Concept Note

1.0. What is the problem for which you are seeking funding?

The problem which has prompted us to seek funding is increasing poverty among rural inhabitants, particularly women, in Tanzania following underutilization of locally available resources and opportunities. Following four years of hard work and networking, we have managed to develop a model that needs up-scaling to address the mentioned critical problem, firstly in Tanzania and then to the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa. Specifically, through our not-for-profit platform and grassroots NGO partners, we have been experimenting two microfinance grassroots empowerment models in Singida and Iringa regions of Tanzania since year 2011. Over 400 grassroots women entrepreneurs from the two regions have benefited.

However, our funding resources are not adequate enough to reach out to more women in the two regions and upscale the project to other regions in Tanzania. Particularly important, funds for running the project have been obtained from two sources: a) in 2011, US government through its Alumni Exchange Program provided initial fund worth $25,000 that was used to run the project for a year; b) Then members’ contribution, both in-kind (worthy $25,000 per annum) and cash (averaging $1000 to $2000 per annum), which have been supporting the project to date. Using experience accumulated over the past four years, we have managed to develop a model to address women’s financial needs that we need to upscale in the two regions and at least additional two regions per annum across Tanzania.  

2.0. Why is important?

The project is important because Tanzania and the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa experience fast macro-economic development which have failed to have an impact to grassroots people particularly women in rural and remote areas. Nevertheless, the role of those grassroots people particularly women in feeding the economy, cannot be underestimated. For instance, over 90.4% of active Tanzanian women engage in agricultural activities, producing about 70% of the country’s food requirements.

3.0.What are the main objectives for your proposed activity?

The main objective are 1) To provide women with additional funding for revolving; b) providing women with entrepreneurship training relevant to their context; c) networking women with potential partners including networking in Tanzania and abroad; d) up-scaling the project in Tanzania and the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa.

4.0.How will your objectives be achieved?

We have created a platform that brings together over 120 dedicated scholars from across the globe including Tanzania, USA, Ethiopia, Kenya, China, Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Mozambique, Nigeria, Uganda, Liberia, South Africa, Mauritius, Rwanda, Eritrea, Zambia, Senegal, Japan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso, Republic of South Sudan, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Mexico, Burundi and India. The platform is composed of AGEN and AGEN-USA Inc which are two but one organization incorporated in both USA and Tanzania. This platform has been created so as to connect people in Sub-Saharan Africa and those in the diaspora to foster mutual and lifelong social and economic gains. The common denominator is that if grassroots people, particularly women, are empowered life standards of both African in diaspora and Africa are going to be improved. Details on the platform can be accessed at www.agentz.org. We are legally registered in USA so as to connect grassroots people in Africa with the diaspora in North America. Similarly, Tanzania is a strategic country in Sub-Saharan Africa with peace and good democratic record as compared to other countries in regions. This platform is important for further experimentation of our models and then up scaling it to the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa.

5.0.What are the expected outputs?

The expected outcome include: a) enabling grassroots communities benefit from macro-economic gains currently experienced in many Sub-Saharan African countries; b) rising life standards of grassroots people and women in particular across sub-Saharan Africa; c) increased networking among scholars from across the globe that channels their expertise directly to grassroots interventions in Tanzania and the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa; d) increased number of beneficiaries. At least 200 women entrepreneurs will be added every year.

6.0.What is the proposed timeline?

The proposed timeline for this project is three years for up-scaling in Tanzania. Then three years for up-scaling in Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon and Cote d'Ivoire.

7.0.What is the approximate budget?

The approximate budget for up scaling in Tanzania is $100,000 per annum totalling to $300,000 for three years. For up-scaling in Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon and Cote d'Ivoire, the approximate budget is $300,000 per annum. Up-scaling in Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon and Cote d'Ivoire starts after two years of implementation in Tanzania.

  

8.0.How can we contact you?

Mr. Rasel Madaha

AGEN&AGEN-USA Inc.

P.O.BOX 3002

Morogoro

Phone: +255 787737309

Email: raselmpuya@gmail.com and rasel.madaha@fulbrightmail.org

Cathelini Mbilinyi, in the photo, is a grassroots entrepreneur who engages in....................

