Kenya Constituency Development Fund: Community Tracking and Mapping

Helping People to Shine Light on Devolved Funds

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This open CDF (Constituency Development Fund) tracking and mapping website enables Kenyans to easily view all official and on-the-ground details on CDF funded projects in Kibera. KCODA (Kibera Community Development Agenda) monitors submit detailed reports on the real status of projects, and contrasts with officially reported government status,the amount allocated, the contractor involved, photographs, and geographic location. This evidence based monitoring, combined with the communication power of maps and the web, serves as a powerful advocacy tool for improved accountability of devolved funds in Kenya. Statement of purpose While a certain level of corruption goes on everywhere, corruption in Kenya is seen as an endemic problem, a regular part of life. According to a report by the National Anti-corruption Campaign Steering Committee, many of the CDF tenders are awarded to allies of sitting MPs. The committee also established that there is no serious monitoring and evaluation of the on-going projects initiated through this funds. The need to combat these problems and promote transparency in CDF funding motivated the development of this app. The tool will not only allow KCODA monitors and residents of Kibera to follow up on projects and report their real status, but will also allow other NGOs, government bodies and individuals to view how their money is spent. We are targeting Kenya in general and in the ongoing development of this tool, Kenyan transparency organizations and citizens will be able to submit reports, images and videos, and map projects.. The Tech The site is developed in php/mysql, and the OpenLayers javascript mapping library, and uses OpenStreetMap data. On the public side, the site features a browseable map of projects, search, and individual project pages with official and community details as well as comments. The administrative side
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The data was sourced from the Government of Kenya's CDF site, and processed using Ruby into the site database. Reports, photos, and locations by KCODA were added. The code repository is located at http://gitorious.org/open-cdf-tracking/open-cdf-tracking The People This app was programmed by Jamila Amin, and mentored by Mikel Maron. We were greatly assisted by Julius, Anthony and Douglas of KCODA, and inspired by ground breaking transparency projects like InfoNet's Budget Tracking Tool .

