Regional Reports - the European External Action Service

8. The facilitation of CSOs structuring provided by the government with initial
but very important support (e.g. availability of premises, advice from the
Bureau of Justice for the registration and licensing of organisations);
9. The high level of cooperation at kebele level (kebele largely recognise NSA
contribution, consults them and often ask NSAs advice in the decisionmaking
process);
10. Stimulation and capacity building from Local NGOs, INGOs, and Apex
organisations for the grassroots organisations.
Some trends have been highlighted, namely:
D. Iddirs are gradually assuming the role of Community-Based Social Welfare or Self-Help
Organisations. Both isolated and grouped Iddirs have gradually abandoned the traditional
role of assisting the families for burial and in the mourning period (some of the
organisation keep the traditional activities as a way for strengthening community bonds)
and have assumed a role in :
• providing social welfare support to the weaker layers of the community
such as OVCs, elderly people, widows and disabled;
• stimulating income generation activities through revolving micro-credit
activities;
• providing mutual help in family crises and difficulties such as diseases,
the death of a breadwinner etc;
• building of small-scale local infrastructures;
• cross-cutting issues, mainly gender and child protection
• cooperating with local authorities in service delivery and consultation
on social problems.
E. A promising process of institutionalising and bottom-up networking has been enacted
during the last 3 years. An umbrella organisation has been stimulated by ACORD and
PANE. This umbrella organisation (ADMAS) gathers 7 Iddirs Unions or Boards which in
turn gather a total of 62 Iddirs in the town with 2064 members and wide capacity of
serving community needs. This process is leading to registration of the organisations
(mostly the Boards) and the constitution of formal organisms and to a regular and rather
democratic internal process and to a gradual participation in the dialogue with the
Government;
F. International NGOs and National Apex/Networking Organisations have re-formulated
their strategy shifting their focus on cross-cutting issues (e.g. Women’s Empowerment
for CARE) or Policy Dialogue and Governance Issues. This is gradually accompanying
and facilitating the CBOs supported by these organisations in achieving a growing
awareness, capacity and willingness to engage in cooperation with the government. It has
to be said yet, that only in few cases these cooperation reaches the policy level, with few
exception at the kebele level;
G. A number of Local NGOs while continuing funding CBOs activities are currently
stressing their role in capacity building for CBOs not only in terms of training but also in
stimulating the capacity for income generation, mobilisation of community resources and
fundraising;
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