Civil Society Organizations Mapping

From November 2023 to April 2024, the Vanuatu Association of Non-Government Organisations (VANGO) undertook mapping of civil society organisations (CSOs) across the country.

The project consisted of visits to six islands, one from each province, along with the distribution of a survey to Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and Community Based Organisations (CBOs) that were either its members and/or registered with the Vanuatu Financial Services Commission (VFSC). The exercise was aimed at increasing the visibility and capacity of organisations and supporting the greater alignment of the work of organisations with the National Sustainability Development Plan (NSDP).

A total of 128 organisations were involved in the project, consisting of 10 International NGOs (INGOs), 14 National NGOs (NNGOs) and 104 Community Based Organisations.

Key findings are:
– The organisations vary significantly in size, operating budget, geographic reach and scope of activities.
– The majority of organisations are based in Port Vila, with the smaller CBOs maintaining predominant presence in the provinces. The bigger INGOs and NNGOs also have operational presence in one or more of the other provinces.
– Organisations engage in a broad range of activities, often crossing across more than one focus area
(social, economic and/or environment). – The majority of CBOs operate with little or no external funding, with the majority of funding instead being directed to the larger organisations. This is in line with the greater capacity of the larger organisations and the significant gaps in capacity of the smaller CBOs.
– Whilst the INGOs generally demonstrate a high level of capacity in terms of ability to apply for grants, maintain correct registrations and develop and implement organisational policies, the majority of CBOs are experiencing significant challenges in these areas. The NNGOs also report significant needs around capacity building support. – Funding is the highest priority need for organisations, followed by support with governance, training, infrastructure and other needs broadly related to government, community and the environment.

The Call to Action to support CSO’s in Vanuatu has been included to provide Government, donors and partner organisations with a succinct overview of the financial, project and other requirements that VANGO has identified in order to achieve the recommendations.

 

CSO Mapping Report