Knowledge dialogues with Central American social movements

It was almost seven years back when Hivos invited the ISS to participate in a new programme that was going to explore possibilities for a ‘knowledge exchange’. The idea of the programme was to take advantage of all the interesting information present in the drawers (and in the heads) of project officers in Hivos and their colleagues in partner organisations worldwide. It was assumed that a ‘treasure box’ existed somewhere out there, containing a wealth of rough but interesting data on civil society dynamics that was begging for systematic and critical analysis. ISS immediately showed an interest, agreed on the conditions, and then became in 2005 the first academic organisation participating in this new ‘knowledge programme’. It soon explored the possibilities for a dialogue between Hivos and its Southern partners on the one hand, and ISS staff and Southern researchers on the other. The knowledge programme focused initially on the practice of civil society building, and in particular on the dynamics of Central American social movements, one of Hivos’ crucial target groups. The ultimate purpose was to learn from the rich experience of Hivos’ partners in order to better understand the complex process of civil society formation

Innovative Grantmaking: Giving Voice to the Marginalised

In reality, this is the beginning of an ongoing story. MAGI is a relatively new venture but there has been time enough to see its potential and share its learnings. In an increasingly polarised world, where the gap between the haves and have-nots is fast becoming a chasm, there is no time to be lost in providing support to the marginalised so that their voices can be heard in mainstream debates about development and human rights and their lives can take centre stage in understanding the challenges faced

Theory of Change Review: A Report Commissioned by Comic Relief

Comic Relief does three things. It raises much needed cash, it then allocates that cash to projects in the United States and in the poorest countries in the world, and it raises awareness of the issues it feels strongly about. This report is one of a series of Comic Relief commissioned learning reports. Some learning reports aim to bring the impact of and learning from some of the work Comic Relief has funded in helping change lives to a wider audience. Other reports aim to draw together learning on key issues from a range of stakeholders to inform Comic Relief's thinking and promote debate in the sector. This report aims to draw together Comic Relief staff and partners' experiences in using theory of change; to identify others in development that are using theory of change and analyse their different approaches and experience; and to capture learning from everyone to promote debate, and to help inform what agencies using or advocating for the use of theory of change do next. This report was commissioned by Comic Relief and written by Cathy James, an independent consultant. The views expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Comic Relief

Giving Out Globally: A Resource Guide of Funding Mechanisms to Support Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights in the Global South and East

Provides an overview of funding vehicles, such as Northern groups working in the global South and East, intermediaries, direct cross-border grantmaking, private foundations, and donor-advised funds. Includes lists of resources and grantee profiles

Learning Study on 'The Users' in Technology for Transparency and Accountability Initiatives: Assumptions and Realities

The use of telephony and digital technologies has increased dramatically since the turn of the Century, especially in countries in the global South. Hence, the International Development community has enthusiastically invested in Technology for Transparency and Accountability Initiatives with the aim to deepen democracy and improve developmental results. A well-known example is the use of texting for election monitoring; citizens can send a text to a central number to report fraud at a polling station. The data gathered with these texts is visually represented on an online platform and is used for lobby and advocacy purposes. Funding and implementing agencies, such as Hivos, as well as other stakeholders, such as engaged activists and governance scholars, are closely studying the impact and effectiveness of these initiatives. The question rose whether enough attention was being paid to the people expected to use these technological tools. The assumption underlying the production of these tools is that more access of ordinary people leads to greater engagement of them with their surroundings. In order to address these questions, Hivos commissioned IDS to undertake a research on the users of two existing platforms currently supported by Hivos and other partner organizations. The report shows that indeed more attention to these end users is important, when designing and implementing projects. Some of the key lessons revolve around demonstrating that these initiative are transforming governance and accountability and targeting the right people (not just the usual suspects) the right way (with interactive communication).Hivo

Equity participation in financial intermediaries: a new donor instrument in rural finance? A proposal submitted to the International Fund for Agricultural Development, Rome

The IFAD Rural Finance Policy lists among the initiatives to be supported commercially-operated apex organizations for refinancing MFIs (para. 20) and stipulates that, Equity financing through appropriate apex institutions may be developed by IFAD as a new instrument, which would provide the much-needed external capital and leverage multiples of domestic capital. (para. 32) Equity participation, which avoids some of the pitfalls of credit lines, strengthens the capital base of apex funds and rural financial institutions and leverages additional domestic resources in the form of savings deposits or additional equity. It may also be used to fulfil legal minimum capital requirement when transforming non-formal institutions into formal entities. (para. 44) Examples given of autonomous apex funds are the Social Capital Fund in Argentina, the Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation in Bangladesh, and the People?s Credit and Finance Corporation in The Philippines (para.32). IFAD may also invest in larger-size financial intermediaries, among them microenterprise banks and rural banks as well as agricultural development banks and some commercial banks, which either refinance smaller rural financial institutions or lend directly to IFAD?s target group. --

spotlight europe #2013/04, May 2013: The Changing Face of North Africa. An Opportunity for and with Europe.

North Africa is changing fast, and its youthful societies look back with pride at their recent uprisings. However, they are also getting frustrated by the fact that the economic outlook is not improving. Europe’s role in the strategically important southern Mediterranean area needs to be realigned in order to promote the development of democracy, employment opportunities, and security. There is a great deal of potential for cooperation with Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt