Theme: The Role of African Philanthropy in transforming community challenges through Innovation, Policy and Practice.
Table of contents
Background
Africa Philanthropy Network is the only continent-wide network of organizations and individuals in Africa and its diaspora that promotes the culture of philanthropic giving.
It is conceived as a space for African institutions to interrogate and intervene in the power dynamics that shape how resource mobilization, distribution and spending impact the possibilities of transformative change in Africa.
APN’s mission is to reclaim the power and elevate the practices of African philanthropy. In achieving this mission, APN is working in collaboration with its membership & other philanthropy support organizations to promote the voice and actions of African philanthropy through the building of solidarity and coordinated response in the African philanthropy landscape; rethinking and building the case for the potential for African (individual and community) philanthropy to drive social change.
African philanthropy includes all resources that can be tapped into when addressing Africa’s challenges: human, natural, social, material and financial assets.
APN equates African philanthropy with the local agency –the capacity of individuals and communities to act independently and make their own choices.
African philanthropy actors include foundations and funds; family and community based; individual giving and collective solidarity mechanisms – in cash, in-kind, or in time; and social investments.
African philanthropy is generally characterized by all forms of vertical and horizontal dimensions of giving of private resources for the common good; it cannot be defined by a single culture or model of giving.
During the 2021 Essay Contest, as APN we focused on drawing inspiration from Africa’s youth on the power of African philanthropy in championing social change.
The responses to the contest gave us the assurance that young people are ready and best positioned to contribute to rewriting the African narrative of African philanthropy, giving and generosity.
Following the 2nd edition of the APN Women’s Writing Workshops, the 2022 Essay Contest seeks to amplify youth voices by giving them an opportunity to contribute creative ideas on the role of African Philanthropy in transforming community challenges through innovation and practice.
The challenges of our communities are ever-present with us, but to what extent can we harness the power of African Philanthropy in transforming community challenges through innovation and practice?
Through this Essay Contest, we hope to generate youth-led solutions on this important area of focus.
One of our key objectives this year as APN is to increase APN’s strength and capacity as a thought leaders and go-to-platform for making the case for African philanthropy, and such an initiative perfectly fits into this objective.
This initiative seeks to engage African youth aged 18-35 years.
Africa is a youthful continent with about 400 million youth (https://au.int/en/youth-development).
APN wants to encourage Youth leaders to contribute to new narratives that reclaim the power of giving and elevate the role of individual and community philanthropic giving in social and systems change.
Objectives
APN wants to conduct an Essay Contest with the purpose of showcasing the power of individual and community philanthropic giving models in transformative change. The Essay Contest will achieve the following specific objectives:
- To encourage youth to think about innovation and practice of African philanthropic giving in addressing development challenges; and
- To provide a space for African youth to raise their voice and generate a new African philanthropy narrative.
Expected Outcome
APN expects increased youth participation in showcasing the innovation and practices of African Philanthropy by individuals and communities.
Methodology and the Scope
Coverage: The Contest will cover all sub-Saharan African countries
Target Group: Youth aged 18-35 years old
Entry Languages: English, French, Portuguese, and Kiswahili.
The theme for Essay Contest: African Philanthropy transforming community challenges: Innovation and Practice
Framework for Focus: In responding to the contest APN is encouraged the use a below framework for considering African philanthropic giving practices and innovation:
Different forms of giving within a specific community or direct network
- One to one: examples would include giving for the education of direct acquittances/family members.
- Many to one: examples here include mobilizing a neighbourhood or village to build a local health centre
Different forms of giving that happen outside one’s immediate community
- One to many: examples may include funding and supporting a national entrepreneurship program
- Many to many: this may include giving money other for disaster response
Entry Requirements
- Contact details (emails, social media IDs)
- Copy of national ID or passport
- Passport size photo (jpeg or PNG format, high resolution, 1024 x768 Pics, not more than 7MB)
- Maximum 1500 words, font Arial Narrow, size 11. References and footnotes are not counted in the word count. Non-adherence will automatically be a disqualification. Plagiarism shall not be tolerated and all entrants are encouraged to cite their work if they intend to use information that is not theirs.
- All submissions must be in either English, French or Portuguese and Swahili.
- Only one entry per participant will be accepted.
Timeline
The Essay Contest will take place between Wednesday, 25th May 2022 and shall be closed no later than Wednesday, 29th June 2022.
The judging panel will evaluate and select the potential essays to be selected as winners.
| Wednesday, 25th May 2022 | Launch of the contest |
| Wednesday, 29th June 2022 | Close applications |
| Wednesday, 27th July 2022 | Winners announced |
The winners will then be announced on Wednesday, 27th July 2022. The announcement will be done through a virtual event, inviting various youth organizations across Africa, APN Members, and important stakeholders.
Judges
A panel of judges representing all main languages (English, French, Portuguese, Kiswahili, and Arabic) will be available. The Secretariat will use its staff, members and consultant to ensure the availability and engagement of credible judges. Assessment criteria and form will be availed.
Submission
All entries must be submitted electronically through the following email: [email protected]. Uploaded entries should contain the person’s name and all contact details.
In case of any need for clarification please contact us through email: [email protected].
Awards
APN will provide monetary and recognition awards to the first ten (10) winning essays. In addition to that, there will be more incentives such as certificates of participation, profiling through social media channels, and the opportunity to speak in peer learning events. The table below provides more details:
| Winners | Level in USD | Other Incentives |
| 1st | 500 | Scholarship to participate in APN Assembly in November 2022 Speak at the Peer Learning event Feature in APN’s 2022 storybook profiled through social media platforms uploaded on Simulizi Blog Becoming a commissioned writer for the Simulizi blog certificate of participation |
| 2nd | 450 | Scholarship to participate in APN Assembly in November 2022 Speak at the Peer Learning eventFeature in APN’s 2022 storybook Profiled through social media platforms Uploaded on Simulizi Blog Becoming a commissioned writer for the Simulizi blog A certificate of participation |
| 3rd | 425 | Speak at the Peer Learning event Feature in APN’s 2022 storybook Profiled through social media platforms Uploaded on Simulizi BlogBecoming a commissioned writer for the Simulizi blog A certificate of participation |
| 4th | 400 | Speak at the Peer Learning event Feature in APN’s 2022 storybook Profiled through social media platforms Uploaded on Simulizi Blog Becoming a commissioned writer for the Simulizi blog A certificate of participation |
| 5th | 375 | Speak at the Peer Learning event Feature in APN’s 2022 storybook Profiled through social media platforms Uploaded on Simulizi Blog Becoming a commissioned writer for the Simulizi blog A certificate of participation |
| 6th | 350 | Feature in APN’s 2022 storybook Profiled through social media platforms Uploaded on Simulizi Blog Becoming a commissioned writer for the Simulizi blog A certificate of participation |
| 7th | 325 | Feature in APN’s 2022 storybook Uploaded on Simulizi Blog Becoming a commissioned writer for the Simulizi blog A certificate of participation |
| 8th | 300 | Feature in APN’s 2022 Essay Booklet Becoming a commissioned writer for the Simulizi blog A certificate of participation |
| 9th | 250 | Feature in APN’s 2022 storybook Becoming a commissioned writer for the Simulizi blog A certificate of participation |
| 10th | 200 | Profiled through social media platforms Becoming a commissioned writer for the Simulizi blog A certificate of participation |
