AFRICA DEVELOPMENT PROMISE STRATEGIC PLAN

2021 - 2025

Collective Action for the Common Good

Africa Development Promise’s Five Year Strategic Plan 2021-2025

Executive SummaryAfrica Development Promise (ADP) is a US based nonprofit organization that focuses its resources on improving the lives and livelihoods of rural women in Rwanda and Uganda, providing them the tools to gain economic self-sufficiency. Our primary entry point has been agriculture because seventy percent of women rely on subsistence farming for their livelihood or self-employment. We promote the cooperative model of enterprise because members can pool resources (money, labor, and knowledge) to create economies of scale, thus reducing risks to individual members, and instead placing it on the enterprise itself.

Through our work, ADP is poised to touch most of the 17 SDGs, but we believe our potential to make the greatest impact lies within SDG 1: No Poverty and SDG 5: Gender Equality. Research shows that achieving the SDGs by 2030 requires addressing poverty alongside inequality. Rural African women regularly manage complex multi-generational households. Their responsibilities include farming, tending to animals, preparing food, taking care of children and sick family members, collecting fuelwood and water, and more. This work burden is often unpaid and therefore not classified as “economically active employment” at the national level, but is vital to the well-being of rural households. Research shows that approximately seventy percent of rural women in Rwanda and Uganda practice rain-fed subsistence farming because they have little to no access to government-provided extension services, labor saving agricultural tools and inputs that are important for ensuring good crop yields. Rural women are also often denied access to landownership and credit and therefore hampered in their ability to invest in the agricultural sector. Yet, agriculture continues to be the dominant livelihood option as they pursue alternative livelihood strategies. These interconnected challenges are the factors that contribute to the marginalization of women and make ADP’s mission to improve the life and livelihood of rural women more important than ever.

ADP is committed to seeing rural women reach their potential as self-sufficient individuals. Besides being a moral necessity, research shows that securing women’s livelihood yields higher returns in poverty reduction and improves the education and welfare of children, as women spend about 90 percent of their income on their families. Furthermore, supporting women has a multiplier effect – for everyone woman we support, an average of 5-7 people receive the benefits of this action. Empowering rural women—the process of educating, training, and developing their capacity both as individuals and/or institutions (cooperatives) – is at the core of our programs and mission. We invest in enhancing their entrepreneurial capacity through various training programs tailored to the cooperative’s unique needs. We also help them to invest in much needed farm infrastructure such as greenhouses, irrigation systems and labor reducing tools that improve efficiency and productivity.

When ADP launched in 2014, we served one small agricultural cooperative of 66 members in Bugesera District of Rwanda. As of August 2020, we are supporting nine groups – nearly 480 members – in Rwanda and Uganda with inputs, training, credit, and access to markets for social and economic growth. As a result, we have directly and indirectly impacted approximately 2,700 people. While agriculture is our primary entry point, we have added a girl’s career awareness and vocational training program that offers

additional livelihood skills to both cooperative and community members.

Between 2021 and 2025 Africa Development Promise will strengthen livelihood opportunities for approximately 2,000 additional women and in so doing impact the lives of 12,000 family members. In addition, we will reach 950 students (especially girls) with computer literacy classes through our school partnerships and Girls with Dreams project – preparing the next generation of youth for better careers.

Mission:

Vision:

Africa Development Promise is an international non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the life and livelihoods of rural women in East Africa through training and resources that support their collective efforts to operate competitively in the marketplace.

Africa Development Promise envisions a future where rural women have the knowledge, resources, and opportunities to build sustained and resilient livelihoods that benefit themselves, their families, and their communities.

Core Values:Africa Development Promise is committed to the following five core values that serve as a road map for how we do our work to achieve our mission.

Partnership. We walk in solidarity with local citizen-stakeholders.

Local Knowledge. We respect the competence in the women we serve.

Equity and Inclusion. We strive to create a welcoming space for all.

Sustainability. We measure our impact in long-term economic resilience, enabled byenvironmental stewardship.

Integrity. We treat each other, our donors, and the communities we serve withhonesty, fairness, and accountability.

Core Program PracticesADP’s core program practices are designed so that the women and other local stakeholders are the key drivers of their economic and social growth.

