Venturing in the NGO world!!!

As intimated in my last blog, I will be coaching, mentoring and training community based NGOs in financial management. Operations management training as well as sourcing for potential donors for participating NGOs are the other components of this project. Six NGOs have been identified by the provincial umbrella body, ECNGOC, to be part of this project. These NGOs are spread across the Eastern Cape. The Advice Office in Hofmeyer, Advice Office in Aliwal North and Advice Office in Mt Frere are three of the participating NGOs. These are known as District Convening Organisations and they are the umbrella bodies for NGOs falling in the three districts of Hofmeyer, Aliwal North and Mt Frere. These organisations, by virtue of their centrality in the local NGO set up, will, it is hoped, in turn mentor, coach and train NGOs falling under them. In this way a sizeable number of NGOs will benefit from this project. The other three participating NGOs are DSR in Kei Road, Isipho HIV/Aids in Paterson and FAMSA in Peddie.


So who is funding this project? Good question. This project is one of the 21 projects being funded by Vodacom South Africa through the Vodacom Change the World Volunteer Programme for 2014/15. Hats off to Vodacom for living up to their slogan "Power to you"! This time Vodacom is giving "power" to the NGOs in the Eastern Cape by providing expertise to improve their financial management practices and, consequently, improve transparency and accountability in their operations. This will improve their ability to attract donor funding, which is the life blood of  a NGO, thus strengthening their capacity to deliver on their mandates.


In my next blog, I will write about my experiences as I and the ECNGOC CEO and Programme Manager visit the participating NGOs to brief them about the project. Watch out for the pictures of the towns and projects as well as people driving these NGOs! #CTW 2014

New beginnings!

Wow! Its been close to 4 years since my last post. In between a lot has happened in my life, something akin to a paradigm shift. Its like you are heading in one direction and then you make a 180 degrees turn and head in the opposite direction. My life, my social and professional lives and my spiritual life have all made this turn and I am completely at peace and pleased with myself.

I am working with young people and volunteering my services to NGOs within the Eastern Cape, South Africa. So my blog for the next one year will capture my experiences in my work with NGOs.