VENTURE PHILANTHROPY GRANTS
The New Africa Fund supports organizations with a clear mission and gives them the tools to grow and develop exponentially through the Venture Philanthropy (VP) grants. The VP grants provide stable funding with the idea that these organizations will be able to use that time to grow and become sustainable. In addition to financial support, these organizations will benefit from NAF trainings to improve their overall financial systems, grant writing skills, guidance on developing relevant policies, and trainings for Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) and for the Protection of Children.
Since 2018, the library has grown from 100 to over 6000 books in English, French, and Kinyarwanda and has an average of 2,500 monthly visits. Agati has engaged over 2000 parents and caregivers in community outreach events such as the Moving Library project. The community plays an important role in the running of Agati Library and the growth of the collection. Today, the program is run by young volunteers who commit their time as librarians or facilitators of the reading sessions, the Moving Library and radio recording sessions, and community engagement.
In order to develop curiosity, creativity, and a lifelong learning culture, Agati's goal is to provide communities access to children-friendly books and spaces. Learn more about Agati
LIST OF GRANTEES
IRIBA WATER GROUP
Iriba Water Group is a Rwandan-based social enterprise that provides clean and affordable water to communities, institutions, and homes in Rwanda and Goma (East Congo). Iriba was created by a young Rwandan changemaker (Yvette Ishimwe) during her last year in highschool in 2016 and started as a self-funded social enterprise that later received multiple grants.
AGATI LIBRARY
Agati Library is a community-funded library in the Musanze district in northern Rwanda. It was founded by six young people who grew up experiencing the challenges, as well as the potential, of growing up in Musanze. Agati has a physical library open for all children to use for free, and it also runs the Moving Library and the Radio Read projects.
Iriba installs eco-friendly water ATMs and kiosks in urban and peri-urban marginalized communities and schools to enable low-income individuals to access clean water. Consumers use reusable water bottles and cups in order to avoid disposable plastic bottles and sachets, helping communities address environmental issues of plastic pollution.
Iriba has seen tremendous growth in the past 2 years. Through their water purification and distribution models, Iriba has reached more than 300,000 people, established 74 Tap & Drink ATMs in schools and communities and 120 Tap&Drink ATMs in homes, supplied more than 1000 filters, and created 68 jobs.
Iriba's goal is to become a global leader in providing innovative and sustainable solutions for addressing the scarcity of affordable, clean, and safe drinking water in communities in need. Learn more about Iriba