a US 501(c)3, Est. 1981
Partners in International Development
INNOVATION.EDUCATION.EMPOWERMENT
AFPF is a US 501(c)3, community of friends in North America established in 1981. Together with our partner, the Uganda Rural Development and Training Programme (URDT), a Ugandan NGO, we have supported innovations in development by empowering rural communities to create for themselves: peace, health, prosperity, freedom, and happiness.
To provide financial and strategic resources to support sustainable development and education in rural Uganda. For over 40 years, we have partnered with Uganda Rural Development & Training Programme (URDT), a secular organization run by local Ugandans who are true innovators.
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Our Ugandan partners excel in empowering people of all ages in rural communities by teaching them how to harness their innate creativity to improve their lives. This grass roots approach is powered by children and families who create visions of the lives they want to live, and then they achieve those goals and teach others by example. The change-makers in these communities are primarily girls and women who are trained as Rural Transformation Specialists on the URDT’s 80-acre campus, as well as the young men and women who benefit from vocational education to learn a trade and launch their own businesses. They practice organic, regenerative agriculture, and leverage sustainable technologies.
Our innovations so far to serve these ends, at work in Uganda and centered at URDT and their African Rural University – the first African rural University for women, include:
Structured curriculums and workshops in the creative process, systems thinking, and sustainable development – for schools and grassroots learning
The 2-Generation Approach to Education, with Back Home Projects
Community Radio Listener Development Groups
The Epicentre Manager profession, filled first by women, provides a reliable
feedback loop between fieldwork in local development and academia
Women’s Learning and Leadership Circles (under development, for schools and the
field)
“Work, Learn, and Earn” Vocational Training, where already viable businesses
become training centers for the next generation (under development in partnership with the Master Card Foundation)
We’ve earned our Gold Transparency 2024 @CandidDotOrg! We are excited to share the work our nonprofit does through our #NonprofitProfile. Learn how you can support us and make a difference.
The "Uganda Project" film describes how the principles of the creative process are applied at URDT. This movie won 25 Global Awards around the world.
Over 100 USA visitors to the URDT Campus have witnessed the positive impact and results.
We have existed for over 40 years serving the creative spirit. Our longevity shows dedication, results, impact, and accountability for every dollar donated.
We have over 1,000 donors, many are long term donors (25 years). We've raised over $10 million to support our partners at URDT.
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80+ young women Rural Transformation graduates
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51 of them are employed as URDT Epicenter Managers.​
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540 artisans who were trained by URDT
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34,000 young people. 19,000 of whom have already become entrepreneurs in the last two years.
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+200 young women and their families educated at URDT Girls School
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1,000 young visionary leaders & change agents and created over 1,000 prosperous households.
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4,000+ Back Home projects
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12 additional public schools that are using—two-generation approach
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13,500 family members in producing sustainable income and good family health.
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3M Community Radio Listeners in 10+ Districts
Join our Network of American Friends
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Silvana Veltkamp
Co-Founder AFPF/URDT
Linking young leaders in African development to Fritz, Senge, & and many U.S friends.
It could be said that without Silvana, AFPF would not have been founded.
She officially retired from her work in 2007 to return to Italy. Silvana grew up in Italy, visited Somalia as a youth, and fell in love with her African brothers and sisters.
Before she left Somalia, she put a handful of red dirt in her pocket and swore that she would come back someday.
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After many years of creating a family and career, including at the UNDP, she turned again to Africa. She had seen that a missing link in development was an education for the local people doing their own development.
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Martha Dolben
Chair Emeritus
Martha Dolben, our Chair Emeritus, visited URDT 19-20 times between 1998 and 2019.
Each time, with the support of Mwalimu Musheshe and various URDT women from the administration, faculty, and student body, she convened small women’s circles.
Together URDT women now have made great strides in creating a new kind of circle meeting that reliably serves lifelong learning, friendship, and community development.
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Don Dolben: Her husband, maintains the “silver cord” of friendship between us (in the U.S.) and URDT.
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The African Rural University (ARU), needs your support to build the Multipurpose Resource Centre (MPRC).
The MPRC is not just a dream; it's a requirement from the National Council for Higher Education—a crucial step for ARU to attain a charter. By supporting us, you're not only aiding construction but also ensuring that ARU's heart continues to beat for rural transformation and women's empowerment.
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