The Capacity Building Programme for the beneficiaries of the “Building a Robust and Democratic Civic Space – BUILD” was implemented from May 2024 to June 2025 and was a core element of the programme.
It provided a wide range of organisational and professional development services to Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Greece and Cyprus, aiming to enhance their capacity, sustainability, resilience, and impact. Designed on the basis of the organisations’ actual needs, the programme provided training, support, and guidance.
Most of these activities were also made available to other CSOs beyond the direct beneficiaries, so as to ensure the broadest possible social impact. The programme was implemented by Social Dynamo, the NGO Hub of the Bodossaki Foundation, in collaboration with the NGO Support Centre in Cyprus and with the support of a network of more than 200 trainers, mentors, and coaches.
From May 2024 to June 2025, the BUILD Capacity Building Programme supported 64 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Greece and Cyprus with a view to:
- increasing their impact
- improving their internal procedures
- effectively promoting EU rights & values
Programme Outcomes:
- 64 CSOs participated – exceeding the target of 50
- 84% of funded CSOs (based on Capacity Map data) reported improvements in 3+ internal areas (focusing on Governance, Gender Mainstreaming, Transparency & Communication)
- 86% of the participants in the thematic sessions reported an improved knowledge of EU rights and policies
- 75% of the participants were women – exceeding the initial target
Learning & Support Activities:
- 83 hours of organisational development workshops (25.5 hrs in Greece, 12.5 in Cyprus, 45 shared)
- 20 hours of storytelling training (5 hrs theory + 15 hrs practical)
- 18 hours of thematic EU rights workshops
- 24 hours of IT & AI literacy, delivered in 3 online cycles with 140 participants (43 from BUILD CSOs)
- A 2-day networking and training event in Athens brought together 32 representatives from 26 organisations to focus on sustainability and fundraising
- Tailored support for enhanced sustainability through group mentoring for 10 CSOs, executive coaching for 8 staff members, and specialized consultancy support for 4 organisations
- 31 BUILD CSOs (5 from Cyprus, 26 from Greece) participated in the Project DPro certification programme. In all, 45 individuals took part, of whom 28 obtained the Project DPro certification, strengthening NGO project management capacities.