Self Help Africa

What Self Help Africa does

Self Help Africa is an Irish-registered international non-governmental organization founded in 1984 that implements rural development, food security, and livelihoods programmes for smallholder farming households across nine Sub-Saharan African countries (Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia, and Togo). Headquartered in Dublin with affiliated 501(c)(3) and UK charity entities, the organization employs 251–500 staff and in 2018 reported reaching approximately 2.2 million people across 33 development projects. Its service portfolio spans agriculture and nutrition, climate adaptation, gender equality, microfinance, cooperative development, and WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene), delivered through country offices, local NGO partners, farmer cooperatives, and community savings groups.

The organization's technology stack centres on three proprietary digital platforms. TruTrade is a mobile-money-enabled trading platform that locks in pre-planting prices for smallholder farmers, mitigating middleman exploitation and reporting a four-fold income uplift for Kenyan avocado growers in its first year. A hyperledger-based blockchain coffee value chain, co-developed with Moyee and Jimma University, delivers QR-code provenance and digital wallets to 850 Ethiopian coffee farmers (scaling to 3,000). The Anticipatory Action programme broadcasts weather alerts and farming advice via SMS, Telegram, email, and community radio to 63,000+ Ethiopian households through 2,400 Village Economic and Social Associations. Additional tools include an E-Voucher system for refugee farmers, a 321 Farm Phone voice service in Malawi, and 90 Women's Business Centres delivering digital and entrepreneurial training.

Self Help Africa is funded primarily through institutional grants from the European Union, GIZ, Irish Aid, UKaid, and Slovak Aid, supplemented by individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and flagship fundraising events including the annual Change-Makers Gala in New York and the TCS New York City Marathon partnership. The organization holds a 4-star Charity Navigator rating and a Platinum Transparency rating from Candid/GuideStar, and operates three wholly-owned subsidiaries: TruTrade (majority-owned social enterprise), Partner Africa (trade and enterprise development), and Traidlinks (acquired 2017). The business model is that of a grant-funded development NGO rather than a commercial enterprise, with revenue measured in programmatic reach and impact outcomes rather than top-line sales.

Name

Self Help Africa

Legal name

Self Help Africa Inc.

Website

https://selfhelpafrica.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Self Help Africa is an Irish-registered non-governmental organization founded in 1984 that supports rural smallholder farmers, women entrepreneurs, and refugees across nine Sub-Saharan African countries through agricultural development, climate adaptation, microfinance, and digital trade programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development / Agricultural Development NGO

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Social Assistance (624), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Rural Livelihoods & Economic Empowerment (BPAGABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Economic Growth, Trade & Private Sector Development Programs (BPADABAF), Cash Assistance & Social Safety Net Delivery for Displaced Populations (BPADAHAH), Cash & Voucher Assistance (CVA) and Emergency Livelihood Support (BPAGAAAJ)

Keywords

• Agricultural development programs
• Smallholder farmer support
• Microfinance services
• Climate adaptation programs
• Rural community development

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Individual donors contribute through the organization's website, events, and fundraising campaigns. The organization holds annual gala balls (Change-Makers Gala in New York) and partners with corporate sponsors.
2. Institutional Grants: Funding from governments and international institutions including European Union, GIZ, Irish Aid, UKaid, and Slovak Aid for specific development projects and programmes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Self Help Africa is an international non-governmental non-profit organisation that implements rural development, sustainable food and livelihoods security programmes for smallholder farming communities in nine Sub-Saharan African countries. Its core offerings include digital agricultural trading via the TruTrade platform, microfinance through Village Savings and Loan Associations, women's enterprise development through Women's Business Centres, climate adaptation via weather information services, and refugee farmer support via E-Vouchers. Programmes are funded by individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and institutional grants from governments and multilaterals.

