AGEN-USA INC
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : r**********a@a****z.o*g
Mission Statement
AGEN-USA Inc is a not-for-profit Public US International NGO with 501 (C) 3 United States IRS Tax Exempt Status. AGEN-USA Inc. is incorporated in New York and is registered with Charities Bureau under Attorney General of New York state with registration # 43-15-29. AGEN is locally registered and certified in Tanzania as a national NGO with registration number 00NGO/00004708 in Tanzania as a not-for-profit. It is mandated to work across Tanzania mainland to undertake community interventions in all fields both in rural and urban areas. AGEN and AGEN-USA Inc are one organization only separated by legal framework in Tanzania and USA. AGEN&AGEN-USA inc aims to help women and men cope with the impact of fast globalizing world,by investing in women and men through cutting edge monitoring and empowerment techniques; the end product will be empowered women and men capable of navigating a fast globalizing world and be free from the cycle of poverty. We will also identify opportunities to attain our mission.
About This Cause
AGEN&AGEN-USA Inc. is a product of innovation that emerged in year 2008 when its initial founders were brought together by Ms. Diana A. Carvalho who oversaw the U.S. Department of State Fulbright and Humphrey Alumni programs in Tanzania. While Ms. Carvalho brought together the founders including Fulbright alumni as part of her job description, she always went an extra mile, by creating and strengthening relationship, firstly between her and the alumni and secondly, among alumni themselves. Through that relationship, the idea of establishing AGEN and AGEN-USA Inc. emerged. The first project received funding through the United States of America Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF) of the US Department of State. The fund was launched in February 16, 2011 by the AEIF State Alumni Team to address global issues on a local, national, regional or international level. AGEN&AGEN-USA Inc’s innovative project on financial inclusion to impoverished rural entrepreneurs in Tanzania became the most voted project of all finalist projects submitted from across Sub-Saharan Africa. On May 23, the project was announced as one of the 38 winners of the AEIF from across the globe and received an award of $25,000. The award was used to gather more than $300,000 grassroots resources and impacted the lives of 400 rural entrepreneurs living in Singida and Iringa. It also provided over 120 scholars and activists (both alumni and non-alumni) from across the globe an opportunity to learn from the model and contribute expertise and resources to the project. The project gained its innovative status after going through: a review by African regional specialists, feedback from U.S. Missions, voting from State Alumni members and a final evaluation by experts from the U.S. Department of State review panel. Of all the projects that initially suggested the creation of microfinance model for rural inhabitants (or more broadly for microfinance for women, youth, or marginalized communities) that were submitted, or that remained in the final 137, AGEN&AGEN-USA Inc project was the only project that made it to the final round of AEIF. The major outcome of the implementation of the project for five years (from year 2011 to year 2016) is a financial inclusive model called “Grassroots Empowerment Model.” Through this approach, AGEN&AGEN-USA Inc continues to empower over 400 grassroots and marginalized people in Singida, Iringa and Morogoro. More importantly, the expertise gained has been useful in executing quality consultancy services to both local and international NGOs operating in rural and semi-urban areas of Tanzania to include Mbeya, Morogoro, Shinyanga, Iringa, Singida, Zanzibar, Dodoma, Tanga and Dar Es Salaam. AGEN&AGEN-USA Inc charges below the market prices for its consultancy services so as to become a leader in the areas. Details of local national and international NGOs and institutions which have benefitted from our services are listed in section 8. CV of contact person are listed in appendix 1. For details on the organization, please visit www.agentz.org Although the alumni of United States of America sponsored programs played a key role in the founding of AGEN&AGEN-USA Inc, the majority of current members of AGEN&AGEN-USA Inc are non-alumni. They are people who, using their knowledge and expertise, are driven by the need to serve marginalized communities in Tanzania, Sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere in the world. A. Vision “to maintain and advance our position and status as the most reputable charitable international NGO dedicated to empowerment of grassroots women, men and youth in Sub-Saharan Africa and the African Diaspora in the United States of America and from across the Global” B. Mission Statement To help women and men cope with the impact of fast globalizing world, we will invest in women and men through cutting edge monitoring and empowerment techniques; the end product will be empowered women and men capable of navigating a fast globalizing world and be free from the cycle of poverty. We will also identify opportunities available in local and international contexts and invest to sustain benefits of our intervention Short Term Goals • to empower women and men entrepreneurs through