How do you build capacity?

Building Capacity

Each Consortium agency completed the institutional capacity assessment, and identified areas where they wanted to improve. These 'change objectives' for improving conflict sensitivity capacity have been developed by each consortium agency. The change objectives and associated capacity building plans were then screened by three criteria:

1. Should be related to improving the ability of consortium agencies to be conflict sensitive.

2. Should where possible focus on integrating fully into other systems / policies / activities rather than stand alone e.g.: work to improve the conflict sensitivity of an agency's existing needs analysis work / tools.

3. Should produce sustainable changes i.e.: instead of stand alons training sessions for current staff, should look at ways of institutionalising the required skills, building into ongoing training / staff development systems, building into guidance systems etc...

For all change objectives / capacity building activities we therefore asked:

- How will this improve the ability of the NGO to be conflict sensitive?

- How effectively does this integrate with existing systems / initiatives / activities?

- How sustainable is this? (Will additional resources be required to sustain this after the end of the project - how will this be addressed?)

All Consortium agencies have then developed and started working on their change objectives. Some examples include:

- Integrating conflict analysis with poverty / vulnerability analysis

- Developing short, practical guidance notes on conflict sensitvity

- Integrating conflict sensitivity into staff induction

- Training and mentoring staff to become conflict sensitivity champions

- Clarification of roles / responsibilities at Senior Management level

We look forward to sharing our findings with you in the near future.