Following extensive baseline research conducted by Joanna Waddington, Ace Africa was established by British born Joanna and Kenyans Augustine Wasonga and Anthony Okoti.

Ace Africa (Kenya) was established as a Community Based Organisation in Kenya in 2003, engaging 4 staff and 300 beneficiaries in its first year of inception. The programme focused on community capacity building across three interlinking components over a 10 – 15 year period with the aim of those communities becoming self-sustaining over the life cycle of the project. Key areas of intervention focused on strengthening skills, systems and partnerships to address:

• Child Development
• Community Health and Wellbeing
• Community Livelihoods

Today 14 years on and Ace Africa continues to go from strength to strength and, is now regarded as a leading and award-wining organisation. Through their 58 indigenous staff in Africa, engaging over 12,500 community volunteers, they have helped 1,352,925 children and their communities.

Ace Africa is a Registered Non Governmental Organisation in Kenya, a Non Profit Company in Tanzania and a Registered Charity in the UK and USA.

Mission

To enable children and their communities to participate in and take responsibility for their own health, wellbeing and development.

Vision

Children and communities who are empowered, healthy and self sufficient.

Approach

Ace Africa only works in communities where there is a real need, want and willingness to gain independent self-sufficient lives. The programme is long-term and bespoke to each community, reflecting local cultural, economic, political and environmental contexts focusing on all aspects of a child’s and community’s development.

1. They identify the ‘communities in need’
2. They validate the ‘need’ and measure the change
3. They develop a long term holistic programme within the ‘community’
4. They create ‘community ownership’ and demand driven services
5. They engage, nurture and maintain volunteers and partners
6. They train, remain and refer
7. They hand over and grow the community