Business + Intellectual Property Attorneys
What does it take for Africa to reclaim its own narrative of generosity? On 8 October 2026, Makerere University, in partnership with CivSource Africa, launched the Ukarimu Centre for Advancing African Philanthropy, creating a multidisciplinary platform dedicated to researching, documenting and strengthening African traditions of giving.
In this article, Makerere University's College of Humanities and Social Sciences explores the Centre's vision, the voices that shaped its launch, and its ambition to connect African knowledge, research, policy and practice while positioning the continent as a producer of philanthropic knowledge.
As CivSource Africa celebrates nine years in philanthropy, our CivSource South Africa team visited African Haven’s Baby Haven in Johannesburg as part of our quarterly outreach and #CivSourceAt9 reflections.
The visit offered important lessons on relationship-centred care, supporting caregivers, helping young people transition from care and growing at a pace that protects quality. It also reminded us that effective philanthropy begins with listening, understanding organisations in their own context and supporting what they identify as most useful.
Read more about what the visit taught us about care, growth and serving well.
What does it take for social purpose organisations to remain resilient in an increasingly demanding environment?
The World Giving Report’s Charity Insights 2026 explores the experiences of organisations across 33 countries, revealing significant concerns around financial sustainability, operational strength, people, partnerships and rising demand. With fewer than two in five charities feeling well positioned for the next three years, the findings offer an important reflection on what organisations, funders and policymakers can do to strengthen the resilience of civil society.
As international aid budgets shrink, the crisis facing civil society extends beyond funding. Sofía Sprechmann Sineiro argues that civil society organisations are essential public institutions that protect rights, strengthen participation, support marginalised communities and hold power to account. Their sustainability therefore depends not only on financial adaptation, but also on protecting civic space, building long-term relationships and recognising civil society as part of the infrastructure that allows democracy to survive. Read the full article.
Philanthropy in Mozambique is already alive in everyday community practice. Across the country, people give, organise, save, lend, and support one another through faith groups, community networks, social funds, and practices such as xitique, a community-based savings and lending system.
A new report, “Exploratory Mapping of the Philanthropy Support Ecosystem in Mozambique,” looks at these existing forms of giving and asks what it would take to make them more visible, connected, credible, and locally led. The report highlights the support structures, relationships, and investments needed to strengthen Mozambique’s philanthropy ecosystem over time.
The Gates Foundation and OpenAI have launched Horizon 1000, a USD 50 million initiative to support AI-enabled primary healthcare in African countries, beginning in Rwanda. The initiative aims to reach 1,000 primary healthcare clinics and surrounding communities by 2028, supporting health workers with tools that can improve access, care quality, and service delivery.
