Special Section on the New Economic Landscape of Africa

New York, NY, March 8, 2010 – As the landscape for economic growth on the African continent changes, All for Africa partnered with FORTUNE Magazine to tell this story.

The section represents the first time that FORTUNE has highlighted economic development on the African continent. The section features companies that are achieving success in developing natural resources, mobile telecommunications, finance, high-end agriculture and manufacturing; all with a focus on doing business with a comprehensive approach to sustainability and investment in local communities and social infrastructure.

One such example is told in the story of All for Africa, a New York based 501 (c ) 3 whose mission is to launch innovative projects that create sustainable local economies. All for Africa’s flagship program Palm Out Poverty was launched in September 2008. All for Africa, in collaboration with agribusiness company Herakles Farms, will fund the planting of 1 million oil palms in Ghana and Cameroon. The project will create hundreds of jobs and the revenues from the production and sale of the palm oil will be distributed to nonprofits and community level initiatives across the continent.

Companies throughout Africa are recognizing the value of doing business in Africa, and they are successfully accomplishing by partnering with local communities doing business in a way that is socially responsible and sustainable over the long-term.

All for Africa partners with the private sector to launch innovative projects that will help create sustainable local economies, thereby empowering African communities to better control their destinies. Our initiatives focus on health, education, skills training, clean water and micro financing on the continent of Africa.

For additional information contact Diane Laylin MacDonald at 212-351-0055 or download the PDF of the entire section HERE.

HEALTH

Glaxo offers free malaria research, vaccine nears

GlaxoSmithKline PLC hopes to seek approval by 2012 for its experimental malaria vaccine and said on Wednesday it would seek only a small profit and ensure it is widely available in hard-hit countries.

AFRICA: AIDS vaccine programme comes home

In what is being hailed as a boost for African involvement in AIDS research, Uganda has been selected to host the African AIDS Vaccine Programme (AAVP), formerly based in Geneva, Switzerland. Read more

ENVIRONMENT

Southern Africa Moves to Safeguard Groundwater

Southern African countries are taking steps to protect a precious resource — drinkable groundwater. Read more

French, African Leaders Promote Fight Against Deforestation

French and African leaders are calling for international aid to fight deforestation in the Congo Basin area – which is a key contributor to global warming. Read more

DEVELOPMENT

USAID gives US $14 million to farmers, agri-businesses

THE United States Agency for International Development has awarded approximately US $14 million to support more than 52 000 farmers and agri-businesses in Zimbabwe. Read more

India pledges investment, assistance to Zambia

Visiting Indian business delegation said on Thursday that the Asian country would like to invest in the key sectors of Zambia, with a commitment of assistance to the Zambian business sector. Read more

African Women Gain Improved Access to Tap Water

A new project is bringing water to 4,000 homes in the southern district of Mwanza. Read more

MICROFINANCE

African Development Bank (AfDB) Approves $660k Grant to Access Bank Tanzania (ABT), a Microfinance Bank in Tanzania

The African Development Bank (AfDB), a regional development organization in Africa, has approved a USD 660,000 grant to Access Bank Tanzania (ABT), a newly established commercial bank in Tanzania focusing on microfinance. Read more

Africa Information and Communications Technology Exhibition & Conference (AITEC) Banking & Mobile Money – West Africa, Lagos, Nigeria; May 11 – May 12, 2010

Event Name: AITEC Banking & Mobile Money West Africa, 2010

Event Description: The theme of this two-day conference is “Innovating to Survive and Thrive in Hard Times.”  Read more

SAVE THE DATE:
Wednesday March 17th - Africa After Work Mixer

Tuesday April 20th – Africa After Work Round Table: “A Sustainable & collaborative Social sector “

Tuesday May 4th - All for Africa Comedy Night at COMIX

Wednesday June 9th – Africa After Work Mixer

2nd Annual International Palm Out Poverty Week

Tuesday October 26th - Africa After Work Round Table: The For Profit/Not for Profit Collaborative Model.

Sunday November 7th – ING NYC Marathon (A4A will be sponsoring 20 Runners plus 5 elite Runners)

Diane MacDonald

Barry Segal, founder of the Segal Family foundation, has joined our board.  With generous support from his foundation, we are pleased to announce 4 new All For Africa beneficiaries; MacDella Cooper Foundation (Liberia), Nibakure Children’s Village (Rwanda), Kip Keino Foundation (Kenya) and Tanzania Rift Valley Children’s Village (Tanzania).

MacDella Cooper Foundation, Monrovia , Liberia

This year, the MacDella Cooper foundation will open the first school of its kind in post-war Liberia that will offer free education, including room and board, to 200 students in Monrovia. The trust from all For Africa will cover operation expenses for the school.

