Introduction
To understand the context and the background of this project and the involved organisations, a very important first step is to understand CooP- Africa, CooP-Kenya, Bikeventures and their interrelations. ‘CooP’ stands for ‘cycling out of poverty’. This first chapter of the report describes the structure and context of those three related sub-organisations. It starts with a visualization of the overall structure and thereafter an explanation of every sub- organisation in order to understand the reason for the project and the tread that links all the organisations and enterprises together.
Interrelations
This figure represents the structure of the different organisations and enterprises involved in this story. CooP-Africa is the ‘mother organisation’, collaborating with CooP-Kenya and CooP-Uganda. CooP-Kenya and CooP-Uganda both have several enterprises. The staffs of CooP-Uganda and CooP-Kenya carry out those enterprises and the goal is to make CooP-Kenya and CooP-Uganda self-sufficient systems.
Coop-Africa
History & today
CooP-Africa is a Dutch non-profit organisation founded by Marieke de Wild and Luuk Eickmans in 2007. Coop-Africa developed a seven-year-program to decrease poverty by setting up, supporting and collaboration with local companies and enterprises. After seven years the local companies and enterprises should be independent operating, self-sufficient companies ran by locals. Today CooP-Africa is collaborating with CooP-Kenya and CooP-Uganda, both founded by CooP-Africa. Through financial support, coaching and training of local staff, by sharing expertise, and by the guarantee of reliability for partners CooP-Kenya and CooP-Uganda are developing to operate independent and be self-sufficient in the near future.
Vision & mission
CooP’s vision is to decrease poverty in the east of Africa by initiating and promoting bike-interventions. CooP believes that the usage of bicycles can make the difference and make the world a better place. The use of bicycles increases the access local people have to schools, hospitals and work. The projects CooP initiates and supports are performed in collaboration with local people. In this way CooP is creating jobs and is it supporting the local economy and gives locals the opportunity to be self-reliant through their own local enterprise.
Projects
Currently CooP-Africa has two ongoing projects, CooP-Kenya and CooP-Uganda. When successful CooP-Africa plans to start up new projects in other countries.
Organisation structure
CooP-Africa is a foundation of which Mr Eickmans is the quality controller: he checks and approves planning and finances. Ms de Wild is the program manager who is in charge of training and coaching the local staff. She also maintains the relations with local partner organisations.
Mr Eickmans and Ms de Wild work together with a leading team. This team includes a president, a secretary, a treasurer and two board members.
Future
At the time CooP-Kenya and CooP-Uganda will be independent, CooP-Africa will start new seven-year programs in other countries or cities.
Now we found out what the higher thought is behind the project and how the organisation is formed we can narrow our vision down to CooP-Kenya, which is Bikeventures’ parent firm.