NEWSLETTER No. 10

PIROT

Theme: Network capacities in civil society strengthening

Author: NGO Pirgos Jevrejska 8, 18300 Pirot   Tel/Fax: 010/335 797  E-mail: pirgos@ptt.yu Web: www.pirgos.org.yu

Civil society strengthening and promotion of democratic values are a big task for the society actors that focus their work on the achievement of this goal. That is a difficult task that requires a lot of renunciation and energy. That is the duty of each citizen, each family, association, institution and finally, or, above all, the duty of the state and the government. Starting from the fact that there is no civil society without the above listed actors that make it up, create and nurture it, it is the right and duty of each citizen to contribute to the establishment and sustainability of civil society. One must admit that the strengthening of our society is a big step not only for the citizen but also the organizations and institutions whose mission is precisely civil society strengthening.

It is those organizations that have realized, after looking at the situation realistically, that they will not achieve much by working independently. The key word is cooperation. Cooperation has been intensified, among NGOs as well as between NGOs and local government institutions, schools, profit organizations and similar.

Visible progress, i.e., better understanding and interest in non-governmental organizations by local authorities and other civil society actors, as an inevitable product of a more intensive cooperation, represents an encouragement for non-governmental organizations. People have started thinking about work improvement and creation of methods for an even more efficient accomplishment of goals. A network of non-governmental organizations has come as the right solution and a logical step for further work. Let us put it this way: everything that a single organization can do can also be done by more of them, but what  a network can do, a single organization certainly cannot.

The circumstances we live in have made the leaders of non-governmental organizations think about networking. This is how a network of 13 non-governmental organizations from Serbia was formed, led by the experience of European Perspective, Greek NGO - Network of Civil Society Resource Centres. The Network is working on the project "Promotion of pluralism by strengthening NGOs and civil society in Serbia". The project title largely reflects its goal - 12 non-governmental organizations have grown stronger and grown into 12 NGO Resource Centres led by the Central Resource Centre -  European Perspective, with its head office in Kragujevac. The Network members have gained new work experience and, driven by the strength of the Network, they have dedicated a part of their time and work to the enhancement of the Network as a recognizable and sustainable entity. Coordinated activities have ensued. One of them was a press conference on the occasion of Human Rights Day in 11 towns covered by the work of the Network members. Since every organization has a developed cooperation on the local level, with the media, authorities and other actors of the civil society, this initiative was realized successfully. The fact is that a lot more attention is given to the announcement of an activity realized simultaneously by 13 organizations in 11 towns of Serbia, than of a single conference in a single town which is at a great risk of passing partly unnoticed. Through the realization of the conference, the Network demonstrated a high level of flexibility and the ability for a timely reaction to the current circumstances. Communication improvement, transfer of experiences, meeting potential partners, opportunity for joint work and increase in the scope of network activities, which all contributes to its strengthening, are only some more advantages of networking and the realization of activities within a network. 

The Network of Civil Society Resource Centres is continuing its work on the current projects and is planning new ones, with the members aware of the strength of the Network and with an unspoken maxim: anything one of us can do, can be done by all  13 of us, but all that we can do together, no one could do alone!