Intermediary Service Organizations for Civil Society Development

Cooperative Agreement No. AID-111-A-17-00003

PROGRAM REPORT

November 9, 2016 – November 9, 2017 (Final)

Submitted by: Artashes Torozyan, Project Manager

Date: January 30, 2018

CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARRY OF THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND RESULTS ACHIEVED ______3

OVERALL DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTIVITIES AND ACCOMPLISHMEBTS ______6

A SUMMARY OF PROBLEMS /OBSTACLES ENCOUNTERED DURING IMPLEMENTATION _ 22

LESSONS LEARNED ______23

COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ______25

EXECUTIVE SUMMARRY OF THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND RESULTS ACHIEVED Partnership and Teaching /“P&T” NGO implemented “Intermediary Service Organizations for Civil Society Development” (ISOCSD) project in Syunik, Vayots Dzor, , Ararat, , Aragatsotn and Kotayk marzes funded by USAID. The aim of the project was to strengthen the capacities of regional civil society organizations promoting successful cooperation, sustainability and inter-sectorial dialogue between the public and private sectors.

During the project period, planned activities contributed to 3 objectives.

Objective 1: Enhance the institutional capacities of P&T NGO to act as an effective ISO for CS development.

Objective 2: Support development of CSO capacities in 7 marzes to equip them with necessary skills and knowledge for sustainable performance and quality service delivery

Objective 3: Facilitate SCOs progress to become efficient network players and partners with local organizations, governments and businesses for impact and change.

At the end of the 12-month "Intermediary Service Organizations for Civil Society Development" (ISOCSD) project, we have achieved the following results: • P&T NGO capacity building • Capacity building of project beneficiary organizations in seven regions of • Cross-pectoral cooperation development in seven regions of Armenia P&T NGO as a service provider has improved its capabilities by adding all necessary policies and procedures in the organization, including on NGO management, external relations, financial management and sustainability.

P&T NGO's image and reputation was enhanced? by the active involvement of CSO institutions, local governments and the business sector in all the conferences and forums and by the feedback from the participants on content and technical segments of the organized events. The program enabled the organization to develop institutional capacity as a service provider. The organization was assessed by USAID. The average score of P&T NGO’s institutional capacity assessment according to OCA tool was 3.5at the start of the project. P&T NGO’s institutional capacity indicator was set at 3.9 which is successfully achieved in the end of the project completion. The progress is reflected both in OCA score improvement (3.5-3.9) and OPI scores. P&T NGO’s strengthened capacity led to , many achievements in providing new services and acquiring new financing programs over the past year

One of the significant projects implemented by P & T NGO's is "Social Entrepreneurship Development Program" implemented in the communities of Gndevaz and Jermuk in Vayots Dzor region and as a result we have 2 newly registered SEs that have already been financially stable at the end of the project due to their new and long-term projects funded by Lydian Armenia. New modules developed within the frameworks of USAID project were successfully used in the implementation of new projects. P &T NGO has been able to design another important project for the development of the field, based on accumulated experiences and : "Youth as Community Change Actors" project that was funded within the small grant frameworks of “Strong CSO for Stronger Armenia” project by EU. The project is aimed at promoting the development of youth capacities and enhancing their role in the community development process in Urtsadzor and Goris enlarged communities . As a result of the project 70 young people in the target communities will improve their capacities in the community mobilization, project design, fundraising and volunteering with the aim to become important actors in the communities, as well as, to participate in the community governance processes.

The development of capacities of beneficiary organizations in seven regions of Armenia has demonstrated considerable progress achieved both during and after completion of the project. The following events, trainings and consultations, were conducted during the project implementation. November 10, 2016 – November 10, 2017

A total of more than 138 days of multi-public formats of capacity-building events : trainings (50 days), consultations (27 days), project presentation meetings (7 days), CSO capasity assesments (42 days), regional forums (5 days), Regional conference (3days), with participation of 1926 representatives from 150 CSOs, LGs and Business Structures.

As a result of thorough and comprehensive work of 6 regional organizations, selected as a result of the initial assessment during the project implementation, CSO mobilization centers have been established in the target regions that have become institutionally developed and stakeholder responsive structures. As a result of the adoption of NGO management, project development and management, and fundraising alternative methods, 6 NGOs were able to raise other funds and ensure their financing for their projects. As a result of capacity building for beneficiary CSOs, 23 NGOs succeeded in fundraising ensuring financial sustainability of the organizations and continuity of future work with the beneficiaries.7 grant projects in the field of community development have been financed by P&T NGO, 6 NGOs have been able to develop competitive project-proposals and receive grants within the framework of “Strong CSO” Small Grants Schemes. 2 NGOs have developed projects approved and funded by “CSO DePo ” project. 3 non-governmental organizations have raised funds in the framework of grant projects implemented by Youth Foundation of Armenia and US Embassy. Another 5 organizations have been able to engage alternative funds for the implementation of their initiatives and advocacy campaigns implemented through internal resources of the community by private entities.

Highlighting the need for resource mobilization, cross-sectoral cooperation development and stabilization in community development processes, various events have been implemented during the project, aimed at promoting dialogue between CSO / LG and business sectors, building constructive relationships and implementing joint initiatives in community development sphere. As a result of 5 regional forums on “The Role of CSOs in Community Development Processes” and 3 regional conferences on “Community Voices: Prospects for Development”, platforms for promoting cooperation have been created for more than 420 CSO / LG and business sector representatives in beneficiary regions. As a result of these inter-sectoral public discussions, about 30 community issues were identified, 7 of 19 project- proposals aimed at solving these issues were financed and implemented by combining inter- sectoral resources. The grant budget for the implemented projects were about 9000$/ 4.365.000 AMD , of which 50% was local contributions. 1.420.000 AMD was invested by LG of local investments. 1.260.200 AMD was invested by business sector. 1.555.100 AMD was invested by NGO sector. The total budget for the implemented 8.600.300 AMD / 17 733 $

The success stories of the grant programs are presented in the Success Storiessection.

