EU-CORD recognises the complexity of the EU rules and regulations that govern its development aid to civil society. The EU has decentralised the management of its development aid to its Delegations in the developing world, where local NGOs can apply for EU funds. This offers a major opportunity to members’ local partners but many need to build their capacity first.
In response, EU-CORD runs workshops in developing countries for members’ local partners to build their capacity to access EU development grants and then manage them correctly.
In March, EU-CORD ran its 7th workshop for members’ local partners in Lima, Peru. As previously, this workshop focused on helping participants to understand the EU’s development aid policy and programmes, how to access EU development funding, and then how to manage grants correctly. Participants were also able to widen their knowledge of other institutional donors that may be less demanding than the EU but still offer significant funding to NGOs.
© Adrian Hawthorn
Tearfund UK, Tear NL and Tearfund Switzerland were active in hosting and facilitating the workshop, together with Diana White, the Director of EU-CORD.
A large group of members’ local partners from countries across the Andean region attended, with experience of working in a wide variety of sectors including health, education, street children, livelihoods and more. Many of them were also actively committed to ending violence against women, which was seen as a significant problem in many communities where they worked. This may well be a priority topic for a future funding proposal to the EU from a consortium of local partners.
At the end of the workshop all the local partners put their newly acquired knowledge to good use in drawing up a funding strategy for their organisation for the next three years.
