Spark Microgrants

SEE PART III, LINE 1.

SPARK HAS SO FAR WORKED WITH 500+ VILLAGES WHO HAVE USED THE SPARK PROCESS TO COLLECTIVELY LAUNCH MORE THAN 540 LOCAL IMPACT PROJECTS, BENEFITING OVER 500,000 LIVES. OUR TEAM OF 50+ PEOPLE IS SPREAD ACROSS FOUR COUNTRIES IN EAST AFRICA AND THE US, ADVOCATING FOR COMMUNITY-DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT PRACTICES AND PUTTING OUR COMMUNITIES' NEEDS AT THE FOREFRONT OF ALL OUR WORK. SPARK'S FACILITATED COLLECTIVE ACTION PROCESS (FCAP) CURATES VILLAGE 'TOWN-HALL' STYLE WEEKLY MEETINGS, IN WHICH VILLAGE MEMBERS COME TOGETHER TO PARTICIPATE IN VILLAGE PLANNING. THROUGH THIS PROCESS, EACH VILLAGE DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTS AN INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE, ESTABLISHES A VILLAGE SAVINGS ACCOUNT, AND DECIDES A PROJECT OF THEIR CHOICE, AND IMPLEMENTS THE PROJECT WITH AN $8,000 MICROGRANT, RESULTING IN STRONG, SELF-RELIANT COMMUNITIES WITH IMPROVED LIVELIHOODS AND SOCIAL COHESION. AFTER YEARS OF REFINING THIS COMMUNITY ORGANIZING AND SEED FUNDING MODEL FOR VILLAGE ACTION, WE ARE NOW TRAINING AND SUPPORTING INSTITUTIONS, NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS AND LOCAL CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS TO ADOPT AND IMPLEMENT OUR APPROACH FOR GLOBAL REPLICATION.IN JANUARY 2020, LOCAL ADMINISTRATIVE ENTITIES DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (LODA) SIGNED AN MOU WITH SPARK FOR A STRATEGIC COLLABORATION TO (A) DEVELOP A NATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR PARTICIPATORY VILLAGE PLANNING FOR ALL 14,000 VILLAGES IN RWANDA; AND (B) STRENGTHEN EXISTING DECENTRALIZATION INITIATIVES BY BUILDING ON RWANDAN HISTORICAL TRADITIONS. UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF THE GOVERNMENT OF RWANDA, THE ADVANCING CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT PROJECT WHICH KICKED OFF IN 2021, IS FINANCED BY THE JAPAN SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT FUND AND COMIC RELIEF. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT IS TO IMPROVE LIVELIHOODS FOR 17,750 HOUSEHOLDS/76,000 PEOPLE AND THE CAPACITY OF VILLAGES AND NATIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT FOR CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT IN 249 VILLAGES IN RWANDA. THE OBJECTIVE WILL BE ACHIEVED THROUGH A SET OF ACTIVITIES COMBINING SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD GRANTS FOR POOR, RURAL VILLAGES AND CAPACITY BUILDING FOR DISTRICT, SECTOR, CELL AND VILLAGE OFFICIALS AND VILLAGES ON INCLUSIVE, PARTICIPATORY PLANNING. THE EXPERIENCE OF THE GRANTS AND THE CAPACITY-BUILDING SUPPORT IN THE JSDF PILOT AREAS WILL BE CAPTURED THROUGH PARTNERSHIP WITH NATIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IN A NEW FRAMEWORK FOR PARTICIPATORY VILLAGE PLANNING, WHICH WILL BE APPLIED ACROSS RWANDA. THE PROJECT IS BEING IMPLEMENTED IN FOUR DISTRICTS, SEVEN SECTORS AND 249 VILLAGES, WHICH CONSTITUTES 10-12 PERCENT OF THE VILLAGES IN THE PROJECT DISTRICTS.