Throughout Africa, there is amazing progress led by civil society focused on ending extreme poverty and preventable disease

The ONE Campaign today announced the six finalists of its 2013 ONE Africa Award. With a $100,000 USD annual prize, the ONE Africa Award celebrates the innovations and progress made by African civil society organisations towards achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Africa.

This year’s finalists include Zambia Open Community Schools (ZOCS) of Zambia; Doper l’Entrepreneuriat par la Finance Innovante et Solidaire (DEFIS) of Mali; Jerusalem Children and Community Development Organization (JeCCDO) of Ethiopia;  Agricultural Non-State Actors Forum (ANSAF) of Tanzania; Friends of the Global Fund Africa of Nigeria; and Réseau Accès aux Médicaments Essentiels (RAME) of Burkina Faso.

Dr. Sipho S. Moyo, Africa Director at ONE applauded the work of these organisations, calling on others to emulate their spirit and innovation.

“These finalists represent 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 no more than sheer determination and will. These finalists have proven to be effective in helping their communities make progress to specific MDG targets, whether it be halving extreme poverty, halting the spread of HIV/AIDS, or providing universal primary education,” she said.

“We at ONE advocate for progressive policy solutions to African governments that promote economic opportunity and development, which are necessary to eradicate extreme poverty and preventable diseases in Africa. What I must acknowledge is 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. Today, I am honored to recognize and announce this year’s finalists, ” Dr. Moyo added.

The ONE Africa Award winner will be announced at a ceremony to be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 8 November 2013 as part of the African Media Leaders Forum.

Previous winners of this prestigious award include Positive-Generation (PG) of Cameroon in 2012; Groupe de Réflexion et d’action, Femme Démocratie et Développement  (GF2D) of Togo in 2011; SEND-Ghana of Ghana in 2010; Slums Information Development and Resources Centres (SIDAREC) of Kenya in 2009; and Development Communications Network (DEVCOMS) of Nigeria in 2008.

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View video presentations of the 2013 ONE Africa Award finalists here. For more information, please visit one.org/Africa

RAME:                      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIhhE9jRoKQ

JeCCDO:                   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUga0PSoefE

DEFIS:                       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlYSS8SJ-Lc

ANSAF:                     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqGKtJ2ulj8

ZOCS:                        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMbgTIvWg0c

Friends Africa:        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rX_iuYja0g

Note to Editors:                 

About ONE –

ONE is a campaigning and advocacy organization of more than 3.5 million people taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. Co-founded by Bono and strictly non-partisan, we raise public awareness and work with political leaders to combat AIDS and preventable diseases, increase investments in agriculture and nutrition, and demand greater transparency in poverty-fighting programs.

ONE is not a grant-making organization and does not solicit funding from the public or receive government funding. ONE is funded almost entirely by a handful of philanthropists and foundations. We achieve change through advocacy. Our teams in Washington, D.C., London, Johannesburg, Brussels, Berlin, and Paris educate and lobby governments to shape policy solutions that save and improve millions of lives. To learn more, go to ONE.org.
About ONE Africa Award 2013 Finalists:

Zambia Open Community Schools (ZOCS) – Zambia

1 million Zambian children do not yet access a formal education. Though government schools try to meet this need, the challenge is immense and for too many of Zambia’s children, their dreams are limited before they even get the chance to realize them. Some Zambians have stepped up to fill this void by establishing their own community schools.

But it’s not enough to just get kids in school. It’s essential that they receive a quality education. One of the major challenges for community schools is a lack of qualified teachers – that’s where Zambia Open Community Schools, or ZOCS, comes in.

ZOCS has helped train nearly 900 teachers for community schools, which now have legal recognition because of its work.  ZOCS won’t stop until every child in Zambia is empowered to pursue her dreams.
Doper l’Entrepreneuriat par la Finance Innovante et Solidaire (DEFIS)  – Mali

Coups, jihadists and the destruction of the archives in Timbuktu: these international headlines overlooked the full impact of Mali’s recent conflict on the lives of average Malians.

