Seminar

1
SeminarStrengthening Development Cooperationin
Enlarged Europe Luxembourg - 9 10 December
2004

• SOS FAIM (Luxembourg)
• INTEGRA (Slovakia)
• towards a new partnership ?
• A collaboration initiative between two NGOs

2
Contents

• Presentation of SOS FAIM and INTEGRA
• Common aspects and differences of the 2 NGOs
• Context for the collaboration
• Building up of the partnership
• The common project
• Added value and limits of the partnership
• Conclusions and discussion

3
Presentation of SOS FAIM and INTEGRA

• I. SOS FAIM
• Independent and professional
• Long term development in Africa
• Three priorities
• Developing peasants organization
• Supporting microfinance institutions
• Public information in Luxembourg

4
Presentation of SOS FAIM and INTEGRA

• II. INTEGRA
• Helping people to build their businesses to
  become  Islands of Integrity  and participate
  in the transformation of their communities
• Three Strategic Programs
• - Social Enterprise Program
• - Micro-Enterpirse Development Program for
  Women
• - Corporate Social Responsibility Program
• 10 years of development experience in Eastern
  Europe
• Starting to operate in Africa

5
Common aspects and differences of the 2 NGOs

• Common aspects
• Professional
• Similar views on Microfinance
• Strong positions in their own countries
• Open to new collaborations

6
Common aspects and differences of the 2 NGOs

• II. Differences
• Confessional / non confessional
• Different uses of the microfinance tool
• Different geographical priorities
• Human and financial resources

7
Context of the collaboration

• New Member States (NMS) new donors
• Political will of EC to support NMS NGOs
• SOS FAIM INTEGRA open-minded NGOs

8
Building up the partnership

• Initiative of SOS FAIM
• Identification of NMS NGOs
• (Internet, TRIALOG, etc)
• Trip in Czech Republic Slovakia (May 04)
• (Meeting with MFA, UNDP, NGOs, embassies and
  universities)

9
Building up the partnership

• Conclusions of the first mission
• Easier context in Slovakia than in Czech Republic
• Different geographical priorities
• Small NGOs need institutional support

10
Building up the partnership

• Identification of INTEGRA as a possible partner
• Identification of a joint project
• Second mission in Slovakia (August 04)
• Redaction of the project
• Application to EC (B-21-02-03)

11
The common projectMicrofinance let
beneficiaries speak

• Development education project
• Focus on the microfinance beneficiaries
• Human approach (rather than a technical one)
• To schools universities, corporations, NGOs
• National campaign in the two countries
• 3 years time span (2006-2008)

12
Added value and limits of the partnership

• Added value
• New partnership new ideas
• Geographical crossroads approach
• Common understanding between 2 NGOs
• Similar needs in the two countries
• Learning from each other

13
Added value and limits of the partnership

• II. Limits
• Small NGOs limited human financial resources
• A new partnership needs to be consolidated
• Language issues
• Distance between the two countries
• Dependence on public funding

14
Conclusions and discussion

• Conclusions
• New and still theoretical partnership
• Building up a partnership requires time
• IMPORTANCE TO MEET PEOPLE
• (institutional relationships first human ones
  !)
• Starting a new partnership a great challenge !

15
Conclusions and discussion

• Discussion (proposal )
• Western NGOs / NMS NGOs
• a fair partnership or a new business ?
• THANK YOU !
• Thierry DEFENSE, SOS FAIM (Luxembourg)
• Marek MARKUS, INTEGRA (Slovakia)