The main outcome of these projects is the culture of co-operation in communities among NGOs , local government and business structures.

NGOs are continuing to implement cross-sectoral cooperation programs to ensure the sustainability of NGOs after the end of the project.

For example, organizing fundraising with business sector to ensure the continuity of the project (Asghatsolk NGO); Providing social services in the community with involvement of LG and business structures. (Sisian Women's Resource Center Foundation); Preparation of Community Infrastructure Improvement projects with LG bodies and business Involvement / Lukashin Agricultural Cooperative /; Formation and provision of community groups with the help of LG/ dance, karate, boxing / Kangun Apaga NGO/.

We have reached the following tangible outputs and outcomes from the three major aspects of the program:

OVERALL DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTIVITIES AND ACCOMPLISHMEBTS The results of the "Intermediary Service Organizations for Civil Society Development" (ISOCSD) program have been achieved through the following key actions: Objective 1. To enhance the institutional capacities of P&T NGO to act as an effective ISO for CS development P&T NGO’s institutional capacity The USAID team assessed the P&T NGO’s institutional capacity by OCA tool, aimed at revealing the organization’s strengths and weaknesses and developing a capacity building action plan. The average score of P&T NGO’s institutional capacity assessment according to OCA tool was 3.5at the beginning of the project. P&T NGO’s institutional capacity indicator was set at 3.9. In the period of organizational capacity building P&T NGO prepared a new website. www.gumiso.am և NGO has acquired new property and equipment, to increase the effectiveness of the project.

P&T NGO developed training moduls on 4 topics: “Innovative Mind as Means of Organizational Development” and “Change Managment”, “Social Entrepreneurship Development” , “Community Mobilization. Community Initiative Development” directed to empowerment and sustainability of the organizations for the project’s beneficiary NGOs and non-formal groups, as well as a new service by P&T NGO for the CSOs. The organization participated in the training on “Media” , “Negotiation Skills” (P&T NGO’s OD Manager Anna Avetisyan was involved in the training as a trainer) and “Financial Management and Capacity Building Workshop” organized by USAID aimed at capacity building of the partner organizations for the effective implementation of the projects, financial sustainability and life improvement of the beneficiaries consistent with the mission of organizations. P&T NGO organized training course on AS Accounting Program for its 2 staff members/Irina Darbinyan, Garik Hovakimyan/. The training course was implemented by Accountable Partner LLC in Kapan

The organization has developed several new procedures such as: succession planning policy and developed the succession plan of the organization, strategic plan, procurement policy, Guidelines and Sample of Program Performance Indicator Reference Sheet, change management of P&T NGO. The developed procedure was submitted to the organization's board for its consideration, after which it was finalized and approved. Objective 2. Support development of CSO capacities in 7 marzes to equip them with necessary skills and knowledge for sustainable performance and quality service delivery. Update CSO database in 7 marzes to reveal their geographical coverage and problem domain

Partnership and Teaching /“P&T” NGO, launched the project in target regions. The aim of the meetings was to present the project’s goal, its components, planned events and cooperation opportunities among CSOs, LGs and private sector; identification of new organizations and non-formal groups which informed the mapping process. To ensure active participation of the CSOs, municipalities, business structures, the event anouncement was distributed in advance to the regional CSOs, municipalities and business units. The meetings were organized in the municipalities to highlight the importance of successful partnership and cross-sector dialogue among civil society, state and private sector institutions. For this purpose, letters were sent to marz centers in order to organize the meetings in the municipalities. All LG representatives expressed their willingness for the cooperation and provided respective places for the meetings.126 representatives of CSOs,LGs and Business structures (31 LGs, 83 NGO and Non-formal groups, and 12 private sectors)took part in the meetings. During the meetings, several issues were identified related to the organizations’ access to information on new project implemented to strengthen CSOs. Only 3.9% of participating organizations were involved in the capacity building projects implementing in RA. During the project period, P&T undertook the NGO mapping 7 target marzes resulted in the preparation of database of NGOs aimed at to create one complete database of RA regional CSOs. It will help CSOs and other stakeholders to receive additional information about the registered and active CSOs. To complete the mapping several information souces were used including project presentation meetings, e-mails, existing database combination (CSO DePo, STRONG CSO, Strong Armenia, funded by EU), downloads from information websites, LG websites, the information provided by tax bodies. The database includes 420 CSO is available in P&T NGO’s official website and is being provided to other organization if necessary.

Organization of the meetings on the NGO new law in the target marzes Based on organizational capacity assessment and the study results of the needs existing in the capacity building process of the beneficiary organizations, P&T NGO launched the CSO development cycle in the begining of March.Taking into account changes in the NGO Law of RA, P&T NGO started CSO development cycle with the workshop on NGO New Law presetation. This activity was not planned in the project, but P&T NGO prioritized the importance of raising awareness of CSOs of the made changes in NGO LAW.

The participants were 125 representatives of regional active CSOs and non-formal groups from Syunik, Vayots Dzor, Geghaqunik, Kotayk, Aragatsotn Ararat Armavir marz’s different communities. The workshops were conducted by the expert from the Ministry of Justice and the expert from CSO sector. P&T NGO received additional questions and requests from different NGOs in terms of organizations’ re-registration and more details on NGO Law respectively receiving re-registration samples and more information. Based on the protocols of the workshops in the target marzes, P&T NGO and NGO Center prepared one complete question and answer report and posted on the websites of P&T NGO and NGO Center (www.gumiso.am, www.ngoc.am) after the finalization by the expert group. P&T NGO, NGO Center, Eurasia Partnership Foundation and Trancparency International with USAID launched a process of addressing questions to State Revenue Committee, as the latter opened a new department of NGO control and supervision.