Constituency Development Fund: A Critique The Constituency Development Fund (CDF) was created in Kenya in 2003 through an act of parliament to fight poverty at the grassroots level through the implementation of community based projects which have long term effects of improving the peoples economic well being (and to) relieve members of parliament from the heavy demands of fund-raising for projects which ought to be financed through the Consolidated Fund. The legal provision of the establishment and operation of the Act suggests that the fund is essentially a model for decentralization of development planning and implementation. In this case, the organization and operation of the fund lies squarely within the domain of administrative decentralization. Decentralization as a means for fostering development has been a focus of intense academic, policy and even popular debate in Africa in general and Kenya in particular. On the policy front, the government has formulated a series of decentralization programs, although their implementation has in all cases fallen far short of expectation. The most notable of the decentralization programs that have been attempted in the past include majimbo system (1963), District Development Grant Program (1966), the Special Rural Development Program (1969/70), the Rural Development Fund, District Development Planning (1971), and the District Focus for Rural Development (198384). These programs were established to run simultaneously with local government authorities that are also an aspect of decentralization. More recently, all the diverse opinions on the Constitution of Kenya review process have coalesced around the need for a constitutionally sanctioned structure of decentralization with divergence appearing only in regard to the precise model that should be adopted. The CDF is arguably the new kid on the block in terms of attempts to decentralize decisionmaking. The primary argument for decentralization is that it enhances the process and speed of development through the provision of social and economic services. although this meaning of
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development has been found to be weak because it creates a government-dependent society. Development must therefore mean enhancing the capacity of the society to cope with challenges and meet its needs. The contribution of the CDF program must therefore be assessed against the background of the latter meaning of development. The establishment of the CDF program is an expression of continued faith in decentralization and frustration with the poor indeed fatal performance of all previous models of decentralization. How well is the legal and organizational framework of the CDF program suited for the realization of development goals in Kenya in the light of theoretical precepts of decentralization? This question will be answered through, first, an assessment of the organizational framework of the CDF and second, an assessment of the established operational framework as a vehicle for the realization of the goals of decentralized planning and implementation. Concepts in Decentralization and Development Decentralization is the redistribution of decision-making responsibility between the centre and lower-levels of an organization. In governance, it would involve redistribution of decision making power and authority between the headquarters of the national government (the central government) and the field units such as districts, provinces, regions or local councils. Popular participation in decision making is an important aspect of decentralization. The case of CDF program involves redistribution of decision making responsibilities for project planning and implementation from the central government ministries and departments to the constituencies. Decentralization can take two broad models: deconcentration and devolution. Deconcetration involves redistribution of power from the center to the subordinate levels within the same organization. It is effected through internal and administrative procedures and does not involve legislation. It can therefore be reversed without the need to change or breach the law. The CDF program has been established through an Act of parliament; through legislation and does not therefore fit perfectly in the category of deconcentration. Devolution on the other hand involves redistribution of decision making power and authority through legislation (an act of parliament or the constitution) and characteristically involves the creation of political decision making units, mostly elected councils. The CDF program partially fits in the devolution model in the sense that it has been established through legislation and the MP who is responsible for the program in the constituency is an elected official. However, the fitting is not perfect to the extent to which the program is not managed through an elected council such as in the case of local authorities. Relationship between Decentralization and Development Decentralization has many virtues. Competence in local knowledge and information resides in the hands of local officials thus decentralization of authority to local officials results in realistic planning and action. The participation of local population lends additional accuracy to assumptions about the development situations of the local officials; assumptions upon which decisions are made and action taken. Coordination of development agencies operating within a
