where we work
africa
Enabling and empowering communities in Cameroon (left), Ethiopia (centre) and Mozambique (right).
MRDF currently supports partner organisations in 14 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The regional programmes are divided into West, East and Southern Africa. Here are just a few examples of MRDF's work in this continent.
Breaking out of the poverty trap in Mozambique
The United Nations place Mozambique as the fifth least-developed country in the world. Over 50% of the population live on less than $1 a day, a reality that is compounded by rising inflation, ongoing corruption and HIV/AIDS. The country appears locked in a desperate situation. MRDF's partner is giving renewed hope to the people of Josina Machel Island through workshops on sustainable agriculture techniques, ensuring communities have enough to eat and can make a living from what they grow.
From isolation to community in Cameroon
Although they should be the ones receiving support from family, elderly people in Cameroon often find themselves taking care of several grandchildren, who have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS. Due to their age, it is difficult for these grandparents to generate enough income to provide for their family. MRDF's partner works in a particularly remote area of North-West Cameroon supporting the elderly through a network of clubs and income-generating activities. The staff do home visits for those too frail to attend and also campaign for the rights of the elderly at a national level.
Thanks to organisational as well as financial support provided by MRDF, a local partner organisation in Ethiopia has been able to flourish. Once a team of just two, the partner now has 29 staff members working across three field offices. This organisational development meant that when the rains failed in May 2008, MRDF's partner was able to respond immediately and effectively. Through its network of self-help groups, communities received emergency seed loans, funded by MRDF, on the understanding that, as they harvested, an equivalent amount of seed would eventually be repaid. The resulting seed bank now provides a co-operative system for the efficient storage and distribution of grain, providing the community with the resilience to withstand environmental shocks in the future.
