COAL Newsletter, March 2026, mid-month

Hello,

As shared in our last update to you, COAL is selected to participate in the third cohort of the Africa Impact Fundraising program of the New Africa Fund. And honestly, this is our first time ever running a fundraising campaign. We had no playbook, just a mission we believe in and a community we hoped would stand with us, and you did.

Over the past two weeks, we’ve seen things that moved us deeply, elderly mothers in Nigeria mobilising their friends and neighbours, young people in our network giving what they can, friends in the diaspora sharing and donating. It’s been humbling and honestly, a bit overwhelming in the best way.

Because of you, from a cohort of 70 African organisation, We COAL is currently leading in total funds raised in the first two weeks of the campaign. Between 1–12 March, we’ve already raised $3,036.25, meaning this will be matched 1:1 by NAF.

But we still have a long road ahead. To unlock the next level of matching funds, we need to reach at least 20% of our $25,000 goal by March 30. That’s $5,000, an amount that would immediately unlock another $5,000 from NAF.

We have 14 days left. And we need your help.

How you can help

• If you’re able, please make a new or another donation. Even small amounts help more than you know.
• Share the campaign. A quick message in your WhatsApp groups, social media, or among friends can multiply our reach. People want to support work that matters, they just need someone they trust to point them in the right direction.
  • Donation link to share: https://give-usa.keela.co/custodians-of-african-literature-coal-donate-page
  • Find link here to ready‑to‑use graphics, videos and captions to make sharing easy: We’ll keep updating them throughout March.

How your donation will be used

• Help accelerate quality education for 5,000 underserved children in Nigeria (based on our 2026–2030 strategic goal)
• Keep our creative spaces free and open for 5k+ more young people to create and build community and sustainable livelihoods.

What you can expect from us: Transparent, consistent updates on how your support is creating real impact, matching every financial input to impact because you’re not just donating; you’re helping shape futures.

A quick update

To mark the International Day of Education 2026, we worked with partners in Plateau State and engaged 170+ children and 70 parents through creative, play‑based learning. Families left more confident in supporting learning at home, through parent-child creative and bonding practice, something quite rare in most rural communities in Nigeria. See short video recap from the activity below.

Missed our last update? Learn more about our work in 2025 and Strategic plan.

Annual Report

2026-2030 Strategic Plan

Thanks for your continued support From all of us at COAL.