Designing and Funding Sustainable Projects Course Begins January 16, 2013

Dear HPN Colleagues,

Designing and Funding Sustainable Development Projects will lead you through the development of a real project, in real time, and leave you with the practical field tools to sustain it. Become the solution.

The solutions that students have been developing activities for their projects include:
-land management plans
-watershed/forest restorations
-community-based disaster preparedness and risk reduction programs
-community-based flood mitigation programs
-community-based flash flood and landslide prevention programs
-advocacy programs for obtaining government support
-consciousness-raising among community members about DRR challenges
-early warning systems
-training teams in evacuation, and search and rescue
-identifying and prioritizing mitigation strategies

Our course leaders, who have gained development expertise by providing face-to-face consulting services to NGOs in the field, will help you:
1. Conduct a participatory needs assessment in your community,
2. Develop a preliminary project concept, share it with your community,
3. Refine your community-based project, and
4. Share your project concept with a potential donor.

A module of the two courses is being offered online in January 2013.
OL 101. From the Ground Up: Designing Community-Centered Projects with Sustainable Solutions
January 15 – March 11: 8 Weeks
http://www.csd-i.org/from-the-ground-up-ol-101/

Gain an insight into contemporary methods of developing community-centered, impact-oriented projects. You will leave the course with practical field tools and develop a range of skills: needs assessments, project design, community workshops, and discovering evidence-based project activities. The course is designed to be used as a vehicle for you to develop a real project, in real time, during the course.

OL 102. Project Architecture: Planning for Impact
March 12 – May 7 2013: 6 Weeks
http://www.csd-i.org/project-architecture-ol-102/

This course will take the project concept developed in OL 101 and transform it with a powerful set of management tools into a project for presenting to donors. Logframes, detailed budgets, schedules and compelling fact sheets: these tools will communicate to donors, staff, and stakeholders exactly what you are going to accomplish, and lead the effective management of the project once funded.
Complete information and course syllabi:
http://www.csd-i.org/from-the-ground-up-ol-101/

CSDi provides the following continuing learning resources

• All learning resources and course materials are freely downloadable from the course site and include:
• Scholarship opportunities for citizens of developing nations
• 200 manuals & field guides
• 300 Development and DRR field activities
• Instructors that provide project consulting, suggestions, and encouragement individually for each student's assignment

Online course participants are using CSDi courses to develop on-the-ground projects with real communities; students from 143 different countries and 450 organizations have developed projects impacting 275,000 community members.  To learn more about the students, the DRR projects they have developed and about their communities, be sure and read our CBA Newsletter, and our Facebook Page and CSDi Development Community to see student's regular postings—and join 750 colleagues in sharing resources & collaborating online.

Who should participate? Course participants are of all different ages, genders and professions—and have included Northern and Southern staff from INGOs, field staff from in-country NGOs, donors, executive directors, students, scientists, consultants and people who would like to transition into development work. Northern participants who don't have community access are partnered with Southern participants that do have community access.

Questions? Please contact: Online.Learning@csd-i.org  

Sincerely,

Tim Magee, Executive Director
Center for Sustainable Development

The Center for Sustainable Development is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization specializing in providing sound, evidence-based information, tools and training for humanitarian development professionals worldwide.

HPN_CSDi_Online_Course_January_2013_Designing_and_Funding_Sustainable_Development_Projects.pdf