capacity building

The proposed project aims to promote online citizen journalism and improve access to information on the freedom of expression as a cornerstone for good-governance in Morocco. This project will be supported by a national multi-stakeholder platform and will validate a legislative proposal for the defense of the digital space in Morocco. The project will strengthen Moroccan CSOs' skills and aid journalists, lawyers and social movements on gender issues pertinent to digital rights with the support of 45 awareness campaigns on the freedom of speech and the right to information.

This project aims to improve the provision of local democratic services to women, youth and students in disadvantaged communities in 5 regions. It will facilitate capacity development and create an enabling environment for Women Self Help Groups, youth associations and student groups to support their own "democracy action" initiatives. The project also seeks to initiate intensive campaigns on the Right to Information Act, in developing informed citizens. Additionally, the project will develop micro justice initiatives to address problems of infringement of rights; establishing para-legal clinics to facilitate the insurance of citizen rights and entitlements for development.

This community-driven project is aimed at supporting an informed public debate and advocacy on women land ownership rights in the Districts of Kailahun, Kenema and Kono in Eastern Sierra Leone. The project will focus on research, public awareness-raising, building knowledge of communities on human rights and the Devolution of Estates legal framework, thus creating a forum for communities to critically analyze the need to enhance gender fairness and social justice, in the existing land tenure system.

The goal of the project was to empower citizens with information about the budget process and public expenditure so as to increase the transparency and accountability of the Nigerian government. The project addressed a lack of easily understandable information on the national budget in Nigeria specifically the problem of public works projects that were promised but never completed. The original project strategy was to use social media to engage local community-based organizations (CBOs) to monitor the completion of mini public works. However, due to limited access to technology and low commitment by the local CBOs, the grantee instead engaged Project Tracking Officers (PTOs) who were equipped with mobile phones and technical skills to undertake project monitoring activities in each targeted community and who were accountable directly to the grantee.  Instead of working with the CBOs, the grantee decided to engage with community leaders as “champions” to involve community members in community project monitoring. However, the broadcast television component of the project - Tracka. - had an impact. This media platform provided a tool for giving feedback to citizens and was very effective in collecting, transferring and sharing the information on the status of the public works

The project aimed to build the capacity and skills of community actors such as farmers' organizations, youth organizations and women's organizations to defend and uphold their rights. The grantee aimed to capitalize on the experience and realities of these groups and to stimulate their effective and responsible participation in the mobilization for the respect of fundamental human rights in the country. It also wanted the project to address the low level of knowledge of community actors, vulnerable groups and local authorities on human rights as well as State authorities' obligations in respect of human rights. Legal education on the chain of protection of human rights in Haiti, the mobilization of local actors on this thematic and the establishment of legal clinics were the main elements of the project implementation strategy. The evaluation focused on assessing the results of the activities trying to identify changes that could be reasonably attributed to them. While the overall aims of the project were relevant, the project largely failed to achieve the intended results. The negative consequence in not doing enough monitoring was that activities and impacts cannot be measured. The project was neither effective nor efficient as facilitators/animators were unable to create or reinforce networks of human rights observers in the targeted communities and human rights violations failed to be systematically documented. Observation reports were based on too few and poorly documented cases and legal aid was not provided as intended. The few trainings and meetings that brought together locally elected authorities, justice system representatives and members of grassroots organizations did facilitate exchanges that are still ongoing after the projects’ closure and continue to contribute to legal education and social dialogue.

The project’s overall objective was to strengthen local democratic governance in mining regions in northern Upper Guinea in order to promote socio-economic development. Specifically the project aimed to enhance civic participation and transparency in public administration in the three urban municipalities of Dabola, inguiraye and Kouroussa. The grantee set out to create transparent spaces for civic participation and consultation; as well to strengthen drafting skills and to promote local governance such as Local Development Plans, an Annual Investment Plan and municipal budgets. The activities aimed to empower the most vulnerable groups, women and young people. The project was relevant since it addressed the main problems facing public administrations - a lack of knowledge and skills within local government and the reluctance of citizens to get involved and to participate in managing public affairs.

The project aimed to increase the knowledge and capacities of local organizations and marginalized groups; enhance dialogue among civil society and marginalized groups, private sectors and the government; and ensure participation of marginalized groups in the democratic processes and achievement of advocacy for civil rights protection and promotion. The project was implemented in seven districts of Manica province, in central Mozambique. While the project correctly identified issues of political participation and NGO capacity building that were of genuine concern in Manica province, there were weaknesses in project design - the project did not directly address the structural and operational weaknesses of NGOs. And while the project’s expected outcomes were weaker than planned, the fact that the activities that were planned in a remote province, in locations that were sometimes difficult to to access because of weather conditions and occasional political violence, was in itself a significant achievement

The project’s overall objective was to increase the participation of Vietnamese civil society organizations (CSOs) in democratic policy-making. The grantee sought to achieve this through: building the capacity of CSOs to advocate for democratic participation in the policy development process; enhancing networking, cooperation and communication among CSOs and related government bodies; implementation of existing legal frameworks and policies; and actual, successful participation of CSOs in the policy-making process. The objectives of the project were directly relevant to exploring new possibilities in civil society engagement with government agencies in Viet Nam on public policy, at both local and national levels. The project helped facilitate CSOs voice in discussions and problem-solving on issues of concern to particular disadvantaged and vulnerable communities.

The project aimed to enhance the capacity of civil society organizations at local level to influence the government budget and expenditure process, with particular emphasis on the social sector. The initiative took place in a governance environment where there is no tradition of using the budget as a means of holding the government accountable, at national or local levels, even in the Parliament. This project represents one component of the grantee’s broader effort to draw public and media attention to the importance of budget-making, while building the capacity of civil society to engage with government on budget matters, thus enhancing public accountability. The emphasis on the budget for the social sector was particularly relevant as a step towards drawing attention to, and seeking to improve, the situation of vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. Increasingly, the responsibility for administration of the social sector budget, including health and education, as well as social protection, rests with the municipalities. The selection of the Urban Councils and Women’s Assemblies as the focus for strengthening the role of civil society in monitoring the performance of municipal government was a relevant and appropriate choice, given the project objectives.