Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and their usually very committed, but often under-trained staff already perform a critical role in development throughout the Commonwealth and elsewhere.
For these front-line workers in the battle to heal, train and educate, the burning question is not just "How can we do this?" but "How can we do this better?" One way to is to offer NGO staff every opportunity to obtain relevant, high-quality training through open and distance learning (ODL).
One such opportunity is now being offered with COL's assistance to NGO staff who work with street children in South Asia.
The initiative was proposed by India's Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) in 2000, and subsequently developed by COL in partnership with RGF, the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and several South Asian NGOs working in the areas of poverty alleviation and children's issues. The certificate programme focuses on building the business, communications, training and administrative skills of NGO staff.
The programme is an ideal one for COL, which is mandated to advance Commonwealth-wide development through collaboration, advocacy and ODL - the last enabling NGO staff to continue essential work in the field, while at the same time gaining information and honing skills that increase productivity and effectiveness on the job.
Since materials development began in 2002, two courses are now available: Writing Business English and Business Skills. Both were piloted in 2003. The English writing course is targeted at administrators wishing to improve the quality of their communications while the business skills course includes job seeking, and entrepreneurship best practice and basic skills for addressing poverty and unemployment.
IGNOU provided instructional design for the business skills course, while RGF organised course draft reviews and course piloting. Actual course writing and content was pilot tested with the NGO staff currently working with street children throughout India, including Butterflies, Salaam Balaak Trust, Prayas Institute for Juvenile Justice, Ratna Nidhi Charitable Trust and Samarth.
As the certificate courses are expected to prove popular, COL is looking into funding the development of additional courses and possibly a diploma-level programme. COL is also exploring the feasibility of adapting the certificate programme, along with some other IGNOU courses, for use with other partners in other Commonwealth regions.
Through ODL programmes such as this, NGOs and their staff can become better equipped to provide their clientele with opportunities to become productive, contributing citizens through their vital work as a part of the international humanitarian effort.