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Africa
2011 ONE Africa Award Winner Announced
I’m delighted to announce that Groupe de Reflexion et d’action, Femme Democratie et Developpment (GF2D), from Togo are the 2011 winners of the fourth annual ONE Africa Award.
The ONE Africa Award celebrates and bolsters innovative Africa-led, Africa-driven advocacy efforts to help advance one or more of the Millennium Development Goals, the world’s blueprint to fighting extreme poverty and disease. The goals specifically address critical issues to development, such as; halving extreme poverty; halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and malaria and providing universal primary education.
GF2D helps women in exercising their right to participate in decision making processes of their country.
One of GF2D’s tools is the use of paralegals who are trained in Togolese laws by GF2D and empowered to communicate messages to communities about women’s rights, engage in mediations related to marriage, inheritance and children, and offer referral assistance for issues that need to be handled in court. Many of their paralegals are everyday women – traders, seamstresses, mothers, whose lives have been changed because of their paralegal training and some of them have gone on to seek local political positions. These women and men have become well-respected members of their societies because of their knowledge of Togolese laws and their ability to convey the rights of women to their peers in simple messages. GF2D has been integral to the increase in the number of female political office holders in Togo today.
As winners of this year’s ONE Africa Award GF2D receive $100000 in prize money.
As the award was announcement here in Johansburg, Léontine, GF2D’s General Secretary said:
“We dedicate the 2011 ONE Award to all Togolese women whose bravery and dynamism are well known. We want to recognize the silent majority of those who suffer from violence, discrimination and low incomes gained from their hard efforts. The announcement of the award was greeted with a great joy at the “House of women” by all the members and staff of GF2D.
This award represents the recognition for over 20 years of efforts to realize a vision where: women know their rights and fully benefit from them:
- Togolese women, freed from the constraints and socio-cultural burdens imosed on them, contribute to the development of their society
- equal participation of men and women exists in the political, social and economic decision making processes
- a genuine partnership exists between men and women in the management of their families, public and private institutions
We receive this award as an encouragement to persevere in defending the cause of women. We thank ONE whose mission is to recognize, reward and support the important work of African civil society organizations towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). “
The runners up of the award this year in no particular order include: Prévention Information et Lutte contre le Sida (PILS) – Mauritius, Africa Youth Trust (AYT) – Kenya, Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights (ARHR) – Ghana and Sylva Food Solutions Limited (SFSL) – Zambia
Previous award winners include Nigeria’s Development Communications Network (Devcoms) and Kenya’s Slums Information Development and Resources Centres (SIDAREC) and SEND West Africa.
We are here today to celebrate Africa’s unsung heroes and to play our part on changing the stereotype narrative on Africa. We don’t deny that there are challenges that exist, but, we also need to highlight the successes, the determination and the ingenuous creativity of the African people despite these challenges.
I’m sure you will join me in congratulating GF2D and our runners ups, and thanking them for the amazing work they are doing across the continent. We wish them every success in the future!
ONE Africa Award 2011 Live Webcast
Throughout Africa, there is amazing progress by civil society focused on ending extreme poverty and fostering socio-economic empowerment. These new ideas and exciting approaches are designed and implemented by Africans who understand the complexities of bringing about change and transforming lives in their communities. The ONE Africa Award applauds the progress of these unsung heroes and organizations and looks forward to solutions for the challenges ahead.
This year’s award will recognize the Africa-driven, Africa-led advocacy efforts that have demonstrated success at a community, national or regional level.
When applications closed in September we had received over 150 applications, which have been reduced down to the following 5 finalists:
Prévention Information Lutte contre le Sida
Groupe de réflexion et d’action Femme, Démocratie et Développement
Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights
The 2011 ONE Africa Award winner will be announced on 14th December and you can watch the announcement live here on ONE.org.
The event will be broadcast at 17:00 South Africa time (16:00 CET, 15:00 GMT/UTC, 10:00 EST, 07:00 PST).
Watch the ceremony
By honouring the commitment and progress on the ground, we hope new efforts can be inspired.
We wish all the finalists good luck!
Putting young people in the driving seat of development
The Africa Youth Trust (AYT) is the last of our five finalists to reveal before we announce the winner of the 2011 ONE Africa Award!
