Contents. Foreword. Value Proposition. Our Accomplishments. One of Our Many Success Stories. What Have We Learnt? Strategy Pillars:

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2 Contents 01 Foreword 03 Value Proposition 04 Our Accomplishments 07 One of Our Many Success Stories 11 What Have We Learnt? 14 Strategy Pillars: 19 Thematic Focus Mission: To strengthen the voice and agency of poor people in regional policy processes. Vision: An integrated southern Africa with policies and practices that end poverty and inequality Theory Of Change Measuring What We Do Who We Work With

3 The Trust s Mandate Organisational Corporate Strategy - The principal objective of the Trust, as a non-profit, is to undertake activities that contribute to the reduction of poverty and inequality. These shall include activities related to public policy, official poverty reduction processes, human rights, stakeholder engagement, human and economic development, research, training, and capacity building. In delivering its mandate, the Trust will endeavour to strengthen the voice of poor people in public policy processes, to reduce poverty and inequality in Southern Africa in ways that promote regional interconnection and a regional agenda. Source: Deed The Trust works to strengthen the voice and agency of poor people in regional policy processes.

4 Southern Africa Trust Overview Our Journey Our footprint Mission Support processes to deepen and widen engagement in policy dialogue with regional impact so that the poor have an effective voice in shaping policies that overcome poverty. Interventions Support regional apex allience to insert the voices of civil society organisations into policy development Increased civil society groups participating in regional policy processes through regional policy processes through building their institutional and technical capabilities Mission Support deeper and wider civil society engagement in regional policy dialogue to overcome poverty. Interventions Create new mechanisms and structure participation for civil society in regional policy processes Establish platforms for regional citizenry the owners of the policy issue being focused on to demand and hold government to account Our Themes Household Level Food Security Trade & Investment Governance for Development Migration & Social Security State of civil society Organisation

5 Our Journey Mission to strengthen the voice and agency of poor people in regional policy processes. Interventions Create functional mechanisms and relationships leading to engagements among various actors in regional policy processes and practice. A pro-poor knowledgeable and informed policy community. Regional policies integrate women and youth priorities. Mobilise marginalised groupings of the poor and civil society actors to hold governments to account on development policy issues. Cutting edge regional policy interpreter. Ecosystems and platform builders. Supporting credible voices. Innovative income generating initiatives. Our Scope Migration & Development Trade & Industrialisation Poverty & Inequality Human Development Civil Society Capability African Philanthropy

