. They showcase civil society organizations who demonstrate excellence across eight key elements of organizational capacity: Strategic Ability and Adaptability, Leadership and Governance, Financial Health and Management, Human Resources and Staff Development, Operations, Communications, Partnerships and Alliances and Monitoring and Evaluation.

 Rose Maruru, co-founder of EPIC-Africa added, “We are excited to see that African CSOs from 46 countries ranging in size and focus chose to participate in this inaugural edition of the African CSO Excellence Awards. The 45 CSOs on our long-list represent the best in organizational excellence and are a great example of best practices in key areas such as strategic ability, leadership and financial management. We are delighted to bring more visibility to their work.”

 The rigorous selection process for the African CSO Excellence Awards will see a further shortlisting to 27 CSOs by mid-March. The final winners across each category and the overall winner will be given the opportunity to fundraise on the international GlobalGiving Platform, benefit from a series of capacity building workshops, increase their media visibility and participate in networking opportunities through the African CSO Excellence Awards community.

 Media contact

Chakera McIntosh

Communications Specialist

EPIC-Africa

cmcintosh@epic-africa.org

  About EPIC-Africa

EPIC-Africa seeks to enhance philanthropic impact by filling critical data and capacity gaps in the philanthropic market infrastructure in Africa. We envisage a vibrant philanthropic ecosystem with diverse, influential, sustainable African civil society groups at the center. EPIC-Africa contributes to this transformative vision by enabling: Greater visibility, increased resources, widespread communication, more diversified and steady funding, transparency, accountability and a resilient ecosystem. For more information, visit www.epic-africa.org

Meet the Evaluators: 2018 African CSO Excellence Awards

African Civil Society Organization (CSO) Excellence Awards Announces Panel of Evaluators

DAKAR, Sénégal, December 7, 2018-- EPIC-Africa (www.epic-africa.org), the pan-African organization using innovations in technology to bring greater visibility and transparency to the African philanthropy sector, has today announced the evaluators for the inaugural edition of the African Civil Society Organization(CSO) Excellence Awards.The African CSO Excellence Awards is a joint initiative between EPIC-Africa (www.epic-africa.org) and the Rockefeller Foundation (www.rockfound.org). The Awards highlight the importance of organizational capacity to achieve program impact and showcase African civil society organizations who demonstrate organizational excellence despite daunting challenges.

The evaluation panel will be chaired by Mamadou Biteye, the Rockefeller Foundation’s Managing Director for Africa, and includes: COO for the Ecobank Foundation, Carl Manlan; Founder and Managing Director of Busara Africa, Taaka Awori; Vice-President for Programs at Co-Impact, Rakesh Rajani; Grants & Partnership Officer for the TY Danjuma Foundation, Gima H. Forje; Organizational Effectiveness Expert, CR Hibbs; Program Officer for the Southern Africa office of the Ford Foundation,Vuyiswa Sidzumo and Product Designer Kennedy Kirui from iHUB Kenya.

Full bios and images of the evaluators can be found here.

Adwoa Agyeman, co-founder of EPIC-Africa, says:

“The evaluation panel for this year’s award is a stellar group of practitioners and thinkers in African philanthropy today. They are committed to strengthening African civil society organizations and using technology to bring innovation and dynamism to a sector that is so essential to Africa’s advancement. They are all recognized experts among donors, program officers, technology specialists and organizational effectiveness researchers.”

The evaluators will award Excellence prizes in each of the eight main indicators of organizational capacity:Strategic Ability and Adaptability, Leadership and Governance, Financial Health and Management, Human Resources and Staff Development, Operations, Communications, Partnerships and Alliances, and Monitoring and Evaluation. An overall prize is also awarded to the Civil Society Organization who shows exemplary success across all indicators.

Mamadou Biteye, chair of the evaluation panel, says:

 “Organizational effectiveness is one of the major factors contributing to program impact and the sustainability of CSOs in Africa. I am honored to be a part of this panel with its unique mix of skills and expertise. I look forward to looking at the key indicators of organizational excellence with my fellow evaluators and helping to set the standards for transparency and impact that are so essential to ensuring stable organizations can carry out their missions for transformative change in Africa.”

Key dates:The African CSO Excellence Awards are open until December 31, 2018. Candidates will be shortlisted between January and March 2019 with the final winners announced in April 2019.

To get the most up-to-date news on the awards, follow EPIC-Africa on Twitter and Facebook or visit the website:African CSO Excellence Awards.

