Strengthening capacities of local and national organizations in Burkina Faso: DRC and SPONG join forces
In January 2024, the LOCAL project ("LOwering CompliAnce burdens for Local and national associations"), funded by the European Union and led by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) in partnership with the Humanitarian Quality Assurance Initiative (HQAI), the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA), and the Permanent Secretariat of Non-Governmental Organizations of Burkina Faso (SPONG), was officially launched.
Posted on 12 Dec 2024
This project, deployed in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, aims to reduce duplication of due diligence assessments while strengthening the capacities of local non-governmental actors (ALNs) to enable them to improve the quality and accountability of localization efforts.
In this context, DRC, in collaboration with SPONG, identified training topics to support the localization agenda by enhancing the capacities of ALNs through training themes related to the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS).
The pilot phase, launched in Burkina Faso, aims to equip 22 trainers, members of organizations within the SPONG network, with the necessary tools to impart key skills to ALNs.
We will later disseminate our skills and share our experience, enabling us to meet international humanitarian standards.
/ Flora Bakyono, HR Manager for the Pananetugri Initiative for Women’s Wellbeing, participant of the training in Ouagadougou, December 2024
Training oftrainers
A total of 22 trainers were selected from among SPONG members, representing a diverse array of local humanitarian organizations in Burkina Faso. During several intensive sessions, these trainers received targeted instruction on themes, including:
Community Engagement: Ensuring that affected populations actively participate in the design, implementation, and evaluation of projects that impact them, while respecting their needs and priorities.
Conflict Sensitivity: Identifying and minimizing risks of tensions or conflict escalation, adopting an approach that strengthens social cohesion.
Humanitarian Principles: Ensuring that aid is impartial, neutral, and solely based on needs, while respecting the dignity of beneficiaries and fundamental ethical principles of human rights.
Cross-Cutting Protection: Integrating safety, dignity, and the rights of vulnerable populations into all stages of projects, without discrimination.
Accountability to Affected Populations: Establishing mechanisms that enable communities to provide feedback, ask questions, and report concerns, thereby improving the quality of interventions.
Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (PSEAH) and Internal Ethics: Preventing abusive behavior or misuse of power within teams or towards beneficiaries by fostering a culture of respect, transparency, and setting up accessible complaints/alert mechanisms.
A model that strengthens and expands local expertise
The primary goal? For each of these 22 trainers to, in turn, train at least 20 members of their own organization or other LNAs, amplifying the impact of the training across the country. This multiplier effect is expected to empower hundreds of individuals with new skills.
This training helps us strengthen the capacities of our members as well as the local associations we work with on the ground.
/ Eric Bamouni, President of the Active Youth Association for Self-Employment and Local Development, participant of the training in Ouagadougou, December 2024
DRC and SPONG support the trainers throughout the process. Beyond the initial training, post-training follow-ups will refine teaching tools and ensure that the new skills are effectively applied in the field and provide further guidance as needed. By empowering LNAs with enhanced expertise, DRC contributes to building a humanitarian response rooted in local knowledge and capacity.
Contact
Romain Sztark | Regional Head of Multi-country Grants Operations | Regional Office for West-North Africa & Latin America | [email protected]
