PRESS STATEMENT
International development organisations, Skillshare Africa and Action
Health are now a single organisation.
Action Health members voted to become a part of Skillshare Africa on July 8 2000 at an extraordinary general meeting.
This course of action is something of a rarity in international development circles but is expected to be an example that many more organisations will choose to follow in the next few years.
The Situation and the Organisations
The International Development Environment (Richard Bennett, British Overseas NGOs for Development)
The Impact on International Development (Richard Graham, Comic Relief)
The Future
Skillshare Africa and Action Health Organisational Facts
| The Situation and the Organisations |
Action Health became part of Skillshare Africa on July 8 2000. The move will help maintain Action Health's existing projects in India and East Africa whilst at the same time adding strength to Skillshare Africa's work in health care.
The Cambridge based organisation approached Skillshare Africa about the possibility of merging in February this year. The process of linking the two organisations was carefully worked through as the former Director of Action Health Robin Greenwood, explains:
"We were in a position where resources, particularly financial resources were becoming scarce. We realised that additional support was needed to maintain our programme of work.
"We felt that a merger would be the answer and began looking at organisations that shared our values and philosophies.
"Ideally, we were looking for development charities working in Africa and Asia where our current programmes are based.
"It was important that there was a focus on partnership with local people, preferably through 'volunteers' with a commitment to training and capacity building.
"While we approached a number of organisations, Skillshare Africa seemed the perfect match. They were also the most responsive to our initial request."
Dr Cliff Allum, Director or Skillshare Africa said: "In our five-year Corporate Strategy, launched in 1999 we expressed a commitment to exploring the possibility of working in other parts of Africa and new continents.
"So when Action Health approached us about the possibility of a merger it was something we were prepared to seriously consider.
"The two organisations are very similar in the way that they work, so this new arrangement will enhance the work already taking place and provide exciting developments for progress in the future."
The Action Health approach has been based on the belief that no one should suffer from preventable ill health or disability. Acting in response to requests from organisations in south Asia and Africa, their response has been to provide experienced health and rehabilitation professionals.
These professionals, or trainers, working with partner organisations for up to two years, pass on their skills to the partner organisation's staff and through them impact on community health.
Skillshare Africa works for sustainable development in six countries in southern Africa - Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland. They too act on requests for skills in areas such as education and training, health, organisational development, the environment, engineering and the empowerment of disadvantaged groups.
Like Action Health trainers, development workers pass on their skills and knowledge to their colleagues and local communities.
These immediate similarities in approach were important in bringing the two organisations together. Yet the future vision was even more important as Cliff Allum explains:
"It was soon clear that there were major benefits in bringing the two organisations together deriving from a shared vision and values.
"Action Health had recognised the limitations of an approach which did not go beyond health issues and saw the potential of integrating health within a multi-sector framework, which made an organisation like Skillshare Africa an obvious choice.
"Also, both organisations want to locate the activities of their trainers and development workers in situations where a range of development activities could operate, rather than as individuals working largely on their own with local partner organisations."
The future role of NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations) in the development sector is something that Cliff Allum has needed to address, not just as the Director of Skillshare Africa, but also as Chair of BOND, the umbrella body for UK-based development NGOs.
| The International Development Environment |
BOND, the umbrella group for UK development Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), has been encouraging its members to think about the rapidly changing international development environment for quite some time.
So much so, that in 1998 they devised 'Futures', a continual workshop programme to discuss the key issues for the future of this sector.
In April of this year a workshop was held at NCVO in London to specifically discuss mergers - their inevitability, the positive and negative impacts on the field and the implications for the organisation and its beneficiaries.
More than 40 BOND members attended this session, accounting for around 20 per cent of total BOND membership.
This, says BOND Co-ordinator, Richard Bennett, is a reflection of NGOs' realisation that the sector is destined to see some dramatic changes.
"BOND has 220 members from large organisations such as Oxfam and The Save the Children Fund to much smaller community organisations.
"There has been a shift in thinking amongst some of the big players in international development, on the role of the state and NGOs in development in the south which will have a big impact on our members.
"For many years, institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund often had the effect of reducing the capacity of the state to deliver important services like health care and education.
"NGOs were encouraged to fill the gap, and many have played an important role. Now, these institutions are seeing the role of the state as being central to poverty reduction, so are changing their view of the role of NGOs.
"NGOs will increasingly be encouraged to represent the views and needs of the poor to the state, so that it delivers effectively: advocacy, rather than delivery. Or, if they are to continue to deliver services, NGOs will increasingly be subcontracted to do so on behalf of the state.