AYT was founded by a group of five young people in 2005, all working in different sectors, but with a common interest to profile the youth agenda. They recognized that scattered initiatives, which they were all individually involved in, were not going to be powerful enough to bring about change. With this understanding, they combined their efforts and today their model promotes partnerships between the younger and older generation with a focus on economic empowerment and governance. Three of the original founders are still involved with AYT today.
AYT staff and Network Members
The bulk of their programs are carried out by young people and builds in a research component, in order to assess change and impact, capacity building for sustainability, as well as an advocacy component, driven by youth and targeting policy-makers. They have produced a guide to youth action against corruption and have used this guide to train 96 young people to date. AYT is also involved in employment training as a way to engage young people in entrepreneurship. African youth are very active users of twitter and facebook, and especially in Kenya, and this medium has allowed AYT to more effectively engage young people and encourage discourse.
At the onset of AYT’s activities, they found that so many of the youth population were involved in corrupt activities without realizing they were complicit in corruption, simply because of their lack of knowledge. In order to address this they collaborated with the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC) to train youth about what corruption meant and organized them to monitor and report acts of corruption. With the support of a USAID funded program, AYT also organized young people to conduct audits of Constituency Development Funds, which are designed to channel resources to youth programs. These funds have been notorious for the misappropriation of funds, but with the AYT’s organizing capacity, young people started to ask questions about the funds that were meant to aid their development and monitor their disbursement.
Beneficiaries of AYT’s empowerment programme
While there are other youth organizations in Kenya, very few are engaged in the promotion of an inter-generational discussion that allows a platform for young people to engage in policy. The culture of civil society in Kenya is known to be primarily confrontational, a defensive reaction to the previous governments hostility to civil society. But since 2002, the new government has been much more receptive to civil society. So rather than become a watchdog of the Kenyan government, AYT’s approach has been to promote dialogue between policy makers and young people. Their non-confrontational approach is really one of the key strategies that have enabled them to be successful. In adopting such an approach they are also cautious to safe guard against becoming “yes-men” and instead demonstrate value to the government by proposing alternatives to perceived systemic problems that promote corruption.
The Africa Youth Trust has been doing amazing work! We commend their efforts and congratulate them for joining the list of 2011 ONE Africa Award finalists!
Africa’s renewable energy opportunity
Last week, I attended the launch of the “Momentum for Change” initiative launched in Durban, South Africa on in the sidelines of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s COP17 with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The initiative highlights examples of how public private partnerships can help alleviate poverty and also bring about sustainable development. Alleviating poverty and sustainable development are not exclusive aims but often complimentary –- particularly in Africa. The Momentum for Change initiative provides some small examples of where the public and private sector can work together to achieve sustainable development and poverty reduction, but in Africa the potential for this is monumental.
Africa has a huge renewable energy potential. Only 7 percent of its hydropower capacity has been exploited and the continent is abundant in solar, wind and geothermal energy. These natural resources in many people’s view are Africa’s greatest source of wealth. They provide Africa with a never-ending clean source of energy that can supply electricity and heating to everyone on the continent — including the poorest who desperately need energy to escape from poverty.
The fact that most of Africa’s future infrastructure is not yet built is now become a huge opportunity for the continent. Africa is not yet locked into the inefficient, oft-polluting infrastructure that many Western countries have. With modern efficient technologies, the continent has the opportunity to build the infrastructure that could bypass the inefficient energy infrastructure systems of the developed world.
Africa has done this before. The huge expansion of mobile phones is just one example of how Africa can leapfrog traditional stages of development. Current monetary transfer systems in Kenya using mobile phones (as created by M-PESA) is a world leading technology which is not yet seen in areas of Europe or the US. Africa has leapfrogged developed countries in implementing this new technology and Africa can do this again with its energy infrastructure.
In the sidelines of the UNFCCC negotiations at COP17, there are a large number of side events that have looked at how Africa can realize its energy potential. During these discussions, it is clear a number of groups will be essential in this process. African government will have to create the correct policy environment for investors, private companies will need to be educated on Africa’s sustainable energy potential and donors may have to provide some initial capital to get some projects of the ground. But the key point coming from all these meetings is that the experts think this can be done, and it can be done in a way that stimulates sustainable poverty reduction on the continent.