Call for participation and selection of target CSOs from 7 marzes In the begining of the project, P&T NGO developed an electronic qusstionnaire as an effective tool for the mapping of CSOs operating in the target marzes (Syunik, Vayots Dzor, Gegharqunik, Ararat, Armavir, Aragatsotn, Kotayq).The electronic quaestionnaire is composed of 28 questions and gives an opportunity to draw the profiles of the organizations based on their’ structure and legal forms, areas of the activities, implemented projects and organizational capacities. It makes available information on the institutional capacities of the organizations such as governance and management, human and material resources, public relations and stakeholders, financial management and sustainability, information systems. More than 4 information sources were used to disseminate the Call for participation (P&T NGO web-site and FB page, CSO DePo site, P&T NGO e-mail database, NGO Center website). As a result, 153 organizations with different legal status , were interested in the participating in the ISO CSD project. The statistics on the area of activity for the 153 organizations is as follows: community development and advocacy 126 organizations; human rights- 73, special needs and people with disabilities-55 organizations, children and youth problems- 87 organizations; education about 90 organizations; healthcare - 51 organizations.

The results are as follows: only 26 are involved in capacity building projects, 13 of them participated in CSO STRONG Project, 6 of them participated in CSO DePO and 7 of them participated in other capacity building projects.

Organizational capacity assessment for selected 21 CSOs

P&T NGO’s project team identified 21 organizations from 153 for the organizational capacity assessment (3 organizations per marz in Syunik, Vayots Dzor, Gegharqunik, Ararat, Armavir, Aragatsotn, Kotayq based on criteria defined in the project (motivation for participation in the project, legal status , location -3 CSO from each of remaining target marzes, availability of staff and board, commitment to invest in capacity building, strategy in place, activity level during last 3 years). The assessed organizations are: 1. “Jermuk development center” NGO /Jermuk/ 2. “Yeghegnadzor’s Women Development Resource Center” NGO /Yegheghnadzor/ 3. “Socio-economic Research Regional Center” NGO/Yegheghnadzor/ 4. “” Young Leaders NGO /Kapan/, 5. “Tiknik” NGO /Kapan /, 6. “Geghareg "NGO / /, 7. "Astghatsolq"NGO //, 8. "Astghavard"NGO //, 9. “Resource Center Charity” NGO /Charencavan/ 10. Armavir Development Center NGO /Armavir/ 11. Human Resource Development Aragatsotn Marz Center NGO /Ashtarak/ 12. Family and Community NGO // 13. Mer Doon NGO /Ejmiatsin/ 14. “ASHTARAK” Community Development Foundation /Ashtarak/ 15. Masis Development Center –/ Masis/ 16. Ardzaganq NGO– /Masis/ 17. Aragatsotn regional center– Ashtarak 18. Ashtarak Foundation – Ashtarak 19. Community Development NGO- Ashtarak 20. Association of Young Journalists– Abovyan 21. Children’s Support Center” Fund – Hrazdan

P&T NGO assessed 21 organizations in the project’s target marzes and developed action plans and reports for the organizations. The assessment process gave opportunities to CSOs and project team to discover the capacities and needs of CSOs based on which trainings, consultations, coaching and other meetings and workshops were organized.The assessment results showed that 80% of the organizations have gaps in the areas of development of internal prolicies, administration and management of organization, defining the mission and vision, organizational capacity building, strategic planning, financial planning, external communications, as well as in the development and implementation of institutional values.However, it is worth mentioning that 21 organizations have high motivation to develop their capacities and strengthen their organization.

Assessed 21 organizations have been re-assessed at the end of the program to measure the progress of the organizational capacity in the frame of the project, learn about new achievements as a result of organizational development processes, and identify new needs. In general, the second assessment of the organizations has shown that they have made significant progress in some spheres, such as management, governance, human resources, external relations, and financial stability. As a result of thorough and comprehensive work of 6 regional organizations, selected as a result of the initial assessment during the project implementation, CSO mobilization centers have been established in the target regions that have become institutionally developed and stakeholder responsive entities. As a result of the adoption of NGO management, project development and management, and fundraising alternative methods, 6 NGOs were able to engage other funds and ensure diverse financial means. As a result of capacity building for beneficiary CSOs, 23 NGOs succeeded in fundraising ensuring financial diversification of the organizations and continuity of future work with the beneficiaries.7 grant projects in the field of community development have been financed by P&T NGO, 6 NGOs have been able to develop competitive project proposals and receive grants within the framework of “Strong CSO” Small Grants Schemes, projects developed by 2 NGOs have been approved and funded by “CSO Depot” project. 3 non- governmental organizations have engaged relevant funds in the framework of grant projects implemented by Youth Foundation of Armenia and US Embassy. Another 5 organizations have been able to engage alternative funds for the implementation of their initiatives and campaigns.

P&T NGO’s trainers and consultants database update According to the its internal policies, P&T NGO in the frameworks of “Intermediary Service Organizations for Civil Society Development” project announced call for the trainers and consultants for the implementation of the trainings and consultations in Syunik, Vayots Dzor, Ararat, Armavir, Aragatsotn, Kotayk and Gegharqunik marzes, meanwhile upgrading the trainers’ database of P&T NGO with data on 17 trainers/consultants.

Organize trainings, consultations for selected CSOs and informal groups based on results of their needs assesment and capacity development plans During the project P&T NGO, team prepared the list of the trainings based on the analysis of the CSO mapping and questionnaires of capacity assessment and launched the cycle of the trainings and consultations. The topics of the trainings which were conducted based on the CSO needs follows : “Long-term and Short-term Planning Basics”-2 days “NGO Management. Internal and external acoountability systems”-1 day “ Traditional and alternative fundraising methods”-2days “PR and communication skills”-1day “NGO membership and voluntarism development”-2days “Community Mobilization and development. Community Initiative development”-2-3 days Social Entrepreneurship Basics-2days NGO financial planning, accounting basics”-1 day. “Networking and Advocacy”-3 days Formation of intersectoral relations. Art of the negotiations”-2days. HR management and reporting system – 1 day

