Identify opportunities to collaborate with social investors around the world through AVPA sister networks in Europe, Asia and Latin America. Learn from best practice, explore solutions and meet new partners from other regions.
Opportunities to coordinate capital resources through existing facilities for impact at scale
Collaborate with partners to support impact businesses, social enterprises, and communities affected by COVID-19.
As part of efforts to help reduce poverty linked to COVID-19, UNICEF has provided additional cash transfers for 12,500 families across Kenya, including 1,500 in Kajiado County. Under this initiative, each family receives a cash top up of 2,000 shillings bi-monthly (in addition to the existing 2,000 shillings per month), to help cushion them from the effects of poverty, including malnutrition. The programme is funded by the Governments of Finland, Italy, Sweden and the UK.
The number of COVID-19 vaccinations administered in Kenya has surpassed the one million mark as the health authorities around the country continue giving the life-saving jabs. According to the health ministry, 1,005,509 shots had been given by Tuesday, a single-day increase of 29,674 from the figure published on Monday. Read the full story here.
To reinforce Kenya’s resilient, inclusive and green economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, the World Bank approved $750 million in development policy financing to support policy reforms that will strengthen transparency and accountability in public procurement and promote efficient public investment spending. You can read the full article here
Courtesy of Reuters
A variant of COVID-19 first diagnosed in India has been detected in Kenya, the health ministry said on Wednesday, days after the same variant was detected in neighboring Uganda. read more
The health ministry on April 26 said Kenya was suspending flights to and from India.
Courtesy of Quartz Africa The Covid-19 pandemic has further exposed corruption in African governments, as numerous reports emerge from procurement deals struck under shady circumstances. In South Africa, there are accusations of the misuse of $900 million in public funds meant for fighting the pandemic. In Uganda, four top officials were arrested on suspicion of inflating prices for Covid-19 relief food, costing the government at least $528,000. To read more go to Quartz Africa
Content provided by & Voa News Africa is "watching with total disbelief" as India struggles with a devastating resurgence in COVID-19 cases, the continent's top public health official said Thursday, as African officials worry about delays in vaccine deliveries caused by India's crisis. The African continent, with roughly the same population as India and fragile health systems, "must be very, very prepared" since a similar scenario could happen here, John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters. To read more go to Voa News
Equity Bank Kenya and FMO-NASIRA sign guarantee program for COVID-19 support. “The guarantee supports Equity to mitigate and reduce risk in the MSME segment especially emanating from the pandemic that has slowed and reduced economic activity. The Bank’s NPLs has traditionally been 40% lower than the industry. As we seek to build back better without leaving anyone behind, we will support MSMEs to adapt and fit in a new emerging global economy that is more resilient, agile and sensitive to sustainability,” added Dr. Mwangi. FMO is the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank. As a leading impact investor, FMO supports sustainable private sector growth in developing countries and emerging markets by investing in ambitious projects and entrepreneurs. FMO believes that a strong private sector leads to economic and social development and has a 50-year proven track-record of empowering people to employ their skills and improve their quality of life. FMO focuses on three sectors that have high development impact: financial institutions, energy, and agribusiness, food & water. With a committed portfolio of EUR 9.7 billion spanning over 85 countries, FMO is one of the larger bilateral private sector developments banks globally. Click here to read more.
Be part of a public-private partnership responding to COVID-19 in Kenya The National Business Compact Coalition (NBCC) Kenya chapter is convened by the Marketing Society of Kenya and comprised of competing brands in the hygiene business, Kenya Association of Manufacturers, Kenya Private Sector Alliance, Public Relations Society of Kenya, AMREF, Association of Practitioners in Advertising, SDG Partnership Platform, and the UN family in Kenya.
More than 900 individual donors, including celebrities, and twenty corporate organizations, have donated to the N1 Billion Health Workers Fund ($2,631,578.95) initiated by Giving.ng, Nigeria’s premier crowdfunding platform. By the end of July 2020, the Fund, which was launched in April 2020 and seeded with N25 Million Naira by leading commercial bank, Sterling Bank Plc, had paid over N25.7 million in hazard allowances to one hundred and eleven frontline health workers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic across the country. Health Workers earn just N5,000 ($13.16) monthly as hazard allowance in most hospitals in the country. The N1 Billion Health Workers Fund pays health workers N100,000 ($263.16) monthly for 3 months to encourage them to continue to provide quality service to patients in the hospitals fighting for their lives against COVID-19.
The Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) is a Private Sector task force in partnership with the Federal Government, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) with the goal of combating Coronavirus in Nigeria. The mission is to work collaboratively with the Nigerian government to provide direct support and funds to private and public healthcare’s ability to respond to the crisis; set up several testing, isolation and treatment centers in all six geo-political zones; and aggressively increasing general public’s awareness, education and buy-in to prevent panic and resulting chaos. CACOVID has also provided Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and molecular testing labs. Delivered the following hospital beds to the following States. Lagos (1,000 beds), Kano (500 beds), Rivers (210 beds), Abuja (200 beds), Enugu (200 beds) and Borno (200 beds). Given the fact that Lagos is the epicenter of this crisis in Nigeria, CACOVID will have permanent structures as centers fully equipped with medical supplies and trained personnel to cater to anyone who may become affected.
The COVID-19 Impact Consortium is a joint initiative of the Impact Investors Foundation (IIF), African Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA), and the GIZ-Nigeria Competitiveness Project (NICOP). COVID-19 Impact Consortium was established to provide a framework and platform for a more coordinated response of key stakeholders within and outside the impact enterprises, impact investing and philanthropy community. It is a coordinated mechanism for rapid response in crisis management and it strengthens the capacity of impact enterprises, Nigerian impact investors, philanthropy and others in emergency management.
In response to the challenges of the COVID-19 lockdown in South Africa, an innovative idea was birthed out of the COVID-19 Platform organized by AVPA. The idea was to develop redeemable vouchers for food and other essential products that would help vulnerable people, support small businesses (especially spaza shops/Kiosks) as well as the bigger stores. This idea was further strengthened by collaboration with the South African Council of Churches. The Mthunzi Network was incorporated into an NPC within four weeks and by the end of August, had distributed almost 100,000 vouchers that can be exchanged at retailers across the country for food and essential items.
The Mental Wellness Initiative (MWI) brings together health and mental wellness, development and systems practitioners to deliver mental wellness as an urgent response to COVID-19 in South Africa. MWI addresses urgent short-term needs for psychosocial intervention and builds long-term capacity for a social ecology approach to mental wellness interventions; strengthens resilience to deal with pre-existing conditions and future barriers to sustainable development and provides a conduit for adaptive learning as well as responsive and effective healthcare across the sector. MWI will lead advocacy and thought leadership to shift the national conversation concerning mental wellness, to normalize and institutionalize mental wellness as core to South Africa’s development and transformation activities. This will result in mental wellness being leveraged as an imperative in the drive to achieve the objectives of the SDGs as reflected in the National Development Plan (NDP).
Transformative social investment initiatives that create lasting economic impact across Africa.
Explore social investor initiatives providing capital and non-financial resources to MSMEs, social enterprises, innovators, and non-profits.
https://www2.fundsforngos.org/listing/grant-opportunities-to-tackle-the-coronavirus-outbreak/
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1J3VHVglTYw5E-Ldtgjgl3OPCJ9CXHtboPTrHuc57tXo/edit#gid=0
https://kbfus.networkforgood.com/causes/16579-african-covid-19-response-funds
https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/coronavirus-relief-fund/projects/#menu/
https://cchubnigeria.com/call-for-projects-funding-and-design-support-for-covid-19-projects
https://www.gatesfoundation.org/philanthropypartners/funds/covid-19
Supporting small- and medium-sized businesses, health organizations, governments, and health workers, including the Small Business Resource Hub: resources to help small business manage through uncertainty, through Google for Small Business and Google My Business.
https://usa.visa.com/about-visa/newsroom/press-releases.releaseId.17066.html
http://www.equalifegroup.com/africa-venture-debt-covid-19-recovery-fund.html
https://docs.google.com/file/d/13Gu2l5qnNsnX1vUXLVp_D1FWh_Z6iBYw/edit?filetype=msexcel
Identify opportunities where you can contribute resources to meet urgent needs across Africa.
COVID-19 related deals collaborate on scalable initiatives by deploying much-needed resources into underserved communities.
A hub for research and thought leadership producing insights that help social investors become more effective
Insights on issues and developments in the social investment ecosystem, including reports, case studies, webinars and blog posts from AVPA as well as our members and partners.
Global Compact Network South Africa supports the efforts of the private sector to be a meaningful actor in the fight against COVID-19 in Africa. However, it is essential that business coalitions should ensure that their interventions reach the most vulnerable in addition to financial contributions. Through their Network’s operations, they are working with companies across the country to safeguard the lives and livelihoods of the people of South Africa as well as increase what can be learned from this crisis. To ensure this is done effectively, they believe that a responsible business coalition on COVID-19 must incorporate the following measures to ensure an inclusive and sustainable response to the crisis.
The paper highlights the fact that the lockdown was not effective in most African countries with high poverty rate and low social trust.
The analysis and the scenarios focused on Africa’s development trajectory which has had major setbacks, with rising extreme poverty
This publication highlights the importance of the role of DFIs working with private sector to save jobs and lives.