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particular local area is made possible, simpler and effective. Heads of departments in the field have power and authority to act on behalf of their agencies. In an environment of decentralization, expeditious decision making and action is made possible through location of planning, budgeting, and implementation at the same site. The center is liberated from undue involvement in maters of detail that is often achieved at the expense of careful policy analysis. This enhances accountability of officials because questions are put directly to the field officials where the results are expected to show. Overall, decentralization enhances the democratic ethic at the grassroots and obviates possible local belief that the government and development are imposed from above. The morale of local officials and community representatives is boosted to the extent that they are accorded opportunity to exercise their competence, knowledge and experience rather than be robotic implementers of decisions from above Institutional Structure of CDF Program A discussion of the institutional arrangement of the CDF program can appropriately begin with the relationship between the program and the central government. The CDF Act requires the government to grant the program a minimum of 2.5 percent of the national revenue for each financial year, besides monies to be received through borrowing or other sources, presumably donations received by the National Management Committee (NMC) of the fund. The financial relationship between the central government and the CDF program is quite appropriate in the sense that the exact size of the grant to be remitted to the CDF is predetermined in law. The central government may not therefore renege on its obligation as happened in previous decentralization programs that were not rooted in the law. The NMC is composed of representatives of relevant central government ministries at the level of Permanent Secretary (Finance, agriculture, health, roads, housing and public works),technically competent officers appointed by the Minister of Finance, representatives from civil society, mostly religious organizations, and the manager of the fund. The function of the NMC is to disburse the funds and oversee their efficient utilization, by receiving and checking reports and returns from the constituencies. The NMC is dominated by the central government officials and thus undermines the essence of decentralization especially, the hallowed element of popular participation. In addition, the importance of religious organizations as the core of civil society participation in the NMC overemphasizes the representative character of the three religious organizations mentioned in the Act. The Officer Administering the Fund is the CEO of the CDF program responsible for ensuring respect for the CDF rules and procedures, including the keeping of accounts, and submissions of reports to the Controller and Auditor General. There is need to establish a similar office for each district, in keeping with the terms of decentralization. The Estimates Committee is a select committee of parliament responsible for verifying project proposals that MPs forward to the clerk of the National Assembly, before the list of the proposals is submitted to the Minister for Finance through the Clerk, to be included in the financial estimates for the coming financial year. This committee is appropriately located within the
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National Assembly. However, if the committee is important in the scheme of things, isnt it therefore a risk that it is made up exclusively of MPs? While it may be difficult for a committee of parliament to include stranger on it, the Act can overcome the difficulty by requiring the committee to receive representations and memoranda from the public in all the districts. Central Government Departments in the District are responsible for implementation of projects by themselves or using other agents through the regular tendering process. The district development officer (DDO) is seemingly the officer answerable to the NMC. The requirements in classical decentralization, especially devolution is for the decision making and implementation agencies to be different between the central government and the devolved units. In the case of CDF these are shared, thus reducing the completeness of decentralization. The District Projects Committee is composed of MPs, Mayors/chairs of local authorities, DC, DDO, community representative; District Accountant and District Heads of relevant departments (ex-officio). The work of the committee is to oversee implementation of the CDF projects. It is inadequate that the act has provided room for only one representative from the civil society, for this undermines the idea of popular participation. The District Development Committee is responsible for ensuring that projects that are implemented under the CDF do not duplicate projects implemented under other programs. The role of the DDC is appropriate because there should be a distinction between types of projects that come under the exclusive domain of CDF and those that come under the domain of other programs. In general, the institutional structure of the CDF program suggests that the program itself lies mid-way between decentralization and centralization given the heavy involvement of the center and the limited involvement of the local population. In this sense CDF comes very close to the district focus.

