May 29, 2008
BANGKOK - The CWS Pakistan-Afghanistan office reports the successful completion of a workshop in program development and proposal writing. The training session, held in Bangkok for 30 aid workers from NGOs in Asia and the Pacific, was designed to train participants to generate high quality proposals that address the needs of the most vulnerable people and that will generate greater access to European Union funds.
CWS staff in Bangkok noted that many local organizations working in capacity development through disaster relief and preparedness and in social development lack expertise in preparing quality project proposals. As a result, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programs is difficult and the chance of receiving funding from the European Community (EC) or other majors donors is reduced.
Funding for the Proposal Development workshop was provided by CWS and the German Foundation for World Population (DWS) to bridge the gap
The training included project cycle management, assessment and planning methodology, and other tools, such as the logical framework. The training simplified planning methods and provided organizations with a common approach for the different policy documents and projects produced by the EC.
Participants included NGO managers and staff at the implementation and coordination level, especially those who have worked together or who will work together in the future, those who have overlapping activities, and those working in Asia-Pacific countries.
Selection criteria included the authority to form partnerships, fluency in English, and prior experience with program implementation and proposal development.
Participating organizations committed to providing the means for each of their participants to produce at least one project or program proposal within the first six months of returning to their locations.
In its capacity development training CWS anticipates that the increased ability of the region's NGOs to write effective proposals for community based projects will result in strengthening of the entire network of responders.
"Long term sustainability through diversified sources of funding will enhance regional networking for transfer of technology and information sharing," comments a CWS staff member. "The training will benefit communities as well as staff members of the participating organizations."
Background:
The European Union (EU) provides 55% of global Official Development Assistance (ODA). In 2005 this totaled 49.2 billion Euros, of which 7.5 billion were provided by the European Community (EC). A part of this is allocated to NGOs.
The EC intends to support organisations around the world which have genuine local, expert knowledge and experience in development cooperation. However, for a variety of reasons, many NGOs do not try their chances and do not apply for co-funding: It is very difficult for the vast majority of these organisations to understand and access the EU funds intended to support their efforts. Often information about these funds, and how to access them, is complex and non-transparent. In addition, EC officials dealing with applications complain about the low quality of project proposals, which may lack structure, clarity or a relation to EC priorities.
While a number of NGOs operate in the Asia and Pacific region, the work of a vast majority of these NGOs is sometimes not sustainable due to time-bound funding. As a result, they often have to downsize their activities even when community needs remain great. In today's humanitarian work, program preparation or project proposals skills are essential. This skill provides NGOs a comparative advantage in planning, implementation and reporting effectiveness.
Media Contact:
Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676; lcrosson@churchworldservice.org
Jan Dragin, 781-925-1526; jdragin@gis.net
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
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