We build on the strengths and successes of existing collectives.

We work alongside government to ensure the sustainability of our efforts.

We prioritize local staff and local resources for the benefit of local economic growth.

We celebrate rural entrepreneurial women business success

Governance and Management Training – ADP believes that training is the foundation of effective cooperative governance. Members are best served when cooperative leaders understand the principles of running a co-op, their roles and responsibilities and those of members, the importance of operational and financial management, and strategic planning to name a few. We offer training in all aspects of running a cooperative because it is the only way to ensure long-term sustainability, additionally it acts as a bridge for civic engagement.

Technical/Vocational Training and Mentoring – To provide a competitive advantage, Africa Development Promise offers women farmers specialized, hands-on technical training that addresses subjects such as soil fertility, water resource management, climate adaptation, weed and pest management, as well as harvest and post-harvest best practices. For those women who are interested in micro-businesses, we offer vocational and business training.

Infrastructure Solutions – Besides training, we support them with modern farming techniques such as greenhouses, machinery, improved seed, fertilizer, and other complementary inputs. In addition, our computer lab connects women to markets, credit, management tools and the resources available to those on the right side of the digital divide.

Network Building – ADP works alongside cooperatives, in partnership with government agencies, businesses, and other NGOs to build their networks allowing them to share market information; demand and distribution channels; storage facilities; and link them to financial institutions, etc. As these partnerships grow, they begin to operate interdependently creating a sustainable environment where all parties can thrive.

Program Approach

Theory of ChangeAt ADP, we believe that collective action, training and enterprise are proven pathways for empowering rural women to achieve their livelihood goals. In fragile rural economies, single-owned enterprises tend to fail because entrepreneurs lack management knowledge and skills. The income is sporadic and uncertain, making it difficult to invest in growth. This is especially true for women who also lack access to the resources they need to gain social and economic mobility. ADP addresses the barriers that prevent women from seizing the opportunities that a growing economy provides. As East Africa transitions to a market-based approach in agriculture, we aim to ensure that women farmers are poised to take advantage of the new markets. We believe the women have skills and local knowledge, and our programs are designed to make women the key drivers of their social and economic growth.

ADP promotes women’s cooperatives because they offer women a safe environment to explore and develop their skills, collaborate on projects, and learn from each other. Cooperatives can become a powerful group-based venture for social inclusion, political and economic empowerment of their members because they are based on the principles of voluntary and open membership, democratic member control, member economic participation, member education, and concern for the community. Furthermore, cooperatives offer opportunities that smallholder farmers could not achieve individually. By acting collectively, they can pool resources (money, labor, and knowledge) to create economies of scale, increase their income and bargaining power. In addition, cooperatives play an important role in job creation by directly supporting productive self-employment and generating additional employment opportunities. ADP’s goal, therefore, is to build the capacity of the cooperative as an organization and to empower its members for meaningful participation and development into agents of change.

When ADP identifies a cooperative, we go through a participatory assessment process to determine the gaps between existing cooperative capacity and needed capacity. Our experience with the participatory assessment and planning process has been very positive, even though it takes much longer than the traditional planning processes. The additional time spent together allows us to build trust with the cooperative, gives the women an opportunity to provide meaningful input, and allows for a common learning process. Using surveys and a series of focus groups we determine the stage of development, their performance, what has or has not worked, their aspirations as a group, and most importantly, we look for demonstrated commitment and a willingness to invest and grow. We also conduct a rapid value chain analysis to establish the supply, demand, opportunities, and challenges.

Building the management capacity of the cooperative is about strengthening overall performance. For ADP this means strengthening governance and leadership, operations, and management, monitoring and evaluation and human resources skills, so the cooperative can work towards their broader goals. As the cooperatives become stronger, they are better able to attract and recruit members, thus, better able to leverage their influence with the local community and public officials. Collectively they can define and address the barriers that hinder women’s social, economic, and political growth.

Building member capacity not only enhances their ability to develop their full economic potential, but also helps them start savings-and-loans groups, where they can take out small, low interest loans which in turn support livelihood diversification and asset building. To support their income diversification efforts, ADP launched a vocation program that offers additional livelihood skills to both cooperative and community members. Studies have shown that when women’s economic potential is enhanced economies thrive and the benefits of growth reach more people.

