Self-Help Fund
The Ambassador's Special Self-Help (SSH) Fund is a grassroots assistance program that began in Togo in 1964 as an experimental and modest self-help program for Africa and has since spread throughout the continent due to the immediate and significant impact demonstrated. The Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Fund allows the Ambassador to respond directly to requests from communities for small-scale, community-based development projects that promise to have immediate impact. In Liberia since 2004, the SSH Fund has funded projects including the construction of schools, latrines and hand pumps in addition to income-generation projects like the purchase of rice mills and farina processing machines to benefit Liberia’s diverse population including women, children, orphans, the disabled and former combatants. The average range for grant awards is from $1000 to $10,000.
In coordination with the SSH Fund, the United States African Development Foundation (ADF) has provided additional funding to Liberians in support of community-based food security projects since 2009. ADF is an independent federal agency established to support African-designed and African-driven solutions that address grassroots economic and social problems.
Application Procedures
The same grant application will be reviewed for SSH and ADF funding (if ADF eligible) and no separate application is necessary.
Deadline
The deadline for consideration under this year’s funding is April 30, 2012. Applications received after the deadline will be considered for next year’s funding.
Project Review and Selection Process
Each year applications submitted from across the country are reviewed by a committee which selects projects based on set criteria including the level of community support and involvement, as well as the potential for sustainability. The SSH coordinator conducts site visits and meets with organizations to learn more about the proposed projects. The projects are reviewed by the committee for final selection and recommendation to the Ambassador. Agreements are prepared for each selected project and a signing ceremony is organized. Once the project is finished, a dedication program is organized to mark the completion of each project, usually in twelve months.
