Building Institutions to Create Better Societies

Gul Mohammad, Mercy Corp Deputy Program Manager, leads a capacity building workshop in Kandahar. Photo: Anna Young/Mercy Corps

After 23 years of war in Afghanistan, the country's non-governmental organization (NGO) sector has not had the opportunity to mature and develop to its potential. Due to decades of conflict, the need for international aid and development funds far exceeded the funds available. Furthermore, as Afghanistan enters a new stage of development, new methods of assessment to ensure the inclusion of all members of society are required. As a result, many local NGOs need further development in management and administrative capabilities.

However, the desire and will of the people of Afghanistan is strong. There is a clear movement by both the government and local NGO sector to take on the huge responsibility of rebuilding their country. By focusing on capacity building of local NGOs and government agencies in Afghanistan, the work of long-term development can be done by the Afghan people. According to World Bank Country Director Alastair McKechnie, "Afghanistan's reconstruction and development can only be realized if Afghans themselves take the lead in this process."

Mercy Corps is committed to capacity building. "Worldwide we have been committed to capacity building and leaving behind institutions that will work to create a better society after the withdrawal of international NGOs," says Anna Young, Mercy Corps' NGO Capacity Building Specialist, who was recently on special assignment in Kandahar to launch a large-scale capacity building initiative.

"Our goal in Afghanistan is to put the responsibility into the hands of the local community. Unlike other international aid organizations, we are taking a grass-roots up approach," says Young. "We are really listening to the voices of the local organizations and asking questions such as: What would you like to do? What are the problems you want to solve?"

Mercy Corps is focusing on training and one-on-one consultations with local organizations. Training workshops are designed to teach local organizations best practices in administration and operations and provide tools, case studies and methodologies. In addition these workshops encourage discussion, idea generation and coordination between local organizations as well as with governmental agencies.

One-on-one consultations between Mercy Corps staff and local organizations take place from proposal development through project implementation and reporting. "Rather than being the 'police', we act as a partner," says Young. "If the idea is good, but the proposal is poor we will work with an organization to improve the proposal. We are looking for organizations with potential and commitment."

The challenges of capacity building in Afghanistan are immense. The communication infrastructure in Afghanistan presents a catch-22: it is inadequate to support groups working in remote areas (that are typically in the greatest need); yet organizations must work close to the communities they serve to be effective. Another daunting aspect is identifying a sufficient number of women's groups to partner with in this post-Taliban period. Because of these constraints, Mercy Corps has adopted flexible guidelines for identifying partner local organizations.

Mercy Corps is focused on building independent, sustainable organizations that can secure and receive funds directly from donors. "In the long-term Afghanistan must have the resources and capacity to meet its own needs. In any society you hope for the presence of a range of NGOs to fill the gaps the government cannot provide for," says Young.