We are
Live Alive
“We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race.” – Kofi Annan
We are a bridge connecting local African nonprofits with International donors, partners and sponsors.
About Us
Live Alive was created on the basis of a simple observation:
Even though the African continent is tremendously rich in natural resources, it is the poorest on Earth.
Yet again it is the continent that receives the least private giving either locally or internationally.
Sadly it does make sense as on one hand, majority of the African population is living under the poverty line and on the other hand “charity begins at home”; Thus, most charitable donors around the World tend to pour their generosity in their cities, their countries and in the communities they have particular ties with.
This phenomenon leaves most African charities, foundations and nonprofit organizations with an unmatched scarcity of means, resources and opportunities to meet the needs of the most vulnerable.
However, instead of hopelessly contemplating these observations, we decided to furthermore comprehend the reasons why people around the World are reluctant to give to charities, foundations and nonprofit organizations based in African countries.
After careful analysis, we came to realize that there is a number of serious hurdles preventing global benefactors to safely and efficiently contribute and donate to charitable organizations in many African states.
We concluded that amongst others, the main obstacles are related to:
- A lack of international visibility and recognition of African nonprofits due to quasi-inexistent communication, marketing and branding budgets.
- A lack of exposure and knowledge on where to search for or how to apply for international funding.
- A lack of formal and legal structuration of most African charitable organizations according to international laws.
- A lack of credibility of African nonprofit organizations in general due to an awful track record tainted by lot of scams and fraud stories.
- A lack of accountability and transparency due to bad governance and poor business practices in many African countries ecosystems.
- A lack of systematic follow-up assessments and reports to benefactors regarding the realizations they help to achieve and the lives they help to change
From there, we understood the difficulties faced by African nonprofits as well as international funders.
As a group of experts, we realized that we had the knowledge, the skills, the expertise and the connections to bring a solution to the observations we made.
This is how we decided to create Live Alive Group.
Since 2013, we have worked hand-in-hand with several African charitable organizations to help them realize their philanthropic vision; We have built unevaluable relationships and we have raised funds that impacted a tremendous number of lives across the Continent. Yet we believe it’s only the beginning!
At Live Alive, our mission is to support African nonprofits, private foundations, and charitable organizations in the development of their communities through the realizations and the expansion of their humanitarian programs by searching and raising international funding on their behalf.
We thus aim to create a substantial long lasting bridge between African causes and international funders.
Indeed, we are a “middle” platform that ensures understanding, respect, fluidity, safety, trust and efficiency between African nonprofits, their beneficiaries and their potential international benefactors.
An important part of our mission is
- To show international donors, partners and sponsors the value and the impact of their potential contributions on the African most vulnerable populations.
- To reassure them on the good and appropriate use of their donations and efforts.
- To ensure them of the use and implementation of international standards processes, practices and ethics.
Our Services
We implement organisational changes when we believe this could create value for the nonprofits we work for and their beneficiaries.
Sometimes it is about implementing the use of new available technologies to reach their goals and impact targets. Sometimes it might be about implementing strategic changes when it comes to their positioning in certain sectors, for instance it might be more beneficial for a community to prioritise social entrepreuneurship rather than pure charity while taclking specific issues.
Finally,operational changes are the ones we spend the most time carrying through as the way nonpprofit delivers their contributions is fundamental for their efficiency level.
With pressing matters and crucial lack of ressource, most African nonprofits organisations tend to overlook certain important key success factors.
Indeed, an important part of our input is to rebrand the charitable organisations we work with. We use modern communications tools to refonte their “business” image, to market them more ambitiously and make them much more visible to the people in position to add value to their missions. It is important that African nonprofits understand the high competititon for charitable donations around the World.
We commit a large amount of time deriving strategies that will drive our charities bottom-lines value and accentuate positive long-term brand impressions to the grantmaking foundations worldwide.
Equally, we are constantly working with the nonprofits we represent to make them fully compliant to international trade standards in the philanthropic sector.
Finally, we drastically improve their administrative readiness, their reporting processes, financial statements, etc
Something that we really enjoy doing is to restructurate the projects and programmes of the charitable organisations we aim to elevate in order to make them more efficient in terms of scales, of reach, of imapct intensity, of impact longevity, etc.
Observations of past philanthropic givings and empirical results allow us to prioritise effectively, to make programmes that more accurately respond to emergencies, to design programmes that complete governmental efforts and follow global agendas.
