As part of its drive to provide financial and technical support to women’s organizations in French-speaking Africa, the XOESE fund planted its flag in Côte d’Ivoire for the CAMP FEA (Feminists in Action). This is a hybrid inter-regional institute on the theme “Mobilizing financial and non-financial resources for women’s and young women’s groups”. It took place from June 7 to 8, 2023, at the Onomo Abidjan Airport hotel. Both online and in presential, the FEA Camp saw the active and effective participation of leaders of women’s organizations from West Africa, Central Africa, and Haiti. Feminists in Action is a project financed by the Agence Française de Développement and run by 6 organizations, including the XOESE Fund, to support feminist organizations in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The mission is to make women’s voices heard and amplified by their communities, local and national authorities, and at the regional and international level.
What is the aim of CAMP FEA?
The aim of this camp is to build participants’ capacity to mobilize resources for their organizations. The training aims to help participants acquire the knowledge, skills, and practical tools to develop effective resource mobilization strategies, and to identify and apply for sources of funding tailored to their organizations’ needs. It also aims to strengthen collaboration and networks between civil society organizations to promote collective resource mobilization and synergy of action.
What can we learn from CAMP FEA Abidjan 2023?
The CAMP FEA was spread over two full days of training, preceded by a launch ceremony held on the morning of Wednesday, June 7, 2023. The ceremony was attended by Mr. DJYH Goulei Abel Ange Constant, Finance Attaché and Gender Focal Point at the Côte d’Ivoire Ministry of Planning, who gave an opening speech, welcoming all the participants and wishing the XOESE team a smooth run. The Director of CAMP FEA and coordinator of the Feminists In Action project, Ms. Steffie KUEVIAKOE, also gave her welcome and launch speeches. A number of media outlets were also present, including Life TV, an Ivorian television channel.
The friendly atmosphere in which the various CAMP FEA training modules were presented by 3 Ivorian consultants from 2S Consulting can be described as convivial: Larissa Adèle KROUWA, Frédérique SIA, and Nayanka Niakpa.
Over the two days, they were able to pass on essential knowledge and information on the theme of the CAMP FEA, which is mobilizing financial and non-financial resources for women’s and young women’s groups.
Each day of training had a well-defined theme around which the discussions revolved, as follows:
Day 1: Building “Solid Foundations”: Mobilizing Financial and Non-Financial Resources for Women’s Civil Society Organizations
- Introduction to resource mobilization for women’s and young women’s civil society organizations
- The different sources of funding available to women’s and young women’s civil society organizations in French-speaking Africa
- Drawing up a resource mobilization strategy for your organization
- Practical workshop: drafting a funding proposal
Day 2: Beyond Money – Innovative Strategies for Mobilizing Financial and Non-Financial Resources for Women’s Civil Society Organizations
- Identifying potential partners for resource mobilization
- Use of monitoring and evaluation tools to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of funds raised
- Practical case studies
- Training evaluation and closing
Based on a participative, practical, and interactive approach, CAMP FEA is also a series of group work, exchanges, and sharing.
Two related events organized by XOESE, the Francophone Women’s Fund, were associated with CAMP FEA, and they took place in Abidjan on Friday, June 9, 2023. These included the Annual reflection and the XOESE Meet-up evening.
In addition to the training sessions, there were also a number of recreational activities, including a visit to the premises of the host organization, Réseau Ivoirien pour la Défense des Droits de l’Enfant et de la Femme (RIDDEF), and a tour of Abidjan National Zoo, to round off the two days of training in style. The FEA CAMP ended on a high note.