Cathelini Mbilinyi, in the photo, is a grassroots entrepreneur who engages in food vendoring and sale of beer and soft drinks. She has been benefiting from AGEN-USA Inc interventions in rural Tanzania for over three years. 

Cathelini is a mother of 6 (3 boys and 3 girls). One of her children goes to a local secondary school; the rest are in primary school. Specifically, Catheline has received micro-loan from NIGE, AGEN-USA Inc’s implementing partner, four times. As a result, her business continues to thrive.

She is able to feed her family and pay for her children’s education.

A not for profit entrepreneur and women's empowerment

Dear US Department of State Alumni

I have recently started to see myself as a “not-for-profit entrepreneur” because I simply do not get economic profit by actively engaging myself in a not-for-profit industry. What takes more than 20 hours of my time weekly isn’t that much profitable. I mean I do not get billions of dollars in profit making by devoting so much time and energy to helping women entrepreneurs in Iguguno and Mwangata wards in what may be referred to as remote areas of Tanzania. I do not even get a few bucks by writing this email to update a not-for-profit devout individual like you. However, there is one great thing which I get out of this devotion; I am getting happier and happier daily as I hear and see the lives of women entrepreneurs and their loved one get transformed for better. I am even happier to learn that you take some of your time to read this email. Thank you very much. Neither an economic entrepreneurial venture nor money is capable of buying such happiness. And that is why I invite you at this time of holiday season as we approach a good new year 2014 to be happier by taking some of your time and energy to help the most need people of this world.

Our intervention in remote places of Sub-Saharan Africa and in particular Tanzania is nearly three years old. As you might know, this intervention is a product of the first United States Department of State Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF) in 2011. While a significant number of other 2011 AEIF projects have ceased to operate, ours continues to exist and positively impact the lives of hundreds of women entrepreneurs. For example, the fund which was given to the entrepreneurs to be used for a revolving fund has nearly tripled. The fund positively impacts past and new rural women entrepreneurs. From humble beginnings many of these entrepreneurs have scaled up their businesses and they are determined to scale up more. They have also diversified some of their businesses and they need your help to diversify more because simply that is what they have to do to make ends meet..  

We, through the not-for-profit organizations AGEN&AGEN-USA Inc you help create, continue to help them better their lives. Nearly, three years ago, we asked you “to click a mouse of your computer” to help us help the women entrepreneurs, you did so and our innovative project scored the highest of all AEIF projects in the whole of Sub-Saharan Africa. We come back to you once again to request some help because the entrepreneurs have relatively grown up and they need additional assistance and skills. Similarly, we, under the umbrella of AGEN&AGEN-USA Inc., have grown up and need some help from you for us to be able to strongly stand up on our feet.

Here are the few ways you can help and be happier:

·         Visit over 400 women entrepreneurs in Singida and Iringa regions of Tanzania just to give them a word of encouragement and for cultural exchange. Majority of the women entrepreneurs have experience of hosting volunteers from USA, UK, Australia and Germany from a few weeks to over six months. Interesting experience is guaranteed. AGEN&AGEN-USA Inc can help you arrange for this.

·         Bring trainers, researchers, students and volunteers to spend some times in our innovative project sites. This can facilitate improvement of our intervention and at the same time facilitate replication of best practices to other Sub-Saharan countries and the rest of the world. New practices to help inform scholarly community are guaranteed and we are here to help.

·         You can join us and become a dedicated member. We still have room for both ordinary and board members. Please, request our policy, if you are ready to seriously dedicate at least three hours of your time per week. This is going to be a rewarding experience for those who will truly dedicate their time.

·         You can like and tell others to like our facebook page at www.facebook.com/agenusainc This is a rewarding experience. You can equally learn more about us at www.agentz.org There you can also access video clips of some of the successful entrepreneurs. I will do my best to update you.

