• Strengthening civil society

Strengthening civil society

Self-organising can potentially be a very powerful tool for empowerment and social change but it can also be very challenging and complex. Self organised groups may face unique challenges and concerns, some of which may benefit from the support of external stakeholders, such as donors and NGOs. This report examines and systematically document anecdotal information about self-organised member groups belonging to Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW). It suggests that external stakeholders, such as donors and NGOs, can either strengthen or hinder self organising efforts, through their involvement with self-organised groups.

The report also stresses the importance of how partnerships with self-organised groups are managed rather than what specific supports are given. It emphasises the need for donors, NGOs and external stakeholders to firstly critically analyse and reflect on their own assumptions regarding the abilities of self-organised groups and secondly to genuinely respect the boundaries of their own role, ultimately, as a supporter rather than as a driver of self-organising efforts.

Other recommendations include:

For self-organised groups:

• Need to be able to access guidance on conflict resolution and consensus building techniques from skilled resource persons, partners in solidarity and other self-organised groups
• Given the high mobility of women involved in self-organised groups (due to increased career opportunities or changes in life circumstances), self-organised groups need to plan for and invest in continual membership and leadership renewal.

For NGOs and partner organisations

• Groups of women should be permitted to formalise into registered organisations. NGO initiatives should not ban groups involved in NGO projects from formalising into registered associations
• Linking learning and support activities together with opportunities for active involvement can increase opportunities for empowerment in what can sometimes be experienced as disempowering environments (e.g. shelters)

For donors

• Increase access to funding by not requiring groups to be registered as formal associations in order to apply for funding
• Conditions cannot be tied to funding
• Donors should provide access to core rather than project-based funding
• The work of self-organised groups represents both an outcome (e.g. of empowerment, skill development, etc.) and a process (e.g. to achieve certain objectives, to provide certain services). The processes of empowerment and self-organising need as much support as the outcomes of self-organising.

For NGOs and donors

• Initiatives solely based on donor or NGO definitions of empowerment or a group’s needs may not be empowering or valued by self-organised groups. Donors and NGOs need to keep in mind that self-organised groups’ may differ in how they define empowerment, participation, and ownership
• Self-organised groups should be supported in participating in international fora as advocates and activists rather than as victims providing testimony
• Self-organised groups should not be used as a cost-cutting measure to replace services such as healthcare. They cannot be expected to provide service provision without adequate resources, infrastructure and income security.
  

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