The Minister of Energy for Mali and the head of the African Coalition of Energy Ministers, Mr. Habib Ouane, said that this wasn’t a choice between poverty reduction and providing renewable energy. Due to the huge renewable energy potential on the continent, it is often the most appropriate and cost-effective technology to develop (particularly in rural areas) which has the added benefit of increasing many regions energy security. Developing this abundant and clean potential makes sense. Governments must now get the policies and plans in place to seize this opportunity and donors and private companies must support them in this as best they can through financial and technical support.
Africa is an opportunity particularly in the area of renewable energy and it is time to realize it, but we believe it should be developed in line with environmental and social safeguards.
Africa speaks with one voice in Durban
Thursday 8th of December was Africa Day at the COP17 climate negotiations in Durban. This high level event was the culmination of daily conferences on Africa’s development and sustainable growth. Leaders came together to show to the world the opportunity that exists for energy development in Africa.
The continent had 6 of the 10 fastest growing economies in the world in the 2000s. It has some of the highest potential for renewable energy production and huge reserves of untapped natural resources. Leaders spoke of their desire to realise these energy opportunities both for economic growth and sustainable poverty reduction.
Participants included South Africa President Jacob Zuma, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, President of the Congo Denis Nguesso, Chairman of the African Union Commission Dr Jean Ping, the President of the Africa Development Bank Dr Donald Kaberuka – and many other Africa ministers and global observers including ONE.
In order to realise the potential the continent needs a plan to mobilise investment in the energy sector and to work together more closely. Africa Day at the COP showed that Africa is moving strongly in this direction with national plans, improved levels of cooperation, and policies being put in place to give confidence to investors and donors.
As Lord Nicholas Stern said: ‘People are starting to realise the potential of Africa. The recent Economist article proves this’. Africa Day was, however, about more than showing the reality of Africa’s potential. It was also about Africa defining its own vision for a type of growth that will bypass the dirty industrial methods of today’s developed nations and instead use new technologies to drive poverty reduction and economic empowerment.
The most encouraging thing was the level of harmony between different leaders and the audience that Africa could be the continent to do things differently. The promise to work together on a plan that delivers sustainable growth for all could be truly game-changing. The Economist is right – Africa is truly rising
An update on the Horn of Africa
Many thanks to ONE’s members, our collective voice has helped raise UN Appeal funding for the Horn of Africa by $1 billion and elicit another $700 million-plus in pledges. If combined and fulfilled, these pledges would more than fill the $530 million funding gap.
While ONE continues to press world leaders to deliver on their pledges and deliver much-needed life-saving support now, many Africans in the Horn are far from in the clear. Although the regions of Bay, Bakool and Lower Shabelle in Southern Somalia were downgraded from famine to humanitarian emergency status on November 18th, the situation in Somalia is still particularly dire.
Four million people remain food insecure in Somalia and 250,000 in Southern Somalia continue to face famine conditions. These conditions are expected to persist at least through December 2011 and depending on the favorability of rains in spring 2012, could be prolonged.
Displaced people face heightened risk of measles, cholera, polio, diarrhea and other diseases, due to malnutrition, close living quarters and inadequate toilet facilities. In Somalia, the number of children facing severe malnutrition nearly doubled in the second half of 2011. Cases of cholera and related deaths continue. Outbreaks of measles have been declining since September, but saw a small uptick in November.
The international community and local NGOs have resettled 4,000 drought-displaced Somali families (24,000 people) who were camped in Mogadishu. The returns are voluntary with most eager to take advantage of what’s left of the rainy season and start to rebuild their lives. United Arab Emirates-Red Crescent Society (UAE-RCS) in Somalia, one of the agencies involved in the resettlement process, is giving families $150 each in addition to a three-month supply of food, livestock and other resources.
A new two-part television program from Al Jazeera English, “Fault Lines” (watch in the player above) takes a look inside Mogadishu, where parents are burying their children and asking what more could have been done to prevent this crisis and what more can be done now. A very timely question as Al Shabaab ordered 16 aid agencies –- many of them from the United Nations –- to leave their territory.
