5.4 Service organisations

Several Dutch NGOs, active in the field of development and environment provide special services such as information, personnel, materials or training in addition to, or instead of funds.

Agromisa

Agromisa was established in 1934, and is linked to Wageningen University and Research Centre. Agromisa's aim is to exchange knowledge and information on small-scale sustainable agricultural and related topics. The target group is the underprivileged population in rural areas. Agromisa's main objective is to strengthen the self-reliance of the target group and to improve their livelihood by sharing experiences and knowledge. Agromisa's role in this is a supportive one, which implies that it is not a donor organisation. It is Agromisa's belief that the gap between formal (scientific) knowledge and informal (farmers') knowledge should be bridged. To achieve this, Agromisa wants to collaborate with intermediary organisations.

Agromisa's activities can be divided into two main areas: the ‘Resource Information Centre’ and ‘Program and Projects’.

The Resource Information Centre is divided into three sections:

  1. the Publication Section is responsible for the writing, translation and publication of the Agrodok Series;
  2. the Advisory Section runs the Main Library and the Question-and-Answer Service which works through a network of organisations with expertise in specific fields and is provided free-of-charge to individuals and intermediate organisations from developing countries; and
  3. the Training Section which organises the A-week: a training workshop on Participation in Development and other training modules.

Agromisa's Program and Projects are:

  1. the Networking for Agricultural Knowledge Sharing program (NAKS);
  2. The InterSard project as a follow up of the Interdev project; and
  3. the Biodiversity project.

Aqua for All Foundation (A4A)

Aqua for All is an initiative from the Netherlands water sector, and was initiated to implement drinking water and sanitation projects in rural and suburban areas in developing countries. Its purpose is to improve the social and economical situation of the poor, reducing poverty and strengthening the position of women. The Foundation, initially set up with donations from water companies in the Netherlands, raises funds from individual households and the business sector.

A4A acts as a hinge between local NGOs and the Dutch water sector. A4A provides financial support and knowledge to water projects and is supported by highly skilled water and wastewater professionals and water institutes.

Activities are carried out in close cooperation with local NGOs in order to guarantee structural and sustainable implementation of water facilities. Where possible, A4A cooperates with established Dutch NGOs, using their networks and experience in the field of education, poverty, gender and hygiene programs.

ENVIU

ENVIU is an international organisation by young professionals and students with a business, economic or related background. Enviu describes its mission as: to inspire and involve young entrepreneurial people to co-operate for the development of profitable solutions for environmental and social issues.

ENVIU facilitates sustainable entrepreneurs in starting-up or scaling-up their sustainable activities. The main activities consist of facilitation of: idea generation, business development, capacity enhancement/training, applied research and facilitation of stakeholder dialogues. ENVIU works in The Netherlands and in unique wilderness areas in emerging economies

European Centre For Eco Agro Tourism (ECEAT)

The ECEAT is an NGO focused on rural development, sustainable land use and issues relating to the environment and sustainable tourism. Within ECEAT's core activity, the Eco Agro Tourism programme, organic farming and nature protection is stimulated by bringing tourists to local farmers and communities. For individual tourists and tour operators, travel guides are produced that contain addresses and information on sustainable camping and lodging facilities. ECEAT supports environment and development NGOs in setting up tourism projects. ECEAT can support with project formulation, training in rural tourism, quality control, environmental criteria for accommodation, product development and marketing. ECEAT closely cooperates with the Netherlands Institute for Tourism and Transport studies (NHTV) and with the Agricultural University in Wageningen (LUW).

ECEAT has branches in all Central European countries and in most Western and Southern European countries.

Gered Gereedschap (Saved Tools)

The Foundation ‘Gered Gereedschap’, established in 1982,is inspired by the British organisation Tools For Self Reliance. The Foundation is an NGO of volunteers that collects and refurbishes used tools for the benefit of small-scale projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The Foundation collects surplus tools, refurbishes them and sends them on request to small-scale initiatives in developing countries.

Horizon Holland Foundation (HHF)

HHF is an NGO providing medical and agricultural assistance to projects in developing countries. Its aim is to improve the living conditions of the local population. To achieve this aim HHF sends out professional volunteers, distributes relief goods and medication, sends mobile surgical teams, incidentally organises emergency aid, and supports projects financially.

