Strengthening technical capacity of Community Based Organizations (CBOs) – training priorities of CBOs and impact of training programs in selected districts of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Strengthening Community Based Organizations (CBOs) must be accompanied with targeted actions to build the capacity of community structures to address identified issues. Mechanisms of strengthening and capacity building programs could include funding, providing training and organizational development programs, networking and exchange programmes. In this respect, a particular importance is given for trainings that are required to address the emerging issues during the implementation of projects. In order to identify, training needs, a participatory assessment of selected CBOs was conducted to assess community needs and capacity building priorities. Assessment questions explored current and past projects implemented by CBOs, issues faced during the project implementation, identification of resource gap, and training requirements. Analysis revealed six key training areas that will help CBOs to address the identified priority issues. At the end of all six training programs, evaluation and post-workshop follow up were conducted to complete the cycle. It highlighted the relevancy and applicability of the knowledge and skills gained through the training program to fulfill the gap identified through participatory training needs assessment.