NGO Trainee Success Stories

Deera was a small grant recipient throughout all three phases of the STAND program. Their project to develop an iOS

(Apple) cell phone application to promote civic engagement and good governance in Kuwait was very successful. The app

was created to provide a convenient and an accurate way to report public works issues, and then rate the response of the

government agency addressing problems. By capitalizing on existing technologies in smart phones, such as

GPS and cameras, the app has been used to share, then facilitate follow-up on a variety of grievances, for

instance potholes and trash. Through the app, Deera also sought to bring about a structural change to the

government’s paper-based reporting system for such matters.

At end of 2013, Deera launched the iOS app then turned its attention to the apps’ use in the public sector and to promoting

the government’s acceptance of the platform. Using contacts developed through STAND, the organization’s president and

founder, Haytham Al Hawaj, began to establish relationships with various ministries who might be open to accepting the

information being generated, collaborating on data collection, and ultimately fixing problems.

The app received exceptional support and interest from the public, government, and local media.

By the middle of 2014, Deera launched an Android version and added features, including a “before

and after” function, which enabled users to view the issues reported and pictures of the solutions.

As one blogger put it, “If there was an award for best local app of the year this would have to be it.”

Amongst the successes were the following:

4,500 downloads

3,897 registered users

1,450 reports filed

942 reports closed

4,056 views of the promotional video on YouTube and Facebook

4,455 Instagram followers

58 government entities working with Deera

Partners for Democratic Change is implementing the Support for Training, Advocacy, and Network

Development (STAND) organizational capacity building program in the Gulf region. Through train-

ing, grant funding, and other technical assistance, Partners supported our local partner in Kuwait,

en.v, as they mentored a group of nascent civil society organizations (CSOs) during 2013 and 2014.

These “NGO Trainees” developed a variety of community projects with seed funding received

through three small grant phases titled Bedaya, Injaz, and Ta’awun.

Strategic partnerships with local civil society organizations, government, and the private sector contribute to en.v’s mis-

sion of promoting “social responsibility and environmental sustainability in the Arab world,” through social develop-

ment and environmental programs. Participation in STAND allowed en.v to build a reputation as a civil society leader

and capacity building expert in Kuwait, and to create a series of online training videos and materials based on the

STAND curriculum. The materials were designed to be relevant to the Kuwaiti context and will serve as a resource for

many CSOs. During the final year of STAND, en.v will mentor six new organizations and award small grants to three.

Training, Advocacy, & Network Development in Kuwait, a Retrospective

Partners for Democratic Change ● menainfo@partnersglobal.org ● www.partnersglobal.org

Initially, the government was skeptical of Deera and did not have a favorable view of non-profit

organizations, however, once Deera positioned itself as a group seeking to help, government

cooperation increased. Public recognition of government efforts helped to further open

communication channels, and the popularity and positive reception of the app played a key role in

helping the government embrace its usefulness. Deera went on to build an app specifically for

government workers, which allows them to automatically report when they have fixed an issue.

Before participating in STAND, Deera’s primary presence was a simple website. In addition to

achieving more effective and collaborative operational practices, the increase in their local

capacity is tremendous; their email blasts now reach 20,000 residents. Although the grant period

is over, Deera will continue to grow this project as it grows as an organization. Haytham Al Hawaj

was featured in the Kuwait Times and recognized by the United Nations, at the UN Habitat’s

Celebration of World Cities Day, for his pioneering role in improving the quality of life in Kuwaiti

communities. Deera has greatly exceeded its project goals.

K’S PATH is dedicated to the protection of animals and their natural habit. As both a sanctuary and

adoption center, K’S PATH operates the only open door shelter in Kuwait and cares for a number of

animals, including more than a dozen species. During the first phase of the program, Bedaya, K’S PATH

digitized their internal systems and tools, which allowed for better animal care, improved record

keeping, and streamlined adoption processes.

After ensuring their organizational infrastructure was more securely in place, K’S PATH set out to

develop an animal welfare curriculum for primary and secondary school children. These resources would be particularly helpful

because information on Kuwait’s biodiversity and the country’s problems with the humane treatment of animals is insufficient.

