Hivos
Vertical Atlas
New Silk Roads supported the production of Vertical Atlas, a book exploring the geopolitics of digital technology. Featuring artwork and essays from over 50 international designers, artists, and thinkers, the book examines topics from lithium mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo to global fiber-optic networks. The launch and exhibition at Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam included lectures by Kenyan writer and activist Nanjala Nyabola, and American philosopher of technology Benjamin H. Bratton, as well as a performance by Francois Knoetze, a South African performance artist.
Hivos Business Development
Since 2013, the New Silk Roads fundraising team has supported Hivos with tailored business development services for its programmes on private sector development, job creation, climate justice, freedom of expression and arts and culture in the Middle East and North Africa. Our support included proposal writing, theory of change development, and strategic fundraising advice to Hivos senior programme management. Some of our success stories include securing EUR 8.1 million from Palladium, EUR 9.5 million and EUR 5.5 million and EUR 2.2. million from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (LEAD I, II and BOOST Programs), EUR 5.5 million and EUR 2 million at Sida and 550K from the U.S. State Department.
Investor Matchmaking Sessions
New Silk Roads implemented investor matchmaking sessions which paired promising young entrepreneurs from Egypt and Tunisia to regional and international informal investors and funds. Through connecting entrepreneurs with access to capital, they were better positioned to grow their business and create jobs in their cities and communities. This project was implemented on behalf of Hivos Impact Investments.
Green Growth Summit
New Silk Roads initiated and launched the Green Growth Summit (GGS) in Tunis (2024) and Cairo (2024, 2025). A regional learning platform, the GGS transformed lessons from early movers in the green economy into actionable insights to localise and accelerate regenerative economies.
Across three editions, the GGS convened 600+ green transition frontrunners, facilitated South–South collaboration between entrepreneurs and Africa-focused climate funds, raised awareness on green sector impact investing, and created a donor task force in Tunisia focused on the green economy.
New Silk Roads also raised an additional ~100K EUR in sponsorship to expand the summits’ reach and impact.
Impact Assessment for Hivos Job Creation Programs
The New Silk Roads M&E team has provided Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) support to several Hivos programmes focused on youth employment, entrepreneurship development, and the green transition in the MENA region. For example, our team led the evaluation of the GreenWorks program, including a through desk review, key informant interviews, and over 400 online and CATI surveys. We also measured the number of direct jobs created and supported by the Hivos GreenWorks project in Algeria, Egypt, and Tunisia. Furthermore, we conducted an internal md-term evaluation of the LEAD Coworking for Sustainable Employment Programme following the OECD-DAC criteria. Finally, we provided training to various organisations in MENA to set up their own MEL frameworks and support with data collection.
Hivos Learning Events
Since 2013, we have organised a range of learning events for Hivos program teams and their partners. This included gatherings for partners in Tunis and Djerba, a post-COP27 event in Sinai, Egypt, and a learning event in the Hague in collaboration with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These events brought together a variety of Hivos partners, including climate justice organisations, business support organisations, investors, creative hubs, and universities across Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Our role encompassed event management and logistics, curation of speakers, facilitation and moderations of panels, and documenting key learning outcomes.
Futures Labs & Talk Series
Project Management and facilitation of several multi-day “Futures Labs” in Egypt and Tunisia to imagine the future of localized climate adaptation in the MENA region. The themes of the labs were "Imagining Just Food Systems in Tunisia" and "Exploring Avenues for a Regenerative Built Environment in Egypt". Alongside these Labs, we hosted an online 'Futures Talks' lecture series, which featured insightful discussions on future design, sustainable cities, and energy scenarios.
Fundraising Courses & Coaching
New Silk Roads provides online and offline fundraising courses and coaching to business support organisations, SMEs, and cultural organizations. Initially contracted by Hivos, we provided training to over 35+ organisations in fundraising, theory of change, monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) and donor communications. Under our guidance, 8 organisations successfully raised EUR 8 million in funding. Later, we also provided fundraising training for organizations such as INCO, The Finish Embassy in Cairo, Movies That Matter/ Cinema without Borders and Creatives for Climate.