Africa Philanthropy Initiative
Save the Children is the world’s leading independent organisation for children. In everything we do we aim to put the most deprived and marginalised children first. Our vision is a world where every child survives, learn and is protected. Save the Children exists to make sure every child gets the chance to fulfil their potential. Around the world, we're working with children, and their families and communities, to help children stay safe, healthy and to keep learning - no matter where they're growing up.
Save the Children stands side by side with children in Africa across 35 countries, since the first programme, a child welfare centre, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in the early 1930s. Together with children, communities, donors, partners, NGOs and governments, we fight for children’s rights to education, safety and healthcare, so they can go on to build a better world and future of hope and possibility to achieve their dreams.
Launched in 2019, the Africa Philanthropy Initiative helps to reach out to potential supporters from and working on the continent to support our work across Africa. The Africa Advisory Board was created to support the fundraising strategy by helping to open doors to potential donors and leverage support from peers by identifying, engaging, and cultivating prospects. Since its inception, the Africa Advisory Board has supported the Save the Children movement to raise over £20 million and increased the visibility of Save the Children’s impactful work across the continent. The Initiative has shown that African philanthropists and corporates across the continent have a vested interest in Africa’s social and economic development.
Save the Children is always looking for new and innovative ways of raising much-needed resources and investment to make our work possible. As we look ahead to the next strategic period for Africa philanthropy, we are determined to continue our work with partners and supporters and investors from and in Africa, to unlock new resources.
OUR PURPOSE, VISION & APPROACH
Together, we are committed to fight for children in Africa every single day so they can realise their full potential and make their mark on the world.
We are committed to creating lasting and transformational change in the lives of children across the continent.
We will achieve our vision by working with individuals and partners from and in, invested or working in Africa, to improve the well-being and rights of children across Africa.
The Africa Advisory Board
To achieve our vision we have the support of our Africa Advisory Board. This is a board of passionate supporters of Save the Children who shape our outreach and make introductions to supporters from the African diaspora in the UK and across the continent. Members of the board help us to reach, engage and bring prospective supporters closer to our work. We know we cannot transform the lives of children without the support of the Advisory Board which is central to the success of our strategy.
Board Members
Dr Nataliey Bitature
Chief of Staff, The Simba Group
Board Chair
Andrew Sekandi
Co-Founder of Aquila Capital & Partners
Board Vice-Chair
Florence ‘Cuppy’ Otedola
Nigerian DJ and Founder, The Cuppy Foundation
Board Ambassador
Nick Ashcroft
Partner, Addleshaw Goddard
Board Member
Tsedenia Ayalew
Deputy Managing Director, Tsemex Business Group
Board Member
Owen Lawrence
CEO, Arbitra International
Board Member
Togolani Mavura
Ambassador of Tanzania to the Republic of Korea
Board Member
Misbah Mir
Founder and Director, OMAC Africa
Board member
Linda Ayoola
Global Head of Music, Platoon, Apple
Board Member
Dupe Olusola
Managing Director and CEO, Transcorp Hotels Plc
Board Member
Elisa Desbordes
Chief Operating Officer, Ecobank Foundation
Board Member
Clement Uwajeneza
Managing Director, RwandaEQUIP
Board member
OUR WORK IN AFRICA
Child protection
We help children like Peter* achieve their dreams - he had been living as a child soldier in South Sudan.
“They gave us weapons for shooting,” he says. “They were teaching us skills – how to hide ourselves or run.”
It was Peter’s belief in education that gave him the strength to escape – he fled to Uganda in the hope of going back to school.
Now that he’s learning again, Peter has big ambitions: “when I finish my studies and graduate, I want to become the President of the Republic of South Sudan.”
Education
Fatima*, 15, is from North East Nigeria. “We have problems of armed groups," she says.
"Because armed groups kill. They look for female students and take them. Parents don’t want to take children to school because girls will be abducted and married off. They prefer to get them married instead. They prefer boys going to school. They don’t regard girls’ education in the same way.”
We’re making sure all children – especially girls like Fatima and children affected by conflict – have access to education.
We’ve set up 12,000 management committees in schools that have improved learning opportunities for five million children in Nigeria.
Health and nutrition
The Horn of Africa is experiencing first-hand the complex interplay between the global climate crisis and conflict. Families have had to leave their homes; children are facing critical levels of hunger and many are forced to drop out of school.
When Fatima became weak and sick with malnutrition, her mother, Amina*, took her to a Save the Children-supported stabilisation centre. There she received nutritional milk, food and medicine. After ten days, Fatima regained her strength.
In Somalia, our mobile health teams and staff at healthcare centres have helped over 37,000 children. Throughout the region, we’ve diagnosed and treated tens of thousands of malnourished children. Across Africa, we’re also creating community-based disastermanagement committees, training farmers in sustainable farming techniques and distributing tools and seeds, to build local resilience against climate change.
Find out more
For more details on the Africa Philanthropy Initiative and Africa Advisory Board, please contact us below.
Page last updated April 2024
