Institutional Capacity Building

Many national and local government institutions in Afghanistan lack the capacity to adequately deliver services to the population and to provide a basic framework of human security, including rule of law and human rights.  Many donors, implementers and even Afghan government agencies rely on civil society organizations (CSOs) to serve in the place of government.  These CSOs, however, have variable capacity to be important contributors as service providers and effective advocates. Additionally, mechanisms to support CSOs in the provinces are very limited.  Hence, a strong and effective network of CSOs is needed that includes implementers with technical support resources to advocate for a unified agenda. The goal of the program is to improve the status and quality of life of Afghan women and girls by strengthening the capacity of CSOs to contribute to the social, economic, and political development of women throughout the country.

Facilitated by ASGP-trained consultants, CSOs conduct an in-house abbreviated self-assessment that audits organizational and technical capacity using a set of indicators. The audit, titled the “Institutional and Gender Audit, also measures the extent to which each CSO integrates gender equality in its organization and programming. The results of the assessment will be used to identify priority areas to be strengthened, such as financial management or fundraising. ASGP consultants advise CSOs on specific interventions that can be used to develop the capacity of the organization.