This publication raises the issues exacerbated by the COVID-19 such as peace, security and public health. The socio-economic responses the authors asserts may cause other fallouts to peace, security and public health.
COVID-19 and Africa: Socio-economic implications and policy responses The publication addresses socio-economic implications and government policy responses
A series of business insights on the implication of COVID-19 in Nigeria
This paper stresses the importance of innovation to change behavior that would to combat COVID-19. It further urges impact investors to create innovative financial products and vehicles to support organizations to rebuild the economy.
Government initiatives that are aiding global pandemic efforts.
Learn about public initiatives and social measures to combat COVID-19.
As the impact of COVID-19 continues to escalate, accountable public budgets that are aligned to the needs of people living in poverty and vulnerable populations are more crucial than ever. In the 2020/21 fiscal year, Kenya will not only be dealing with the social, health and economic effects of COVID-19 and the impacts of the government response, but will also be upscaling the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme. UHC is part of the national government’s priorities for the third medium-term plan, which covers the period 2018 to 2022. The first phase (pilot) of the UHC programme covered four of Kenya’s 47 counties. In 2020/21, the government intends to roll out the programme in the remaining 43 counties. Learn more about Kenya’s national government health and social protection budget for the 2020/21 fiscal year.
How "Farm To Feed" is Cushioning Farmers, Households Against Effects of COVID-19 COVID 19 has caused shocks in the food supply chains and household incomes. Food insecurity has increased with rising unemployment. Due to restrictions and low purchasing power, many farmers find themselves stranded with produce while families, short of cash, cannot afford regular meals. In Kenya, a local organization "Farm to Feed" Provides 2000 meals to vulnerable households daily, 6 days a week by proving food sourced directly from farmers struggling to get buyers due to the pandemic. This initiative keeps the smallholder farmers in business by creating a market for their produce while delivering much needed humanitarian relief to most vulnerable communities. The organization delivers supplies to different low-income areas in Nairobi including Kibera, Mathare, Outer Ring Road, Parklands, Deep Sea Slum, Ngara, Dagoretti, Kiserian and Kikuyu.
On May 20, 2020, during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, the President announced five big initiatives to kick start the economy post-pandemic as part of the "Bouncing Back: Nigeria Economic Sustainability Plan Report".
Lagos is the epicenter of the Coronavirus in Nigeria. In response to addressing the spread of the virus, Lagos State House of Assembly passed a law entitled: “A Law to Combat and Stop the Spread of Coronavirus Pandemic in Lagos State and for Connected Purposes”. The law enables the Governor to spend at least N20 billion (US52M) to combat the pandemic in the State. The Lagos State Government set up temporary food markets in some schools across the State under the Emergency Food Response Programme, to cushion the effect of the closure of major markets in the State in the wake of the lockdown. The State government provided food stimulus package for Lagos residents targeting 200,000 vulnerable households. The State Government also announced a medical lockdown palliative for all those needing to access medical care, as well as free childbirth services for expectant mothers.
The South African Government (“SA Government”) has implemented various interim measures to curb the immediate and longer-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses and individuals. Relief and/or interim measures are not available for all sectors at present. However, banking, property and many other sectors (other than retail assets) can likely expect future measures put in place to assist in curtailing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on sector performance in general. The following report by White & Case provides more information.
The Solidarity Fund - The Solidarity Fund is a public benefit organisation with a mandate to support the national health response, contribute to humanitarian relief efforts and mobilise South Africans in the fight against COVID-19. The Solidarity Fund was created on 23 March 2020 to respond to the COVID-19 crisis in South Africa. It is a platform for the general public, civil society and the public and private sector to contribute to the consolidated effort to fund various initiatives. The Fund works closely with government and business, but it is independent of both of them. It is responsible for, and controls, the funds donated, and is accountable to them, with Old Mutual administering the funds on a pro bono basis. The Fund will make public all donations and payments from the Fund on a regular basis. They will be administered by Tshikululu Social Investments to ensure transparency, monitoring and impact measurement.
News and Updates - The South African Government also issues a daily status of the Country’s COVID-19 status. This information includes total number tested. New cases, deaths and recoveries. South Africa has done the most cases of any country in Africa. More updates from the Government of South Africa can be found here.
Risk Adjusted Strategy - The South African government also issued Lockdown guidelines that the country has since followed. As of June 2020, the government had announced a move to level 3 Lockdown to allow the resumption of some economic activity. More information can be found here.
On 23 March 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a new measure to combat the spread of the COVID-19 in South Africa – a three-week nationwide lockdown with severe restrictions on travel and movement, supported by the South African National Defence Force, from midnight on Thursday, 26 March, to midnight on Thursday, 16 April. The President said more needed to be done to avoid “an enormous catastrophe” among the population. More information can be found here in the following link.
