Capacity Building

It's been awhile since I've written due to work load with month end and spotty access to internet, but I'm back, with only a couple of weeks left in my assignment.
In my last blog I'd asked how MCC can be accountable for how they spend funds when a good portion of their money is being funneled through to other organizations. Well, one option is to audit these organizations, the right to do so being included in our contracts with them. However, a much kinder, supportive option is to "build the capacity" of our partners. Building capacity is popular phrase here. In this case, it means helping our partners with their accounting by sharing our expertise to build theirs. If I were to stay here in Haiti, this would be an approach I would love to pursue.

Much to my delight, the director of one of our partners actually approached me to present a course to his office staff on the importance of accounting and best practices. I was impressed that the course was their own idea, and that the director himself valued strong accounting controls. So I presented a day long course to 13 office staff (in my broken French, I might add). I was quite excited to find a wonderful curriculum offered in French and English by Mango - Management Accountant for NGOs. I think this should be standard curriculum for any NGO, including MCC, most of who are so passionate about their work, that financial management is scarcely given a passing thought.