By Dr. Ludeki Chweya Senior Lecturer, Department of Political Science and Public Administration University of Nairobi Abstract Kenya's Constituency Development Fund (CDF) is one of the ingenious innovations of the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) Government of Kenya. Unlike other development funds that filter from the central government through larger and more layers of administrative organs and bureaucracies, funds under this program go directly to local levels and thus provide people at the grassroots the opportunity to make expenditure decisions that maximize their welfare consistent with the theoretical predictions of decentralization theory. Increasingly, however, concerns about the utilization of funds under this program are emerging. Most of the concerns revolve around issues of allocative efficiency. In this note, I highlight some of the constituency characteristics that impact on the efficiency and efficacy of CDF and also some political
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economy aspects associated with this program. In particular it is observed that CDF could have negative outcomes because of fiscal illusion and reduced local fiscal effort. The paper recommends an in-depth analysis of constituency characteristics that impact on the utilization of funds to ensure that the program achieves its full potential.

Abstract
This paper explores the financial implications of fiscal decentralization policies on the central government's operating budget in Kenya. The paper evaluates how devolved funds under the constituency development fund (CDF) have been utilized to start healthcare capital projects (clinics) at the local level. The study finds that fiscal decentralization has promoted allocative efficiency and equity but at a cost of exporting tax burdens (operations and maintenance) to the central government emanating from capital projects implemented at the local level. The exported tax burdens have policy implications and call for reforms of the CDF program to reflect a benefit-expenditure structure.
Item Type: MPRA Paper

Languag English e: Keyword fiscal decentralization; budget;devolution; constituency development s: fund; health care; allocative efficiency Subjects H - Public Economics > H7 - State and Local Government; : Intergovernmental Relations > H77 - Intergovernmental Relations; Federalism; Secession H - Public Economics > H0 - General H - Public Economics > H7 - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations H - Public Economics > H5 - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies H - Public Economics > H2 - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue A - General Economics and Teaching > A1 - General Economics > A10 General ID Code: 11813 Deposite Dr. Obuya Bagaka d By: 6

Deposite 01. Dec 2008 15:52 d On: Last 02. Dec 2008 15:49 Modified : Referenc References Bahl, Roy (1999). Implementation Rules For Fiscal decentralization. es: Economic Development Institute, World Bank.