The training courses (50 days) and consulations (27 days) were conducted during 77 days, with participation of 1121 participants of beneficiary organizations from seven regions of Armenia. The sessions were conducted using interactive methods and resulted in the form of documents, procedures, plans. The effectiveness of the trainings has always been measured by the pre-and post-assessment results, as well as, the feedback on the effectiveness, usefulness, and outcome of the trainings were recorded by the regional coordinators. The regional coordinators have been very consistent in organizing the completion of tasks provided during the training. Throughout the project, beneficiary CSOs have developed organizational capacities in areas such as Governance and Management, Human Resources Management, External Communication and Public Relations, Fundraising and Financial Planning, Project Proposal Development, and Improving Efficiency and Quality of Services. As a result of the trainings, consultations, public events and grants, CSOs have highlighted the importance of institutional development and procedures. On this basis, 8 CSOs have been involved in the formalization of their internal structures and the development of regulations, procedures and policies that have broad opportunities to move institutional development of organizations to a higher level and to increase the impact of implemented programs. Throughout the project implementation, P&T NGO staff and experts have conducted ongoing work to guide CSOs in institutional development processes and provide expert support. “Within the framework of the project implemented by P&T NGO, our employees have been equipped with new knowledge and skills, as a result of which the organization was able to organize relevant processes to complete the circulation of documents, management and governance systems have been improved, as a result of which the organization got to a new level ofof institutional development. As a result of the support and consultation, the new Regulation of the organization has been developed and finalized, which has now been approved and is in full use.”, mentions Ani Margaryan, the President of “Romvir International” NGO. Margaryan, who participated in the organizational capacity development stages of ISO CSD project as Vice President part, notes. “It's been a long time since my colleagues were offering to take over the duties of the head of the organization, but my lack of experience did not allow me to take such serious responsibility. “Before participating in a course on “PR and Communication Skills”, I did not really appreciate and did not realize the importance of communication systems during the course of our organization's activities. Now, I have a solid knowledge that will enable us to develop a strategy for our organization and to use it effectively to increase the reputation of the organization in the community”.

As a result of my involvement in the project and participating in the training cycle organized by P&T NGO, I had the opportunity to master a comprehensive knowledge and skills in NGO management and governance. As a result of my capacity building, I believed in myself. Now I am the President of the "Romvir International" NGO and I confidently guide and manage the programs and the work of beneficiaries of our organization”.

Provide mentoring and coaching activities to 6 selected NGOs as per their develop OD Strategy and plans as a initiative hubs In the second quarter of the project six initiative Community consolidation center were selected in seven regions of Armenia. The purpose of the selection and strengthening of community consolidation center s was to provide CSO structures with relevant services in the region after the completion of the project. Selection of community consolidation centers has also been carried out with clear criteria to coordinate further work and provide appropriate services. The selected community consolidation center s in P&T NGO beneficiary regions are: “Yeghegnadzor’s Women Development Resource Center” NGO /Yegheghnadzor/,  “Geghareg "NGO / Gavar/,  Masis Development Center –/ Masis/  Progress NGO – Ashtarak/  Family and Community / Metsamor /  Children’s Support Center” Fund – Hrazdan

The selected community consolidation centers participated in all the trainings and consultations organized and implemented in the project. Individual quaching and counseltation was organized in accordance with their needs. P & T NGO has a memorandum of cooperation with community consolidation centers and the work with community consolidation centers included it in its new 2018-2021 strategy.

Objective 3: Facilitate CSOs progress to become efficient network players and partner with local organizations, governments, and businesses for impact and change. Organize advocacy and networking seminars for selected thematic groups SCOs to enable their collective advocacy potential. During the project period workshops on “Organization of Effective Networking” were conducted in seven target regions of the project. The overall number of the participants from all targeted regions is 150. The goals of the seminars were to

 Present the concept of networking  The importance of networks in the community and in civil society advancement  The benefits of CSO networking in community development processes Following the content of the first part of the workshop, the participants discussed Obstacles and Motivations to networking, which helped participants to discuss issues that exist today in civil society entities and hinder inter-sectoral cooperation. The participants discussed the issues of solving the problems, and proposed to launch joint initiatives in the near future and as an example to participate in P&T NGO’s Grant Competition.

Organize CSO DAY events in project target marzes to present and prioritize issues in thematic areas together wider audience (CSOs, media), to form coalitions and promote thematic networking among NGOs During the project, P&T NGO conducted "Role of Civil Society Organizations in Community Development Processes" regional forums in Ararat, Armavir, Aragatsotn, Kotayk, Syunik, Vayots Dzor and Gegharkunik regions with the participation of 168 CSO representatives /112 of them were CSOs representatives, 5 local government bodies, 23 non-formal groups, 5 mass media representatives and 1 consumer cooperative representative/. The regional forums aimed at

 Introducing the benefits of CSO networking in community development processes  Forming groups from sectoral CSOs and not from non-formal groups  Identifing key issues in the field of community development to formulate collaborative initiatives The regional forums were aimed at creating a platform for the CSOs involved in addressing community issues, presenting priorities, coordinating observations and approaches. Such coordinated work would enable CSOs to effectively present their approaches to address community issues through inter-sectoral/ CSO, LG, business/ meetings and regional conferences. During the regional forums, participants were working in 3 thematic groups to identify community issues. • Education,Human rights, • Culture, Sport, Youth • Socio-economy, Health As a result of the involvement and effectiveness of P&T NGO's experts and facilitators, CSOs have identified key issues in their communities and had constructive recommendations. As a result of the regional forums, P&T NGO has summarized the issues and suggestions for solutions raised in the the forums, grouped and edited these , and then presented them to CSOs, LGs and business spheres to ensure cross-sector discussions. The participants noted that the regional forums were an exclusive opportunity for them because they work in the same community but in many cases they can not communicate effectively with each other. As a result of weak communication, the common cause is affected. As it turned out during the forums, they had been working work on the same problem, but there was not a systematic approach, the actions had been implemented independently, often repeating each other.The common platform created by participants in the regional forums enabled them to overcome the gap and coordinate the initiatives and work on the same issue.

