Ask Ag About... Engaging Civil Society
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Partnerships can be vital for development success, particularly when they are married with local design and ownership. But many practitioners still find themselves asking: "How do we best engage civil society?" and "what are the most successful practices for engaging civil society?"
In October's Ask Ag discussion, we will explore these often murky relationships by discussing "top actionable tips for engaging civil society" at pivotal points in the project cycle.
Questions for consideration:
- What are the top 3 action steps/tips for engaging civil society during project design?
- What are the top 3 action steps/tips for engaging civil society at the start of a new project?
- What are the top 3 action steps/tips for engaging civil society throughout implementation?
Speakers
Walter Nunez-Rodriguez
Chemonics International Inc.
Walter is a seasoned agriculture economist with over 30 years of experience in the public and private sectors, working in rural and private sector development, agriculture policy, SMEs development, business environment competitiveness, managerial and labor training, trade, investment promotion and institutional strengthening. A former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development in Bolivia and General Manager of Bolivia’s largest agriculture producers association, Walter has been working with Chemonics International since 2002. Since January 2014, he has worked in Accra, as the Chief of Party of the USAID/Ghana Feed the Future Agriculture Policy Support Project. Walter holds an M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University, a B.A from The George Washington University in Economics, and a post-graduate Diploma from Bolivia’s War College in Defense and National Security (1995).
Sharon Van
Chemonics International Inc.
Sharon is a senior governance expert with 27 years of experience strengthening the capacity of civil society organizations, networks, and coalitions, as well as national and sub-national governments to engage in successful policy advocacy, dialogue, and development. Sharon has extensive experience working in post-conflict and transitional countries, liaising between donors, governments, and beneficiaries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe. This experience includes posts as Director of the Office of Democratic Initiatives for USAID; principal governance advisor for USAID, the US Embassy, GIZ, UNDP and others; Chief of Party for an MCC-funded civil society and media project in Moldova; and director positions for FHI360’s governance programs. Sharon currently serves as Director of the Democracy and Governance Practice at Chemonics, providing leadership and technical expertise throughout the company as well as on specific governance and civic engagement program.
Monica Njoroge
Catholic Relief Services (CRS)
Ms. Njoroge has seven years of experience in capacity building and strengthening with expertise in network building &sustainability, advocacy, conducting organizational capacity assessments, resource mobilization, health system strengthening and program management for global projects. Works with civil societies in 13 countries through on-site and virtual technical assistance to set up platforms/networks and strengthens them to coordinate consistent engagement of CSOs in national health sector planning and policy processes, with a focus on resolving constraints to delivering immunization
Judith Omondi-Anyona
Catholic Relief Services (CRS)
Ms. Anyona is an International Development professional with over eight years of experience designing and managing health projects in Africa. She has vast experience in project management and capacity building of local and national implementing partners to establish sound structures that facilitate accountability, good governance and program quality. She has led over 30 national implementing organizations strengthen their governance systems and project cycle management. Judith was part of the implementation team of the $40M worth PEPFAR funded AIDSRelief Project in Kenya that was successfully transitioned to the local Kenyan partners (Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops-KCCB and Christian Health Association of Kenya-CHAK). She is currently a Program Manager with Catholic Relief Services’ Gavi CSO Project, coordinating support to 24 CSO platforms globally to work together with various stakeholders including, donors and ministries of health in improving immunization coverage. Judith holds a Master’s Degree in Development and International Cooperation from University of Jyväskylä, Finland and is certified as a project leader by Cornell University, USA.
Brian Greenberg
InterAction
Mr. Greenberg's experience in rural development extends from sustainable agriculture and natural resource management to capacity building for NGOs and communities. The interface between climate change and agriculture has been an area of increasing focus for Dr. Greenberg over the past 10 years. His field experience includes work in Egypt, India, Jamaica, Nepal, Philippines, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Dr. Greenberg has experience in field survey methods, participatory rural appraisal, agricultural development, monitoring and evaluation, conflict assessment and mitigation, gender issues, natural resource management, strategic planning and organizational capacity assessment and strengthening. Dr. Greenberg has a B.S. in Biochemistry from Dickinson College, a M.A. in Cultural Anthropology from Brown University, and a Ph.D in Anthropology from the University of Chicago.
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