Civil Society Strengthening Program (CSSP) Quarterly Performance Report – FY19 – Q1

The program aims to strengthen civil society's infrastructure and individual organizational capacity, with the goal of supporting civil society organizations (CSOs) and coalitions that engage in advocacy initiatives. CSSP encourages greater engagement between CSOs and government institutions, with the objective of increasing CSOs' contributions in public policy. To achieve its objectives, CSSP delivers capacity development activities to CSOs, including technical assistance to meet their advocacy and public policy engagement goals. The program also focuses on strengthening the capacity of five core Intermediate Service Organizations (ISOs) to provide high-quality capacity development and advocacy services to CSO clients in a sustainable way. Through customized trainings, technical assistance, and mentoring, CSSP transfers skills to ISOs in performance-based management, demand-driven services, advocacy, organizational development, and financial sustainability. CSSP's holistic approach to assisting CSOs achieve advocacy results focuses on building the capacity of organizations to plan and execute advocacy campaigns, providing them resources through grants, and making explicit the expectation that CSOs must purposefully engage Moroccan citizens, consolidate their ideas, opinions, and voices, and advocate on their behalf directly with decision makers. This quarter represented a high mark for CSSP, as the ISOs officially formed into a coalition and began advocating directly with parliament for needed reform to the laws governing civil society. CSSP's organizational development approach is centered on the cascading model, where ISOs build the capacity of selected CSOs engaged in advocacy efforts in Morocco. This model promotes local ownership and sustainability of organizational and technical capacity building to advance targeted policy reform efforts. CSSP's quarterly performance report highlights the program's progress in achieving its objectives, including the strengthening of CSOs' infrastructure and individual organizational capacity, and the increase in CSOs' contributions in public policy. The program's geographic coverage includes Morocco's target regions: Fez-Meknes, Marrakech-Safi, Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, Rabat-Kenitra, and Souss-Massa. CSSP's quarterly performance report also highlights the program's achievements in capacity building for associations around gender and social inclusion, and gender mainstreaming in advocacy projects related to public policies. CSSP's quarterly performance report for the period of October 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018, highlights the program's progress in achieving its objectives, including the strengthening of CSOs' infrastructure and individual organizational capacity, and the increase in CSOs' contributions in public policy. The report also highlights the program's achievements in capacity building for associations around gender and social inclusion, and gender mainstreaming in advocacy projects related to public policies. The program's achievements during the reporting period include the official formation of the ISOs into a coalition and their direct advocacy with parliament for needed reform to the laws governing civil society. CSSP's quarterly performance report also highlights the program's progress in achieving its objectives, including the strengthening of CSOs' infrastructure and individual organizational capacity, and the increase in CSOs' contributions in public policy.