CIVIL SOCIETY HUMAN RIGHTS & DEMOCRACY
English for NGOs
PROJECT GOAL.
NGORC implemented the project “English for NGOs and Civil Society” between October 2019 and January 2020. The main goals of the project were the improvement of English and general knowledge of topics related to human rights and democracy building, and the advancement of project management skills.
The course was conducted from the last week of October until the end of December 2019 in eleven Ukrainian cities: Dnipro, Kharkiv, Kramatorsk, Kyiv, Lviv, Lutsk, Mariupol, Odesa, Severodonetsk, Ternopil, and Zaporizhzhia. The course was organized by NGORC for the second time in nine of the cities, and offered for the first time in Lutsk and Ternopil.The overall purpose of this project was to build language capacity among NGO staff while at the same time enhance sustainability, experience, effectiveness, and accountability of NGOs and civil society organisations and cooperation among the same.
Background
Ukraine has a rich and competent civil society both in terms of number and variety of organisations, as well as levels and range of activities, which has been developed over more than two decades, despite suffering from difficult institutional conditions and many times lack sustainability and tools as well as opportunities to engage in effective policy dialogue, many times due to such driven by international organisations and lack of English language knowledge.
How?
English knowledge as a tool of communication is one of the cornerstones that will assist NGOs and civil society towards the effective resolution of the enormous challenges Ukraine is facing at the moment. Moreover, NGOs in the regions or young organizations often lack sector-specific professional skills, like project proposal writing and communication, knowledge of project sustainability, democracy principles, youth participation, and human rights. These skills and knowledge are critical for effective fundraising and, ultimately, long-term sustainability of any non-profit organisation.
Results
The project promotes organisational sustainability through the increase in technical expertise and best practice, giving organisations the potential to grow and develop while giving impetus to further organisational diversification. The programme offers beneficiaries knowledge, which in itself is useful and developing for the individual and will facilitate the personal as well as professional development and increase such opportunities.
NGORC launched the final evaluation form to evaluate the course’s learning outcomes. The questionnaire was anonymous to ensure the most honest responses. Overall, 154 participants completed the evaluation (86% of participants who completed the course), and 92% rated the course as excellent or very good.
95%
would recommend the course to colleagues
Such an overwhelmingly positive post-project response from participating organizations and direct beneficiaries motivates NGORC to continue organizing this project in the future. Interested people regularly inquire via the NGORC social media, email, and in person about when more courses will be offered.
154
participants completed the evaluation
Moreover, 95% of respondents would recommend the course to colleagues/other NGO workers. However, most of the respondents would prefer having a longer course, one which would last at least four months. The same feedback was given by teachers. This would help students to better and more easily absorb new information and gain more practice and expertise.
Student from Zaporizhzhia
Such courses are very important for creating opportunities
for the development of civil society. Thanks to the course, I increased my vocabulary, became more competent in many topics, motivated to develop further and implement new ideas.