Examples of Activities Supported by the Small Grants Program

• Workshop on Good Governance, Democracy and Participatory Development:

This activity includes organization of 16 local level workshops with grassroots women, men, local government, civil administrators, members of civil society and NGOs for fostering democracy and enhancing good governance. Key themes of dialogues included, reducing gender gaps, participatory development, ensuring accountability, informing the rules, guidelines and responsibilities of the local government, people's participation in empowerment of women and poor, defining the role and responsibilities of different groups of people for ensuring a combined initiative in establishing democracy, transparency, accountability, information disclosure and good governance.

• Regional Workshop for the Settlement of the Urban Poor:

This international workshop was organized to facilitate appropriate policy regimes in favor of the urban poor, especially, resettlement of the urban poor, pro-poor urban housing and land use policy, planned urban development, rural-urban migration, urban social/cultural/environmental consequences and the GO/NGO responses, legal arrangement for tenure security and squatter rights - role of the municipal authorities, government and NGOs, and slum resettlement. Follow-up activities includes opinion-sharing and coordination meeting with the members of city corporations, NGO leaders, staff, seminar, workshop, press conference and rally for raising awareness, and enrolling slum dwellers in Voter List.

• Improving Community Relations:

This project aimed to improve social and legal protections at the community level and to develop community solidarity through improved interpersonal and intergenerational connections and new ways of interacting with municipal authorities. The organization conducted five seminars for local governments, municipalities, and communities, and published a brochure on community relations.

• Mobilizing Communities:

This activity hoped to mobilize people to take action to help themselves. This marginalized community faced several disadvantages, including living in small settlements in rural areas, low levels of education, high employment rate, social exclusion and discrimination, and lack of information. A video film that introduced several successful income generating projects by this population encouraged others from the community to help themselves. This project was co-financed by a local foundation and the film was distributed through the local minority governments.

• Contact Addresses for Country Offices
  
  
• Contact Names of NGO/CS Specialists in World Bank Country Offices
  
  
• Participating Country Offices