6 Foreword Established in 2005 to respond to high levels of poverty and inequality, the (the Trust) has navigated the ever changing and challenging socio-economic and political environments globally, as well as regionally, with a particular focus on Southern Africa. Yet it has remained steadfast in its grant making and policy dialogue-brokering functions anchored on the benefits of regional integration for the poor and marginalised. With its primary mission to widen and deepen regional integration so that policies can work for the poor, the Trust brings together the public, private and civil society sectors through a theory of change that combines evidence based advocacy, dialogue and capability enhancement of key stakeholders in the whole value chain of the policy process, including conception, formulation and adoption. It is out of this triangle of success that real hopes of eradicating poverty are made possible. For example, in our work on the portability of social benefits in South Africa, we managed to model a winning formula on working with all stakeholders to unlock a historical challenge of unpaid benefits of more than ZAR 5.7 billion to ex-miners. Not only are Funds making payments now, but we have also gone further to work with the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) to develop a regional model instrument for the exportability and portability of social benefits in Southern Africa. The Trust has also focused on strengthening the capacity of the Ex-Miners Association by forming a regional taskforce and whose function is to be a platform for resolving ex-miners problems. The Trust has indeed registered a number of concrete achievements in influencing regional policies to end poverty, but a lot still needs to be done especially at the local level in member states. It has become evident that influencing policies is not an end in itself; it is their implementation that makes a huge impact on people s lives. A key lesson to take forward in our new strategy is that the Trust s interventions must be comprehensive to include not just infusing the voices of the affected sectors into the policy formulation but to follow through and mobilise citizens to demand for the speedy and timely implementation of regional policies at national level and impact on people s lives by reducing poverty, closing the gap between rich and poor, addressing gender inequality, creating decent employment opportunities, access to affordable education and health; and most importantly create opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship among others. Ultimately, people of the region are interested not just in the adoption of policies, important as this is, but intheir implementation. Although our support to regional civil society organisations has entailed building their capability to make meaningful contribution at various stages of the policy processes, it is now unavoidable that we also pay attention to implementation levels. In our new strategy, we are determined to support regional civil society formations in ways that are tightly linked to strengthening local efforts at the national level. Not only will we capacitate civil society formations to be players at the regional level, but we will link them to local and national policy dialogues and accountability mechanisms through an engagement mechanism that we recently developed with our partners, in particular the SADC Council of NGOs (SADC CNGO) for SADC in operationalising Article 23 and 16A of the SADC Treaty on the involvement of non-state actors in SADC processes. Over the past decade, we have created an enabling environment for civil society organisations, built their capacity and accompanied them in their programmatic interventions; created tools and platforms for the private sector s engagement in regional integration; developed and contributed to regional policies; promoted alliances and coalitions as well as built movements for accountability on poverty efforts. We have also provided high end technical assistance to SADC, including conducting research and seconding human resources for the SADC Regional Poverty Observatory. The Trust is so far the only regional organisation that makes grants of various sizes across the region and beyond to various forms of organisations with the view to ending poverty. It is also one of the few organisations that combines evidence based policy advocacy, grantmaking and capability building in addressing poverty and inequality. The Trust s successes demonstrate our organisational ability to use innovative approaches in brokering systematic change in how governments serve their citizens. So as we take stock of the first ten years of our existence as an organisation and thinking about our future, we proudly stand on our achievements, cognisant of the obstacles and challenges that still lie ahead. We have developed a new strategy that will serve as our compass for the next five years as we comprehensively address poverty and inequality in the Southern Africa region. We have listened to our partners, reviewed contextual developments and travelled into the future to understand how we will get there. We have reorganised ourselves externally and internally to meet the current demands and those of the future. We intend remaining a leading catalyst in influencing policy, seeking a stronger, more credible, informed, and organised civil society that is not afraid to seek accountability from its governments and policy makers. We also aim at catalysing the advantages of public-private civil society collaborations through what we call ecosystems and platforms in our new strategy. The next five years will see us consolidate our research agenda and making sure that knowledge is instrumental in the eradication of poverty and various forms of inequalities. We will be the hub to go to for policy and regional integration knowledge and its application. We will further strengthen existing and build new platforms of engagement in the policy processes in Southern Africa, including strengthening the whole environment under which these are developed. We will, therefore, pay a lot of attention to the ecosystems in which platforms are developed both at the regional and national levels. Here we will strengthen the relationship and collaborations between the public, private and civil society sectors for effective implementation of policies that in turn will contribute to the eradication of poverty and inequality. We will also build movements of accountability and credible voices. Without a critical mass of demand for the implementation of policies as well as accountable institutions, it is easy for the status quo to proceed as it is. Here we will work with social movements, informal groupings, youth movements, faith associations and other forms of mobilisation by strengthening their capabilities to not just have their voices heard and reflected in policies, but to also make sure policies result in the change in people s lives for the better. To achieve all of this, we will change certain aspects of our internal organisation. We will build the sustainability of our interventions by venturing more acutely into developing new and innovative streams of revenues and working with partners more closely to build ownership of our mission. We will invest in our people both internally and externally. We will also expand our reach and effectiveness by harnessing the power of new technologies. We will not stretch ourselves too thin instead we will focus on key regional integration areas such as 1. Trade & industrialisation, 2. Poverty, inequality & development, 3. Business development & integration, 4.Civil society & mechanisms for engagement, 5. Migration & development, 6. Gender, 7. Philanthropy. 01

7 I want to thank our partners for their contribution to the development of this strategy. Equally, I wish to invite all our partners and friends to travel with us as we begin a new phase in the life of the Trust. We will be dedicating a lot of time in the next months disseminating the core pillars of the strategy. Our hope is that our strategy becomes your strategy too as we all are working on the vexing challenges of our timepoverty and inequality. Our development partners remain supportive during this process. I also want to thank Trustees of the Southern Africa Trust for their dedication and guidance in the process. Our staff endured the painful process of change and accepting it. I can only say that every day is a struggle towards perfection and that perfection for us is the eradication of poverty and addressing the alarming high levels of inequality in the region. Our strategy is a compass and at various moments of its life, we will make sure we review and keep it relevant. Our new strategy is about celebrating the fortunes of Africans-a move away from focusing exclusively on poverty and its negative representations. In this regard, we have chosen bright colours as well as emphasized the domination of blue to signal the next driver of economic growth - the blue economy. Executive Director Dr Bhekinkosi Moyo 02

8 03 Our Value Proposition The has a concerted focus on providing value for our partnerships. Below are some of the key drivers of the value we provide. Regional Grant Maker and Re-granting Facility (various sizes of grants to many sectors across countries to different types of organisations. Evidence based Policy Advocacy and Capability Builder for non-state and intergovernmental institutions for pro-poor policy. Broker of systemic change through innovative approaches. Convener of dialogues for policy influence. Knowledge hub and interpreter of regional policy space. Creator of alliances, networks and coalitions in policy influence. Promoter of African philanthropy initiatives for sustaining the civil society sector. Builder of public-private-civil society collaborations.