After sporadic attacks and kidnappings inside Kenya’s borders by Al Shabab, Kenyan military forces invaded Somalia last month. The objective was to seize the transportation hub of Afmadow and the Indian Ocean port city of Kismayo, both important al-Shabaab strongholds south of Mogadishu. By doing so, Kenya is hoping to establish a buffer zone in Southern Somalia to prevent infiltration by terrorists and help humanitarian agencies in the region gain better access. Already Kenya has seized a few towns and is calling on aid agencies to return. Reuters reports that Kenya has been “plagued by a wave of attacks” since troops entered Somalia.
Ethiopia, despite the losses incurred from invasion from 2006 to 2009, is reported to be back across the Somali border. Although the Ethiopian government have not confirmed their participation, many eyewitnesses report Ethiopian troops in the town of Guriel. Little is known about Ethiopia’s intentions at this point.
What about the Somali government? Richard Dowden of the Royal African Society writes that with Al Shabaab withdrawn from Mogadishu in mid-August and “with the Kenyan military incursion in the south, presents the government –- known as the Transitional Federal Government -– with an opportunity to prove itself and deliver food and security to the people. But this is unlikely to happen…” He quotes from Horn of Africa specialist Ken Menkhaus “the TFG’s track record so far points to the opposite conclusion -– it has never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity.”
Fighting HIV/AIDS in Mauritius
Last week we marked World AIDs Day, our annual time for reflection and a recognition that the beginning of the end of AIDS is upon us. As we commemorate the strides that have been made in the battle against the disease since it’s discovery 30 years ago, it seems the perfect opportunity to present our next ONE award finalist, Prévention Information Lutte contre le Sida (PILS) in Mauritius and honour the progress that they have achieved in the battle against this indiscriminate disease.
Mauritius is probably not one of the African countries you would list in counting the likely candidates dealing with an HIV/AIDS problem, especially if your association of the country mirrors mine of beach, sun and palm trees! And yet PILS is an organization that has made great strides in the fight against HIV/AIDS by focusing on the parts of the population most affected by the disease and ensuring that their exclusion from care and prevention did not facilitate an epidemic in the country.
PILS was started by Nicolas Ritter in 1996 two years after he found out he was HIV positive. At the time there was no services in Mauritius for individuals with HIV/AIDS and he had to fly to neighbouring Reunion Island to get treatment. Inspired by what was happening in this neighbouring country, he decided to start PILS at the age of 25. At the time there were only about 140 cases of the disease in the country but without treatment it was pretty much a death sentence. By 2001, the number of known HIV positive cases had doubled to over 280 and Nicolas decided to be the first person to publicly declare his status. With a change of government in 2000, their advocacy efforts intensified and they were able to convince the new government to open the National Aids Centre. As a result of the strong advocacy by PILS, the government agreed to provide universal access to ARV’s.
Nicolas Ritter
In this same period, Mauritius had become a hub for heroine trafficking and the drug had hit the streets. In 2003, an explosion of HIV cases among drug users occurred and by 2005, there were over 2,000 cases in the country. In the same year, Mauritius was identified as the country with the highest opiate consumption in Africa (relative to population size) and the second highest in the world after Iran. Today 75% of HIV cases in Mauritius are among needle users.
To address these issues, PILS organized the first conference in Africa on opiates abuse and harm reduction, and has successfully drawn attention to the emerging issue of drug use in Africa and the consequent epidemic problems. Once AIDS is introduced in the drug user community it spreads fast. But thanks to PILS advocacy there has been a reduction of the rate of infection amongst injectable drug users. The organization recognizes that the groups most affected by this disease in Mauritius – commercial sex workers, men having sex with other men, and injectable drug users – could be stuck in a vicious cycle of vulnerability if they not supported.
PILS has lobbied for amendments to the drug act, which criminalized paraphernalia associated with drugs including needles, and prevented interventions such as a needle exchange program that could help address the problem. When the hard fought for HIV/AIDS Bill was introduced in 2006, it contained harmful provisions such as the criminalization of HIV transmission, but PILS was ready to mobilize and through its advocacy efforts and successfully had these provisions removed and replaced with language to protect HIV Positive cases.
PILS has also created economic empowerment programs to support HIV Positive individuals and the support groups that they convene encourage platforms for people to share their fears, hopes and dreams.
The PILS team
PILS has been instrumental in the introduction of important HIV/AIDS in Mauritius and has also ensured the amendment of legislation that could contribute to the worsening of the HIV situation on the small island. While there were many instances in the early days of their advocacy work that PILS had to go into direct opposition with the government’s position on HIV related matters, they now have a great working relationship and are a key partner of government in the fight against the disease.