LASO Foundation

LASO is a specialised research centre, established in 1984 and dedicated to the carrying out and promotion of economic and social studies in Latin America, the planning and evaluation of development programmes, the management of human resources, and the organisation of institutional relations.

Work areas include:

  1. urban poverty alleviation and the informal economy;
  2. migration and social movements;
  3. the impact of development programmes;
  4. human rights including those of ethnic minorities;
  5. gender relations in different social settings; technology transfer and its introduction; rural cooperatives and markets;
  6. culture and history; and
  7. globalisation, regionalisation and decentralisation.

LASO has developed participative methods for the various phases of project cycle management, with special expertise on the implementation of technical cooperation. LASO offers thematic and regional studies, evaluation and monitoring services, project management, and institutional exchanges between Latin America and Europe.

Netherlands Management Cooperation Programme (NMCP)

NMCP is an independent organisation that assigns senior advisers to companies and organisations in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, Latin America, and Central and Eastern Europe.

The advisors, mainly retired people, share their knowledge and experience. NMCP is a partnership between employers and the government that was set up in 1978 at the initiative of the Netherlands Christian Federation of Employers (NCW) and the Federation of Netherlands Industry (VNO), which has meanwhile merged to become VNO-NCW. Since March 1997 NMCP has become an independent organisation with close ties with VNO-NCW that also provides financial support.

In selecting the countries to which it assigns experts, NMCP adheres to the policy of the Netherlands government and the European Union that are the main funding sources of NMCP missions by means of annual grants. NMCP works in eighty countries and has about 3,000 senior advisers on file, of which about 1,200 are yearly assigned.

Practica Foundation

The Practica Foundation aims to facilitate research, development and commercial application of technology in the field of water and energy in developing countries. For Practica the commercial promotion is as important, if not more important, as the development of technology. Practica works with a network of partner organisations that produce, promote and sell improved rural products.

The Foundation receives requests from developing countries and looks at their implementation ability, financial aspects, and their relevance in terms of market potential, and social and environmental desirability. Practica then helps develop the initiatives further through technical assistance, linking proposals with financial resources and marketing opportunities and making sure that there is clear agreement on the rights to the technology. It functions as a clearinghouse for funding the dissemination and commercial application of promising technologies.

Association for Capacity Building in Developing Countries (PSO)

PSO was founded in 1985 as a result of the merger of several organisations involved in sending development workers overseas. PSO’s core activity is to contribute to sustainable structural poverty reduction in the South by strengthening the capacity of local NGOs and civil society organisations. To accomplish its mission PSO works in five policy fields: basic social services, civil society, good governance, economic empowerment and humanitarian assistance. PSO supports organisations in the Netherlands working in each of these fields to build the capacity of their partner organisations in developing countries in the areas of human resources development, organisational strengthening, and institutional development.

In 2003, PSO established a ‘Knowledge Centre on Capacity Building’ to improve the quality of capacity building support to local NGOs and civil society organisations in developing countries. To this end, PSO cooperates with and provides services to its member organisations in the Netherlands, their partner organisations in the South and PSO field experts. PSO organises expert meetings, workshops and training sessions.

Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV)

SNV is a multicultural development agency based in the Netherlands and operating internationally. SNV focuses on poverty alleviation by assisting in the capacity building of its partners and clients in 26 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe. SNV's main target is to improve the performance and increase the influence of these organisations.

SNV's partners and clients are both governmental and non-governmental organisations which work at provincial or district level. These ‘meso-level’ organisations often form the link between the concrete poverty problems of communities and populations ‘on the ground’ and national organisations, systems and policies in a country.

The support of SNV concentrates on three working areas: natural resource management, local governance and private sector development. SNV complements the work of other organisations whose main function it is to provide funding to organisations in developing countries.

Voluntary Service Overseas Netherlands (VSO)

VSO enables men and women to work alongside people in poorer countries in order to share skills, build capabilities and promote international understanding and action, in the pursuit of a more equitable world. VSO International is an independent development agency working through volunteers. Since 1958, VSO has sent out more than 29,000 men and women to work in Africa, Asia, the Pacific region and, more recently, Eastern Europe in response to requests from partners overseas. At the moment VSO has around 2,000 people engaged on placements in these regions. VSO Netherlands is part of VSO International. It recruits and selects people from a wide range of professions in the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium and Germany.

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