Lotte Niemann Jørgensen, Partnership and Programme Advisor for East Africa, is the newest member of Access2innovation’s board. She holds degrees from Roskilde University (RUC) and Copenhagen Business Academy and has throughout her career worked with a particular focus on Sub-Saharan Africa, previously with institutional donors like the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the EU, and for the last eight years with Caritas Denmark. She is looking forward to closer collaboration with A2i and says:
“At Caritas, we greatly benefited from having a colleague on the board of A2i. So now that I am joining the board as Partnership and Programme Advisor for East Africa, I am happy to build on this work.”
Lotte also sees her board position as a natural way to prepare for the SPA programme that Caritas Denmark and A2i hope to undertake next year:
Lotte Niemann Jørgensen, Partnership and Programme Advisor for East Africa, Caritas.
“It makes good sense for me to join the board now and get to know the organisation from this perspective. Hopefully, we can take our collaboration to the next level with the SPA grant, which is still being processed. The better we know each other, the better we can identify where each of us can contribute and complement each other.”
The SPA programme is part of a Strategic Partnership Agreement with the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The SPA programme will be implemented in a consortium of A2i, Danish Food and Agriculture Council, and Caritas Denmark as the lead partner. The consortium brings together complementary and mutually reinforcing competencies from civil society and private sector to promote locally led, inclusive agribusiness in East Africa. With the latest Danish strategy for development cooperation and the strategy for Africa, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is open to strengthening civil society through capacity building for SMEs and job creation. This could create new opportunities for A2i members looking for sustainable partnerships in Africa.
Lotte visiting OCADES-Caritas Burkina Faso.
Facts about Caritas Internationalis and Caritas Denmark
Caritas Internationalis is a global confederation of 162 Catholic organisations working in more than 200 countries and territories. As an expression of the Church’s mission, Caritas serves people who are poor, vulnerable or excluded, regardless of race or religion, working together for a just world. Caritas Internationalis is the world’s second-largest humanitarian network, after International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. There is a national Caritas organisation in almost every country.
Caritas Denmark is committed to local leadership and works closely with local Caritas organisations to strengthen their capacity to take leadership in programs, influence coordination and policy spaces, and uphold accountability to communities, while also supporting the long-term organizational sustainability.
In Denmark, Caritas Denmark’s national work supports people in difficult situations, providing assistance in health, rights and employment. Internationally , Caritas Denmark works in long-term partnerships in eight countries: Bangladesh, Myanmar, Lebanon, Jordan, Niger, Burkina Faso, Uganda and Ukraine, and with the new SPA, the focus on East Africa is expected to increase adding new countries and partners.