Bahl, Roy. On-line Article, World Wide Trends in Fiscal Decentralization. Accessed at http://www1.worldbank.org/wbiep/decentralization/library1/bahl1.htm accessed on 12/3/2007 Bahl, Roy, Richard D. Gustley & Michael J. Wasylenko (1978) The Determinants of Local Government Police Expenditures: A Public Employment Approach. National Tax Journal, Vol. 31, No.1. pp. 67-79. Boadway, W. Robin & David E. Wildasin (1984). Public Sector Economics. 2nd edition. Little Brown and Company, Boston. Bradford D.F. R.A. Malt, & W. E. Oates (1969). The Rising Cost of Local Public Services: Some Evidence and Reflections. National Tax Journal, Vol. XXII, No. 2. Brennan, Geoffrey & James Buchanan (1980). The Power to Tax: Analytical Foundationsof a Fiscal Constitution. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge; New York. Burkhead, Jesse & Jerry, Miner (1971). Public Expenditure. Aldine, Publishing Company, New York. Coppedge, Michael (1999). Thickening Thin Concepts and Theories: Combining Large N and Small N in Comparative Politics. Comparative Politics, Vol. 31, No. 4, pp. 465-476. ______________ (2005) Explaining Democratic Deterioration in Venezuela Through Nested Induction. In The Third Wave of Democratization in Latin America. Edited by Hagopian, Frances and Scott, P. Mainwaring. Cambridge University Press, New York: David, Silverman (2005) Interpreting Qualitative Data- Methods for Analyzing Talk, Text and Interaction. 2nd ed. Sage Publications. London. Dennis, A. Rondinelli & Nellis, J.R. (1986). Assessing Decentralization Policies in Developing Countries: The Case for Cautious Optimism. Development Policy
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Review, Vol. 4, pp. 3-23. Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), (2004). The Public Sector management 40 Reforms in Africa. http://www.uneca.org Ebel, D. Robert & Serdar Yilmaz (2002). On the Measurement and Impact of Fiscal Decentralization. World Bank, Policy Research Working Paper No. 2809. Evans, S. Lieberman (2005). Nested Analysis as a Mixed Strategy for Comparative Research. American Political Science Review, Vol. 99, No. 3, pp. 435-452. Government of Kenya (GOK): CDF Allocations: http://www.cdf.go.ke Accessed on 3/4/2008. Government of Kenya (GOK) Ministry of Finance (2001): Government Finance Statistics (GFS). Government of Kenya (GOK) Ministry of Health (2008). Budget Estimate for a New Dispensary. Government of Kenya (GOK): Constituency Development Fund Act, 2003. Government of Kenya (GOK): Constituencies Development Fund Regulations, 2004. International Organization 57, pp. 695-729. GOK Sessional Paper No. 1 of 1992 on Development and Employment in Kenya. March, 1992. GOK - Ministry of Planning and National Development (2005). Geographical Dimensions of Well-being in Kenya Who and Where are the Poor? A Constituency Level Profile, Vol. II. Gramlich, M. Edward (1988). Intergovernmental Grants: A Review of the Empirical Literature. Unpublished Paper. Grossman, J. Philip (1989). Federalism and the Size of Government. Southern Economic Journal, Vol.55, No.3, pp.580-593. Herbert, B. Asher (1983) Causal Modeling. 2nd ed. Sage Publications, Newbury Park. Herbert, J. Rubin & Rubin, Irene (2005). Qualitative Interviewing The Art of Hearing Data. 2nd Edition. Sage Publications. Thousand Oaks. Hood, Ron, David Husband & Fei Yu (2002). Recurrent Expenditure Requirements of Capital Projects: Estimation for Budget Purposes. The World Bank, Policy Working Paper, No. 2938.
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 Jason Seawright & John Gerring (2008) Case Selection Techniques in Case Study 41 Research: A Menu of Qualitative and Quantitative Options. Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 61, No. 2, pp.294-308. John Gerring (2004). What is a Case Study and What Is It good for? The American Political Science Review, Vol. 98, No. 2, pp. 341-354. John, A. Vogt (2004). Capital Budgeting and Finance: A guide for Local Governments. International City/County Management Association. Joulfaian, David & Michael Marlow (1990). Government Size and Decentralization: Evidence from Disaggregated Data. Southern Economic Journal, Vol.56 , No.4, pp. 1094-1102. Kalaycioglu, Ersin (2000). Politics of Fiscal Decentralization. Intergovernmental Fiscal Relations & Local Financial Management Program, World Bank Institute. Kumar, Sharma Chanchal (2006). Decentralization Dilemma: Measuring the Degree and Evaluating the Outcomes. The Indian Journal of Political Science, Vol. LXVII, No.1.pp.51-64. Kwon, Osung (2003). The Effects of Fiscal Decentralization on Public Spending: The Korean Case. Public Budgeting & Finance. Lindaman, Kara & Kurt Thurmaier (2002). Beyond Efficiency and Economy: An Examination of Basic Needs and Fiscal Decentralization. Economic Development & Cultural Change, Vol. 50. Mark, Turner and Hulme David (1997). Governance, Administration & Development: Making the State Work. Kumarin Press, West Hartford, Connecticut. McClendon, J. McKee (2002) Multiple Regression and Causal Analysis. Waveland Press Inc. Long Grove, Illinois. Oates, Wallace (1972). Fiscal Federalism. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. Oates, Wallace (1985). Searching the Leviathan: An Empirical Analysis. The American Economic Review, Vol. 75, No. 4, pp. 748-757. Oates, Wallace (1999). An Essay on Fiscal Federalism. Journal of Economic Literature. Vol. XXXVII, pp. 1120-1149. Robert L. Bland and Irene, Rubin (1997) Budgeting, A Guide for Local Governments. International City/County Management Association
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 Rodden, Jonathan (2003). Reviving Leviathan: Fiscal Federalism and the Growth of Government. Russell, K. Schutt (2001). Investigating Social World The Process and Practice of Research. 3rd ed. Pine Forge Press. Thousand Oaks. Smith, B. C. (1985). Decentralization: The Territorial Dimension of the State. George Allen Unwin, London. Stein, Ernesto (1998). Fiscal Decentralization and Government Size in Latin America. Inter-American Development Bank, Working Paper # 368. Tanzi, Vito (2000). Policies, Institutions and the Dark Side of Economics. Cheltenham, United Kingdom. Tanzi, Vito (2001). Pitfalls on the Road to Fiscal Decentralization. Global Policy Program. Working Paper, No. 19. Tanzi, Vito & Hamid Davoodi (1998). Roads to Nowhere: How Corruption in Public Investment Hurts Growth. Economic Issues, 12. International Monetary Fund. Tarrow, Sidney (2004). Bridging the Quantitative Qualitative Divide in Rethinking Social Inquiry: Diverse Tools, Shared Standards. Edited by Brady, E. Henry & David,` Collier. Berkeley Public Policy Press and Rowman and Littlefield, Berkeley, CA. Tulia, Falleti (2005). A Sequential Theory of Decentralization: Latin American Cases in Comparative Perspective. American Political Science Review, Vol. 19, No. 3. Associated Content Home The world's largest source of community-created content. Home Creative Writing History

