Giving Compass' Take:

• The Wood Foundation Africa uses a venture philanthropy model to run a program of investment projects that benefit local communities in East Africa.

• Will more donors look into venture philanthropy models to finance global development projects?

• Read more about philanthropy and development work.

A Scottish charity is using its work in East Africa to highlight the positive impacts of using philanthropy to support communities. Set up by oil tycoon Sir Ian Wood and his immediate family, The Wood Foundation Africa (TWFA) has been working with tea farmers in Rwanda and Tanzania since 2012. The organization has focused its investment on projects which aim to create long-term and sustainable change.

It operates a venture philanthropy model - where the people it works with are considered as partners, and business development is given a high level of priority when donations are made.

With its tea farming projects supporting up to 360,000 people and resulting in the communities moving towards being able to self-sustain the factories, the foundation is calling on other organizations to embark on further projects which put business at the heart of supporting Africa.

In addition to their partnership with smallholder farmers in the Mulindi and Shagasha factories, TWFA and Gatsby are leading the smallholder farmer participation in three major new tea planting projects – at Njombe in Tanzania (3,500 hectares) and at Kibeho Munini (4,000 hectares) and Rugabano (4,000 hectares) in Rwanda.

Read the full article utilizing philanthropy by Gareth Jones at Third Force News.