Inception workshop unleashes ANEW

A major new ANEW-FAN project funded by the European Commission, South Africa's Department of Water Affairs and Forestry and WaterAid was launched at an inception workshop in Dakar, Senegal in June 2008

The project, which “promotes and improves the capacities of African Civil Society for advocacy and participation in governance to enhance provision of Water Supply and sanitation and Integrated Resources Management,” is a partnership between Maji na Ufanisi, ENDA-Rup, Kalahari Conservation Society, Association pour la Défense des Droits des Consommateurs, ANEW, FAN and WaterAid.

Partners joined together to ensure that everyone understood the content of the contract, log frame and budget, agreed roles and responsibilities in the implementation of the programme and top-line operational plans for the first 12-18 months.

“After going through the vigorous EU rules and regulations we began to appreciate the importance of the step by step process of co-learning applied by the facilitators, which involved acquiring initial information, analyzing it and presenting to peers for mutual understanding,” says Felix Monggae, ANEW board member and Executive Director of Kalahari Conservation Society.

“We all left the workshop highly motivated. Having engaged in many lively discussions around resources, power, experiences and culture we had all tested our negotiation skills at the beginning of the project and began to understand each individual’s and organizational uniqueness.”

“This is an exciting three-year project and has tremendous potential to strengthen ANEW as well as to establish and reinforce sub-regional networks,” says Danielle Morley, FAN’s Executive Secretary. “Crucial research to enable evidence-based advocacy and lobbying and improved communications within civil society also forms part of the project.”

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