Institutional Development Programs
Civil Society Strengthening
AMIDEAST serves as a liaison
between governments and nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs) in the Middle East and North Africa. Supporting
NGOs is an integral part of AMIDEAST's mission of fostering
democratic development and  assisting
governments to fulfill the civic needs of their citizens.
AMIDEAST provides institutional support to NGOs involved
in legal education, civil advocacy, human rights, government
reform and monitoring, and the protection of women's
rights and the rights of the disadvantaged. AMIDEAST's
experience in human resource and institutional development
has allowed the organization to build bridges of cooperation
between governmental agencies, NGOs and various private
institutions. Through these efforts, AMIDEAST is helping
to lay the building blocks of democracy in the Arab
world.
Sponsor: U.S. Agency for International Development
Region: West Bank and Gaza
Duration: 2000–2005
Summary: Grants and supporting civil society
organizations working with at risk communities
Challenge: Increase the effectiveness of civic
organizations seeking to empower people and address
major social crises
Results: Used 25 grants, totaling $33 million,
to train local groups to better deliver services to
vulnerable people in Palestinian areas
Overview: In late 2000, USAID launched a major
effort to increase the participation of Palestinian
civil society organizations (CSOs) in public discourse
and to contribute to preserving the critical "space"
occupied by Palestinian CSOs between citizens and their
public representatives. The five-year, $33-million Civil
Society and Democracy Strengthening Project is being
implemented by a team of partners led by Chemonics International,
with AMIDEAST, CARE International, and Massar Associates
as major subcontractors. During fiscal year 2002, the
Civil Society and Democracy Strengthening Project awarded
53 grants totaling $3.4 million. From the start of the
project to the end of calendar year 2002, the Civil
Society and Democracy Strengthening Project awarded
99 grants worth a total of approximately $8.4 million.
All of the grants awarded in 2002 are helping Palestinian
CSOs increase their role in public discourse, either
directly (through voter education, policy analysis,
youth leadership programs, and town hall meetings),
or indirectly (by combining basic service delivery in
health, education, and/or environment with democratic
process activities). Other major successes include the
creation and delivery of a training best practices course,
which is currently being implemented by a local CSO,
the development of a comprehensive needs assessment
tool for CSOs, and the procurement of equipment and
training to increase the IT capacity of more than 40
CSOs.
Sponsor: U.S. Agency for International Development
Region: Lebanon
Duration: 2001–2010
Summary: Provide small grants for NGOs, CSOs, and civic leaders to conduct activities that enhance transparency, accountability, and good governance within diverse sectors in Lebanon.
Challenge: Support civic society efforts to improve transparency, accountability, and good governance in Lebanon
Results: Public outreach campaigns and meetings covering the entire country promoting TAG; encouraging NGOs and governments to partner in their efforts to increase transparency and accountability citizen guides adopted by government agencies; training manuals produced for NGOs; public awareness campaigns conducted for youth and public at large; 164 grants made to date, 408 applications received to date.
Overview: In nine years, 164 grants made targeting diverse sectors such as central government policies, central government procedures, consumer protection, education and youth, environment, legal rights, media and information, public awareness campaigns.
TAG has demonstrated that there is a Lebanese constituency committed to creatively addressing and fighting corruption in all sectors. As of January 2010, 164 grants totaling $5,656,000 (nearly 90%) of the total funds available through TAG have been made.
TAG provides grants of up to $50,000 to support local NGO and civic initiatives to conduct short-term, impact-oriented activities. Activities in which local organizations partner with government agencies have been encouraged, as they constitute a public-private partnership in the effort to increase transparency.
Sponsor: U.S. Department of State
Region: Morocco
Duration: 2001
Summary: Advocacy skills training for NGOs in
Morocco
Challenge: Increase to ability of NGOs to engage
the government and public on reform and human rights
issues
Results: Trained the leaders of 14 NGOs in advocacy
and management techniques
Overview: AMIDEAST delivered targeted workshops
designed to strengthen the institutional and professional
capacity of Moroccan nongovernmental organizations concerned
with democratic governance. AMIDEAST provided advocacy,
lobbying, and public outreach training specifically
tailored to issues of governmental accountability, diversity
(particularly gender and age diversity), openness of
democratic institutions, and human rights. AMIDEAST
helped to improve NGOs' internal management by offering
training in six key areas of organizational development:
strategic management, human capital, financial resource
management, organizational learning, service delivery,
and external relations.
Sponsor: Ford Foundation
Region: Egypt
Duration: 1999
Summary: Leadership and communication training
for young NGO professionals in 3 Egyptian cities
Challenge: Deliver hands-on leadership training
to young staff members at local NGOs
Results: Over 400 participants used their training
to develop and facilitate conferences; the program enhanced
the professional skills and confidence of young NGO
members; established networking opportunities among
trainees and organizations.
Overview: The "New Voices Speaking Out!"
program was conceived as a non-traditional, interactive
training program to help front-line staff in NGOs become
effective managers and leaders. Participants from Alexandria,
Cairo, and Minya attended workshops, in which they developed
their own conferences on topics of their own choosing
and participated as presenters or organizers. The "New
Voices" project offered advanced leadership techniques
and real-life experiences to young professionals who
will manage the NGOs of the future and, ideally, use
these skills in their careers. "New Voices"
created a critical mass of NGO professionals with the
skills and knowledge become effective leaders of Egypt's
civil society organizations in the next generation.
Sponsor: U.S. Agency for International Development
Region: Middle East and North Africa (conducted
in Yemen & Jordan)
Duration: 1996–1998
Summary: Civil rights advocacy and political
leadership training for women
Challenge: Promote women's participation in
all aspects of political life and bring together women
from around the region
Results: Women produced a manual on how to exercise
political rights; networks were created between Middle
East North African and Asian/African leaders; women
benefited from participation in grassroots political
organizing.
Overview: AMIDEAST co-organized the first Global
Women in Politics (GWIP) gathering of women from the
Middle East and North Africa. Entitled "Raising
Women's Awareness of Their Political and Legal Rights,"
participants convened in Yemen for a series of workshops,
which produced training curriculum to raise awareness
among grassroots women leaders and the general public.
The workshops focused on assessing the previous GWIP
workshops hosted in Asia and Africa. Women from Zambia,
Pakistan, Bangladesh and The Philippines offered their
experiences in implementing GWIP awareness and advocacy
programs. This global sharing among women was truly
unique. GWIP veterans offered lessons learned from past
workshops that could be applied in the future. AMIDEAST
reconvened several of the workshops in Jordan to complete
work on a training manual. The participants also took
part in computer and Internet skills training. The GWIP
also supported the training of several female candidates
in local elections in Morocco. |
