Self Help Africa

📣 Friends and supporters in NYC - our 10th Broadway for Self Help Africa event is happening in a week's time, on the 24th March - we'd love to see you there! Don't miss this chance to see some of Broadway's brightest stars, while raising vital funds for Self Help Africa. Please share with anyone in your networks who may be interested too! 💚 🎟️ Tickets link in comments.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all our friends and supporters across the world. ☘️ 🌍 We're grateful for the continued support of Irish Aid, which allows us to empower small farming communities across Africa. Sláinte - let's keep building brighter, greener futures 💚

"We can now afford healthier meals and can support our children's education, with the income we make from our livestock." In Zambia, Frank and his family faced many challenges in caring for their livestock. Often, animals would die without a clear cause. That changed when he joined Agriserve Agro, an agribusiness supported by Self Help Africa's ENTERPRISE Zambia Challenge Fund, funded by the EU. Agriserve provides veterinary and agricultural services to farms across Zambia. With their support, Frank and many others have improved their livestock, strengthened their farms, and enhanced their livelihoods. Learn more in this video:

 “As women, the greatest gift we can give ourselves is to be ourselves, trust ourselves, and stand up for one another. Together, we can change lives.”  Self Help Africa’s Gender Advisor Mary Sweeney had these words for guests gathered last week in Galway for another fantastic International Women’s Day lunch at the Kings Head Bistro, organised by Ronan Scully. We were delighted to be joined by special guests including Ireland’s First Lady Sabina Higgins and Mayor Peter Keane. In a powerful speech, Sabina Higgins reminded guests that ‘peace, justice and strong institutions are the foundation of the Sustainable Development Goals’, and went on: “Here’s to all women - the nurturers, the changemakers and the everyday heroes. Today, we celebrate you! Your strength, kindness and resilience inspire us every day.” Mary Sweeney also said in her speech: “Let's work together to eradicate poverty in our communities and our world, to give women and people homes, to offer education and opportunities, to give jobs and chances, to be kind, to be inclusive, to really care for all women, to not judge or criticise, to protect them from violence, hate and hurt and to continue to implement the Sustainable Development Goals and support the work of Self Help Africa." Huge thanks to Mary and Paul Grealish for hosting this event once again and for all the amazing ongoing support for our work. Thanks too, to all the amazing guests who came along on the day, to celebrate amazing women and raise vital funds for Self Help Africa.

The Green Recycling Enterprises Engaging in New Technology for a Circular Economy (GREEN Tech4CE) project is dedicated to fostering sustainable and inclusive economic growth in #Zambia. This EU-funded initiative aims to promote sustainable practices by supporting the development of start-ups and #MSMEs within the #green, #circular, and #digital (GCD) sectors. Imani Development is part of a consortium of partners (Self Help Africa, Prospero , Tandem Circular) delivering the GREEN Tech4CE project in Zambia. Over the next 4 years the project will; 🏪 Support 550 start-ups & micro-enterprises with technical assistance and grant support for business development. 🏭 Support 330 start-ups & micro-enterprises + 250 #SMEs will access local, regional, and international markets. 🧑🏾🏭 Create 2,000 new full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs and sustain 4,000 existing FTE jobs within the targeted MSMEs. 👷🏾♀️👩🏾🏭 Target 50% #women and 75% youths as participants, enhancing their participation in sustainable GCD economies.

Great insights from Self Help Africa Uganda’s Victoria Akello following the recent African Water and Sanitation Association International Congress and Exhibition, held in Kampala. The theme was ‘Water and Sanitation for All: A Secure Future for Africa’ - but unfortunately, only 2 out of 54 African countries are on track to achieve universal basic sanitation by 2025. Self Help Africa’s current WASH strategy aims to support 2 million people to access safe drinking water and basic sanitation services between 2023-2027. See Victoria’s post below for more key takeaways from the event, and further information on some of the key issues and challenges in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation:

📣 Join Team Self Help Africa for the Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon! Take on a new challenge for 2025 and run, jog or walk 10km on the 1st of June in Dublin and raise vital funds for Self Help Africa. Whether you’re a seasoned runner or buying your first pair of running shoes, be a part of Team SHA and make a lasting difference to rural communities we work with. Here’s how to get involved: 1️⃣ Register for the event 2️⃣ Start your fundraising page for Self Help Africa 3️⃣ Share your fundraising page via text, email & social with your friends, family and colleagues! 4️⃣ Take part and have fun! See the link in the comments for all the information, and to sign up.

Bringing people together to learn from one another and share new skills is a really important part of what we do at Self Help Africa. So it was fantastic to see over 300 farmers, agricultural advisors and research staff assemble recently for our Farmers Field Day in Oromia province in collaboration with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi- Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). The focus of the day was fertiliser - tailoring to the application to both the crop, and the growing conditions in particular area. The group also heard of the impact of digital tools in gathering data and ensuring that farmers received timely and accurate information on productivity and the impact of the approach on crop yields. Great to see too, so many women farmers in attendance, including Agaredech (pictured). Ensuring that women farmers have access to training opportunities is also a key part of our programmes.

Happy International Women’s Day! Did you know that in many Sub-Sarahan countries, women make up well over half of the farming workforce? They grow the food, feed their families, and reinvest in their children’s future - making them essential to food production and provision. Now, imagine if those women had the same access to tools, resources and opportunities as men. That’s the future we’re building together at Self Help Africa. A future where women aren’t just farmers, but leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs driving change and creating better lives and futures for their families. #IWD2025 #InternationalWomensDay #SelfHelpAfrica

Yesterday, we were delighted to be joined by hundreds of attendees from all of the world for the annual Self Help Africa International Women’s Day webinar. The session heard from four young African women entrepreneurs and activists as they shared their inspiring stories of activism and innovation. 💪 It was a pleasure to hear from Sumaya Mohammed, who spoke about her journey from joining a climate march at age 12 to representing young people at global COP summits. Wissal Ben Moussa shared how her organisation, Sand to Green, is working to unlock the potential of North Africa’s desert environments. Nina Mbah discussed the role of storytelling in inspiring action in Nigeria through African Climate Stories and Dr. Sara Demissew highlighted how involving entire families is key to advancing gender equality in Ethiopia. Thank you to all who attended and to our speakers for sharing their inspiring journeys as young women entrepreneurs and activists. If you weren’t able to attend the webinar, you can watch the recorded version and read more through the link in our comments 👇