Civil Society Development in Sudan Program (CSDP) Quarterly Report Jan-March 2016

The goal of CSDP is to promote a viable and increasingly democratic Sudan. CSDP includes two primary components: promoting and building a vibrant civil society through institutional capacity strengthening, networking, and access to funding to help Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) address demand for good governance and democratic participation; and providing support for youth-led initiatives, youth-serving organizations (YSOs), and youth engagement in national dialogue for peace and reconciliation, and helping youth access and utilize information for the purpose of reconciliation dialogue, conflict prevention, and democratic reform. During the second quarter of Fiscal Year (FY) 2016, CSDP held one training in Khartoum, Sudan, for YSOs, along with four meetings among local partners. CSDP also completed preparatory work to award USAID-approved Fixed Amount Award (FAAs) to 10 partner organizations and submitted an approval request for five new FAAs. Three awards were signed during this reporting period – with Badya Center for Integrated Development Services (Badya Center), Elgoni Charitable Organization (Elgoni), and Human Security Initiative Organization Ma’man (Ma’man). The three grantees have received their initial tranches of funding and have launched their respective project implementation. The National Dialogue has continued to dominate the political landscape in Sudan this quarter. Coordinated by the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP), the National Dialogue has moved along despite the fact that most of the major opposition forces are still refusing to participate in the process. They maintain that the Government of Sudan (GoS) has not met the necessary prerequisites that would ensure inclusivity, impartiality, and seriousness of the National Dialogue. They also point to the fact that the process is dominated by the ruling National Congress Party (NCP). Still, the GoS has formed coordinating committees to lead the process, and these committees have already completed their work and drafted recommendations. Youth Serving Organizations Strengthening is one of the key components of CSDP. CSDP held a five-day Strategic Planning and Strategic Management (SPSM) training for YSOs on January 26-30, 2016, in Khartoum. The training helped to clarify the meaning of “mission” and also addressed what overall vision the participating organizations have for their strategic planning. The training was attended by 16 participants from eight partner YSOs, including Sudan Scout Association (Khartoum State), Shimose (Kassala State), Ideas Organization for Social Development (Darfur State), Elgoni (South Kordofan State), Sudanese Community Development Association (Blue Nile State), Youth Forum Organization (Khartoum State), Youth Without Borders (Darfur State), and Sudanese Organization for Leaders Training (Khartoum State). Civil Society Network Strengthening is another key component of CSDP. During this reporting period, CSDP’s local CSO partners continued to strengthen their network. Its coordination committee organized four in-person meetings that were all hosted by CSDP on January 2, February 13, March 5, and March 26, 2016. Network members successfully integrated four WhatsApp chat groups that were created following individual CSDP trainings into one major group and appointed two focal points for the network in River Nile and Red Sea states. The network serves as a coordination platform for participating CSOs, allowing them to share experiences, build coalitions, and collaborate with each other on programmatic activities.