OUTPUT, OUTCOME & SUSTAINABLE IMPACT

Per 31 December 2021.

We measure impact based on our TestE strategy, thus we compile output outcome and sustainable impact based on progress markers.

We develop our progress markers at the time of the design of the project. Progress markers are then adjusted as lessons are learned.

We compile impact from two angles; the HR&S operations point of view (this page) we need this information for our annual reports. and the point of view of our four areas of service : management strategies, support to local social entrepreneurs, serving the under-served and sustainable development (Sub-pages), that we transfer to our .com page. We only compile output concerning the HR&S operations.

REACH
Testimony, research team leader, Nov 2022
“Thank you all for the meeting. Things are shaping up. I have reports, dissertations and papers that I am still moderating but all in all I have seen a huge improvement in students approach to research. We thank Cecilia for this and also for breaking the cultural norms where answers have to be probed from students,. Members must be free to speak out on these platforms and not be shy or intimidated by the unknown. So let us keep it up and thrive for the best. Someone has to organize our wall of fame for the awards to the group which in my mind I sincerely believe are partly because of these meetings. We all now know exactly what are supposed to do (papers, grants, thesis, lab work, conferences) thus, producing a programmatic approach to research. As far as I can see, it really works. For 1 year research MSc students that are finishing now, the sky is the limit☁️!! We hope you have learnt a lot from these meetings. This program as you are aware, is not even available in other research groups and we are grateful for ISP, not only for the financial support but for this research support to make us work efficiently and deliver on our ambitions. I am hoping that you have become confident in what you know and you will thrive to have an inner driver on your tasks.. In primary school, when I did well, the teacher would write in my exercise book, 📓📔GOOD, VERY GOOD OR EXCELLENT and place a 🌟 and then say KEEP IT UP!!. It made me so happy. 🌝😃 SO the same still applies now to you even though we are at a University. It has been Good, Very Good, and Excellent to some of you!!🏆Keep it up.”

OUTPUT

HR&S Sweden

Output indicators

  1. Visibility & branding.
  2. Number of partners.

Managing lessons learned & informed decisions

Lessons learned and Informed decisions are announced on the partner website as they appear. HR&S develops organically. 
Every strategy and new strategy is tested against progress markers. The progress markers, outcome and impact guides further actions. HR&S does not go against progress markers and outcome.
For example, one progress marker is the number of publications where HR&S have been acknowledged. If researchers depend on external support to manage, they will not be able to publish and there will be no such outcome, why free training events, or support with having research grants or free pieces of equipmnet, consumables, IT, or administration, shall not be offered. But coaching to insitution managements on Progress markers, and as part of generating high scores on the progress markers, insitutions may request and pay full price for HR&S training to researchers on the Startegy for Change.

ongoing

  • Developed unique and innovative practical strategies, tools and resources that have proven successful.
  • Launched branches in eight Sub-Sahara African countries; Burkina Faso, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia.
  • Our team is composed of 30 RISE members, 30 local trainers, project managers and auditors at our local branches, 20 volunteers at Action10 in Sweden, 30 expert advisers, and four part-time staff members at HR&S HQ Stockholm, and ten members of our advisory board.
  • We have held 100 webinars, workshops and webinars with 200,000 participants, of different size and orientation, within and outside Sub-Sahara African countries, benefiting from our own practical strategies, tools and resources. During 2009 – 2015, these were held under the name of Action10.
  • Coached 30 social entrepreneurs.
  • Assigned 30 expert advisers.
  • Assigned and coached local branches operations team, trainers and auditor.
  • Launched four thematic networks for: researchers, technicians, social entrepreneurs and global developers.

Local Branches

Output indicators

  1. Visibility & branding.
  2. Services to non RISE members

Ongoing

  • Keeping a registered company.
  • Keeping a bank account.
  • Managing the RISE Centres.
  • Continuous interactions with RISE members.
  • Distribution of loans to RISE members.
  • Monthly meetings with HR&S Sweden, reporting on deliveries and performing evaluation planning.
  • Monthly ActionTalks, attending and presenting.
  • Reach out and assigned new RISE members when appropriate.
  • Managing the HR&S local bank account.
  • Managing payment from participants in Webinars.
  • Managing the country handling of the ActionInvest loan.
  • Empower ActionInvest campaigns with reports, videos, and reports. As well as interacting on the Action10 social media channels.
  • Annual programme and financial reports.
  • Auditing of branches.

RISE Centres

Output indicators

  1. Level of services to RISE members.

Ongoing

  • Frequent meetings with each RISE member for status reports.
  • Training on accounting.
  • Training on SfC.
  • RISE member team-building for joint support, knowledge-sharing, transparency and accountability.
  • Training and coaching on business management.
  • Auditing of RISE members.