·         You can donate only a few dollars to help us provide quality monitoring, training and counselling. Your donation will also be used to increase the women’s revolving fund to help us reach additional number of entrepreneurs. We will also be able to maintain our website and social media tools as well as make more interesting video clips to update you on our interventions. We have launched a fundraiser at a reputable fundraising site. Your donations are tax deductable (for those living in USA) and safe. Here is a link to our fundraiser: http://www.crowdrise.com/yes-women-can/fundraiser/agenusainc (you can donate as low as $10). Your donation will be used to facilitate our charitable mission. You will never regret your decision to donate and help this venture. We guarantee nothing but happiness for those who help and support us. Here, we mean the lives of hundreds of women entrepreneurs will continue to be better as years go on and you will be happier for that.

Please get involved today. As we approach a new year, we request you, as devout and great not-for-profit entrepreneur, to open a new chapter in your devotion to charitable purpose by supporting a program which truly impacts the lives of grassroots entrepreneurs in innovative ways.

Thank you very much for your support and we are looking forward to hearing from you sooner than later. It is a new happier beginning. And…

We wish you a great holiday season and happy New Year 2014.

Rasel Madaha, a “not-for-profit entrepreneur” 

N.B. I have posted an interesting link to a video clip titled “ A proposal by Women Entrepreneurs” at http://www.agentz.org/index.php/what-we-do

AGEN & AGEN-USA Inc. Newsletter June 4th 2013

Today's issue of AGEN & AGEN-USA Inc. has the following interesting features on Africa:

 1)LRA Rebels Linked to Elephant Poaching in Central Africa 

2) Google to bring net access to Africa using blimps, masts and satellites | Technology 

3) US offers rewards for capture of African militants 

4) Ugandan awarded the 2013 National Geographic award 

5) 10 Urgent Reasons We Must Do More for Women and Girls 

6) Eat less meat for greater food security, British population urged 

7) The Economist explains: How did the global poverty rate halve in 20 years? 

8) Cash incentives pour in for Kenyans ahead of Nigeria World Cup tie : Sports-africareview.com 

9) Nigeria face tough task in World Cup tie against Kenya 

10) Nigeria lays out plans to privatise 10 power plants 

11) Nigeria clamps down on same-sex marriage click the link below for details

Enjoy the newsletter at http://paper.li/f-1369143199

Rasel

AGEN & AGEN-USA Inc. Newsletter Edition of 2nd June 2013

Hello there,

AGEN & AGEN-USA Inc. Newsletter Edition of 2nd June 2013 is out. The newsletter covers several interesting articles on Africa and the rest of the world. Here, are some highlights on Africa:

• Obama's half-brother selling his letters for $15,000 each: News-africareview.com
• Focusing on Quality Education in sub-Saharan Africa
• Somalia's eligible bachelors - and how to spot them - Voices of Africa

Enjoy the newsletter at http://paper.li/f-1369143199

Rasel

AGEN & AGEN-USA Inc. Newsletter 1st June 2013

Hello,

AGEN & AGEN-USA Inc. Newsletter Edition 1 June 2013 is out. The newsletter covers several interesting articles on Africa and the rest of the world. Here, are some highlights on Africa:

·         Google warms to solar in Africa

·         How seriously is the US taking Islamist militancy in Africa?

·         Sending you into the afterlife Ghana Style

·         Japan pledges $32 billion aid for Africa to boost investment

·         Multi-Donor Trust Fund for South Sudan: Improving Life for South Sudan’s 8.3 Million People

·         The Last Battle - Witness - Al Jazeera English

Enjoy the newsletter either at http://paper.li/f-1369143199 or click here

Rasel

Mwanaidi Hamisi is one of the beneficiaries of AEIF and does good business

Mwanaidi Hamisi is one of the beneficiaries of AEIF 2011. She is a wife and mother of six children. Two of them are girls. Two her of children are in secondary school; the rest are in primary school. Mwanaidi is an entrepreneur who engages in retail business during dry season and farming during rain season. She specifically provides vitenge (Tanzanian traditional fabric mostly worn by women), shoes and cooking utensil to her customers.

During dry season (harvest), she walks around the village door to door to serve her customers. This allows her customers ample time to engage in other activities. With only a humble beginning of a capital worth on Tanzanian shillings 150,000 (around $60), Mwanaidi’s business has grown to a capital worth Tanzanian shillings 500,000 ($350). Moreover, Mwanaidi’s business makes her qualifies for a loan worthy Tanzanian shillings 300,000. She has invested her latest loan on agriculture whereby she owns 6 acres of land (1 acre = 4046.8564224 m2): 4 acres have been used for maize production whereas 2 acres of land have been used for sunflower production. She expects a good harvest which will be used for construction of a business site in her village.

