The evolution of the role of NGOs in Africa means that their role in “development” represents a continuity of the work of their precursors, the missionaries and voluntary organizations that cooperated in Europe’s colonization and control of Africa. Today their work contributes marginally to the relief of poverty but undermines the struggle of the African people to emancipate themselves from economic, social and political oppression.
Ape Action Africa
This is a wildlife conservation organization working in Yaounde, Cameroon. Founded in 1996, the organization is dedicated to the conservation of endangered gorillas and chimpanzees which are threatened by the bushmeat trade in Central and West Africa. With more than 300 Apes under its care, Ape Action is one of the largest conservation projects in Africa.
Rachel Hogan, the Director of the sanctuary, started it as a UK charity called Cameroon Wildlife Aid Fund whose main goal was improving the living conditions of primates. It later expanded its mission to provide a sanctuary to wild orphans of the illegal bushmeat trade in Cameroon.
AWARE Trust
AWARE Trust is a grass roots veterinary conservation in Zimbabwe that focuses on the health, welfare of wildlife and rural domestic animals. It's the only environmental conservation in Zimbabwe that is directed and operated by veterinarians with particular reference to conservation of veterinary medicine.
AWARE is a self-motivated, proactive, determined and professional organization and is well placed to continue to carry out vital work within Zimbabwe which is immediately essential and beneficial to domestic and wild animals, the environment, human habitations and the country as a whole. AWARE's work includes domestic animal campaigns in rural communities, including spay, neuter and rabies vaccinations of dogs, donkey clinics, rehabilitation programs and education. In 2014, AWARE's main fundraising efforts concentrated on Rhino Protection Programs, mainly dehorning and ear nothing (for identification purposes) in an attempt to protect this species. AWARE has recently completed comprehensive dehorning operations on almost 40 animals around the country.
Conservation Through Poverty Alleviation International
It’s a US based non-governmental organization with a mission to protect areas of high conservation value by linking the economic livelihoods of poor rural farmers to environmental preservation. CPALI works with rural farmers in Madagascar to develop sustainable livelihoods through wild silk production and conserve endangered rainforests.
CPALI focuses on people and strengthens the existing relationship between local people and the environment through the development of sustainable livelihoods. Our current project is in rural Madagascar on the borders of the largest remaining rainforested area in the country. Over 1% of the world’s biodiversity is represented within this region. CPALI works with a network of subsistence farmers to cultivate native resources and secure a market for them.
David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
Founded in n1977, The Wildlife trust operates as an orphan elephant rescue and rehabilitation in Kenya. The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust embraces all measures that complement the conservation, preservation and protection of wildlife. These include anti-poaching, safeguarding the natural environment, enhancing community awareness, addressing animal welfare issues, providing veterinary assistance to animals in need, rescuing and hand rearing elephant and rhino orphans, along with other species that can ultimately enjoy a quality of life in wild terms when grown.
The Trust also operates a digital foster program which allows individuals across the world to support their field projects by fostering an orphaned elephant, rhino or giraffe in their care for themselves or as a gift. For a suggested donation of $50 per orphan per year, individuals receive via email: a personalized certificate, an interactive map, monthly update on the progress of their orphan and a watercolor by CEO Angela Sheldrickhen. The Trust is a leader in conservation efforts to help save the remaining African elephant populations in grave danger from the illegal ivory trade.
Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary
Located in Limpopo province, South Africa, Emoya Sanctuary was established by Savannah Heuser in 2012 after their first cat rescue, a lion called Chanel. Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary made headline news around the world in May 2016 when they received 33 big cats from the Animal Defenders International (ADI) rescue centers in Peru and Columbia. The rescue was part of ADI’s Operation Spirit of Freedom, and the lion relocation was the biggest animal airlift of its kind.
Emoya is also partnered with the Stichting Leeuw lion sanctuary in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and has received five lions from the sanctuary. Emoya and Stichting Leeuw share the goal of providing older cats and cats with handicaps the opportunity to live in relative freedom in gated natural reserves. Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary is currently home to 42 big cats, including 40 lions and 2 tigers. The climate and environment at Emoya is ideal for the cats where they live in the ‘semi-wild’, in large enclosures in the natural African habitat of the Vaalwater region. The Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary has a no-breeding policy and female lions receive contraceptive medication so that they can remain with their mates. Males may also undergo vasectomies to make 100% sure that no lions are bred in captivity.
