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FIRST VOICE AFRICA
— · EIN · africasvoices.org
profile · synthesized from sources

Africa's Voices Foundation is a non-profit organization that amplifies citizen voices in Africa to influence decision-making and drive social change. They use interactive radio and digital media to facilitate dialogue between citizens and authorities, transforming these engagements into actionable insights for partners in various sectors. The organization operates primarily in African countries, with a registered entity in Kenya.

named programs · 4 · from sources

what they call their work

Africa’s Voices Amplified (AVA)
A platform dedicated to elevating diverse perspectives, stories, and voices from across the African continent using a mix of media formats to connect audiences with authentic, grassroots-level insights.
Citizen Evidence for Social Change (CESC)
Leverages interactive radio and mixed-methods capabilities to put citizens at the heart of program design and policy response in sectors like education, public health, gender equality, and livelihoods.
Common Social Accountability Platform (CSAP)
An initiative in Somalia to enhance the inclusion of citizens in decision-making across peace-building, humanitarian, and development programs.
Governance & Accountability (G&A)
Changes how citizens in African countries participate in decision-making by deploying interactive radio methods involving decision-makers and audience input to create public dialogue spaces.
activities · 3 groups

what they do

  • Interactive Media for Civic Engagement 2 activities
    • Facilitating citizen-driven public discussions via interactive radio
      Facilitates large-scale, inclusive, and contextually grounded public discussions through interactive radio platforms, incorporating input from decision-makers and audiences via SMS, instant messaging, and social media. This method is used to center citizen input in program design and policy response across various sectors including education, public health, gender equality, and livelihoods.
    • Researching African broadcast media's use of ICTs
      Conducted an 18-month research project on how African broadcast media uses Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to gather public opinion, which resulted in the creation of a toolkit for radio hosts.
  • Field-Based Community Development Programs 1 activity
    • Operating the Common Social Accountability Platform (CSAP) in Somalia
      Launched and operates the Common Social Accountability Platform (CSAP) in Somalia to enhance citizen inclusion in decision-making processes related to peace-building, humanitarian, and development programs.
  • Uncategorized 3 activities
    • Conducting research on citizen engagement and governance in Africa
      Conducts research on citizen engagement, communications, and governance in Africa, applying social science methods to analyze citizen voices and generate data and insights for decision-making.
    • Developing social science frameworks for big data interpretation
      Supported a three-month research placement at IBM Research Africa Lab in Nairobi to develop a social science framework for interpreting big data and used a Flash Grant from the Shuttleworth Foundation to develop innovations in data analysis and management.
    • Elevating diverse African perspectives through digital storytelling and social media
      Operates a platform to elevate diverse perspectives, stories, and voices from across the African continent, sharing grassroots-level insights on topics such as culture, development, governance, technology, and social issues through radio engagement, digital storytelling, and social media content.
relationships · 20

who they work with

  • Africa's Voices Foundation Network — AVA is presented as a platform under the Africa's Voices Foundation.
  • Africa's Voices Foundation Partner — Collaborates on citizen-centered programming through interactive radio and mixed-methods research.
  • CAP-Youth Empowerment Institute Partner — Collaborates on youth engagement initiatives, including discussions at the Thika training centre.
  • Common Social Accountability Platform (CSAP) Partner — Flagship initiative in Somalia to enhance citizen inclusion in decision-making across peace-building, humanitarian, and development programs.
  • IBM Research Africa Lab Partner — Hosted a three-month research placement for Africa’s Voices in 2014.
  • Linklaters Funder — Initial supporter of Africa's Voices.
  • The Cairns Charitable Trust Funder — Initial funder and supporter of Africa's Voices.
  • The Cambridge-Africa Alborada Research Fund Funder — Provided funding that allowed expansion of the Africa’s Voices pilot and the PiMA project.
  • The David and Elaine Potter Foundation Funder — Awarded grants in 2015, 2016, and 2018.
  • The David and Elaine Potter Foundation Funder — Initial funder and supporter of Africa's Voices.
  • The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Funder — Co-funded an 18-month research project with DFID in 2012 and supported a research placement in 2014 through the Impact Acceleration Account.
  • The Isaac Newton Trust Funder — Awarded a grant to support the foundational research of Africa’s Voices.
  • The Mai Family Foundation Funder — Awarded an operational support grant in 2018.
  • The Shuttleworth Foundation Funder — Awarded a Flash Grant in 2017 for innovations in data analysis and management.
  • The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Funder — Awarded a three-year grant in 2015, renewed in 2018.
  • The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Funder — Initial funder and supporter of Africa's Voices.
  • Twilio.org Funder — Awarded a grant to scale and deploy life-saving resources through a two-way SMS platform.
  • UK Department for International Development (DFID) Funder — Co-funded an 18-month research project with ESRC in 2012.
  • University of Cambridge Government — Provided funding through the Vice-Chancellor’s Discretionary Fund to support Africa’s Voices spin-out into a social enterprise.
  • University of Cambridge Partner — Hosted initial research at the Centre of Governance and Human Rights and supported early development.