Company Profile

Company Description:

Concern Universal is an international development organisation tackling poverty from the grassroots.

BACKGROUND

Concern Universal’s vision is a world where justice, dignity and respect for all prevails. The organisation works in partnership to challenge poverty and inequality. We support practical actions that enable people to improve their lives and shape their own futures. Partnership is at the heart of what Concern Universal does and is the means by which we aspire to achieve our vision of helping some of the world’s poorest and most marginalised people to improve the quality of their lives in a sustainable and practical way. At the core of our partnership approach is a deep sense of value and respect for the processes involved in relationship building and the partner’s development. 

Securing sustainable livelihoods is the core focus of Concern Universal in the Gambia & Senegal. This is achieved through interlinked activities including: farmer training, low-cost irrigation technologies, development of market linkages, community and partner capacity building, and disaster risk reduction. This work is implemented in close collaboration with approximately 15 established partner NGOs.

The bulk of our work is funded through grants, with support secured from a range of donors, including the EU, ECHO, USAID and DfID. The current year’s global budget is approximately £0.5 million though a particular focus on programme development is now required. An additional component of the programme is Concern Universal’s social business, ‘Gambia is Good’. GiG enables Gambian farmers to sell their produce to the country’s tourist industry and has a turn-over of approximately £100,000 p.a. and is the result of an innovative cross-sector business/NGO partnership. Discussions are ongoing with regard to establishing GiG as an independent entity.