Ganta — The Development Education Network-Liberia (DEN-L) has ended a two-day Institutional Capacity strengthening Small Grant Management Training for 30 Civil Society Organizations and five Sexual and Gender-Based Violence CSOs Secretariat selected from the Spotlight Counties in Liberia, including Montserrado, Grand Cape Mount, Lofa, Nimba and Grand Gedeh held in Ganta, Nimba County.
According to Peter S. Dolo, DEN-L's Program Director, the Small Grant Management Training was part of an ongoing EU and the UN Women-funded Spotlight Initiative aimed at eliminating all forms of violence against women, girls, and people facing intersecting forms of violence.
"Each of the 30 CSOs is expected to benefit from $5,000.00USD, while the five SGBV Secretariat will benefit $12,000.00 each thus putting the total grant cost at US$210,000.00 for five months of implementation", he said.
CSOs benefiting from the small grant package, included nine women-led groups, eight youth-led, seven leave-no-one behind, and six other CSOs working on cross-cutting issues.
The DEN-L Program Boss also used the occasion to highlight key achievements of the program implemented by DEN-L under the EU/UN Spotlight Initiative since 2019.
According to him, DEN-L has mapped and documented more than 1200 existing CSOs and CBOs, including networks, coalitions, women movements, and marginalized groups in the Spotlight Counties; conducted capacity needs assessment, and strengthened the institutional capacity of more than 300 CSOs with skills and knowledge in proposal writing, organization development, gender, conflict management, advocacy and networking, social accountability mechanisms, and institutional policy development), established CSOs secretariats in each of the five Spotlight Counties to coordinate activities of CSOs working on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Issues under the Spotlight Program.
After the training process, DEN-L provided small grants to 25 selected CSOs as well as logistical support (office equipment-desks, chairs, computers, projectors, cameras, PA Systems, printers, generators, fans, recorders, and motorcycles), to CSOs Secretariat to support their efforts in addressing the issues of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and respond to COVID-19 more effectively in phase I of the Program.
"We have vetted 30 CSOs from 55 organizations that applied for the small grant from the five spotlight counties and the purpose of this training is to orient grant recipients on the entire grant cycle and ensure due diligence in implementation as well as reporting standards and compliance;" Mr. Dolo told FrontPageAfrica.
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The grant is intended to support CSOs in the five Spotlight Counties to help tackle, report, raise awareness, and follow up on SGBV issues in close collaboration with the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection. Speaking also, at the Grant Managing Training Tamba Johnson, the National Civil Society Reference Group representative on the Spotlight Initiative, thanked DEN-L for the level of work done under the project, especially the provision of a Small Grant to help CSOs immensely contribute to the overall goal of the Spotlight Globally.
The tough-talking National CSOs Reference Group Representative, Tamba urged benefiting CSOs to be punctual in filing their reports, adding that reporting is essential.
"The more you do good work, the more you will have something to report on, the better the quality of your reports, the more your chances increase in getting something bigger. Let transparency and accountability be the hallmark of our institution," he added.
Meanwhile, heads of benefiting institutions lauded DEN-L for the knowledge and praised the EU and UN Spotlight Initiative for providing the grant.
Mr. Dolo said DEN-L in collaboration with EU and UN Women implemented phase one of the Spotlight Initiative under Pillar six (6), specifically supporting CSOs across the five counties to contribute to the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls (VAWG) and harmful traditional practices.
DEN-L Program Boss concluded by challenging the CSOs representatives to take the training seriously and to do their best during the implementation period of the small grant.