Transmitting a mind set that is “to teach beneficiaries and communities how to to fish rather than handing them them fishes” is the main point when rethinking programmes with the nonprofits we work with. We push for skills and knowledge transfers in every endeavior we put in place.
Our most sought after service is international fundraising. This is the primary reasons philanthropic organisations come to us.
Indeed, the different ameliorations we aim to provide to the nonprofits we are committed to refine and better give them higher conformity and exposure, thus higher possibilities to receive help from across the oceans.
Hence, with our global network and reach, we search for international funding for African nonprofits; On their behalf we look for donors, partners and sponsors either individuals, small or large grant making foundations and corporations around the Globe.
The idea is to create solid relationships where every stakeholder feel respected, valued, protected and satisfied. Where every stakeholder can see first hand the results of their efforts and contributions to the communities and countries they chose to assist.
A major component of our work with African nonprofits is to impulse a transition from dependence to independance. By having this mind-set of self-sufficiency, local charities can in their turn infuse this mind frame, this attiude to the communities they assist, lifting them up and empowering them.
We thus work to give these charities the tools to design sustainable programmes that will allow them and their communities to become less reliant on external funding and more auto-sufficient in the long run: shifting emphasis from charitable work to social entrepreurnship.
This is the biggest step toward solid self-sustainabilty and long-term stability for local charities themselves and furthermore for their beneficiaries.
We are certain that many individuals, nonprofits and corporations around the World truly wish to help the African people. However, given the unstructured local philanthropic sector, they do not know where to start nor how to realize their philanthropic vision on the motherland.
We thus approach and match potential international donors, partners and sponsors with local African charitable organizations according to their:
- Philanthropic vision
- Sectors of operations
- Long-term goals as philanthropists
- Previous actions
- Mutual existing partners
- Emergency usual response time
- Resource capacity
- Other possible interests in the region: diplomatic, economic, business, etc.
Like in any other endeavor where results are required and expected, value must be at the center of every actions we deploy.
Thus before approaching potential international donors, partners and sponsors, we assess how a collaboration with them in any form can concretely and tangibly add value to the populations we all aim to assist.
Careful and thorough emphasis is directed toward the unlocking of potential via the addition of real value. Not every partnerships would nor could work. To avoid any waste on every sides we focus on detecting if yes or no value could be created or derived.
As most international donors, partners and sponsors do not have representations in many African states, we fully grasp the fact that we are their eyes, their ears and most importantly their working hands.
This means that we not only allow international donors, partners and sponsors to send funding, resource and/or equipment to African charitable organizations, we are on the fields for them. Making sure their efforts and contributions are used exactly as they were told and as they chose.
- We design cost effective and quick implementation plans with the nonprofits we work with as well as clear flowing expenditures schedules.
- We take care of the international banking transactions or transits either you decide to contribute by providing financial resource or by supplying equipments.
- On the fields, we closely work with the charitable organizations chosen by the international donors, partners and sponsors to diligently respect the timelines and milestones carefully put in place.
This allows for a better coverage and control of the donations spending, for higher transparency, for no corruption, for better reporting and then for better understanding of the results.
Measuring efforts and social impact is a must for charitable organizations. Not only it is necessary in order to identify their organizational strengths and weakness as well as to improve the quality of their work; It illustrates the core value of their activities. Indeed, measuring initiatives social impact is equally important to donors and funders as it clearly shows and demonstrates how their financial efforts toward charities are being used and how their use can be made more efficient, reach larger scales, creates more value, etc.
However, measuring the impact of their activities can be difficult for African charitable organizations:
- Difficulty in measuring outcomes: Many organizations aim to create transformative changes in the lives of beneficiaries, such as improving quality of life or providing education; results are often intangibles and thus difficult to measure.
- Longer time-scales for change: Some initiatives cannot be measured in the short-term.
- Lack of resources to test and implement impact measurement tools.
At Live Alive, for each charitable project we work on, we use our resources to design a clear framework that links inputs, outputs and outcomes, we develop the right tools and systems to gather and analyze information. This allows us to better advise charities, donors and funders.
Very often the two most important groups of the nonprofit sector are isolated from each other: indeed, beneficiaries and donors barely know each others.
