ASSERCO (Associação de Serviços Comunitários) MOZAMBIQUE
Asserco's general objective is to:
Asserco's mission is to create a civil society that is well-organised and well-informed at community level so that it can rely on its own resources of development.
The overall strategy used to achieve this is to work with grass-root organisations and communities to raise awareness that local development highly depend on their selves, collaborating together in proper planning, implementation and evaluation. Civic education has always its orientation on local development.
• Promote civil society, i.e. community-based organisations, associations, co-operatives and local NGOs, to make it capable of evaluating its initiatives and analytical potential for collective intervention in the solution of local problems.
• Make community-based organisations, associations, co-operatives and local NGOs aware that development begins at the local level with the participation of every member of society in collective and/or individual developmental activities.
3. Familiarise the communities with a new understanding of sustainable
development that parts from the principle that development can only be achieved in the first place through the conscious and organised use of local material and human resources, secondly through the solicitation of complementary aid to compensate for the lack of local resources and only lastly through external aid where there is no other alternative.
Asserco's more specific objectives are:
• Prevent conflicts by creating basic structures in the communities, which are trained to understand the importance of consensus
• Raise awareness at the governmental administrative structures to respect and integrate by the community-developed plans. Only than local development will be sustainable.
• Facilitate the dialogue between the government and the communities to solve the problems of the communities. In these meetings the government can take the opportunity to explain law and sector policy, which is necessary for a harmonious contact between government and communities and a well understanding of the duties and rights of the citizens.
• Give professional support to local organizations and authorities to prevent and solve community conflicts.
• Look for funds to realise the plans of the community.
What methods and activities are used to obtain the objectives?
• Civic Education
• Counselling and realisation of training courses in the following areas:
- Organisational development of NGOs and community-based organisations;
- Conception, elaboration and management of projects and community
development programs
- Project monitoring and evaluation;
- Planning and implementation of community development programmes;
• Organisation and moderation of seminars, workshops and meetings
• Creation and accompaniment of representative and democratic community
structures.
• Production of didactic material and other training and information material.
• Promotion of dialogue and moderation of meetings between the principal agents
of community development
• Monitoring of accounting and financial administration system of NGOs and
associations.
• Socio-economic surveys and studies
What are the organisation's specific plans for 2003 and its general plans for the next 3 years?
General plans:
Continuation of the current programs: DEC, CEDE, projects of NIZA (emergency projects, support independent journalists, etc.)
It is planned to have an assembly of Asserco in March, where the perspectives for the next years will be discussed.
At this moment it is not very clear which track Asserco will follow. There are opportunities (see 13.), which can work out.
What is the structure and size of the organisation (organigram)?
The organization is currently composed as an association with members with a chairman. The founding members used to work as colleagues in different organizations and projects and are equal on a professional level. The professionals are linked up to specific projects whenever funding is arranged. Fifteen members founded Asserco, but at the moment half of this group is not active participating any more. The organization goes through a problematic phase; should have to consolidate, though shortage of members and professionals and lack of time or motivation to work on strengthening the organization and develop an own strategic plan is a real risk for the continuation of the organization.
Does the organisation have a clear institutional and organisational framework (incl. legal registration)?
ASSERCO is an association of professionals of various technical and scientific areas. ASSERCO is a non-governmental, non-profit-making and non-partisan organisation with the legal status of an association according to Mozambican law and with financial and administrative autonomy.
Does the organisation have a sustainable base (track record)?
1996 Building-up resource and service centers for NGOs in Beira and Nampula, a training, consulting and networking program.
1997 Survey of local NGOs and townships in Dondo district, part of a SADC exchange program on ‘Civil Society interaction with the African State '.
• Capacity building focused on learning by doing for NGOs and mini-projects for grassroots organizations: mid term evaluation: reducing scope from provinces to districts of Dondo Municipality and Buzi district, Sofala province.
• Refining approach and methods for community involvement: official foundation of ASSERCO: start of Decentralization program for integrated town and district development .
• Continuation of Decentralization program for integrated town and district development and mini projects for socio-economic rehabilitation in Dondo Municipality and Buzi district.
• Continuation of Decentralization program.
Set up and supervise an association for community radio in Dondo as part of the Projecto media da UNESCO.
Set up sustainable food production project in Guara Guara and Bandua in the Buzi district, supported by AWO (German)
Deliver services for the municipality of Beira : trainingprogram of the CMB; internet project Samora Machel
• Continuation of Decentralization program
Implement a program of research and peacekeeping in central Moçambique (CEDE; Centro de Estudos de Democracia e Desenvolvimento).
Set up a public market in Guara Guara (AWO)
Deliver services for the municipality of Beira :
emergency projects. (rehabilitation of the roof of the Samora Machel school; rehabilitation 6 primary schools).
Schoolbank project for primary schools.
Project to support independent journalists in Beira .
What financial, human and material resources does the organisa tion have at its disposal?
Material resources: the base of the organisation is the office in Dondo. The second office in Buzi is part of the DEC program, financed by the Austrian North-South Institute.
