History of the Stay Alliance
The background
After many years of volunteer work in development-aid, Benjamin Wolf founded the Stay Foundation in October 2013 as an alternative to classical approaches.
On his travels through various African countries, he learnt about projects and organizations initiated and managed by locals – locals who take responsibility for the development of their society and who solve social problems in an entrepreneurial way and thus help their fellow human beings.
In these organizations, it was necessary for the locals to develop the solutions themselves. This means people who are familiar with the culture and language and who know or have experienced the needs of their fellow human beings, such as health care, access to education and their own income.
The difficulties were that these local founders are not taken seriously enough, not promoted, and not supported in the right way by development aid organizations.
The background
After many years of volunteer work in development-aid, Benjamin Wolf founded the Stay Foundation in October 2013 as an alternative to classical approaches.
On his travels through various African countries, he learnt about projects and organizations initiated and managed by locals – locals who take responsibility for the development of their society and who solve social problems in an entrepreneurial way and thus help their fellow human beings.
In these organizations, it was necessary for the locals to develop the solutions themselves. This means people who are familiar with the culture and language and who know or have experienced the needs of their fellow human beings, such as health care, access to education and their own income.
The difficulties were that these local founders are not taken seriously enough, not promoted, and not supported in the right way by development aid organizations.
The core concept
This is how the concept of the „Stay Alliance“, an umbrella organization of NGOs and social businesses, was initiated. In 2013, the first pilot projects were implemented in Uganda. It started with three social entrepreneurs, to whom Stay mainly awarded scholarships for the training of auxiliary nurses and teachers. All scholarship holders successfully completed their education in 2015 and 2016 and now share their newly acquired knowledge with their colleagues, giving lessons and treating patients.
This successful step was followed by the establishment of the umbrella organization, which initially comprised around 30 social enterprises and since then has been extending continously. Early meetings in 2015 paved the way to work out in detail how they want to work together in the future. The aim is now to expand the umbrella organization. Some of its financial resources have already been generated by the members themselves in order to become more and more independent. Social entrepeneurs and their organizations wishing to become members of this alliance must demonstrate that, in addition to a concept in the areas of health, education and income, they must also consider self-financing. This umbrella organization, the Latek Stay Alliance Uganda, was officially registered in 2016.
Since 2018, two new Alliances in Kenya and Rwanda have been formed. These build upon the positive experience in Uganda while adapting to the local environment.
In 2020, the Stay Alliances started their first standardized programmes which are jointly implemented by member organizations.
The core concept
This is how the concept of the „Stay Alliance“, an umbrella organization of NGOs and social businesses, was initiated. In 2013, the first pilot projects were implemented in Uganda. It started with three social entrepreneurs, to whom Stay mainly awarded scholarships for the training of auxiliary nurses and teachers. All scholarship holders successfully completed their education in 2015 and 2016 and now share their newly acquired knowledge with their colleagues, giving lessons and treating patients.
This successful step was followed by the establishment of the umbrella organization, which initially comprised around 30 social enterprises and since then has been extending continously. Early meetings in 2015 paved the way to work out in detail how they want to work together in the future. The aim is now to expand the umbrella organization. Some of its financial resources have already been generated by the members themselves in order to become more and more independent. Social entrepeneurs and their organizations wishing to become members of this alliance must demonstrate that, in addition to a concept in the areas of health, education and income, they must also consider self-financing. This umbrella organization, the Latek Stay Alliance Uganda, was officially registered in 2016.
Since 2018, two new Alliances in Kenya and Rwanda have been formed. These build upon the positive experience in Uganda while adapting to the local environment.
In 2020, the Stay Alliances started their first standardized programmes which are jointly implemented by member organizations.