- “It is global, it has a presence in different parts of the world,” points out Swatantra Gupta, representative from the Smile Foundation (India).
- “It is like coffee. In any conversation in my country, even about fundraising, coffee is always there to connect people”, is the analysis of Berhanu Demissie, representative from the Development Expertise Centre (DEC), from Ethiopia.
- “It is like a cactus, a common plant in the semi-arid region of Brazil. We have the resilience to fight on several fronts and, like cacti, we have internal water reserves and so we can resist long periods of drought”, was the comparison made by Luana Almeida, from the Ecumenical Coordination of Service (Coordenadoria Ecumênica de Serviço: CESE) (Brazil).
The Programme Coordination Meeting opened with presentations from the different countries, describing their understanding of the Change the Game Academy Programme, an initiative of the Dutch cooperation agency Wild Geese. At the meeting (which took place in Nairobi, Kenya from 26 to 28 June) were the organizations participating in Change the Game: CESE (Brazil), Smile (India), KCDF (Kenya), Development Expertise Centre (DEC), ICCO (Uganda) and ABF (Burkina Faso).
The main meeting objectives were: constructing a common vision for the initiative (with local adaptations); developing ideas about how to make the programme sustainable in each country; developing closer relationships between participants to exchange experiences and information for future cooperation activities; and common approaches (branding use, monitoring and evaluation, distance learning and coaching).
At the end of the meeting, working groups were formed to lead discussions about fundraising and sustainability; perspectives for the next 10 years; coaching and distance learning.
The plan for the next 10 years is for 1,000 organizations to be trained in South America, Asia, Africa and Europe.
KCDF anniversary
CESE also took part in commemorations for the KCDF’s (Kenya Community Development Foundation) 20th anniversary, celebrated on 22 and 23 June in the Kenyan capital. Over these days, a total of 300 people participated in the conference, “Sustainable Development: shifting the power, building community resilience,” held in partnership with the Global Fund for Community Foundations and the Africa Philanthropy Network.
A workshop “Communities as Donors: testimonies from Brazil, Kenya and India” was held on 23 June. Its central focus was a presentation of Change the Game Programme experiences in the three countries, and CESE ran a dialogue session about fundraising in the field of human rights.
The event closed on the night of 23 June with a cocktail party and the launch of a book to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the KCDF.
Programme
Local Fundraising Trainning (Change the Game Programme)
August 07 to August 11 (First stage)
October 9 to Ocotber 10 (Second stage)
Local Fundraising Trainning 2017 (Double Premium – Action for Children)
August 23 to August 25