PILS work has saved lives and that’s what keeps Nicolas and his team dedicated to their work. They know that HIV/AIDS doesn’t have to be a death sentence and more and more, the people of Mauritius know this too.
A big WELL DONE to PILS for all their hard work and we wish you the very best of luck!
The Beginning of the End of AIDS
Is it possible that the success Africa has had, in managing and treating HIV/AIDS, reduced the sting of the HIV pandemic on the continent? The fact is, according to UNAIDS’ latest report, there are more people living with HIV today than there were 10 years ago. Approximately 34 million people live with HIV today, up 17% from 2001. In parallel, deaths from AIDS-related illnesses have decreased by 21% since 2005
This is chiefly because there is better access to antiretroviral drugs in sub-Saharan Africa, where 68% of all HIV cases worldwide are found. Gone are the gory images synonymous with AIDS, that often appeared in the 1990s to early 2000s, which left many with the sound conviction that contracting the HIV virus was as good as pronouncing a death sentence.
Much credit goes to Africa’s people, its governments and our international partners for sustained efforts in the relentless fight against HIV in Africa. A good example of such leadership among others is the government of South Africa — they are now financing as much as 80% of the antiretroviral medication for its people through its own health budget, bolstered by technical support from donors. Botswana achieved universal access to treatment in 2008, and since then has begun to see a further decline in new infections. The percentage of children born HIV-positive to mothers living with HIV in Botswana also declined from 21% in 2003 to 4% in 2010 — impressive progress thanks in part to sustained political leadership.
Today, 22 countries in sub-Saharan Africa have reduced new HIV infections by more than 25%, data shows that an HIV-positive person on treatment is 96% less likely to pass HIV on to others and clinical trials have proven that voluntary male circumcision reduces the risk of new HIV infection in men by roughly 60%.
These numbers tell a great story, but there are other numbers that could put to risk the great progress made by African governments, development partners and the private sector. UNAIDS statistics show that the availability of funding to combat HIV is generally on the decline while funding needed to fight the pandemic is increasing. According to UNAIDS, at the end of 2010 around US$ 15 billion was available for the AIDS response in low- and middle-income countries. Yet donor funding has been reduced by 10% from US $7.6 billion in 2009 to US $6.9 billion in 2010, and the Global Fund recently had to cancel Round 11 of grant-making due to insufficient or delayed donor funds.
This begs the question: How do you put millions of people on treatment, give them renewed hope, and then back off, knowing full well the catastrophic implications of such action?
We still have nearly 9 million HIV positive people who are still in need of treatment, 1,000 babies born with HIV everyday, and nearly two new people are infected for every one person put on treatment. This reminds me of what remains an indelible statement by Dr. Kihumuro Apuuli, director general of the Uganda AIDS Commission who said, “You cannot mop the floor when the tap is still running on it.”
For all the commitment and investment our governments and development partners have made much remains to be done if we are to make this period in history become the beginning of the end of AIDS. So what does this mean? Well, at ONE, we believe that, it means reminding ourselves to recommit to measurable goals. They include:
- Virtually eliminating mother-to-child transmission by 2015
- Accelerating access to treatment for 15 million people by 2015
- Implement innovative prevention techniques to drastically reduce new infections by 2015.
These goals are by no means new. World leaders have already committed to them in various international forums. If these commitments — including commitments to the Global Fund — are renewed, together, we can really begin to see the end of this pandemic.
Seizing the opportunities in Durban to tackle energy poverty in Africa
A shocking 500 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to electricity. This ‘energy poverty’ drags down healthcare and educational opportunities, as well as stunting overall economic growth on the continent. In addition, most people rely on coal, peat or wood for cooking, which is often unsustainably sourced and a major cause of respiratory disease.
The International Energy Agency found that current plans to expand energy access across Africa would not reduce poverty levels nor sufficiently support climate-friendly development. However African businesses and governments have clearly and consistently communicated the need for a coordinated effort to address the continent’s energy deficit. Indeed, nearly 70% of surveyed African businesses cite unreliable and expensive power supplies as a major constraint to economic growth and job creation.