Nibakure Children’s Village, Kigali, Rwanda

This organization supports widows in Rwanda and provides orphans with housing, health care, education and career training. Nibakure Children’s village is building an orphanage that will house 150 children, catering for their health, education and nutrition needs. The trust from All For Africa will cover operational expenses for the orphanage.

Kip Keino Foundation, Eldoret, Kenya

Kip Keino Foundation is building an elementary and high school in Eldoret.  The school will educate, feed and house 300 orphans.  The trust from All For Africa will cover operational expenses for the school.

Tanzania Rift Valley Children’s Village, Oldeani, Tanzania

The Rift children’s village provides a home, family and community for orphans in Tanzania. The trust from All For Africa will cover the operational expenses for the orphanage.

Dear All for Africa friends and supporters!

Thank you again for all your support in 2009.  With your continued support our Palm Out Poverty Initiative will allow 700 community projects/organizations in Africa to have greater long term impact by providing 30 years of operational funding. As we all know, many such projects/organizations constantly struggle to meet operational expenses thus affecting their stability and capacity to provide valuable services to the communities they seek to assist.  Our POP Initiative will avoid the “here today, gone tomorrow problem of philanthropic funding”

Last year All For Africa was able to award 11 beneficiary organizations trusts that will cover their operational expenses for 30 years.  These organizations were Georges Malaika Foundation (Congo), FACE AFRICA (Liberia),  Youssou N’dour Foundation (Senegal), Batonga Foundation (Benin), Christian Solidarity International (Southern Sudan), Little Sisters of St Francis (Uganda), Shine On Sierra Leone (Sierra Leone), The Zara Center (Zimbabwe), Miracle Corners of the World (Sierra Leone) and Our Reading Spaces (Kenya)

Let me share some thoughts about the POP Initiative from some of our beneficiaries

“The Palm Oil Trust that has really helped push the project forward. The security of knowing that our annual operating expenses, such as school maintenance, school supplies, curriculum elements, computer equipment, meals, etc. will be covered gives the organization a tremendous peace of mind in terms of the sustainability of the project. Thus, our focus can be placed on what matters most: development of a strong academic program and teachers, development of community skills and development of young minds, as opposed to fundraising. This assurance has been of tremendous influence in our subsequent fundraising efforts as the Palm Oil Trust stamps the project with longevity.” Noella Coursaris Musunka, Founder, George Malaika Foundation

“I believe there are two types of non-profits in the world. Those who have extensive resources and investments and those who are in an endless chase after donor dollars. Sadly, since we established four years ago, Youth Action International has been stuck in a position of being dependent on donor funding year after year. I’d like to see that changed, and the Palm Oil Trust through All for Africa presents the first major opportunity for us to do that.  With support from the Oil Palm Trust, YAI will become self-sustainable. Energies now used for an endless cycle of fundraising will go towards deepening and enriching our existing programs.”

Kimmie Weeks, Founder Youth action International

You can continue to support us by donating to our Palm Out Poverty Intiative.   Your donation of $20 will plant one oil palm tree. This oil palm tree will generate $20 of revenue every year for 30 years.  Your donation keeps giving !

Have a great 2010 !

Bruce Wrobel

Founder & Executive Director,  All For Africa

Thank you All For Africa supporters for wonderful 2009.   With your support we are making a great strides with our  Palm Out  Poverty Campaign.

Here is an update on the progress if our oil palm trees.

In 2008 All for Africa planted the first oil palm seeds in Ghana, West Africa. These seeds represented the first crops in All for Africa’s campaign to plant one million oil palm trees on approximately 17,000 acres of land in Africa. These germinated seeds or seedlings were planted in Nkwanta district in the Volta region.

These seedlings were planted in small black polybags. The polybags were kept well watered prior to the commencement of planting. This stage is known as the pre-nursery stage. These polybags were put under a shelter for 3 months. After 3 months, these plants were moved from the shelter to the field replanted into larger polybags in a specially prepared field nursery. The batches of seeds that were planted in October 2008 will be planted in their permanent field locations in the next few months.

In 2009 All for Africa in collaboration with its corporate partner, SG Sustainable Oils have managed to plant an additional 150,000 seeds at our Volta region location. The first production of palm oil is scheduled for the 4th quarter of 2012.  To date the nursery operation in Ghana has created nearly two dozen jobs.

In 2009, we also had a successful International Poverty Week.  The week was marked with various  fundraiser events  in New York city and around the country.  We were have also grown our Associate board.  We  are pleased to announce that we have five new Associate  board members.

