Why Duara exists
Aid has the power to transform lives, yet in Africa, it often falls short. Despite the billions raised, we estimate only 28% of aid actually reaches those who really need it. When it does, we can see that too much of it funds short-term solutions that collapse once the money stops flowing.
At Duara, we believe this needs to change. While some complex problems require ongoing support, there should be far more success stories of sustainable impact. That's why we are rethinking how aid is raised and delivered—focusing on transparency, sustainability, and minimizing waste to create real, lasting change.
🛖 A Funding Model Rooted in Community
While traditional funding models remain essential in aid, we chose to take a different approach—one that goes back to the basics. Across communities, we see people giving locally to causes they care about, driving powerful, life-changing programs. These grassroots efforts prove that small contributions, when pooled together, can create sustainable impact.
At Duara, we're building a larger community of microphilanthropists who share this spirit of giving. By coming together, we can fund long-term solutions, amplify impact, and ensure aid is both transparent and effective. This collective approach to giving is the backbone of our movement.
😁 Rebuilding the Spirit of Giving
When it comes to contributing to a cause, hesitation is natural. Years of mismanagement, lack of transparency, and wasteful spending in the nonprofit sector have made many people wary of giving. This loss of trust has dampened the spirit of philanthropy, making people question whether their contributions truly make a difference.
At Duara, we are working to restore faith in giving. By operating transparently, ensuring accountability, and funding locally-led solutions, we are proving that every contribution can have a real and lasting impact. Our goal is to rebuild a culture of trust and generosity, where people feel confident that their giving is meaningful and effective.
Get involved
What we need
Learn more
Frequently asked
questions
Transparency isn’t just a value for us — it’s the way we operate.
We only work with partners who can show, not just tell, how they manage funds and run projects. Transparency is a must-have in our funding criteria and a big part of our due diligence process.
And we hold ourselves to the same standard for projects we own.
We share regular financial updates, keep an open ledger of all our transactions, and publicly update our budget and fixed costs every month — no secrets, no surprises.
We also provide regular project updates and the occasional detailed report, allowing villagers to track the progress and impact of each project.
Nope — and that’s by design, Duara is registered as a non-profit.
Charity status can sometimes box in the kind of work we want to do as a development fund. Staying a non-profit gives us more flexibility to back the projects and partners that need it most, without getting stuck in red tape.
That said, we hold ourselves to the same financial standards: no one can profit from Duara, and every cent we raise is reinvested into our work and the communities we serve.
We’ll keep reviewing this as we grow. Our goal is simple: stay in the best position to drive real, lasting impact.
It depends — but we’re always clear about it.
We have two types of projects:
1. Duara-initiated projects — We come up with the idea, do the groundwork, and run the project through our own team and project managers.
2. Partner projects — We team up with trusted partners who already have the expertise. They lead the execution, but a Duara project manager stays close, tracking investment, impact, and accountability.
In both cases, we’re upfront about who’s running the project, who’s involved, and what impact we’re aiming for. Transparency and tracking stay non-negotiable.