AGEN and AGEN-USA Inc. Newsletter 31st May 2013 Edition

Hello everybody!

I have decided to take specific steps to become a blogger for the sake of people in need from across Sub-Saharan Africa. I will start with a newsletter and then take it from there. I managed to gather some interesting
articles today. Here are the highlights:

1. Uganda among the worst in child marriages - study
2. “Nothing should stop me,” says Ethiopian schoolgirl | WFP | United
Nations World Food Programme - Fighting Hunger Worldwide
3. San people of Southern Africa face challenges, says an activist
4. Inter-agency mission assesses humanitarian needs in Mali
 5. Multinationals drive up rents in Kenyan capital Nairobi: Business and Finance-africareview.com
6. Changing the Narrative: Youth in Africa
7. Africa needs more knowledge not just more money and projects
8. African infrastructure fund 'could reach $50 billion'
9. Africa Has Greater Potential Than India: Stanchart
10. Poverty: Not always with us

 Please click the following link: http://paper.li/f-1369143199 or click to the above mentioned articles and many more from across the globe.

Enjoy the newsletter!

Kind regards

Rasel

Over 400 Women Entreprenuers Continue to Benefit with AGEN and AGEN-USA Inc Interventions

AGEN and AGEN-USA Inc. continue to navigate several challenges as a not-for-profit. However, we are determined to continue impacting lives of disadvantaged people. Briefly, over 400 Tanzanian women entrepreneurs continue to benefit from our interventions. In the year 2011, women entrepreneur received a grant worthy $10,000 to run a revolving fund. They have managed to keep the fund and revolve it among themselves as they impact their lives and move several steps away from the poverty line.

Mz Kresensia Abel, above, is a mother of four and one of the beneficiaries. She engages in sale of vegetables. Her profit has more than doubled and she has managed to support her family including sending her children to school. Without AGEN and AGEN-USA Inc.'s intervention, she would not be able to support her family.

Changing One Life at a Time at Lukomo Village

English:

Ms. Miriam Mtimbo lives in Lukomo village, Singida Tanzania. She is one of the beneficiaries of AGEN and AGEN-USA Inc. interventions in the area. Ms. Mtimbo took a loan worth 100,000/= and then successfully revamped her business. She equal

ly managed to pay her loan on time and as a result qualified for loan two times her original loan i.e. she was provided with a second loan worthy Tanzanian shillings 200,000/=.

Specifically, Ms. Miriam engages in petty business to supply locally handy made baskets, shoes, kerosene and sunflower oil. Her business is a located at local market in Lukomo village (see her photo: Johnson is AGEN and AGEN-USA Inc. field officer).

Ms. Miriam managed to get a relatively huge interest from her business. She managed to purchase 4 bags of maize (one bag is around 100kg or 220 pounds) and 4 bags of sunflower seeds (one bag is around 100kg or 220 pounds). Moreover, with the interest she managed to build a small structure for pork production and purchased one pig to produce piglets that she is going to raise for the business. She is indeed an entrepreneur who expands and diversifies her business to meet the need a diversified customers living in Lukomo village.

French:

Excusez mon français, veuillez : Mme Miriam Mtimbo vit dans village Lukomo, Singida en Tanzanie. Elle est l'un des bénéficiaires d'Agen et AGEN-USA Inc. les interventions dans ce domaine. Mme Mtimbo a pris un prêt de 100 000 /= puis remanié

avec succès son entreprise. Elle a également réussi à rembourser son prêt à temps et comme un résultat qualifié de prêt de deux fois son prêt original c'est-à-dire qu'elle a été fournie avec un deuxième prêt digne shillings tanzaniens 200 000 / =. Plus précisément, Mme.

Plus précisément, Mme Miriam s'engage dans la petite entreprise de fournir localement pratique faites des paniers, chaussures, kérosène et huile de tournesol. Son entreprise se trouve au marché local à Lukomo village (voir sa photo: Johnson est AGEN et AGEN-USA Inc. agent de terrain).