9 Our Accomplishments Since 2011, the Trust invested in five focus areas. These are: 1) Learning for better poverty reduction results Through this programme we addressed knowledge gaps in policy and governance, and provided insights and evidence based research on issues that tackle poverty, in all its forms, in the region. Our notable successes include high level in-depth research reports that offer invaluable insight into governance for development, migration and social protection, food security and livelihood, trade and the state of civil society in Southern Africa. Knowledge Products SADC Regional Agricultural Policy (RAP) - Opportunities for Smallholder Farmers Regional Research Portability of Social Security Benefits: Challenges experienced by former mineworkers in accessing social security benefits in selected southern African countries Regional Research for a SADC Cross Border Portability Instrument Inclusive Business in the Region of SADC Small Business Development in Connection with the Concept of inclusive Business Research for a new SADC mechanism of engagement with Non- State Actors Sizing the Field - Frameworks for A New Narrative of African Philanthropy Philanthropy and Resource Governance: Philanthropy and illicit financial flows: options for African philanthropy to support The high quality content of these knowledge products serves as a resource and tool for other organisations in the Southern Africa policy space. They also shed light into the relationships of success that are needed in the implementation of policies as well as the ingredients of success that each stakeholder must possess. Essentially, the Trust has over the years developed a knowledge reservoir that is a source of valuable intelligence on the policy landscape in Southern Africa. 2) Understanding Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and building capability for pro-poor policy work We also recognised weak links in meaningful civic participation and insufficient ownership of the regional integration agenda. In our quest to be leaders and policy drivers through partnerships we set up a number of successful key initiatives in this regard. For example, our Leadership for Change initiative served as a platform for developing new leaders in civil society as well as an innovative space for confidence building and skills development. The result is an alliance of leaders in the region who have built social capital linkages and bridged approaches. The other initiative is the enabling environment focus that responded to the CNGO to develop a regional engagement mechanism that will facilitate the involvement of non-state actors in SADC processes and its regional agenda, in particular the Revised Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RSDP), the industrialisation strategy and other regional frameworks. The success of these initiatives has placed us at the centre of critical dialogue among policy makers in the region. 3) Constructing a regional identity & promoting civic participation among citizens This programme area created conditions for making regional integration institutions more responsive to the needs and aspirations of the people of the region. For example, we worked with media houses that have a regional presence such as the Mail and Guardian to adopt a regional integration framing in their reportage. We showcased the work of our partners through the pages of the Mail and Guardian with resounding successes. Our work on the challenges faced by ex-miners got wider publicity and got to the attention of higher authorities as a result of its coverage in the Mail and Guardian and other media platforms. Our partnership with the ETV also broadcasted the work of miners across more than 48 countries. The result was the unearthing of similar conditions borne by miners in other countries such as Malawi, Botswana and Zimbabwe. This has contributed to the growth of the organised voice of ex-miners but also taken their matters to policy platforms such as SADC, the South African Government, in particular, the Department of Health on matters of compensation. Another success story relates to the SayXchange initiative, a cross border youth civic participation initiative, which became the beacon of our achievements in citizen participatory processes. Not only did we expose young people to different cultures in the region by placing them in different countries, we also enhanced their skills by placing them in regional or national organisations that looked at the world from a regional integration frame. Most of these have gone on to champion diversity and tolerance of different cultures. In the last xenophobic attacks in South Africa, some participants of the programme led efforts in condemning and addressing the attacks. Furthermore, we promoted and encouraged a culture of giving among these young people. Some of them have gone on to practice and champion philanthropic efforts. Never before has the spirit of solidarity been required than it is today. But most importantly we invested in publications that profiled and promoted debates on regional integration. These include SADC Today-a publication that follows outcomes of SADC meetings in particular Council and Summit meetings. We also established internally two publications that profiled our regional integration work and the impact of the work of our partners-change Mudanca as well as NewsMakers. Finally, we gave birth to the Nelson Mandela Institute for Development Studies (MINDS)-a regional integration think tank based in Johannesburg. All this was in recognition that constructing a regional identity involves communication, practice, prototyping. Partnering with Media for advocacy The Trust recognises the lack of media interest in developmental issues, closing space for civil society in the region. We published several country studies but also within this framework worked with SADC and SADC 04