In some instances, donors prefer to remain anonymous or choose not to have any type of link with beneficiaries. However, except in the later case, we try to maintain and create long-lasting relationships between the charitable organizations we work with and their local and international funders. On top of the frequent follow-up reports we submit to all stakeholders, we invite donors, sponsors, partners and any allies in the fight for better living conditions to visit the charities, projects, facilities we work on and to engage with the beneficiaries that keep trusting our work. This way, they can see first hands all the goods of their involvement overseas.
On the other hand, we value and promote the name of donors, sponsors and partners may they be individuals, corporations or nonprofit organizations in a way agreed with them. All while preserving the dignity of beneficiaries, we make sure they know the people or organizations that made their communities better.
Furthermore, we strongly believe that building deeper bridges between African charitable organizations and their international funders can only be beneficial for each stakeholder. Africa is the future. Having a presence and be known on the continent by the people and governments is a window to future potential business and/or diplomatic opportunities at the individual, corporate or state levels.
Our Work
“If we are to preserve culture we must continue to create it.” - Joan Huizinga
“Without culture, and the relative freedom it implies, society, even when perfect, is but a jungle. This is why an authentic creation is a gift to the future.” - Albert Camus
“Culture is the process by which a person becomes all that they were created capable of being.” -Thomas Carlyle
“Disaster mitigation... increases the self reliance of people who are at risk - in other words, it is empowering.” - Ian Davis
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” - Mahatma Ganghi
“There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.” - Mahatma Gandhi
“Education is the movement from darkness to light.” - Allan Bloom
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” - Maimonides
“Change is the end result of all true learning.” - Leo Buscaglia
“Young entrepreneurs and those they inspire are the lifebloof of Africa’s rise.” - Tony Elumelu
"Social entrepreneurs are not content jus to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry.” - Bill Drayton
“Social entrepreneurs identify resources where people only see problems. They view the villagers as the solution, not the passive beneficiary. They begin with the assumption of competence and unleash ressources in the communities they’re serving.” - David Bornstein
“Take care of the Earth and she will take care of you.”
“We never know the worth of water untill the well is dry.” - Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732
“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” - Robert Swan
“Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mmind and spirit. When one is free from physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open.” - B.K.S Lyengar
“It is health that is the real wealth, and not pieces of gold and silver.” - Mahatma Gandhi
“Healthy citizens are the greater assets any country can have.” Winston Churchill
“Our past helps strenghten our future.” - Becky Williamson-Martin
“A concerted effort to preserve our heritage is a vital link to our cultural, educational and economic legacies - all of the things that quite litterally make us who we are.” - Steve Berry
“ To know nothing of what happened before you is to forever remain a child.”
“To be called a refugee is the opposite of an insult; it is a badge of strength, courage and victory.” - Tennesse Office for Refugees
“A refugee is someone who survived and who can create the future.” Amela Koluder
“No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark.” - Warsan Shire
“The only one who can tell you ‘yoAu can’t win’ is you and you don’t have to listen.” - Jessica Ennis-Hill
“Overpower. Overtake. Overcome.” - Serena Williams
“A trophy carries dust. Memories last forever.” - Mary Lou Retton
Eventhough we would love to serve all local nonprofits, we have to selection a few of them to make sure our work has a real and durable impact.
We work with charitable organisations:
- That are fully and officially registered,
- That have a clear mission and vision,
- That keep transparent updated reports on their activities,
- That have demonstrated a considerable track record,
- That have proven to be trustworthy,
- That put the human being at the center of their structure,
- That actively aim to create long-term value and impact on their communities.
- That focus on areas that are officially deemed of first necessity to achieve a country specific development goals.
- That aim to become more independent in terms of resources.
There are so many causes to support... We ought to support the ones we choose to fight for with the most care to achieve the best results. Thus while designing community projects and aid programs:
- We assess the issues we aim to tackle in a holistic manner, taking into account contexts and eco-systems,
- We analyze the beneficiaries needs and their roots using large field surveys,
- We check our results and conclusions with the work of renewed NGOs,
- We study the best response options given the available resources (human, financial, material),
- We evaluate the potential implementation hurdles and plan to avoid them,
- We design the appropriate solution that will delivers great impact with high efficiency
- We try to create as many synergies as possible between our pool of charitable organizations.
Because the African anthropological context can be tainted with a number of structural issues such as: ethnical or civil wars and conflicts, tribalism, ancestral beliefs, gender inequalities, witchcraft, etc. We always make sure that we develop with the nonprofits we work with projects and programs that apply equity, diversity and inclusion.
- We design programs that are cost effective.
