Children going to school in Zambia, where 2013 ONE Award Finalist ZOCS is working to provide a quality education for all. Photo: ONE
I’m proud to announce the six finalists for the 2013 ONE Africa Award, a $100,000 USD annual prize that celebrates the innovations and progress made by African civil society organisations towards achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Africa.
It was an incredibly tough decision to decide on these six, who applied along with more than 250 other well-deserving organisations from all corners of Africa, representing a number of development sectors.
Here are this year’s finalists. Click on their name to watch a video and read more about their work.
Zambia Open Community Schools (ZOCS) of Zambia
Doper l’Entrepreneuriat par la Finance Innovante et Solidaire (DEFIS) of Mali, which translates as Boosting the Entrepreneur through Innovative Finance and Solidarity
Jerusalem Children and Community Development Organization (JeCCDO) of Ethiopia
Agricultural Non-State Actors Forum (ANSAF) of Tanzania
Friends of the Global Fund Africa (Friends Africa) of Nigeria, also a finalist in 2012
Réseau Accès aux Médicaments Essentiels (RAME) of Burkina Faso, which translates as the Network for Accessing Essential Medicines.
These finalists epitomise some of the most innovative development advocates and change agents in Africa. They are creating a better future for their fellow Africans through the incredible work they do, often with little more than sheer determination and will.
These finalists have proven to be effective in helping their communities make progress towards specific MDG targets, whether it be halving extreme poverty, halting the spread of HIV/AIDS, or providing universal primary education.
We at ONE advocate for progressive policy solutions to African governments that seek to promote economic opportunity and development, which are necessary to eradicate extreme poverty and preventable diseases in Africa. We count on our African governments summoning the political will to bring about the necessary policy changes.
I must also acknowledge that none of what we do would be effective without the indispensable role of indigenous African civil society organisations in accelerating the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. We are therefore proud to support local civil society on our continent, and it is for this reason that we initiated the ONE Africa Award in 2008.
We will announce the 2013 winner at a ceremony in Addis Ababa on 8 November. Find out who takes the prize by following @ONEinAfrica on Twitter.
