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Civil Society Strengthening

All NGO Resource Centres interventions encourage sustainability and a balanced utilisation of natural resources.“Civil society organisations need to reach for the highest levels of competence to justify their support. The sector combines energy and creativity, with a social conscience. Together, these constitute a powerful impulse and should be nurtured. At the same time, capacities for management, programme design and implementation, fund-raising and self-study and evaluation need to be strengthened.”

HH the Aga Khan, speaking at the EBRD Annual Meeting, Tashkent, May 2003.

The NGO Resource Centre has, over the last 10 years, built the capacity of 300 community based organisations to effectively implement and manage development processes. The Resource Centre also engages actively in policy issues and research, which contribute to the creation of an enabling environment for the functioning of civil society organisations, in both Zanzibar and more recently mainland Tanzania.

Creating effective civil society organisations that create positive change has been the founding principle of the NGO Resource Centre. To be effective, CSOs must be well run and well governed, operating under a code of ethics that stresses accountability and integrity, so as to ensure resources are properly and effectively used. To help these organisations become successful and self-reliant, the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) assists communities lobbying for change, by facilitating the organisation of community-based groups with strong administrative and implementation skills.

NGORC offers training programmes, advisory services and opportunities for its beneficiaries to link with key development partners, by working in three main programme areas:

• Capacity Building and Organisational Management: NGORC supports civil society organisations in addressing gaps in capacity. NGORC has developed, piloted and implemented eight training modules on topics relevant to CSOs: (i) community planning, (ii) leadership development, (iii) mobilising and managing resources, (iv)reporting, (v) record keeping, (vi) monitoring and evaluation, (vii) developing strong governance structures and (viii) strategic planning. Additional modules are being developed to illustrate best practices in creating public-private partnerships between CSOs and the government.
  
  As of 2007, 156 Community Based Organisations, 64 Village Development Committees and 56 NGOs from Pemba and Unguja islands in Zanzibar have benefited from modular training and post-training support. These organisations serve a total membership of approximately 520 people and a beneficiary population of over 12,000 individuals.
• Policy Engagement: NGORC creates platforms and opportunities for civil society organisations to engage with policymakers on a diverse range of issues. This is accomplished through hosting dialogue forums with local administrators at the village level, and simplifying existing policies that have a strong bearing on civil society.
  
  NGORC also played an active role in developing the Zanzibar Strategy for Growth and Poverty Reduction (MKUZA), by mobilising civil society participation in the review process and overseeing its implementation at the grassroots level.
• Development Communications: NGORC offers a reservoir of development information, in Kiswahili and English, to civil society organisations and individuals through a resource centre in Stone Town. The goal of the centre is to help bridge the information divide between all sectors of society. Its books, magazines, newspapers and field training materials and manuals have so far served the needs of over 60,000 individuals. Between 2007 and 2011, pilot projects mirroring the Stone Town resource centre will be run in rural areas across Unguja, to disseminate information based on identified needs.
  
  All NGORC interventions encourage sustainability and a balanced utilisation of natural resources.