AFD in Action: Backing 19 New NGO Projects

Earlier this summer, AFD’s NGO Committee approved more than €24 million in grants to be allocated to 19 new projects led by 19 different Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).

DEVELOPING A NETWORK OF INCLUSIVE MICROFINANCE INSTITUTIONS IN MADAGASCAR

In Madagascar, only 29% of households have access to formal financial services, and just 3% to bank loans. Against this backdrop, the development of microfinance mechanisms offers an effective solution for improving people’s living conditions. In this second phase of the project, ATIA, a French non-profit organization, will provide ongoing support to two social microfinance institutions, Mampita and Sahi. Over the next three years, nearly 13,000 self-employed people and their families will benefit from the services offered by Mampita and Sahi. 

AFD has awarded a three-year grant totaling €680,000.

HUMANITY AND INCLUSION

This organization is working to provide inclusive access to education and vocational training related to mental health issues in Benin, Lebanon, Madagascar, Togo, Senegal and Sierra Leone. 

The goal of this multi-year partnership agreement is to make tangible improvements to the living conditions of people with disabilities and vulnerable populations. First, the project aims to help young people with disabilities play a more active role in their personal and social development, by ensuring they have access to the full continuum of education and vocational training. 
Second, the initiative is focused on two key drivers of change: reducing the stigma around people with psychosocial disabilities and allowing users to be more involved in their own care. 

AFD has awarded a two-year grant totaling €3,960,000.

MAKING WAVES: PRODUCING RADIO CONTENT IN SENEGAL AND MAURITANIA TO FOSTER SOCIAL COHESION AND CO-DEVELOPMENT (PHASE 1)

Making Waves, a French NGO which supports popular education through radio and serves as a creative studio for multicultural radio dramas, is leading a project to foster social ties in two Sahelian countries through the production of radio content. A radio drama will be produced based on Senegalese writer Mohamed Mbougar Sarr’s first novel, “Brotherhood”, and scripted in collaboration with writers from the Sahel. 

AFD has awarded a three-year grant totaling €246,500.

ASSOCIATION FOR RURAL TOURISM TRAINING - AFRAT: DRIVING LOCAL DEVELOPMENT IN ARMENIA BY STRUCTURING HIKING AND ECOTOURISM ACTIVITIES

Hemmed in between mountains and border areas, rural communities in Armenia are gradually moving away from their land. This program aims to bring structure to the hiking and ecotourism sectors, creating new economic, social, environmental and cultural opportunities for the people of rural Armenia. The project will also advocate hiking as a vehicle for fostering social cohesion and preserving mountain areas.  

AFD has awarded a three-year grant totaling €1,020,000.

EUROPEAN INSTITUTE FOR COOPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT - IECD MOROCCO: SUPPORTING YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS IN MOROCCO TO FACILITATE ECONOMIC INTEGRATION

The Drâa-Tafilalet region in southeastern Morocco is located far away from the country’s main economic hubs and is one of its poorest areas. The region’s unemployment rate is close to 10%, with a high proportion of young people and women out of work. 

The Moroccan civil society organization (CSO), IECD Morocco, has designed a new project to bolster the entrepreneurial ecosystem in this disadvantaged region. The organization aims to meet the specific needs of young people who want to launch and develop their own businesses. 

AFD has awarded a three-year grant totaling €500,000.
 

SOS VILLAGES D’ENFANTS FRANCE: DEVELOPING A REGIONAL APPROACH TO THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE IN BURKINA FASO, TOGO, CAMEROON AND CÔTE D'IVOIRE

As part of its second phase, the ARPEJ (Regional Approach to the Protection of Children and Young People) program is building the capacities of people working to protect children’s rights in Burkina Faso, Togo, Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire. Close to 500,000 people – half of whom vulnerable children – will benefit from this initiative.

AFD has awarded a three-year grant totaling €2,700,000.

THE CHAIN OF HOPE: PEDIATRIC CARDIAC SURGERY and SCREENING IN THE INDIAN OCEAN REGION – PHASE 1

This project aims to facilitate access to pediatric cardiac surgery in Madagascar and the Union of the Comoros. A multifaceted approach has been adopted for this first phase, which combines community awareness-raising and prevention initiatives with actions to improve the referral system and health care facilities, train health professionals across various levels of the public health pyramid, and provide medical and surgical care for children with heart disease. 

AFD has awarded a three-year grant totaling €1,190,000.

INADES FORMATION: BUILDING THE CAPACITIES OF AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVES TO PROMOTE AND DEVELOP AGROECOLOGICAL PRACTICES FOR COCOA FARMING IN CÔTE D'IVOIRE

Based in Côte d’Ivoire, this project aims to overcome current challenges in cocoa production, such as deforestation and declining soil fertility, by promoting agroecology and building the capacities of agricultural cooperatives. Led by INADES-Formation, an Ivorian CSO, and supported by GRET and INPHB, the project follows on from the work of the Equité 2 program. This project will cover five new geographical areas, while giving priority to female and young producers. 

AFD has awarded a three-year grant totaling €1,000,000.
 

MADA: ESTABLISHING A LOCALIZED AND RESILIENT FOOD SYSTEM IN LEBANON 

The goal of this project is to reconcile short-term food security needs–via the establishment of solidarity canteens in Beirut and Tripolo–with long-term objectives to structure the food system, by developing agroecological practices and incorporating producers into the industry’s value chains. The NGO Mada is well-known for its work in northern Lebanon, where it has been operating since the 2000s. Mada has built a strong partnership with CCFD-Terre Solidaire, which is also involved in the project. 