The actual headquarter is in Beira . For the communication with donors, the organization depends on infrastructure like banking services, telephone connection, electricity, internet facilities etc., which is available in Beira .
In this office Niza has a room, used by the development worker.
Human resources: besides of the human resources, which are part of the programs, the overhead-functions of Asserco are covered by a secretary (full time), and the core-team, existing of the account manager (part time), the executive director (part time), and a trainer (part time).
Niza delivered a development worker to assist Asserco on the organizational level.
Financial resources: Niza contributes at the overhead costs when projects are implemented and pays the rent of the office. The Austrian North South Institute pays the rent of the offices in Dondo and Buzi and contributes in the overhead costs of the offices Dondo, Buzi and Beira (material, energy, telephone etc.) and salaries of the overhead. The maintenance of the cars (3) is also paid by the North-South Institute.
Asserco has 2 bank accounts: one for local money and one for foreign money.
Where does the organisation get its funding from?
There are a few resources where Asserco gets its funding from.
First of all the members of the association contribute. But main funding is coming from partner organizations and programs.
T he main current program at this moment is the DEC-IN project: the decentralization project for integrated town and district development which is financed by the Austrian Government -Development Cooperation Unit through the Austrian North-South Institute. This program finishes at the end of 2003.
Within this program costs for offices, material, car maintenance and staff is included.
The peacekeeping program of CEDE also covers a part of staff costs. Finances come from Usaid.
Besides of funding through these programs Asserco gets funding from Niza. As an intermediate organization Asserco carries out projects for Niza. These are projects in the context of the city link Amsterdão Beira, which money comes from the municipality of Amsterdam , as well as other projects, financed by private donors. For these activities Niza hires an office at Asserco's base in Beira and contributes in overhead costs.
Is the organisation part of formal and/or informal networks?
And how can these networks be valued in view of the sector plan?
There exist no formal network of organizations working in participatory community development. Asserco participated in a conference in Addis Abeba where organizations working in community development came together to set up an international network.
Due to the role as intermediary and advisor in local planning and development Asserco depends on other actors for their cooperation in the projects.
Asserco built up an informal network with international organizations and professionals who are interested in participatory democracy processes and community building.
Is the (work of the) organisation embedded in the local community (community based)?
In the current operational area of Dondo and Buzi, Asserco works closely together with the existing NGOs, grassroots organizations and also the local government.
Does the organisation have the ability to support smaller community based organisations through capacity building?
Yes, it is one of the objectives of Asserco.
Does the organisation have the potential to carry out advocacy and lobby activities at the local and/or national level?
Through their current community development program Asserco does have the capacity to carry out advocacy and lobby activities. This is at a local level (Buzi-district and Dondo-town). On a national level Asserco is carrying out advocacy activities by the general director to get access in national plans for decentralization the participatory approach in community development.
Is the political and socio-economic environment conducive for obtaining the organisation's objectives?
A national strategic plan was set up to support the decentralization process in the country. It is financed by the World Bank and implemented by t he ministry of Administração Estatal. In this context in the whole country traininginstitutes are raised where officials and elected authorities will be trained. Issues are administrative processes, principles of democracy, and also the participative approach in community development, which was developed by Asserco, will be part of these trainings. Asserco hope they will get a role in these institutes in the center of the country.
Another program what gives perspectives for Asserco is the PADM (Programa de Apoio de Desenvolvimento dos Municipios). With the local elections in 2003 in preview this plan covers capacity building of organisations and local authorities in the districts Buzi, Chibabava, Dondo and the towns Dondo and Marromeu. This is financed by the Austrian Government -Development Cooperation . Asserco is one of the candidates in the country to implement the PADM program.
The existence of these programs supports a peaceful and democratic development and gives perspectives for the objectives and specific approach of Asserco.
What are the needs of the organisation in terms of capacity building (for instance in terms of human resource development, organisation strengthening and institutional development)?
Asserco as an organisation has different problems in her current phase. The organization has to be restructured with a clear idea about the kind of organization Asserco wants to be (intermediate organization?). Roles and tasks of management and staff must be clarified. Staff tasks have to be developed. A strategic plan for the next years has to be made, with an integral financial plan for the organization.
What is the added value of the organisation in the human rights and/or peace building landscape in the country (and/or the southern African region)?
Interventions of Asserco in the basic levels contribute to built peaceful relations and a sustainable way of consolidation peace.
How could the organisation be part of the human rights and peace building sector plan?
And what are the assumptions and risks from that perspective?
Asserco can be part of the program DH & PB by executing their community development programs, which improve the ‘access to justice'. Activities can be seen as prevention and resolution of conflicts in the communities.
Risk is that conflict resolution is not the first and main focus of the community development plans. It is an underlying, hidden objective, but as important as the social economical focus.
Address: Rua Major Serpa Pinto 2000, Predio Brito, 2e andar esquerdo, Beira, Moçambique
Tel/fax: +258 3 324086
E-mail: assercob@teledata.mz
Contact person: Jorge J.T.R.Coelho