In 2010 we look forward to All For Africa ’s feature in  Fortune Magazine in March,  the monthly Africa After work mixers, All for Africa’s participation in the New York marathon and  International Palm Out Poverty  Week !

Thank you again for a wonderful 2009.  Happy holidays and prosperous New Year

Bruce Wrobel,

Executive Director

After After Work Holiday Mixer

When: December 7- 6pm-9pm

Where: Zereoue, 13 E. 37^th St.

Tickets: Free event, RSVP Preferred

Description: A networking mixer where we will be introducing new members of our associate board. All for Africa Executive Director, Bruce Wrobel & Jordan Hyman from Fortune Magazine will be speaking about All For Africa’s feature in Fortune Magazine in March 2010.

4th AngelAfrica Annual Anniversary Celebration

When : December 10th, 6:30pm -9:30pm

Where: Edwin Gould Foundation,55 Exchange  Place 6th floor, New York  City

Tickets: $15

Please join us to celebrate the culmination of AngelAfrica achievements in 2009.

Program will include: Awards for the 2009 AngelAfrica Network Recognition Certificate and the 2009 AngelAfrica Entrepreneur Achievement Award. Plus, there will be networking, raffle prizes, and refreshments.

http://www.angelafrica.org/events.php

Charity: Water- Ball 2009

When: December 14 – 7pm

Where: Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W. 18^th St, New York, NY

Tickets: $250

Description: An evening to benefit the work of charity: water and bring clean, safe drinking water to communities in need.

http://www.charitywater.org/charityball/tickets.htm

African Diaspora Film Festival

When: November 27- December 15

Where: Various theatres throughout New York City

Tickets: Varies on film

Description: The African Diaspora Film Festival presents an eclectic mix of urban, classic, independent and foreign films that depict the richness and diversity of the life experience of people of African descent and indigenous people all over the world.

http://www.nyadff.org/index.html

“The house is small but the welcome is big”

When: December 7-Decemeber 11-9am-6pm

Where: United Nations South Gallery, 1^st Ave & 46^th St.

Tickets: Free

Description: This exhibit features more than 40 photographs of women and children in Africa living with AIDS or HIV. The images portray the struggles of 15 South African women and 18 Mozambican children.

http://www.thehouseissmall.org/

Visual Africa: Movement (R)evolution Africa(a story of an art form in four acts)

When: December 9, 2009-7pm-9pm

Where: 92^nd St. Y at 1395 Lexington Ave (Warburg Hall), New York, NY

Tickets: $25

Description: Four filmmakers will screen their African documentaries portraying culture and art and discuss their work in the field

More info and purchase tickets: http://www.92y.org/shop/event_detail.asp?productid=T%2DLH5LC13

Flip Flop Foundation

When: December 15, 2009-6pm

Where: Bar Nine, 807 Ninth Ave, New York, NY

Tickets: Free, RSVP preferred

Description: Cocktails, silent auction and entertainment to benefit the Flip Flop foundation which seeks to improve the well-being of Zambian women and children.

http://www.flipflopfoundation.org/

HEALTH

HIV infections and deaths fall as drugs have impact

Greater access to anti-retroviral drugs has helped cut the death toll from HIV by more than 10% over the past five years, latest figures show.  READ MORE

LESOTHO: Mountain clinics bring HIV services to remote villages

Isolated mountain communities hard hit by HIV and AIDS in Lesotho have begun to reap benefits from the overhaul of nine healthcare clinics over the past four years. READ MORE

Researchers, Aid Groups Optimistic About Malaria Fight

With a promising new anti-malaria vaccine in its final stage of testing, researchers around the world are optimistic they are finally making progress toward ending the deadly disease. READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT

Senegalese NGO plants 34 million mangroves

A Senegalese environmental NGO announced on Friday that it had planted 34 million mangrove trees in three months in a project largely financed by French dairy giant Danone to offset its carbon footprint READ MORE

African climate policy centre receives $8.5 million from Sweden

Sweden has signed an agreement with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), committing 60 million Swedish Kronor (about $8.5 million) in support of ECA’s African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC), established in the framework of the Climate Information for Development in Africa (ClimDev-Africa Programme). READ MORE

DEVELOPMENT

All For Africa Executive Director & founder awarded  Africa investor Investment & Business Leaders Award

Africa investor, a leading international investment research and communications group, last night announced the 2009 Investment & Business Leader Awards winners to the global investment community at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, South Africa. READ MORE

All For Africa founding partner, Seacom, receives best Pan African Initiative award.

