Welcome to travel + explore & play with Sallee Jay where I am your host! I don’t have any major travel plans on the horizon until my birthday, so I bet you are wondering like me… what am I going to write about this month??

Earlier this year I posed the question to readers, “should I write more about my personal life?” I received an overwhelming response of yes! So here we are, I am about to pour my heart out to you all and ask for your help, are you ready?

I am IN LOVE y’all!! Like in LOVE LOVE, with Africa Development Promise (ADP), the mission and the organization’s founder, board member and executive director Monica LaBiche Brown.

Monica is from Seychelles, an African island nation in the Indian Ocean but spent her formative years in Kampala, Uganda. Living in both countries, she experienced first-hand the challenges that developing countries face, especially in rural areas. Wanting to make a difference, Monica focused her efforts on gaining experience in development practice. Her development career includes twelve years at the World Bank, eight years at Water For People and seven years with Africa Development promise – the organization she founded and that I am asking you to support!  

Africa Development Promise is an international non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the lives and livelihoods of rural women in East Africa through training and resources that support their collective efforts to operate competitively in the marketplace. I had the opportunity to travel with Monica and the rest of the ADP team in July (missed the blog —> follow along with me on my trips here and here.

The time that I spent in Africa was transformative, which is pretty amazing given the amount of travel that I have experience over the course of my lifetime. It was as if a prayer had was answered for my life. All the dreams and visions that I’ve had for working with and supporting women and in particular women of color internationally were manifested right before my eyes.

Africa Development Promise’s four-part strategy establishes a firm foundation for the development of sustainable businesses that expand and diversify women’s livelihood beyond subsistence farming to value-added agriculture products and micro businesses.

ADP Work in Rwanda

When Africa Development Promise began programs in Bugesera District of Rwanda in 2014, the women’s cooperative was growing rain-fed crops in an open field. In prior years they had experienced tremendous losses due to the drought and erratic weather patterns  plus they lacked access to training, improved seed, fertilizer and pest control solutions. As they struggled, the cooperative membership dwindled from the original 188 to 66 members. 

Through partnerships with the local government and agri-businesses, Africa Development Promise has worked to train the women on agricultural best practices; facilitated the construction of three greenhouses; and implemented a multi-purpose water system. By connecting them with a local micro-finance bank the women secured a loan (which is now paid off) and successfully purchased additional land for expansion. Today, Africa Development Promise supports five women led cooperatives and is mobilizing more cooperatives – a total of 200 farmers impacting approximately 925 family members. 

ADP work in Uganda:

Africa Development Promise started working in the Nangabo Sub-county of  Wakiso District of Uganda in 2015. What started as an initial project to improve and expand the mushroom cultivation operations of a  women’s cooperatives has developed into much more. In four years the program has grown to support three women led agricultural cooperatives and three solar energy kiosks and enabled the members to thrive as members of economically independent, self-sufficient and sustainable enterprises. In addition, the program has a training center where community members are instructed in computer literacy, sewing and tailoring to enhance employability and offer alternative sources of income besides agriculture.

Expansion of Mushroom Cultivation Program in Uganda

Africa Development Promise has been working with the Epaphroditus Women’s Cooperative – a 32-member mushroom growing group in Uganda – since 2015. The women were members of a local church and were so inspired by a biblical figure named Epaphroditus that they decided to ban together to improve their social and economic condition by pooling their savings to start a collective mushroom business. Mushroom cultivation is becoming increasingly popular among rural women because of the nutritional value; the limited space required to grow them; the quick rate of maturity; and provide a steady source of income.  

With support from Africa Development Promise, Epaphroditus grown from a small operation into a promising cooperative business.  They now own land, have a large mushroom grow house fitted with solar powered water mister and a solar dryer.  

Did you know that the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs has 17 global goals that they wish to accomplish by 2030, to support sustainable development.

This giving season, consider giving to Africa Development Promise and support the global missions of zero poverty, decent work and economic growth, gender equality, clean water and sanitation; zero hunger, climate action and reduced inequalities.

From $1 to $50,000, there is not a donation that is too big or too small.

With love Sallee Jay 🖤🖤🖤🖤