The project “TANDEM – cooperation for citizen participation and community development in the Republic of Belarus” was officially launched during the International Conference “Sustainability and partnership between NGOs and local authorities”, held in Minsk on December 16 and 17 2011. The conference, that was organised by ALDA and the Lev Sapieha Foundation, was devoted to the presentation and discussion of mini-grant projects that will be supported as part of TANDEM.
The conference was opened by the Head of Operations at the Delegation of the European Union in Belarus, Mr. Llewellyn Edwards and was attended by Belarusian non-governmental organisations, local authorities and community groups as well as representatives of municipalities and NGOs from Latvia and Lithuania.
The representatives from Lithuania and Latvia shared their experience of cooperation between local authorities and community organisations and told participants about the situation and work conducted in their municipalities. The Representatives of Belarusian NGOs, Local Authorities and community groups presented the goals and objectives of their projects which will be supported as part of TANDEM. A further part of the conference was devoted to project management, reporting and concrete questions on ways to manage the projects successfully.
About ten projects have been selected to receive support under TANDEM. These projects all aim at supporting cooperation between local authorities and civil society organisations and will implement activities to create sustainable development at the community level.
The variety of projects and geographical diversity is remarkable: among the projects is an initiative of a bicyclist organisation in Minsk which wants to improve the quality of bike paths in the Belarusian capital and create a micro-level bicycle infrastructure there. The Association of Gomel children and young people” (ASDEMO) in cooperation with the local authorities in Gomel will create a leisure activities place for young people in Gomel’s district number 19. Another project covering the cultural heritage will be implemented by the Information and Regional Studies Center at Golshanskaya Rural Library District Oshmyany in Northwestern Belarus. The initiative will set up a virtual museum of the Struve Geodetic Arc, a chain of commemorative plaques and obelisks which were built along the meridian line from Norway to Moldova in the 19th century. The project aims to share the knowledge of the Struve Arc and to disclose the historical and cultural potential of the regions where the Struve Arc runs. The Arc became World Heritage in 2005. The project will be implemented with the support of the Latvian municipality Gulbene, which is also situated near the line of the Arc.
The sub granting projects will now apply for registration at the Department of Humanitarian activities under the Presidential Administration of Belarus to be able to receive the allocated grants. The sub-granted projects will last 12 months.
The TANDEM project is supported by the European Union’s Non-State Actors and Local Authorities in Development programme and will be implemented by ALDA together with the Lev Sapieha Foundation and the Belarusian Organisation for Working Women and will last until first half of 2013.
The project “TANDEM – cooperation for citizen participation and community development in the Republic of Belarus” was officially launched during the International Conference “Sustainability and partnership between NGOs and local authorities”, held in Minsk on December 16 and 17 2011. The conference, that was organised by ALDA and the Lev Sapieha Foundation, was devoted to the presentation and discussion of mini-grant projects that will be supported as part of TANDEM.
The conference was opened by the Head of Operations at the Delegation of the European Union in Belarus, Mr. Llewellyn Edwards and was attended by Belarusian non-governmental organisations, local authorities and community groups as well as representatives of municipalities and NGOs from Latvia and Lithuania.
The representatives from Lithuania and Latvia shared their experience of cooperation between local authorities and community organisations and told participants about the situation and work conducted in their municipalities. The Representatives of Belarusian NGOs, Local Authorities and community groups presented the goals and objectives of their projects which will be supported as part of TANDEM. A further part of the conference was devoted to project management, reporting and concrete questions on ways to manage the projects successfully.
About ten projects have been selected to receive support under TANDEM. These projects all aim at supporting cooperation between local authorities and civil society organisations and will implement activities to create sustainable development at the community level.
The variety of projects and geographical diversity is remarkable: among the projects is an initiative of a bicyclist organisation in Minsk which wants to improve the quality of bike paths in the Belarusian capital and create a micro-level bicycle infrastructure there. The Association of Gomel children and young people” (ASDEMO) in cooperation with the local authorities in Gomel will create a leisure activities place for young people in Gomel’s district number 19. Another project covering the cultural heritage will be implemented by the Information and Regional Studies Center at Golshanskaya Rural Library District Oshmyany in Northwestern Belarus. The initiative will set up a virtual museum of the Struve Geodetic Arc, a chain of commemorative plaques and obelisks which were built along the meridian line from Norway to Moldova in the 19th century. The project aims to share the knowledge of the Struve Arc and to disclose the historical and cultural potential of the regions where the Struve Arc runs. The Arc became World Heritage in 2005. The project will be implemented with the support of the Latvian municipality Gulbene, which is also situated near the line of the Arc.
The sub granting projects will now apply for registration at the Department of Humanitarian activities under the Presidential Administration of Belarus to be able to receive the allocated grants. The sub-granted projects will last 12 months.
The TANDEM project is supported by the European Union’s Non-State Actors and Local Authorities in Development programme and will be implemented by ALDA together with the Lev Sapieha Foundation and the Belarusian Organisation for Working Women and will last until first half of 2013.