Mme Miriam gérés pour obtenir une relativement immense intérêt de son entreprise. Elle a réussi à acheter 4 sacs de maïs (un sac est d'environ 100 kg ou 220 livres) et 4 sachets de graines de tournesol (un sac est d'environ 100 kg ou 220 livres). En outre, avec l'intérêt qu'elle réussi à construire une petite structure de production de la viande de porc et acheté un porc pour produire les porcelets qu'elle va soulever pour l'entreprise.

It Can be done but you have to do it first

Rahel Husein is an entrepreneur who engages in refinery of sunflower discards from local relatively advanced refineries. She and so are a significant number of other women entrepreneurs in Singida, refines a dense oil paste leftover (ugido in Kiswahili) from local refineries. The local refineries can not fully refine all of the sunflower seeds to produce clear oil. Therefore a sunflower case and the oil paste are meant to be discards from the process. While the sunflower case is being sold to livestock keepers, the dense oil paste is sold to local women for furher processing. And then the women refine the paste to produce a clear sunflower cooking oil ready for sale. Typically the process involves mixing of 40 liters of the oil paste with 140 liters of water. The mixture is then skillfully boiled with constant stirring for four to five hours. The mixture is then skillfully filtered to produce clear oil sunflower. The final result is 20 liters of refined sunflower cooking oil. The process is a signature achievement that has been developed for several decades; not everyone can successfully produce clear sunflower oil. This is indeed, locally discovered way of refining sunflower leftovers that would otherwise be lost.

Ms. Rahel is 34 years old and she has five children. Two of her children attend primary school education; the remaining three are under the school age. Ms. Rahel has been a member of JUWAKI since year 2003; JUWAKI is a local women’s grassroots entrepreneurial civil society that has partnered with AGEN and AGEN-USA Inc. in the AEIF project since year 2011. Before she joined JUWAKI, Rahel didn’t own any business. Sadly, she handled all of her first loan to her husband believing that she couldn’t engage in any business. However, following continuous interaction with other JUWAKI entrepreneurs and frequent visits from AGEN and AGEN-USA Inc. volunteers, Rahel took a loan and successfully engaged in ugido refinery to produce sunflower oil for sale. She used her loan worthy Tanzanian shillings 100,000 to buy 5 buckets (each 20 liters) of ugido and produced 50 liters of processed sunflower oil (two buckets and a half). She earned a net profit of Tanzanian shillings 30,000 from the first production and a sum of Tanzanian shillings 120,000 only within the first moth of production. She then repaid her loan as she continued to expand her small business. The income earned from the business has been used to meet all necessary expenses of a relatively large household of 7; equally importantly, the income earned has enabled Rahel to meet all school expenses of her children attending school.

After successfully repayment of the first loan, Rahel qualified for a loan which is double the amount she received earlier i.e. Tanzanian shillings 200,000. With that amount, Rahel can buy 10 to 15 (20 liters) buckets of Ugido weekly for refinery. That is to say that Rahel currently makes a profit three times of the original profit i.e. Tanzanian shillings 360,000. Like any other entrepreneur, Rahel has started to diversify her business and engage in poultry of local breeds of chicken. The free range local breeds can easily survive at the locality, are capable of laying eggs, produce chicks and raise them with minimal supervision from the owners. Besides, these are double or triple the price of exotic breeds such as broilers. However, Rahel has used the income earned to build a structure for a better and safer poultry business.

Rahel see more opportunities in her business because she, like many other small entrepreneurs, has not fully address the demand of the local market. A room for business expansion largely remains.

Rahel greatly thanks AGEN, AGEN-USA Inc. and the American people for a support that has truly transformed her life.

Angelina with her tailoring business

Angelina Mking’I is a local tailor living in Iringa municipality. She has three children all of whom are girls. Here are their names: Loveness Kulanga who is 15 years old and in third year (Form three) of ordinary level secondary education; Verynice Kulanga is12 years old and is in sixth year of primary education; and finally, Angelfes (Angel’s face) Kulanga who is 9 years old and currently in standard 3 at one of the local primary schools in Iringa. Angelina’s husband engages in small business and in particular he buys and sells rice. Angelina enjoys freedom, love and support from her husband. In particular, the husband allows her ample time to own, use the earning and run her business as she wishes.