10 and has since built an approach which involves building deliberate partnerships with media, which enable reaching specific audiences (policy makers, CSOs, government officials, influential people, and citizens). We have worked with strategic media platforms to create opportunities for the poor to be heard in the public domain and also utilising media as a journalistic advocacy tool to get the needed response from policymakers. The Trust has worked with Inter-Press Service, Mail & Guardian, and enca, City Press South Africa, SADC Today, New Vision newspaper Uganda and the Nation Media Group, Kenya. It has created an opportunity for the voices of marginalised groups to be heard in the public discourse and it has resulted in the needed response from policy makers. 4) Creating new opportunities for voices of the poor to be heard in policy dialogue This programme saw the Trust reaffirm its position of strength as facilitator for functional multi-stakeholder participation in regional policy development and implementation. Here we offered technical support to the SADC Regional Poverty Observatory in two areas of research and policy analysis; we developed the SADC Mechanism of engagement with Non-State Actors as well as created with other civil society organisations the Midrand Civil Society Support Facility for engagement with Pan African institutions. In addition, we supported a number of civil society platforms for policy engagement such as coalitions, networks and alliances.engagement such as coalitions, networks and alliances. establishing the first Chair on African Philanthropy at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits). This is novel and innovative-not been done before in the continent. It will serve as a platform for the study, practice and modelling of philanthropy and its role in sustainable development. Through our Change4Ever campaign we have championed and promoted local giving through technological platforms but also through giving platforms that have linked resources to needs in a manner that creates local ownership and accountability to the broader community. We also produced a series of periodic publications on Follow the money, informing policies and practices in Donor Support To Civil Society Formations in Southern Africa. In 2015, we produced research products on some of the current vexing issues such as philanthropy and illicit financial flows; philanthropy and the extractive industries as well as the legislative environment for philanthropy in Africa. We also promoted local giving through profiling local philanthropists as well as holding giving platforms Capacity Building Successes* Alliance with non- state actors The success of our work lies in our organisation s ability to foster relations between citizens, business and governments for pro poor development. We do this through working with others, focusing on the role of non-state actors and their engagement with governments. We use these relationships to create linkages and alliances between the resources of different groups across the region. We utilise our regional level influence to make inroads into national governments and civil society formations across the 15 countries of the region. Bridging civil society, public and private sector platforms The has established an inclusive business initiative. The initiative aims to mobilize the private sector to ensure that the poor are included in the business value chain for poverty eradication. The Trust developed the B4D (Business for Development) barometer and pathfinder toolkit, an inclusive business instrument that will ensure the private sector is working to integrate the poor in the business value chain. The B4D Barometer is an online self assessment tool for companies to measure and improve their inclusive business practices. Leadership for Change programme targeting second-tier leaders. Collaborations with SADC Council of NGOs (SADC-CNGO), Southern Africa Peoples Solidarity Network (SAPSN), and Southern Africa Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU). Regional Women Farmers Forum. 5) More and better financing of civil society organisations Funding is a vital aspect of developmental work. Critical to the distribution of funds is the constant surveying of the funding landscape, linking donors to organisations, grant distributions and establishing financial sustainability mechanisms for regional civil society apex organisations. Our grant making management system remains one of the best funding models in the region. It can be used for small, medium and large grants. But perhaps more importantly, our grant management system is useful in identifying capacity needs as well as identifying novel ways to support organisations and movements to make impact. We made the point that funding is not just about the sizes but it is also about the quality. In this regard, we have worked and led efforts to model philanthropy in Africa through the Africa Philanthropy Network. Because philanthropy also involves knowledge, and learning, we led efforts on Regional Women Cross Border Traders Forum. Regional Young Farmers Platform. *Understanding Civil Society Organisations Southern Africa Mineworkers Association. 05

11 Regional Grant Making Our grants system is one of the nimblest and effective in Southern Africa. In the last ten years we have disbursed more than USD 10 million to deserving recipients whose work contributes to the poverty reduction agenda. The grant support targeted the following thematic areas; Household level food security, governance for development, trade with particular focus on cross border trade, migration and socio protection and the state of civil society. The grant partners employed key strategies such as research, policy advocacy and capacity building to influence regional policies. Coalitions & Networks* Southern African Peoples Solidarity Network (SAPSN) Southern Africa Cross Border Traders Association (SACBTA) Eastern Southern Africa Small Scale Farmers (ESAFF) Southern Africa Minerworkers Association Economic Justice Network, Southern Africa Trade Union Coordinating Council Governments are nolonger afraid of their citizens. It is citizens who are afraid of their governments. This fundamental flaw needs to change. *Creating new opportunities for voices of the poor 06

12 07 One Of Our Many Success Stories Case Study: Restoring the dignity of ex miners and their families, unlocking unclaimed social security and compensation benefits for former mineworkers

13 08 Civil society organisations, including the Trust, discovered evidence that former mineworkers both migrant and local were owed more than ZAR 5.7 billion because they were unable to access their accrued social security benefits on returning home. These were miners from South Africa, Mozambique, Lesotho, Swaziland and Botswana. The Trust s initiative focused specifically on unlocking these benefits by bringing together critical stakeholders, provident/ pension funds, national governments, mineworkers associations, unions, international agencies, and financial regulators, among others. In 2012, Trust researchers interviewed miners and ex-miners and obtained factual information regarding the challenges miners and dependents faced in accessing benefits. A report was produced. In February 2014, the Trust widened the debate and convened the first regional stakeholder dialogue. This dialogue formed the foundation for the interactions that would be between miners and the power brokers. The dialogue further informed the formation of a regional taskforce to facilitate effective collaboration and coordination among stakeholders. This involved engaging with the Financial Services Board in South Africa as a strategic partner to support and oversee the distribution of funds at a legal and legislative level. In this work, the has partnered with South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), ENCA Africa and Mail &Guardian as an advocacy vehicle. It was profiled in an SABC documentary that won a SADC Media Award in August The project intervention has led to the change of attitudes among key interlocutors. There has been increased distribution of benefits and increased coordinated and collaborative efforts among stakeholders; particularly members of the regional task force. The establishment of the regional taskforce was a key milestone that contributed to unlocking benefits for miners and dependents. Ex Miners Widows Forum October 2015, a regional widow s forum was established. The forum addresses challenges widows face in accessing social security and compensation benefits for deceased and sick mineworkers, dealing with spouses that have contracted silicosis and the spread of TB. This includes issues of limited access to finance and cultural dynamics. A team of two widow representatives from each country assists in co-ordinating the activities of the forum. Mine workers both migrant and local were owed more than ZAR 5.7 billion.

