Training, Advocacy and Networking (TAN) Project Update
Mercy Corps International

posted by Skip Waskin on Thursday, May 18, 2006, 3:09AM

Community Mobilization. To help civil society organizations (CSOs) build closer ties with their communities and become recognized community leaders, the TAN Project focuses on community mobilization activities in selected baghs in target aimags. CSO representatives and community leaders undertook a needs assessment involving around 150 bagh residents in April, which led to identification by the residents of priority issues: unemployment, alcohol abuse, littering, access to water, and poor citizens’ participation in the decision-making process of the local Citizen Representatives Khural (CRK), or legislature. After the assessment, community meetings were organized to identify project ideas and form project implementation teams consisting of community activists and CSOs. TAN will work with these teams to finalize project proposals, raise local resources, and involve the community in their implementation.

Participation Research and Technical Assistance. Following a request from the Head of the Aimag Citizen Representatives Khural (CRK), the Dundgobi CSO Network organized a joint conference on Citizens’ Participation and CSO-Government Cooperation with TAN’s support. Seventy-six representatives of aimag and soum CSOs, government agencies, and CRKs discussed such topics as citizens’ participation in local decision-making and improved public services through local procurement of services from CSOs. As a result, a CSO-Government cooperation plan was developed to improve citizens’ participation in CRKs’ decision-making, procure public services from local CSOs, and improve public services through a better feedback system and advocacy. The conference participants selected a Coordination Committee consisting of government, CRK, and CSO representatives to regularly monitor and report on implementation of the plan. To support the implementation of the action plan TAN delivered training on citizens’ participation for 30 government and CRK representatives, and advocacy training for 46 CSO representatives. The CSOs developed an advocacy campaign plan to follow up on the resolutions made at the conference.

CSO Network support. Nine months into the CSO Network projects, TAN facilitated discussions among network members on the outcomes and sustainability strategies of their projects in Uvurhangai and Dundgobi. The Dundgobi CSO Network will continue working with the government on implementation of the joint action plan to improve citizens’ participation, and will raise funds for a referral center which offers valuable services to rural communities. The Uvurhangai CSO Network will do a thorough evaluation of its anti-corruption efforts at the end of the project and then decide on future strategies.

Training, Advocacy and Networking (TAN) Project Update
Mercy Corps International

posted by Skip Waskin on Monday, April 17, 2006, 4:05AM

Community Mobilization. To help civil society organizations (CSOs) build closer ties with their communities and become recognized community leaders, the TAN Project focuses on community mobilization activities in selected baghs (districts) in target aimags in March. Following training on community mobilization, CSO representatives and community leaders undertook a bagh needs assessment which identified a range of priority issues: lack of public showers, the need for children’s leisure center, the need for bagh development centers, the quality of public services, access to public services, civic participation in decision-making, access to drinking water, and planting of trees to slow sand creep.

CSO Capacity Building. Representatives from 35 core CSOs from the target aimags were trained in customer service improvement skills in March. The participants conducted surveys reaching around 540 customers of CSOs using self-designed questionnaires. Following the surveys, focus group meetings were held. Eighteen CSOs developed service improvement measures to be included in their organizational development plans, and seventeen CSOs visited CSOs in other aimags to share information. On their return home, CSOs will conduct surveys and focus group meetings with their customers and develop service improvement measures.

Procurement Research and Technical Assistance. With support from Peace Corps volunteers, TAN is conducting an evaluation of the public procurement project that was implemented in Uvurhangai. The questionnaire has been developed to collect feedback from the government agencies, CSOs, and their clients on participation in the project. TAN discussed future ways of cooperation with the Procurement Policy and Coordination Department (PPCD) of the Ministry of Finance in March, and the PPCD agreed to coordinate with the Ulaanbaatar Procurement Development Center and TAN on the delivery of procurement training for CSOs in the target aimags.