Organizational Sustainability through Systematic Capacity Building

By Philip Waweru Mbugua – National Organization of Peer Educators (NOPE), Kenya

About NOPEEstablished in 2000 under

USAID/FHI/IMPACT project in Kenya

Growth in revenue and Staffing

Areas of intervention (youth, key populations at risk, formal and informal workplaces, community health strategy) Public-private partnerships: HERproject, a PPP improving women’s access to reproductive health information and services in Flower farms. Supported by brands such as; Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury and Tesco through Business Social Responsibility (BSR) (own slide)

Capacity Building JourneyFHI 360 (2003-2008)

Setting up of organizational systems and structures (e.g. Board establishment, financial systems)

JSI/TA-NPI (2009-2012)Annual Organizational

Capacity AssessmentStrengthened

Organizational systems

MSH/FANIKISHA (2012-current)Supporting

Institutional strengthening for more local Civil Society Organizations(CSO)- affiliates

Capacity Building Process Focused, consistent and result-oriented technical assistance

guided by organizational and technical capacity assessments (OCA and TCA) – JSI & FANIKISHA

Process is demand-driven and interactive Self-Scoring Interactive process – when new challenges arise, mentoring and

coaching available Graduation stages and indicators (FANIKISHA)

Results of Capacity Building• Improved Governance

• Strengthened Systems

• Improved Delivery of Services

Board composition more inclusive; greater involvement in decision making; board policy, succession planning

Sound Financial and Grant management as a Prime (e.g. USG/PEPFAR NPI 3-year US$ 5.6 million grant);

Successful 3 A-133 Audits and 2 OIG Audits with Price Waterhouse Coopers

Expanded program areas New Funding and expanded

partnerships (EU, FANIKISHA, Uganda)

Stronger M & E programs, NOPE International Institute

ChallengesSlow start-up of

activities and low burn-rates

Resource intense (time and money)

The complexity of establishing a NICRA or equivalent for local organizations

Resistance to change at different levels (need to prepare staff for change)

Key Lessons Learned• Planned and mentored capacity building enhances

sustainability and improvement of program quality• Strong systems increase trust and credibility• New partnerships and opportunities are

often a result of increased capacity • Good capacity building focuses on

increased quality and access of services in communities

NOPE ADVISORY BOARD