The Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA) is committed to helping member organizations and partners strengthen their capacity and engagement to help us all be more effective in speaking out and acting for justice and peace.
A growing collection of resources organized around the advocacy cycle to help you with ideas and practical tools.
Food Advocacy Capacity Building Workshop
A workshop drawing over 45 participants from 27 church and ecumenical organizations in the Southern and Central African regions was held 22-26 November 2010 in Nairobi. The workshop increased awareness of food security challenges, built advocacy skills, identified instruments of accountability, and enabled fuller theological reflections on food justice. In addition to regional networking and action, resources to help build the advocacy capacity of churches and Christian organizations have also been developed out of the consultation. A similar workshop is now being planned for West Africa.
More information and workshop presentations.
Challenges to strengthening advocacy capacity
This work is based on a survey conducted by the EAA in partnership with the ACT Alliance and with funding from EAA member FELM (Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission) at the end of 2009 to better understand member experiences and capacity needs with regards to advocacy. A two-day workshop held in Geneva, 19-20 January 2010 with 23 members of the EAA and ACT Alliances validated the findings of the survey and identified three priority areas for future action: a website with tools and materials for building advocacy capacity, strengthening advocacy monitoring and evaluation, and advocacy capacity around the food campaign.
The concerns related to strengthening capacity most often mentioned by respondents included scarcity of resources, forging a common understanding of advocacy, defining the role of the churches and connecting to communities in a meaningful way. A number of organizations expressed growing interest in ‘rooted advocacy’ that responds to the direct needs and priorities of communities. Many EAA and ACT members work in funding or coordinating relationships and there were frequent references to the dynamics particular to partnership. Concerns included control and conflict over agendas, efforts to empower southern partners and general coordination concerns.
The study and discussion from the January workshop are guiding EAA’s work in this area.
Study report (EN)
Report of the January Workshop (EN)
What would help you? Send your ideas about what you would like to have on a website to help your organization strengthen advocacy capacity to sspeicher@who-needs-spam.e-alliance.ch