Sources of institutional funds are therefore changing in a major way, and many UK NGOs will need to reconsider their financial base. Merger is one way of dealing with these changes
| The Impact on Development |
Comic Relief Africa Grants Manager, Richard Graham, predicted outcomes such as the new working arrangement between Skillshare Africa and Action Health last year.
Speaking at a meeting of the British Overseas NGOs for Development (BOND) in December 1999, Mr Graham said that the current social and financial climate could see a lot more small NGOs (Non Governmental Organisations) looking to bigger organisations for their survival.
"By the end of the first decade of 2000 medium sized development agencies will go one of four ways," explained Mr Graham at the time.
"Some go bust. Others engage in mergers and take-overs. A few team up with UK civic organisations with a popular base to secure an independent funding base. Or they become more commercial and absorbed into the 'contract culture'.
"Those that survive do so because they occupy a 'niche' in the market, diversify their funding base and reduce their overheads in the UK."
The news of Action Health's move to Skillshare Africa on July 8 therefore came as no surprise to Mr Graham.
"Action Health are the classic vulnerable organisation. They have no secure funding and maintain their existence through project funding, often needing to secure funding from a number of different sources to be able to keep their operations going.
"Any delay, or failure to secure this funding is going to have a significant effect - as the EC funding freeze has shown."
Mr Graham supports Richard Bennett of BOND's comments on the changes in the sector coming down to a shift in the understanding of the role of NGOs.
"If you look at the larger agencies over the past few years, such as Oxfam, you can see that they are spending more and more on research, advocacy and lobbying.
"There also seems to be a growing trend that funders distribute more funds to larger organisations than to lots of smaller organisations. This is also easier to manage."
As Richard Bennett explained in 'The International Development Environment' (page 4), these agencies, in line with changing philosophical and political thought, are increasingly, seeing their role as northern advocates.
"In this new environment it is the medium-sized organisations that might find it the toughest," concludes Graham.
"Not that I am coming down all doom and gloom. I don't necessarily think that take-overs such as Skillshare Africa and Action Health's will be the future.
"Agencies may collaborate more, maintaining their individuality but pooling resources to cut costs.
"For example, instead of the traditional NGO format of a projects officer in each country, three or four NGOs working in the same countries may decided to share this role, employing one project manager to work for all three or four organisations.
"This cuts cost allowing them to make crucial savings which may just allow them to maintain their independence."
But whatever course small and medium-sized agencies choose to take - merger, take over or collaboration - the fact remains that the international development sector is changing and agencies are having to change with it.
| The Future |
The merger of Action Health and Skillshare Africa will pool together the strengths of the two separate organisations.
Both organisations work in partnership with the people and communities of the countries where they work. By developing skills, assisting organisational effectiveness and facilitating organisation growth they aim to continue to make positive strides towards sustainable development.
A new programme of work will be developed in countries where Action Health already has a presence, Tanzania, Uganda and India, based on Health, but addressing the integrated needs of communities in those countries. Skillshare Africa will see more input into health care in their southern Africa programme.
Skillshare Africa is committed to localisation. All permanently employed staff in the southern Africa region are nationals of southern African countries. This principle will continue to operate in the new programme, as Action Health had also intended, with the eventual appointment of regional staff for both East Africa and Asia, based in those regions.
Dr Cliff Allum, Director of Skillshare Africa will continue as Director with former Action Health Director, Robin Greenwood, taking a position as Regional Director (Asia), a position that will ultimately be relocated in Asia itself.
| Organisational Facts |
All figures to year end 31 March 2000
Name: Skillshare Africa
Statement of Purpose: Skillshare Africa works for sustainable development in partnership with the people and communities of southern Africa. We do this by sharing and developing skills, assisting organisational effectiveness and facilitating organisational growth
Areas of work: Education and vocational training, health care, engineering and planning, income generation, agriculture and environmental conservation, HIV and AIDS, empowering disadvantaged groups
Countries of work: Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland
Number of employees: 41
Expenditure: £1, 976, 929
Income: £2, 077, 091
Total Funds: £744,322
UK Address: 126, New Walk, Leicester LE1 7JA
Name: Action Health
Statement of Purpose: Action Health believes that no one should suffer from preventable ill health or disability. We affirm that ordinary people can make changes for the better in their lives. Our part in this transformation is people and their skills
Areas of work: Health care, rehabilitation
Countries of work: Uganda, Tanzania, India
Number of employees: 5.5
Expenditure: £255,691
Income: £217,423
Total Funds: £120,261
UK Address: The Gate House, 25 Gwydir Street, Cambridge, CB1 2LG
All figures take from the 1999-2000 audited accounts. Copies are available on request from Skillshare Africa 126 New Walk, Leicester, LE1 7JA. Tel: 0116 254 1862