Action10

Output Indicator

  • Scoring at Global Giving.
  • Number of campaigns on Global Giving.
  • Number of campaigns on Kwanda.
  • Number of campaigns on Actiom10 crowd-funding site.
  • Amount of funds raised.
    Level ONE: EUR 10,000.
  • Number of monthly givers.
  • Number of content writing posts on social media.
    Monthly or more frequent posting on FB, LinkedIn, Instagram.
  • Number of videos posted on social media.
  • Number of blog posts.
  • Recruitment
    Amount of positions assigned.

Ongoing

Operations
  • General assembly in March.
  • Six board meetings.
  • Six volunteer staff meetings.
  • Regular team meetings.
  • Recruitment to cover for volunteers leaving.
  • Accounting.
  • Auditing.
  • Transfer funds to programmes with evidence based agreed on social good activities and potential sustainable economy, according to decision by the Board.

ActionInvest

  • Posting on social media FB, LinkedIn, Instagram.
  • Campaigning on Global Giving.
  • Campaigning on Kwanda.
  • Managing the reward system at Global Giving  to generate high scores.
  • Monthly giver stewardship.
  • ActionEvents

Cross-cultural learning

  • Action10 volunteer staff attends the monthly ActionTalks and thus meets with and learn from our local partners and share from own professional expertise as well.

OUTCOME

HR&S Sweden

Progress markers

To date we have reached 10,000 persons who have benefitted from sustainable improved livelihood, we are actively coaching 20 social entrepreneurs in parallel who reach 1000 customers with livelihood improving products and services.

Our expert advisers have provided guidance on

  • How to protect against Ebola in Liberia.
  • How to protect against Covid-19.
  • Trauma counselling.
  • Laboratory accreditation.
  • The business model canvas.
  • How to do scientific research.
  • How to publish a scientific paper.
  • How to seek research grants.

Progress marker
Paying back the loan in time and with interest

Involving the local community. Starting January 2022 we have agreed that the team of RISE members shall be transparent, shall support each other in terms of paying back, and shall be aware of that if paying back does not happen, less is available for the other RISE members.
We have this situation in Kenya March 2022. One RISE member has informed about delay in paying back due to lack of income, and we shall discuss it together in the joint chat and agree together about what to do.
Law of forces is important. Though it can be dangerous and that it can create more harm.
Start by giving small loans to people, and they can increase the loan upon request and based on how they are have paid back the loan, the decision can be made to increase the loan or not.
HR&S has improved on the procedure around this, by registering local branches as social enterprises. Before we used the bank account of our RISE members and depended on bank reconciliation and auditing, but this showed not to be a firm enough method. Now we register local social enterprises, HR&S Branches, and open own HR&S bank accounts and our RISE members have to pay back the loan with interest to the HR&S Local Branch’s bank account, before the loan can be renewed and enlarged.
We need to work with people who have good trust. RISE members must be very very carefully selected. Also Branch operations team members. One opportunity to assess a candidate is through our SfC webinars and Networks.
We need to work with government authorities. HR&S Sweden depend on HR&S Country Branches to identify persons within the government authorities that will want to see an equal partnership with HR&S.

Ongoing

Scientific institutions

  • Enabled 10 scientific institutions to benefit from progress markers for their academic performance assessments.
  • Enabled 100 researchers to have access to laboratory services.
  • Empowered 10 researchers to publish.
  • Empowered 10 researchers to implement scientific findings.
  • Enabled 10 researchers in HR&S training to manage an exam and have a certificate.

Laboratories

  • Enabled 10 scientific laboratories to benefit from progress markers for their performance assessments.
  • Empowered 10 laboratories to become profitable.
  • Empowered 20 laboratory technicians in offering laboratory services.
  • Enabled 20 technicians in HR&S training to manage an exam and have a certificate.

Social enterprising

  • Prepared farm land and cultivated crop as well as built houses for 20 stakeholders to prepare for reintegration of previous child- soldiers and women who went with fighting forces, in Liberia.
  • Empowered a business locally producing and selling sanitary pads un Uganda.
  • Enabled mill businesses in the villages in Togo to start and enabling the growth.
  • Enabling a tailoring business in slum area Kibera in Nairobi to grow.
  • Enabling a tailoring woman enterprise in Nairobi to grow.
  • Enabled solar-panel businesses for charging in the villages in Togo to start and enabling the growth.
  • Enabled solar-panel businesses to serve a hair salon in a village in Togo to start.
  • Enabled a cold-storage for fish business in Liberia.
  • Enabling a coffee business in Uganda to grow.
  • Enabling hair salons in Uganda to start.
  • Enabling a coding business in Nigeria to grow (idea).
  • Facilitated for a private laboratory in Burkina Faso to become accredited.

