The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC), supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, has unveiled the key features of the second cycle of its “North Africa Cultural Programme” (NACP) for the years 2024-2027.
This new cycle was introduced during a press conference held on Tuesday at the Swiss Embassy in Tunis.
The NACP in its 2nd Cycle is a four-year initiative (2024-2027) dedicated to artistic institutions, spaces, and associations in five North African countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. It comprises two support mechanisms: the National Fund for Cultural Opportunities (FNOC) and the Regional Competitive Creativity Fund (RCCF).
The FNOC programme focuses on providing support to artistic and cultural institutions and spaces in each of the five targeted North African countries, offering assistance in institutional and programmatic domains.
The Regional Competitive Creativity Fund (RCCF) supports collaboration projects established through partnerships involving at le
ast one entity based in North Africa and one or more entities present on the African continent and/or in the Arab region.
During its first cycle (2019-2023), the NACP awarded 40 grants, supporting 28 organisations at the institutional and programmatic levels, and 12 collaborative projects in North Africa. The programme also offered professional and technical support, meeting spaces, as well as a digital platform providing information, resources, and progress tracking for supported entities and projects.
The NACP originated from an international tender issued by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, secured by AFAC in mid-2018. It aligns with the aspirations of both AFAC and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, addressing recommendations from various sectoral studies, meetings, and discussions groups.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse
More than 1,750 orphans from Isiolo County have benefitted from funding by American Relief Agency for Horn of Africa (ARAHA) in partnership with the Emirates Red Crescent of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Through the assistance, the 1,756 orphaned children from the County will get basic needs, school fees, and health care in the program that began in 2018 with only 100 beneficiaries.
The first cohort that received funds were 257 between 2018 and 2019 in the program where children from the age of five up to 18 years are the beneficiaries.
According to the Executive Director of ARAHA program Mr. Mohammed Idriss, the target age bracket will have enabled the children to mature and hence support themselves afterwards.
‘The program targets to pay school fees for the children, provide their basic needs and healthcare and has been extended from Isiolo Central to Merti and Garbatulla Sub-Counties,’ said Mr. Idris.
He emphasized that the program prefers to deposit funds in bank accounts of the beneficiaries to r
egulate the use of the funds.
Mr. Idriss said that his organization and Emirates Red Crescent are working towards covering other counties neighbouring Isiolo like Marsabit and Garissa. He appreciated the effort the guardians of the orphans are making in bringing them up.
He said that guardians of the beneficiaries receive Sh8000 per month adding that officials visit the families to ensure that the children are being taken care of as a measure of monitoring the program’s progress and ensuring achievement of set objectives.
According to the director, the beneficiaries of the program must have proof that they do not have parents, they are needy, and deserve to be assisted.
Source: Kenya News Agency