Strengthening capacities for local resource mobilisation through Communities of Practice.
The Giving for Change project, funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs seeks to promote development by recognizing the importance of domestic resources in increasing local ownership, and strengthening communities’ ability to claim entitlements. A key strategy of the project is the convening of Communities of Practice (CoPs) bringing together the project’s partners, other CSOs involved in promoting and utilising local philanthropy to achieve inclusive and sustainable development. Two COPs, co-facilitated by the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI), have been organised to develop a learning agenda aimed at building and exchanging skills in local resources mobilization for social change.
Communities of Practice (Cop) members for the pro-philanthropy initiative are part of the Giving for Change project, funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Giving for change Project is a five (5) year project which started in 2021 with funding from Giving for Change Alliance (GfCA), spearheaded by an international Consortium consisting of the Global Fund for Community Foundations (GFCF), Africa Philanthropy Network (APN), Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF) and Wilde Ganzen (WG).
The GfC programme sets out a bold vision for transforming how ‘‘development is done’’. The main goal is community and domestic philanthropy; recognizing that communities do not only have issues but assets as well which can be used to build the power and voice of communities. This project will also cure the over-reliance of Civil Society Actors on external funding and neutralize the risk of governments accusations about CSOs serving the interests of foreign agents.
The Programmes Manager at STAR Ghana Foundation, Eunice R. Agbenyadzi in her welcome address stressed the need for mobilizing resources by Civil Society Organizations for development. According to her, the meeting will “develop a learning agenda for Communities of Practice to help local philanthropy thrive” to attain development.
For his part, Results and Learning Manager for STAR Ghana Foundation, Frank Kwaku Amoateng emphasized the need for setting learning and sharing agendas for areas that may require same. In Ghana, STAR-Ghana Foundation is the lead organization for the Giving for Change project and WACSI is the key partner.
The two day event drew Participants from diverse civil society organizations across Ghana. These participants also took turns to share program expectations and key observations on working on the project.
Giving for Change
The GfC project is being implemented in eight countries globally, including, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Brazil and Palestine. The Giving for Change programme seeks to transform how “development is done” by focusing specifically on the recognition and importance of domestic resources in increasing local ownership, unlocking agency and strengthening communities’ ability to claim entitlements from different actors, especially government. The strategic objective is to enhance freedom of speech (both as a means and an end) by amplifying community voices claiming their rights towards power holders through community philanthropy, with the support of other state and societal actors.
Context
The civic space is seemingly faced with a growing threat globally. A CIVICUS Monitor reports that only 3% of the global population live in countries where civic freedom is respected. The Monitor tracks civic space in 196 countries, and the 2020 report shows that, the civic space in countries ranges from narrow (Ghana) to obstructed (Kenya, Mozambique, Burkina Faso and Brazil) to repressed (Uganda, Ethiopia and Palestine). In Ghana, media organizations have continue to raise concerns over the deteriorating safety of journalists, as physical attacks and threats against the media have become commonplace. Access to information also is limited even though an RTI does exist.
