The Mercy Corps Blog

Blog Post Posted July 13, 2009, 8:03 am by Jameson Gadzirai

Sustainable civil society in Sudan

The success of Mercy Corps' initiatives in Sudan will be realized through the creation of self-sustaining local Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) that provide hope and support to women, children and marginalized members of Sudanese communities. I believe that, ultimately, CSOs must implement aspects of commercial business models if they are to survive — but this also leads to a degree of marginalization within the community.

The dialogue between citizens and local civic organizations contributes to the progress of both. Photo: Rodrigo Ordonez//Mercy Corps

The mere survival of these often-small local organizations is no easy feat, as I experienced first-hand the other day when I went over to meet a CSO that has established a community resource center in the center of Yei town, Central Equatoria. This center was started in 1998 by a group of students from Belgium who saw the need to have a training center, a computer training hall and a functional library. However, over the years, the center has seen funding partners come and go. The presence — or absence — of funding has reflected on the success or otherwise of the center, which is popular to community members in the sprawling town.

In essence, the center is still looking for resources in order for it to become sustainable. The present discussion between the CSO and Mercy Corps is focused on the provision of Internet access and the purchase of computers and other information technology so that the organization can have local community members coming to access computer training and internet for a small fee.

Prices for the installation and maintenance of a VSAT — a small two-way satellite communication system — at the community resource center are prohibitive. In addition, setting up computers that run on Microsoft Windows will bring further problems of software upgrades, day-to-day maintenance and renovation.

Over the course of my work here in southern Sudan, I've come to the realization that —inevitably — cheaper communication mechanisms are needed to allow local institutions like this community resource center to be sustainable. There is hope now in the way, as regional cellular phone operators like Zain and Sudani are offering cheaper mobile phone-based internet access through the introduction of higher-bandwidth technology across Sudan.

I also see hope in organizations like Mercy Corps revitalizing local organizations' capacity to think beyond their current scope of support . Organizations need to prioritize the involvement of a greater number of local people in the communication process, as well as the introduction of more localized support mechanisms.

I believe this can be done through any of three notions:

1. Prioritizing community driven service marketing and publicity. If the local organization does not communicate with its public, then it will collapse because people do not realize the need to have such an institution in the first place. Partners need to have a sustained outreach campaign to communities, aimed at engaging every member of the community and allowing them to realize their worth and cultivate a sense of ownership in the program.
2. Promoting internal capacity building. CSO partners have had their own fair share of community leaders coming and going from the institution as it expands. In some cases, the departure of a project manager has left the organization in ruin. In others, the presence of a new project manager has spelt doom for an otherwise thriving project. It is important that local organizations think continuity in their planning, and establish mechanisms for encouraging all members of the community to take part in the development of the organization.
3. Project planning and follow-up. An inevitable flaw in emerging organizations is dwindling faith in a particular vision. This can come about as a result of a challenging political environment, the inability to adapt to changing circumstances and/or general lack of proper management practice. Organizations will only begin to be sustainable if they recognize the need to make accurate plans and follow up on their work functions.

With some work, and a change in strategy from local organizations, the civil society movement in Sudan is poised for greater growth.