It is also difficult to obtain high quality environmental educational materials about local geographic context. During STAND’s

second phase, Injaz, the curriculum came to fruition. K’S PATH Environment and Humane Animal Education Syllabus was

developed to support the mitigation, and gradual reversing, of environmental apathy, habitat destruction, and animal abuse in

Kuwait, and aimed to provide the tools individuals needed to make a meaningful difference in their communities.

Through STAND, K’S PATH was able to work with Dr. Bahia Diefenbach, renowned

educator on the humane treatment of animals. She helped lay the foundation of their

education department and introduced books from the American Welfare Institute

(AWI). AWI granted K’S PATH the printing rights to the PDF versions of two books,

which K’S PATH will translate into Arabic. The curriculum was complemented with

video links, photographs, and bio-profiles about the shelter animals.

For the third and final phase of STAND, Ta’awun, K’S PATH created substantive, factual

information and case studies that enhanced the implementation of the Educational

Roadshow, their interactive school presentations, and incorporated the two AWI books into pre-kindergarten presentations.

Additionally, K’S PATH engaged schools in follow-up experiential activities to reinforce learning. Several schools participated in

beach clean-ups to protect fragile marine habitats; volunteered to care for animals at the shelter; organized and conducted

awareness drives or campaigns on animal welfare or environmental protection; and raised donations, such as food and toys.

K’S PATH developed contacts at 30 educational institutions, ultimately conducting 30 sessions at 12 public and private

universities and nurseries, reaching 2,706 students and 200 educators. Although their participation in STAND is over, K’S PATH

will continue to build on their achievements, including launching an online campaign to promote the Educational Roadshow.

They too have exceeded their project goals and operate more effectively and collaboratively as a direct result of STAND.

Training, Advocacy, & Network Development in Kuwait, a Retrospective

Partners for Democratic Change ● menainfo@partnersglobal.org ● www.partnersglobal.org

Through participation in the STAND program, en.v is

quickly building a reputation as a civil society expert in

Kuwait. In addition to organizational development

trainings and capacity building, they are offering other

relevant trainings and workshops to Kuwaiti CSOs. en.v

successfully mentored the following eight NGO trainees

through the Bedaya Phase of STAND.

Deera’s goal is to bridge the gaps in the provision of public

services through technological solutions. By developing an iOS

app which allows people to report issues to the government

and rate agencies, Deera is enhancing communications

between the two groups. They have been working to persuade

government officials to accept data generated from the app. If

successful, this will represent a structural change to the

government's current paper-based reporting system.

Equait works to promote social equality and respect for all

Kuwaiti residents, regardless of citizenship status. Equait is

instilling the entrepreneurial spirit in Kuwaiti youth by exposing

them to creative thinking and opportunities for mentoring by

social development professionals. They held a workshop,

engaging 28 youth, ages 15-26, around the topics of

entrepreneurship, community projects, and advocacy.

Fursa is dedicated to providing a space for Kuwaitis to

showcase artistic talents. Seeing a need to connect youth with

business, they developed an Intern Placement Management

System (IPMS) to pair the two groups. Thus far, Fursa has

engaged six businesses and filled one internship position.

Group29 advocates for the human rights of the Bidoun in

Kuwait. Bidoun are “stateless people” with extremely limited

rights. Group 29 implemented an awareness raising campaign

around the importance of educating Bidoun children and were

able to secure nine full college scholarships. They also

improved their donor database, increasing the number of

individuals, charities, and endowments they are able to reach.

INJAZ Kuwait is a part of a regional and global

network of NGOs focused on “Junior Achievement.”

Private sector volunteers use a standardized

curriculum to conduct educational programs for youth

on entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and work

readiness. INJAZ Kuwait developed their Learning

Management System (LMS), an online platform, to

allow volunteers to sign up, receive training, and communicate

with one another. The LMS also allows INJAZ Kuwait to

communicate with volunteers through SMS text messages.

K’S PATH is Kuwait’s first and only open-door animal shelter,

operating both as a sanctuary and adoption center. By

purchasing shelter management software, they successfully

transitioned from paper-based medical and adoption records to

an electronic system. This move enhanced their operational

capabilities, while increasing their ability to have more pets

adopted. Having too many visitors places stress on the animals,

therefore the new system allows clients to digitally preview a

much wider variety of animals than they would otherwise be

allowed to meet.

