CSOs working together

ActionAid Denmark is taking a new direction for the next three years. They will focus on getting CSOs to work together on joint campaigning with the hope that strong alliances can establish social change and development in their communities.

By Nana Sulger Buel

08. March 2012

The aim is to present CSO’s in the region with the tools and skills to make joint campaigns and the goal is to bring 8-12 organizations together in each of the countries where the programme is implemented. ActionAid Denmark(AADK) will work on development of capacity and provide specific knowledge and experience on joint campaigning.

When AADK started working on bringing organizations together they found that there is a culture of competition amongst most CSO’s in the region,especially when it comes to funding.The will against collaborations has been counter-productive for the work with youth engagement, and building bridges between CSO’s is an important first step.

Campaigning is an effective tool to create change when moving from raising awareness to mobilizing a large numbers of young people. It is a tool to engage youth in civil society and has shown to be a fruitful way to demand rights, to stop harmful developments and to influence policies.

Greater cooperation will be a model for unity in local communities and create harmony and value sets amongst CSO’s. Joint campaigning is a way to show organizations that working on the same goal can lead to considerable impacts in the communities.