Hivos
The Challenge Fund for a Just Transition (CFJT)
As a consortium member of the Challenge Fund for a Just Transition (CFJT), New Silk Roads supported CFJT partners through proposal development support, partnership building, and an intensive fundraising coaching programme.
We also developed a corresponding online course, tailored for green sector startups and scaleups, to increase access to non-commercial funding and blended finance. Through our support, these businesses raised €2.5 million in additional funding to pioneer localised green sector solutions in the MENA region.
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.
Digital Fundraising Courses and Coaching
New Silk Roads has provided online, in-person, and hybrid fundraising courses to business support organisations, SMEs, and cultural organisations for over a decade. We have also developed a suite of online courses available in English and Arabic on programme design, funder communications, theory of change, monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL), non-commercial fundraising, and alternative financing.
To date, our team has trained over 35 organisations which have gone on to successfully raise EUR 8 million in funding.
Climate Futures Labs
New Silk Roads designed and facilitated five multi-day Futures Labs in Tunis, Cairo, and Sinai to foster collaboration on climate justice and localised climate adaptation across the Middle East, North Africa, and East Africa. Using a futures thinking approach, we convened entrepreneurs, civil society representatives, creatives, policymakers, and funders to co-create climate innovation pathways.
We translated the Labs’ insights into digital stories with local illustrators and data visualizers, promoted through targeted social media campaigns, and complemented the Labs with an online Futures Talks series on sustainable cities, energy futures, and place-based design.
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 Impact Investment Matchmaking
New Silk Roads implemented investor matchmaking sessions which paired promising young entrepreneurs from Egypt and Tunisia with regional and international 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.
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.
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.