A group of farmers in northern Mali saw their existence and livelihood threatened, as their traditional sources of financing fled south to safety and charities began moving in with free food and hand-outs.

DEFIS sprang into action by creating consumer groups in southern Mali to pre-purchase northern farmers’ produce.  Group participants would pay small amounts each month and in return, the northern farmers would send rice back once harvested.

These efforts benefit the livelihoods of producers in the north and consumers in the south. DEFIS is helping to build bridges in a country with historical divisions — uniting Malians through their economic interests as they develop their country.
Jerusalem Children and Community Development Organization (JeCCDO) – Ethiopia

Ethiopia is one of the fastest growing economies in Africa, and it must manage this challenge across urban and rural populations.  Ethiopians don’t have enough healthcare, jobs, education and other services to meet their basic needs.  So how will Ethiopia address all these challenges at once?  Ethiopians will come together through their communities.

Community based organisations—or CBOs—are a powerful grassroots source for development in Ethiopia. JeCCDO has designed an innovative program to develop and add capacity to these CBOs.

JeCCDO leverages CBOs to take charge of their communities’ own development and choose from a variety of programs to address their communities’ needs through a holistic, integrated approach.

JeCCDO has empowered its fellow citizens—including women—to better engage their local governments in positive ways, to secure public services and a development agenda that meets their needs. Much more remains to be done, but Ethiopians will keep working through their communities for a brighter future.
Agricultural Non-State Actors Forum (ANSAF) – Tanzania

In Tanzania, poverty remains rampant in rural areas where smallholder farmers struggle to make a living. Yet Tanzania’s agricultural sector offers immense opportunity to lift millions out of poverty…an opportunity that is not often exploited because the farmers’ voices go unheard…

ANSAF is using one commodity to change this trajectory. Tanzania was once a world leader in exporting cashew nuts.  Farmers now find themselves mired in redtape and bureaucracy as they try to get their cashews to the market and make a profit. If Tanzania could get cashews right, its economy would benefit enormously.

ANSAF is bringing farmers’ voices to the policy-making table in Tanzania. And with the African Union and Tanzania’s leadership zeroing in on smallholder farmers in the coming year, the prospects for Tanzania’s farmers will have no limit.
Friends of the Global Fund Africa – Nigeria

Millions of African citizens die every year from preventable, treatable diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Malaria itself kills 660,000 people annually, most of whom are children under the age of five in Africa. Ridding the continent of these scourges will require the collective support of all parts of society across Africa.

Friends of the Global Fund Africa works to unite Africans from various backgrounds to fight these diseases by reducing stigmatization, educating on prevention, and raising money to fund the fight.

By the end of 2012, the Global Fund had approved nearly 23 dollars billion in expenditure in 151 countries to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Friends Africa supports the Global Fund in Africa by working to secure financing. Earlier this year, it secured an additional $500 million over five years from the Nigerian government to fight HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. Friends Africa is at the forefront as Africans from all over the continent take charge of their own health targets.
Réseau Accès aux Médicaments Essentiels (RAME) – Burkina Faso

In Burkina Faso, there may be a healthcare facility near your home, but other problems will arise. Will the nurse show up to work today? Will the pharmacy have the right medicines in stock? Such problems should not deter a sick person from accessing treatment, and that is why this group is fighting for better health rights for the Burkinabe.

The Network for Accessing Essential Medicines—or RAME in its French acronym—utilizes its Observatory system to hold the government accountable in its delivery of healthcare services. The Observatory system monitors healthcare facilities in all 13 of Burkina Faso’s regions and issues alerts when there is problem, such as the lack of medicines or healthcare workers that don’t come to work.

RAME fought for and won the right to free ARVs in Burkina Faso. It continues the fight to ensure every patient receives the quality treatment they deserve.