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The Project
General background of the project
The 18-month civil society development project run by Euclid Network and funded by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office is increasing democratic demand by empowering civil society with a unique methodology: connecting leaders across borders to facilitate peer learning and cooperation, for the development of more innovative and cohesive societies in Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro.
The in-country partners are
- Human Development Promotion Center (HDPC) in Albania
- Advocacy Training and Resource Center (ATRC) in Kosovo
- Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM) in Montenegro
The project began in April 2008 and ended in October 2009.
- Producing in-depth research on the challenges facing civil society in each country
- A handbook outlining examples of best practice from the third sector in Kosovo, Albania and Montenegro
- Coordinating international job-shadowing exchanges
- Running high-level training masterclasses
- Gathering key stakeholders at national conferences
- Follow up country strategy papers where produced to acuratly review they project
- An EC report for the DG enlargement steering commitee to highlight accurately issues in civil society
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) funding
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office provided the financial backing for the project; the funding came from the ‘Reuniting Europe' stream of the Strategic Programme Fund (SPF). More information on this funding can be found here.
Comprehensive Scoping Exercises (CSEs):
The CSEs where developed by the local partners with support for Euclid Network. The CSEs map the challenges facing civil society in the country; identify key strengths and weaknesses; and assess government performance in relation to civil society.
In all three countries the CSEs marked the first time that local civil society had undertaken such a study; previous mapping exercises had always been carried out by international organisations.
General Conclusions from the CSEs are as follows
1. Low activity levels among NGOs, there are many registered NGOs but only a few are currently active
2. NGOs are dependent on foreign funding and are largley donor driven as a result
3. The legal framework around NGOs is complex and inadequate
4. The incentives for alternative funds is weak, e.g philanthropy is not tax deducatable
5. Knowledge of EU funding options is low
6. NGOs are not planning for the medium and long term
The full CSEs for Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro can be read by clicking on the links.
‘Reach for the Stars' is a handbook designed to inform others about the project. It outlines examples of best practice form the third sector in Kosovo, Albania and Montenegro,as well as the key findings from the CSE, additionally it provides guides for applying for funding and developing alternative funding options (such as social enterprise). The handbook has been translated into Albanian and Montenegrin to maximise its regional impact.
Download handbook (beta versions)
Albanian
The job shadowing scheme enabled 9 third sector leaders from the region to shadow third sector leaders in an EU country, this enabled them to develop skills and contacts
Currently a review of the scale up possibilities is taking place.
Many positive responses where given, both by visitor and host, for some testimonials please click here.
In Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro, the project ran a high-level training Masterclass for civil society leaders, followed by a national civil society development conference.
Each event was regarded as a success. The training opened the minds of civil society leaders to new ways of generating income for their organisation and found the interactive and dynamic sessions innovative and original.
For a report on the Master-classes please click
Conferences where held in each of the partner countries, with over 120 total participants. Fifteen trainers and facilitators where involved delegates came from:
- Private Sector
- British Embassy
- United Nations Development Programme
- National Democratic Institute
- Soros Foundation
- The European Commission
- The Council of Europe
A variety of relevant topics where covered including:
- Sustainable Funding
- Leadership Development
- Representation and Advocacy
Electronic copies of speeches and papers are available here
The CSP where conducted after the project had concluded, their aim is to review the successes and failures of the project as well as mapping out future actions that need tobe taken to improve the third sector in the country in selected topics, such as:
- Increasing NGO-Government engagement
- Map for following the CSE data gathering
- Strategy for improvement in sustainable funding
To read the CSP please click on the respective country
A report was prepared specifically for the European Commission Director General (DG) Enlargement which outlines the development of the third sector in the target countries, it provides an alternative approach to the DG progress reports for the country as it focuses specifically on the issues identified by the NGOs as key. The report is designed to begin linking the local partners and the European Commission
To download the report please click here