The Australia Africa Community Engagement Scheme
The Australia Africa Community Engagement Scheme (AACES) is an existing partnership program between the Australian Government (DFAT), ten Australian NGOs and their African partners. The scheme commenced in 2011 as a $90m Australian Government funded, 5-year partnership program and will conclude in June 2016.
The program is multi-sectorial and cross-cutting, delivering sustainable results in the areas of maternal and child health, water, sanitation and hygiene, and increased agricultural productivity. The program also has a strong emphasis on addressing inequalities – such as gender, disability and power relations. Program activities have included building capacity of citizens and communities, and improving the responsiveness of duty bearers.
AACES has built upon shared resources within the partnership, encouraging collaboration between local and international NGOs and engaging actively with civil society and DFAT. It is expected to improve development outcomes for almost 1 million marginalised people in Africa.
The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) was contracted in January 2012 by DFAT as Resource Facility Manager for AACES. In this role, ACBF provides management and technical support to the program. Since 2011, 2,378,468 people have benefitted from the AACES program, including 1,491,231 women and girls.
Strengthening Organizational Capacity of Local Non-profits in Africa
The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) was created on 09 February 1991, as a not-for-profit pan African organization, through a partnership between African countries and their bilateral and multilateral development partners as a mechanism for pooling resources to support capacity building in Africa. The ACBF is partnering with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to launch a new initiative to strengthen the organizational capacity of high-potential African organizations to enhance their effectiveness and performance. This is expected to lead to greater recognition and stronger partnerships with development partners. Under this initiative, ACBF will work with selected organizations to assess their capacity needs and develop a capacity building plan.