Media contacts

Chakera McIntosh

Communications Lead

EPIC-Africa

cmcintosh@epic-africa.org   

 Achieng’ Otieno

Communications Officer

The Rockefeller Foundation, Africa Regional Office

aotieno@rockfound.org

About EPIC-Africa

EPIC-Africa seeks to enhance philanthropic impact by filling critical data and capacity gaps in the philanthropic market infrastructure in Africa. We envisage a vibrant philanthropic ecosystem with diverse, influential, sustainable African civil society groups at the center. EPIC-Africa contributes to this transformative vision by enabling: Greater visibility, increased resources, widespread communication, more diversified and steady funding, transparency, accountability and a resilient ecosystem. For more information, visit www.epic-africa.org

About The Rockefeller Foundation            

For more than 100 years, The Rockefeller Foundation’s mission has been to promote the well-being of humanity throughout the world. Today the Foundation is focused on securing the fundamentals of human well-being—health, food, power, and jobs—to ensure every family experiences dignity and opportunity in our rapidly urbanizing world. Together with partners and grantees, The Rockefeller Foundation strives to catalyze and scale transformative innovations, create unlikely partnerships that span sectors, and take risks others cannot—or will not. For more information, visit www.rockefellerfoundation.org. 

EPIC-Africa and Rockefeller Foundation partner to launch the first African CSO Excellence Awards

EPIC-Africa and Rockefeller Foundation partner to launch the first African CSO Excellence Awards

- The Awards highlight the importance of organizational capacity for civil society organizations to achieve program impact.

- Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) are awarded for excellence across eight (8) major elements of organizational capacity

- Applications for the African CSO Excellence Awards are now open

DAKAR, Sénégal, 16 October, 2018/--EPIC-Africa, with the support of The Rockefeller Foundation has today launched the call for applications for the first African CSO Excellence Awards. The Awards highlight the importance of organizational capacity to achieve program impact, and showcase civil society organizations who demonstrate excellence across eight key elements of organizational capacity: Strategic Ability and Adaptability, Leadership and Governance, Financial Health and Management, Human Resources and Staff Development, Operations, Communications, Partnerships and Alliances and Monitoring and Evaluation.

The awards are now open to civil society groups across Africa to apply for the opportunity to fundraise on the international GlobalGiving Platform, benefit from a series of capacity building workshops, increase their media visibility and participate in networking opportunities through the African CSO Excellence Awards community.

EPIC-Africa is at the forefront of the charge to strengthen the infrastructure that supports civil society organizations and to deepen philanthropic impact in Africa. Mamadou Biteye, Managing Director of The Rockefeller Foundation’s Africa Office said, “As a major development partner in Africa, it is imperative that we invest in initiatives that highlight the importance of organizational capacity for program impact. We are delighted to support EPIC-Africa in this innovative approach to map the pan-African CSO sector and showcase the highest standards of organizational excellence among CSOs in Africa. These awards will also expand the opportunity for increased partnerships among key organizations on the continent, for greater impact.”

Rose Maruru, co-founder of EPIC-Africa added, “We are pleased to launch these awards to showcase the EPIC work that CSOs are doing all across Africa and make the case for ever more support for organizational capacity. This will allow CSOs to continue to be catalysts for the transformational change that our continent needs.” Africa has the youngest population in the world. According to the UNDP, by 2055, the continent’s youth population (aged 15-24), is expected to be more than double the 2015 total of 226 million.

Adwoa Agyeman, co-founder of EPIC-Africa commented that “Africa will be relying heavily on the CSO sector over the next few decades to truly maximize its demographic dividend.” She added that “it will take concerted effort around key areas such as education, healthcare, employability, governance and human rights to reshape the continent. We know that CSOs cannot fully deliver on Africa’s promise to its young people when they have, among others, financing, human resources, and communications challenges to deal with on a daily basis. We are committed therefore to highlighting those who are thriving despite difficult circumstances and to share their approaches so that others can also learn.”

The African CSO Excellence Awards are open until December 31, 2018. Candidates will be shortlisted between January and March 2019 with the final winners announced in April 2019.

Media contacts

Chakera McIntosh

Communications Specialist, EPIC-Africa cmcintosh@epic-africa.org

Achieng’ Otieno

Communications Officer, The Rockefeller Foundation Africa Regional Office aotieno@rockfound.org

About EPIC-Africa

EPIC-Africa seeks to enhance philanthropic impact by filling critical data and capacity gaps in the philanthropic market infrastructure in Africa. We envisage a vibrant philanthropic ecosystem with diverse, influential, sustainable African civil society groups at the center. EPICAfrica contributes to this transformative vision by enabling: Greater visibility, increased resources, widespread communication, more diversified and steady funding, transparency, accountability and a resilient ecosystem. For more information, visit www.epic-africa.org

About The Rockefeller Foundation

For more than 100 years, The Rockefeller Foundation’s mission has been to promote the wellbeing of humanity throughout the world. Today the Foundation is focused on securing the fundamentals of human well-being—health, food, power, and jobs—to ensure every family experiences dignity and opportunity in our rapidly urbanizing world. Together with partners and grantees, The Rockefeller Foundation strives to catalyze and scale transformative innovations, create unlikely partnerships that span sectors, and take risks others cannot—or will not. For more information, visit www.rockefellerfoundation.org.