Angelina is one of nearly 400 AEIF beneficiaries of a project run by AGEN and AGEN-USA Inc. alumni and their colleagues in Tanzania and from across the globe. Specifically, Angelina was provided with as a loan worthy Tanzanian shillings 72,000 to help her expand her tailoring business. 

Prior to accessing the loan, Angelina had a small capital of only Tanzanian shillings 17,500. With that amount she could only buy less fabric at an elevated rate and as a result she could only earn Tanzanian shillings 62, 500. The fabric could only last for a week. Consequently, a significant portion of the earning was lost through expenses associated with weekly purchases of fabric and associated transportation. Instead, of engaging in business, she lost her precious time resource through weekly purchases.

However, the loan has enabled her to earn and save more money; she currently earns, Tanzanian shillings 250,000 within three weeks. A significant amount of that income isn’t lost because she has enough fabric to last for the whole month. She also has more time to engage in her business. And she purchases more fabric at a discounted rate.

Angelina conveys her greatest gratitude to the Tanzanian alumni, AGEN, AGEN-USA Inc. and in particular the American people for their support that has truly transformed her life for better.

Please take a look at another article by Rasel Madaha in a reputable Peer Reviewed journal

Title:	Disparate Coping Strategies for Gendered effects of Drought: a Call for Re-examination of Gender Roles and Harmful Traditions in Central Tanzania
Author(s):	Rasel Mpuya Madaha, (University at Buffalo)
Citation:	Rasel Mpuya Madaha, (2012) "Disparate Coping Strategies for Gendered effects of Drought: a Call for Re-examination of Gender Roles and Harmful Traditions in Central Tanzania", International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, Vol. 3 Iss: 3
Article type:	Research paper
Publisher:	Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Abstract:	Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to facilitate an understanding of influence of gender roles in drought so as to come with relevant recommendation aimed at bettering the lives of men, women and girl children. Design/methodology/approach - Data have been collected via participant observation, interviews and collection of unpublished primary and secondary data generated by case studies conducted by the author. After which, content analysis was employed for its potentiality as a means of systematically identifying, classifying and analyzing information relevant to this study. Please refer to the attached manuscript for details. Findings - It is argued in this study that the survival of the community, in Central Tanzania, is questionable because effects of drought have reached intolerable levels and strategies adopted aren’t that helpful. More specifically, socially assigned gender roles, position women and girl children at the most disadvantageous position as the main victims of the disaster. Accordingly, gender roles have to be changed, if the effects of drought have to be mitigated and the community rescued from disappearance. Research limitations/implications - It would have been impossible to conduct such a large scale research, if I were not employed by organizations working in the study areas. Moreover, accessibility of such information would have been impossible by a regular researcher. Funding agencies are not interested in research which involve long time observations. Practical implications - It would have been useful if deeper water-bores are constructed so as to ensure long term supply of water. Moreover, rain fed agriculture is no longer reliable. For that reason irrigation should be promoted by construction of structures to facilitate trapping of rain water. In other words, water from rain can be trapped and be used for irrigation. Usually the region is flooded during rain season and that is an indication that rain water can be harvested. Originality/value - The research is original as data obtained cannot be easily accessed by short term researchers who have inadequate knowledge of the community and cannot observe season changes. Practitioner, social scientists and natural scientists, engineers and contractors included, can have their confidence in the findings: the findings are ready to be used. For more details please visit http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?issn=1759-5908&volume=3&issue=3&articleid=17045715&show=pdf&PHPSESSID=s3gaeoh1hgvvasqshaq9mjua01or click here

