Empowering partnership for local development

          Decentralization as a process in the Republic of Macedonia has opened up new opportunities for cooperation between the civil sector and public administration. We have realized this project with the aim of stimulating and promoting the partnership work and the joint problem solving in the community.

         During the period 2006-2008, we have awarded 26 grants. 22 of those grants were awarded with the aim of supporting local initiatives, and 4 were for anti-corruption. As a result of stimulating the partnership work, we have supported over 40 civil organizations.

         Our aim concerning this project is to function in the southwestern region of Macedonia, which includes the municipalities of Prilep, Bitola, Krivogastani, Dolneni and Krusevo.

          This project has helped the citizens work together with the aim of identifying and solving the problems that their communities are faced with.  This project has also enabled us to promote and establish effective methods of using local resources which are helping the communities’ development in Macedonia.  Finally, this program has equally covered the urban and rural environments in the Pelagonia region.

         The key goal of the program is to create a favorable climate for establishing effective partnerships and a contribution towards the strengthening of the community.  The goal was accomplished through stimulating civil organizations, public institutions, and the local authorities to create a philanthropic climate in the community. With the implementation of the participative methodology we were of assistance to the citizens in the creation of the culture for a personal contribution to the development of the local community.   

         This project has also increased CCI capacities through the participation in a number of trainings throughout the country, as well as in other countries. At the present time, CCI is well-known in the region and the country as an organization which is helping the civic organizations and their development.

         The organizations which were awarded the grants and were included in the project have reached their goals and have realized their anticipated activities. The branding of the organizations has increased in number; moreover, a contribution is made towards their institutional development. The organizations have particularly emphasized their contentment in the successful local partnerships and have announced that it is just the beginning of their future cooperation.

         The results from the carried out projects in the Pelagonia region have contributed towards the identification of the civic organizations as a serious partner in the local politics creation processes.

          The effects brought about from the realization of this program are of great importance to the citizens. The gain from the realization of this project is the following: drawing the citizens near the process of effective community development in accordance with the anticipated practices on the part of the Government – decentralization.

          The two – year support offered by the Institute for Sustainable Communities is of crucial importance to CCI. Through the part of the project for institutional strengthening of our organization, we were given the opportunity to be trained in the part of representing public relations, to create administrative support to function as an organization which awards and administrates grants; to be, above all, well known as local leaders and an organization which provides support.

The project supported by ISC has also given a unique support in the direction of enabling institutional strengthening of our organization through the Center for Institutional Development (CID) – Skopje, one of the ISC partners. Through the program for Institutional grants provided by CID, we have taken into consideration many important strategic decrees: 

• We have seriously scrutinized the possibility of becoming a Foundation for the community from a civic organization.
• We have created a strategy for the organization in the period 2008-2013
• We were trained in the area of IPA funds at the European Commission about the Local Governments Units as well as about the civic organizations.