THE Volunteerism Support Platform (VSP) of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, on Friday, September 6, hosted its sixth action learning network (ALN) event for 2013 at the Guyana National Service (GNS) Sports Complex, Carifesta Avenue, Georgetown.

According to the VSP, it was attended by 53 representatives from some 31 different non-governmental and governmental organisations, with the  focus on accessing grants through a presentation titled: ‘Are You Looking in the Right Places? The Search  for Funding’.
The forum was facilitated by civil society consultant from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Mr. Kevin Bonnet and the objectives of the interactive session were to help non-governmental organisations (NGOs) understand the new models of development financing and improve their capacity to respond to or solicit it.
ALN hosts sessions every six weeks in an effort to provide a regular system for information-sharing and networking to build the capacity of the voluntary sector in Guyana.
“Over the years, it has been observed that, in Guyana, there are only a limited number of CSOs (Civil Society Organisations) that can be considered successful at working with the development principles laid out in the 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness for a variety for reasons. This impacts the contribution that civil society is making to development in Guyana in its own right as a development actor,” a VSP release stated.
Bonnett told participants that the development landscape is very different in 2013 compared to the pre-global financial crisis era.
He reminded them that, in 2009, the Guyana economy was reclassified from a highly indebted poor country (HIPC) and elevated to a lower middle-income country.

UNAWARE
Bonnett noted that many of the CSOs and their constituencies are unaware about the existence of the IDB, European Union (EU), Guyana REDD+Investment Fund (GRIF) and other external funding windows and how to access financing from new sources is often misunderstood.
His presentation revealed information that answered questions, such as how global development priorities influence funding at the country level and how it affects Guyanese NGOs and what eligibility issues the latter face.
One of the key messages he conveyed was the need for organisations to engage in partnerships on proposal and programme development and for these partners to develop innovative approaches to the relevant issues.
The release said full notes from the session can be obtained from the VSP office or from its website at www.vsp.gy.
Founded in 2012 with support from CUSO International, the ALN is open to all organisations with involvement in the voluntary sector. The next session will be held on October 18
Meanwhile, for more information or to register, persons can contact the VSP on telephone number 227-7575 or nvspguyana@gmail.com.