ENDOWMENT
FUND CAMPAIGN
On
the basis of our programme and financial achievement in the last
five years, and based on the strategic planning, management
review and market research, the Governing Council of the Centre
for Democracy & Development now seeks to create an endowment
to further the mission of the organisation.
Although
CDD’s income is now approaching $2 million in the financial
year ending March 2002, the funds have been largely restricted
to specific projects. Whilst these project grants have enabled
us to deliver specific outputs and enhanced our work, they limit
the policy impact of our work and hamper the building of
capacity in a sustained, successful manner.
The
fulfilment of the following strategic goals of this five-year
endowment appeal will therefore guarantee a stable future for
our Centre and ensure that our mission will not be compromised
in the future. The goals are designed to help improve
independent sources of funding for the Centre’s operations.
Training
& Conference Centre
$2.000,000
To
become the leading capacity-building institution in the region,
CDD needs to have a permanent training and conference complex.
CDD has identified a property in Nigeria and it has contracted
to purchase, renovate and expand this facility with the
intention of turning it into a multipurpose training, office and
conference complex with guest facilities. Located in a quiet
village outside Lagos – Nigeria’s commercial capital, and at
a distance of about 45 minutes by car from the main
International Airport, the Training & Resource Centre will
not only substantially improve the delivery of CDD’s work as
explained above, but also serve as a resource to other
non-governmental institutions in the country. It has been
projected that $1,200,000 will be needed for the purchase,
renovation and expansion of this facility and an additional
$800,000 for providing training and conferencing facilities as
well as running costs. The annual earnings from the renting of
this facility to other users will contribute significantly to
the institution’s sustainability on a permanent basis.
New!
Click here
to view pictures of the proposed training centre.
Regional
Institute of Peace & Rights
$2,000,000
Having
long identified the critical significance of peace and human
security in a region that has been buffeted by conflict and
insecurity over the last decade, CDD has decided to
institutionalise the Centre’s capacity-building and
policy-influencing work through the establishment of a Regional
Institute for Peace and Human Rights – the first of such
institutes in the West African sub-region - to provide high
quality research, training and skills development for
policy-makers and civic leaders. It will run accredited courses
and seek affiliation with one of Nigeria’s mainstream
universities, offer residence for scholars and activists and
provide technical assistance to governments and
inter-governmental institutions. Endowing the programmes and
residential fellowships will allow us to increase the number of
participants and place this initiative on a sound footing until
it is able to generate its own resources.
West
Africa Transitional Justice Initiative
$1,000,000
CDD
has been a pioneer in the field of transitional justice in West
Africa. Having provided critically needed support to the
establishment of Nigeria’s Human Rights Violations
Investigation Commission and advised on the establishment of
similar initiatives in Ghana and Sierra Leone, the Centre seeks
to establish a regional initiative on transitional justice that
aims to provide intellectual leadership and practical help in
countries coming to terms with a past characterised by prolonged
military and authoritarian rule. Focusing on national judicial
reform and international justice issuesl, and their impact on
expanding access to justice, the initiative will focus on
technical assistance, advice and training as well as research,
publications and public education.
General
Operating Endowment
$5,000.000
Designated
endowments will be most helpful to CDD, but the need for
unrestricted funds is also vitally important.
We need to ensure that we have some financial stability
and predictability to see us through tough times. We also would
like to expand our most effective programmes to have the
greatest possible impact. The annual earnings from this
permanently invested fund will pay the salary of the Centre’s
staff and meet key operational expenses.
With
the achievement of these goals, the Centre for Democracy &
Development will be established as the prime catalyst and
facilitator for sustainable democracy and development in West
Africa, with a stable and predictable funding base to continue
its much-needed work. |
