HELLO from maNGOma!

maNGOma is a UK registered charity that helps small, grassroots NGOs in the Global South and beyond to thrive.

Through fundraising support, creative campaigning and - most importantly - the sharing of knowledge and experience between NGOs worldwide, we build partnerships based on equality and mutual learning. Our approach is collaborative and future-focused: we connect local action with global solidarity, enabling communities to strengthen resilience, expand opportunities, and achieve lasting change.

SPOTLIGHT ON IRUKA

IRUKA is committed to advancing education, gender equality, youth leadership and strong institutions across Africa. IRUKA believes that Africa's transformation will be driven by empowered young people, bold leadership, and community-centred solutions "For Africans, by Africans".

Through programmes like She-Ignite, policy forums, school outreaches, leadership trainings, and youth-centred convenings, the organisation has impacted thousands of young people across different African communities. IRUKA combines advocacy with action, not only raising conversations around critical issues affecting women and girls, governance, and education, but also creating practical interventions that directly serve communities.

SECTOR NEWS and COMMENT

World "Held Hostage" by Fossil Fuel Dependency

Christiana Figueres, former UN climate chief has warned that the health impacts of climate change as “the mother of all injustices”. Figueres made the comments as she was announced as co-chair of a Lancet Commission examining how sea-level rise is reshaping health, wellbeing and inequality Read more about this in The Guardian here...​

The Grim Reality of Aid Cuts

More than a year since the British Prime Minister announced drastic cuts to the UK aid budget from 0.5% to just 0.3% of GNI by 2027/28 – the steepest among G7 countries – last week the Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper MP made a long-awaited statement to set out the FCDO’s ODA allocation for 2026/27 to 2028/29. Read here BOND's analysis... And recently, the provisional Statistics for International Development (SIDs) for the UK’s spending of Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 2025 came out. It paints a bleak picture for the world's most marginalised people. Find out more here...​

Africa is losing health workers when it can least afford to

The World Health Organization estimates a global shortfall of 11 million health workers by 2030, with Africa predicted to face shortages ranging from five million to six million workers. The shortfall is calculated according to disease burden and health population needs but, the author claims, it is rooted in Africa's colonial history. Read The Conversation's article here...​

How should the World Bank be spending its record profits?

According to the Centre for Global Development, the World Bank is booking record profits. Last fiscal year, the World Bank reported a record $2.4 billion in profit. And in the first quarter of this fiscal year (June-September), it has already brought in $570 million in profit. As many people and countries struggle, should we be asking the question about where the profits should be going? Read more here...​

PEOPLE and PROJECTS CHANGING the WORLD

​Tan Binh Cooperative in Vietnam

An innovative approach to leftover rice straw, which is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions when burned, is using a straw mushroom farming model. The rice straw is converted into mushrooms within 45 days and then it is turned into an organic fertiliser, further increasing profitability. Find out more here...​

​Spiro in Africa

Electric motorbike transport is developing in popularity and Spiro has developed a swap model for batteries which enable riders to charge up their vehicles in under 60 seconds at roadside kiosks. Find out more here...​

​GoEco in India

​GoEco have created single use packaging from sugar cane bagasse, the waste product from the sugar industry. The products are bio-degradable and eco-friendly. Find out more here...​

RESOURCES and INFORMATION

The State of Social Procurement Report

FTSE 100 companies' CSR budget is $12 million yet their procurement budget is $5 billion. If you can develop a product or service that meets these companies' needs then your organisation can tap into this income stream. Find out more from the World Economic Forum here...

Survivor Support Tool

International non-governmental organisations (INGOs) sometimes struggle to manage some elements of survivor-centred support for people who have experienced sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH). This includes reparations, which is sometimes seen as a taboo subject within the sector. This tool provides safeguarding leads with some questions to consider when discussing their organisation’s survivor offer and considerations on reparations. Download it here...​

Building Equitable Partnerships

Rose Caldwell, CEO of Plan International, says ‘We need to be honest: barriers to equitable partnerships still exist across our organisations and are often deeply embedded in the way we work and how we view the world. A collective effort is required from us all, including donors, to transform the development sector – and to be the change we want to see.’ Read their new learning report here...​

RAISING FUNDS AROUND the WORLD

Focus on Social Procurement

Social procurement is selling your goods or services to government or larger companies. They get a great product/service and your impact data which helps them to meet their ESG or compliance targets. You get a sustainable income that is not subject to social, environmental and political changes.

It can be a bit daunting thinking about how you could generate an income from your NGO - but first think about what your organisation does really well and how you can solve a problem for both your target community and a corporate or government. You may need to set up a separate trading organisation that can feed its profits into your NGO.

A great example is Vitara in Ghana. They recognised that shea butter farmers were stuck in poverty despite high global demand for their product. They devised a digital platform that tracks the "tree-to-shelf" journey giving companies the traceability data that they were needing for their supply chains. Vitara transitioned from helping farmers with grants to becoming a reliable business to business supplier for global cosmetic brands.

If you want to know more - watch this video that one of our trustees prepared.

WAYS to GET INVOLVED WITH or SUPPORT maNGOma

Become a Partner

maNGOma has created a Connections Group for all of its partners to build new relationships with other maNGOma partners. This will enable NGOs to work together along common themes and also to find common solutions and support to the challenges that their communities are facing.

Become a volunteer

Wherever you are in the world you can volunteer for maNGOma. Various roles include social media marketing, bid writing and project support, administration, and fundraising. We would always be interested to hear from anyone who has a passion for our work, or has experience that they can share with us. Just get in touch at office@mangoma.org.

Make a donation

If you are passionate about supporting maNGOma and the impact that our work has through our partners please consider making a regular or one-off donation. You can do this here. Our sustainability and those of our partners relies upon the generosity of people like you. Thank you very much.

About maNGOma

We are a small charity, so if you have any contacts that you think would be interested in our work or in reading our newsletter, please pass this on.
​
Past copies of this newsletter are available on our website here so please take a look if you have missed any issues!
​
maNGOma is based in Norwich, UK, a City of Sanctuary for people who are fleeing from persecution and have lost their homes. maNGOma's team of volunteers, who are based in different countries, work to support maNGOma's partners in raising funds for their projects, and in promoting knowledge-sharing across countries.

If you are a maNGOma partner and you would like to advertise your NGO's ethical products in maNGOma's newsletter, please get in touch.