14 Here are some highlights of disbursements made since February The Mineworkers Provident Fund (MWPF) has disbursed 15% of their unclaimed benefits which stood at about ZAR 3 billion. The estimated amount disbursed is about ZAR 400 million. The disbursement was done in the four countries South Africa, Mozambique, Lesotho and Swaziland. Below: Is a letter of appreciation for support from the Ex- Miners Association of the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho R3 billion R8,762,000 In April 2015 in Lesotho, 386 ex-miners received their benefits amount of ZAR 8,762,000 from the Compensation Commission for Occupational Disease. R8,400, In August 2014 in Swaziland, 119 beneficiaries were identified resulting in a ZAR 8,400,000 payout. In Lesotho 12,000 have been registered of which 4000 are widows, in Swaziland 1, 243 have been registered and for Mozambique 5478 have been registered and 598 are widows. This data will be shared with the social security funds for assessment. As a leader in finding tangible and strategic solutions to the transfer of cross border benefits, the Trust has completed research for SADC titled Towards an instrument for the portability of social security benefits in SADC. Completed in October 2015, the findings of the research will inform the development of the SADC cross border portability instrument that will facilitate coordination of the national social security system to facilitate transfer of benefits across borders. The Trust is working with SADC to also develop the instrument. The process of unlocking social security and compensation benefits also included capacity building, mobilisation and empowerment of miners and dependents. The national and regional ex-miners association received support from the Trust to strengthen their organisational capability to mobilise ex-miners and dependents to access their benefits. The national associations include Swaziland Migrant Mine Workers Association, Association for Mozambique Miners and Ex-miners Association of Lesotho. During this time, your support has empowered many of our members and it is our great believe that beyond your support, they will still carry on. To date, social security grants recieved by not only our members, but Basotho at large have gone a long way in alleviating poverty in their families. The empowerment you have capacitated us and the institution will forever keep us together This intervention also contributed to enhancing the credibility and recognition of Southern Africa Miners Association (SAMA) as a strategic regional platform representing the voices of former mineworkers. Expansion of SAMA: The regional association was initially represented in only 4 countries, South Africa, Mozambique, Lesotho and Swaziland and now in the last two years has expanded to Malawi, Botswana and currently exploring a new opportunity to expand to Zimbabwe. Improved livelihoods for the miners and beneficiaries: Following disbursement of funds to beneficiaries SAMA has been working with them to undertake income generation activities that would sustain their finances to meet their basic necessities, namely health care, food and education. 09

15 10 Our tested miners engagement model Capacity building, mobilisation and empowerement of miners & dependents Impact: Disbursement of funds & improved livelihood Generation of knowledge for policy dialogue and information dissemination Stakeholder engagement (establishment of regional taskforce including national governments, social security & compensation funds and ex-miners) There were a range of issues that contributed to the miners problems. These included: South African laws that require migrant workers to leave on expiry of work permits. Insufficient knowledge of rights and administrative procedures. Limited arrangements for portability/transfer of benefits. Cumbersome documentary requirements for social security benefit applications. Poor economic conditions that hinder beneficiaries in travelling to make claims.

16 What We Have Learnt Despite notable successes in the policy development space the Trust recognises and acknowledges gaps in the translation of its work on the ground and the need to readjust its focus, operations and programming in other areas. In developing a new strategy, we reached out to our partners, conducted external evaluations, reflected internally and commissioned experts in various fields of our work. The following lessons emerged: Key Lessons Learnt Monitoring Policy Implementation. While the Trust has found a niche as a policy influencer in the region, it has identified a gap between policy development and implementation. The next phase of the Trust s work is to trace and track the impact of policies influenced, mobilise demand for their implementation and monitor their success in alleviating poverty and changing people lives. Credible Voices Count. We have created successful alliances and partnerships with other civil society groups, but there is still a critical need to build credible voices within the sector. These are voices with the capability to not only influence policy, but have a thorough understanding of policy frameworks, are able to engage contextually around policy issues, and can confront authority and policy makers without the need for mediators like the Trust. These are voices that are truly representative of their constituencies. The Trust recognises the urgent need for a pro- active citizen engagement process, where the communities themselves can initiate dialogue linked to policy development and implementation. A recent example in South Africa is the Fees Must Fall campaign. How can we foster more of these genuine expressions of people s experience of poverty and inequality in order to ensure that policies are responsive and informed to deliver on services? Creating Capability Value Chains. The Trust has posed serious questions to itself as a capacity building entity. How do we effectively invest in capacity building? How can the Trust extend its capacity scope beyond a specific beneficiary organisation? And how does it ensure that capacity transferred to individuals filters down the value chain? How does the strategy invest in capacity building so that it benefits a broader constituency? In our new strategy, capacity building will be integrated across all our approaches but more importantly link it to the environment, policies and general mobilisation of key constituencies. Our knowledge management focus will play a significant part in this area and so will be our focus on effective systems and platforms. Promoting Knowledge Use is Vital. The Trust produced over 31 research papers between 2012 and 2015, yet despite these strides in knowledge accumulation, application and utilising the rich information from these studies has not occurred. The strategy will put the emphasis on creating an organisation that also functions as a knowledge hub, a facility for regional policy information that will be an essential resource to its stakeholders, ie, the funding community, governments, policy makers, and civil society. More than being a knowledge hub, we aim to be a platform for the application of lessons and knowledge from research. Invest in the Gender Dividend. As an organisation we have recorded a notable neglect on gender related issues, and insufficient action dedicated to amplifying women s issues in the region. Moving forward the Trust needs to place itself in the centre of the conversation that exclusively focuses on human rights, in particular women empowerment and the youth. 11

