The ONE Africa award: Chance to win $100,000 in fight against poverty and disease
Once again it is that time of the year when ONE Africa celebrates the many Africa led efforts towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s). This year’s ONE Award is especially significant as it comes at a time when the world is taking stock of the progress towards reaching these very important goals adopted nearly 15 years ago.
Across the continent, stories abound of the dire day-to-day challenges that our people face and the resilience with which they overcome them. This and the boundless dedication of Africa’s people towards the continent’s development and hence their own socio-economic progress are what should keep us all motivated and inspired about the future of Africa. It is incredible to see ordinary people invest their own small resources and their incredible skills and time to achieve extraordinary feats towards advancing health outcomes and reducing poverty of their people.
It is this kind of energy and dedication that gives meaning to the ONE Africa Award, established in 2008 as a means of recognizing and elevating some of Africa’s grassroots efforts towards achieving the MDG’s. It is ONE's token contribution towards spotlighting and celebrating Africa-led efforts towards the achievement of the MDG’s.
The 2014 ONE Award seeks to not only recognize the current efforts but also to encourage Africa’s civil society to begin thinking about the next development agenda post the current MDG’s. By honoring the commitment and progress on the ground, we hope that new efforts can be inspired and more lives can be saved, more girls educated and more inclusive growth achieved.
This post is to invite civil society organizations, non-governmental organizations and other groups based in Africa that can demonstrate commitment and success in advocacy towards achieving the MDGs to apply for the award. And please share with any organizations you know that are playing their part in making our continent a better place.
ONE is looking forward to this year’s exciting submissions.