CPA Theory of Change (TOC) is fundamentally grounded in the belief that the most appropriate way to help bring about change for the communities we serve is through meaningful partnership. Our commitment to these communities helps us achieve real, lasting changes that help children and women to thrive.
Community Pathway Africa (CPA) development approaches include the needs-based approach, problem-solving approach, participatory approach, asset-based approach, welfare approach, and rights-based.
Our Strategic Approach includes the following;
Partnering Local Communities
Our priority is to work directly with beneficiary communities and Individuals in England and Ghana, West Africa. The Charity designs projects in partnership with collaborating local and overseas communities; the needs of these communities and their populations shape the goals of every project, ensuring that each project delivers knowledge, skills, and professional opportunities that will empower the local people. CPA UK has designed its approach to uplift an entire community while still honouring its unique culture, traditions, and beliefs.
We respect local community customs, rituals, and expectations but require participating communities to follow our stringent processes to ensure that our programs provide optimal and lasting effects. The charity ensures that there is sufficient detail about projects, individuals, and beneficiary communities to enable trustees to identify risks and make an informed decisions.
International Voluntary Work Placement
The importance of engaging volunteers in the charity’s projects and programs is the transfer of knowledge and provision of resources to promote activities that aim to enrich the lives of people living in poverty.
The charity recruits qualified volunteers with professional backgrounds and experience in our proposed projects and programs to serve as principal development agents. One after another, volunteers rotate through a training site, sharing their expertise, and building a knowledge base.
They develop care in a truly resource-scarce environment and build a relationship that facilitates the exchange of ideas and information. They develop deep friendships during rotations overseas whiles contributing their skills and energy to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The guiding principle in the selection of
candidates is to ensure the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.
Project Selection and Funding
We ensure that the project or activities which we plan to carry out are in furtherance of both our charity’s objectives and the laws or regulations governing the project location. The charity has appropriate systems and procedures in place that allows trustees to set priorities for funding projects.
The charity ensures that there are sufficient details about projects, individuals, and beneficiary communities to enable Trustees to identify risks and make informed decisions. The charity also ensures that it has competent and reliable funding or resources to carry out the activity or project being funded.
Our Trustees, Staff, and volunteers are uniquely placed to identify and work with beneficiaries to accurately identify those to whom the aid, assistance, or services should be
most appropriately targeted and how.
Monitoring and Financial Accountability
Once the charity identifies the beneficiaries and is satisfied that the project or activities which we plan to carry out are in furtherance of both our charity’s aims and the laws or regulations governing the project location; Trustees take further steps to carry out good due diligence, and take enough reasonable steps to satisfy itself that the beneficiaries are genuine. Further steps are taken to consider the appropriate risk associated with the project and its location.
The Trustees will sign a memorandum of understanding between the charity, communities, and the beneficiaries to ensure that funds are recovered when not used for the purpose or used appropriately and reasonable steps are taken to verify the proper end use of funds. The Trustees and its local staff will ensure that funds released by the charity are not used for non-charitable or illegal purposes by beneficiaries. The charity will draw up robust monitoring (such as receipts and invoices) processes that include recording transactions, and ensuring that our staff is competent to undertake to monitor and that any conflict of interest is dealt with properly.
Our Staff and Volunteer Selection Criteria
The charity ensures that vacancies for paid staff and volunteer positions are advertised publicly. The guiding principle in the selection of candidates is to ensure the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. We aim to achieve a broad representation of competent people from different backgrounds and to enhance gender balance. Apart from these common features of the selection process, each vacant position has its own specific requirements.
Applications are received from potential applicants, screened, interviews conducted, references checked, and offers made. We are committed to promoting diversity in our workforce and do not discriminate on any grounds. Orientation and training are organized for the new staff and volunteers regarding the policies of the charity and other related information on the project. Both paid staff and volunteers are briefed on security, health and safety tips, project objectives, culture, reporting system, and risk in the project location. Both paid and volunteer staff is supported with travel documentation, insurance, and vaccinations and dispatched in groups to project locations.
Project Safeguarding Policy
The charity has developed a child protection policy that clearly sets out procedures for safeguarding project beneficiaries such as children and preventing, identifying, and dealing with possible abuse. This is to safeguard the interests and rights of its vulnerable beneficiaries. These include measures for regularly monitoring staff and volunteers abroad.
The charity will organize orientation for project communities and beneficiaries on whom to send complaints or concerns of abuse. An independent person will be considered to boost the confidence of victims. It is important that beneficiaries know whom to take complaints and concerns to and that they are confident that these will be considered by a sufficiently independent person.