17 12 Some Strategic Shifts So where to from here? these lessons have made us adopt certain strategic shifts going forward. These are depicted below. 1.Poverty The nexus between poverty and Inequality 5.Donor Funding African Philanthropy 2.Policy Development Policy development, monitoring and implementation 6.Cross Cutting Exclusive focus on youth and women empowerment among the poor, but other cross cutting areas will still remain 3.Knowledge Generation Knowledge generation and application 7.New Key Themes Migration, Industrialization, Trade & Development, African Philanthropy, Human Development, Poverty, inequality & unemployment, etc 4.Creating Alliances Creating alliances and supporting alliance activism and agency Philanthropy the future of civil society funding Philanthropy is the innovative tool for financing organisations in the future. The Trust will target alternative potential donors from the African continent, such as high net-worth individuals; investors and supporters and other donors with an interest in African philanthropy. In line with this objective the Trust has already established the Chair of African Philanthropy at Witwatersrand (Wits) University to develop a narrative on African philanthropy, implement a research agenda and support the role of philanthropy in sustainable and transformative development.

18 13 Key Operational Shifts The new strategy is characterised by new shifts and areas of emphasis. While the overall orientation is to consolidate what was achieved in the last ten years, the next five years will be defined by the following traits: 1. Our operations functions will shift from merely being supportive to programmes in the delivery of the Trust s mission to being integral in the delivery of the vision and mission of the Trust-which is the eradication of poverty and different forms of inequality. Everyone in the Trust will thus see themselves and their functions as contributing to the eradication of poverty and inequality. No one should see himself or herself as supportive another program or unit. 2. Our way of thinking about work and business will change. We will harness the power and technology and information systems and respond to barriers and challenges that are posed by the current traditional understanding of the work space as physical presence. We will introduce carefully virtual platforms and virtual ways of working, automate a lot of our systems and break the physical barriers that limit our regional presence. 3. We will invest in people in many ways that will in turn improve our overall organisational health. We will look at our systems, work environment and make the Trust an employer of choice. 4. We will in this strategy also prioritise high end skills and expertise as we move towards becoming a go to hub for regional policy knowledge and broker of triangular relations between governments, business and civil society. 5. We will adopt new innovative approaches to building our sustainability by harnessing the potential provided by African philanthropy, generating new and alternative sources of revenue beyond our traditional donors.

19 14 Strategy Pillars: The Trust has successfully mobilised and enabled various stakeholders, particularly civil society and marginalised groups to engage regional bodies such as SADC. In the next five years, the Trust will continue to mobilise marginalised groupings of the poor and civil society actors to hold governments to account on development policy issues. Among the key focus areas is a strategic and deliberate move to intensify the focus both internally and externally on women and youth empowerment. The Trust also believes that resourcing of civil society organisations should go beyond finances and should include: building social and political advocacy networks, skills development and capacity development. We intend to continue with grant making, shifting the approach to consider a combination of blended finance which involves investments from other development partners such as the private sector. Achieving vibrant communities in which poverty and inequality are progressively reversed will require that the Trust, along with other like-minded partners seize every opportunity to strategically navigate the policy design and policy implementation space to ensure the achievement of its mission. The following pillars or objectives will guide the implementation of the strategy. Among the key focus areas is a strategic and deliberate move to intensify the focus both internally and externally on women and youth empowerment.

