In recent years, with funding becoming more difficult, as well as authoritarian tendencies in government, civil society activities in Namibia have subsided considerably.
Dependence on external finance is a pervasive problem for all civil society bodies, as is the need for capacity building. Enthusiasm alone does not get things done – civil society representatives require skills in the fields of: organisation; administration; implementation; and finance, to enhance accountability and credibility in the CSO sector.
Besides funding, the smaller, locally organised CSOs need training and support. Namibia has seen years of workshops aimed at the grassroots but all too often training is not applied nor shared. Inevitable personnel changes compound the situation.
Analysis of costs vs. benefit of face to face training programmes has shown that alternative methods of building capacity into civil society need to be explored.
Accordingly, TEP has launched this new initiative to produce an E-Handbook, accessible online for CSO personnel, Ministry officials, local leaders and other interested parties such as donors. Lessons learnt during decades of training have been distilled into one on-line manual.
This E-Handbook aims to make key skills training accessible to more people while at the same time saving costs and other resources. Less travel will be necessary and it will be simpler to keep information up to date.
The first edition contains chapter about:
How to set up a CSO/CBO
How to run a CSO/CBO
Leading a CSO/CBO
CSO/CBO in the community
Skills Development in CSO/CBO
CSO/CBOs & the digital environment
Within each chapter are multiple sessions related to the subject matter.
Access to the internet is becoming more and more possible, even in Namibia’s remoter areas. Most CSOs have laptops and smart phones. And few young people leave school today unable to navigate the various social media platforms.
- People with no training can explore our on-line manual to find out how to plan, implement, monitor and review their organisations.
- People who have attended training can use the manual to refresh their memories and learn about new topics.
- Chat rooms can be set up to share knowledge and experience.
- Other stakeholders can access the E-Handbook to see what information the CSOs are receiving. Interested parties will be able to simply go online in their own time, at any location and read the handbook at their own pace. They can focus on a particular chapter/topic accessing information that is useful to know – a 24/7 resource that can be dipped into whenever needed.
The E-Handbook is a “living document”. Materials will be adapted as per any feedback received or relevant new information e.g. new legislation regulations. New chapters will be added as per demand and appropriateness. KAS would appreciate all and any feedback from users to improve expand this valuable resource to strengthen civil society in Namibia.