The God Sent CDF (Constituency Development Funds) in Kenya

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Post a comment The CDF development system came into existence in 2003 when it was implemented by an act of parliament. Ever since this time, more and more people have been ripping its benefits. The current budgetary allocation of these funds is about 110 million US dollars a year and with 210 constituencies in Kenya, each of them gets 524,000 US dollars annually. The impact of these funds has been magical and will be increased in the next budget. You may think that this is not a lot of money after it is distributed to all the constituencies but the amazing changes that it has brought to the community has been phenomenal. The major achievement of CDF funds is the amount of individually owned enterprises that it has created. These funds can be loaned out to individuals as short term loans upon the approval of the care taker committee. If you make or loose money as a result of your business you will still have to repay the money that you borrowed and under the stipulated conditions. In this method of borrowing, only small amounts of money can be borrowed by an individual or group of people in that constituency, this is meant to reduce the risks involved. The amount of educated citizens is increasing. Schools are being built through funding by the CDF resources. Each of the schools that have been built by the aid of CDF funds are properly equipped in terms of teachers and facilities. This has increased the quality of education and aided free primary education in all constituencies. People who could not join higher institutions of learning because of financial difficulties are now able to get an education through loans that they repay after they can generate an income for themselves. Dispensaries and hospitals are now more developed than ever before. Stalled dispensary buildings and projects are now being completed in record time as a result of funding from the CDF kitty. There is a dispensary close to where I live that was poorly equipped and under staffed in the past but now, it is treating most of the sick people in the area leading to decongestion of larger hospitals. In emergency cases like accidents the wounded are first taken to dispensaries for first aid then to hospitals leading to more survivors. Serious diseases in most cases are discovered in the smaller hospitals then thoroughly evaluated in the larger hospitals leading to less bereavement. Many roads that were neglected in the past are now re-carpeted and more roads are being upgraded. This has especially aided the transportation of agricultural produce to the nearest
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market leading to less spoilage. Upgraded roads are a source of income to people in that area as the number of tourists increase. For example, the road to Maasai Mara is in the process of being improved, this will inevitably increase the number of tourists, domestic and foreign. The constituents in that area are now ripping the benefits of CDF funding. Water resources are now reaching more and more people. The availability of water is a major issue which is now being addressed. Remote areas in the North Eastern province which have been suffering form drought have lorries which deliver water when it is scarce. An enormous amount of boreholes are now up and running, women now walk less to get clean water for their household. The establishment of CDF funds has not come with some problems which are currently being tackled. Some of these problems are misuse of funds, mismanagement of the funding process, corruption and theft. The majority of these problems are being eliminated by the inclusion of constituents in the management and running of the funds. In some constituencies, there is an accounts committee which deals with the allocation of these funds. There is a notion that the Member of Parliament is the one who is responsible for allocating the money to the projects of his choice which is wrong. All the members of that constituency can give proposals to their Member of Parliament for approval. The allocation of these funds should in addition be increased for areas where the development is less so as to improve on the equality of resources country wide.

Capacity Building
THE CAPACITY BUILDING UNIT (CBU) In recent times, funders have recognised the significance of enhancing the organisational capacity of their grantees. The new thinking behind this is that it is effective organisations, which are better placed to fulfill their mission and maximize their human and financial resources. Therefore, investing in the organisational capacity of grantees is increasingly seen as critical to achieving required results. In addition to providing grants, AWDF is keen to support the work of grantee partners through our Capacity Building Unit.

BERNICE SAM AT POLITICAL PARTICIPATION WORKSHOP

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The ability of an organisation to make an impact on its chosen area of work depends largely on how it can manage its internal and external dynamics of growth and development. This covers areas such as an organisations structure, staff development, governance, management, financial management, administrative systems, evaluation mechanisms, networking capacities and fundraising opportunities. These areas of work can be challenging to all organizations, however, African womens organisations work in an environment which makes their work even more challenging political uncertainty, economic decline, conflict, dealing with the impact of HIV/AIDS and the rising tide of religious and political conservatism. As the spaces within which civil society organisations operate become more difficult to navigate, it becomes increasingly important to have viable organisations with effective leadership. Civil society organisations also serve as a strong recruitment ground for future leaders. Womens organisations in particular have the potential to produce well-grounded leaders, through their many awareness

CEO's Forum in Kampala raising, self-esteem, inter-generational and capacity building programs. If these organisations are weak, the opportunities are wasted. Different organizations have varied approaches to issues of capacity building, the ultimate aim of which has always been to build the capacities of organizations so as to maximize social impact. Therefore, capacity building is necessary for womens organisations to ensure that they are able to achieve their goals and visions. The AWDF Capacity Building Unit supports the works of AWDF grantee organizations that are related to any of the thematic areas as specified above to enable them enhance their institutional capacity. This is done through a variety of strategies such as: 1. GRANT MAKING FOR CAPACITY BUILDING AWDF awards grants to current grantees specifically for capacity building. Occasionally capacity building grants may be awarded to new grantees but current AWDF partners are given priority. AWDFs capacity building grants can be used for programs or activities which will enable the grantee build capacity in a particular area or acquire needed skills. Examples include grants for board and staff development, strategic planning, financial management, transition planning, developing fundraising and communication strategies, program evaluations and
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documenting organizational experiences. Examples of organisations that have benefited from the capacity building grants are: The Ark Foundation, Ghana, awarded a grant of US$100,000