Seacom, a privately funded submarine fibre optic cable system, has been named Best Pan African Initiative at the AfricaCom Awards 2009 ceremony held in South Africa. READ MORE

Irrigation Helps Zambian Farmers Boost Food Production

There’s strength in numbers, at least for 150 of Chanyanya’s farmers who’ve formed a cooperative. The group has leased part of their land to InfraCo, a company specializing in agricultural infrastructure like trenches and electric pumps to draw water from the nearby Kafue River for irrigation.   READ MORE

MICROFINANCE

Mali’s rural poor boosted with $25.04 million for microfinance

Mali has received a US$25.04 million loan from IFAD to fund an innovative programme to build on the strengths and successes of existing rural microfinance networks to help them expand their reach and ensure their sustainability over time. READ MORE

AGRA partners launch $25m financing programme for smallholder farmers in Uganda

Stanbic Bank Uganda (SBU), the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and Kilimo Trust have announced a partnership that will provide US $25 million in financing for smallholder farmers and various businesses supporting the sector READ MORE

Meet Henri.
Slender, easygoing, with surprising light hair for an African. Henri lives a quiet life on the island of Madagascar in a typical countryside household.

What distinguishes him from the others is that he’s been adopted by a European benefactor and given to local Madagascarans. Don’t be mistaken, Henri is zebu.

Since 1996, the ZOB – or Zebu Overseas Board – provides Malagasy families with many animals like Henri, helping them to make ends meet. In a country where 70% of the population lives with less than a dollar everyday, owning a zebu is as much of a symbol of wealth as owning a car or a flat in industrialized countries. It can even facilitate a wedding transaction! The main interest of this four-legged animal is to provide manure, vital to grow crops. The female’s milk is not abundant enough to be worth trading, but it gives birth to babies and can be used as public transportation in the bush.

But ZOB is not only about the love for animals. In those gloomy times of financial disarray, it is also a way to diversify your assets. Investing in a zebu worth 300 euros could bring you a 7% yearly yield. Through a “Savings Zolidarity Account” (3854 have been subscripted until now), the initial investment is repaid within two years by the farmer, who then becomes the sole owner of the animal. The ones who don’t have any particular warm feelings towards zebus can also invest in a dairy cow, a pig or even a cart. ZOB regularly updates you on the health of your adopted animal, with pictures and cards. Launched by a French pilot, ZOB has already seduced a large number of people, one of whom is the former French President Jacques Chirac.

But although the concept created a buzz when it was launched, the NGO has now a hard time finding new contributors, as local applicants keep on increasing. Until new zebu lovers come forward, the ZOB team watches over its own farm situated in the highland town of Antsirabe, lost between mountainous rice fields, precious stones mines and volcanic lakes. They also train local farmers on how to fight cattle diseases and improve the performance of their fields.

But a larger black cloud now threatens the NGO, and the Malagasy more generally. As the second round of the Maputo talks held by the island’s leaders to end the crisis are still in deadlock, Western countries are threatening to freeze their trade agreements with the “big island” until the parties find a way out.
It would be a catastrophe for the farmers, since many export their production and live thanks to foreign aid.
So Henri, Safran, Hope, and all their fellow companions – whether they are zebus, cows or pigs – represent from now on way more than they are usually valued. They definitely deserve to have their picture taken.

Camille Fevier

Creatives Against Poverty

As students from Bryant University in Smithfield, RI our team (Christy Talmont, Bobby Kelm, Nick Ribeiro, Nick Bayliss, Regina Abdella, and Naa Amerley Sackey) has been assigned a service learning project in our Management 200 class taught by Dr. Eileen Kwesiga. The purpose of this project is to help a non-profit organization with their outreach and fundraising.

As a team, we came together and decided that we wanted to work with All for Africa.  Through collaborating with Diane MacDonald, Director of Operations, we developed several ideas for fundraisers and plans that would to help raise awareness/funds for the organization.

So far our team has hosted two “Fun-Nights” at Parente’s Restaurant in Smithfield, RI. At these “Fun-Nights” we collected donations, sold All for Africa apparel, and raised awareness through guest speaker Diane MacDonald herself. We also have had several apparel sales at our school and are planning to have at least three more.

For future plans, we are currently looking to attend a service at the New Life Worship Center to speak, obtain donations and get email addresses to help the organization attract new supportive patrons. We also are planning to raise awareness for the organization by inviting our friends on Facebook to join the All for Africa cause page. With the help of Chase Bank, who has agreed to match the amount of money we are able raise through fundraising, our goal is to raise $2,000.

So far, being able to help out All for Africa has been a very rewarding experience for everyone. We are grateful that All for Africa has given us the opportunity to work with them and we hope to make the organization proud.