Organize regional forum meetings to facilitate dialogue, and seek solutions jointly with LGs and businesses and other stakeholders The regional conferences are aimed at

 Creating intersectoral cooperation CSO, Business and LG sectors

 Identifing key issues in the field of community development to formulate collaborative initiatives  Making the community issues heard and bring cooperative solution

Duirng the project P&T NGO held conferences in targeted regions.

• On July10 2017, P&T NGO organized a regional conference in Goris, Syunik region, where 98 representatives of LG, CSO and Business from Syunik and Vayots Dzor regions gathered to raise the “Voice of the Communities” and to discuss community development perspectives. The USAID-Armenia Mission Director in Armenia, Deborah Grieser, and the representatives of the mission, Head of Local Government Department of the RA Ministry of Territorial Administration Ashot Giloyan, Goris Mayor Vachagan Adunts and heads of rural communities were present at the conference in Goris. P&T NGO’s Executive Director Artashes Torozyan, Head of Goris community Vachagan Adunts, USAID Armenia Mission Director Deborah Grieser and Head of Local Government Department of the RA Ministry of Territorial Administration and Development Ashot Giloyan, delivered opening and welcoming speeches. Goris / 10 July 2017/ CSO, LG, business sector representatives from Syunik and Vayots Dzor regions / 98 participants, CSO-51, LG-14, Business-13, Mass Media-4, non-formal group-1. 58 CSO, 18 LG and 13 Business representatives participated in the event. During the conference, the representatives of all stakeholders emphasized the importance of the conference, emphasizing the importance of cooperation.In the end of the conference P&T NGO invited the participants to take part in the grant competition by presenting project-proposals aimed at promoting inter-sectoral collaboration and solving community issues • Gegharkunik regional conference took place on 14 July 2017 with 87 representatives of Gegharkunik and Kotayk marzes (CSOs, LGs and Business Sector). Together they discussed and drafted CSO- Business-LG Collaborative Model of Business Cooperation in the form of numerous initiatives.The process and structure of all the forums were organized similarly, but each time the omissions were taken into consideration and corrected, so the format showed constant improvement. Gavar/14 July 2017/ CSO, LG, business sector representatives from Gegarqunik and Kotayk regions / 87 participants, CSO-52, LG-12, Business-3, Mass Media-1, non-formal group-1. • The regional conference in Ashtarak took place on 13 July 2017, with 81 representatives of LG, CSO and Business sectors from Ararat, Armavir, and Aragatsotn Regions, who have united to raise the voice of communities and discuss community development prospects.Ashot Giloyan, Head of Local Government of the RA Ministry of Territorial Administration and Development, Gevorg Yeghiazaryan, Deputy Head of Ashtarak Community, Rafik Andreasyan, Head of Urtsadzor Community, attended the conference held in Ashtarak.During the conference, the representatives of all stakeholders emphasized the importance of the conference, emphasizing the effectiveness of collaborative work. Ashtarak/13July 2017/ CSO, LG, business sector representatives from Ararat, Armavir and Aragatsotn regions / 81 participants, CSO-38, LG-13, Business-2, Mass Media-2, non- formal group-7.

''Thanks to the events organized by P&T NGO, we have been able to build strong partnership with LG and local businesses. Currently the community heads themselves come forward with cooperation proposals for the development of other areas of tourism in communities. Business representatives delivering guest house services already provide tourists with information leaflets developed and printed by us " says '' New Touristic Route'' project manager Manana Mkhitaryan. During the opening ceremony, the head of Argavand community mentioned in his speech: "Thanks to the effective inter-sectoral (LG-Business-CSO), cooperation we succeeded in mobilizing out internal resources and solving such a major problem for our community which we were not able to solve for many years. ''Progressive'' NGO representatives think that the implementation of the initiative was a step forward in promoting cooperation with LG and facilitating the participatory process. Now the dialogues are more effective and their proposals are much more thoroughly investigated and they often get positive feedback. They state that this small grant project contributed to the participation of LG of Ashtarak, the development of local democracy and public awareness. Opinions on Regional Conferences "I am very impressed, it is a good opportunity for cooperation, especially in the case of enlarged communities. We are ready to cooperate and do everything possible for the development of communities, " said Artur Shadunts, Head of the Tegh community. *** "For the first time, I see so many representatives of Business, LSG and CSOs in one place. I see good opportunities for cooperation. Thank you for this exclusive forum, "said one of the business sector representatives. *** USAID Head of Mission Armenia Deborah Grieser opened the Community Voice conference July 3, 2017 in Goris and commendedthe Partnership and Teaching NGO (P&T NGO) for its work to support civil society development across Armenia. “P&T NGO work in 7 marzes across Armenia and has been an effective partner for USAID” said Ms Grieser. The conference, organized by P&T NGO, brought together representatives from business, local government and NGOs in order to plan cross-sector initiatives to strengthen community in Armenia. *** "I express my gratitude to the entire team of P&T NGO, and I would like to express special gratitude to Mr. Giloyan, who worked with us and made our voice heard in the government. I want to add that the conference was constructive for me as a LG representative and I will be able to spread this kind of working experience in our community», said Armen Hovhannisyan, a member of the community council. *** "Thank you P&T NGO team, this is an unprecedented platform, there was no such thing as three parties, LG, Business and CSO, sit at one table and discuss community issues. I urge all of you to continue this cooperation in your community with the same model», said Ashot Giloyan, Head of the Department of the RA Ministry of Territorial Administration and Development *** "I was left with little to say, because the participants said everything. Our expectations were justified, we started a dialogue and became confident? that we had the potential. We were convinced that we should not compete, but cooperate. This is the key to making our country better», said Artashes Torozyan, Executive Director of P&T NGO. *** "I thank the P&T NGO for its activities, for all recent completed trainings and for consistency. Today, we learned how to work in the future. Dear CSO representatives, I am very happy to see so many young people here. I see a new movement in this field,” said Donara Abrahamyan, The president of Romanian Virgins International Organization. Provide grants to CSOs and their netowrks to design and conduct events advancing their advocacy and partnership activities Within the framework of “Intermediary Service Organizations for Civil Society Development” project funded by USAID, P&T NGO organized a call for grant proposals in the target marzes (Syunik, Vayots Dzor, Gegarqunik, Ararat, Armavir, Aragatsotn and Kotayk) aimed at creating cooperation among CSOs, Business structures, and Local Government. The competition was addressed to Syunik, Vayots Dzor, Gegharkunik, Ararat, Armavir, Aragatsotn and Kotayk regions’ local CSOs participating in the project. The grant call was directed to promote the implementation of joint initiatives in the communities. Non-formal groups may participate in the project together with registered organizations. The goal of the Grant Competition was to promote cooperation between CSOs, LGs and Business sector in target regions by promoting joint implementation of community initiatives. 7 of 19 CSO Program proposals were selected from Syunik, Vayots Dzor, Gegharkunik, Ararat, Armavir, Aragatsotn and Kotayk marzes and were granted. Within the framework of the call for proposals, the following organizations received grants.  “Sisian Women Recourse Centre” Foundation/Syunik Region  “Jermuk Development Centre”/ Vayots Dzor Region  “Astghatsolk” NGO/ Gegharqunik Region  “Martuni Community Development Centre” NGO/ Gegharqunik Region  “Lukashin Agricultural Association” CC/ Armavir Region  “Kangun Apaga Initiative Centre ” NGO / Armavir Region  “Progress” Youth NGO / Aragatsotn These grant programs should start on 20 September 2017 and end on October 31, 2017 The Grant Fund was 9000 USD from the program budget and has been spent 8013 USD, 1.420.000 AMD of which is the amount invested by LG, 1. 260.200 by Business, and 1.555.100AMD by NGO sector.  RA, Syunik region, C. Sisian Project name- “Open the Doors Sisian”

