Grant Partners: East Africa

Child Empowerment Programme

Located in rural eastern Uganda, Child Empowerment Program (CEP) works to create a community in which all vulnerable children are able to reach their full potential in life by providing educational, civic and economic opportunity. CEP runs a high school and a vocational center for youth and women. They are focusing this year on developing computer capacity to meet new government requirements for technology in education. They are also planning to develop a women run SACCO (credit union) to assist the women in the community develop their own small businesses.

Partner since 2018
2024 Grant Award: $7,000
Grant Goals: Create sustainability of women’s empowerment savings model by establishing a women’s SACCO (credit union). Enhance women’s vocational training by offering a higher level of certification.
Visit the CEP Uganda website
Read our interview profile of CEP

East Africa Leadership Forum

Based on our East Africa partner interest, in 2016 we set aside some funds from our our grant pool to help our partners come together in Kenya, in what we called the East Africa Leadership Forum (EALF).The intention from the start was that the forum belonged entirely to the leaders, who would structure and facilitate the meeting to suit their needs for leadership development, mutual problem solving, and resource development. In 2016, two long-time Pangea members, who have decades of experience with leadership development, helped launch the forum in the spirit of conferring ownership to the group. Since that time EALF has been planned and run solely by Pangea’s partners, without donors present, and continues to meet every year. In recent meetings, the group has increased its focus on planning collaborative visits and sharing of skills to help each benefit from the experience and wisdom of the group.

Program since 2016
2024 Grant Award: $4,000
Grant Goals: Leaders support each other in problem solving and developing collaborative exchanges of knowledge.

Ewang’an Olosho Le Suswa

Ewang’an works with Masaai villages in the Rift Valley of Kenya. This year’s grant is supporting training of women and youth in 3 villages to develop more resilient agricultural practices as they struggle to cope with the effects of climate change. Their program will also provide training to support gender equity and reduce gender based violence. In past years, Ewang’an programs have also helped women develop their own enterprises as part of a strategy to keep children in school longer.

Partner since 2021
2024 Grant Award: $5,000
Grant Goals: Train 60 women and 20 youth in 3 villages to improve food security and develop resilience through gender and entrepreneurship training.

Playmakers Theatre

Playmakers Theater is a community based organization that helps youth and women develop the skills to pursue sustainable livelihoods in the arts. They have a program that gives a select group skills training in confectionary. Another program focuses on performance arts and photography skills, preparing people for work as performers, DJs and event photographers. Following the training some participants receive seed loans to start their businesses and are linked with mentors who have been in previous cohorts. Playmakers also uses theatre skits, live, on line and on community radio, to educate the public on gender issues, mental health, and participation in democratic processes.

Partner since 2019
2024 Grant Award: $4,000
Grant Goals: Train youth confectionary and performing arts to start their own enterprises. Community education on gender equity and democratic participation.

Solidarity Eden Foundation

2023 funds were used to expand the Women on Wheels program to equip 100 refugee women to gain financial independence: extensive tailing and business training combined with mentoring, mental health support and internships with established tailors. This is a comprehensive program ameliorating the trauma of refugee reality with training and gainful employment.

Partner since 2019
2024 Grant Award: $9,000
Grant Goals: Provide an adult literacy program for refugees, and provide business literacy, vocational training and social enterprise training for women refugees.
Visit the Solidarity Eden Foundation website

Ufanisi Women’s Group

Ufanisi Women’s Group (UWG) serves extremely poor, vulnerable rural women and girls in Bungoma County, Western Kenya. For the past several years, the group has been working toward building a sweet potato enhancement business, first by increasing farmer’s production of sweet potato vines, then by beginning to make enhanced products like chips, cookies, and pies. This year’s grant will support the group in taking the next steps by purchasing larger capacity equipment for production and storage, opening a sales stall in the nearest market town, and exploring other marketing opportunities.

Partner since 2018
2024 Grant Award: $6,600
Grant Goals: Expand their sweet potato product enrichment business and open a market stall in Bungoma.

Women In Sustainable Enterprise

WISE was founded to address economic uncertainty and sexual exploitation of women fishmongers in wetland villages around Lake Victoria by promoting environmentally sustainable enterprises that empower women and strengthen the community. 2024 funds will support the continuation of digital literacy skills for grassroot women in WiseHub to facilitate social media tools for business. Grant also contributed to WISE summit for all 120 alumni girls to share learning experiences, with the presence of experts in leadership, sexual and reproductive health, career and counseling.

Partner since 2019
2024 Grant Award: $6,500
Grant Goals: Leadership development of girls and technology-based skills for women to start their own businesses.
Visit the WISE website

Recent Past Partners

Bio-Gardening Innovations BIOGI (Kenya)
CIFORD (Kenya)
Common Ground (Kenya)
Dandelion Africa (Kenya)
SaCoDe (Burundi)
TADEC (Tanzania)