Angola is located in Southern Africa and borders Namibia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia. It became an independent state in 1975 and has since garnered a population of 36.75 million. Angola has a high poverty rate of 51.1%. Many of its citizens are also plagued with a lack of food supply. Studies show that approximately 37.6% of children aged less than 5 years suffer from suppressed growth. Fortunately, many NGOs have stepped forward to take the initiative. The first of its kind is Development Workshop.

Development Workshop

Founded in 1981, Development Workshop was “the only NGO in the country’ for many years. On its website, the organization states: “We have continuously worked with our partners to build and empower local capacities and search for sustainable solutions throughout and post, the emergency environment.”

Development Workshop has significantly contributed to water sanitation in Angola. From 1995 to 1998, it provided advice on the country’s water system expansion project. This project was a part of the Luanda Infrastructure Program; it gathered insights into community water needs and their willingness to pay for these services. This data helped inform the expansion of the city’s main water supply network, benefiting over a million residents to this day.

Aside from this massive endeavor, Development Workshop also helped in the restoration of the Huambo Water supply system and its damaged infrastructure, providing even more access to safe drinking water. These improvements affected around 130,000 people.

Helping the Society

To provide a voice for the community, Development Workshop also founded the paper Ondaka. This is a local newspaper that states the ideas and opinions of groups in Angola.

Recently, the organization launched the “Espaco Muhler” project, focusing on providing training and resources to enhance women’s participation in the community. Through this program, women learn the skills to take on leadership roles within their communities. The project also offers workshops on entrepreneurship and small business management. Furthermore, women also learn about the rights they possess such as land ownership, inheritance and protection against gender-based violence, which is prevalent in Angola. According to UNICEF, “almost 34% of women have been survivors of violence throughout their lives.”

Digital Workshop also established KixiCredito, a microfinance agency that aims to provide small loans to entrepreneurs who could not get them from traditional banks. Since then, KixiCredito now operates in 17 Angolian provinces and serves more than 25,000 active clients.

Development Workshop has been extremely successful since its founding. It has partnered with numerous equally successful organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, USAID and Homeless International. It has made a huge impact on the lives of Angolans and will hopefully continue to do so.

– Mustafa Tareen

Mustafa is based in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan and focuses on Global Health and Celebs for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr