Photo courtesy of Stuart Franklin/Magnum Photos

To implement our water projects, the Voss Foundation partners with organizations working on the ground in Sub-Saharan Africa. Each partner is vetted by our Board and Staff to adhere to our high standards of efficiency, transparency, procedure and reporting. All of our partners have many years of experience in the region in which they work, and either are run by or employ a large percentage of local staff and workers. We insist that labor and procurement be sourced locally to the maximum extent possible. Our implementing partners represent a diverse lot of organizations, large and small, whom we trust to help us execute our mission best in providing access to clean water to the people who need it most.

As our Executive Director, Kara Gerson, says,

We have a very close relationship with our partners; we are intimately involved in each and every project.

Every time we start a new project, the partners always say, “Wow, you ask a lot of questions!” But we don’t just want to send money away! We want to make sure we are distributing our funds efficiently and effectively. We need to know we’re making a difference in people’s lives.

Past and present partners include:

AED: AED is a nonprofit organization working globally to improve education, health, civil society and economic development–the foundation of thriving societies.  In collaboration with local and national partners, AED fosters sustainable results through practical, comprehensive approaches to social and economic challenges.  AED implements more than 250 programs serving people in all 50 U.S. states and more than 150 countries.  In the Dogon region of Mali, AED and the Voss Foundation have worked together along with Sahel Eco and a local branch of Caritas to execute the projects on the ground.

CHF International: CHF International is a nonprofit development organization dedicated to helping people improve their economic conditions from the bottom up. CHF International’s mission is to be a catalyst for long-lasting positive change in low- and moderate-income communities around the world, helping them to improve their social, economic and environmental conditions. CHF International has been working with communities abroad for nearly 50 years, helping them to identify their greatest needs and attain their goals. CHF International has worked in over 100 countries around the world. CHF International and the Walt Disney Foundation partnered with the Voss Foundation in rural Ethiopia.

Georges Malaika Foundation: The Georges Malaika Foundation is dedicated to the advancement of African communities by providing educational opportunities to young girls, aged 5 to 18. Its vision is to mobilize the resources necessary to overcome the insurmountable obstacles a young girl faces to obtain an education in the Democratic Republic of Congo. GMF will provide assistance that paves the way for opportunity, generates greater choice and empowers girls to make informed decisions. GMF endeavors to permanently alter the cycle of illiteracy and poverty within the D.R. Congo. Voss Foundation has partnered with GMF to build a well at their first school for girls in the Kalebuka village of the Katanga province.

Milgis Trust: Milgis Trust aims to conserve the wildlife, habitat and pastoral people’s way of life.  The Milgis Trust core area is located in northern Kenya within the drainage of the Matthews Range, Ndoto Mountains and Karisia Hills and spreading out towards Oldonyo Mara, Mount Nyiru and Mount Kulal.  The Trust covers approximately 8,000 sq kms and supports a diverse range of flora and fauna and the pastoral livelihoods of several different ethnic groups including the Samburu, Turkana and Rendille.  Voss Foundation partners with Milgis Trust in implementing projects in Samburuland, Kenya.