- For each initiative we are responsible for, we derive a respective funds allocation plan
according to priorities while staying coherent with the needs and pace of the project. - The goal being to be as efficient as possible in terms of financial efforts and impacts.
- We schedule funds transfers plans that suit both the donors and the charitable organizations we accompany.
We are a guarantor to donors, partners and sponsors. We insure that the funds and ressources they generously grant the nonprofits we serve will be used for the projects and programmes they are intended to.
In order for the projects and programmes we help adjust and redesign to come true:
- We are in touch with the official authorities in the areas and communities work will be done as well as with beneficiaries leaders,
- We are often in charge of obtaining any needed authorisations from local government representative, construction / renovation permit, etc,
- We minimise costs by looking for and negociating deals having access to whole sale and bulk purchase,
- We set-up a “realisation / construction schedule”,
- We gradually release funds to the charities task after task to make sure the funds and ressources are used correctly and efficiently,
- We go on fields to follow the project and programmes implementation evolutions,
- We make sure standards, norms and safety are applied,
- We assist to projects and programmes launches.
In the end, we push to translate value into measurable impact. By doing so, we can constantly make room for significant improvements as we assess what works, what does not and what could be better.
In an environment with low good governance regards, it is important for us to reassure foreign donors, partners and sponsor on the advancement of the projects and programs they support, are emotionally and financially invested into.
Thus we send weekly reports to them consisting in financial statements, pictures and videos, as well as projections, etc.
If it is desired and if a diplomatic representation from the country of the donors, partners and sponsor exist in the recipients country, these follow-ups can be done directly via the embassy or consulate that sometimes send delegations to appreciate the advancement of the works, the constructions or the implementation of programs. When foreign donors, partners and sponsors cannot come visit themselves, such diplomatic representatives are also usually present for projects, programs launches, foundation stone laying ceremonies, final signatures, etc.
For the remaining life of the projects and programs we will send supported by a foreign donor, partner or sponsor, we will send by creating such thorough liaison:
- We build confidence and trust with foreign donors, partners and sponsors,
- We shift power and build trusting relationships between local beneficiaries and foreign benefactors,
- We hope to show to foreign donors, partners and sponsors the direct impact of their generosity, the human value of their consideration and efforts.
“Across Cameroon, The Francis Ngannou Foundation has renovated, modernized and expanded dozens of school.
Our school refurbishment initiatives consist in repairing and replacing basic and primary infrastructures in public and non-public schools in Cameroon such as:
Leaking roof refurbishment, wall paintings, floor flattening, windows and doors repairs, lighting installations, water drill constructions, tables, desks, chairs refurbishment and / or replacement, classroom ventilation systems, new generator installations, girls and boys new separated modern, clean and health friendly sanitories. Sometimes we have provided schools with books and furniture's.” The Francis Ngannou Foundation
Apply for a school to be renovated by the Francis Ngannou Foundation by filling the form
“To tackle the maternal and infant mortality rates that are still abnormally high due to the crucial lack of infrastructures, The Francis Ngannou Foundation ambitions to build the first Women, Maternity and Pediatric Hospital in the entire West region of Cameroon which is home to more than 2.7 millions inhabitants. The hospital will be accessible to and serve at least 650,000 inhabitants on a superficy of 4,500 km2.” The Francis Ngannou Foundation.
“International standards recommend provision of 1 ambulance for every 50,000 people to fulfil demand for transporting patients to definitive care facilities in Low and Middle Income Countries / LMICs (cf: US National Institute of Health).
Cameroon being home to more than 28 millions inhabitants the country should thus account for at
least 560 ambulances accessible to all. However, due to the local realities we are far from this number. For the well being of the Cameroonian population via the improvement of public emergency health, The Francis Ngannou Foundation ambitions to contribute largely to the building of a Network of Ambulances in the entire country. ” The Francis Ngannou Foundation.
“ It starts... with a smile ” is one of the top program of the Joseph and Micheline S. Djanang Foundation. “ It starts... with a smile” program’s primary goal is to allow the vast populations of
each city and village of Cameroon to be able to be medically appropriately treated by providing dental clinics or surrounding hospitals with necessary imaging equipments.
It may sound surprising but 68% of the Cameroonian population has never had a dental consultation in their lifetime. It is a way too large number thus, for the past 10 years the Foundation has provided 1000 free dental consultations per year to people suffering.