Goal – To support the community in the development of tourism, promoting the prosperity of service delivery spheres, improving the social conditions of handmade masters, and emigration reduction. «Open the Doors, Sisian» project was unprecedented in Sisian. For the first time, with the joint efforts and collaboration among NGOs, LGs and business sectors, a map was printed in Sisian, which, apart from Sisian's historical-cultural monuments, also addresses the workshops of Sisian craftsmen. The map helps tourists understand what handmade works can be obtained from Sisian, where they can see how the Armenian carpets, clay, wooden items, etc. are being created. The map located on the Sisian Women's Resource Center page is of great interest to both individual tourists and tour agencies. Some agencies have already visited some workshops. "Woodworker Armen Ohanyan, who used to work almost unnoticed before struggling with the sale of wooden items, now has obtained with regular client base.”. Orders are followed by one another. Thanks to the map provided by the Sisian Women's Resource Center, a large group of French Armenians visited Armen's workshop and took to France Marash's embroidery tablecloths and pillows, as well as wooden items. They had the opportunity to see how woodwork was created and they tried it out as well. The map gives the opportunity to discover Sisian with its handmade potential”, said the Project manager Srbuhi Grigoryan.  RA, Vayots Dzor Region, C. Jermuk Project Name- “Preparation of Information Panel” Goal – To promote access to Jermuk's 13 sculptures and 4 sights for tourists visiting Jermuk. Collected and developed information about 13 sculptures and 4 sights in Jermuk in Armenian, English, Russian and Arabic, by placing informational panels. The urge for the project has always been in Jermuk, especially with respect to Muradian sculptures (10 items) as they are in the center of the city and many tourists complained about the lack of information. The placement of informational panels on the sculptures has always been delayed by the municipality because of the lack of necessary information. As a result of the project implementation, a new partnership has been established between the NGO and the LG. Within the framework of this project, "Jermuk Development Center" NGO was able to identify sculptures, thereby contributing to updating the forgotten information. “With the help of the project, 17 information panels were placed in Jermuk. The installed information panels are the first group in the city of Jermuk. After the implementation of the project, the Municipality of Jermuk is going to continue to order information panels on other sights and asculptures as well”, - says Project Manager Vazgen Galstyan.  RA Gegharkunik region, C. Martuni

Project Name – ''Martuni New Touristic Route'' Project Goal – promote the development of tourism in Martuni area through the cooperation of local CSOs, LGs and business. Unfortunately, Martuni area, with its historical and cultural treasures, was not included in the tourist routes and the ancient sites and information that could contribute to the development of the tourism of the region was unavailable for the tourists . The project was aimed at developing cognitive tourism in Martuni through the cooperation of local CSOs, LGs and business. As a result of the project information about 8 historical-cultural values of Martuni has been prepared: monastery complex (10th century), Star map (with 7500 years history), Urartian protocol, Kotavank (9th century), ruins of Shoghagavank (9th century) Armaghan lake and church, Archeological Museum of (there are more than 2,000 years old objects), the natural bridge of Tsakqar. Cooperating with municipalities of eight communities and local business, information boards and signboards have been prepared. Community heads of , Geghahovit, Tsakqar, Tsovinar, Dzoragyugh, Madina, and Vaghashen communities have expressed great willingness to cooperate. Thanks to the Facebook platform, many tourists now are able to find information about the above-mentioned tourist destinations. ''Thanks to the knowledge gained from the trainings organized by P&T NGO, we have been able to build strong partnership with LG and local businesses. Currently the community heads themselves come up with cooperation proposals for the development of other areas of tourism in communities. Business representatives delivering guest house services already provide tourists with information leaflets developed and printed by us "says the project manager Manana Mkhitaryan.  RA Gegharkunik region, town Tchambarak

