NGOs must foster partnership – Gharbin

A senior lecturer at the Department of Theatre Arts and Film Direction John Elolo Gharbin has advised NGOs, CBOs and development partners to consider fostering partnerships for the development of community challenges in Ghana.

He cited the eighth Millennium Development Goal (MDG) which encourages the building of partnerships to promote development at all levels.

Mr. Gharbin said, “No one organization can carry the burden of development at the community level alone.”

John Gharbin was speaking to captains of NGOs, CBOs, and strategic partners who attended the first ever Central Region NGOs partnership cocktail held last Saturday at the Samrit Hotel in Cape Coast.

He shared with stakeholders how many years ago it took the partnership of more than three organizations to use theatre for development to sensitize sanitation and health issues in many communities in the Central Region.

Partnership he added, eliminates duplication, harmonizes energy, saves resources, and promotes peace.

The event was a joint collaboration between ORPED Ghana, Cape FM, ORPED Sports, Anopa Project, YMCA, Coalition of Volunteering Organizations of Ghana (COVOG) Play Soccer Ghana and the Department of Social Welfare.

It was a well attended event which attracted over a 100 NGOs and CBOs workers, academia, church groups, government officials and service providers operating in areas of health, education, environmental management, sports for development, WASH, governance and social business.

At the same event, the Ghana NGO Awards was outdoored by ORPED Ghana and partners. NGOs will from 2014, have an award scheme to appreciate the hard work that they undertake in all corners of the country.

It is envisaged that the criteria and selection team and the list of awards would be launched in March next year with the event itself slated for mid 2014.

Speaking at the same event the Deputy Regional Director of the Department of Social Welfare, Denis Dadzie, advised NGOs nationwide to see the department as friends and collaborators for development and as not policemen who are out to frustrate the work of civil society.

NGOs were schooled on the processes of obtaining the required documents that puts them in standing to operate legally.

Wahab Musah, the Country Director of Play Soccer Ghana encouraged his counterparts to take partnership events seriously.

He shared how through the first Ghana NGO Games and Fair he attended in Accra in October, linked him up to many NGOs in Ghana and abroad and also opened up huge opportunities for his organization.