CONSULTANTS FOR CHANGE
To strengthen the provision of capacity development, CSF will start with a Consultants for Change (C4C) programme in 2017-2018. C4C will further develop the capacities of those who are engaged in training, mentoring and supporting South Sudanese CSOs. The emphasis will be primarily on developing South Sudanese individuals, although it may also include some regional experts.
FINDING THE RIGHT CONSULTANTS
Currently, there is no other initiative in South Sudan like this. The approach will be to identify 16 key individuals (local consultants), who are currently providing support to the sector. The first step will be to find out potential candidates and select those most suitable in terms of skills, experience and commitment. Preference will be given to South Sudanese, who seem most likely to be continuing playing such a role in the sector.
AN INNOVATIVE AND PARTICIPATORY PROGRAMME
The C4C programme will be run and supervised by staff from INTRAC. C4C is an innovative and participatory professional development programme for the selected individuals. It aims to develop a cohort of individuals to provide sustainable services to non-governmental and civil society organisations in South Sudan. It will be ensured that the overall portfolio will cover the range of skills most likely to be needed by CSF, such as organisational development, leadership development, programme design, monitoring and evaluation, financial management and resource mobilisation.
The programme will be delivered over the course of 2017-2018 in three modules. Face to face trainings will be complemented by action learning sets, consultancy assignments, mentoring, and access to online resources. The C4C programme could be repeated in the second phase of CSF (2019-2020) for a new cohort of individuals, based on positive feedback and results obtained through the first programme.