This is how the people at the Joseph and Micheline S. Djanang Foundation came to realise that most structures lack the most basic imaging equipment needed to make a diagnosis; They thus decided to take actions to tackle this issue.
Created by Samuel Eto’o in 2006 in Cameroon, the Samuel Eto’o Foundation is also registered in the US since 2018.
In 2012 the Samuel Eto’o Foundation built the first Samuel Eto’o Football Academy in Libreville the capital of Gabon. The Football Academy has been inaugurated by The President of the Republic of Gabon HE Omar Bongo. Through its Football Academy (Fundesport) and its partnership with Barcelona Football Club in Spain, Samuel Eto’o has managed to build two champions:
- André Onana: Italy’s 2022 champion with Inter Milan.
- Fabrice Ondoua.
These two players were discovered and mentored by Samuel Eto’o while trained at the Samuel Eto’o Football Academy before being sent to Barcelona Football Club youth academy : La Masia.
However, Samuel Eto’o is also invested in education and wants to make information technology accessible to all in Cameroon. He is thus working on the creation of a chain of Information Technology and Computing centers across the country to allow the Youth of Cameroon to learn and keep up with the rest of the World but furthermore to allow them to expand their minds, their horizons and dreams. Indeed, he strongly believes that dreams and ideas are the seeds for innovations and thus for personal, social and economic development.
The Nonprofits
Private Foundation of world renowed MMA lineal champion and boxer Francis Ngannou.
The Francis Ngannou Foundation is one of the fastest growing private charitable foundations in Africa. Created in 2018 in Cameroon and in the US, the Foundation focuses on the most vulnerable populations especially in rural areas where poverty is the worst. It works mainly in the fields of sport, education and health to support children and empower women who are the pillar of our society.
The Joseph & Micheline S. Djanang Foundation is a private family foundation that has been provided clean water to dozen of thousands of people accross Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea by drilling clean water wells in rural areas since 2010.
Run by the six children of the late Joseph & Micheline S. Djanang, the Foundation also provides imaging equipment to medical structures such as scanners and dental scanners.
Located in the rural area of Yaounde in Cameroon, the Saint Exupéry Orphanage has been welcoming abandonned newborn babies for the past 25 years and has taken care of more than 1800 children from their birth to their 18th anniversary and beyond. Funded, solely by private ressources, the Saint Exupéry Orphanage provides its orphans with top notch education, health care, clothing and daily primary needs.
Most of the children raised at the Saint Exupéry Orphanage have had access to local secondary, graduate and sometime post graduate education. Some of them with the help of international scholarships have managed to study abroad.
Overall, the Saint Exupéry Orphanage is a success and has allowed to nurture great citizens and indivduals, contributing to poverty alleviation and to a better world
The private foundation of world renowed soccer player and champion Samuel Eto’o.
The Samuel Eto’o Foundation has been a major player in the African philanthropic scene since 2006; taking care of many via Education, Health and Emergency reliefs initiatives that contribute to the development of the Continent.
Yaounde Emergency and Reanimation Center - ICU
Hospital Center for Research and Application in Endoscopic Surgery and Human Reproduction
A subsidiary of the Chantal Biya Foundation (First Lady of Cameroon).
The one and only psychiatric hospital of Cameroon
Ordre National des Chirurgiens Dentistes du Cameroun / Cameroon Natioanal Dental Council
The Chantal Biya Foundation is the largest charitable organization in Cameroon. It is the Foundation created in 1995 and chairmaned by the First Lady of Cameroon, Mrs. Chantal Biya who has been an active UNSECO goodwill ambassador for the past two decades.
Since its creation, the Foundation has made a tremendous work in every corner of Cameroon, with some significant actions in Sao Tomé and Principé, in Burkina Faso, in Haiti and many more places. It mainly work to better the life of children, the sicks and women. Mrs Chantal Biya is a pioneer spokesperson of the African continent in tackling massively deadly diseases like HIV and Malaria all over Africa.
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We Nseteuh in Medumba stands for Women Association for The Development of Tonga. Indeed, the women that form the elite of Tonga, a small rural city in West Cameroon have gathered together around this association in order to work for the development of Tonga.
Their work mainly focuses on the advancement of girls and women rights, on girls and women access to education and health care and on their access to higher opportunities in life in order to give them economic and social independence to better support themselves and thus their society as a whole.
The association is formed by 65 women from different backgrounds; since its creation, it has helped more than 2300 households by empowering the women and the girls.
