Duration: 1979 - Eternity
Background:
Besides BORDA`s big effords in the field of promoting and disseminating decentralised basic needs services in Asia and Africa, the organization is also putting high emphasis on the establishment of networks.
The advantages of being part of different networks are various, but the most important one is that it enlarges the ability of an organization. Skills of other organizations are available, networks have a larger influence on the political decision making process and a larger region can be penetrated the services of the organization.
Aim:
The aim of the networking activities are closely related to the advantages of networks. The creation of strong networks inside Germany, on the European Union level and worldwide are the aims as well as the implementation of strong local networks in the project areas with strong partner-organizations which will increase the speed of the dissemination of BORDA’s basic needs services.
Activities:
BORDA’s activities in the field of networking can be divided into the networking activities in the project areas, and in the activities BORDA performs back in Germany, Europe and worldwide.
Within Germany BORDA is part of the German NGO Forum on Environment and Development. The working group on water within the forum calls upon the German government to start taking concrete steps towards reaching the millennium development goals (MDGs) for Water and Sanitation. In total the policy paper that has stated this demand is supported by 15 German NGOs and unions. This policy paper, of which Stefan Reuter, second CEO of BORDA, is one of the authors, was handed over to Erich Stather, the secretary of the BMZ.
BORDA’s participation at Euwi (EU Water Initiative) is supposed to improve BORDA’s position, contacts and capacities on the European level. The aims of Euwi, which are closely related to BORDA’S aims are:
The activities of BORDA are focussed here on the coordination group, which is the superior body at Euwi. BORDA is just one of three European NGOs that has been confirmed in this group.
On an international level BORDA is a member of the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA). Its special emphasis is here the activity in working group 3 on renewable energies, climate change and groundwater protection. The objective of this working group is to general awareness for the energy potential of the sustainable sanitation approach and its prospective contribution to reduce dependence on imported or fossil energy sources. The working group prepares publications (fact sheet, comprehensive major publication) ideally flanked by a collection of case studies and a practical guide on how to implement sustainable sanitation solutions for energy production.
In every project region (Southern Africa, South Asia, South East Asia) Borda has established a partner-network, which is supposed to help BORDA in the dissemination of its basic needs services. These partner NGOs are situated in the project countries, so they have sufficient experience and knowledge about the target region to boost the dissemination of the basic needs services.
The network of partner organizations and BORDA’s activity in networks enable BORDA to work in its typical way: integrative, cooperative, innovative and successful.