West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI)

For over a decade, #WACSI has played a key role in shaping Africa's local philanthropy ecosystem. From leading transformative programmes focused on systemic change in development, to strengthening the fundraising capacities of local CSOs and advancing domestic resource mobilisation. We’ve also enriched the body of knowledge on African philanthropy through impactful research. This week, our Executive Director, Nana Afadzinu and Head, Knowledge Management, Jimm Chick, are in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, participating in the #2024APNAssembly. This continues our commitment to advancing philanthropy across the continent.

What comes to mind when you see leaders bond? At WACSI, we see the strength of solidarity, shared vision, and unity in purpose. Here’s a moment capturing our Executive Director, Nana Afadzinu, with Willeke van Rijn, CEO of The Resource Alliance, and H.E. Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi—an accomplished feminist advocate, philanthropy leader, founding member of African Women's Development Fund (AWDF), and former First Lady of Ekiti State, Nigeria. 📸 Captured today at the #2024APNAssembly in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

#DocumentingChangeStories #Day2inSenegal Yesterday, we wrapped up an inspiring visit with 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥, a youth-led organisation taking bold steps to secure its digital space after its participation in the Mott Foundation-supported Digital Security Capacity Strengthening and Outreach project. Following the training, they empowered their team of 15 with a step-down session to boost digital safety skills and craft a robust digital security policy. They know that securing their internal systems is key to sustaining impactful digital advocacy! It was truly motivating to witness their progress and hear firsthand how they're turning training into action for a safer online presence. Our immense gratitude to the Mott Foundation for making this possible! Next stop: Côte d'Ivoire! #DigitalSecurity #YouthEmpowerment #ChangeStories #MottFoundation #Senegal ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #DocumenterLesRecitsDeChangement #Jour2auSénégal Hier, nous avons rencontré Action for Change Sénégal, un groupe dirigé par des jeunes qui renforce leur sécurité numérique après une formation dans le cadre du projet soutenu par la Mott Foundation. Ils ont organisé une session de partage de connaissance pour renforcer leur équipe de 15 membres, créant ainsi un espace plus sûr pour leur travail de plaidoyer numérique. Inspirant de voir l'impact de leur travail acharné en personne ! Merci à Mott Foundation pour avoir rendu cela possible ! Prochaine étape : la Côte d'Ivoire ! #SécuritéNumérique #AutonomisationDesJeunes #RecitsDeChangement

#DocumentingChangeStories   #Day2inGhana  𝐀𝐜𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞, a youth-led community-based organisation, has made impressive strides in digital security through the Digital Security Capacity Strengthening and Outreach project, supported by the Mott Foundation. Following the training, they organised a step-down session for 50 global volunteers and led a consortium of 10 Ghanaian CSOs to create a community of practice. This network recently hosted a high-level engagement on youth and digital inclusion, fostering collaboration and shared learning. As our last partner visit on Day 2 in Ghana, it was inspiring to witness the impactful work 𝐀𝐜𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 is doing to empower youth and drive social change and how their newly acquired knowledge in digital security is helping them. A big thank you to the Mott Foundation for their invaluable support! #DigitalSecurity #YouthEmpowerment #ChangeStories #Ghana #MottFoundation

Are you a Country Office that is seeking independence? Are you an INGO working to let go of power? Don't miss the RINGO Spotlight Session where Hein Thet Ssoe (AGE Myanmar) and Bert Maerten (HelpAge International) will share first-hand experiences of how an INGO can support local actors to build their own brand, identity, community and ways of working that make sense in their local context. 💡 RINGO Spotlight Session: From international to local ownership 🗓️ Tuesday 19th November, 9:00am GMT ⚡ Register here: https://lnkd.in/efGgEeDJ #shiftthepower #decolonisation #locallyled #localisation #civilsociety #INGO #CSO West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) Reos Partners

If you’re at Victoria Falls, #Zimbabwe for the #2024APNAssembly, look for our Executive Director, Nana Afadzinu! She’s got a special gift just for you—copies of #WACSI’s latest research reports, Local Giving in Africa and Decolonising Aid for Non-Profits in Africa: Exploring the Perspectives and Roles of Policymakers. Our Executive Director is among the distinguished speakers this year, and we’re thrilled to join this significant gathering focused on advancing philanthropy across Africa—our cherished home. But if you can’t catch her in person, you can still access your gift here: 📦Local Giving in Africa: https://lnkd.in/eKcXsD3a 📦Decolonising Aid for Non-Profits in Africa: Exploring the Perspectives and Roles of Policymakers : https://bit.ly/3YAeXgG

