ERA although initiated as a local NGO has in the process evolved as a regional NGO and is mainly working towards providing crucially needed services and organizing people around national and international issues in a decentralized manner through the local NGOs. Growth over a period of time is evident but ERA preferred to go for horizontal growth. Understanding the strength of each type of NGO, ERA has partnered with like-minded local NGOs and through them with the People’s Groups. Given the experience that some of regional NGO’s top echelons and professionals have in certain sectors, Era has provided a space to incorporate their inputs in the programme design. ERA has also maintained strategic relationship with national and international NGOs and the Government.
The relationship
Advocacy and campaign building on people’ s issues in its right earnest need a strong mass base and for that purpose Era has targeted People’s Groups where existent and active as well as activating dormant People’s Groups or forming new ones primarily working through direct involvement of local NGOs in the project. In the entire process the autonomy of local NGO in being duly respected.
At the network local, policy decisions are made collectively in a meeting, where each partner has an equal say, It is framed in the premise of working collectively through each other’ s strength. Day to day functioning of the programs is operationalised by a coordination committee comprising of members from various partner organizations under the guidance of core committee comprising of senior people from amongst the partners. There is a set of partnership norms evolved with a consensus.
The functioning
The group functioning is more democratic and is based on mutual trust. It involves complete transparency in planning, implementation and evaluation of the programs. Each one is supported financially, non-financially and even beyond that, as the case may be. And is expected to be receptive to positive criticism and feedback. The basis is cooperation and not competition. Here, the weakest link in the chain receives central focus. Thus improving quality and increasing impact through organizational vis-à-vis network growth. Such a mechanism ensures sustainability of the intervention even after withdrawal of the project support.
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