The Grassroots Investment Model for Global Development

Figure 1: The Grassroots Investment Model

The views suggested in this model do not necessarily reflect the views of AGEN and AGEN-USA Inc; these views are mainly from Rasel Madaha who together with James Jesse has won an award as Champions of Women's Economic Empowerment offered by TIAW(TIAW World of Difference 100 Award and its TIAW Annual Global Partnership Forum recognizes up to 100 extraordinary women and men from around the world each year whose efforts have advanced the economic empowerment of women locally, regionally or worldwide, including well-known women and men as well as “unsung heroes.” The motto of TIAW is “Connecting to Make All the Difference in the World.” Details can be found at http://www.tiaw.org/global_forum_2012/Home_Page.asp) following their participation in the project titled, “Women Empowerment in Rural Sub Sahara Africa through Capacity Building and Training in Tanzania.” Using his experience drawn from the mentioned project and his prior experience spanning for a period of over five years, Rasel has developed the model for wider distribution and applicability across the globe and in Sub-Saharan Africa in particular. This is the first step towards production of a resourceful book on the same. By and large, the major argument made here is that development agencies need to trust poor/grassroots people because they are capable of helping themselves. The dominant doctrine that people need to be provided with direct assistance such as food, medicine, buildings and free education is being challenged. It is argued that any development intervention should invest in grassroots people’s resources by providing grassroots people with opportunities, mainly through micro-credit or other forms of grassroots level investment, for them to manage their development as they wish and as per their context specific situation. It should be underscored that grassroots people, especially those in developing countries are not that much poor and idle waiting for external assistance; actually they are busy engaging in various activities including income generating activities to make ends meet.  Although majority of them live in muddy houses, grassroots people in developing countries and Sub-Saharan Africa in particular, unlike poor people in developed countries, own a piece of land in which their respective muddy houses have been build. Majority of them equally own relatively larger piece of land, close or far from their respective houses, for subsistence farming. Such small farms, for example, are the ones which produce food for wider public consumptions in many of the Sub-Saharan African countries. The grassroots people are largely on their own as their respective governments invest in large micro-economic projects which benefit a small proportion of the population in those countries. The difference between grassroots people in developed and developing world is that those in developed world own their labor not portions of land, they are fewer and therefore receive support from their respective governments; those in developing world own land, their labor, they are the majority and thus receive limited assistance from their equally poor governments. 

Noteworthy, the assistance that impoverished grassroots people receive from both government and other development agencies, cannot enable them to meet their subsistence needs for the whole year. However, they survive throughout the year as they use whatever recourses they have in their localities. These are what are referred to as, “hidden resources” and it is time that the world should invest in such resources. Using such hidden resources, unrecognized by many in the outside world including those living in urban places of the supposedly poverty stricken countries, rural grassroots people can buy and produce food for themselves, send their children to school, build or improve their houses, strengthen their businesses, and even build schools for their children with no or zero support from government and other agencies.

The critical question that we need to ask ourselves is, “we have been providing poor people with insufficient free services for decades and in particular since independence in 1960s. Yet the proportion of Sub-Saharan poor people has remained relatively the same i.e. over 70% in many countries.” We need to re-examine our current models and attempt innovative models. It is time that we should invest on grassroots people and stimulate the engine in them to farther their context specific development.

Specifically, the Grassroots Investment Model (see the figure), as it is proposed by Mr. Rasel Madaha following his observations and direct interaction with grassroots entrepreneurs before AEIF project (Rasel had been interacting with the grassroots entrepreneurs for over  five years providing them with training and funds through organizations that he worked for) and during implementation of AEIF titled the “Women Empowerment in Rural Sub Sahara Africa through Capacity Building and Training in Tanzania” calls for greater interaction and partnership among grassroots people, scholars, government, and not-for-profit NGOs to identify and help develop grassroots people’s capabilities to help themselves and to pave way for them to contribute to the large human development.

Rasel argues that development agencies should understand that grassroots people in rural areas of Sub-Saharan Africa engage in some businesses even before their arrival and they can soundly decide what is important for them. Specifically, the major role of development agencies should be to identify existing groups of entrepreneurs not form new ones. Such kind of social setting already exists and in particular among women. The next step should be to identify if such groups have developed into networks. If the a network exists, the development agencies should start right away to interact with the network through formal arrangements such as signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU should be longer than proposed end of project to the donor. For example, AGEN has signed an MoU that is going to last four years after donor’s support has ended.

