One of the most important forms of women's response to violence, especially to domestic violence, is the establishment of a broad network of hot-lines, shelters for battered women, therapy and crisis centers, and legal service for victims of violence and sexual abuse. Women NGOs play a crucial role in documentation and social exposure of acts and practices of violence against women. Women NGOs in the East have learned a lot, and gained much experience in the past years. Now the time has come to share all this knowledge within the region, supporting the development of a growing culture of self-help and self-sufficiency, and also strengthening international links between NGOs working on similar areas.

The Aim of the Grant Program

The Network Women's Program is running a small grant program to support Women NGO services focusing on violence issues with the following aims:

• to encourage the establishment and the improvement of different kinds of services focusing on violence against women issues according to the needs of each country;

• to encourage NGOs to share their knowledge, to be a resource for other NGOs according to their effective, successful programs and services to function as regional mentoring organizations to support and strengthen already existing and newly starting programs in other countries,

• to enhance the development and collaborative skills of both the Host and Visitor NGOs, to maximize use of existing knowledge, information and resources, and to introduce new services at the national level in the countries of the OSI Network.

A future result of the grant program would be to set up a women NGO Directory, a Database that would be a resource for the Women NGOs in the countries of the OSI Network.

Applicant Eligibility

The NWP would like to invite active, effective and developed women NGOs, willing to be a Host NGO to help, support and train others working in the same field.

Potential Host Women NGOs are NGOs that are already running successful services--by providing shelters, crisis centers, hot lines, support groups etc., or training. NGOs who want to offer a model and train other NGOs about starting or improving such aid services on violence against women.

Visitor Women's NGOs are NGOs who would like to gain hands-on skills in those services and to learn how to set up a similar service in their home country and how to participate in networking at the national and regional levels on violence against women.

Only women's NGOs focusing on violence against women issues which are located in the countries of the OSI Network are eligible to participate in NWP - Service Support Small Grant Program 1998.

Applicants will not be eligible to receive more than one grant within a given yearly cycle. However, next year it is possible for Hosts to apply as Visitors.

Host Women's NGOs will be selected from the countries of the OSI Network based on the following criteria:

• type of training and skills they offer
• training they have received in their special field z method of sharing knowledge and experience
• length of the program
• number of persons they are able to host at one time
• language of the training and translation possibilities z accommodation they can provide

Deadline

Applications from Host NGOs are due at OSI offices May 30, 1998

Application Form

List of OSI offices

Last updated: May 5, 1998

Center for Civil Society International [email protected]