Building Bridges Between Humanitarian NGOs in Central Europe

As part of a DG ECHO project implemented by Foundation TOGETHER in partnership with Slovenian NGDO Platform SLOGA and People in Peril from Slovakia, an international meeting of humanitarian organizations from Slovakia, Slovenia, Austria and Hungary was organized in Bratislava between 2nd and 4th February 2011.

Over 25 representatives from 13 Central European humanitarian NGOs discussed the common challenges faced by organizations from the region in the field of international humanitarian aid provision and options for establishing a network of humanitarian NGOs from the region.
On the first day, a presentation of non-governmental organizations in the form of an »open market« method was organized. The aim of this opening event was to acquire knowledge about activities implemented by participating organizations in order to identify possibilities and interests for future cooperation.

On the following day, a workshop facilitated by an expert trainer in the field of NGO networking, Mr Andrew Humphreys, addressed the topic of building a foundation for the establishment of an informal network of similar organizations from Central Europe, which could in the future further develop as a more formal structure. Working methods, a proposal of membership and a working plan for 2011 were also formulated during the meetings.

On the last day, the participants worked together on a preparation of an ECHO project proposal. The main purpose of the workshop was capacity building in the field of humanitarian projects preparation and sharing field experiences between different organizations. The simulation was also a practical example of a possible cooperation between organizations in the future, as within the network, organizations will have the opportunity to apply and implement joint activities in the field.

Representatives of Foundation TOGETHER, Platform SLOGA, People in Peril and the Slovak NGDO Platform also took part in a meeting with the Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affair at its Development Assistance and Humanitarian Aid Department. The Ministry representatives expressed their support for the DG ECHO action »Strengthening the Capacities of the NGOs in ECHO underrepresented countries«, a one-year project aimed at improving relief work of NGOs from the region.

Information provided by Nina Perović, Sloga