Spread the Passion supports community service by

connecting volunteers with non-profit organizations and

initiatives. Their Bedaya project was a key part of a larger

database project that makes volunteer mobilization and follow-

up smoother. They created a barcode system that scans the

hours each volunteer works, their employer information,

expertise, and other items directly into the database.

Sout Al-Kuwait was formed in response to a rise in

parliamentary legislation that encroached on the constitutional

rights and freedoms of Kuwaitis in 2008. The website,

www.raqib50.com, was developed to monitor Kuwait’s

parliament by showing the attendance and performance of

Members of Parliament. Through this project, Kuwaitis now

have a reliable source of information on their elected officials’

performance since 2009.

Partners for Democratic Change is implementing the Support for Training, Advocacy, and Network Development

(STAND) organizational capacity building program in the Gulf region. Through the provision of training and other start-

up assistance, our local partners, en.v (in Kuwait) and Partners Yemen, are mentoring nascent civil society organizations

(CSOs) in their respective countries. These “NGO Trainees” also receive seed funding through the three phases of the pro-

gram—Bedaya (Beginning), Injaz (Achievement), and Ta’awun (Cooperation). Bedaya was the first phase of the STAND

initiative; CSOs will develop new projects in subsequent phases. Visit http://www.partnersglobal.org/where/mena/stand

for more information on the STAND program.

Bedaya Grants: Support for Gulf Region CSOs

Partners for Democratic Change ● menainfo@partnersglobal.org ● www.partnersglobal.org

Partners Yemen (PY), a Partners for Democratic Change

International affiliate organization, continues to mentor and

support nascent CSOs that are working to improve the lives of

Yemeni citizens. PY helped ten NGO Trainees navigate the Bedaya

Phase of the STAND program, and reached thousands of Yemenis

across the country.

Activists Organization for Development and Human

Rights (AODHR) is dedicated to conducting human rights

training, informing lawyers about international conventions, and

raising awareness among youth. AODHR trained 25 youth

activists on equal citizenship, the culture of dialogue, and the

societal benefits of co-existence. In order to ease some

ideological and generational tensions between teachers and

students, the program included a separate training for 30 social

workers and teachers on the importance of social and

psychological support for

youth. Trainees then

educated over 2,000

students at 14 different

secondary schools in the

city of Taiz on co-

existence.

Awakening Association engages youth in playing a more

active and effective role in society. Their project engaged youth

leaders from diverse political affiliations, as well as the

unaffiliated, to facilitate dialogue and mitigate political conflict.

The youth received a series of six trainings on topics such as

political practice, conflict mediation, and anti-corruption

strategies. Youth also participated in a ‘religion and politics’

symposium and a ‘difference and diversity’ workshop.

Facilitators observed an increase in the tolerance of participants

when Houthi (Shi’a) youth prayed after the Salafi (Sunni) youth,

even though this is forbidden in Shi’a doctrine.

Bedaya Association for Development began as a youth

initiative to advance the values of democracy and the roles and

rights of individuals as the path to peaceful co-existence. By

engaging organizations and media activists in 10 districts in

Sana’a around the issue of toxic pesticides, their Bedaya

campaign informed citizens about the harmful effects of

pesticides and called for laws to control and reduce their usage.

The Bedaya Association trained 10 field coordinators and 100

youth facilitators, and gave them the goal of collecting 5,000

signatures for a petition. The youth ended up reaching 6,077

community members. The success of the campaign was also

demonstrated in community advocacy. After several citizens

approached the Shu’oob District Police Department about

odors coming from a residential building, police discovered

toxic substances buried in the yard and arrested two individuals.

Half of the Community/Society (Association of Nisf

Almojtama'a for Development) is committed to the social

development of the Hodeida governorate. Their project

provided training for 30 women, both voters and nominees for

office, on women’s electoral rights under Yemeni law and in

international accords and treaties. Participants discussed the

constitutional amendments needed to support women’s rights

and political empowerment, including the current quota law,

which reserves 30% of seats in the Yemen Parliament for women.

