Islamic Relief has been supporting local non-governmental organisations in Nepal through our Strengthening Response Capacity and Institutional Development for Excellence (STRIDE) project since 2018.
Islamic Relief collaborates with 7 local organisations in Nepal to train staff, equipping them with the skills they need to best assist the communities they serve.
In December 2022, we continued this work by holding a 3-day training in the southern town of Bardibas. The training focused on financial management, including conducting audits and complying with regulations around donations, and was attended by 24 representatives from our local partner organisations.
Training such as this directly improves the lives of the individuals and communities Islamic Relief supports, ensuring that every penny we receive is used in the best possible way, and allowing us to reach even more vulnerable people.
“By effectively managing funds, local partners can thereby reduce the risk of financial non-compliance, achieve value for money and increase their chance of receiving more funds from donors,” says Talha Jamal, Islamic Relief’s head of mission in Nepal.
Training for success
Islamic Relief believes in expanding the expertise of local organisations so that they can respond to the needs of the communities they know best. This is especially important in a country like Nepal, which is vulnerable to disasters and extreme weather events that can require a rapid and major emergency response.
We work with our partners to identify gaps in their knowledge and plan trainings covering aspects including communications, disaster preparedness and safeguarding, alongside areas they operate in such as livelihood programming and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).
Following the financial management training in December, participants told Islamic Relief they felt more confident and responsible in managing their organisation’s finances and planned to implement the techniques and processes they learned during training.
A landmark project for localisation
The training was carried out as part of Islamic Relief’s landmark STRIDE project. Building on a successful first phase, the multi-million-pound project has expanded to collaborate with humanitarians across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Through running trainings and providing grants, we are able to support local organisations in countries where Islamic Relief has a presence, as well as some in which we don’t. This vital work is part of our commitment to localisation – moving towards a shared decision-making and risk-sharing approach and providing funding to humanitarian organisations in countries affected by emergencies.
Islamic Relief has pledged to uphold the commitments of Grand Bargain and Charter for Change, which are agreements aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of humanitarian aid through collaboration between international aid organisations, donors, governments, and communities.
As part of its efforts, Islamic Relief will continue empowering local actors with better disaster preparedness and humanitarian responses in Nepal and around the world through the implementation of its STRIDE project.
Islamic Relief is supporting local NGOs around the world to respond to emergencies and empower communities. Help us continue this vital work. Donate now.