Who we are
Message from the Chair
One of the most significant events in EASUN in the recent past is its strategic thinking process held in June 2008, which developed a plan for 2010-2013. The main focus of the plan is to promote ethical leadership in East Africa now. This will influence appropriate organisational practises that enable collaboration and sustainable effectiveness of CSOs. The first activity that began to concretise the new vision was the ETHOS (Ethical Holding of Organisational Space) workshop organised by EASUN in May 2009. Twenty-five leaders from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda came to Moshi to attend this ground breaking event.
The trajectory for bringing the new leadership focus to fruition is already emerging quite clearly, through a number of activities implemented in 2009. In addition to ETHOS, another road mapping activity is a consultation to initiate a dialogue process on partnership for capacity building of Southern CSOs. The consultation will bring together 50 NGO partners from the North and South in an open forum to discuss relationship issues that affect their ability to effectively support institutional growth of civil society organisations in the south. This is planned jointly between EASUN and a number of Northern NGOs who share the vision of a civil society empowered to provide effective advocacy support to local communities in building new ways of taking action to improve their lives and livelihoods.
The revamped Facilitation Skills for Fieldworkers (FAF) course and its initial implementation in 2008 and 2009 has confirmed for us that training grassroots community groups to increase confidence, ownership and advocacy skills is an essential strategy for transforming the social relations that create poverty. On the same path of training, EASUN celebrates the graduation of a record 25 "ethical leaders" in June 2009, through the FOD (Facilitating Organisational Development). Over the last ten years, EASUN has equipped 180 individuals from CSOs with leadership skills that increase emotional literacy and capabilities for effective management of shared purpose in organisations and community groups.
EASUN's Board of Trustees wishes to thank all those who have continued to support our work. We look forward to working together to develop ethical leaders and organisations in East Africa.
Aginatha Rutazaa
Chairperson, EASUN Board of Trustees