SARAH MUKASA AND ATSANGO CHESONI For a two year period for organizational development, institutional support and capacity building of staff. The grant will be used for staff remuneration, office equipment and maintenance costs and to engage a consultant to design and implement a communication strategy for the organization for its public and policy advocacy campaign programme. SWAA International, Senegal, awarded a grant of US$45,000 To carry out an organizational development process and to pay for the salary and administrative cost of the programs and communication manager for one year. Project Alert, Nigeria, awarded a grant of US$30,000 To organize capacity building trainings for faith based organizations in Lagos states of Nigeria aimed at sensitizing them on the prevalence of gender based violence and to equip them with appropriate skills to effectively respond to these crimes. In this project IEC materials and a marriage guide for married and intending couples will also be developed for churches and mosque to sensitise them on their human rights. Baraza La Wanawake La Amani, Kenya, awarded a grant of US$10,000 The grant is for one year staff salary, payment of one year office rent and purchase of a printer for the office. 2. MANAGEMENT ASSISTANCE There are some grantees who require specialist support to help them review complex projects, conduct evaluations, expand existing activities, etc. The CBU is manned by three specialist staff who provide direct advisory support to new and existing grantees on issues ranging from proposal development, monitoring, evaluation and reporting, communication and knowledge management. Aside this, the CBU has a referral system to enable grantees access the services of qualified persons who can assist, and whose services can be paid for with a capacity building grant.
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AWDF has established a pool of resource persons across Africa who provide diverse services to grantees and other womens right organizations on diverse issues. Some of these experts are: Hope Chigudu (Zimbabwe/ Uganda) Dr Sylvia Tamale (Uganda) Dr Ayesha Imam (Nigeria/ Senegal) Dr Rose Mensah-Kutin (Ghana) Muthoni Wanyeki (Kenya) Jeannette Eno (Sierra Leone) Additionally, the CBU has established an on-line English Database of fifty African women experts with backgrounds including womens human rights, peace building, economics, political participation, communication, HIV&AIDS and womens reproductive health rights among others. The aim of this activity is to develop a resource base of womens experts to enhance the work of the womens movement and to fill the information gap in African women experts in development. Detailed profiles of these experts and contact links can be accessed from http://www.women-experts.org 3. PEER LEARNING A critical need for African womens organisations is to learn from each other and share skills and expertise. AWDF wants to encourage a culture of partnerships and collaborations within the womens movement in Africa, and we see this as an important capacity building tool. Through our Solidarity Fund, AWDF provides grants specifically for learning and exchanges. For example, if a womens organisation in Ghana wants to know how to develop a project to support women in politics in Ghana, they can work with a group of women in Zimbabwe who have set up a Parliamentary Support Unit for Women in Parliament. 4. SKILLS BUILDING WORKSHOPS AWDF occasionally runs skills building training workshops for womens organizations. Examples include: International Womens Summit; Womens Leadership Summit on HIV&AIDS, July 2007 In July 2007, AWDF convened a meeting with its grantees working on HIV/AIDS in Kenya as part of its activities for the YWCA International Summit on HIV/AIDS. The meeting was to assess the current challenges affecting womens organisations that support those living with HIV and AIDS and how AWDF can best assist them in their efforts. Monitoring and Evaluation workshop, Ghana, 2007 AWDF convened a skills building workshop on Monitoring and Evaluation for 30 representatives of grantee organisations at national and regional levels in September 2007. The purpose was to share the tool developed by the Womens Funding Network to capture the impact of social change as they occur through the works of the organisations. This in turn is to strengthen our capacities to tell our stories of the change that womens rights initiatives generate to improve the quality of life of their constituencies. Where is the money for womens rights in Africa? South Africa, November, 2007. In November 2007, AWDF in collaboration with ActionAid International, Urgent Action FundAfrica and the International Network of Womens Funds convened a resource mobilisation strategy meeting for grantee organisations and partners from across Africa. The Johannesburg meeting provided a space for discussion, analysis, skills-building and visioning among African
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womens rights activists, organizations and donors on resource mobilization for stronger and more sustainable African womens rights movements. GIMPA Certificate Course, Ghana, September, 2008 AWDF, in collaboration with Resource Alliance has successfully negotiated the establishment of a resource mobilisation course at the Greenhill Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA). The GIMPA/Resource Alliance course started in September 2008. The goal of the course is to equip participants with critical knowledge and skills which will result in a significant increase in the effectiveness of their fundraising and resource mobilisation. 5. THEMATIC CONVENINGS AWDF organizes thematic convenings with grantees, potential grantees and donors to learn new trends, deepen its understanding and publicise its work on specific thematic areas. Examples of these convenings are: Womens Political Participation and Transformational Leadership, South Africa, November, 2008 At the 11th Association of Women in Development (AWID) Forum held in Cape Town, South Africa, AWDF organized a pre-AWID workshop on womens political participation and transformational leadership to assess womens participation in political processes at local, national and regional levels with a view of developing strategies to deal with challenges and barriers facing women in politics and strengthening qualitative and quantitative participation of women at all levels. Participants at this convening ranged from grantees, potential grantees, politicians, partners and donors. Africa Womens Regional Consultation on Aid Effectiveness, Kenya, May, 2008. AWDF joined forces with others in May to convene womens rights organisations to deliberate in the processes leading up to the 3rd High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Accra in 2008. The idea was to create a regional position on the Paris Declaration and to present the interests of African women in a systematised and strategic way. This included a TOT in Nairobi in February 2008, together with providing funding for an international convening of womens rights groups before the Forum in September 2008. Movement Building for Women Living with HIV/AIDS in West Africa, Sierra Leone, May, 2008 In May 2008, AWDF linked up with ActionAid International to mobilise women living with HIV/AIDS in 7 countries in West Africa. The objectives of the forum was to strengthen the leadership, organization and strategies of women living with HIV to make African womens voices and demands, visible and influential in policymaking at all levels. 6. KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRODUCTION (KM&P)