Documenting Change Stories! Today is Day 2 of our journey in Ghana for the Digital Security Capacity Strengthening and Outreach Project! We had the privilege of visiting SEND GHANA, a vibrant policy advocacy organisation championing agriculture, health, gender equity, and social protection programmes like LEAP. With new digital security measures in place—including unique passwords, regular app updates, and thorough email verification—SEND GHANA has significantly strengthened its defences. Through step-down training, 26 team members, including the CEO, and 14 District Monitoring Committee members have adopted these practices to protect valuable data and ensure a secure online presence. “The training materials were very helpful and detailed. Even though I wasn’t at the training, going through the materials, I could understand what had been taught,” shared Abel Sebik, SEND GHANA’s IT officer. We are grateful to the Mott Foundation for their invaluable support! #DigitalSecurity #ChangeStories #Ghana #MottFoundation Mott Foundation

Jour 2 à Dakar, Sénégal : Récits d'espoir et de transformation ! Aujourd'hui, nous avons visité le Réseau des jeunes contre les MGF et ME, où nous avons été témoins de leur parcours inspirant pour renforcer la sécurité numérique et protéger leur équipe des menaces en ligne. Après avoir reçu un soutien en renforcement des capacités, ils sont désormais prêts à défendre leur mission dans l'espace numérique ! Rappelons-nous que la sécurité numérique est aussi essentielle que la sécurité physique. Suivez-nous alors que nous découvrons d'autres récits de résilience et de changement ! #SécuritéNumérique #ActeursDuChangement #Inspiration ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day 2 in Dakar, Senegal: Stories of Hope and Transformation! Today, we visited Réseau des jeunes contre les MGF et ME , where we witnessed their inspiring journey to strengthen digital safety and protect their team from online threats. After receiving capacity-building support, they’re now equipped to defend their mission in the digital space! Remember, digital safety is just as essential as physical safety. Follow along as we uncover more powerful stories of resilience and change! #DigitalSafety #ChangeMakers #Inspiration

Highlights from the Ghana Philanthropy Conference! On 31 October 2024, WACSI, represented by Christan Elongue, presented our latest report on Local Giving in Africa during the Volunteerism Research session (Academic Corner). The discussion, led by Elongue, explored the volunteerism landscape in Ghana, alongside insights from Prof. Justice Bawole, Dean of the University of Ghana Business School, and 𝐃𝐫. 𝐃𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐬 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐎𝐬𝐞𝐢 from CAPSI in South Africa. About the report: Local philanthropy offers incredible potential to drive development across Africa but remains underdocumented, limiting stakeholders' understanding. This study, commissioned by STAR-Ghana Foundation and WACSI with support from Wilde Ganzen, seeks to bridge this knowledge gap and unlock local giving's potential for development. Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/e7YsFtYH

“You don’t always need a lot of money to make a great impact.” - Alice Djiba, Founder and Executive Director, INFOELLES, Senegal. Day 1 of our Change Story Documentation wrapped up with powerful insights! Alice and her team are making waves with their Digital Safety Strengthening project, creating a digital security protocol and online training that has already reached over 50,000 people. Their journey shows the true power of passion and innovation. Stay tuned as we continue sharing these inspiring stories of resilience and change! #ImpactStories #DigitalSecurity #Inspiration ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Il n'est pas toujours nécessaire d'avoir beaucoup d'argent pour avoir un grand impact." - Alice Djiba, fondatrice et directrice exécutive, INFOELLES, Sénégal. La première journée de notre documentation sur les récits de changement s'est achevée sur des idées puissantes ! Alice et son équipe suscite de l’attention avec leur projet de renforcement de la sécurité numérique, en créant un protocole de sécurité numérique et une formation en ligne qui a déjà touché plus de 50 000 personnes. Leur parcours montre le véritable pouvoir de la passion et de l'innovation. Restez à l'écoute car nous continuons à partager ces histoires inspirantes de résilience et de changement ! #Récitsd’impact #Sécurité 𝐧𝐮𝐦é𝐫𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 #Inspiration