AFD has awarded a three-year grant totaling €640,000.
 

MÉDECINS DU MONDE: 

Strengthening the operations and expertise of médecins du monde to facilitate access to health care services and rights for vulnerable populations in Ethiopia, Madagascar, Myanmar, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Nepal, the Philippines and the DRC 

This CSO project is based on three strategic priorities: reducing inequalities in access to health care and the rights of sex workers; reducing cervical cancer morbidity and mortality rates in women through pilot initiatives and innovative approaches; and supporting the actions of vulnerable populations to limit the health risks associated with exposure to harmful environments. These priorities will manifest in pilot projects in Nepal, the Philippines and the DRC. 

AFD has awarded a two-year grant totaling €4,230,000.

SECULAR SOLIDARITY: DRIVING SOCIAL CHANGE AND INCREASING RESILIENCE IN HAITIAN SCHOOLS 

The education system in Haiti has been heavily impacted by a series of social, health and security crises. This program follows on from an initial phase of work targeting 25 public schools, mainly located in isolated and remote areas in Grand'Anse, Nippes and the Sud department. The aim of this initiative by Solidarité Laïque is to raise the quality of education and increase the system’s resilience amid the multiple crises affecting the country.

AFD has awarded a grant of €2,500,000.
 

taking a child by the hand: RENOVATING THE SALAGNAC AGRICULTURAL TRAINING, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER IN HAITI

The project’s main objective is to encourage civil society members to play a wider and more committed role in rural Haiti’s economic and social development. In the second phase of this project, the goal is to provide ongoing support for the local development process on the Rochelois Plateau and strengthen the measures already taken. 

It aims also to build on the momentum behind the local development operations already launched, by raising young people’s awareness of environmental protection and preservation of cultivated ecosystems in partnership with Groupe d'Action Francophone pour l'Environnement (GAFE). 

AFD has awarded a grant of €595,000.

CRATERRE: PROMOTING HEALTHY AND SAFE HOUSING VIA A GENDER-BASED APPROACH IN CENTRAL AMERICA – MEXICO, HONDURAS AND EL SALVADOR

The aim of the project is to promote the construction of housing for vulnerable groups, in accordance with local building practices, risk management principles and a gender-based approach, by building the capacities of residents and organizations in Mexico, Honduras and El Salvador. 

AFD has awarded a grant of €765,000.
 

PLAN INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FRANCE: REDUCING PERIOD POVERTY AND PROMOTING THE ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT OF TEENAGE GIRLS AND WOMEN IN AKKAR, LEBANON   

Based in the Akkar region of northern Lebanon, the primary goal of this project is to improve women’s menstrual health enable women to be more financially independent. The initiative will support the economic empowerment of women by providing training and installing a production facility for reusable sanitary towels. 

AFD has awarded a grant of €637,500.
 

ASOCIACIÓN PARA EL DESARROLLO CAMPESINO (ADC): PROMOTING SOCIAL DIALOGUE TO BOOST SUSTAINABLE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTHWEST COLOMBIA - SINCHISUYU

Sinchisuyu means “strong territory” in the Kichwa language. This word exemplifies the project’s aim to support participatory processes for designing and implementing public development policy to support agroecology and peasant farming in rural areas.
 
AFD has awarded a grant of €600,000.
 

FUNDACIÓN PARA EL BIENESTAR HUMANO: COMBATING GENDER INEQUALITY IN COLOMBIA

The goal of the project is to help reduce gender inequality by improving knowledge and understanding and by changing people’s attitudes to unpaid work. The project is being implemented in the department of Antioquia, in Colombia, where pioneering work has been carried out in this field.

AFD has awarded a grant of €440,000.

aCTING together to protect human rights:
DEVELOPING A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO THE PROTECTION OF SEXUAL AND GENDER MINORITies

The LGBT+Care project is a multi-partner initiative to develop a holistic approach to the protection of sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations in three regions: the Caucasus, West and Central Africa. The project is structured around three objectives and levers: strengthening protection and security mechanisms for SGM populations, supporting social and economic inclusion, and reinforcing political and legal frameworks to recognize SGM rights. 

AFD has awarded a grant of €1,700,000.

WORLD COALITION AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY: ENSURING THAT NO PERSON FACING THE DEATH PENALTY IS LEFT BEHIND BY ADOPTING AN INTERSECTIONAL AND GENDER-BASED APPROACH 

This project aims to support the abolition movement in addressing the role of intersectional discrimination (including gender-based discrimination) in the administration of capital punishment. 

The overall aim is to support advocacy for the total abolition of the death penalty and to demonstrate that, in practice, the death penalty is applied in a discriminatory manner across the world, and must be abolished.

AFD has awarded a grant of €510,000.

ARS-ANIMA: 24 HOURS IN THE LIFE OF A WOMAN

A new exhibition tracks the life stories of six young girls as they become women in six different countries around the world–Iranian Kurdistan, Guatemala, Guinea, India, Nigeria and France. We see how they face the violence of war, domestic violence and forced marriage, in the exhibition, “24 Hours in the Life of a Woman.” It portrays each woman’s path to emancipation, in an attempt to show that progress can be made, and that it is happening now. 

AFD has awarded a three-year grant totaling €680,000.