In absence of a network, agencies should work with local NGOs only for a short time to network existing groups to help them form an autonomous network that should be legally registered. Then other formal arrangement of collaboration, such as signing of an MoU, should follow. Then, an agency should spend a significant amount of time and other resources to build the capacity of the network through mutual collaboration. During, this time the agency should understand that a grassroots network is a master of its environment and should equally learn from the network in efforts to build its capacity to serve the community better. Such relationship of mutual responsibility should remain throughout implementation of the project in such a way that more responsibilities to manage the project are being passed to the network right from the start as opposed to being retained by the NGOs. 

NGO administrative expenses are usually high and it has become a common thing for majority of donors to demand that such NGOs should minimize their administrative expenses and invest a larger proportion of funds on project. To minimize NGO administrative expenses and invest more on grassroots intervention, governments, development agencies and/or NGOs should make use of local volunteers and part-time employees. There are a lot of individuals outside there in search of job experience and these can be of great help for NGOs. However, in order retain volunteers for a longer time there should be arrangements for meals, accommodation, transportation and other forms of assistance. Good sources of such volunteers are, among other things, leaders of local grassroots groups at project sites, employees of grassroots NGOs working in the area, students, recent graduates and junior university faculty. International volunteers can equally play a key role through social media tools such as facebook, blogs and the like. They, among other things, can help in fundraising. One should not underestimate the power of social media which increasingly connect the world into one global village. AGEN and AGEN-USA Inc. whose members are scattered from across the globe have been benefited much from use of free and cheap social media tools. Well qualified and experienced full time employees are important; nevertheless, the number of such employees should be kept to a minimum and preferably from the country where an intervention takes place. International employees who consume large portion of funds in terms of salaries and other forms of stipends should equally work on part-time basis preferably residing in their countries. They can conduct occasional visits to project sites and use social media tools to monitor progress with those residing in project sites.

At country’s level, there should be similar arrangements. For example, national NGO staff should only conduct occasion visits (AGEN did it on monthly basis) to the site and continuously gather reports prepared by grassroots network leaders (who will be monitoring progress on daily basis) on monthly basis. Such arrangements would enable the NGO at national and international level to cheaply monitor the project for relatively longer time after donor’s support has ended (what the NGO can do once donor’s support has ended should be part of the equation and all donors should demand for a clear plan. AGEN and AGEN-USA Inc. has planned to and will implement the project four years after donor’s support has ended). The end of the project as proposed by or to the donor should not be the actual end of the project. Equally apparently, local government authorities should also be involved from the start in such a way that local government authorities treat local network as partners and not subjects or subordinates. Local government authorities interact with grassroots people on day to day basis. Therefore, a significant amount of investment should be dedicated towards this area to equip leadership of networks with skills and knowledge that will enable them to best make use of free government services. As the networks grow, they should be ready to pay for some services and not merely rely on free government services. For example, they should be able to provide underpaid local government experts with some stipend to make them come to their villages and provide some training to their group members. Moreover, they should equally sponsor visits of some government officials because such officials are likely to play an important role in addressing future conflicts especially when the role of an external local or international NGO has been minimized. 

Finally closing of one project should not be the end of everything. Using lessons learned from previous interventions, external NGOs should then launch a similar intervention elsewhere. Efforts to link individuals residing at new project sites and those from previous project sites should then be made. It has taken AGEN and AGEN-USA Inc. to build powerful communities at grassroots level for only a year. Another year of minimum intervention might be required. The bottom line is we do not need NGOs to stay at project site for years because in doing so, they replace and even duplicate government services as they severely cripple grassroots groups and networks from becoming full independent and functional. NGOs shouldn’t stay in one project site, they should be constantly moving to newer sites to learn newer ways and then share from their previous experiences. Thus the big role of NGOs should be networking locally owned networks from across a country for them to become key stakeholders in the development of their own country. If that level is attained in a country, then NGOs and international ones in particular, as we know them today, are no longer needed. Instead, intergovernmental institutions such as the UN and East African community should replace international NGOs at international level. At grassroots or country’s level, locally owned civil societies should replace NGOs. NGOs can neither speak for the government nor speak for the international community; let aim at building ways that give true voice to grassroots people themselves. And the cycle aimed at fostering larger economic development, both micro and macro, for sustainable human development of a country and the whole world continues.