Serving the under-served

Our partner social entrepreneurs that we are coaching, have empowered their stakeholders by:

  • Enabled 300 villagers in Togo, mainly women, to start or scale their businesses.
  • Enabled 100 children in the villages in Togo to have primary education and manage the final exam.
  • Enabled access to a mill for 100 persons in the villages in Togo.
  • Enabled 100 villagers in Togo to have access to solar-panel for charging cell-phones and torches have access to lich and radio. The light is also use to serve girls to do their home-work after household duties are done and it has become dark.
  • Enabled 20 women to run a business around sanitary pads locally produces in Uganda.
  • Provided education in the English language to 200 adults in evening classes in Nigeria.
  • Implemented a survey in the ghettos of former child soldiers and women who went with fighting forces in Liberia, identifying individuals and their wished for future plans.
  • Protected 300 inhabitants in Ghetto in Monrovia areas against Ebola, by providing soap, water, information and structures.
  • Enabled 20 villagers in Kenya to take loans.
  • Taught 40 young women from Kamwoya, a slum area in Kampala Uganda, who had left school, how to work in a hair salon.
  • Employing girls from slum areas in Kampala, in hair salons.
  • Empowering small scale and remote coffee growers in Uganda buying their coffee at fair price.
  • Offering internship for university students at advanced laboratories in Burkina Faso.
  • Providing loans for tuition fees in Liberia (idea).
  • Enabling mothers in Nigeria to learn coding (idea).

Global development

  • Enabled 10 global development institutions to benefit from progress markers for their performance assessments.

Country HR&S Branches

Progress markers

  1. The amount of money earned each year. This parameter is a parameter of how much social good we deliver that is appreciated by our partners. As we sell social good in the form of services and products at reasonable price, we will know if what we deliver is appreciated from the amount of income that we generate. The income then allows the scaling of the branches and RISE centres.Income from:
    1. HR&S Sweden management strategies training.
    2. Expert adviser training.
    3. Interest from RISE member loans.
    4. RISE membership fees.
    5. Bonus for enabling assignments for HR&S Sweden at country institutions.
    6. Bonus for attracting country tenders.
  2. Entrepreneurs paying back loan with interest and in time.

Progress markers

  1. Entrepreneurs paying back loan with interest and in time.
  2. Social good delivered
  3. Financial sustainability of supported businesses.

Action10

The visibility has increased measured in the amount of messages we receive to info@action10 and the number of followers on the social media channels. What has not increased is the funds raised, though we did benefit from our new donation channel through Facebook.

  • Funds raised: EUR 10,000 per year during the past ten years.
  • Since 2009 Action10 has raised (SEK 1 137 664) EUR 100,000.

SUSTAINABLE IMPACT

HR&S Sweden

Progress marker_Pay-back of loans

During 2009 -2019 no loans were paid back.  Loans were offered to Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Togo,  Uganda. The amount of loans during the ten years was EUR 100,000.
In 2020 and 2021 loans were offered to the same countries and now 30 % was paid back. The paying back was done by Togo. Togo is also the country where the first loans were offered.
Reflections by CEO. A change of mind-set is possible. It has taken ten years. The change with pay-back from 0 to 30% was achieved by i) fully implementing ActionONE needs and user driven operations combined with ii) partnering with a social entrepreneur with intrinsic motivation combined with iii) frequent interactions with the local branch enforcing the strategy for change in actual practice.
Informed decision: Further activities shall be implement to shorten the time period of change.
Progress markers: 1. Pay-back reaches 100%, the only exception is related to external factors ( soft-loan).  2. Pay-back is 100 % in all countries. 3. The three success parameters implemented by Milohum DZAGLI is implemented in all countries. For 2022 we are looking into additional success parameters adding to the  Milohum method, in order to increase the pay-back rate in all countries proposed by Theophilus AGADA.

Outcome challenges Working at locations were corruption is social norm, rule of law is weak, social support structures does not include foreigners, and a help-me mind-set prevails requires special accountability attention. We work with agency for change.

Ongoing

  • Enabled 100 small businesses in villages in Togo to become profitable and independent of HR&S support.
  • Enabled 10 scientific institutions to benefit from progress markers for their academic performance assessments, and keep the structure as part of their academic curriculum.
  • Enabled 10 scientific laboratories to benefit from progress markers for their performance assessments, and keep the structure as part of their business management.
  • Enabled 10 advanced laboratories to become profitable and independent from HR&S.
  • Enabled 10 social enterprise RISE members to become profitable and independent from HR&S.
  • Enabled 10 scientific laboratories to benefit from progress markers for their performance assessments and keep the structure as part of their evaluation planning structure.
  • Children goes to school in Togo.
  • Women are empowered in Togo.