Project Name – the construction of ''Khachmeruk» playground in the town of Tchambarak Project Goal – To contribute to the protection of children aged 5 to 15 in Tchambarak, by creating a safe playground. Within the framework of the project, about 300 children between the ages of 5 and 15 have the opportunity to play in safe conditions due to the ''khachmeruk'' (Crossroad) playground established in the ajacent area of children development community center, with the cooperation of LG-NGO-Traffic Police. Children's awareness of road safety rules has increased. The children of 4 schools and 2 kindergartens of Tchambarak have the opportunity to organize practical trainings in the playground. The playground was built in one of the districts of Tchambarak where no playground ever existed and, in fact, this was a community improvement project in one hand. On the other hand, about 300 children in Tchambarak have the opportunity to play safely. However, the main mission of the playground is to reduce traumatism and deaths among children aged 5 to 15 years. "The cooperation between the LG –NGO- Traffic Police has facilitated the mutual understanding and the joint solution of one of the issues of the community was a successful example of resource mobilization and inter-sectoral cooperation. It is important that 4 schools and 2 kindergartens of Tchambarak are ready to organize acting games in ''khachmeruk'' playground , giving the child the opportunity to act as a driver or pedestrian. It is the most effective of strengthening the theoretical knowledge, "says Irina Hovhannisyan, the president of Astghatsolk NGO.  RA Armavir region, village Lukashin

Project Name – Village park fencing and playground rehabilitation Project Goal - To contribute to the relaxation of residents and children of Lukashin community of RA, Armavir region, by improving the community park area. Lukashin Community of RA, Armavir region, before the project implementation, did not have a public recreation area, the little park was in a bad condition. As a result of the project implementation, a playground was set up in the area adjacent to the park, with the installation of football field gates. The total area of the garden is 0.6 hectares, of which 200 is the park area, the other part is cleaned and fenced as a mini football field. Repair of the water plumbing and the installation of the pump have been carried out for the permanent water supply. The water is supplied to the park area by the nearby Urartu Milk Cooperative and also the artesian water of the mill, by their suggestion . Now the community park has being irrigated regularly. which the At the end of the project, on November 6, the official opening ceremony of Lukashin Community Park and soccer field took place in the community of Lukashin, Armavir region, with the implementation of the intercommunity youth championship. President of the Lukashin Agricultural Consumer Cooperative Vardges Davtyan mentioned in his speech: “The renovation of the community park and soccer field has made a great contribution to the activation of the sport and cultural life of Lukashin community. During the implementation of the project I felt the motivation of the residents, because any action and initiative has been gaining more and more support by the community”. At the end of the project, the following achievements have been achieved:Together with the Lukashin village municipality, Lukashin Agricultural Consumer Cooperative and Urartu Milk Producers Cooperative, a trilateral memorandum of understanding has been signed on the development, preservation and further improvement of the park and new investments.An inter- community soccer tournament (Lukashin, Khanjyan, Noravan, Armavir communities) was organized to activate the cultural and sporting life of Lukashin community, which was also announced with a traditional Cup championship. Lukashin community has a junior football team, which do exercises and footbal trainings with a regular basis on the improved football field.Community residents visit Community Park more often. During the project, the stakeholders initiated tree-planting and landscaping activities, with the active participation of the residents and children of the community.  RA Armavir region, village Argavand

Project Name – Healthy Resident, Persistent Community Project Goal - As a result of the CSO-LG-Business cooperation, to have residents who lead a healthy lifestyle and an initiative group concerned with community issues in Argavand community of Armavir region. Before the grant project implementation, there were no entertainment centers and gyms in Argavand community of RA, Armavir region.This was the reason for the lack of healthy lifestyle in the community, the indifference of the community and the urbanization of young people, which led to the weakening of community- population communication. During the project, the renovation of a total area of 210 sq / m was carried out in the village municipality of Argavand, Armavir region. Ensuring property and technical equipment for the renovated gym (gym equipment repair, furnishing, and operation). Awareness raising campaigns and guidance workshops have been implemented to form a community youth initiative group. Sports and dance groups were formed. At the end of the project, on November 6, the official opening ceremony of the sports hall took place in Argavand community of RA Armavir region. Community residents, Armavir governor, Ashot Ghahramanyan, municipality representatives, the heads of nearby communities, NGO and Social Media representatives were present at the opening ceremony. During the opening ceremony, the head of Argavand community mentioned in his speech: "Thanks to the effective inter-sectoral (LG-Business-CSO), cooperation we succeeded in bringing together our common resources and solving such a major problem for our community that has faced many obstacles for many years. A Trilateral Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the Aragavand Municipality, Kangun Apaga NGO and Bagrevand LTD on ensuring the smooth operation of the gym, further property supply, and new investments. A youth initiative group (8-10 members) has been formed in Argavand community, which carries out community-based initiatives on the principle of direct involvement of the community members and all stakeholders, and submits the issues to the local government and business sector organizations and plans collaborative initiatives to overcome the community issues. Karate and box training groups have already been formed in the renovated gym, there is also a dance group.  RA Aragatsotn region, C. Ashtarak

Project Name – Together with the Ashtarak Democratic LG Management Improvement

Project Goal - contribute to the community proper awareness of the activities of council օf elders. Within the framework of the project, it was planned to install information panels, with joint efforts (LG, NGO, business), in the busy parts of the community, raise the awareness of the Ashtarak residents on the activities of the council of elders and LG participation through awareness meetings and training. As a result of the project, residence awareness was raised and information panels were installed by LG to provide information. A total of 5 information panels have been prepared, which have been installed in the respective parts of the town. ''Progressive'' NGO representatives think that the implementation of the initiative was a step forward in promoting cooperation with LG and facilitating the participatory process. Now the dialogues are more effective and their proposals are much more thoroughly investigated and they often get positive feedback. They state that this small grant project contributed to the participation of LG of Ashtarak, the development of local democracy and public awareness. A SUMMARY OF CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED DURING IMPLEMENTATION

The obstacles faced during the implementation of the project were mainly at the initial stage of the project, as projects like this, that engage LG were not implemented in some of the regions, and it was not natural process for LGs to cooperate with the local CSOs. LGs had inadequate information on work and of NGOs in the regions that led them to rather high level of distrust towards NGOs.

P & T NGO approach from the start of the project to involve LGs in the implementation of the project, improved the situation so that organizations could find some areas of cooperation and collaborate within joint projects.

