IBIS WEST AFRICA
- An introduction -
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IBIS’ interventions
FOCUS AREAS
EDUCATION
• IBIS seeks to empower poor and marginalised adults and children and their
organisations to promote, claim and achieve their individual and collective
rights to relevant quality education.
GOVERNANCE
• IBIS seeks to empower the impoverished to be engaged in decision-making
processes and to be representing themselves.
Interventions mainly through thematic programmes (TPs)
• A TP is a “strategic space” of opportunities which enables IBIS and partners to
plan and pursue a number of interlinked activities within a common theme.
• TPs are based on comprehensive analyses of the political space and rights,
stakeholders and power-relations as well as IBIS’ former experiences.
• The aim of TPs is to bring about change through rights-based development.
• Projects have a shorter lifespan than a thematic programme and the
programme is more flexible than projects usually are.
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Alliances
INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE – Alliance 2015
• A partnership of seven like-minded development INGOs;
– IBIS (Danish); CESVI (Italian); CONCERN (Irish); HIVOS (Dutch);
People in Need (Czech); ACTED (French); and Welthungerhilfe
(German).
• To fight poverty effectively through coordination and collaboration.
– campaign-, fundraising- and communication work in the North
and programme work in the South.
• Most actively cooperate in Latin America and Asia with more than
40 joint activities, however efforts are being scaled up in West
Africa
• The presidency of the alliance rotates biannually between the
member organisations.
• In West Africa, the Alliance cooperation is ongoing in Liberia and
Sierra Leone.
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IBIS Strategies and policies
EDUCATION FOR CHANGE STRATEGY
• The aim is to constitute strategic spaces that empower poor and
marginalised to claim their right to education.
• Quality education is seen as a cornerstone in the fight against poverty and
in democratic development.
• The main effort of IBIS’ support is therefore to introduce alternatives and
quality improvements in education by emphasising change and
transformation instead of reproduction.
CITIZENS’ RIGHTS IN GOVERNANCE STRATEGY
• The aim is to empower the impoverished to be representing themselves
by promoting understanding and respect for citizens’ rights and support
civil society’s participation in, influence on and reform of government
structures.
• The strategy is two-pronged by supporting both citizens and the
government and the dialogue spaces between them, but the popular
organisations are considered crucial for taking into account the needs of
underprivileged people.
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IBIS Strategies and policies
PARTNERSHIP STRATEGY
• IBIS’ partnerships and the interaction between the partner
organisations are decisive for IBIS’ work.
• IBIS enters into partnerships with change agents that have potential to
contribute to social and economic justice.
• IBIS establishes partnerships with three types of organisations:
– Constituency-Based Organisations (CBOs)
– Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs)
– Government institutions
ANTI-CORRUPTION POLICY
GENDER POLICY
EXTRATIVE INDUSTRI POLICY
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IBIS Strategies and policies - V
FUNDRAISING STRATEGY
• Frame funding, other donors, private funds; IBIS’ target of 50%
funding from Danida, 40% at regional level and 10% own
fundraising in DK.
– Examples: face2face, telemarketing, Gifts that Benefit, OD.
• At present most funding from Danida, private funding from
members, foundations etc. as well as other donors such as EU: App.
160 million DKK (30,6 million USD) in donor funding yearly (2007).
• Strategy
– “Own house in order” – optimise IBIS’ fundraising procedures,
knowledge and cooperation internally.
– “Making money” – maintaining, handling and developing existing
fundraising activities and opportunities.
– “Sail away” – be creative to utilise IBIS’ unique capacity and high
quality work in the invention of new and original fundraising
activities.
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IBIS West Africa
HISTORY
• 2000: IBIS decided to start programmes in Ghana.
• 2002-2007: The portfolio of programmes in Ghana expanded
incrementally.
• 2005: Accelerated Learning Programme (ALP) was
established in Liberia.
• 2006: Complementary Rapid Education in Primary Schools
(CREPS) was established in Sierra Leone.
• 2009: Small education project in Burkina Faso, Governance
and Education programmes in Sierra Leone, YEP in Liberia.
• 2009-: Activities in Sierra Leone and Liberia are expanding,
including development of thematic programmes.
• Future: Francophone countries?
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IBIS WA Organisational Structure
Regional Office (RO)
Location: Accra
Function:
Regional coordination
Administration & Accounting
IT & Communication
Country Off. Ghana
Location: Accra
Function:
Management & admin.
of country programmes
Location: Freetown
Function:
Management & admin.
of country programmes
Prog. Office
Prog. Office
Location: Tamale
Function:
Management and
implementation
of programmes
SubOffice
SubOffice
SubOffice
Country Off. SL
Location: Kono
Function:
Management and
implementation
of programmes
Country Off. Liberia
Location: Monrovia
Function:
Management & admin.
of country programmes
Prog. Office
Location: Harper
Function:
Management and
implementation
of programmes
Prog. Office
Location: Zwedru
Function:
Management and
implementation
of programmes
SubOffice
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IBIS West Africa Strategy
THE STRATEGY IS BASED ON
• IBIS’ Global Vision 2012.
• IBIS’ global strategies and policies.
• IBIS’ experiences from working in Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
AIM OF STRATEGY
• Inform IBIS WA’s present programmatic work, strategic framework
and collaboration with partners.
• Guide the development of future thematic programmes and
possible regional expansion.
STRATEGIC APPROACH
• Networking and learning between partners.
• Capacity building and other forms of support for partners.
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Intervention area: Human Rights
REGIONAL: West Africa Human Rights and Democratisation (WAHRD)
(2006)
• Focus on underlying structural causes of conflicts in the region,
believing that human and social development can only be achieved
if peace and justice are perceived to be closely interrelated.
• IBIS provides technical assistance and funding to partner
organisations (WANEP, MFWA and FOSDA) through regional
network activities and capacity building on rights-based approach
and gender mainstreaming.
• Addresses the contextual issues of conflict, human rights violations,
control of small arms as well as fostering and deepening of
democracy in the WA sub-region.
• Focus on the Manu River countries as well as Ghana and Togo.
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Regional Challenges and perspectives
CHALLENGES
• Security and political stability in the West Africa region.
• Working in fragile states.
• Commitment from development partners (donors) and
governments.
• Fundraising in Denmark (10%).
• Global financial crisis.
PERSPECTIVES
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Expansion of activities in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Increase local fundraising.
Strengthen regional interventions.
Influence structual causes of poverty at international level.
Identify new programme country.
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Thank you!
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