After being trained, the women conducted 30 community

meetings in three districts of Hodeida to spread the word about

the importance of women’s participation. They reached 300

women, including homemakers, the illiterate, and the

marginalized.

Me for Country engages youth and adolescents in decision-

making around problems they experience. Their project trained

33 children on dialogue skills, negotiation, facilitation, and good

governance. Additionally, they formed the “Council on Child

Dialogue” as a means for Yemen’s National Democratic

Committee to address children’s issues. Council members

conducted field visits to Hodeida and Haradh to gather more

information on children’s needs and then held dialogue sessions

on health services, education problems, and child abuse.

Renaissance Youth Organization For Development

(Alnhzh Youth Association for Development) is a prisoners’

rights group. Their project focused

on advocacy efforts for prisoners.

They instructed 33 human rights

activists, orators, journalists,

lawyers, and representatives of

the Central Prison Management in

the Ibb Governorate. Trainees

conducted field activities to

monitor and document the health

and nutrition needs of 120 prisoners, including any violations

they experienced. Renaissance Youth also created an advocacy

campaign to reach prison officials. The campaign focused on

health services and rights, analyzed potential interventions, and

identified cases that require support. These advocacy efforts

ultimately led to the release of two prisoners.

Bedaya Grants: Support for Gulf Region CSOs

Window Foundation for Social Development - Alnafaidah

is focused on improving the lives of residents in the Dhamar

Province, especially women and children. For the Bedaya phase

of STAND, they selected twenty nascent CSOs that were

working without a strategic plan to participate in a five-day

training, during which draft plans were developed. The Window

Foundation followed up with the organizations to turn the

plans into goal, mission, and vision statements. Training

participants also formed a support group, allowing for

continued communication, collaboration, and resource sharing.

Youth Development Organization (YDO) is on a mission to

empower youth economically, politically, socially and culturally

through training, awareness raising activities, networking, and

research. Their Women’s Voices project trained 50 women from the

Taiz governorate on the importance of volunteering. Twenty-five

women received additional

training on women’s rights,

facilitation, and awareness

raising. The women then

conducted activities in 12

secondary schools for girls,

Taiz University, and Yemeni

University, to encourage

volunteerism and community led projects. They reached 2,000

women. YDO’s advocacy efforts were so successful they captured

the attention of other organizations. They were approached by the

National Cancer Control Foundation and accepted an invitation to

conduct awareness raising activities around breast cancer

prevention and protection.

Youth Creativity Forum is focused on comprehensive

community development, specifically empowering women and

fostering the capacities

and abilities of youth as

future leaders. The goal

of their Bedaya project

was to spread the values

of peace and social unity

throughout the Ibb

governorate by training

23 journalists, imams (mosque preachers) and CSO representatives

on conflict management and social peace building. Activities

included 11 sermons on community peace building conducted by

imams at Friday prayer. Youth Creativity Forum successfully

reached the governorate’s local council and obtained a memo

informing all imams in Ibb that the issue of social unity was an

approved topic on which they could preach. These sermons

reached more than 2,000 people, and 1,500 brochures reinforcing

the messages of peace and co-existence were distributed. In

addition, journalists published five articles about social peace and

broadcasted on two local radio shows. As a result of the project,

participants formed a network called Nushatta’ Assalam (Peace

Activists).

Yemen Renaissance Organization works to improve the

administrative and institutional performance of CSOs in the Taiz

governorate. They surveyed the field of CSOs in Taiz that work on

issues related to women, youth, and children and chose four with

which to work. After analyzing many facets of each organization’s

internal regulations, Yemen Renaissance held six-day meetings

with each organization to identify performance gaps. Some of the

areas they evaluated included strategic and operational plans, staff

relationship building, human resources management, recruitment

and training, designing and writing project proposals, project and

financial management. Yemen Renaissance also provided a written

report so each group could address deficiencies and receive

targeted training.

Partners for Democratic Change works through a global network to support local leaders and create partnerships that transform conflict, strengthen democratic institutions, and achieve sustaina-ble development.

Bedaya Grants: Support for Gulf Region CSOs

Partners for Democratic Change

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@Partners4DC

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Partners Yemen staff with Bedaya Trainees