- Program Civil Society
- Program Area Special Initiatives
- Grant Amount $75,000
- Grant Period January 1, 2005–December 31, 2006
- Location Durban, South Africa
- Geographic Focus KwaZulu-Natal, Province of
About this grant
This grant will enable the Centre for Public Participation to continue working to strengthen public participation in the processes of governance, particularly in the area of local government.The center mainly works with rural communities, providing training, education and capacity building. It also endeavors to determine the best models of ensuring effective community participation; advocates on behalf of communities with government; and monitors and evaluates government accountability.Multiyear funding will support efforts to disseminate information on policy and legislative development, focusing on opportunities for community participation; organize community-training workshops, focusing on increasing the understanding of local government; monitoring policy and legislative development at the local and provincial levels of government to determine whether these developments encourage or discourage public participation in government; and collaborate with other nonprofits in KwaZulu-Natal to ensure that its programs reach as many communities as possible.Recent accomplishments included conducting democracy, governance and advocacy workshops in two rural areas; establishing local government partnerships with other nonprofits working in KwaZulu-Natal to ensure replication of best practices; strengthening relationships with local government structures; and hosting a national conference on public participation in local government.