Current Programs:When ADP launched in 2014, we served one small agricultural cooperative in Rwanda. As of 2020, we are supporting nine groups – nearly 450 members – in Rwanda and Uganda with inputs, training, credit, and access to markets for social and economic growth. We have made significant progress in both countries delivering profitable results, demonstrating sustainability, and cultivating local leadership. Our primary entry point is mobilizing women-led agricultural cooperatives with a focus on building their capacity.

AgricultureADP works to ensure that women farmers are poised to capitalize on expanding markets as East Africa adopts more market-based approaches to agriculture. Our agriculture programs are designed to strengthen the capacity of women-led agricultural cooperatives, enabling them to improve their business management skills, cooperative governance, expand their networks, and increase productivity. Working with the cooperatives we help them identify the strengths and gaps in their operations and develop a plan that trains them on improved production techniques, post-harvest storage and food processing; adoption of improved agricultural inputs and technologies; and how to access markets directly.

Water and Solar Energy Resources Most of the cooperatives that ADP supports initially relied on rain-fed agriculture, but with increasing climate irregularities farmers were generating very low yields or experiencing crop failure. For cooperatives to achieve the desired sustained growth there is a need to invest in agricultural water resource technologies. ADP assesses the water limitations and needs for the crops the cooperative grow or plans to grow and based on that we determine the best irrigation option (full-fledge or supplemental irrigation). ADP has implemented irrigation systems that include hillside irrigation, water harvesting, solar powered irrigation, that include drip irrigation, gravity fed sprinklers and/or drag hoses. ADP has also integrated a solar energy retail sales model to meet the challenges of delivering affordable energy solutions to rural communities in the Wakiso District of Uganda.

Vocational ProgramWorking with the women we have learned that women often start their individual micro-businesses, running them alongside the cooperative enterprise. ADP’s Vocational Training program was launched in Uganda in February 2019 to enhance and improve livelihood opportunities of the rural women and girls we serve and the broader community. Programs are held at our training facility and offers cooperatives members, middle and high school students, and community members access to computer literacy, tailoring, and entrepreneurship courses. Theses courses are designed to enhance entrepreneurial participant skills allowing them to start a business and/or gain skills for non-agricultural employment, thus further boosting the local economy. The center connects cooperative members to markets, credit, management tools and the resources available to those on the right side of the digital divide.

Girls with Dreams Program ADP’s launched the pilot program Girls with Dreams in August 2019. The intention was to run the pilot for two years as an after-school program and offer three-week camps during the school holidays. In August 2019, we partnered with Gayaza Cambridge College - a mixed day and boarding secondary school - to identify and recruit bright and motivated girls. Although 45 girls applied, we selected 14 girls for the first cohort due to funding constraints. With the advent of COVID-19, school closures, and the travel restrictions, the original plans for the pilot had to be modified. Rather than recruiting additional girls, we decided to continue with the same girls once travel restrictions were lifted. Since August 2020, the program has offered afternoon activities that keep the girls engaged. In January 2021, we plan to relaunch the pilot for two years adding an additional 20 girls each year. The goal is to help keep the girls in school and help them navigate the social and cultural pressures that prevent them from achieving their own dreams. The program will develop girls, so they learn to value themselves, understand their strengths, develop their leadership skills, find support and solidarity with their cohort peers, and understand the college and career options available to them.

In September 2022, we will evaluate the progress and determine whether to continue the program. Some indicators of success include:

Number of girls who stay in the program Number of girls who stay in school Number of girls who continue their education Number of girls who understand their rights/career options Number of girls who feel they can advocate for themselves Number of girls who participate in entrepreneurial classes and pursue income generating activities Number of other NGO’s adopting the program

ADP’s fundraising revenue has averaged $245 thousand over the past three years with the bulk of funds coming from foundations and individuals. The breakdown in the source of funds shows the following pattern: 62 percent from foundations, 14 percent from private individuals, 13 percent from events, 8 percent corporations, and 3 percent from in-kind donations. About 75 percent of the foundation and corporation donations are restricted. Organizational stability depends on increasing and diversifying our funding portfolio to sustain our operations for the near future. ADP plans to actively broaden both its corporate, foundation and individual donor base while continuing to pilot our cryptocurrency

