Masana wa Afrika Foundation aims to empower commun...

Masana wa Afrika Foundation aims to empower community-based organisations in Africa

(From left) Robyn Calder Harawi, Board Member, Masana wa Afrika and President, ELMA Philanthropies; Tsitsi Masiyiwa, Board Member, Masana wa Afrika, co-Founder and Chair, Higherlife Foundation; Elizabeth Tanya Masiyiwa, President and CEO, Higherlife Foundation, during the Masana wa Afrika launch.

Oscar J Jeke

Delta Philanthropies and The ELMA Foundation-funded Masana wa Afrika Foundation, which aims to promote and empower community-based organisations across Africa, was today launched in Cape Town, South Africa.

The organisation focuses on providing essential services that are unavailable to children and families in various communities.

The newly-established organisation features Zimbabwean billionaire, Strive Masiyiwa’s wife, Tsitsi, as a board member, with the foundation committing to support at least eight organisations in Zimbabwe, while it already supports at least 115 organisations in 13 African countries through multi-year unrestricted grants, with a plan to expand over the years to come.

Speaking at the launch, Foundation Director, Ruth Mapara said that the organisation believes in empowering communities as agents of sustainable development through changing and building within, noting that the plan is to bridge the funding gap in African communities through partnerships and collaborations with relevant funders.

She also added that the approach to focus on community-based organisations is to strengthen the foundation of solutions that work for them, while providing sufficient resources for the youth and children to succeed.

“Masana wa Afrika recognises the inherent potential and resilience of African communities. Our foundation is built on the belief that sustainable development can only be achieved when communities are empowered to lead and drive change from within. We are dedicated to providing the necessary support and resources to help African children and communities thrive.

“Together, we can ensure that community-based organisations have sufficient resources to enable children and youth in Africa to succeed,” she said.

Board chair of the foundation, Bernadette Moffat also noted that progress comes from within thus the focus on community organisations emanates, to find solutions and drive change within the given resources.

“Our foundation is built on the belief that sustainable development can only be achieved when communities are empowered to lead and drive change from within. We are dedicated to providing the necessary support and resources to help African children and communities thrive. We believe that true progress stems from within communities themselves, Moffat said.

“By investing in proximate leadership and supporting locally-led initiatives, we can unlock the full potential of African communities and create lasting change in the lives of children and their families. Masana wa Africa is trust-based philanthropy in action.”

The target for the foundation, essentially focuses on delivering services to children and families in communities, with such services varying from early childhood development programmes, child nutrition, support for children with disabilities, economic empowerment opportunities, psychological support, and HIV/Aids prevention and treatment services, demonstrating the variety of care and resources that community-based organisations provide to children.