Building Resilience

Welcome to IWPR’s Frontline Update, your go-to source to hear from journalists and local voices at the front lines of conflict.

 THE BIG PICTURE  

An active and robust civil society is key to supporting democracy and human freedoms. But NGOs can only drive change when they are themselves strong and sustainable.

IWPR is developing innovative tools to help grassroots bodies build resilience by identifying strengths and weaknesses in areas as diverse as security, strategy - and even the strength of their social connections.

 VOICES FROM THE FRONTLINE 

“The resilience index served as a critical mirror during a time of deep organisational crisis,” explained Alina Perju, project manager at Moldova’s LEADER NGO, an IWPR partner which works in sustainable rural development.

IWPR’s assessment had revealed critical gaps in fundraising, institutional policy and risk management, and became “a catalyst for profound organisational change,” she concluded.

Octavian Cartera, coordinator of IWPR’s Independent Countering Disinformation Centre (ICDC) in Moldova, said that an index that assessed the depth and complexity of their engagement with others was “a really helpful tool” for their work bringing together media and civil society to combat malign influence operations.

“It supported us in identifying gaps and understanding what we can improve as a network,” he continued. “I believe it could support any organisation managing a network of partners.”

“The report provided valuable insights into our organisation’s development,” agreed Margarita Hakobyan, executive director of the OxYGen Foundation, which works to protect youth and women’s rights in Armenia. “It helped us identify areas for targeted improvement, recognise our core strengths, and rethink our funding strategies. In a time of shrinking resources for civil society, it offered a timely perspective on sustainability and diversification.”

 WHY IT MATTERS 

All civil society groups – whether working in the field of media, human rights or environmental activism - can only be effective when they have strategy, vision and transparency, as well as the ability to fundraise, advocate and implement.

IWPR’s participatory tools allow organisations to track and assess their relevance and impact across a wide range of areas.

“They actually provide an opportunity to centre the voices of the invisible in decision-making,” said Cecilia Ruberto, IWPR's principal Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) manager. “We develop ‘human’ methods for meaningfully capturing engagement and transforming it into learning for all those involved.”

 THE BOTTOM LINE 

IWPR empowers societies to find their own solutions, by strengthening local capacity to inform, educate and mobilise.  A vibrant civil society – especially in fragile contexts experiencing serious threats to human rights and freedom of expression– is a critical element underpinning peace, stability and development.