Etijah
Etijah was founded and registered in 2006 in Cairo to serve Egyptian and Arab youth on various levels using local resources, while taking cultural and religious traditions into consideration. It provides young individuals with the necessary skills and works on building the capacity of not only youth, but also governmental and non-governmental youth serving organizations.
Etijah adopts the “ABCD” Asset Based Community Development methodology, which utilizes the community’s strengths and potentials to develop it. Since Etijah assumes that youth are the most essential asset a country could have, especially in the Arab world where youth make up more than half of the population, youth are encouraged and empowered to lead and actively participate in the development process.
Etijah also works with governmental and non-governmental youth-serving organizations on building their capacity through enhancing and dispersing development methodologies, which further empowers those organizations; enables them to maximize their abilities to better serve youth in a proficient manner; as well as ensure the sustainability of their programs to cultivate development efforts in Egypt and the Arab world. In doing so, these organizations can better serve youth in a skillful and competent approach as well as support a professional and safe environment for the development of young people in Egypt.
Green Belt Movement
Established in 1977 by Wangari Maathai, GBM is a non-governmental organization that takes a holistic approach to development by focusing on environmental conservation, community development and capacity building. The Green Belt Movement also aims at organizing women in rural Kenya to plant trees, combat deforestation, restore their main sources of fuel for cooking, generate income, and stop soil erosion. Over 51 million trees have been planted, and over 30,000 women have been trained in forestry, food processing, bee-keeping, and other trades that help them earn income while preserving their lands and resources. Communities in Kenya (both men and women) have been motivated and organized to both prevent further environmental destruction and restore that which has been damaged.
The Green Belt Movement functions to support and provide resources to communities for the purpose of demanding democratic space and accountability from national leaders. For example, on the Green Belt Movement Website, a news link will update visitors on current cases of activism. On 23 February 2016, a press statement on the Karura Forest was published to the Green Belt Movement's official website. This article calls for the public's help in addressing the current issue of land grabbing within the Karura Forest that violates the 2016–2020 strategic forest management plan created by the Kenya Forest Service and Friends of Karura Forest.
The movement has so far achieved at providing a wide range of protection to natural resources and ecosystems around the world. The protection of the environmental and natural resources was achieved through the GBM practices of tree planting, soil conservation measures, sustainable management of the local environment and economy and the protection/boosting of local livelihoods (women and children). In addition to helping the environment and local-communities, the movement also has succeeded at helping local women generate their own sources of income.
Greenpeace Africa
Greenpeace Africa is a growing movement of people acting in protection of the environment. It’s a diverse, multinational, multicultural movement of ordinary individuals determined to bring about extraordinary changes necessary to realize a greener, more peaceful future.
Founded in 1971 by a small group of volunteers who organized a concert to raise funds to sail a boat from Vancouver to Amchitka to protest against US militarism and the testing of nuclear weapons. Today Greenpeace operates in over 55 countries, funded by donations from over 4 million individual supporters.
Greenpeace is a Member of Accountable Now, a platform of international civil society organizations. Together, we strive to be transparent, responsive to stakeholders and focused on delivering impact. We have signed ten globally-agreed-upon Accountability Commitments and seek to respect human rights, be independent and work ethically and professionally.
High Atlas Foundation
The High Atlas Foundation is a Moroccan association and a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2000 by former Peace Corps Volunteers committed to furthering sustainable development. HAF supports Moroccan communities to take action in implementing human development initiatives. HAF promotes organic agriculture, women’s empowerment, youth development, education, and health.
HAF facilitates community meetings and workshops, which are open to everyone, that focus on the community’s data gathering, economic priorities, and project needs. The dialogues that stem from these meetings are integral for future women’s and youth economic empowerment as they give women and youth a platform to voice their ideas as well as sensitize the communities to the prospect of their empowerment.
International Anti-Poaching Foundation
It is a non-profit organization registered in Australia, predominantly operating on the African continent. The group initially created a structured military-like approach to conservation, employing tactics and technology generally reserved for the modern-day battlefield, and has since moved to a community oriented approach. This has included the training of local women as rangers.
The organization was founded by Damien Mander, after a trip to Africa where he intended to use his naval experience for conservation. He observed the problems that front-line rangers and wildlife experienced, and founded the IAPF in 2009. In 2015 the IAPF transitioned away from military tactics towards community-oriented strategies for their anti-poaching work, attempting to incentivize locals to join the conservation effort. Part of this effort was to train women to become rangers, helping both wildlife conservation and women empowerment efforts. The first program that the IAPF set up for women was Akashinga in the Lower Zambezi Valley and Phundundu, Zimbabwe.