20 External Strategic Objectives Southern Africa is home to the continent s second biggest economy, yet the majority of its 300 million citizens continue to live in poverty, in conditions that makes it one of the most unequal societies globally. Our work entails contributing to the reversal of these trends through supporting regional and national level efforts to end poverty, reduce inequality, and unemployment through support to civil society, the private sector and governments. In this regard the Trust has three external strategic objectives that will be employed. External Strategic Objective Number One To create, make available and promote use of transformative knowledge among the policy community. What we want to be A cutting edge regional hub of transformative knowledge & regional policy- landscape interpreter. The Trust seeks to establish itself as a premier first point of call for knowledge on regional integration, poverty and inequality reduction, trade and migration and philanthropy. This will be done in partnership, with other organisations and institutions. Thematically, the Trust seeks to collate and develop cutting edge knowledge focusing on poverty and inequality. The Trust will generate, process, collate, store and facilitate the use of cutting edge policy research within and outside the region. The trust seeks to make available quality and accessible public policy data. How will we do it? By collating existing knowledge and creating new knowledge and facilitating its use among civil society formations, private sector formations, policy makers Creating an e-library repository and regional policy data navigator Making research grants to universities, think tanks and individuals and establishing partnerships with the same Establishing a Chair on philanthropy and technical collaborations with leading policy institutions such as ECA, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Hudson Institute Establishing forums to showcase intellectual products and launching a Journal on Regional Integration. What we want to achieve Outcomes A pro-poor knowledgeable and intelligent policy community, that utilises the best evidence to inform policy choices and guide practice Regional policies integrating women and youth priorities A growth in understanding of African Philanthropy and an accountability framework and an alternative source of development financing. External Strategic Objective Number Two To support the creation and strengthening of a productive ecosystem of social, public & private policy actors What we want to be An ecosystems and platforms builder within and among public, private and civil society sectors for a sustainable, just, equal and poverty free Southern Africa. How will we do it? The trust will pursue an ecosystems development approach to building human, institutional and social capital. This is part of building organisational and social resilience in politically challenging environments. Support the creation of and interaction among platforms and networks of social, public & private policy actors. Build institutional and technical capabilities of civil society groups, alliances, platforms, movements Support to policy dialogue, Make grants to networks and alliances Support the creation of a network of philanthropic organizations and philanthropists Support and undertake policy advocacy, Establish media partnerships for policy influencing What we want to achieve Outcomes Functional formal and informal mechanisms and relationships leading to engagements among various actors in regional policy processes and practice. Strengthened platforms, interfaces, linkages and networks, within and among civil society, public institutions and the private sector. Conducive political space for sustainable policy engagement and policy monitoring for private and civil society actors Effective platforms such the SADC Regional Poverty Observatory (RPO) a multi-stakeholder consultative forum mandated by SADC leaders, the NSA Engagement Mechanism, SADC National Committees responsible for domestication of protocols by member states, a regional business platform that shall respond to SADC strategies and the Midrand Facility of pan-african parliamentarians and civil society 15

21 16 Africa Trust Southern To build credible, proactive constituencies of the poor that effectively demand accountability. External Strategic Objective Number Three To build credible, proactive constituencies of the poor that effectively demand accountability. What we want to be A supporter of credible voices and a promoter of a proactive regional citizenry that demands accountability. Power does not concede that easily unless there is a critical mass of demand. We aim to mobilise movements for accountability. How will we do it? Provide user-friendly policy evidence and providing skills that enhance credibility and effectiveness in policy engagement among civil society. Mobilise resources for sustaining regional civil society from traditional and non-traditional sources such as philanthropy. Support civil society, private actors and government develop proactive constituencies of the poor that effectively demand and supply accountability through; trainings, exchange programmes, support budget and policy monitoring workshops. Support to public information and media campaigns What we want to achieve Outcomes Accountable public institutions and non-state actors at regional and national levels that provide quality and timely public services. A credible civil society with actionable and evidence-based perspectives and proposals. A proactive citizen with initiative to monitor and evaluate government performance, and capable of challenging government on public service standards. Gender-responsive public services and an increase in women owned, led and controlled assets and organizations. Partnerships between civil society and the private sector on inclusive business, industrialization and the SDGs.

22 17 Internal Strategic Objectives The internal objectives provide the institutional and organisational capability to deliver the Trust s external strategic objectives. From inception in 2005, the Trust has established credible corporate governance mechanisms, developed office infrastructure and operating systems, and recruited expertise from the region to deliver programmes and provide operational support. The Trust strategy will capitalise on the growth potential of our human, financial and technological resources to maximize delivery of strategic objectives. Internal Strategic Objective Number One What we want to be Investing in people and creating a value and results driven learning culture. How will we do it? By creating a value & purpose driven culture. What we want to achieve Outcomes A diverse team with skills and competences to meet planned performance targets, respond to change and uphold organizational values. Specific emphasis will be put in holistically investing in a skilled, high performing, and motivated workforce. In our pursuit to be a regional knowledge hub, the diverse skills pool will include individuals with capabilities for multi stakeholder facilitation, knowledge in policy making and sustainable funding knowledge.the Trust will invest in staff development, including for example development of skills in policy analysis, integration and automation of business processes to create an enabling operating environment, provide competitive incentives to get the right skills and talents and develop an organisational culture of performance. Internal Strategic Objective Number Two What we want to be Enhancing institutional efficiency and effectiveness. How will we do it? Through optimising configurations of ICT solutions and competitive contracting. By diversifying, and developing alternative revenue streams. What we want to achieve Outcomes Streamlined systems and integrated processes that deliver value for money. A learning organization that is accountable for resources and results. In there will be an organisational redesign that is anchored on the Trust s objectives rather than programme areas. This is intended to create a cross functional and more effective team. This will give greater role clarity to minimise task duplication and work processes will be re engineered to align with the new structure. An increased virtual platform or remote way of working will be introduced gradually in the implementation of the strategy as part of our Value for Money proposition. Further we will make use of technological advances to address questions of systems automation, knowledge management, platforms for visibility and ecosystems for collaboration and networking, among others.

