Individual and Organizational Capacity Strengthening Project
Building the skills and systems to tell Africa’s stories with power, purpose, and integrity.
Introduction
The Individual and Organizational Capacity Strengthening Project is a flagship initiative of Shades of Us Storytelling Initiative for African People, designed to build the skills, confidence, and systems needed for impactful storytelling across Africa.
Through hands-on training and mentorship, the project empowers individuals, community groups, and organizations to use storytelling as a tool for advocacy, education, and social transformation. It also strengthens the internal capacity of Shades of Us and its partners to deliver professional, ethical, and inclusive storytelling programs that promote gender equality, social justice, and development.
The project’s goal is simple but powerful: to ensure that Africans are not only telling their own stories but also shaping the narratives that define their societies.
Focus Areas
The project strengthens storytelling and advocacy capacity through:
✅ Script Development
✅ Radio Drama and Podcast Production
✅ Film and Television Shows
✅ Social Media Strategy and Storytelling
✅ Photography and Visual Narratives
✅ Activism and Advocacy Communication
✅ Gender Mainstreaming
✅ Social and Behavior Change Communication
Each focus area equips participants with both creative and strategic tools — combining artistic expression with the principles of communication for development.
Goals
Behavioral Objectives
Gap Analysis
Across Africa, storytelling remains one of the most powerful ways to educate, advocate, and inspire. However, many individuals and organizations lack the technical, creative, and institutional capacity to use storytelling effectively for social impact.
This capacity gap has far-reaching implications. Development and advocacy organizations often struggle to communicate their impact clearly, influence policy, or engage communities due to limited storytelling skills, underdeveloped media infrastructure, and weak internal systems.
Research shows that these gaps are systemic. According to the Bridgespan Group nearly 90 percent of African non-profit organizations depend on international funding for their growth — a sign of limited internal capacity to build local narratives, mobilize resources, and sustain visibility. Similarly, an Overseas Development Institute (ODI) report notes that investments in communication and research capacity remain relatively low, with significant thematic and geographic inequalities across the continent.
In the communications sector, the Africa PR and Communications Report 2022–2023 highlights ongoing skill shortages, particularly in storytelling, data visualization, and strategic communication — all essential for effective advocacy. These findings mirror broader trends in media and development sectors, where organizations are eager to share their work but lack the creative and technical skills to do so powerfully.
The African Union International Centre for Girls and Women’s Education in Africa (AU/CIEFFA) further emphasizes the importance of building media and storytelling capacity to change harmful narratives and promote gender equality across the continent.
By addressing these systemic challenges, the Individual and Organizational Capacity Strengthening Project fills a critical gap. It provides access to training, mentorship, and creative resources that help storytellers and organizations across Africa use narrative strategically — to inform, influence, and inspire.
Through this initiative, Shades of Us is not only developing skills but also building agency, autonomy, and confidence — empowering individuals and institutions to own their stories and use them as tools for transformation.
Key Activities
Audience
Reach
Shades of Us aims to train 1,000 individuals and 100 organizations across Africa between 2022 and 2030, equipping them to tell authentic, inclusive, and transformative stories that shape policies, challenge injustice, and inspire collective progress.
Partnerships
The success of this project depends on collaboration. Shades of Us works with:
- Development partners and donor agencies.
- Media houses, production studios, and creative professionals.
- Academic institutions, research bodies, and training experts.
- Advocacy organizations and social movements.
- Corporate sponsors and technology providers.
These partnerships create a network of shared resources, mentorship, and opportunities that amplify voices and strengthen storytelling ecosystems across Africa.
If you or your organization would like to collaborate on this project, please contact info@shadesofusafrica.org