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AWDF has an active knowledge management, communication and production project which coordinates learning from programmes within the womens movement and its donor networks. The core focus of the KM&P is systematic generation of information, sharing and learning. Under this project AWDF has commissioned a number of research papers and publications. Examples of these publications include position and research papers such as: African Feminist Forum Position on the New UN Entity for Gender Equality, Womens Empowerment Financing for Development Charter of Feminist Principles for African Feminists. The African Union: Opportunities for African Women Womens Empowerment in Peace Building: A Platform for Involvement in Decision Making Women and Peace Building. AWDF has also published various fact sheets on the organisations six thematic areas. In order to build and sustain a body of knowledge generated by the African womens movement and to improve and strengthen its activities, AWDF has a well furnished resource centre open to the general public. The centre is furnished with literature on current development issues with a focus on womens rights activities in general. 7. DONOR SUPPORT AWDFs Capacity Building Unit has been supported by the following donors: African Capacity Building Foundation Comic Relief (UK) The Ford Foundation Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dutch MDG3 Fund The Mertz Gilmore Foundation (USA) Sigrid Rausing Trust For further information on the Capacity Building Unit please contact: The Program Officer, Capacity Building Unit African Womens Development Fund AWDF House, Plot 78 Ambassadorial Enclave East Legon, Accra, Ghana. PMB CT 89, Cantonments, Accra. Tel/Fax: +233 21 521257
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Email: cbu@awdf.org, awdf@awdf.org Website: www.awdf.org

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