It’s important to understand how partner organizations function in order to support capacity strengthening effectively. As a capacity-strengthening organization, we held a one-day consultative meeting in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia to get the views of our partners and raise awareness on the importance of capacity strengthening. Partners also reviewed the self-assessment tools that were developed by CRVPF to assess how much they know their organizations.
The meetings were very participatory and provided space for partners to understand how CRVPF self-assessment tools can be used by organizations at different levels. Feedback on the tools was collected, and missing areas were identified to come up with a tool that would suit CRVPF partners’ needs and provide guidance for self-reflection and capacity assessment.
What participants said….
“Wow if I had done this 10 years ago, I would be very far today. I have not seen donors that support their grantees to conduct the organizational capacity assessment.” Beatrice ED, Wanawake Mashinani Initiative, Nairobi Kenya
“This session has helped me to realize that I have a lot to do as an organization. I have been working for 8 years and did not know that organizational assessment is important. It has helped me to see that I have a long journey to go, and I am confident and eager to embark on this journey as CRVPF said that it is not judging us or assessing us but supporting us to reflect on our organizations and gradually work towards the right capacity” Bahati, the Bliss CEO
“We have been reluctant as an organization and some expectations have been met for this meeting. Now we will be evaluating ourselves against the policies in place. We will also share the vision and mission with staff.” Partner organization Rep. Uganda
“I really did not know much about succession planning, but now I realize that it’s important for an organization to have a succession plan. After this meeting, we are going to meet and draw up a succession plan for our organization. Because we have realized that it’s not good to stay in power for quite a long period of time as this makes the organization stagnant.” A representative from SOMERO organization, Uganda.
“Most of us who are considered as growing organizations lack the understanding that organizational capacity assessment is not a donor’s grant-making decision tool, but rather an opportunity to assess our limited capacities and generate commitment towards organizational capacity strengthening.” Participant from Dares Salaam
“The survey will provide us the opportunity for our organizations to consider themselves as a whole, asking what works well and what could be improved. It then helps us collectively identify priority areas for improvement and steps for addressing them.” Partner in Ethiopia
“Conducting an Organizational Capacity Assessment enables each organization to consider where there is a need for organizational and programmatic improvement and how best to facilitate capacity building to fill those needs.” Participant from Ethiopia
Children’s Rights and Violence Prevention Fund implements its programs through partners. We see our partners as a means to achieve our goal. If our partners don’t succeed, then we have also failed. So, we build their capacity so that they can implement and monitor programs.