NGO, volunteer and community programs

Program 1.13

Not Met Partially Met Met

Deliverable	2013–14	2014–15
To assist developing countries by contributing to sustainable economic growth to reduce poverty and lift living standards through contributions to NGO, volunteer and community programs.

Key Performance Indicator	2013–14	2014–15
Achievement of significant development results.

Overview

The department works with a range of NGO partners in the Indo–Pacific region and around the world; in particular, through two significant global programs: Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP), reaching 20 million people, and Australian Volunteers for International Development (AVID), with 1906 volunteers in 41 countries. We also work through our partnership with the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID). This work provides excellent people-to-people links and grassroots-level community engagement.

The Australian NGO Cooperation Program

Through ANCP, the department provided $134 million to 48 Australian NGOs to support over 600 projects in around 50 countries in economic growth, education, health, water and sanitation, food security and civil society, reaching approximately 20 million people. Over 71 per cent of ANCP programs contributed to the ability of poor communities to work with the private sector to achieve economic development, improve government services, and empower women and people with disability.

ANCP-supported community health worker, Zuhara Msesa, displays her training manual — ANCP-supported community health worker, Zuhara Msesa, (centre) displays her training manual, Tanzania, April 2015. *[World Vision]*

ANCP celebrated its 40th anniversary with an event at Parliament House in March 2015 opened by the Foreign Minister. The occasion showcased 40 years of ANCP-funded activity through a photographic exhibition.

Of total ANCP projects, 116 projects had gender equality as their principal focus (approximately 19 per cent) with a total expenditure of over $21.36 million. Gender equality was further identified as a significant objective of 403 projects (approximately 65 per cent).

The department undertook a thematic review in the first half of 2015 that focused on gender equality and women’s empowerment across ANCP activities in Timor-Leste and Vanuatu. Key findings included the importance of organisational commitment and engagement by senior levels on gender, strong local partners and participatory planning methods, and working innovatively with men and young people. We expect the report to be released in the second half of 2015.

Infographic depicting ANCP location of projects — **Figure 31:** ANCP location of projects

Volunteers

The Australian Volunteers for International Development (AVID) program successfully linked the Australian community with people and organisations in developing countries.

The annual program expenditure of $57 million (estimated) resulted in substantial development, people-to-people and economic diplomacy returns.

In 2014–15, the program supported 1906 volunteers on assignment in 41 countries. Ninety-five per cent of volunteers were in the Indo–Pacific region.

Through the AVID program, members of the Australian community shared their skills and fostered strong and lasting linkages with people and organisations in developing countries. Volunteers worked in support of Australian and partner government country-level priorities in governance, health, social and infrastructure services and education.

Infographic representing AVID statistics — **Figure 32:** AVID statistics

AVID: Fairtrade sweetens sugar production in Fiji

Despite an increasingly competitive global market, the sugar industry remains a key component of the Fijian economy and is central to life in Labasa. In recent decades, the industry has undergone a significant downturn with the expiration of farm leases, the phasing out of trade agreements and the migration of younger generations to urban centres. To tackle these challenges, local growers formed the Labasa Cane Producers Association (LCPA) in 2010.

An Australian volunteer works as a Project Development Officer at LCPA and assists in maintaining Fairtrade accreditation. Fairtrade accreditation secures higher prices for crops and has been central to the organisation’s aim of alleviating poverty and improving the economic and environmental sustainability of sugar production.

Partnership with the Australian Council for International Development

The department worked closely with the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) to strengthen the standards and performance of Australian NGOs. ACFID members provided valuable contributions for the design and application of the new Partner Performance Assessment procedures. These will mean that the performance of NGOs can be consistently assessed for the first time and assist the department meet Target 7 of Making Performance Count: working with effective partners. The department and ACFID cooperated in over 130 events and policy discussions, including consultations in the department’s state offices on updating the department’s NGO engagement framework.

Outlook

The department will implement the management response to the Office of Development Effectiveness independent evaluation of the ANCP, due for release in 2015–16. This will include work to formalise a transparent funding model, finalise a program-level performance framework, and test new approaches to sharing lessons among agencies.

A range of initiatives will continue to improve cost-effectiveness and build on a successful AVID program improvement agenda including reducing the number of countries covered and improving in-country volunteer management. We will seek better links between volunteers and programs like Australia Awards and the Direct Aid Program. We will launch the Returned Australian Volunteers Network. The network will enable the department to engage with returned volunteers in events across Australia, highlight how Australian volunteers have contributed to the Australian aid program and encourage returned volunteers to continue to share their experiences to encourage others.

We will continue to collaborate with ACFID in reaching out to the sector, supporting learning and development of Australians involved in small and medium NGOs, and engaging on new policy and programming directions. An independent mid-term review of the ACFID partnership has begun and will report next year.