Divinity Matovu is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Amageze Gemaanyi Youth Association (AGYA), a non-profit organization that operates a community center for youth in Uganda. Divinity was one of 15 finalists for a $100,000 prize as part of the 2010 Do Something awards, a program that recognizes young adults creating positive social change.
In the second part of a two-part interview, Divinity talks to Zora&Alice about building sustainable nonprofit organizations. Read first part here
Z&A: A lot of small grassroots organizations have trouble sustaining and scaling their impact. How do you plan to make AGYA sustainable in the long term?
I think some organizations grow too big too fast and then before you know it, 30% of your budget is administrative expenses. We want to have a bunch of small community centers that serve no more than 500 youth in different communities. We want to start replicating these youth centers in other communities in continental Africa and in the diaspora. Right now, we’re focused on revenue generating activity. For example, we sell jewelry the kids make. The kids have a great time in the workshops. The proceeds go toward the community center, buying new supplies, paying the rent on the facility, and putting some money in the pocket of the kids. That has been important to me.
Traditional sponsorship – give $20 a week to support this one kid, that kind of stuff – I just feel like that’s not sustainable. People need to be focused on providing jobs and ways for people to earn their own money and be entrepreneurs, especially youth. This sponsorship stuff makes people dependent on the sponsors. It’s so individualistic. It’s so western. We’re more focused on income generating activities that can benefit a multitude of students. With the jewelry, if you don’t participate, you don’t get any money. Right now, we’re employing 18 youth at our community center. For them, that’s so much more empowering than getting a handout from some charity.
http://www.amagezigemaanyi.blogspot.com/
Z&A: How are you thinking about spreading the model to other areas?
Our goal is that, by 2020, we’ll have 5 community centers operating in different countries. I’m hoping we can launch another center in the next two years. I’m going to Jamaica in September and I’m going to be there for a month and I want to talk to people. In Uganda, we talked to people and found that they wanted a space that was free and open and would offer some art. In Jamaica, the programs may not be the same because it’s a different context. People may want something different than they do in Uganda.
Z&A: Tell me a bit more about how you’ve grown financially. Are you seeking grants?
We are going after grants but it’s very difficult because the big names are the bullies of the nonprofit sector. It’s difficult when you’re doing this new thing and saying I don’t think the old way is the best, here’s my way and you should fund it. We have gotten some smaller grants including one which is funding our free lunch program and right now we’re providing free meals to 300 kids at our community center. That was from an organization called Save Africa for Children. We’ve also got a grant of laptop computers from One Laptop for Child and we’re bringing technology to kids who may not have touched a laptop for the next 10 or 15 years of their lives.
I just have to say what I really feel and I think sometimes that may hinder us because I’m telling them straight up, sponsorship is not the way to go, It’s not the way to go unless you wan to keep Africa dependent on the west. People don’t wanna hear that especially people money in the West. I’m not willing to compromise my beliefs in order to get a little bit of money. That’s why the revenue generation is so important to us because it also keeps us independent. I don’t want some people telling us how to run our program when I’ve already hear ed from the youth on the ground in the field how to run my program. It’s been very difficult to negotiate that. Should we go after these big grants? We might spend more time freaking reporting on the grant than actually implementing any activity.
http://www.amagezigemaanyi.blogspot.com/
Z&A: How can people support you?
Whenever we send out our newsletters every month, we’ll include a link so people can order jewelry and artwork. We’re also going to be doing a calendar at the end of the year featuring photography from the children in Uganda. But also, look though my whole website, you’re never going to find a picture of like a little kid with gangly arms or a potbelly. You’re never going to see those images because it’s not true. That’s just one picture of one kid in the entire continent of Africa. The kids in the slums are happy and I want to show that to people.
Learn More about AGYA
Blog: http://www.amagezigemaanyi.blogspot.com
Web: http://1amf.org/projects_agya.php
Twitter: www.twitter.com/amagezigemaanyi
