Summary
Alliance for Youth Development in Africa (AYDA) Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to enabling underserved communities find pathways out of systemic poverty.
AYDA believes youth education and empowerment are key to breaking long-standing cycles of poverty and inequality; but we also understand youth development must be addressed holistically to achieve sustainable results.
Since our inception in 2015, we have partnered with local NGOs and community leaders in the countries where we serve to identify opportunities and harness local resources for impact in education, health, economic well-being, and other domains that affect youth thriving.
The Backstory
AYDA was first conceived in 2015 when a group of five engineering students at Washington State University decided to approach their final year project differently. They set out to validate a shared belief that sustainable design can be leveraged as a tool for social impact.
The team reached out to a nonprofit organization in Senegal which, at the time, was looking for a partner to set up a new school building. The end result was a multifunctional school facility that would serve the needs of the local community and double as the organization’s administrative office.
We have since expanded our operations in Senegal through local partnerships, implementing a range of social programs with a focus on education and youth development.
AYDA recently attained 501(c)(3) status in the United States, an important milestone that will enable us to reach our goals for funding and accountability as we forge ahead.
Our Team
AYDA is led by a team of passionate philanthropists, comprising three directors, one project manager, five volunteer teachers, and dozens of international volunteers in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
What we do
AYDA advocates and creates opportunities for youth to thrive.
We collaborate with local communities in any area of need that affects their youth, but we have historically focused on initiatives at the nexus of education, economic independence, health and wellbeing, and environmental sustainability.
In line with our mission, we have identified a number of priority areas to guide our activities over the next few years.
AYDA Centers
An AYDA Center serves as a hub for a network of communities. With an emphasis on functionality, the facility offers streamlined services and operational support for planning and implementation of programs identified by community leaders and local allied NGOs.
AYDA Centers provide the professional front and clout often required for community-led programs to gain traction, but once initiatives are activated, ownership is progressively transferred entirely to the initiating community.
Financial Sustainability
We will ensure the financial sustainability of AYDA initiatives by leveraging innovative practices for cost efficiency and revenue generation. We will also consolidate our efforts and develop strategic funding partnerships for greater impact.
Scale Local Best Practices
We will help identify, showcase and where possible, “prototype” local best practices in school infrastructure and administration, so they can be easily scaled up or replicated.
Our Approach
Senegal will build Senegal…Africa must build Africa. This local adage captures well AYDA’s philosophy on development and our approach to community outreach.
AYDA allies with existing local programs, community leaders, and government, drawing on their experience, resourcefulness, and in-depth understanding of the challenges facing their youth, and collaborating with them to develop sustainable solutions.
Collaborative & Allied
AYDA allies with existing local NGOs who best understand the problems within the community and are closely aligned with our mission. We do not engage in programs or activities that promote dependence on foreign aid.
Transparent
Transparency and accountability are embedded in our ethos. Every quarter, we publish financial reports on our website and keep our stakeholders continuously informed through our website, email, and social media.
Impact-Driven
We don’t just implement activities to check them off a list. For every project we carry out, we streamline our efforts and resources and develop revenue-earning programs that promote financial sustainability to maximize the impact of our supporters’ investment.
Localized
When we reach out to support new communities, we never claim to be the experts or have the solution. Rather, we draw on the knowledge and resources of the local community and tailor all programs to their specific set of circumstances.
How we partner
Our volunteers are local citizens who become ambassadors within their communities.
We make it our goal not to interfere with local efforts, but to come alongside key players and stakeholders within the system in any way that will help them achieve their goals. We have adopted a 4-step approach to ensure we consistently operate within these boundaries.
Case Study: Furniture for Schools
Identify a need: Local school teachers flag a need for new desks and blackboards in their school. The existing furniture is dilapidated and creates a distraction to learning .
Understand the challenges: We consult with the school to find out what has been done so far to address the problem. We explore whether there are financial resources already made available by the community, local government, or other opportunities. We discover they have not been unable to acquire the resources locally, nor obtain the support of the local and regional government.
Explore solutions: We brainstorm with teachers to explore ways the issue might be addressed and determine that crowdfunding and small grants are the quickest and most effective option presently.
Implement and measure: AYDA helps coordinate a fundraising effort to procure the new blackboards and furniture, leveraging our local and global networks. Following implementation, we monitor and share results of this initiative with the local and regional government to quantify the problem and, ultimately, demonstrate impact.
Case Study: Overcrowding in Schools
Identify a need: AYDA is approached by friends, allies, and their local connections regarding the problem of overcrowding in schools in a community flagged as previously marginalized.
Understand the challenges: We meet with local stakeholders to better understand root causes and influencing factors; and to determine the potential long-term impact of the overcrowding issue.
Explore solutions: We bring the matter up with the Ministry of Education and discuss plans for infrastructure expansion. [The Ministry’s budget cycle cannot accommodate expansion, but they grant consent to AYDA to build a new school.]
Implement and measure: Work with partners to build new school and track results. Based on our observations and data, we advise the Ministry on the extent of the deficiencies, make an evidence-based case for expanding capacity of school spaces, and offer recommendations on low-cost options for infrastructure expansion.