Strengthening Civil Society through Digital Literacy

For an effective implementation of development projects, management requires close to real time information and data to steer programmes in an environment that is very dynamic. However, with the current IT systems, information flow between the field and management is often not efficient enough. Using effective data management and communication tools would improve responsiveness of management and thus allow organisations to become more relevant. Moreover, transparent and accountable systems are extremely important to fight corruption.

That is why Helvetas, together with our local partner NGO DOT Lebanon, supports Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Lebanon to increase their efficiency in their internal operations and their effectiveness as they reach out to partners through a purposeful application of IT tools.

Trainings to eight medium-sized CSOs provide them with guidelines and coaching for developing an information and communications technologies (ICT) strategy and enable a strong mutual learning. Based on a tailored capacity and needs assessment, participating organisations develop strategies for the development of their IT framework and how it can become complementary with the organisations’ existing strategies and structures, along with a workplan to define how organisations will get there.

This way the project supports the CSOs to increase their transparency and accountability towards their clients and their donors, towards their own teams and to promote a prudent use of funds. Moreover, the use of ICTs contributes to a strengthened voice of CSOs, as the use of social media to communicate their position will lead to a broader discourse and debate on societal transformation. Beyond the end of the project, the participating CSOs will operate their IT strategy and trainers will keep providing training.

The project is financed by ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen) on behalf of the German Federal Foreign Office as well as by own funds.