MS preparing partners in Sudan to stand on their own feet

When MS leaves Sudan in December, the organisation’s partners will lose an important supporter. Therefore, MS offers a number of courses which will help the partners take care of themselves.

Partner representatives discussing visions and missions during an organisational development training session in Sudan. Photo: Janne Bruvoll.

For most of MS’ partners in Sudan, MS is the most important source of support. Therefore, it will be a great loss for them when MS leaves Sudan in December 2010. To make the transition as smooth as possible, MS is offering the partners a number of courses which will help them stand on their own feet.

“The partners need to become stronger in their work. With these courses, we will try to meet the needs that the partners have identified and the needs that we see are there,” says Lars Anderskouv, director of MS Sudan.

All partners have been asked to send participants for the relevant courses. This week, all partners are attending a course in organisational development. Later, courses in, among other things, information work, project management, monitoring and fundraising will be organised.

“For many of the partners it is difficult to get continuity in their work. They have a great turnover of staff and it is important that they get new ideas on how to maintain their volunteers for example. Among other things, I hope that the partners through these courses will realise how they can use each other and that they will be able to build sustainable structures,” says Lars Anderskouv adding that all organisations are dependent on support from donors.

”Therefore, I hope that the courses will make them aware of how they can make themselves more visible and sell themselves,” he says.

Will make us stronger
Due to the courses and follow-up visits to the partners, MS Sudan has less money to spend on partner activities compared with 2009. Still, the partners are happy about the courses.

”It is very encouraging that we are now offered these workshops. We are worried how it will go when MS Sudan is no longer here. But I believe that these workshops will make us able to walk in MS’ footsteps,” says Bullen Amule, chairman of Mugwo Community Development Forum (MCDF).

Every partner can send only two representatives to the courses. However, this does not mean that the rest of the people in the organisations will not gain from the workshops.

”It is part of my job description to facilitate trainings for our members and groups. When I come back to my village, I will arrange workshops for those who could not take part. That will help us get stronger,” says Saba Sebastian, field officer for Gire Farmers’ Development Assocation (GFDA).

MS has worked in Sudan since 1999. The first nine years, the activities and contracts with the partners was organised by MS Uganda but in May 2008, MS opened an office in Sudan and established MS Sudan. However, in 2009, the MS board in Denmark decided that the office in Sudan will close by the end of 2010.