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EU, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung funded credible civil society project concludes

EU, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung funded credible civil society project concludes

The ‘Action for becoming a credible Civil Society Organisation in Namibian Communities’ project, jointly funded by the European Union and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung came to an end this week.

The project, which ran on N$13 million funding since April 2016 was implemented in partnership with the Namibia Institute for Democracy and aimed to positively contribute to an accountable, transparent and participatory democracy in Namibia in accordance with the Namibian Constitution.

Similarly, the purpose is to reinforce credible civil society’s as influential actors by assisting them to develop capacities and skills that will lead to an improved dialogue with elected representatives, who in turn gains knowledge to fulfil their roles and responsibilities more effectively.

The project is implemented in the Oshikoto, Otjozondjupa, Erongo, Omaheke and Hardap regions. The project has seen 10 civil society organisations per region benefit directly and they all work in the fields of culture and heritage, gender activism, nature conservation, health, people living with disabilities, farming, substance abuse and rehabilitation, as well as vocational training.

Trainings in the following modules were conducted since the project’s initiation; organisational, operational, financial and administrative skills; enhancement of constituent engagement and public participation; enhanced strategic, critical and analytical skills; Public Private Partnership; lobbying skills as well as how to use social media effectively. Civil society organisations received business cards and fliers for visibility, as well as mentoring and support throughout the project implementation.

“We believe that civil society can play an important role in ensuring good governance if included in decision-making processes. The EU wants to encourage a mind-set which helps civil society and government to see each other as complementary partners – here in Namibia and worldwide. The project, we believe played an important role in furthering dialogue, co-operation and exchange amongst civil society organizations and with government, communities and other role players,” said EU Ambassador to Namibia, Sinikka Antila.


 

About The Author

Donald Matthys

Donald Matthys has been part of the media fraternity since 2015. He has been working at the Namibia Economist for the past three years mainly covering business, tourism and agriculture. Donald occasionally refers to himself as a theatre maker and has staged two theatre plays so far. Follow him on twitter at @zuleitmatthys