23 18 Specific emphasis will be put in holistically investing in a skilled, high performing, and motivated workforce. Internal Strategic Objective Number Three What we want to be Building institutional and mission sustainability. How will we do it? The Trust will aim to diversify, and develop alternative and growing revenue streams. What we want to achieve Outcomes Diversified and sustainable income sources that meet the Mission of the Trust. Grant partners have adequate and sustainable financial resources. A new approach for institutional sustainability will comprise diversified income generating streams including property investment, Grants Facility mechanism for re-granting, database services and leveraging inclusive business development tools. To continue sustaining our work in the field, the Trust will target alternative potential donors through its philanthropy approach as well as build endowments.

24 Thematic Focus Key Target Audiences The Trust is guided by what is happening globally, for example, the Sustainable Development Goals. The SDGs inform all of the Trust s work but in particular, SDGs speak to the specific mandate of the Trust. While all the 17 goals are relevant, the Trust Strategy will prioritise those that resonate with the aspirations and mandate of the Trust, and are key in the eradication of poverty and inequality. No doubt all goals are interdependent but given our resources, we will focus on goals relating to eradicating poverty and ending hunger; gender equality with a special focus on women empowerment and the girl child; ending inequality; job creation and industrialisation as well as building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions. We will work on these goals within the framework of the revised RISDP and Agenda 2063 of the African Union. The RPO that we resource at SADC is the unit tasked with the implementation of SDGs in Southern Africa. This is fitting for us as we basically committed to operationalising it. Second, within the RISDP framework is the focus on industrialisation; a key component to addressing inequality, poverty, and economic downfalls. This includes assisting those in the civil society space to understand industrialisation and market integration. Both the SADC RISDP and SADC s Industrialisation Strategy incorporate inclusive business as one of the approaches to sustainably improve and enhance the economic growth and wealth in the SADC region. Related to this are issues of migration, infrastructure for regional integration such as energy, transportation, roads and technology. The Trust recognises that while existing strategies address the regional connectivity and interface needs, they do not address the national level infrastructure needs or local level needs which directly affect the poor. The development of regional transport corridors is critical to enhance the cross border movement of persons, goods and services. The Trust will also contribute to work towards the improvement of peace and security cooperation in the region. It will offer assistance to SADC in its initiatives towards a more nonviolent region. These are the key strategic groups targeted or to be mobilised around our work for the next five year period: Women Youth Organised Civil Society Public Policy Migrants Business Informal groups, Traders, Ex-miners, Artists, Vendors etc. Philanthropy Community Our Thematic Focus is as follows Poverty, Inequality and Unemployment Migration African Philanthropy Industrialisation Trade and Development Human Development SDGs Women and youth empowerment issues are cross-cutting & influence all thematic areas. Social movements Inter-government agencies 19

25 Theory Of Change The Trust s theory of change is underpinned by its central focus of addressing poverty and inequality gaps, within the policy sphere. It starts from the premise that a range of deliberate, multi-sectoral policy choices are not an option, but a prerequisite for progress considering the multidimensional and intergenerational nature of poverty. The Trust seeks to ensure that marginalised constituencies are able to field their agendas in the uniquely contested space of regional policy processes. The Trust seeks to broker relationships at national and regional levels so as to ensure that constituents at both levels operate in synergy in this contested arena. While in some instances, it may be feasible to engage with national level constituencies, the Trust is essentially mandated to operate at a regional level. 20

26 21 The diagram provides the visual representation of the Trust s TOC indicating the conceptual logic from inputs, processes, outcome, and impact. Impact Reduced inequality and decline in extreme poverty Outcomes Free movement of goods, people and services An informed and accountable community that delivers a pro-poor agenda Outputs Relevant and accessible knowledge of regional policy and SCO formations Application of knowledge Networks of public, private and social sector formations Demand for Accountability Empowered and proactive actors Processes Translating regional and national policy Building networks and platforms of actors within and among public, private and civil society sectors Support to national actors in policy monitoring Inputs Investing in people and strengthening organisational effectiveness and efficiency Diversified and innovative sources of revenue (philanthropy, investment portfolio, consultancies, donors, e-commerce)

27 Measuring What We Do Adopting a results-based management approach, and consistent with our commitment to accountability and continuous learning, we will use a variety of tools to monitor, evaluate and learn. An M&E policy will guide M&E principles, roles and responsibilities of the different stakeholders and the types of evaluations and reviews that will be undertaken.the M&E policy will serve to guide staff, grant partners and other stakeholders as well as clarify the roles and responsibilities of the different stakeholders. A revamped M&E system will be developed. 22

28 23 Who We Southern Africa Africa Trust Trust Work With 1. Donors 2. Think Tanks 3. Universities 4. Private Sector 5. Civil Society 6. Foundations 7. Governments 8. Regional Economic Communities 9. Intergovernmental Agencies