The collaboration culture among NGOs was almost non-existent in regional organizations challenging the project launch. P&T NGO's approach to implement capacity building cycle in different organizations also assisted to overcome this challenge. During the project’s final conferences there were some examples of cooperation including partners not only from the same region but from different regions as well.

The stereotype formed among NGOs that Business structures are reluctant to cooperate with them made them hard to imagine this kind of cooperation mechanisms and approaches. Due to P&T NGO's strategy to organize regional forums, conferences supported the formation of the relevant environments where the three sectors could conduct discussions on joint initiatives and find solutions to community issues improving the well-being of the beneficiaries.Organize regional forums, conferences supported the relevant environments where the three sectors could conduct discussions on joint initiatives and find solutions to community issues improving the well-being of the beneficiaries.

Beneficiary Feedback

During the implementation of the project, we have recorded a number of feedbacks, which are reflected in our beneficiaries’ statements:

 Marine Yegoryan, the Director of the “Child and Family Development Center” NGO, registered in 2017, who participated in the project capacity building since the first stages of the development, is delighted to tell about the project-proposal offered by the NGO within the framework of “CSO Depo” project: “I am sure that the approval and financing of our project was the success of the project implemented by P&T NGO. We are very grateful to the ISO CSD project, since the first days of the formation of our organization, we were sure that we have partners, who are always ready to support and guide. The involvement of our organization in the project allowed us, at least for a short period of time, to effectively develop the institutional frameworks of the organization, to identify primary principles of work with beneficiaries and to move forward to our mission. As a fact, now I can say that shortly after being included in the project, the organization has a current grant project which will give us the opportunity to feel stable and expand the scope of the work and efforts"

 Narek Botsinyan, the Board Director of “Progress” Youth NGO, when speaking about the successes of their organization within the project, mentions: “As a result of our participation in the project, our organization has become institutionally more developed and stable. In parallel with organizational capacity building we have had the opportunity to acquire collaborative relations with CSO sector organizations in Armenia, with which we have formed cooperation plans and we are taking steps to implement these agreements. As a result of the grant project, we had the opportunity to strengthen our relations with the LG representatives and business sector organizations of Aragatsotn region. As a result, an inter-sectoral cooperation and a joint initiative were implemented which was something new in our region. I am sure that this experience will enable us, as stakeholders, to strengthen our cooperation and to design it in other communities of Aragatsotn region. Due to the trainings, consultations and other public events organized as part of the project, we have managed to improve management systems and fundraising methods. A solid fact about our ability to fundraising and financial sustainability is that we have been drafting a youth project in line with our mission goals, yet in the course of the project implementation. Now this project is in the process of implementation, which has been financed under the “Strong CSO” SGS. Within the framework of the project, about 300 children between the ages of 5 and 15 have the opportunity to play in safe conditions due to the ''khachmeruk'' playground established in the ajacent area of children development community center, with the cooperation of LG-NGO-Traffic Police. Children's awareness of road safety rules has increased.The children of 4 schools and 2 kindergartens of Tchambarak have the opportunity to organize practical trainings in the playground.The playground was built in one of the districts of Tchambarak where no playground ever existed and, in fact, this was a community improvement project in one hand. On the other hand, about 300 children in Tchambarak have the opportunity to play safe. However, the main mission of the playground is to reduce traumatism and deaths among children aged 5 to 15 years."The cooperation between the LG –NGO- Traffic Police has facilitated the mutual understanding and the joint solution of one of the issues of the community was a successful example of resource mobilization and inter-sectoral cooperation. It is important that 4 schools and 2 kindergartens of Tchambarak are ready to organize acting games in ''khachmeruk'' playground , giving the child the opportunity to act as a driver or pedestrian. It is the most effective of strengthening the theoretical knowledge, "says Irina Hovhannisyan, the president of Astghatsolk NGO. After the end of the project, the organization co-operated with a business structure that organized a charity dinner program to ensure the continuity of the project and to expand the scope of it.

 As a result of the full support provided by P & T NGO during the project, Armine Poghosyan, Head of the newly created “Luysi Kunch” NGO, in 2017, in the village of Go, Armavir marz, mentions. “As a result of our project participation, we began to realize the need for institutional development of our organization in order to increase the effectiveness and impact of our non-formal group's efforts to protect the interests of beneficiaries. Due to the capacity building cycles, we have gained comprehensive knowledge and developed all the procedures required for our formalization. Due to the capacity building, particularly in negotiation skills, we have been able to build constructive relations with the LG, as a result of which we now have an appropriate office space that enables us to ensure continuity of work and to move forward in institutional development processes”.

Lessons Learned and Additional Results

 There are highly motivated CSOs from the central regions willing to participate in the training with more than one representative.

 The willingness, positive response and high motivation of LGs and business structure during the project’s meetings is success for the project and the momentum should be built on

 Development and implementation of LG, CSO and business sector joint projects in communities.

 As a result of the consultation, financial sustainability plans have been developed for 9 beneficiary organizations in targeted regions.  8 CSOs have been involved in the formalization of their structures and the elaboration of regulations, procedures and policies that have broad opportunities to move institutional development of organizations to a higher level and to increase the impact of implemented programs.

 As a result of the conferences, inter-sectoral cooperation has been established and joint models for addressing community issues have been developed and a collaborative culture has been launched between CSO LSG and business sectors.

 Formation of cooperation with the RA Territorial Administration of LG Department to ensure continuous work.

 During the project, project beneficiary organizations have partnered with other donors as part of consortium members. A partnership has been established between CSO organizations.

 As a result of the conferences, regional CSOs, which have social entrepreneurship, have started cooperating with each other, ordering mutual goods and creating joint products.

COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

With regard to the progress of the project, we can highlight the following observations and suggestions:

 Project duration and the intensity of the actions required a lot of efforts to effectively carry out project actions.

 The application of the tool as an organization's self-evaluation tool needs to be simplified as it was not perceived properly by the participants.

 A common recommendation from regional CSOs was that new? organizations also have the opportunity to meet with USAID to understand the benefits of mutual cooperation, key strategic lines, and other issues. They also deem that face-to-face meetings more effective.