- The United States African Development Foundation has signed two grant agreements to benefit community groups in Cape Verde. The grants will benefit Associação Cabo-verdiana de Deficientes (ACD) and Apoio a Autopromoção da Mulher no Desenvolvimento (MORABI).
After signing the grants, USADF President Lloyd Pierson stated, “These grants will support some of Cape Verde’s most marginalised populations so that they can create jobs, increase their incomes, and secure a better quality of life for themselves and their families.”
A community organisation in Praia, ACD assists persons with disabilities to improve their quality of life by operating a candle production project. ACD’s main challenge is pinpointing an alternate and sustainable way to self-generate funding to continue to serve the candle makers. The three year grant will be used to establish working capital, purchase candle making equipment, and training.
MORABI is a non-profit microfinance institution with headquarters in Praia and smaller branches in rural locations across Cape Verde.
With access to microfinance for credit and savings extremely limited for the poor in Cape Verde, this organisation fits the needs of this particular niche of people. MORABI offers financial services to poor households so that they may save for their health, education, large purchases, and times of hardships.
By empowering women and women’s groups, the organisation also allows women to integrate into the economic market, generate incomes and create more jobs. The three year grant will equip the offices, fund training, provide technical assistance, and cover administrative costs.
USADF began programming in Cape Verde in 2003. Cape Verde’s current portfolio stands at fifteen investment projects totaling more than $3 million.
Meanwhile, USADF has also signed three grants which will benefit the Gando Farmers Association, Jumuiya ya Wakulima wa Kilimo Hai Usambara Mashariki (JUWAKAIHUMA), and TanFeeds in Tanzania.
The three groups are engaged in the production and marketing of organic spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric, and black pepper for domestic and export markets as well as the production and marketing of animal feeds.
The grants ranging from three to four years are designed to help in capacity building as well expanding and accessing new markets for the communities.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
front page
| news
| countries
| archive
| currencies
| news alerts login
| about afrol News
| contact
| advertise
| español