AFRICA DEVELOPMENT PROMISE 2021 - 2025 STRATEGIC PLANBy 2025 Africa Development Promise will be a healthy, sustainable organization with professional, transparent, and evidence-based programs that reflects our full commitment to improving the lives and livelihood of 3,000 additional rural women in East Africa. To achieve these goals, it is essential that we focus on four key areas: (1) Increase and diversify funding; (2) Prepare the organization for growth; (3) provide evidence that proves that our program model works and provides financial stability for women and their families; and (4) solidify ADP's image, name recognition and reach.

INCREASE AND DIVERSIFY OUR FUNDRAISING PORTFOLIO

fundraising campaign. We need to raise more unrestricted funds. These provides us with the flexibility to respond quickly to issues as they emerge. Unrestricted funding is crucial for securing and developing our organization and its programs

GOALIncrementally increase the annual fundraising goal by 15, 20, and 25 percent to become a half-million-dollar organization by 2025.

Our ApproachCorporate and Foundation PrioritiesCorporate and foundation grants to ADP make up about 75 percent of total donations. However, these are generally small grants between $10K -$50K. Our objective in the next five years is to secure medium and high-capacity corporate and foundation partnerships and funding.

Identify and develop a minimum of two new corporate partnerships (a year) with a focus on the agricultural sector, and companies represented by ADP Board of Directors. Seek support through corporate grants, sponsorships, workplace giving, and in-kind donations.

Identify and develop a minimum of two new foundation partnerships (a year) targeting larger grants of $50K+.

Identify and develop at least on partnership with women’s groups.

Identify and develop at least one in-country funding partnerships a year.

Retain and grow current corporate and foundation partnerships targeting multi-year funding.

Engage crypto-currency community through targeted campaigns increasing campaign goals by$5K annually.

Hire a professional grant writer by June 2021.

Individual Major Gift PrioritiesIndividual donations to ADP make up about 14 percent of total donations. The objective is to grow this amount to 35 percent with a focus on unrestricted major gifts. ADP considers $2,500+ from an individual a major gift.

Build a qualified individual major gift prospect list by conducting prospect research and askingloyal supporters – Ambassadors, current major gift funders, board members – to facilitateintroductions to new prospects.

Create a personalized donor strategy for each major donor prospect.

Set up and attend at least two donor visits a month for cultivation and/or solicitation.

Host special events in Denver and other major cities across the country to further engage currentdonors and donor prospects.

PREPARE ORGANIZATION FOR GROWTH In the past 5 years, ADP has found success implementing projects and bringing awareness to the issues that rural women in East Africa face. However, we have not been consistent implementing process and procedures, especially as it relates to programs. To meet the requirements of the planned growth ADP’s goal is to ensure that current policies, procedures, technologies, program evaluation, impact assessment, and structure are relevant and make the changes necessary to ensure compliance. In addition, we want to develop an organizational culture where we see ourselves as agents of change and not simply as service providers/implementors or representative of nongovernmental organization.

Our Approach

GOAL 1Build the ADP’s internal capacity to prepare the organization for growth.

Build ADP reserves to $75,000 to cover unforeseen expenses.

Align our systems, policies, procedures, and technologies to ensure successful delivery on ourstrategy, maintain organizational integrity and protect institutional knowledge.

Ensure that organizational policies and procedures are communicated and implemented

Review and update ADP policies.

Ensure that all legal and compliance issues are being met

Monitor implementation of the strategic/annual plan

Measure staff performance (both in Denver and in the field) and direct them to professionaldevelopment as programmatic investment in building and retaining the right team

Develop a succession plan

GOAL 2Maintain the highest level of financial accountability Our Approach Recruit qualified and diverse board of directors who support the organization adopt sound,

ethical, and legal governance, and financial management policies.

Develop a financial manual that outlines essential financial policies and procedures; andensures strong financial controls. Maintain constant vigilance to deter embezzlement orcorruption.