There is an immediate need to improve access to safe, reliable and affordable sources of energy to alleviate poverty, stimulate economic growth and achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Fortunately there is a solution which will solve both Africa’s energy poverty and bring wider sustainability benefits.
Africa has the advantage of not being locked into inefficient energy infrastructure systems that use a lot of carbon. The continent has huge potential for getting more of its energy from renewable sources. Only 0.6% of its geothermal energy, less than 2% of its wind energy, and only 7% of its hydropower potential have been exploited.
From 29th November to the 9th December, Durban in South Africa will host the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) 17th annual Conference of the Parties (COP17). This is the first COP to be held in Africa – the continent least responsible for the changing climate, but one of the most affected by it.
The international community must seize this opportunity to come up with concrete policy and financing commitments that improve access to reliable, efficient, electricity supplies in Africa. This includes the creation of a dedicated funding window similar to the Green Climate Fund to support energy provision in Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as requiring that the UNFCCC’s Technology Executive Committee prioritises Africa in its work. Once these steps have been taken, momentum should be maintained through the 2012 International Year of Sustainable Energy For All if Africa’s energy poverty is to be addressed.
ONE will be working hard in Durban, and throughout the 2012, to make sure countries not only recognise Africa’s energy poverty challenge but seize the opportunities available to help address it. If Africa reduces its energy poverty it will have taken a major step towards tackling wider poverty, achieving the MDGs and supporting further economic growth.
Innovative farming to feed 11
Emile Jean lives in Tsiandriona Nord, a small village belonging to the rural community of Itampolo in the south of Madagascar. He is 54 years old and lives with his wife and eleven kids – six boys and five girls – in a house with three rooms. Emile Jean is part of the Mahafaly tribe and the Temitongia clan.
Like most people in this region of Madagascar, including his father and grandfather, Emile Jean is a farmer and cattle-breeder. He owns a few Zebu, but mainly lives off the maize and vegetables he grows, half of which is sold, half of which goes to providing food for his family of thirteen. Growing enough food has become one of Emile Jean’s biggest challenges in the face of climate change.
“When my grandfather was young, they didn’t have more than one or two bad years in 20 years. When my father was young, they had a bad year every 7 years. Now, it’s every two years. We even risk having the second bad year in a row. We are very worried”, says Emile Jean.
Emile Jean has noticed the shifts in the weather for years. The amount of rainfall has dramatically decreased, distribution has changed, storms have become less frequent and more intense and temperatures have risen each year in the area.
These shifts have resulted in a longer dry period and a shorter rainy season. This makes it difficult for farmers like Emile to plant and live off their crops all year round or to afford the rising prices of staples like cassava, rice, oil and sugar.
“For some years now, we have been losing a part of our manioc yield because the rain comes too late. We also have more insects these days”, says Emile Jean.
Farmers like Emile Jean, have found other ways to adapt to the changes in climate such as reducing the amount of crops they plant that require a high volume of water, like maize, opting for drought-resistant strains. Emile Jean now also waits for the rainy season to plant – to avoid losing his seeds.
“We used to plant in the dry season also. This helped to overcome the lack of food between the rainy seasons. Now this is not possible any more, we just lose seeds if we do it. It used to rain a lot in January. Now there is no rain at all in this month”, said Emile Jean.
Through WWF, Emile Jean has been introduced to other agriculture techniques such as drip irrigation, market gardening, and crop rotation. The organization also distributed rain gauges to communities across the Mahafaly Plateau, including Emile Jean’s village. This allowed farmers to collect rainfall data themselves, and taught them how to interpret the data in order to use the information to help determine which crops to plant and when for the upcoming season.
These innovations are what Emile Jean hopes will ensure his 11 children will not only make it through school, but use their education to move beyond a dependency on the land and the direct impacts of climate change. “I hope that they all become intellectuals, someone important”, says Emile Jean.
For more information about Emile’s story visit the WWF website.
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About the Blog
The International ONE Blog is a daily log of the anti-poverty movement. The site is operated by ONE staff, with guest contributions from ONE volunteers, members and allies.
The content of each post and each comment represents the views of that author and does not necessarily reflect the views of ONE. ONE does not support or oppose any candidate for elected office, and any post expressing support or opposition for a candidate is not endorsed by ONE.
TAGS: Africa, Millennium Development Goals, ONE Africa Award, Spotlight, Togo, Women