Introduction

SNV, Netherlands development Organisation, provides advisory services to nearly 1800 local organisations in over 30 developing countries to support their fight against poverty.

SNV is dedicated to a society where all people enjoy the freedom to pursue their own sustainable development. Our advisors contribute to this by strengthening the capacity of local organisations. SNV’s goal is to support local actors to strengthen their performance in effectively realising poverty reduction and good governance.

Poverty results from unequal access to resources and power, between different social and cultural groups and between men and women. SNV believes the basic purpose of development is to enlarge people's choices; to create an enabling environment for people to enjoy long, healthy and creative lives.

The fight against poverty needs strong organisations that serve the interests of the poor and are able to change the structures that sustain poverty. SNV works with organisations that operate at district and provincial level and function as linking pins between national policies and frameworks and the people living in towns and communities. Its clients include private, governmental and civil society organisations.

These organisations are served by locally present teams of national and international experts. SNV’s added value is that its experts combine their thematic expertise with skills in organisational development, partnership building and institutional strengthening. Capacity development of local organisations is crucial for sustained poverty reduction and good governance. It must be linked to tangible impacts and must focus on key local actors, including local capacity builders. Capacity development must be embedded within national development strategies (National Poverty Reduction Strategies or other). Capacity development is not about transferring resources, but about facilitating resourcefulness. National Poverty Reduction Strategies will fail if the macro-micro divide is not bridged. Access to national level policy setting, planning and resources is critical for effective poverty reduction by local actors. Capacity Development Services offered to key actors at the intermediary level contributes to making the system work and thus to impact.