Product overview

Self Help Africa is a non-profit organization operating as a portfolio of interconnected development programs rather than a unified software product. The organization offers digital platforms (TruTrade trading platform), community-based financial services (Village Savings and Loans Associations, Women's Business Centres), technology-enabled agricultural programs (E-voucher systems, Weather Information services), and innovative technology initiatives (Blockchain Coffee value chain). These programs work together to support smallholder farmers across Africa with market access, financial inclusion, climate adaptation, and enterprise development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TruTrade A digital trading platform that connects smallholder farmers to secure markets at agreed prices, enabling mobile money payments for crop delivery. The platform reduces exploitation by middlemen and provides transparency in agricultural trade for smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Women's Business Centres (WBCs) Business incubators for rural women that provide entrepreneurial skills training, digital capability enhancement, health literacy education, and a supportive community for launching new business ventures. 90 Women's Business Centres support nearly 2,000 women entrepreneurs across Nigeria, Kenya, and Malawi.
• Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA) Community-based savings groups that provide rural populations with access to micro-loans, savings opportunities, and financial literacy training to build assets and economic resilience. Reaches over 72,000 rural poor members in Malawi through partner CUMO Microfinance Bank.
• E-Voucher System A digital system providing refugee farmers with electronic vouchers to access agricultural inputs, improving self-reliance and food security in refugee settlements in Uganda and Zambia.
• Weather Information and Anticipatory Action Program A weather alert and farming advisory service delivered via SMS, Telegram, email, and community radio that provides early warning information and actionable farming advice to help farmers adapt to climate change. Reaches 63,000+ households in Ethiopia through 2,400 Village Economic and Social Associations (VESAs).
• Blockchain Coffee Value Chain An end-to-end blockchain-based (Hyperledger) traceability system for the coffee value chain in Ethiopia, providing 850 farmers (scaling to 3,000) in the Limu, Oromia region with digital wallets, full transparency on payments, and consumer access to provenance information via QR codes. Developed in partnership with Moyee coffee company and Jimma University.
• 321 Farm Phone Service A mobile phone voice-activated service in Malawi providing rural farmers with timely farm information via a simple push-button interface on the country's largest mobile network. A quarter-million farmers have used the service.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2.2 million people reached across development projects in 2018
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered secondary and core.

• TraidlinkssecondaryOthers · 1 January 2017Merged with Self Help Africa in 2017 to strengthen trade and enterprise development work across Africa.
• MoyeecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDutch coffee company partnering on blockchain-based coffee value chain project in Ethiopia. The partnership aims to capture increased value locally through roasting, bagging, and branding coffee in Ethiopia.
• Jimma UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered for the coffee blockchain project in Ethiopia, organizing lead farmer groups and disseminating best agricultural practices.
• World Food ProgrammesecondaryOthersRefugee farmers in Uganda trained to produce quality grains and crops that can be sold to the World Food Programme.
• TruTradecoreOthersSocial enterprise subsidiary of Self Help Africa, majority-owned by the organization. Operates digital trading platform connecting smallholder farmers to markets with transparent pricing.
• Partner AfricasecondaryOthersSubsidiary organization of Self Help Africa operating trade and enterprise development services.
• DiageosecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHistoric deal signed with Diageo for the brewing giant to buy barley from rural poor farmers in Ethiopia, creating market access for smallholder producers.
• New York Road RunnerssecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial charity partner for TCS New York City Marathon, enabling fundraising through runner sponsorship.
• MITsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerMassachusetts Institute of Technology listed as Academic Sponsor, with TruTrade receiving recognition from MIT Solve innovation initiative.
• Harvest Help ZambiasecondaryImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal partner organization in Zambia working on agricultural development and lead farmer programs.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• BRAC: World's largest development NGO with extensive programs in Africa combining microfinance, agriculture, and enterprise development. Comparable integrated approach to smallholder economic empowerment at much larger scale.
• Catholic Relief Services: Major US-headquartered international humanitarian agency with significant agriculture and livelihoods programming in Sub-Saharan Africa. Overlaps on smallholder farmer support but with broader sectoral scope.
• Mercy Corps: Large global humanitarian organization operating across multiple sectors including agriculture, food security, and economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Overlaps significantly with Self Help Africa's mission but at much larger scale and broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• One Acre Fund: Direct peer serving smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa with a similar integrated model combining agricultural inputs, financing, training, and market access. Highly comparable mission and target beneficiary profile across East Africa.
• TechnoServe: Global non-profit that works with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses, and industries. Directly comparable in agricultural enterprise development focus across Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Farm Africa: UK-based NGO working with smallholder farmers in eastern Africa on sustainable agriculture, market access, and climate resilience. Closely aligned mission, geography, and program portfolio to Self Help Africa.
• Heifer International: Global non-profit focused on ending hunger and poverty through sustainable agriculture and livestock value chains for smallholder farmers. Comparable target market, funding model, and rural livelihoods mission.
• Trócaire: Irish international development NGO working in developing countries on sustainable livelihoods, human rights, and climate justice. Comparable Irish-rooted NGO operating in Sub-Saharan Africa with similar institutional donor mix (Irish Aid).
• Concern Worldwide: Irish-headquartered international humanitarian organization addressing extreme poverty, with significant programs in Sub-Saharan Africa focused on livelihoods, health, and education. Highly comparable organizational structure, funding base, and geographic focus.

Emerging players

• Send a Cow: UK-based charity focused on sustainable agriculture and livelihoods in eastern Africa. Smaller than Self Help Africa but with closely aligned mission and overlapping beneficiary geographies (Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/selfhelpafrica
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/selfhelpafricatv
• Facebookfacebook.com/selfhelpafrica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/selfhelpafrica
• Instagraminstagram.com/selfhelpafrica
• TikToktiktok.com/@selfhelpafrica

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Self Help Africa