The Namibia Institute for Democracy (NID), in partnership with US Embassy Namibia, conducted a Civil Society Support Program (CSSP) for local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which was held end September until the start of November at the House of Democracy. The intervention targeted 20 Namibian NGOs that struggle with funding and need institutional as well as technical support.

The program further aims to strengthen Civil Society Organizations’ (CSOs’) interaction with government on all levels. “ CSOs often lack the institutional capacity to play a meaningful role in the development of Namibia. This hampers their ability to implement projects and have meaningful interactions with various stakeholders,” says Panduleni Nghipandulwa, Project Coordinator for the Namibia Institute for Democracy.

The CSSP consisted of four modules: ‘The Principles of Internal NGO Management’, ‘Organizational Ethics’, ‘Principles of Financial Management’, as well as ‘Monitoring and Evaluation’.

“The Civil Society Support Program has been a great success so far and the participants have gained new skills, knowledge and insights.  The organisations that participated in the program are now better equipped to serve the community and contribute to the development of Namibia,” says Nghipandulwa.