ENCISS - Christian Aid

Between October 2010 and September 2013, 243 grants worth £3.8m were awarded to civil society organisations (CSOs) and local organisations. These micro, project and strategic level grants funded initiatives across ENCISS thematic areas: gender, youth, justice, decentralisation and the 2012 elections.  

At the same time, ENCISS delivered a comprehensive capacity building programme for grant partners, with training and mentoring in areas such as budgeting, monitoring and evaluation, advocacy and financial management. 

ENCISS created opportunities and spaces for strategic engagement and dialogue with government authorities to deliver activities such as policy dialogue forums and accountability platforms for CSOs, local and national government.

Following the three year grants phase, there was a one year extension during which ENCISS played a strategic broker role, bringing together former grantees and other civil society players together and working through accountability platforms, policy dialogues, and media. In May 2014, ENCISS ran a public education campaign with four CSOs to popularise public policy using theatrical forms such as song, dance, story-telling and drama.

An innovative SMS Voices pilot project broke new ground by using web and mobile technology to connect citizens and councillors in Bo and Koinadugu districts.

The ENCISS Learning Labs initiative was a multi-strand project designed to promote aculture of knowledge sharing and learning among civil society and community-basednetworks, and developed replicable and sustainable models of best practice. The project used various channels, including interactive peer-led learning events, to share knowledge, challenges and strengths, and online resources such as case studies, how-to guides, fact-sheets, publications and links to national laws, government ministries, departments and agencies.