capacity building and monitoring in Sub-Saharan Africa and the economically depressed areas across New York State. • to empower women and men particularly those living in semi-urban and rural areas through provision of grants as well as microenterprise, and education/training linked to growing markets and value-chains so as to unlock their potentials towards improving their social economic wellbeing and inspire others to do the same. • To facilitate collaboration and networking with local or state government authorities and other Not-for-Profit NGOs through training so they can assist in effectively monitoring and responsibly running of the entrepreneurial schemes linked to growing markets and value-chains. • to create an environment through positive economic and social policies for full development of women and girls to enable them to realize their full potential. • to encourage positive societal attitudes and community practices by encouraging active participation and involvement of both men and women. • to build and strengthen partnerships with civil society, particularly women and youth’s organizations • to develop international exchange and linkages through provision of advice and training • to organize entrepreneurial training to enable unemployed women and men to start own income generating activities that are linked to growing markets and value-chains so as to fight against poverty • to actively participate in improving, promoting, and monitoring and raising awareness to the people regarding fundamental human rights norms, with the overall aim of encouraging respect and implementation of human rights for sustainable devel Our Approach AGEN&AGEN-USA Inc’s grassroots empowerment model has transferrable lessons. The strength of the model relies in close collaboration with grassroots people through their organizations and informal networks. This is done so as to minimize operating expenses and ensure ownership by the target population. The model entices self-supervision by groups and networks through creation of tailor made context specific models. Self-supervision is given high priority. This is supplemented by comprehensive monthly monitoring visits from field officers and experienced volunteers living in the field sites recruited from the community. At least, three months are needed for intensive field monitoring visits to ensure the model is fully understood by all of the beneficiaries. Alternatively, a span of twelve months can be used for bimonthly capacity building monitoring visits. AGEN&AGEN-USA Inc has developed training manuals and monitoring tools which can be applied in new project sites. It is underscored here that the situation in each region is unique and requires context specific measures. Accordingly, AGEN&AGEN-USA Inc employs PAR techniques developed over five years of implementation through its rural interventions, research and consultancy services across Tanzania. AGEN&AGEN-USA Inc’s “Exceptionalism” Firstly, Exceptionalism is the perception that an institution is “exceptional” (i.e. unusual or extraordinary) in some way and thus does not need to conform to normal rules or principles. AGEN&AGEN-USA Inc is determined to attain excellence in each and everything it does as explained in its vision: Vision of AGEN-USA Inc. is to maintain and advance our position and status as the most reputable charitable International NGO dedicated to empowerment of grassroots women, men and youth. Other exceptional qualities of our organization are listed in the following paragraphs. Secondly, AGEN&AGEN-USA Inc is determined to help women and men cope with the impact of fast globalizing world by investing in women’s and men’s capabilities through cutting edge monitoring and empowerment techniques; the end product is empowered women and men capable of navigating a fast globalizing world and be free from the cycle of poverty. AGEN&AGEN-USA Inc identifies opportunities available in local and international contexts and invests to sustain benefits of our intervention. This is attained through developing customized context specific solutions which takes on-board socio-cultural context of target populations. Simply put, AGEN&AGEN-USA Inc does not impose solutions to communities but work with the communities to come up with reliable solutions. Thirdly, AGEN&AGEN-USA Inc is a democratic institution and not a “business as usual” Not-for-profit NGO. It always target to attain the best of the best. As an institution, it has developed transparent mechanisms to ensure good governance. There are no loopholes for nepotism, corruption, and individual ownership of the organization by certain groups or people. Fourthly, the organization has created a room for young people to run the organization and benefit from the experience of senior members. As the young hold key leadership positions, senior members join the board to continue to share their experience and expertise to the young leaders. This ensures that key values of the organization are sustained from one generation to the next. Fifthly, AGEN&AGEN-USA Inc is a progressive organization in that it experience continuous progress taking on board new opportunities. Core Program areas • Women and men socio-economic empowerment • Gender Issues and Mainstreaming • Sustainable Development • Poverty reduction For details on our interventions, please visiti our official website at www.agentz.org