Ensure ADP’s compliance with federal and state law, IRS regulations

Submit financial statements quarterly for Board review and approval

Conduct an annual independent audit of financial records

PROGRAM GROWTHBuilding on our theory of change and lessons learned, ADP will implement programs that create a sustainable impact that improves the livelihood of rural women. Over the next five years we will support fourteen additional women-led agricultural cooperatives in both Rwanda and Uganda. In Uganda, we will expand our vocational training program by sponsoring twelve sewing certificate programs, and increase access to the computer resources so that local area students and adult community members can improve their computer literacy and technology skills offering them other income generating options. We have implemented a policy and system for monitoring and evaluating the impact of our actions. This provides us with solid evidence that, together with effective knowledge management, supports decision making and encourages continuous learning throughout the entire organization.

GOAL 1Increase our investment in women-led agricultural cooperatives Our Approach Identify, assess, and strengthen the leadership and earning capacity of rural women

Implement climate-smart agricultural practices and technologies to help cooperative adapt toclimate change

Increase access to labor-saving tools

Deliver sound practical skills needed to run and grow their cooperative enterprise

Ensure effective implementation of technical assistance and capacity building trainings

Provide the tools, training, and environment that builds the confidence of women to makedecisions that affect their lives and give them voice collectively

GOAL 2Leverage the collective economic power of collectives to help them become more competitive in the marketplace.Our Approach Connect cooperatives to functional value chains and markets

Reinforce strong social and business networks to grow their operations while also creating arobust ecosystem that fosters interdependence

Develop a strong cooperative identity and brand so they can stand out among the competition

Connect cooperatives to digital technologies that can help them access relevant market,weather, and production information

Secure and promote knowledge exchange and information flow among all involved; betweencooperatives, between country programs, between country and Denvero Build resilience into a system of platforms for the women to communicate and share

informationo Create mechanisms for staff to build and strengthen team identity across country

programso Build resiliency into our internal systems of communicationso Proactively share knowledge resources across country programs

GOAL 3Hold ourselves accountable by adopting monitoring and evaluating (M&E) as part of the organization culture.

Our Approach Conduct baseline studies that will inform the future action plans

Monitor the progress made towards the established goals and objectives every six months

Conduct annual evaluation to determine the success of the program against the strategic plan and adjust programs accordingly

Refine and update our monitoring framework for continuous program improvement, knowledge sharing and decision making

Support cooperatives incorporate M&E as part of their business culture

STRATEGIC MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONSA strategic marketing and communications plan is necessary for ADP to connect with people, strengthen our reputation, and spread awareness about our mission. It is important that staff, interns, and volunteers communicate the same messages to all our stakeholders. Our goal is to enhance our marketing and communications assets to solidify ADP’s image, name recognition, outreach efforts and online presence.

GOAL 1Solidify ADP’s image, name recognition and reach through online, print and media outletsOur Approach

Execute a consistent social media plan

Leverage social media to target and grow the network of supporters

Increase engagement by using relevant hashtags

Update website with monthly blogs

Identify and contact various outlets to promote ADP’s mission and earn media coverage

GOAL 2Create marketing and communications assets that support our outreach effortsOur Approach Develop an annual communications plan that aligns with fundraising campaigns

Consistent messaging and design execution.o Develop a communication package that includes key messages, fact sheet, talking

points, basic PowerPoint presentation, brochures, and other promotion materials to ensure consistency and clarity of our message

o Ensure consistent branding of content across all channelso Ensure that assets are grammatically clear and free to errorso Ensure that staff and volunteers speaking on behalf of ADP are prepared

Develop and update fresh content for the website monthly to encourage more traffic to the site

Develop content for monthly newsletter

Develop templates for in-country stories and reports

Develop a compelling annual report each year

Develop an annual communications plan that aligns with fundraising campaignsGOAL 3Measure the effectiveness of our messages, materials, and engagements at reaching specified goals Our Approach Use analytics to measure our social media effectiveness

o Increase in the number of followerso Increase in traffic to websiteo Increased engagement, i.e. sharing social posts, responding to call to action, etc.o Testimonials from recipients, partners, donors, etc.