By Wezi Tjaronda WINDHOEK The German Development Service (DED) this week handed over its programme – Support of Civil Society Structures – into local hands. The Council of Churches in Namibia (CCN) will be the new partner for Bread of the World (BftW), a German church-based development agency, which supports civil society organisations in Namibia and other countries. Over 25 civil society projects have been supported over the years by the programme on which the DED spent about N$3 million on capacity building for local projects and salary contributions of local experts who worked as coordinators or managers of the respective NGOs. Many of the organisations were on the brink of closing down or had come out of debts, structural problems and financial instability, among others. Marianne Woeller, DED Programme Coordinator said, ” With the money, we achieved a lot and addressed many issues and stabilised various NGOs, which really helped the people in need on a grassroots level.” In this case, the CCN will now become a funding organisation for other civil society organizations (CSOs) as well as being a channel between the funded projects and the donor organisation (BftW). German Ambassador to Namibia, Arne Freiherr von Kittlitz, said without the courage of the people running the CSOs, the nation would not thrive because a strong committed and well-organised civil society was a key element to a strong nation. He said with the financial support, the programme has helped some of the NGOs in the country to become leading umbrella organizations, such as the Namibia Network of AIDS Service Organisations (NANASO) and Women’s Solidarity of Namibia. Knowing the positive developments in the sector over the years, the ambassador said, the project would have a sound future and civil society would be further strengthened for the benefit of the people in need. During the duration of the programme, Von Kittlitz said, promotion of human rights and advocacy and lobbying for those with no voice have been a very important aim. “DED has focused on social problems like violence against women and children, as well as on programmes for orphans and vulnerable children in connection with HIV/AIDS,” he said. He added that the CCN was a powerful successor to continue cooperation with Bread for the World. The agreement between the BftW and CCN will enable additional funding to flow to NGOs and Faith Based Organisations for them to build their capacities. Dr Henry Platt, Vice-President of the CCN, said the agreement would put the council of churches in a position where it could advance advocacy, build capacity of its members and mobilise resources for them. He outlined some approaches that the CCN believes would contribute to nation-building as working towards sustainability, nurturing humanity, striving for justice, fighting poverty and being a voice for the voiceless. The DED and BftW developed a concept for NGOs to overcome organisational and management shortcomings, such as lack of a clear concept, work plans, financial management skills, reporting, evaluation procedures, fundraising and income-generating activities. At the end of the programme, the DED detailed some best practices, from the 25 NGOs supported under the programme, as being Tsumeb Women and Children Centre’s financial sustainability and strengthening efforts against violence, NANASO’s getting out of debt towards credibility and efficiency and Oshandi Community Youth Educators’ training and volunteer mobilisation.