afrol News, 23 September - 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.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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