ICS - Italian Consortium of Solidarity, in partnership with Oxfam-GB and Church World Service-CWS , is carrying out a capacity building project to assist Iraqi NGOs. The project aims at strengthening the managerial skills of staff of grassroots Iraqi civil society organizations and improving their effectiveness in the humanitarian actions. A further intended outcome is to enhance their ability to advocate for the basic rights of the Iraqi population.
Through a participatory approach with ICS, the Iraqi NGOs will identify their challenges and training needs and implement a few select development initiatives. Six Iraqi NGOs working in various sectors such as humanitarian aid, human rights advocacy, environment, women's empowerment and community conflict transformation have been selected based on a survey undertaken in May 2005, when the project was launched.
The NGOs will have the opportunity to demonstrate and apply the skills and tools they acquire during participation in this program by designing, submitting and implementing small project grants provided within the project. A workshop which will be organized in Amman during the first week of September will address the most critical training needs which where identified during the need analysis and assessment survey. Project management and planning are among the issues which will be particularly addressed in this workshop. Learnings from this initial workshop will be complemented and re-enforced through a follow up workshop planned in November. In addition, specific training courses will be tailored to the particular needs and specialty of each NGO. ICS staff present in Iraq will provide coaching and mentorship to the NGOs at their working places throughout the project phases. An internet-based distant learning forum has been also launched to provide the NGO staff with an additional source for training, coaching and sharing best practices and experience.
«The project, through its sustainable impact on the Iraqi NGOs, will flourish the Iraqi civil society and empowers its members to effectively contribute to the development of the Iraq, which is the final goal of ICS», said Ali Shaheen, ICS Project Manager.
For info and interviews:
ICS office in Amman - Ali Shaheen, mobile
+962 79 6237337
ICS press office in Rome - telephone +39 06 85355081