21.01.2010 

Last year was a historic one for Seychelles’ civil society and a very busy time for the Liaison Unit of Non-governmental Organisations of Seychelles (Lungos), its chairman Bernard Elizabeth has said.

He was speaking at Lungos’ annual certificate presentation to over 60 staff who completed training programmes offered by the organisation in 2009.

The event, which took place on Tuesday at Care House in Victoria, was attended by Lungos chief executive Steve Lalande, French embassy adviser Gilles Pommeret – who was also representing the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – dean of the Academy of Civil Society Dr Nirmal Shah and members of the Lungos board of directors among other guests.

The courses were run by the academy, which is a network of consultants, trainers, technical experts and HR development bodies operating under the auspices of Lungos as a capacity-building commission.

It was set up in 2008 in response to the need to integrate local expertise in the European Union-sponsored capacity building programme for state and non-state staff in Seychelles, under the 9th European Development Fund (EDF).

Mr Elizabeth said the capacity development training programmes are to prepare civil society and non-governmental organisations to take part in the national decision-making processes through their representation on relevant government bodies.

He noted that to involve civil society in national development is one of the cornerstones of the Lungos partnership agreement with the government.

This will be meaningful only if investment is made in training members of NGOs and civil society to improve their skills and knowledge, he added.

Mr Elizabeth also said with the start of its five-year plan this year, Lungos is looking forward to further benefiting under the 10th EDF to boost the capacity of NGOs and civil society for the long-term benefit of the citizens, the communities and the country as a whole.

He said Lungos looks forward to strengthening its partnership with the EU and the UNDP and to forging new links with other groups.

This, he said, will be the ideal move as the country heads into the next phase of its socio-economic and educational reforms.

The UNDP’s programme officer Rebecca Loustau-Lalanne described the event as a remarkable example of the achievements of the capacity-building project.

She said it should be seen as a solid foundation that has been laid to further encourage the active involvement of civil society.

And she reminded the graduates that the training they have received is a useful tool to boost their daily work and to help them find new, innovative ways to help the country prosper.

Among the courses offered by the academy were project planning and writing, project management, strategic planning, accounting levels 1, 2 and 3, training of trainers, marketing and media communication strategy, PR tools, and dynamic communication and outstanding customer relations.

During Tuesday’s ceremony, Josette Stravens – who followed 19 courses – received the certificate for excellent participation.

Serving as the educational arm of Lungos, the academy’s primary aim is to design, oversee and carry out capacity development programmes for NGOs.

It seeks to bring together success-oriented people with experience, skills and a willingness to create and sustain a learning environment for civil society.

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