What we do

Africans in the Diaspora is one of three main strands of work of the Africa program at Thousand Currents. The Africa program supports partners who are working on food sovereignty, climate justice and alternative economies through longer-term and core funding.

The Africa Program

What does Thousand Currents’ Africa Program do?

It runs Africans in the Diaspora (AiD). AiD’s work is part of the Africa program because the resources pooled from the AiD community will go to the Africa program partners.
It supports these partners who are working on food sovereignty, climate justice and alternative economies through long-term, core funding.
It is a part of a collaborative effort to impact the financial flows supporting industrial agriculture in Africa.

Why does the Africa program focus on these issues?

Over five hundred years the enslavement of African peoples, occupation of African lands, extractive industries, industrial agriculture, land grabs, structural adjustment programs and trade agreements have undermined the ability of Africans to build liberatory economic systems, attain food sovereignty, and have access and control of their lands, territories and resources.

Despite this, across Africa we can feel the power of the people fighting for food sovereignty, climate justice, and economic justice. From organizers in the Niger Delta exclaiming “leave the oil in the soil” to the historic legal victory of the Amadiba Crisis Committee against the South African government on communities being the primary decision makers of what happens on their lands. From the agroecological climate solutions provided by women farmers in west Africa to a 17 year long processes, led in part by Zimbabwean farmers in La Via Campesina, resulting in the UN General Assembly adopting a declaration on the rights of people working in rural areas.

Our partners are offering the kind of solutions that we all need in response to the global struggles we face.

Where else does Thousand Currents’ work?

Alongside the Africa program, Thousand Currents also has regional programs in Asia and the Pacific and Latin America.

The strategy

The Africa program strategy has four principle strands:

Amplification

We amplify the strategies, solutions, and visions of Thousand Currents Africa partners working on food sovereignty, economic justice, and climate justice.

Philanthropic advocacy

We develop Africans in the Diaspora (AiD) as a model for African diaspora resource development. We also work to expand and deepen the collaborative work which focuses on impacting the financial flows supporting industrial agriculture in Africa.

Cross-pollination

We connect Africa partners and African formations, peoples, and movements working on building ecosystems of Black led alternatives through learning exchanges.

Resourcing grassroots movements

We continue resourcing grassroots formations in Africa through core funding whilst deepening the relationships with existing Africa program partners.

We do this work in the broader context of Thousand Currents overarching strategy. Check out Thousand Currents’ organisational strategy here.

Our Partners

After identifying potential prospective groups through research, referrals, and in-person meetings with groups in their communities, Thousands Currents begins its relationship with partner organizations through the catalyst grants program. We provide unrestricted funding for a period lasting six to 12 months.

The first grant creates an opportunity for Thousand Currents and the catalyst partner to collaborate over a short term to assess the potential for a longer term partnership. After this period, Thousand Currents may invite the Catalyst Partner to engage in a long-term partnerships with unrestricted funding which renews annually and that is not time bound.