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The institutional strengthening component of the program is designed to ensure that participating NGOs develop the leadership and
management skills as well as organizational capacity to serve as credible agents of political and economic development. Institutional
strengthening will address the internal structuring of NGOs to ensure broad-based member participation and transparency in organizational
decision-making and promote accountability and responsiveness of leaders to members and clients. It also addresses the full range of
systems and procedures needed to plan, implement and monitor NGOs programs and their performance in achieving defined results.
MAP also assists program participants to establish and clearly define realistic advocacy objectives consistent with community needs
as well as their broader organizational missions and implementation capacity. The training and technical assistance program offers
introduction to skills required to communicate advocacy objectives to constituents and the broader public, to develop interpersonal
relationship and negotiation skills conducive to effective collaboration, to mobilize support across sectors, and to support and
sustain meaningful dialogue with policy-makers.
As outlined above, the Foundation for Democratic Alternatives in Society (FONDAS) is an independent Montenegrin non-governmental organization founded on 2 April 2004 by a group of experienced training consultants formerly engaged on the USAID-funded Montenegro Advocacy Program. The principal aim of FONDAS is to assist the Montenegrin NGO sector to successfully advocate for legal changes on behalf of their community. The organization provides NGOs with the capacity to mobilize both the expertise and the resources necessary to tackle issues effectively. This is carried out with integrity that comes from principled leadership and transparent, democratic management. To date, FONDAS trainers have delivered over 148 days of specialized training to NGOs, international organizations, refugees and IDPs, as well as government and private businesses. FONDAS offers cost-free training & capacity-building services to groups of NGOs at no cost. Individual clients may avail themselves of specifically-tailored training services for a reasonable fee.
In addition to providing training & consultancy services, FONDAS is also actively involved in its own projects and initiatives. Currently,
FONDAS is implementing the following initiatives:
FONDAS works with NGOs in three municipalities, Herceg Novi, Ulcinj and Niksic, to form local watchdog coalitions aimed at monitoring the implementation of specific legislation in those areas. The goal of the project is to establish rule of law in municipalities where there is a demonstrated need for a closer watch on certain state institutions. With technical & financial assistance from FONDAS, the AHA coalition in Herceg Novi monitors the activities of the public company “Morsko Dobro”, the MOGUL coalition monitors the misuse of public spaces in Ulcinj, and the Gradjanksi Dom monitors the enforcement of the Law on Social & Child Protection in Niksic.
FONDAS established an ecological network of NGOs, currently consisting of 8 organizations, to increase the lobbying and watchdog power of civil society in the field of environmental protection. The eco-network is monitoring the privatization of the Pljevlja coal mine and thermoelectric plant.
· USAID/ORT
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